Armed gang not LTTE - Police

By our Hambantota Correspondent

A Joint Operations Command Centre came into operation in the Tissamaharama area yesterday as police and security forces conducted a joint investigation in Yala in the aftermath of the brutal killings in the area. Police spokesperson, DIG Jayantha Wickramaratne said 25 police checkpoints had been established in Tissamaharama, Kataragama and Lunugamvehera. He said additional security forces would be deployed in areas identified as those most likely to be attacked.

Basil Rajapaksa at the opening of the Joint Operations Command Centre in Hambantota

In addition public awareness programmes would also be conducted. Meanwhile, around 500 police officials had been deployed in the Thabarawa and Tissamaharama areas, police sources said. Southern province DIG Jayantha Gamage said he believed that the gang terrorising the villagers did not comprise LTTE cadres.

On Friday, Minister of Ports and Aviation, Irrigation and Water Management, Chamal Rajapaksa said security forces were yet to verify whether the attacks were been carried out by the LTTE or a gang bent on antagonising the people. The minister went on to explain that the killings had been carried out with the use of sharp weapons such as an axe.

The police have also urged the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activities.“A group of people are trying to disrupt civilian life, the tourist industry and the ongoing development work in the South. However Government officials, security forces as well as other relevant organizations are working towards restoring normalcy,” a police spokesperson said.