The Hindu : Front Page : Fierce fighting in Sri Lanka

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Thursday, Aug 03, 2006

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Fierce fighting in Sri Lanka

B. Muralidhar Reddy

COLOMBO: The "water war" between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan Government on Wednesday spread to new areas in the east. It claimed the lives of 40 and injured scores, according to an official count.

Conservative estimates say that over 100 persons, from both the military and the Tigers, were killed in the last three days.

Reports from the military and the Tigers suggest that pitched battles were on in several areas of Muttur and Trincomalee.

Fierce fighting erupted after the Tigers targeted three Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camps in Muttur area.

While the LTTE claimed it overran the camps, the SLA said it beat back the Tigers.

Solheim coming today

With the "undeclared war" in full swing, Norwegian Special Envoy to Sri Lanka Erik Solheim is flying here on Thursday from Oslo in an attempt to cease the hostilities.

He will hold talks with the Government and the LTTE on the fate of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM).

With the departure of the EU monitors, the SLMM's strength would come down from 57 to 27.

In an appeal from Oslo, Mr. Solheim urged the Government and the LTTE to end the fighting, which began on Wednesday last week after the military moved to open an irrigation canal that was blocked by the Tigers. "We very strongly appeal to stop the offensive operations immediately," Mr. Solheim, who is also the International Development Minister, said.

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