5:06 PM

Ranil sneaks into the country?

UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe's sudden return to the country yesterday morning without informing his close party members has surprised many UNPers.

Wickremesinghe returned after an European visit, which included a controversial tour of Norway, when the armed forces were about to crush the LTTE.

Political sources said the exact time of the return had been kept a secret, possibly due to fears that some of the disgruntled party rebels themselves might organise unpleasant protests against the leader as was the experience of some of his trusted lieutenants at a meeting in Matara, the previous Saturday.

According to party insiders, Wickremesinghe had hopped a helicopter ride to Colombo after landing at Katunayake to avoid any possible protests on roads.

"According to the information we received from his confidants, Wickremesinghe has informed them that he will be landing yesterday evening at 4 p.m. But actually he had reached Sri Lanka at 8:07 a.m on flight number QR 300," a party insider said.
He said that the Leader has not made known his actual time of arrival due to the rumours that some ministers were planning to throw rotten eggs at him when he arrives through the VIP terminal.

"It is the reason which compelled him to take the normal arrival terminal instead of the VIP terminal. I think this is the first time he has taken the normal arrival terminal after he had become a Parliamentarian," the source asserted.
He also noted that Wickremesinghe did not have to be frightened of entering his own country, if he had arrived on the day President Rajapaksa had declared victory over the LTTE in Parliament.

"We all should pay respects to the President since he has concluded the war which was there for 30 years. As the party leader Ranil should have been present in Parliament on the day President Rajapaksa made his historic speech. The UNP is known as a dignified party but Ranil's behaviour has completely tarnished the image of the party and because of him even we are not able to face our supporters," he added.

5:04 PM

TNA in dilemma

Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which till now insisted on recognising the Tigers as the sole representative of the Tamil people, will now take some crucial decisions on their future stand in the coming days, party sources said yesterday.

The other major decision before them is whether to go along with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, brought in under the Indo-Lanka Accord signed in 1987. The visiting Indian National Security Advisor, M.K. Narayanan and Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon early this week reportedly got an assurance from the Sri Lankan Government that it would implement the 13th Amendment as a means of resolving the conflict. Earlier, the TNA rejected the 13th Amendment as being totally inadequate.

With much of the head and body of the LTTE decimated during the 'bitter end' of their fight early last week, sources said the TNA Parliamentary Group was scheduled to meet on Friday to decide on their next course of action, but owing to the death of their Ampara District Parliamentarian K. Pathmanathan in Tamil Nadu on Thursday, the meeting had been put off. His body was flown to Colombo on Friday and was taken to Karaitivu yesterday for cremation on Monday.

According to party sources their Parliamentary Group meeting was scheduled to take place on Friday at the residence of Gajendra Kumar (G.G.) Ponnambalam. However, when contacted in this regard Ponnambalam said he was not aware of any meeting scheduled to take place at his residence, and added he was too busy to discuss anything further and requested us to contact him much later.

Meanwhile, after the total liberation of the NFZ, there was fear something might have happened to Mullaitivu District MP Sathasivam Kanagaratnam as his whereabouts were not known. But he was traced and a CID team picked him up from the Menik Farm IDP camp on Thursday evening, according to TNA Parliamentarian Sivanathan Kisshor, to record a statement.
Yesterday, CID brought Kanagaratnam to the Jayaratne Funeral Parlour at Borella for him to pay his last respects to his dead colleague and took him back after about 20 minutes.

Now freed from Tiger shackles it looks as if some members of the TNA now want to arrive at a settlement with the South. TNA Parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran told News-Lanka that he never subscribed to the view of recognising Tigers as the sole representatives of the Tamils.

Since the gunfire has ceased, he said now was the time to redress problems facing Tamils, re-open A9 Road, demilitarise the entire region and even lift the daily curfew in Jaffna.
He said the short meeting they had with the two visiting Indian dignitaries on Thursday at the India House was hardly enough to bring out their problems.

5:02 PM

Prabha’s ashes thrown into sea

Not even the ashes remain of LTTE Leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran, the man who dreamt of an Eelam State. Defence authorities have taken steps to discard the ashes of Prabhakaran at sea.
According to Army Commander Gen. Sarath Fonseka, the cremation took place at Vellimullivaikkal, immediately after identification of the body. He also said that approximately 170 bodies had been identified of first, second and third ranking LTTE members who have been killed by the Army. Defence authorities have taken steps to have these bodies cremated as well.

9:52 PM

West tried to save Prabhakaran : Army chief Sarath Fonseka

Army chief Sarath Fonseka says the West tried to save LTTE chief Prabhakaran even the night before he died. Meanwhile defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse says the West must first allow investigations in their conduct in wars before seeking to initiate war crime proceedings against Sri Lanka.










9:50 PM

"Ban ki Moon" visits Menik farm camp

UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon on Saturday witnessed at first hand the conditions of tens of thousands of displaced Tamil civilians in northern Sri Lanka as he appealed to a triumphant government to ''heal the wounds'' left by three decades of ethnic conflict.

 

The Secretary General visited the camps in Vavuniya district on Saturday where more than 300,000 people are staying after escaping from the battle lines between government forces and Tamil Tigers.

Ban said his top priority would be to gain "unfettered access" for UN agencies and humanitarian workers saying the displaced persons were "badly in need of" humanitarian assistance.

The UN Secretary General is the first international figure to visit the Manik farm camp, which is now home to thousands of refugees who fled the war zone, after Colombo declared total victory over the rebels.

Tamil activists and groups have likened the barbed wire enclosed "welfare villages" to "concentration camps". They say that conditions are "unhygienic and unlivable" in the camps where there is threat of outbreak of diseases.

For the first time, the Sri Lankan government allowed access to journalists travelling with Ban to visit the camps. The area as well as the nearby battle zones have been off limits to journalists, aid workers and others.

The journalists will also be allowed to fly over the battle zone in helicopters along with the UN Secretary General.

After his tour of the relief camps and the battle zone, the UN Secretary General will meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Colombo.

Ban went round the camps where people are crammed in hundreds of tents in rows with hardly any space to move around with soldiers stationed all round the camp.

Some of the camp residents who have hardly any means to maintain privacy still held welcome signs for the UN chief.

After the visit, Ban said UN would seek the reunification of families broken by the war and reintegrate the society. "I want to help reconcile Sri Lanka and its people."

"Now that the long decades of conflict are over, it is time for Sri Lankans to heal the wounds and unite without regards to ethnic and religious identity," the Secretary General said on his arrival at the airport.

After early morning talks in Colombo with Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, Ban flew to the northern town of Cheddikkulman. He will then proceed to the central town of Kandy to meet with President Rajapaksa before heading back later this evening.

In his meeting with Rajapaksa, Ban is expected to press full and fear integration of the islands Tamil minority in a process of "national reconciliation" a demand already made by India.

His visit comes hours after the President brushed aside attempts to haul him and his government before war crimes tribunals for the manner in which the war was fought against Tamil Tiger rebels.

The president said he was not afraid of those attempts.

9:45 PM

‘New freedom, a great responsibility’ President

Dark days of terror are over and mothers of Sri Lanka do not have to fear for the safety of their children any longer, said President Mahinda Rajapaksa addressing a mammoth rally held yesterday at the Parliament Grounds to pay tribute to war heroes.

The commemoration ceremony was preceded by a colourful winding procession which started from the Campbell Park in the afternoon and took hours to reach the Parliament Grounds.

Now that the reign of terror was over, children could go back to school without fear of bombs and abductions, the President said.

He said in the past mothers and fathers were scared of taking public transport together. One travelled by bus and other by train as they wanted at least one of them to survive a possible terrorist bomb blast to look after their children.

With the new freedom, he said, came a great responsibility. "We all have to show our success in work,' he said, "that is the meaning of accepting responsibility for the people."

Stressing the need for magnanimity and unity, President Rajapaksa said if anyone was hurt when one raised the national flag, there was no purpose in victory celebrations. Victory, he said, had to be celebrated by all people as one family because it belonged to them all, be they Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Burghers or Malays.

President Rajapaksa said war heroes must never be forgotten as they had given their today for the country's tomorrow. The wind, in which the national flag fluttered, he said, was symbolic of the last breath of those men and women who had made the supreme sacrifice for the motherland. The nation, he said, was duty bound to look after the families of those who had laid down their lives for the country.

There had been times when the national flag could not be hoisted in many parts of the country without permission from terrorists. But, today, it could be raised anywhere and over 15,000 sq. km. that had been under terrorists were open for anyone to move about. "Terrorists have nothing today," he said adding that the country had waited thirty long years for that day.

In 1956, recalled President Rajapaksa, five socio-political forces had been harnessed for the benefit of the country. They were, he said, Sangha, Veda, Guru, Govi, Kamkaru and they were collectively known as the Pancha Maha Balavegaya. He said today there had been an addition to those progressive forces and they had become six as a result: Sangha, Veda, Guru, Govi, Kamkaru saha Ranaviru.

The President said in his policy statement, Mahinda Chinthanaya, he had promised to build the country. And for that purpose, he said, waste and corruption had to be eliminated. "We must crack down on those behind drug peddlers and bootleggers," he said.

There had been many obstacles on his government's way in defeating terrorism, President Rajapaksa said. International pressure, he said, had been tremendous. But, he and his government had overcome all those obstacles and withstood unbearable pressure to achieve the goal of defeating terrorism.

President Rajapaksa said he and his family had become targets of sinister forces because of the country's war on terror. There had been attempts to haul him up before international criminal courts for the crime of liberating the country from the clutches of a terrorist outfit described as the most ruthless terrorist group in the world. "Some are trying to do this even now,' he said, "but I am not afraid of walking up to any gallows, having defeated the world's worst terrorists." He said he knew he had the confidence and the strength of Sri Lankans.

"All I need is for my country, my motherland to shine in glory," said President Rajapaksa to a rapturous applause.

1:43 PM

LTTE leader dead: Sri Lanka official

The leader of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels, Velupillai Prabhakaran, was shot dead while trying to flee government troops, a senior defence official has stated.

Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, a military spokesman, said on Monday that security forces found the body of Charles Anthony as well as three other senior separatist leaders.

Charles Anthony is the 24-year-old son of Velupillai Prabhakaran, the Tamil Tigers chief whose whereabouts are not known.

Also among the dead were Balasingham Nadesan, the head of the political wing of the LTTE, commonly known as the Tamil Tigers, Nanayakkara said.
 
Seevaratnam Puleedevan and S Ramesh, the separatists' eastern leader, were also killed, the military said.


2:44 PM

LTTE ready to “silence its guns”

 
Head of the LTTE's International Diplomatic Relations Selvarasa Pathmanathan has said in a statement today the LTTE is read to "silence its guns" in order to save the lives of civilians still caught up in the fighting. However there was no mention of a Tiger surrender.
 
 
 

2:39 PM

LTTE leaders in less than one square kilometer

Sri Lankan soldiers have boxed remaining LTTE cadres into a 400m x 600m land stretch in the Vellaimullaivaikkal area, reveal the latest battlefield reports. According to the sources, troops have already rescued all the civilians held at hostage by the terrorists and taken them to safer areas.

Military spokesperson Udaya Nanayakkara said that over 50,000 civilians have been rescued from the LTTE hold during last 72 hours.

According to available information, two senior LTTE leaders identified as Muttappan and Pradeep were killed during the failed attempt to breach the military defences at the West bank of the Nathikadal lagoon this morning.  

8:29 AM

Sri Lanka's coastline liberated

Sri Lankan soldiers of Army 58 Division have linked up with the 59 Division soldiers freeing the last remaining coastal stretch under LTTE clutches. The link up marks the total liberation of the coastline of the Island nation.

6:19 AM

Army Col. arrested over links with LTTE

A sri Lanka Army Colonel was arrested yesterday over his close connections with the suicide bomber who jumped to his death from the seventh floor of a building in Wellawatte on Thursday morning.

The LTTE cadre who jumped to his death was identified as T. P. Sajitharan.

On information provided by an LTTE suspect in Police custody, a special Police team visited Sajitharan's room in the high rise building. While they were examining his room he jumped to his death from the balcony. Police recovered four suicide kits and several explosives from his room.

The Colonel who lived in the suburbs of Colombo had earlier served in the operational areas in Mullaitivu. He is said to have accompanied the LTTE cadre to the Deyata Kirulla exhibition at the BMICH a few months ago. Thousands of people visited the exhibition, which lasted for about a week, daily. The LTTE cadre was ready at that time to blow himself up but he missed his target and returned to his abode. A high level VVIP was his target but until his death he failed to get at the target.

The information about the Colonel's involvement with the suicide bomber was given to the Police by an accomplice of the suicide bomber who is already in Police custody

The investigating team believes that a large sum of money has been paid to the Colonel.

6:18 AM

Karu defends Ranil

Deputy leader of the United National Party Parliamentarian Karu Jayasuriya on Thursday refuted the allegation that the UNP and opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe was on a vicious propaganda mission against the Sri Lankan government in the western countries.

Speaking to the media he said "It is absurd and false to say that our leader is going round the world undermining the government and carrying out propaganda in support of LTTE terrorism in Sri Lanka, Jayasuriya said.

"The UNP is a patriotic political party. The UNP not only loves country and the people but also is a political party that always believed in the unity and co-habitation of all communities - Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim in the country," Jayasuriya said.

He said the UNP and opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe left the country to attend some important conferences, an invitations as a political figure holding a reputed office of the Asian Democratic organisation.

Jayasuriya blamed the State media for the fabricated allegation against his party leader.

6:07 AM

Obama restarts Guantanamo trials

Al-Qaeda suspect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, is among those who could face the tribunal [EPA]

Barack Obama, the US president, has said military commissions for al-Qaeda suspects held at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp will be restarted.

Obama said new legal safeguards would be introduced to the system, including a ban on evidence obtained using "cruel, inhuman and degrading interrogation methods".

"These reforms will begin to restore the commissions as a legitimate forum for prosecution, while bringing them in line with the rule of law," Obama said in a statement released on Friday. 

Obama suspended the tribunals, which were set up by the administration of George Bush, his predecessor, soon after he took office in January and placed them under review.

The move is likely to affect the five detainees charged with having played key roles in the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who has been accused of planning the attacks.

Obama said he would also place restrictions on the use of hearsay evidence, so that the "burden will no longer be on the party who objects to hearsay to disprove its reliability".

Detainees would have expanded rights to choose their own legal representation and basic protections provided for those who refuse to testify, he said.

The US president also said he would work with congress "on additional reforms that will permit commissions to prosecute terrorists effectively and be an avenue, along with federal prosecutions in Article III courts, for administering justice".

5:42 PM

Sea Tiger chief's family arrested


http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/profiles/newsimages/soosai.jpg

Sri Lanka navy sea units have arrested the family of LTTE's Sea Tiger wing leader Soosai this morning (May 15). According to the sources, the arrested include Soosai's wife, son, daughter, sister in law and her son.

The sailors have found the suspects on a boat along with another 6 civilians fleeing the LTTE hold. The suspects have been identified Sathyadevi (Soosai's wife), Suresh (16 year old Soosai's son), and Madhi (17 year old Soosai's daughter).




2:14 PM

59 Div cross over LTTE built earth bund

he 59 Division troops led by Brigadier Prasanna Silva have stepped-up into the on-going hostage rescue operation, with initial advances made by 6 SLLI and 12 SLLI infantrymen crossing the LTTE constructed earth bund cum ditch North of the Wadduvakal causeway, early this morning (May 12).

According to latest military reports, the initial forward military thrust was followed by the induction of Special Forces resulting in a rapid wipe-out of the remaining terrorist resistance in the area. Troops have advanced 300m further into LTTE defences after consolidating positions at the Wadduvakal causeway, military said.

The capture of the causeway and adjacent territory is of immense tactical importance considering the existing ground context, a defence observer said adding that this would inevitably open-up another alternative escape route for the civilians held hostage by LTTE terrorists. Not only troops have secured the Wadduvakal causeway, entrance to the Mullaittivu shallow waters, but also denied terrorists the use of the Nanthikadal lagoon minimizing concentrated LTTE attacks at fleeing civilians, the observer further said.

9:51 AM

LTTE military Spokesman killed



The LTTE military wing spokesman I Illentheriyan killed during fighting Sunday, Intelligence Source confirmed..

--Minister Keheliya Rambukwella---


9:03 AM

US report blames Taliban for civilian deaths

The U.S. coalition blamed Taliban militants Saturday for causing what Afghan officials say are dozens of civilian deaths during a prolonged battle that included American airstrikes. The U.S. said an unspecified number of civilians died but did not take responsibility for any deaths.

Afghanistan's Interior Ministry declined to endorse the U.S. report, saying its own investigation would be completed soon.

Afghan officials have estimated up to 147 people died in the battle in the western province of Farah on Monday, but a U.S.

spokeswoman called that number exaggerated. The U.S. report did not offer an estimate of the number killed in the battle.

The preliminary report said Taliban fighters herded Afghan villagers into houses to use as human shields while they fired on coalition forces in two villages in Farah. The report said that U.S.

forces had responded to a call for help from Afghan forces and that militants attacked the troops from several locations.

Troops called for airstrikes on the militant positions, and a U.S. spokeswoman said Saturday that fighter aircraft made 13 passes over the two villages, using a combination of flares, strafing runs and bombs.

9:01 AM

Two LTTE senior level leaders killed


Deaths of senior LTTE operatives Cheliyan, the second in command of the LTTE Sea Tiger wing, and LTTE's military spokesman Illanthirayan are now confirmed.

Sri Lanka Amy revealed that the latest report received from Karayamullivakkal area confirmed that a senior LTTE leader identified as Cheliyan was the second in command of the LTTE Sea Tiger wing, was killed during confrontations that occurred when the troops captured a LTTE's earth bund built in the same area on Thursday (07).

According to Sri Lanka Army, Cheliyan was in his early 30s and was from Trincomalee. He was involved in many attacks on the Sri Lanka Navy in the past and received injuries in a confrontation with the Navy on 27th March 2008.

In the meantime pro-LTTE organ Tamil Net in a news report said, LTTE's military spokesman Punitharooban alias Ilanthirayan (Marshall) has succumbed to his injuries sustained on Saturday.

The 43-year-old Ilanthirayan was a senior member of the LTTE from Batticaloa district, who earlier served at the LTTE headquarters in the Vanni for many years before his appointment in charge of project planning for post Tsunami reconstruction in the eastern region by the then political head S.P. Thamilselvan.

Later, following Kaushalyan's assassination, he was appointed the head of LTTE's Batticaloa district political head, before his latest position as LTTE's military spokesman.


8:13 AM

IDPs hit by chicken pox and diarrhoea

Nearly 8,000 IDPs now housed in temporary camps have come down with chicken pox, Minister of Healthcare Nimal Siripala de Silva said.

Minister Silva told The News-Lanka that many were suffering from the disease before they escaped from the No Fire Zone and more IDPs are suffering from diarrhoea at the same time. "Diseases such as chicken pox spread faster when you have a large number of people living together in close quarters. Therefore, the doctors are using the acyclovir vaccine to control the spread of the disease," Silva said.

The Minister also said that Director of the Angoda Mental Hospital, Dr. Jayan Mendis and 50 more Mental Health Specialists have already been sent to treat the IDPs since they are suffering from mental depression, agony and pain.

"We are taking all measures to upgrade patient care and hospitals where IDPs are receiving medical care as their health had been neglected for years due to the on going war. The Ministry of Healthcare has taken all steps to strengthen the facilities since we want to give them the best care and facilities available in the country. They are part of us," Silva said.

The Minister said that the IDPs were found to be already weak and in urgent need of nutritious food when they arrived in the cleared areas. A majority of the civilians entering the safe areas were already suffering from injuries or various illnesses such as chicken pox, viral flu, respiratory, lung and skin infections, and diarrhoea.

8:12 AM

New No Fire Zone


The Sri Lankan government on Friday renamed the remaining area under occupation by the LTTE inside the No-Fire Zone (NFZ) as New Safety Zone (NSZ).

The Defence Ministry said here the Army now is in full control of more than two-third of the existing Puthumathlan "Safety Zone" and declared that the re-christened NSZ is confined to south of Karayamullivaikkal including Vellamullivaikkal — two km in length and 1.5 km in width — along the Mullathivu sea coast.





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8:02 AM

IDP camp for 20,000 in Pulmuddai

A large-scale camp with a capacity to accommodate more than 20,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) will be set up shortly in Pulmuddai, in an apparent move to cope with a high influx of IDPs to the area.

At present 2,300 IDPs are sheltered at Pulmuddai Sinhala Vidyalaya while 1,700 and 1,632 are housed at Al-Noor Muslim Vidyalaya and the Pulmuddai Hindu Vidyalam, respectively. Meanwhile, the Indian field hospital is to be relocated to another area once hostilities conclude, The News-Lanka learns.

District Secretary of Trincomalee, Ret. Maj. Gen. Ranjith Silva told The News-Lanka, that the government was ready for any eventuality.
"Despite the present security situation, we are sending 30 tonnes of food every other day to the No Fire Zone. The government is ready to face any eventuality," Gen. Ranjith Silva said.

International Committee of the Red Cross Spokesperson, Sarasi Wijeratne said that the ICRC was working hard with relevant authorities in providing basic facilities for the IDPs.
There has been an increase of IDPs over the past few days, bringing the total to over 190,000 in the IDP camps in Vavuniya, Jaffna, Mannar and Trincomalee. So far 17,673 IDPs have been traced and reunited with their families. A census is to be conducted in IDP camps in Vavuniya by the Ministry of Resettlement to further assist the tracing process. Over 170,000 are being sheltered in 23 IDP camps in Vavuniya while another 5,667 are housed in Trinomalee. Another 11,150 and 856 are sheltered in Jaffna and Mannar, respectively.

8:00 AM

147 killed in US air strike



Residents of two villages hit earlier this week by US air strikes have prepared lists with the names of 147 people killed in the attacks.
Farah Province deputy governor Yunus Rasooli told Reuters that residents of the village of Geraani had provided 90 names and residents of neighbouring Ganj Abad village another 57.

The two villages were struck by US warplanes during a battle in another nearby village on Monday and Tuesday.


Source : More


7:54 AM

Tamil civilians injured in LTTE firing

Air Force spokesperson, Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara speaking to defence.lk said 12 Tamil civilians airlifted from Alampil to Anuradhapura base hospital for immediate medical attention.

More Tamil civilians forcibly held hostage by the LTTE terrorists in government declared "No Fire Zone" were able to reach the 59 Division escaping terror grip amidst LTTE's indiscriminate firing upon them. Many civilians reportedly received injuries in this incident and victims in serious condition were airlifted, a senior military official in Mullaittivu said.

One of the victims has succumbed to his injuries while airlifting, Air Force spokesperson added.

















7:51 AM

Navy destroys 02 Sea Tiger boats

Continuing it's heavy onslaught on LTTE's desperate attempts to attack
the well fortified Naval cordon in the seas off Vellemullivaikkal
today (9th May 2009) around 0300 hrs SLN destroyed 01 LTTE sea tiger
suicide boat and 01 LTTE attack craft and captured another LTTE
suicide boat with an attack craft, killing 14 sea tiger carders on
board.

Two bodies of sea tiger carders (male and female) were also recovered
and captured craft in the predawn Naval gun battle launched by the
combined Naval forces of Fast Attack Crafts (FAC), Special Boat
Squadron (SBS), and Rapid Action Boat Squadron (RABS ) a cluster of
LTTE sea tiger boats comprising two suicide craft laden with high
explosive and two enemy attack crafts were intercepted and attacked.
Naval troops optimizing their combined fire power completely destroyed
one enemy suicide craft and captured one with two enemy dead bodies on
board, while destroying one enemy attack craft and captured another
which were attempting to flee being unable to withstand the Naval
onslaught.

Monitoring of the LTTE communications has revealed that 14 sea tiger
carders have been killed in the gun battle. Further search and clear
operations are continuing.

7:50 AM

58 Div captures Karayamulliavaikkal earth bund

nfantrymen of 58 Division have gained total control over the entire
earth bund built by the LTTE terrorists in Karayamulliavaikkal by this
afternoon (8 May) following hours-long fighting, latest military
report received from the battlefront said.

According to the defence.lk correspondent in the battlefront, troops
of 6 Gemunu Watch (6 GW), 7 Sinha Regiment (7 SR) and 9 Vijayabahu
Infantry Regiment (9 VIR) have tactically advanced beyond the earth
bund after capturing entire bund. Consolidating operations now
underway to further strength the defence line, military sources said.

Fierce fighting commenced on 6th May lasted for days as terrorists
made their fullest strength to hold the earth bund built to resists
the security forces' offensive march, military sources added. Troops
were able to inflict considerable damages to the enemy in fighting
occurred last two days while capturing part of the earth bund.

In subsequent search operation conducted in the area, troops have
found 35 bodies of LTTE terrorists killed in fighting along with LTTE
military hardware.

33 x T-56 weapons, 2 x Light Machine Guns, 4 x Multi Purpose Machine
Gun, 1 x 12.7 weapon, 3 x I-Com radio sets, 1 x claymore mine, 3 x
T-56 magazines and 2 x detonators area among the items found.

Meanwhile, troops were able to capture an excavator, abandoned by the
LTTE terrorists, which is believed to be used by the terrorists to
build earth bunds.