Pavement trader shot dead in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 November 2006, 12:58 GMT]
A pavement trader near Muneeswaram Road infront of Jaffna Teaching Hospital in the Jaffna central business district was shot dead by unknown gunmen who came in a motorbike at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, sources said. Local traders said that the killing was carried out by the Sri Lanka Security forces as a revenge to the killing of another trader near the same spot Monday. The killers escaped after dousing his body with gasolene and setting it on fire, local witnesses said.

The victim was identified as Thiruchelvam Surendrakumar, 34, from Navanthurai. He was opening his pavement business when he was shot. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers who were stationed nearly 100 meters from the scene of the incident failed to approach the crime scene after the killing, local witnesses said.

Earlier Monday, Navaratnam Mahinthan 17, another street vendor was shot dead around 11:00 at Muneeswaram road in Jaffna town by unknown gunmen.