LTTE PRESS RELEASE 26.10.1997 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit source: news@tamilnet.com Sun Oct 26 15:31:16 1997 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Following Press Release is sent for distribution through TamilNet , by the LTTE international secretariat, 211 Katherine Road, London E6 1BU, United Kingdom, Tel/fax: 0181-470 8593. ----------------------------------------------------------------- LTTE Headquarters, Tamil Eelam. 26. October 1997 LTTE PRESS RELEASE NEWS FROM TAMIL EELAM HUNDREDS OF REFUGEE SHELTERS WASHED AWAY IN STORMS Heavy rains - accompanied by thunder and lightning - caused sudden floods in the Thunnukai Assistant Government Agents' Division in Thunnukai, washing away hundreds of temporary shelters erected by the Tamil displaced of this area. Over 1000 displaced men women and children have been forced to flee Thunnukai with meagre belongings. More than half a million north/east Tamils have been deliberately displaced by the Sinhalese military. 8 SOLDIERS KILLED, 10 CHECKPOINTS DESTROYED Eight Sinhalese soldiers were killed and ten military checkpoints overrun by LTTE forces Saturday. The attack took place at 00:38 at sentry points situated between Kulankulam and Pannatti (Vavuniya district). Many arms and ammunition were captured by the LTTE. One LTTE fighter - Captain Antony/Tamilnampy - died in the attack. MILITARY WON'T CLEAR LANDMINES NEXT TO TAMIL SCHOOLS The Sinhalese military occupying Tamil Jaffna has refused to clear landmines buried by them in and around Jaffna schools. Thousands of landmines literally crowd the area and has made school children and teachers extremely nervous. Children dare not venture beyond certain points, and playing fields are commonly out of bounds because that is where most of the landmines are buried. Though teachers have complained to the occupying military and asked for the landmines to be removed, no favourable reply has been forthcoming. Two of the most badly affected landmine sites are the Jaffna Stanley College Grounds and the Jaffna University playing fields, where the military buried extensive amounts of landmines. The Sinhalese military has generally refused to clear landmines from any of the Tamil areas which it is occupying, despite persistent pleas by government officials, school heads and NGOs. The latest victim was one Ramanathan Sauthirasekaran (36) of Puttur (Jaffna), who stepped on a landmine buried in his back garden and lost his right foot. DELFT ISLAND DENIED CERTAIN GOODS Residents of Delft Island - off Jaffna's coast - are not allowed to purchase certain consumer goods from the Jaffna mainland, says a new Sinhala army ruling. The occupying forces have distributed a list of banned consumer items, including certain foods. Bare necessities are permitted only in limited quantities, but even then, only with written permission from the Sinhalese army commander of the Islands Division. JAFFNA BUSINESSMEN PROTEST AGAINST MILITARY INACTION Shops in Jaffna town remained closed the previous Thursday (16 October) as Tamil shop-keepers staged an angry demonstration against the shocking rate of burglaries taking place in shops close to Sinhalese military camps and checkpoints. The protesters accused the military rulers of not taking any steps to stem the growing tide of such thefts. Recurring losses to shop-keepers have led to countless complaints to the military top brass but with no result. Military involvement in the robberies is believed by many to explain the military's inactivity. JAFFNA FISHERMEN CAN'T AFFORD INSURANCE The military ban on fishing beyond a mile of Jaffna's coast has slashed the income of Jaffna's fishermen and made insurance schemes out of reach. Tamil fishermen cannot insure themselves under the various schemes available to fishermen living in Sinhalese areas, because they cannot afford a monthly premium, having instead to rely on a hand-to-mouth existence. The banks in Jaffna do not provide distress loans to these fishermen because there is no assurance of repayment. NEW INFLUX OF LTTE FIGHTERS The LTTE has recorded a major influx of both male and female students to its fighting arm in the past week. Most are students who have been displaced several times by Sinhalese army operations and been denied the security to continue with their education. "We have been forced to take up arms to defend ourselves, since the invading Sinhalese armed forces make it impossible for us to continue with our education, with constant bombing and shelling of our land and people," said one student. TEEDOR INSTALLS SLUICE GATES IN PACHCHAI PULMODDAI What was once a salt-water reservoir is now a fresh water tank thanks to TEEDOR. The organisations in conjunction with the Vanni LTTE administration has installed sluice gates in the Pachchai Pulmoddai reservoir to keep away salty sea-water. TEEDOR has also repaired the ruptured embankments for the same purpose. The present rainy season is likely to fill the fresh water tank with water fit for irrigation. TEEDOR ASKS FARMERS TO HELP SOLVE THE FOOD CRISIS TEEDOR in a recent press statement has appealed to Tamil farmers in Vanni to plant food crops on every available piece of land. "We cannot depend on the Sinhalese government to supply our food at exorbitant rates," the statement said, "it is up to Tamils to act towards their self-sufficiency." Political Committee, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (English translation of the LTTE statement released by LTTE International Secretariat, 211 Katherine Road, London E6 1BU, United Kingdom. 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