4TH LEAD

SLA massacres students, 5 killed, 8 wounded

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 November 2006, 07:41 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army soldiers manning a checkpost close to Thandikulam Agriculture Farm School in Vavuniya entered the school premises, lined up the uniformed hostel students who were engaged in practicals and shot at them, killing four students, 3 Tamil and a Muslim, and wounding nine. The troopers manning a checkpost, at Soya Lane, 100 meters away from the school, stormed the premises after a Claymore blast killed five soldiers opposite the school around 9:45 a.m. Saturday. Fellow students said the troopers shot at them while they were pleading they were innocent students. A critically wounded student succumbed to his wounds at Anuradhapura hospital.

The five dead students were identified as Atchuthan of Batticaloa, Gopinath of Trincomalee, Rizwan Mohamed of Batticaloa, Sinthujan of Vavuniya and Hindujan from Batticaloa, who succumbed to his wounds in Anuradhapura hospital, was one of the two students who were transferred to Anurdhapura in a critical condition, according to medical sources.

The Claymore attack had taken place 10 meters from the school, opposite the road.

Five troopers including an officer were killed and the remaining four soldiers in the vehicle were wounded. The troopers were travelling towards Omanthai when their vehicle was attacked.

The soldiers who entered the school premises had come from the checkpost located at Soya Lane.

Vavuniya magistrate M. Ilancheliyan visited the Vavuniya hospital and conducted initial inquiries.

Thandikulam is located 4 km north of Vavuniya on A9. Omanthai is situated about 17 km north of Vavuniya.

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