“Atrocities and harassment being committed by LTTE in their areas by way of murder of Muslim civilians, frequent abduction of Muslim civilians, LTTE extortions and ransom, etc in the recent past caused them to stage Friday’s protest attended by several thousands of Muslims in the area,” the army said.

Tension and public anger came to a climax on Thursday after LTTE gunmen claimed the life of a Muslim three-wheeler driver on while he was on his way to Kirimichchi area along with three other Muslim passengers. The bullet-riddled body of the three-wheeler driver was subsequently recovered by Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission officials who visited the area along with the Valachchenai Police on Wednesday morning. Earlier, LTTE gunmen shot and killed four Muslim civilians in Kolakanawadiya village along with one Sinhalese and one Tamil.

All shops, boutiques and state institutions remained however closed yesterday also as a token of protest to the recent LTTE killings.

“Friday’s protest, began at about 7.00 a.m. with about eight hundred protesters in the heart of Oddamavadi town, swelled into a huge crowd of about five thousand as time went on, crippling normalcy in the area and bringing the whole area to a complete standstill. Schools and transport were also not in function. Peaceful protesters, shouting anti-LTTE slogans and carrying anti-LTTE placards were in the town. Security arrangements were strengthened in affected areas by the Police in cooperation with troops to maintain law and order,” the Army added. Published: Fri Mar 11 12:38:11 EST 2005

Army claimed that a motorbike riding civilian crashed into an army truck and sustained injuries; but sources told the Lanka Academic that the injuries were ‘not fatal’. The area soon after the accident became tensed with civilians starting to pelt stones at army vehicles and setting tyres on fire as a mark of protest against the military forces and their carelessness. The injured civilian was rushed to the Jaffna hospital.

Army reports claimed that, preliminary investigations revealed that the motorbike rider had tried to overtake the Army vehicle from the wrong side. Groups also made attempts to set fire to the Army truck but the Police managed to take away the vehicle to the nearest Army detachment in the area for safety. As situation was getting tense, policemen intervened to defuse the situation but they too were barred from doing so after the mobs surrounded them too while throwing stones and bricks at them. Policemen were however compelled to open teargas on the mobs as violence was aggravating. Reinforcements from nearby camps have been summoned in order to bring the situation under control. “A similar precedent in Jaffna town on 04th March 2005, what was seen as an orchestrated move of the LTTE to strain good Army-Civil relations being maintained hitherto, did the same practice after dragging and inciting mobs to the streets against troops when a teenage girl on a push bicycle collided with an Army tractor and died,” the army said. Published: Fri Mar 11 12:45:26 EST 2005

He also said, “I am very sad that lies are being published in the press. Unfortunately there have been newspaper reports about the Islamic Centre which have no truth at all. I wish to refer to the news item alleging that a land has been purchased for my son with the tsunami funds. This is absolutely untrue and false.

The Sri Lanka Islamic Centre had 3 accounts already in the Hatton National Bank Branch at Maligawatte. A fourth account was opened in the same bank as a separate account of the Sri Lanka Islamic Centre in order to monitor monies received from several organisations. Islamic Development Bank monies are in a different account in the same branch of the Hatton National Bank. There is no 'Secret Bank Account' as alleged in the Press.

"The Sri Lanka Islamic Centre became aware of certain irregularities and complained to the relevant authorities and being so advised, followed up with a complaint to the Fraud Bureau who are investigating the matter,” he claimed. Published: Fri Mar 11 12:22:32 EST 2005