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100 Tigers killed in renewed battle

B. Muralidhar Reddy

COLOMBO: At least 100 cadres of the LTTE have been reported killed in fresh fighting with security forces in the Jaffna peninsula in the last 24 hours even as the area has remained virtually cut off from the rest of the world for the past six days.

With food supplies running out and the peninsula under curfew, barring a few hours of relaxation, the looming humanitarian crisis is the biggest worry for the Government and the international and national NGOs.

U.S. official arrives

Steven Mann, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. State Department, who arrived here on an unscheduled visit, called on Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse and exchanged views on the current situation.

After a two-hour meeting with Mr. Rajapakse, Mr. Mann called for immediate cessation of hostilities in the island nation. "The LTTE has a clear, direct and immediate responsibility to cease all acts of violence", Mr. Mann said in an interaction with a select group of journalists.

He said the Bush Administration is seriously concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka and would like all sides to give full support to the NGOs on the ground to undertake relief operations.

He said the U.S. expects all sides to make "compromises for a political solution to the ethnic conflict within a united Sri Lanka".

The Sri Lanka Army said the latest offensive by LTTE commenced on the evening of Wednesday with heavy firing at the security forces' Forward Defence Line in Kilaly. "The terrorists suffered deaths and heavy casualties before the remaining cadres withdrew from the scene with some dead bodies and casualties."

It further said due to the wave of violence orchestrated by Tamil Tigers and demands to surrender their children to the LTTE, more families have left their homesteads in un-cleared areas and sought protection from the security forces.

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