Shopkeeper beaten by STF troops

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Special Task Force (STF) troops from the Puthukudiyiruppu camp assaulted a shopkeeper in Batticaloa town for refusing to accede to their unlawful demands.

Two STF commandos, armed and in uniform, entered Asif Traders, a shop selling knickknacks and trinkets and demanded from the shopkeeper that he write a false bill for selling sand, stones and cement totaling 14,735 rupees (240 USD).

When the man protested that a trinket shop could not issue a bill purporting to have sold building materials, he was assaulted by the STF personnel.

Another group of STF was standing guard outside the shop.

Traders in the Batticaloa district have often protested against being assaulted, intimidated and having their wares forcibly taken away by the security forces.

They complain that no action has been taken by the Sri Lankan authorities to punish such conduct by service personnel.