COLOMBO: Sri Lanka Parliament extended emergency regulations in the country by a month on Friday evening even as the ongoing battle between the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and the LTTE spread to the areas in Jaffna peninsula.

A spokesman of the military said the SLA retaliated to firing from the frontlines of LTTE positions in the peninsula. However, TamilNet maintained that SLA launched heavy artillery bombardment against LTTE-held Elephant Pass area at 5.40 p.m. and troops began moving towards LTTE frontlines at Muhamalai.

Emergency regulations have been in force in Sri Lanka since the assassination of Foreign Minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar a year ago allegedly by the LTTE. The regulations are extended every month by Parliament as per the provisions of the Sri Lanka Constitution.

"The Tigers said they were rushing reinforcements to their northern Vanni defences to confront the SLA advance. Civilians have begun fleeing the southern Jaffna area and the town of Pallai is emptying amid hundreds of SLA shells. Meanwhile LTTE artillery counter fire is hitting SLA positions in Nagerkoil", it said.

Curfew

Reports said curfew has been imposed in Jaffna city. TamilNet said ``in LTTE controlled southern Jaffna, thousands of civilians are fleeing towards Kilinochchi town as SLA artillery and multi-barrel rockets launchers pound the towns and villages around Elephant Pass."

The SLA offensive in Jaffna comes as Sri Lanka's military, which began an offensive in Trincomalee three weeks ago, opened a new front in Batticaloa district.

The LTTE has alleged that on the Trincomalee-Batticaloa border, over 40,000 civilians who fled following intense Sri Lankan bombardments in the past few weeks have reached Vaharai, but aid agencies are being denied access to them by the military.

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