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LTTE will be driven out of Eastern province: army

B. Muralidhar Reddy

"Tigers using the people in Kadiraveli as human shields"

COLOMBO: The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) chief Sarath Fonseka has said that the LTTE would be driven out of the Eastern province "so that civilians could pursue their daily lives peacefully."

In a statement attributed to Lt. Gen. Fonseka the SLA on Wednesday alleged that for the past two weeks the LTTE continuously fired artillery and mortars at the Security Forces using the people in the Kadiraveli area as "human shields."

"The people who have had to bear the brunt of these artillery and mortars attacks have been forced to leave their homes and villages and seek safety in the areas controlled by the Security Forces," it said.

The SLA said because of these "terrorist activities," from December 1, 4028 persons including of 2947 children have arrived into areas controlled by the Security Forces. Besides, due to the attacks on schools, hospitals and villages another 3,210 have been displaced.

The two sides are engaged in intense fighting in the Vaharai sector of the Batticaloa district for last several days now. Vaharai is the LTTE's last major stronghold in the Eastern province. Both sides accuse each other for using civilians as a human cover.

Lt. Gen. Fonseka has been quoted as saying that the President recently announced that the Security Forces have the required resources and strength to counter terrorism and it was amply demonstrated in the past few days in the Eastern province.

The SLA said the LTTE cadres who escaped from Sampur have now retreated to Vaharai and Kadiraveli and are harassing the people firing artillery and mortars at the Security Forces. However these terrorists according to the Commander of the Army are retreating while two lines of their Forward Defence Line's have been overrun by the Security Forces.

The SLA said that the strength of the LTTE has been weakened since the Karuna faction broke away in March 2004. "But, this is not the first instance the LTTE has lost its hold in the Eastern province. During the period 1993 - 1994, LTTE influence was swept away under then Commander Eastern province Brigadier Lucky Algama," it said.

Separately Morten Hoeglund, Member of Parliament and spokesman on foreign affairs for the Progress Party, the largest Opposition party in Norway refuted charges levelled against Norwegian International Development Minister, Erik Solheim by LTTE rebel leader, Karuna and carried in the Sri Lanka state owned Daily News.

Separately, the President's Secretariat said that Jaffna is "fast returning to normal".

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