Villagers flee as SLA erects camp in Sirukandal, Mannar
[TamilNet, Monday, 12 June 2006, 16:06 GMT]
More than one hundred Tamil families fled from the village of Pariharakandal
when more than five hundred soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) entered the
village of Sirukandal, located a mile away from Pariharakandal, Monday morning
and established a camp inside an
area used as cemetery, civil society sources in Mannar said. By noon the
entire village of Sirukandal was deserted and all small shops in the village
closed, sources said.
Sirukandal village is located along Murunkan-Arippu road, about 3 km
from Mannar town, sources said. Meanwhile, another group of SLA soldiers entered Arippu village through
Nanattan-Achchankulam road along the banks of Aruvi Aru Monday morning.
About two hundred families in the village fled and sought refuge in the
St.Mary's Church in the area. Later around 11 a.m. the
villagers returned to their houses. However heads of the fisher families
stayed behind without going out to sea being afraid to leave their
families alone, sources said. Mr.Iruthayarajah alias Kannan, 34, and father of one
child is reported missing since June 7 after he left his village Pallimunai
to Mannar town to buy his provision, according to a complaint lodged with
the Mannar regional Office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka by
his relatives on Monday morning, sources said.
|