Sri Lankan police shoot 14 Muslim civilians during protest

A?A?The Hindu, India
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Purchase torsemide vs lasix Sri Lankan police shoot 14 Muslim civilians during protest

Colombo, Sept 21. (AP): Police opened fire on Muslim protesters in eastern Sri Lanka, wounding 14 civilians, officials have said.

The protesters, who were demanding the transfer of a local police chief following the murder of 10 Muslim labourers, allegedly by an elite police force, shut down shops and offices in Pottuvil town and surrounding villages, 250 kilometers (155 miles) east of Colombo yesterday, said Mohammad Mustafa, who represents the region in the Parliament.

The shooting began as protesters tried to prevent officers of the elite police Special Task Force from entering Ullai village, Mustafa said.

Fourteen protesters were injured in the shooting yesterday, according to Rauff Hakeem, a lawmaker and leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, the largest political party representing the Muslims.

The demonstrators claimed police were involved in the slaying of 10 Muslim laborers whose mutilated bodies were recovered in the area on Monday.

Government troops have been deployed to the Tamil homeland.

The guerrillas accuse Muslims of supporting the government, which is dominated by the country’s majority ethnic Sinhalese. The rebels also oppose Muslims cultivating land in areas they consider Tamil territory.

Gasex delivery Meanwhile, the military said yesterday it recovered a large haul of arms and ammunition left behind by the rebels retreating from Sampur, a strategic eastern village captured by the military early this month.

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