Civilians killed in air-strikes

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 March 2001, 12:53 GMT]
Four civilians were killed and 11 others were wounded when Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) jets and Naval gun-boats attacked the coastal villages of Chundikulam and Puthumaathalan in the north-eastern Mullaithivu district Wednesday morning, reports said.

Four fishermen were killed and nine others were wounded in the attack on Chundikulam, according to Voice of Tigers radio. Two civilians including a three year old child were wounded in the air attack at Puthumaathalan around 11 a.m.

The radio said several huts were destroyed in the air and naval attack, and added that a large number of people have moved to safer areas.

According to the radio Thambirasa Ravirasa,31, his wife Renuka, 30, Kulasekaram Thangavel, 35, and Maraiyampillai Philomina, 50 were killed in the attack.

The radio said following were wounded at Chundikulam: Velupillai Jeyanthan, Muthurasa Iyathurai, Muthulingam Jeeva, Ponnampalam Ilakiya Vasanthi, Anandarasa Jeevan, Sivalingam Malar, Jeyachandran Vasuki, Ilayathambi Vairamuthu, and Chellaiah Velupillai.

The radio said Pushparaj Koneswaran,3, (displaced from Inparuty in Jaffna) and Antonipillai Jeyachandran,33 (displaced from Iranaipaalai) were wounded in the air attack at Puthumaathalan.