Sinhala cattle breeder arrested in Buttala

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 February 2008, 13:04 GMT]
A Sinhalese villager was arrested Friday by the police on a report that he had supplied meals and cigarettes to unknown persons hiding in Buttala jungle. He is to be produced in Buttala court on Monday, media sources said.

The alleged suspect is a cattle breeder in the area.

The relatives made a complaint after the villager had taken his cattle for breeding Wednesday inside Buttala jungle and had failed to return home.

When the relatives notified the police when he returned home after two days, the police arrested him on Friday for interrogation.

The villager in a statement to the police had said that he had met an group of unknown persons who spoke Sinhala and that they had given money to the suspect to bring meals and cigarettes for them.

During the last two months 48 persons including civilians, security forces and home guards have been killed in Buttala. This includes 28 civilians who were killed in a claymore attack on a passenger bus. Following the killings Hambantota commanding officer Brigadier Susantha Ranasinghe was abruptly replaced by Colonel Devendra Perera.

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