Six people, including 19 year-old Paramsamy Logaraj, were injured in another incident two days later. Police guarding Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP T Thangavel’s residence in Arayampathy, four miles south of Batticaloa town, opened fire on a crowd of people. The police claim that the crowd attempted to attack the MP’s house. But other sources say the shooting took place following an argument. The police took the injured into custody.
These incidents are blighting the peaceful atmosphere that prevailed following the ceasefire. The local people are extremely concerned over the developments. They point to the fact that the ceasefires of 1989-1990 and 1995 collapsed following violent incidents in the Eastern Province.
According to press reports, 160 shops were damaged or destroyed in violence between Muslims and Tamils at Valaichenai, north of Batticaloa town, in June. Police say seven Muslims and two Tamils were killed and 31 Muslims and 25 Tamils were wounded.
Opposition leader Mahinda Rajapakse said in Parliament on 9 July that the Muslims were badly affected in the east and alleged that the violence was the result of the ceasefire agreement between the LTTE and the government. The opposition parties maintain that the government has offered too many concessions to the Tigers.
At a meeting on 4 July, National United Alliance (NUA) leader and MP Ferial Ashraff urged President Kumaratunge to ensure the safety of the Muslim community in the east, before removing the security forces from public buildings such as schools and temples. Five days later, during a discussion with the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe assured that military camps will not be closed without consultation.
The security forces continue to occupy many public buildings in Batticaloa District. Further south in Amparai District, the Army vacated several schools in the coastal areas. But some Hindu and Buddhist temples were still occupied at the end of July.
In Trincomalee District, three LTTE cadre were taken into custody by the Navy at sea near Sampur on 3 July. On the same day, two more Tigers were arrested at Kanniya. LTTE’s Trincomalee political leader A Ruban says that the actions of the Navy violate the ceasefire agreement. The LTTE cadre were released on bail by the Trincomalee magistrate on 5 July.