4TH LEAD

Claymore attack in Jaffna, 5 SLA soldiers, 2 humanitarian workers killed

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 April 2006, 09:22 GMT]
Five Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers travelling in a SLA truck and two Tamil humanitarian workers belonging to Human Development Centre (HUDEC), who were riding in a vehicle that was overtaking the SLA truck, were killed when a Claymore mine fixed to a lamp post was exploded Monday afternoon by unidentified attackers on A9 Road at Mirusuvil, 9 km northeast of Chavakachcheri, police in Chavakacheri said. Two SLA soldiers and two HUDEC staffers were also injured in the Claymore explosion.

The HUDEC staff killed in the explosion were identified as Mr. Pathmanathan Shanmugaratnam, 55, and Mr. Selvendra Pradeepkumar, 29.

Mr. Mayilvaganam Thatparanathan, 48, and Mr. Ajanthan Mariyarasa, 28, were rushed to Chavakacheri Hospital and later transferred to Jaffna Hospiltal, medical sources said.

SLA soldiers wounded in the attack were transferred to Palalay Military Hospital, SLA sources said.

HUDEC is the social arm of the Catholic Church of Jaffna, which networks at Parish level across the Jaffna Peninsula and the Vanni working with the disadvantaged for the alleviation of poverty, ignorance and social oppression.