ARMY REACHES SILVATURA LTTE
CAMPS SOUTH OF MANNAR PROVOKED BY “CIVILIAN HARASSMENT.”
By Walter Jayawardhana
Sri Lanka Army announced that their troops have reached Silavatura
, South of Mannar “In a humanitraian mission” to liberate
between 6000-7000 people who are living under the rule of the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
“This is the area from which the terrorists are attacking visitors
to the National Wild Life Park Wilpattu and the civilian village Neluwan
kulama,” said army spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe.
He said it was true the civilians in Arippu have been requested to
move to safer areas to avoid any harm to them.
Making a statement to the BBC the Provincial Secretary Thirughana Sambandan
said about 3000 civilians are arriving in Nanaddan and they have been
immediately provided refuge at Nanaddan School and Murukkan Maha Vidyalaya.
He said he would start providing food and water to the people.
Meanwhile Rev. Father Victor of the Mannar Bishop’s office told
the BBC the attack on Silavatura was quite an unexpected one.
He said a claymore mine has exploded in the area and 9 civilians were
killed and six others were injured. Father Victor Perera said no one
knows who set the claymore bomb but the Sri Lanka Army employed its
ambulances to transport the injured to the hospital.
The Ministry of Defense said, “It has been reported that the terrorists
have stepped up violence against the civilians to an alarming level
during recent past putting civilians' lives at a severe risk. The civilians
who had braved to cross over to liberated areas have told the security
forces that the civilians are regularly subjected to forced labour,
torture, extortions and various other harassments in the hands of the
LTTE”.
Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe further said from Silavatura LTTE camps
were constantly attacking the Sri Lanka Navy sentry stations and something
had to be done against those terrorist activities.
He told the BBC Sandehaya who asked whether this was a beginning of
the attack on the LTTE in the North after their fall in the East , there
was no area in the plan but the security forces will attack wherever
there is a terrorist threat from the LTTE.(EOM)
photo caption: Army provided Silavatura map
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