15 arrested in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 November 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Police arrested fifteen persons in the Iruthayapuram suburb of the Batticaloa town this morning around 10 a.m.

There was no search operation in the area, but sources said that Policemen in the local detachment had seen these persons coming in a crowd and had arrested them on suspicion.

A student of the Batticaloa Hindu college S. Sivakumar was among those arrested at Iruthayapuram today. An employee of the local garment factory K. Jeyanathan was also arrested.

All were taken to the district Police HQ in Batticaloa town.

Sources said that six were released around 3.30 p.m. later in the afternoon. The rest are still being interrogated.

The SLA and the Police, meanwhile cordoned off and searched the Aanaiappanthi area and Kovinthan road in the Batticaloa town from about 8 p.m. last night and again later this morning. No one was arrested.

But residents said last night's search operation created problems as there were no women soldiers in any of the Police - army teams which were involved in the house to house checking.