COLOMBO, Jan 26: A Tamil politician, a policeman and a civilian were killed in fresh violence in the volatile north-east while a region in the deep south of the country was thrown into panic on Friday following intelligence reports of LTTE suicide cadres’ infiltration into the area.

Police and military personnel blocked roads leading to the southern Hambantota district carrying out security checks which led to the arrest of 38 Tamil persons, sources said.

Troops also combed several areas bordering Hambantota for hunting rebel suicide cadres, military personnel said.

Defence Ministry sources said security had been beefed up in all Southern areas, including Colombo, following reports of LTTE suicide cadres infiltrating the area in the guise of civilians.

“The LTTE has suffered severe defeat in eastern Batticaloa in the past few weeks. It is usual for them to carry out their terrorist attacks on innocent civilians and other targets in the South after experiencing defeat in the north-east, therefore we have to take stringent security measures”, defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said when contacted.

As the unrest in the north-east continued defence sources said a youth travelling in a bus in the Mannar district was killed in crossfire between police and LTTE rebels who had shot dead a police sub inspector on Friday morning.

Separately, a member of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) was shot dead in the eastern area of Kinniya by unidentified gunmen.