Capture of Mankulam proving elusive?

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 March 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Sri Lankan army's media spokesman Brig. Sarath Munasinghe told journalists at yesterday's cabinet press briefing that it is not the army's objective to capture Mankulam but to draw out the Liberations Tigers from the jungles and destroy as many of them as possible.

He said that it was not difficult for the SLA to capture Mankulam if that was currently the sole aim of Operation Jayasikurui which is in its 11th month.

Journalists asked Media minister Mr. Managala Samaraweera about the government's reaction to Ms. Jayalalitha's demand that Kachchathivu should be reverted to India in the interests of Tamil Naadu fishermen.

The minister said that the foreign ministry has to see the new Indian government's stand on the issue before it can react to the matter. He said that this should be the case with the BJP's stand on the nuclear program.