Eight youths arrested in round up

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 June 2000, 10:26 GMT]
Eight youths were arrested when the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers and Police conducted a cordon and search operation in Kokkuvil, a village 4 km. north of Batticaloa this morning.

Residents said the troops used masked spotters during the search which began around 5 a.m. Sunday morning. The youths who were identified by the spotters were taken to the Batticaloa police station for further inquiries sources said.

The Batticaloa parliamentarian, Mr.Joseph Pararajasingham, has contacted the police regarding the arrests. The police has told the MP that the youths were being interrogated.

Meanwhile three members of the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) were wounded in a grenade attack at Poonthoddam in Vavuniya around 4.30 a.m. this morning. They were admitted to the Batticaloa hospital. The area was searched by the police following the attack. However no arrests were made, sources said.