Sri Lankan army officers attacked a Tamil man outside an army camp in Keppapulavu, Mullaitivu on Thursday (18th February).
The officers followed the Tamil man, who was on a motorbike with another man around 500 metres from the army, and stopped him with their patrol van. The armed officers yelled vulgar abuse in Sinhalese and then assaulted the Tamil man in an unprovoked attack.
Following the incident, the victims approached the police stationed near the Keppapulavu army camp to report the incident. A plain clothed officer promised that he would lodge a complaint on the victims behalf at the Mulliyawalai police station.
This incident represents the growing climate of intimidation and violence that Tamils in the North-East face from the state military. The army has not only assumed the responsibilities of civilian authorities but has also taken it upon itself to undertake activities that fall under the purview of the traffic police, further invading the lives of Tamils and Muslims across the North-East.
