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Civilians flee LTTE areas

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Friday claimed at least 30 LTTE cadres and two soldiers were killed in the north of the country. A Defence Ministry statement said reports from the Wanni battlefront indicated several significant gains to the armed forces engaged in counter-terror offensives.

It said besides those killed, 17 LTTE cadres were injured. On the Vavuniya-Mannar fronts, troops destroyed nine bunkers located west of Periyamadhu. It said 17 cadres were killed and 25 injured.

Further, the military said 39 civilians fleeing from the LTTE in Mullaithivu sought the Army's protection in Pulmodai. The pattern of civilians fleeing the LTTE-controlled areas, as per the military, in Mannar and Mullathivu is similar to the trend in the east last year.

The civilians who had fled from the LTTE's clutches complained they had been forced to carry out hard tasks such as digging bunkers and other field jobs. They were also intimidated and prevented by the outfit from fleeing their area, said Army spokesperson Brigadier Nanayakkara.

Separately, the Human Rights Watch (HRW), in a report, said Sri Lanka should end the arbitrary detention of more than 400 displaced civilians being geld at a camp in Mannar. The HRW alleged since March 2008, the government detained civilians fleeing areas controlled by LTTE at a so-called welfare centre.

The Sri Lankan armed forces have imposed severe restrictions on freedom of movement, instituting a daily pass system that limits to 30 the number of people who can leave the camp each day, and only if a family member remains behind to guarantee the detainees return in the evening. No court has authorised their detention and no charges have been filed against any of the camp's occupants, in violation of international human rights law, it said.

The authorities maintained camp detentions are a security measure against LTTE reprisals. While the government has an obligation to protect internally displaced persons, it cannot do so at the expense of their rights, the HRW said.

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