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[b]<span style='color:red'>Crisis Looming as Tamils are uprooted in the East

Mar 31, 2004, 04:44 [TNS]

Thugs with the small group under the renegade Karuna forced thousands of Tamil civilians with even a remote relation to Jaffna out from the Batticaloa area yesterday, say civilian sources that left Batticaloa last night. Thugs seized all properties and possessions including house keys and permitted the civilians to take only 500 Rs with them, say sources that left the Batticaloa region.

The campaign to force out the Tamils of Jaffna relation from the area began around noon yesterday sources said. Many people that were uprooted were born in Batticaloa and probably had a one parent or grandparent from Jaffna, sources told TNS. Those who took time or left later in the evening were assaulted as they on their way out, according to several civilians.

TNA lead candidate Joseph Pararajasingham was separately targeted by the Karuna's thugs, sources in Batticaloa said. They said Karuna's henchmen had asked the politician evacuate Batticaloa with his family and supporters immediately, sources further said.

Karuna's thugs had also asked families of LTTE members that had earlier abandoned him to leave the Batticaloa region as well, the sources further said

Reports reaching TNS indicate that a chaotic and tense situation now prevails across Batticaloa. There have also been unconfirmed reports that Sri Lankan intelligence and security apparatus also joined Karuna's henchmen in chasing out the Tamils from Batticaloa.

Many of the traders that left the region resided in areas under the control of the Sri Lankan security forces. Police and Security forces in Batticaloa stood by idly as the thugs roamed around the town announcing on loudspeakers ordering persons of northern origin to leave before 12 midnight Tuesday or face the consequences.

Sources told TNS that this had happened in full view of the Sri Lankan security apparatus and that Sri Lankan security did not make a single effort to stop the thugs. There are also unconfirmed reports that Sri Lankan Military Intelligence chief had authorized Karuna's thugs to carry weapons into the government controlled areas.

Civil sources in Batticaloa told TNS, the situation in the region resembles the early stages of the 1983 genocide against the Tamils. Initially, only Tamil business were targeted, then the situation systematically turned towards the civilian population and the genocide continued, they further said. </span>