Colombo claims successes in Jaffna offensive

Press, 30 May 1987, Page 10

Colombo claims successes in Jaffna offensive

NZPA-Reuter Colombo

Sri Lankan troops have captured a bastion of Tamil separatist guerrillas in their offensive on the northern Jaffna peninsula, official sources said.

. They said troops, on the third day of the drive, took rebel fortifications and bunkers at Valvettiturai, hometown of Velupillai Prabhakaran, leader of the most powerful rebel group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Internal Security Minister, Lalith Athulathmudali, told Reuters that despite the capture, troops were advancing more slowly than expected against the rebels, who are fighting for Tamil independence.

He said it would take at least 72 hours for the Army to achieve its aim of seizing Vadamarachchi, the north-eastern sector which comprises about 25 per cent of the peninsula. Vadamarachchi, divided from the rest df

the peninsula by a lagoon, contains most of the training camps, ammunition dumps and bunkers of the Tigers, the sources said. Mr Athulathmudali brushed aside a statement by the Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, denouncing the offensive as a “cold-blooded slaughter of thousands of Sri Lankan citizens by their own Government.” He said 14 civilians had been reported killed in the offensive so far, most caught in crossfire or killed by rebel booby traps in Vadamarachchi.

“I would like to invite all such people who make such comments to come and see,” Mr Athulathmudali said. “There has been no carpet bombing or coldblooded slaughter — except when the terrorists exploded a car bomb in Colombo last month.” Journalists are barred from the Jaffna peninsula and have no means of verifying the conflicting claims about the fighting

The Army lifted a curfew imposed since Tuesday morning for four hours yesterday to allow people to buy food. Fishermen were ordered to drag their boats 800 m inland to prevent rebels using them to escape by sea, the Minister said.

The Tigers, the biggest guerrilla group fighting for an independent Tamil homeland on the Sinhalese-dominated Indian Ocean island, have controlled most of the peninsula for two years.

Mr Athulathmudali said 90 rebels and 26 soldiers had been killed in the first three days of fighting since 3000 troops launched an offensive by land, air and sea to capture rebel-held positions at Vadamarachchi.

India has been trying to mediate between the Colombo Government and Tamil leaders to find a peaceful solution to the conflict which has killed 6000 people in the last four years.