COLOMBO: Government Defence spokesman and Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told a news conference here on Tuesday that Monday's airstrike was not on a school or orphanage, but a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam training camp. Army spokesman Athula Jayawardene said the military had been tracking down the facility in Tiger-controlled Mullaittivu district since 2004 and bombed it only after carrying out foolproof checks. The Government also showed purported video clips of the facility prior and after the bombing. "UNICEF tells us they are children. So what, they were assembled by the LTTE for deployment in the north and east." The airstrike killed 200 to 300 inmates.

The LTTE had alleged that the bombing on the orphanage killed at least 61 schoolgirls and boys in the age group of 15 to 18 and injured 150 others.

Mr. Rambukwella said all security installations in the Jaffna peninsula remained safe after militants tried to overrun them in the past few days. The curfew enforced by the police in the peninsula had been further relaxed.

He said troops in Muhhamalai, facing continuous LTTE attacks for the past couple of days, had repulsed the enemy.

Mr. Jayawardene said 88 Army and security forces personnel have died and 150 injured in the renewed violence after the Mavil Aru sluice gate opening on August 8.

The UNICEF, which runs programmes in Mullaittivu district and sent its team to the reported bombing site, said in a statement that victims of the incident were innocent children. The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), which also despatched its team, disputed the Government version and said it saw no evidence of any military facilities there.

The UNICEF said the bombing was a shocking result of the rising violence in Sri Lanka. "These children are innocent victims of violence," said Ann M. Veneman, UNICEF executive director. "We call on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and ensure children and the places where they live, study and play are protected from harm."

Girls from various schools in the nearby district of Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi were staying overnight at the compound, attending a two-day course in first-aid, it said.

"UNICEF staff from a nearby office immediately visited the compound to assess the situation and to provide fuel and supplies for the hospital as well as counselling support for the injured students and the bereaved families. "This latest incident comes amidst escalating hostilities in Sri Lanka in recent weeks, where tens of thousands of children were displaced from their homes. Hundreds of children have been injured, lost family members, and live in constant fear of the violence and continuous shelling of their communities," the statement said.

The Government announced the closure of all schools here ahead of schedule citing the South Asian Federation (SAF) games starting on August 18.

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