Two civilians shot dead in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 September 2006, 10:51 GMT]
A betel leaves vendor was shot dead inside the High Security Zone (HSZ) of Jaffna town by unknown gunmen at 7:25 a.m., and another civilian was shot dead in Kopay at 8:10 a.m. by unidentified gunmen riding in a motorbike, sources in Jaffna said. The arbitrary killings, following nearly a week of absence of violence in Jaffna, have brought back fear in the peninsula and has raised the specter of 1996-1997 killings and disappearances.

Kandiah Ratnasingham, 53, who owned a betel leaves shop at the Junction of Jaffna Clock Tower Road and Hospital Road less than 300 meters from Jaffna Police Station and Jaffna Teaching Hospital inside the HSZ, was shot dead at close range by gunmen riding in a motorbike.

Mr Ratnasingham is from Ottumadam in Jaffna.

Rajaratnam Anbalagan, 30, was riding in his bicycle along V.H.Lane in Kopay when he was shot dead by unknown gunmen, sources in Jaffna said.

Bodies of both men have been taken to Jaffna Teaching Hospital for postmortem examinations, hospital sources said.