Conflicting claims on Sri Lankan toll

By Nirupama Subramanian

COLOMBO, APRIL 27. As fighting continued in Jaffna peninsula for a third straight day on Friday, there were claims and counter- claims about the death toll on either side, making it evident that both the LTTE and the security forces had suffered huge casualties.

The security forces said they had lost 131 soldiers, including three officers, while 126 were wounded, and said they knew from monitored LTTE radio transmissions that 180 Tamil Tiger cadres were killed in the fighting.

For its part, the LTTE claims to have killed over 300 soldiers and wounded more than 1,000 with artillery and mortar fire. Its clandestine radio, Voice of Tigers, said 30 of its cadres were killed in the fighting. It named eight of the dead cadres.

A Defence Ministry release said today they had eight ``recognisable'' bodies of LTTE cadres, while the Voice of Tigers said it had bodies of 30 soldiers with it.

A spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross said the LTTE had contacted it for handing over the bodies to the army, and that the handing-over may take place on Saturday morning.

The army said it had advanced 8 sq.km. from the Eluthumadduval- Muhamalai-Nagarkovil sector in the offensive operation that it launched on Wednesday, but the LTTE, in a release on Thursday night, said it had repulsed the advance and pushed back the troops.

``The Government troops suffered heavy casualties as they ran into minefields and fell prey to accurate artillery and mortar fire by the Tamil Tigers,'' it said.

The LTTE also refuted the Government claim, reiterated in today's statement from the Defence Ministry, that Air Force bombers had successfully targeted two bus-loads of LTTE cadres. It said it had destroyed ``several battle tanks and armoured vehicles'' of the army.

The military spokesman, Brigadier Sanath Karunaratne, said hand- to-hand fighting was continuing in the area.

The LTTE said it had ``stepped up'' counter-attacks on defence positions in the area with artillery and mortar.

The fighting has been the heaviest since the LTTE called a unilateral truce last Christmas eve, and which lapsed on April 24. The Government offensive was launched hours later, and appears to be aimed at Pallai, the LTTE outpost for Elephant Pass, which it captured from the security forces a year ago.

The fresh hostilities are seen as delaying, if not entirely jeopardising, the Norwegian efforts to facilitate direct talks between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Government.

The Foreign Minister had said earlier this month that the Government would be able to announce dates and venue for talks by the end of April, but official sources said that may not happen.

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Section  : International
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