Lankan rebels massacre 100 refugees in Sri Lanka
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
New Delhi, Aug 5, IRNA
Sri Lanka-Massacre-Refugees
Sri Lankan rebels massacred over 100 civilians fleeing the fighting between LTTE rebels and security forces in Sri Lanka's northeast.
The victims were shot dead as they tried to escape fighting in the Muslim majority town of Muttur in Trincomalee district last night, the Lankan Defence Ministry claimed Saturday in a statement.
"While displaced families were fleeing Muttur seeking safety, the Tigers blocked them at pachchanoor area and killed over 100, including women, youth and children during the night of Friday," it claimed.
There was no immediate reaction from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
However, Muslim legislators have earlier charged that the Tigers were holding over 100 Muslim civilians who were trying to escape the fighting in Muttur and had asked the rebels to free them.
Sri Lanka's Defence Ministry said the Tigers had targeted the civilians because they had been providing food to the security forces.
Muslims are the second-largest minority in Sri Lanka, accounting for about 7.5 percent of the 19.5 million population. Tamils constitute about 12.5 percent and about 70 percent are Sinhalese.
The latest civilian losses pushed to 426 the official toll of people killed in Sri Lanka's latest round of bloodshed which began 11 days ago.
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