Fever

DENGUE fever has claimed the lives of ten people in Amparai District. Reports say dengue which earlier killed 35 people in Batticaloa District is fast spreading in Amparai and hundreds of people have sought treatment in hospitals.

Health workers say sufficient Malathion preventive spray to eradicate disease-carrying mosquitoes is not available. Amparai residents have called on Health minister Fowsie for urgent action to prevent further deaths.

Rehabilitation minister Ashraff says Tiger infiltration in Amparai has increased. The LTTE burned eight buses belonging to the Sri Lanka Transport Board in Kalmunai in early June. Buses are often commandeered by the Special Task Force (STF) for military operations. The STF killed three Tigers in an ambush on 14 June at Alayadivembu, 5 miles north-west of Thirukovil.

Tiger cadre burned two holiday homes further south in the remote Yala wildlife sanctuary on 15 June. Some 40 tourists in the homes were unharmed by the rebels, police say. The Tigers damaged an electricity transformer at Vinayagapuram near Thirukovil on 21 June.

Former TULF MP M Senathirajah has written to Deputy Defence minister Anuruddha Ratwatte complaining that Tamils in Amparai are being harassed by police. Mr Senathirajah says villagers have suffered physical attacks on a number of occasions. He points out that those most-affected by police atrocities are resettled refugees.

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