WELIOYA: A TERRIBLE SEA ordeal that occurred in the mid seas off PULIPANCHIKAL between MULLAITTIVU and TRINCOMALEE sea patch when a group of Tamil civilians on the flee from LTTE controlled areas has cost the life of a coxswain after several Tiger boats surrounded fleeing civilians Tuesday (24) late night and assaulted the coxswain, says the wife of the victim.

Unable to put up with Tiger atrocities any longer, twelve men, women and their children have set off from CHUNDIKULAM in KILINOCHCHI area riding the high waves on a boat in order to flee from LTTE controlled areas. But their sea journey was unexpectedly interrupted halfway by a few LTTE boats who surrounded their boat.

Those Tiger terrorists on their boats afterwards mercilessly assaulted the coxswain, SELVA MOHAN RATHNASINGHAM (29) using an iron rod and finally threw him off the boat into the sea in order to retaliate against their sea journey, irrespective of the protests made by fleeing civilians.

In the melee that ensued afterwards, other adults on the boat however managed to steer safely towards PULMODDAI where they reached the troops in search of safety and protection around 5.00 a.m. on that fateful day.

Badly affected Mrs YOGARASA SUGANDANI (23), wife of the slain coxswain and their three-year old girl, KEERTINA RATHNASINGHAM, now housed in the KALLIMUDAI Welfare Centre for Internally Displaced Persons had gone on record saying that the LTTE`s barbarism has deprived her husband and her daughter of a loving father.

To-date no information has been received to confirm whether her husband`s remains had washed ashore or had been recovered by anybody close to PULMODDAI seas.