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Army
sentry points attacked in day of hartal, high drama The attacks on the sentry points along the Main Kandy-Jaffna A9 highway and inland were carried out in Meesalai and Kaithady in the Jaffna peninsula. Army personnel manning the sentry points were immediately withdrawn. "These attacks were an attempt to provoke the army," military spokesman Brigadier Daya Ratnayake told The Sunday Times. He said Scandinavian ceasefire monitors and police were called to the scene to prevent any possible clashes between the protestors and the security forces. Tiger guerillas, their supporters and three Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians marched to the Vavuniya Kachcheri to hand over a petition. Just then, a group rushed to the flag post and lowered the Sri Lanka national flag to half mast. The three TNA MPs were Selvam Adaikalanathan, Sivashakthi Anandan and Sivanathan Kishore. Vavuniya Government Agent S. Shanmugam told The Sunday Times that a large gathering arrived at the entrance last morning and before he received the petition some people in the gathering tried to bring down the national flag. "Some tried to prevent it, but the flag slipped down. After the gathering left we put the flag back in place," he said. Both the attacks and the hartal came as protests against the killings of LTTE's Ampara and Batticaloa political wing leader Illaiyathamby Lingarasa alias Kaushalyan and four others reportedly by the rival Karuna faction. At least 35 to 40 youth had gathered in front of the sentry points, chanted slogans and set fire to them. A similar protest has been called for in the Mannar distrcit on Tuesday. Earlier protests were held in the Trincomalee, Ampara and Batticaloa districts. Elsewhere in a government-controlled Nochchimoddai area in Vavuniya, the LTTE's Vavuniya women's wing leader Allai hoisted the Tiger flag in a Children's park. Speeches were made, condemning the killings. In Kodikamam, police were forced to use tear-gas on the demonstrators. At least six persons were injured and rushed to the Chavakachcheri hospital. In Neeliadi, Vadamarachchi a police vehicle was damaged when demonstrators pelted stones. All public transport along the A 9 road beyond Vavuniya to the north was suspended yesterday in view of the hartal. Meanwhile LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran yesterday posthumously honoured former TNA MP A. Chandra Nehru with a 'Maamanithar' title -- the highest honour granted by the LTTE. The citation signed by the LTTE leader was given to Mr. Nehru's widow and son at a special ceremony in Pavattah, Kanjikudichchiaru area. Mr. Nehru's body, draped in the LTTE flag was taken from Thirukkovil to the LTTE conference centre in Pavattah earlier. Meanwhile, the LTTE political office in Mannar town came under a grenade attack last night. A guerrilla sympathiser was killed and two others were wounded. |
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