Unidentified persons erase Arab letters from street name boards

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 July 2011, 10:35 GMT]
A group of unidentified persons had erased the Arabic letters written along with Tamil, Sinhala and English languages on street name boards within the administrative limit of the Kaaththaankudi Urban Council in Batticaloa district. Residents have lodged a complaint with the SL Police in Kaaththaankudi, according civil society sources.

Name boards of streets and lanes mainly in Oaaddamaavadi and Ea'raavoor are written in four languages, Tamil Sinhala, English and Arabic on the instruction of the Chairman of Kaaththaankudi Urban Council.

Provincial Local Government Authorities say that it is contrary to the local government regulation of the Eastern Provincial Council (EPC).

But the Kaaththaankudi UC Chairman reasons that since more Arabs are visiting his area, display in Arabic language is intended to assist these visitors.