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Date : 2003-04-21 |
Muttur fast returning to normalcy
by Kalinga Weerakkody
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The Island - April 21: Trincomalee police yesterday said that the situation in Muttur is fast returning to normal with extra police reinforcement moved into the area.
The police curfew which was reimposed at 2.00pm yesterday is scheduled to be lifted this morning for the commencement of the GCE Advanced Level examinations.
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and police said that three persons had been killed and around 20 people injured in the riots last week and around 1000 persons displaced. Of the three killed, two had been identified as Tamils and the other a Muslim. Of the displaced, around 700 were Muslims while the rest were Tamils.
Reports from the area said around 500 Muslims took shelter near the Muttur jetty while another 200 sought refuge in the vicinity of army camps situated near the 58 and 59 mile posts. Around 250 Tamils were taking shelter in schools in Sampur, which is an uncleared area.
Reports said that the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) is providing essential items.
The riots errupted in the area when a mother of a Muslim youth reported to have been abducted by the LTTE committed suicide last week.
Two Muslim youths had gone missing since March 31 while trying to enter Sampur area which is under LTTE control, using a raft. Following the incident a group of 1000 to 1500 Tamils, some of them armed had tried to enter Kattaparichchan cleared area from uncleared Pallikudi Iruppu area on Thursday.
When the Muslims in Kattaparichchan had prevented them from entering one Muslim was killed in the clashes that followed. On Friday, Muslims retaliated and two Tamils were killed in a grenade attack.
Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) spokesman Teitur Torkelsson yesterday told ‘The Island’ that they were not in a position to tell who was responsible for the attacks and when they inquired from the police were themselves not in a position to do so.
He further said while some Tamils are alleging that the army had provided grenades to Muslim groups, the Muslims were blaming the LTTE as being behind the attacks on them.
The SLMM was scheduled to have a meeting with the LTTE leader in Trincomalee and members of the Mosque Federation in Trincomalee yesterday.
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