Vavuniya businessman shot dead

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 March 2006, 01:28 GMT]
Unknown gunmen who came in a white van shot dead Ponniah Murugesu, 40, in front of his shop in Sasthrikulankulam, 6 km north of Vavuniya town, around 8.15 p.m. Friday evening, Vavuniya police said. His assistant at the shop, Mr Ramesh, was also injured in the shooting, witnesses said.

Ramesh has been taken to the Vavuniya General Hospital. His condition is not serious, hospital sources said.

Escalation of violence targetted at businessmen in Vavuniya has brought fear and tension within the business community, civil society groups in Vavuniya said.

On Wednesday M. Gunaratnam, another Vavuniya businessman who ran a travel business was killed.

The killings follow death threats and extortion demands believed to be from paramilitaries operating in the Vavuniya district during the last two months.