Heavy fighting erupted in the early hours of yesterday (Saturday) between security forces and Tiger guerrillas, including Sea Tigers in and around the safety zone at Vellamullivaikal.
The military said 45 guerrillas, including 14 Sea Tigers were killed. Security forces casualty figures were not given. It is learnt that the Sea Tigers had been hiding behind the wreckage of an LTTE-captured foreign ship, FARAH III, which is around a mile off from the Vellamullivaikkal coast. There were reports of the Tigers firing from the wreckage of the vessel.
Land clashes continued till late last afternoon as security forces pushed into the remaining LTTE-controlled areas with civilians fleeing further south in the newly demarcated safe zone extending to an area of 2 kilometres by 1.5 kilometres (see graphic).
After the announcement of the new safe zone, over 300 civilians had managed to escape from the Tiger-controlled area of Vellamullivaikal into the government-controlled area as Tigers prevented a large influx of civilians from escaping to the new no-fire zone by shooting at the fleeing civilians, military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said.
Nine civilians died and 19 were injured. The injured were taken to Alampil, from where the Sri Lanka Air Force airlifted them to Anuradhapura for treatment.
"Considering the concentration of civilians who are used as human shields by the LTTE, the Army decided to demarcate this area as the new no-fire zone. This will be much easier for civilians to move in and for troops to continue with their hostage-rescue operation," he said.
Around 3 a.m. yesterday, heavy fighting erupted off the coast of Vellamullivaikal where the LTTE tried to breach the naval blockade by attacking the Sri Lanka Navy's first line of defence which is under the Rapid Action Boat Squadron (RABS) and Special Boat Squadron.
"It has been the trend of the LTTE to take the civilians with them whenever they lose territory. The new no-fire zone is an opening where civilians will be able to move out from the Tiger controlled area," he said
The Navy detected four Tiger boats that were moving towards the first Navy defences. The Fast Attack Craft (FAC) which were placed as the second naval blockade also joined in for support. On Friday an ICRC vessel carrying food to the safe zone was turned back due to heavy fighting in the area, but yesterday the ship sailed back to the area to unload 30 tons of food, an ICRC official said.
The ship returned with 500 injured and sick persons as well as their caretakers last evening to Pulmoddai.
Dr. Thiyagaraja Sathiyamoorthy told The Sunday Times over the telephone from Mullivaikkal that he could hear the exchange of the gun fire at a distance.
He said there was a shortage of food and medicine and most of the civilians were living close to the beach. |
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