Shot man was cattle trader

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The person who was shot dead by the SLA yesterday behind the Sittandy Murugan temple as a member of the Liberation Tigers was identified this morning as a 30 year cattle trader.

His relatives identified the man's body at the Eravur hospital this morning as that of T.Thiyagarajah, the father of five children, of Thihiliveddai, a hamlet across the lagoon from Santhiveli, about 24 kilometers north of Batticaloa.

He had come to sell cattle yesterday at the Sittandy market when he was shot dead by an SLA patrol from the nearby Morokkottanchenai yesterday around 10 a.m. in the morning, said sources.

The Ministry of Defence said in a press release issued today that "On 19 January 1998 around 11.30 am at Sittandy in Batticaloa District. Troops on dominating patrol killed 01 terrorist and subsequently recovered the dead body of the terrorist along with a hand grenade."

The army said that it would make arrangements to hand over his body to the LTTE through the ICRC.

The relatives of Thiyagarajah, however, went before the ICRC and claimed his body.