3RD LEAD

Mob smashes SLMC Hizbullah's vehicle in Vaazhaichcheanai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 January 2008, 11:23 GMT]
An armed mob Saturday afternoon smashed the vehicle of M.L.A.M Hizbullah, a Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Executive Committee member and former minister when he went there to meet his party representatives for local election preparations as his party had decided to contest in five local councils. The SLMC has charged that the mob, linked to Muslim ministers aligned with the Mahinda Rajapaksa's government, was trained by the TMVP paramilitary group. Hizbullah has alleged that supporters of Ameer Ali, Sri Lankan minister of disaster relief services, were engaged in sabotaging the meeting he was conducting with the local Muslims.

Mr. Hizbullah earlier this week charged that the situation was not conducive for elections as the district was under threat by armed groups, including the armed men trained by the Muslim ministers aligned with the Rajapaksa government.

Ameer Ali, responding to the allegations by Hizbullah denied that his supporters were involved in the episode and said any Muslim youth could have done it, angered by Hizbullah's recent comments that there were armed elements within the Muslim community.

Vaazhaichcheanai is located 30 km north of Batticaloa city.