President orders full-scale inquiry

COLOMBO: President Mahinda Rajapaksa has ordered a full-scale and immediate inquiry into the deaths of two Red Cross volunteers whose bodies had been recovered from Kiriella with gun shot wounds.

Presidential Secretariat sources said that although an attempt has been made to make the Government responsible for the alleged abduction and the killing of the two Red Cross volunteers, the sources was emphatic that the Government was not involved in the incident at all.

It was also clearly evident that there was no involvement on the part of the police or security personnel into the alleged abduction and killing of the two volunteers, sources added.

The Red Cross was very active and was involved in the resettlement and rehabilitation work in the East.

While commending the Red Cross for its good work, specially in the East, the source observed that the reported incident was an attempt to discredit the President and his Government.