STF infiltration repulsed, one Batticaloa Rural Force Member killed

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 August 2006, 14:23 GMT]
A member of the LTTE's Rural Force of Kovil Porathivu was killed at 12:20 a.m., Sunday, when the LTTE confronted members of Special Task Force(STF) attempting to infiltrate LTTE Forward Defense Lines (FDL) in Paddiruppu, Batticaloa, P.Thayamohan, the political head of the LTTE, Batticaloa District, said. The LTTE repulsed the attack by the STF. Sangarapillai Rajmohan, 18, died in the confrontation.

An STF Camp is situated by the Paddiruppu Bridge, Kaluwanchikkudy, and 30 km south of Batticaloa.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Army (SLA) soldiers at the 23-2 Brigade Headquarters in Valaichchenai Paper Factory launched artillery attacks on villages in LTTE controlled Vaharai area, sources said.

The intense shelling which began at 7.00 p.m. continued till 9.00 p.m. The shells exploded in the paddy fields and in the jungle areas.

Two civilians including Rasa Saratha, a mother of five children, of Sallithivu, who also lost her husband in the Tsunami catastrophe in December 2004, ware injured in this attack and taken to the Valaichchenai Base Hospital. They were later transferred to the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital for further treatment.

Large number of civilians from Vellaiyadi Madu, Thaddu Madu, Panichchenkerny, Vakarai and Kathiravely fled from the area out of fear and spent the night inside closeby jungles.

Three persons from the same family in Koyilkudiyiruppu, between Panichchenkerny and Vakarai were killed and four others were injured by artillery fire from the SLA on Friday, according civil society sources.