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Civilians flee Jaffna's islet village

V.S. Sambandan

COLOMBO: Tamil civilians on Saturday fled a northern village off the Jaffna Peninsula citing insecurity in the wake of a recent massacre by "unknown gunmen."

Reports differ on the number of civilians who left the northern islet village, Allaipiddy. While some of the villagers had moved into Government-controlled Jaffna, others entered the Kilinochchi district, held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The Sunday Times newspaper reported that "1,500 civilians" had left the village. Reports from Kilinochchi said about 150 persons had arrived in the rebel-controlled area.

In another development, the LTTE's chief negotiator, Anton S. Balasingham, has called for "meaningful steps" by the Government to "de-escalate" an environment in which "the objective conditions for war are developing."

In an interview to the paper, Mr. Balasingham said the "meaningful steps" to be taken by the Government are in "containing violence of the paramilitaries and the excesses of the armed forces" and creating a "congenial environment for de-escalation." He also described the recent ruling by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, which denied the LTTE the right of sea movement, as "unwarranted and imprudent."

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