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16 killed as LTTE, army clash

B. Muralidhar Reddy

COLOMBO: At least 16 persons, including 12 soldiers of the Sri Lankan Army (SLA), were killed in a major confrontation between the military and the LTTE in Vakaneri, Batticaloa, on Friday morning.

"Yes, there was a battle with the LTTE. However, we are not in a position to confirm the number of those killed", the army spokesman, S.A.P.P. Samarasinghe told The Hindu .

Appeal to Red Cross

However, a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said both sides had approached it for facilitating handover of the bodies of the 12 soldiers in LTTE's possession. The army spokesman said a search and clear operation conducted by troops in Vakaneri area came under LTTE mortar and small arms fire. Troops retaliated and reinforcements were rushed to the area.

In another development, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a constituent of the ruling combine, petitioned the Supreme Court against the 1988 merger of north and eastern provinces on the grounds that the then Government had illegally merged them and that the action may undermine the unity and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.

In three identical petitions before the apex court, the party argued that the merger should have been preceded by surrender of arms by the LTTE and other groups in the provinces.

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