Three SLA casualties in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 January 1999, 13:19 GMT]
Three Sri Lankan Army (SLA) troops were killed and several others were wounded on January 15, Friday night around 11.30 p.m. during a skirmish with the Liberation Tigers at Vembaday in Uduththurai on the southeastern coast of Jaffna said sources in the peninsula. There were no casualties among the Tigers they claimed.

Yesterday the SLA cordoned off the coastal villages of Vaththiraayan, Maruthankerni and Thaalaiyadi in the area and herded residents to the Thaalaiady St.Anthony's church for questioning and screening from 8 a.m. in the morning to 1 p.m. in the afternoon. No one was arrested.

The SLA stopped all traffic between Palai in Thenmaradchi and Vadamaradchi east during this search operation.

Three civilians of Pt.Pedro in Jaffna who were arrested by the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) last Wednesday January 13, are yet to be released said human rights activists in the north today.

Sinnakutty Selvarathinam, 40, of Varaththuppalai was arrested in a tea boutique in Pt.Pedro town around 11 a.m. by soldiers from the SLA camp at the jetty.

Rayappu Peter Keuneman,18, was arrested by the army at 2.30 p.m. from his residence in Thumpalai on the outskirts of Pt.Pedro town.

And later that night around 9 p.m., the SLA took into custody T.Sivathsan, 35, from his home on Iyanaar street in Pt.Pedro town.

Army sources in Jaffna said that the three men were arrested on information from local sources that they had links with the Liberation Tigers.

The sources said that the three suspects are being interrogated in detention.