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Sri Lanka clashes may intensify

COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan military on Monday claimed that 137 LTTE cadres had been killed and many more injured in the last two weeks in battles in the north and the east. It said it lost 10 personnel.

Army spokesperson Udhaya Nanayakkara told the weekly news briefing that the military had recovered 2,445 anti–personnel mines, 25 T56 Assault rifles and 6779 T56 rounds.

The LTTE put a different version of its losses and the death of soldiers. In the absence of independent observers in the field, it is impossible to verify the claims. In fact this was one of the points emphasised by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour during her visit.

However, if the military projections are a guide the fighting has been intense. The aggressive projection of the ground battles is a clear indication that the fighting would intensify.

The military said that in the last 14 days, civilians had provided valuable information on 18 occasions leading to many recoveries including anti–personnel mines.

Minister and defence spokesperson Keheliya Rambukwella said whenever the LTTE was militarily defeated, it pressured the international community to call upon the government to enter into peace negotiations focusing on human rights violations.

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