Tamil protesters attack 5 army trucks

Coimbatore, May 2 (ANI): Tamil protestors on Saturday ransacked five army trucks at Neelambur area near Coimbatore, following rumours that the weapon laden trucks were meant for Sri Lankan Army.

Around 80 trucks laden with weapons and other army supply was heading towards Thiruvananthapuram.

"More than 80 trucks of war material including weapons meant for Sri Lanka are being dispatched by the Indian government. And we have stopped these," said Ramakrishnan, General Secretary of Periyar Dravida Kazhagam, a pro-Tamil group.

Several defense documents were also torched during the attack.

"We found that there are some small arms and some big arms and rocket launchers out there. 82 trucks and so much of arms together, movement of it is suspect and we demand an explanation from the Indian government," said Ponchandran, a human rights activist.

Police have detained four protestors including Ramakrishnan, and further investigation is on.

Tamil Nadu has seen a series of protests to protect Sri Lanka's Tamil civilians since the Lankan army mounted its latest offensive to oust the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's (LTTE) from their last stronghold.

Tens of thousands of civilians remain trapped in a tiny strip of coastline studded with coconut groves, a former army-declared no-fire zone that has become the final conventional battleground in Asia's longest-running war.

Diplomatic pressure over the war boiled over the past week with the UN Security Council, the United States and others demanding Sri Lanka stop its offensive and the LTTE surrender to avert rising civilian casualties. (ANI)