Vidaththalthivu refugees arrive by sea

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 June 1999, 07:33 GMT]
Three hundred and sixty four persons belonging to eighty seven families arrived at the Pallimunai beach near Mannar town from Vidaththalthivu early this morning. The refugees said that the Gnahappar Church and St.Mary's Church in Vidaththalthivu where people had sought refuge were hit by SLA artillery fire yesterday. They said that several civilians were wounded and a 10 year old boy was killed in the shelling.

The Mannar's Tamilnet correspondent said that these civilians from Vidaththalthivu had to be looked after by the people of Pallimunai this morning as no NGO in Mannar had turned up to aid the refugee families.

Priests from the Mannar Catholic church are also helping them he said.

The Police, meanwhile, is checking their belongings and questioning them.

The refugees said that they had set out from the coast of Vidaththalthivu in boats and Vallams towards the Mannar island last night around 8 p.m.

More refugees are expected later in the day and later, sources added.



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