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Fuel restrictions in Vanni, says LTTE

B. Muralidhar Reddy

COLOMBO: The army on Thursday claimed to have gunned down three Tamil Tiger cadres including a member of the LTTE intelligence wing in Batticaloa. The Defence Ministry said the soldiers came under fire and repulsed the attack.

The LTTE accused the Government of imposing "fuel restriction" to the Vanni region and termed it as "oppression by other means". It said in a statement said the quantum of fuel had been limited by the military. "Even hospitals have been affected and have been forced to postpone surgeries due to lack of electricity. The steep increase in fuel price caused by the restrictions has many other detrimental effects on the health of the people in Vanni."

Separately, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs "clarified" that though there was a "volume of incriminatory material" against journalist Munisamy Parameshwari, she had to be released as the availability of material admissible in a court of law was insufficient. She was detained for 120 days on suspicion of links with the Tigers and released on court orders.

The Ministry said Dushyantha Basnayake, publisher of a newspaper group, was arrested based on information received by the police, that he along with a terrorist suspect named Anthony Lakshmi Emil had engaged "in an enterprise to fund terrorist activities".

In his affidavit before the court, Mr. Basnayake has alleged that he has been picked up as he is a close associate of Mangala Samaraweera, one of the two sacked Ministers in the Rajapaksa Government.

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