The Muslims of the area have submitted a letter to the Army, urging immediate action to protect their community. On the day of the hartal, a grenade was hurled at the home of pro-LTTE TamilNet journalist S Jeyanandamurthy in Valaichenai. Reports say that he had earlier received a number of death threats from militant Muslim groups.
Muslim traders in Amparai District complain that letters demanding money have been distributed by the LTTE. Muslim MP MI Anwar discussed the extortion attempt with the SLMM at a meeting in Sammanthurai on 22 January. The SLMM has undertaken to raise the issue with the LTTE.
Although the LTTE have released many child recruits and have handed over a number of children who wanted to join them to the SLMM or to parents, complaints of new recruitment continued to persist. The police say that two girls who were abducted by the LTTE on 26 January in Valaichenai were rescued. On the same day, Economic Reform minister Milinda Moragoda and Defence Secretary Austin Fernando visited Batticaloa to make enquiries about child recruitment and attacks on members of other Tamil groups.
Army intelligence officer S Pulendrarajah, who went missing in December has still not been found. A number of other Tamils who worked with the Army and members of opposition groups are missing and some have been murdered. The Tamil groups blame the LTTE, but the Tigers have rejected the accusation.
The LTTE refused to attend a conference arranged by the SLMM on 10 January, to bring about unity among the Tamil groups. The Tigers say that there is no need to talk to the other groups and called on those Tamils working with the Army to leave and join them in their political work. The LTTE have steadfastly maintained that they are the sole representatives of the Tamil people.
According to press reports, Vinayagamurthy Thayapathy, 17, was hacked to death at Arumugathan Kudyiruppu on 19 January. Her mother says that she was a LTTE member. On 2 January, Ahamed Ramees, 30, was shot dead at a police checkpoint in Kattankudy. Policeman Ibrahim Hamsa has been arrested.