Four killed in clashes

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 July 1999, 14:56 GMT]
A suspected member of the Liberation Tigers was killed and a Sri Lankan Policeman was wounded in a confrontation at Vairavapuliyankulam Irrigation Tank bund, this afternoon around 2.15 p.m., said sources.

The Police, who were on duty at the checkpoint near a Hindu temple near the bund at Vairavapuliyankulam had opened fire at two men who had started to flee on seeing the Police.

Sources said that the two men had also returned fire at the chasing Police, wounding one.

One of the men was shot dead and a Police search party rushed to the scene and cordoned off the area in a bid to locate the other.

When the shooting started frightened townsfolk put down the shutters in the bazaar and ran to their homes, said residents, adding that there was widespread panic in the town.

The firing went on for fifteen minutes they said.

On Wednesday night two Policemen who were on guard duty were killed by unidentified gunmen at Vanni MP, V.Balachandran’s residence about a km from the scene of today's incident.

Elsewhere, D.M.Wijepala,33, a Reserve Policeman of the Murungan Police Station was shot dead while on patrol in Murunganpatti at around 1:15 p.m. today, sources said.