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Grenade attack wounds three former militants in Jaffna |
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October 6, 2000
JAFFNA (AP) - Suspected militants lobbed a hand grenade on members of a former rebel group campaigning for next week's parliamentary elections in northern Jaffna on Thursday, critically wounding three of them, witnesses said. Those wounded belonged to the Eelam People's Democratic Party, which gave up arms in 1990 and joined the political mainstream. They were attacked while going in an auto-rickshaw. The EPDP is contesting the Oct. 10 parliamentary elections in Jaffna. It opposes the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's demand for a separate homeland for the minority Tamils. Police said those wounded belonged to the minority Tamil community. The army soldiers cordoned off the area after the attack. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. But police suspected the LTTE's involvement. The rebels say they want a homeland for the Tamils as they face discrimination by the Sinhalese, who account for 14 million of the country's 18.6 million people. There are 3.2 million Tamils in the island nation. The guerrillas controlled Jaffna for nearly five years until they were driven out by government forces in 1995. They often sneak into the government-held areas and attack government soldiers and former militants. |