Kokupadaiyan villagers flee fearing air-strike

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 January 2007, 20:06 GMT]
The entire population of Kokupadaiyan village in Musali divisional secretariat division in Mannar district Wednesday sought refuge in adjacent villages due to fear following the aerial strike on Padahuthurai in Ilupakadaivai by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) on Tuesday, sources in Mannar said. Kokupadaiyan village is located in the area controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Ilupakadaivai fishing village is also located in the LTTE area.

About 269 members of 63 families fled from Kokupadaiyan village and sought refuge in villages in Pontheivukandal and Neelamadu in Nanattan Divisional Secretariat Division in Mannar district.

Volunteers of non-governmental organizations started distributing meals and other essential items to the refugee families, sources said.