General shut down paralyses Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 July 2005, 11:31 GMT]
The normal life in Trincomalee town Tuesday came to standstill following a general shout down called by the Trincomalee District Tamil People's Forum (TDTPF), condemning the murder of LTTE memebrs at Chelvanayakapuram by unidentified armed men in military uniform, Sunday.

Schools of all media were closed down. State and private banks did not operate. Business establishments of all communities did not open. Offices of central government and provincial council did not function, as employees did not report for work. Local authorities including Urban Council, Trincomalee did not function. Public market was closed down. Bus services came to a standstill, as passengers did not turn at the central bus stand, TamilNet sources in the eastern port town said.

A large number of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police personnel were deployed in the town.

SLA soldiers had set up temporary checkpoints at several vital junctions in the east port town and checked motorists and pedestrians, the sources said.