82 civilians arrested in Gampaha, Wellawatte

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 June 2007, 18:35 GMT]
Seventy-six civilians, majority of them Tamil, were arrested in Gampaha town in a cordon and search operation conducted by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police from midnight of Friday till dawn Saturday. The arrested were taken into custody as they failed to prove their identity and the valid reason for their stay in the location.

The arrested are being detained in police stations and being interrogated by the Terrorist Intelligence Unit, according to police.

Meanwhile, six Tamil civilians were arrested in a search operation conducted.

by the security forces in Wellawatte in Colombo from early morning till 8 a.m. Saturday. These civilians were taken into custody as they did not possess national identity cards and failed to give valid reason for their stay, police sources said.

Police have detained the arrested in police station for further inquiry.