Premier to act after 3 Tamil civilian deaths

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 October 2002, 09:01 GMT]
Three Tamil civilians were killed and about twenty others were wounded, eight critically, in Trincomalee Friday in firing and grenade attacks blamed on Sri Lankan police and Sinhala paramilitaries. The killings occurred amid calls for a general shut down (hartal) in the east port town condemning the killings Wednesday of seven Tamil demonstrators by Special Task Force commandos in Ampara district.

Two Tamil civilians have been shot dead and several others wounded by Police firing at Anpuvallipuram junction, two km northwest of Trincomalee town. Among the wounded Tamil civilians, eight are in critical condition, medical sources said. One person is reported to have been killed by Sinhala home guards.

Tyres burning on main road in Trincomalee town.

"All the victims in the violence that erupted in Trincomalee Friday are Tamils and not from other communities. This clearly shows who is responsible for the violence now unleashed in Trincomalee," Mr. R. Sampanthan, Tamil National Alliance leader and the Trincomalee district parliamentarian Friday told the Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe.

He requested the Prime Minister to take immediate steps to quell the violence against Tamils in Trincomalee." Members of the State armed forces are all from majority community. If the violence against Tamils is not brought to a halt, Tamils will lose confidence on the state armed forces that they are one sided," Mr. Sampanthan stressed to the Prime Minister.

According to Mr.Sampanthan, Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe has promised to send senior army and police officers to Trincomalee to bring the situation under control.

Deserted Trincomalee main bus terminal.

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