COLOMBO: A 70-year-old man was killed and 19 persons were injured when the Army opened fire to disperse protesters outside a new checkpoint in the eastern Sri Lankan district of Batticaloa on Monday.

Defence sources said the victim, Ruwan Appu Kandasamy was among the group who demanded the closure of the Santhiveli checkpoint, which "restricted the freedom of movement".

The Army opened fire after the protesters stoned and damaged an army vehicle around 10.45 a.m.

The sources said the checkpoint was set up to prevent the movement of armed cadres of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Tamil National Army formed by the former LTTE special commander, V. Muralitharan (`Col.' Karuna) into the government-held eastern Sri Lanka. The Army closed the checkpoint later in the day.

Batticaloa MP, S. Jeyanandamoorthy, said the checkpoint violated the ceasefire agreement.

The protests are a pointer to the rapidly declining security environment in the east since `Col.' Karuna's rebellion last year. More than 200 persons, including armed cadre and civilian supporters, have been killed in internecine clashes in the region.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous | Engagements |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Updates: Breaking News |