LTTEer opens fire inside Kovil killing three

Rafik Jalaldeen

BATTICALOA: Three members of the Karuna faction were killed inside a kovil in Chenkaladi, Batticaloa by a LTTE cadre in the wee hours of yesterday.

Eight other Karuna faction members were also injured in the attack.

According to Police the LTTEer had hurled a grenade and then opened fire at the group who were sleeping inside the Kovil.

The victims were all members of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) the political arm of the Karuna faction.

According to Eravur Police, the assailant was a Vanni cadre who posed as a defector and joined the Karuna faction two months ago.

"At around midnight on Wednesday 13 Karuna cadres along with the assassin and went to the Kovil to sleep. Each cadre took turns to stand guard over the others at arranged intervals. When the Wanni cadre's turn came he hurdled two hand grenades at the sleeping figures," Police said.

They said the three Karuna cadres who were severely injured succumbed to their injuries while being taken to the Polonnaruwa hospital. The injured eight are being treated at the Welikanda hospital, the sources added.

The LTTE cadre managed to escape to uncleared areas after the deed which Police described as a revenge attack, Police said.

In a separate incident, a mother and five children who went to pick green leaves in a garden close to the Selva Cinema in Kalikovil, Eravur yesterday morning were injured when a hidden mortar exploded.

According to the Eravur Police, the 43 year old mother with her children were plucking the green leaves when they stumbled on the explosive device. They were examining the device when it exploded.

A two year old infant and an 11-year-old boy were severely injured. The baby later succumbed to its injuries at the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital, police said.

Meanwhile, a member of the LTTE yesterday surrendered to the Ja-ela Police claiming he had decided to quit the outfit.

According to Ja-Ela police, preliminary investigations revealed that the 30-year-old LTTE cadre was on a mission to carry out an attack on an important target in the Colombo city.

The surrendered LTTE cadre is a resident of Nuwara-Eliya and had received training at a LTTE camp. He was accompanied by another LTTEer on their journey from Mannar to Ja-Ela.

The companion was asleep when the surrendee gave him the slip and gave himself up, police said.

The Ja-Ela police is conducting investigations.

The surrendered LTTE cadre will be handed over for rehabilitation, they added.