20 pro-LTTE activists held for attack on army convoy in Coimbatore

[Yusuf]

COIMBATORE: At least 20 pro-LTTE activists were arrested Sunday morning for the attack on an Army convoy near Coimbatore a day ago, police said.

Cases have been registered against 200 people belonging to political groups sympathetic to the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The arrested include Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam and Tamil nationalist leader K Ramakrishnan, police sources added.

Supporters of the Tamil Tigers on Saturday stopped five Army trucks and personnel on way back from training in Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh. They were on their way to Thiruvananthapuram.

The angry protesters pelted stones causing minor damages to a couple of trucks.

"They (Army personnel) were supposed to halt at the unit in Coimbatore for the day. The attack took place just before they reached Coimbatore. There has been no damage (to arms and ammunition) at all," a defence spokesman had said on Saturday.

Sri Lanka's war against the LTTE has caused a stir in Tamil Nadu where the group has many supporters for its cause to carve an independent state for minority Tamils in the island nation. The months of combat operations have pushed the Tamil Tigers to a corner.

This incident i feel should be dealt with the most severest punishment as I feel it can in the future affect the unity and integrity of our country. An attack on our Armed Forces by Indians who share beliefs with foreign terror organization though of the same ethnicity is a cause for great alarm. Any such sentiments should be nipped in the bud and any politician/party trying to put oil in the fire should be booked under NSA or any other relevant anti national acts.