News in Brief

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 March 1999, 11:20 GMT]
Sri Lankan Police say they found a bomb at Kelani bridge in Colombo today; Search Operation in Vadamaradchi east; PLOTE member attacked in Pt. Pedro.

Search operation in Vadamaradchi East

The Sri Lankan Army conducted a search operation in Maamunai in the Vadamaradchi east, in the early hours of the morning yesterday.

The villagers were herded into Maamunai Murugan Temple and interrogated.

M.Jegan, a fisherman who was about to set out for fishing and a farmer, A.Thruchelvam, 33, from Chempiyanpattu were assaulted by the Army during the operation.

When asked by an SLA officer what they would like to see done, the villagers said that they wanted the ban on the transport of food to be lifted, permission for a co-operative branch to be opened in the area, more fishing time to be allocated and a resumption of the bus service.

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Police find bomb in Colombo

Sri Lankan Policemen lift Nilabdeen, a senior Police investigator who was wounded in the explosion in Colombo yesterday, into an ambulance. photo-AFP

The Sri Lankan Police said that they found a bomb along with a detonating device at Kelani bridge, 9 km. north of Colombo this morning around 7.15 a.m.

The Police and the Army cordoned off the area and the bomb was later diffused, the police said.

Railway sources said that the train services between the capital, upcountry and the Northeast were disrupted for more than an hour, as a result.

The police said that they are conducting investigations.

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PLOTE cadres attack PLOTE member

Unidentified men attacked a senior member of the PLOTE at Katkovalam in Pt. Pedro on Sunday. The PLOTE member, Anwar Ramesh alias Ranjan received cut wounds to his legs.

He said that he was attacked by PLOTE cadres.

Ranjan ran in to the EDPD office at Pt. Pedro and was later admitted to the Manthikai hospital. 'Ranjan' who is from Vavuniya went to Jaffna after the SLA captured the town in 1996.