“Homicide due to bomb explosions”- Batticaloa bomb inquest
[24 May 2000]

Inquiries have revealed that the improvised explosive device planted in front of Mangalaramaya, the Buddhist Temple in Batticaloa Town, on May 17^th had been exploded by an LTTE intelligence cadre identified as Ravi Kumar, the Special Media Information Centre said.

Kumar had done this on the instructions of Raman, an area leader of the LTTE, sources confirm.

Attempts have been made by certain LTTE agents to attribute the deaths of civilians in this tragic incident, to firing by the Security Forces after the explosion. However, at the Magisterial Inquiry conducted by the Batticaloa Magistrate, J. Suwandaran, on 18^th May, the cause of deaths of the eighteen civilians killed in this incident, has been recorded as “Homicide due to bomb explosions.”

Dr.Jabeer, Judicial Medical Officer, performed autopsies on the eighteen bodies.

Meanwhile, security has been strengthened in the East to prevent any further attempts by the LTTE to massacre civilians, the Information Centre said.

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