Sri Lankan forces arrest 12 Tamils in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 September 2008, 18:34 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA), Special Task Force (STF) and the Sri Lankan police arrested Thursday 12 civilians in a joint cordon and search operation from 5:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. in Kalladi, Uppoadai, Nochchimunai and Naavatkudaa areas in Batticaloa police division. Paramilitary Razeek group personnel were deployed by the SLA during the search operation, residents said.

SLA had taken all males to Naavatkudaa Peachchiyamman temple for interrogation and 12 of them were detained by the SLA. The search was conducted house to house during which the people in the houses were also interrogated. All traffic on Batticaloa-Kalmunai main road was stopped for nearly three hours during the search. The police had told the local residents that the Intelligence Wing members of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have infiltrated into Batticaloa district and the search was launched to apprehend them. Meanwhile, the SLN had conducted a cordon and search operation Wednesday in Thiraaimadu area in Batticaloa during which the residents of the area were taken in buses to a public place for interrogation, the residents said.