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They came bearing white flags and guns
Eye witnesses recount tragedy on Kokilai beach
By Hiran Priyankara
“An LTTE boat displaying a white flag sped towards the shore. Suddenly the cadres started shooting indiscriminately at the Army post. Some people fled the scene, others fell to the ground. Suddenly an LTTE mortar that hit a tree ricocheted hitting a villager on the head killing him on the spot”--This is how Abdul Muthalif an eye witness to the LTTE shooting at Kokilai, described the mayhem last Sunday.

The victim was 52-year-old Camillus Sunil who worked as a cook and had come to Kokilai in May last year from Mukku Thoduwawa in Mundel. He used to visit his home every three months to see his wife and five children four of whom are married. His youngest daughter is a student of grade 6.
His last visit had been during the New Year.

His grieving 22-year- old son Sirimevan, also a fisherman in Kokilai, described the tragic events of that otherwise peaceful Sunday.

“My father works as a cook in a wadiya belonging to Lucas mudalali. About 20 fishermen work at this wadiya. Since Sunday is their day off they usually play cricket on the beach. Around sunset an LTTE boat bearing a white flag sped towards the shore. Suddenly they started shooting at the army post. The LTTE used mortars while the army used T 56 guns. Some of us including myself crawled towards some fishing boats and I thought that my father too would have done so. Later I heard that he had been shot by the LTTE. I ran towards him only to find him lying motionless.”

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