Tamil woman knifed to death in Friday violence in Kanniya

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 April 2006, 05:25 GMT]
A 60 year old woman was knifed to death in violence which erupted in the suburbs of the Trincomalee town Friday afternoon, police sources said. Somasuntharam Maheswary was attending religious duties at Nadesar Temple when a group of thugs had dragged her from the temple premises and cut her. Her body was latter found on the road and handed over to the mortuary of the Trincomalee general hospital Friday night, sources said.

Violence erupted in the suburbs of Trincomalee when thugs armed with knives and clubs started attacking Tamil residents and set fire to their houses and properties following the killing of a Sinhalese youth.

About forty Tamil families thereafter had fled from the area and sought refuge in another suburb, Peeliaydi of Kanniya village.

Several Tamil families of Linganagar had sought refuge in Palaiyootu Church premises on Friday night on receipt of information that a group of thugs had gathered near the area to attack them, sources said.

Residents of Varothyanagar in Uppuveli police division also sought refuge Friday night through fear, the sources said.