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1.3 lakh displaced: Colombo

B. Muralidhar Reddy

BATTICALOA: Amid the echoes of artillery and mortar shells and an unprecedented displacement of civilians, Sri Lanka Government has conceded that the number of refugees in the east crossed 1.3 lakh on Sunday.

People from all parts of the east, especially from the remaining strongholds of the Tamil Tigers, are flocking to the town leaving behind every thing they possessed. The city is virtually under siege with military and para-military (Karuna cadres) present all over.

Political and defence strategists are aghast at the surge of refugees into the town under the command of the army with the Karuna faction acting like an auxiliary force.

Far from the expected relief to the ordinary citizens after the ouster of the Tigers in January from Vaharai, the humanitarian situation has taken a turn for the worse.

The Government has a set a deadline of March 31 for re-settlement of the people displaced from Vaharai. Given the volatile situation, it might be an ambitious target.

The military said its troops manning the Northern Forward Defence Line (FDL) shot dead three LTTE cadres in two separate incidents.

The military claimed that the LTTE pistol gang killed three Tamil youth in Jaffna on Sunday. TamilNet claimed that troops killed three innocent people there. "Tension prevails in Jaffna city following the killings in broad daylight in the heart of the Sri Lanka Army High Security Zone (HZS)."

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