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LTTE moving north: report

B. Muralidhar Reddy

Exodus of civilians still continuing, says SLMM

COLOMBO: Amidst reports of continuing civilian exodus from the remaining areas in Batticaloa district where the LTTE has influence, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) has assessed that the Tigers could possibly have decided not to hold territory in the east but remain present there.

In its latest assessment report after the fall of Vaharai, the SLMM said the LTTE has withdrawn from the area and is believed to be regrouping in the jungle north and west of Batticaloa and into Trincomalee district.

"It is plausible that the LTTE has decided not to hold territory in the east, but will remain present. The situation in Kilinochchi is tense, but remains calm and quiet on the surface", it said.

Guerilla war plan

Implied in the observation is the suggestion that though the Tigers might vacate the territory, they would continue to be present in the region to wage a guerilla war.

In response to the fall of Vaharai, the SLMM sent a Rapid Response Team (RRT) consisting of two monitors to Batticaloa. However, the team could not enter Vaharai due to security reasons. The RRT, however, met the commander of the 23 division deployed in the area.

The SLMM report said 8,000 more internally displaced persons have been housed in several camps in Batticaloa district.

"Following the loss of Vaharai, there are indications for the LTTE moving north, towards the jungle between Trincomalee, Morawewa and Kuchchaveli. Details are not known", the report said.

The SLMM said Vavuniya and Batticaloa districts have seen a significant increase in violence compared to last week. It said 18 persons were killed in Batticaloa.

"There seems still there is tension between TMVP [the party led by LTTE rebel `Col.' Karuna] and Muslims in Kattankudy, where one Muslim shop owner was shot at".

The SLMM has received complaints over the abduction of 10 adults and three children.

After a long gap, the SLMM is currently fully staffed. In the past week, a Presence in the District (PID) team was sent to Jaffna.

The SLMM will send three PID teams to Batticaloa, Vavuniya and Trincomalee in the coming week.

Human shield

Separately, the military reported on Friday that thousands of civilians have arrived in Polwatta from LTTE-controlled Thoppigala and Kiran, west of Batticaloa-Valachchenai main road.

A statement by the military said over 2,000 civilians have reached Polwatta during the last three days.

"The exodus from Thoppigala is significant as there were no confrontations between the security forces and the LTTE in the area", it said.

It claimed that the refugees have told the security forces that they were afraid of being held as a human shield by the LTTE.

"The civilian exodus from these areas clearly indicates the impact of LTTE atrocities on innocent Tamil civilians. They are dumping the self-proclaimed `sole representative' of Tamils and seeking protection from the security forces whom the LTTE refers to as oppressors of Tamils", the military said.

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