25 November, 2008 - Published 12:40 GMT

TMVP accused of killings

The campaign group, Human Rights Watch (HRW), has accused a pro-government militia in Sri Lanka of carrying out a wave of killings and abductions in the east of the country.

The group said the Tamil Makkal Vidulthalai Pulikal (TMVP) had been involved in about thirty murders and thirty kidnappings during September and October.

Most of those abducted are reported to be children.

A minister in eastern provincial council (EPC) told BBC Sandeshaya that abductions and killings had decreased in the region.

Health minister of the EPC MLAM Hisbullah added that the authorities were trying to stop them altogether.

Soldiers killed

While the TMVP leader, Vinayagamurthy Muralitharan (Karuna) is a government MP, the deputy leader, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan (Pillayan), is the chief minister of the EPC.

The TMVP is made up of former members of the rebel Tamil Tiger group, who defected to the government side.

Meanwhile, nine people including two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed in Batticaloa on Tuesday.

The soldiers were in a claymore bomb attack by the LTTE while on patrol in Kalawanchikudy, police said.

Three Tamil Tigers were killed in Vavunathivu in a combined operation by the SLA and Special Task Force (STF), they said.

The bodies of the three LTTE members were handed over to Batticaloa hospital.

A retired Grama Sevaka, his mother and son were killed by unidentified assailants in Kalawanchikudy while another unidentified body was handed over to Kalawanchikudy hospital.