Forty Tamils arrested in Udappu

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 April 2000, 14:33 GMT]
Forty Tamils were arrested by the Sri Lankan Police in Udappu in the Puttalam district, 120 kilometers north of Colombo today during a cordon and search operation in this costal village today. More than five hundred Police personnel from 25 Police stations in Sri Lanka's northwestern province were involved in the search operation.

The arrested Tamils have been detained at the Marawila Police station for interrogation and further investigations Police sources in Puttalam said. The cordon and search operation was carried out mainly in connection with the blowing up of a patrol craft of the Sri Lankan Navy on April 12 in the seas off Kalpetty. Police say that the Sea Tigers who blew up the craft may have had contacts and back up in Udappu.

Persons from outside the village and those without proper identity documents were among the persons taken into custody today.

Udappu is an ancient Tamil coastal village, about 120 km. north of Colombo in the Puttalam district.