News In Brief:

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 August 1999, 23:01 GMT]
Tigers name bomber, a Razeek group member is shot dead in Batticaloa, the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) conducts search operations in Jaffna and Trincomalee and sets up a news camp in Vadamaradchi East.

Tigers name bomber

The Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio said today in its night news bulletin that the suicide bomb attack on a Sri Lanka Army camp on Monday was carried out the Major Ratnaharan (Balasingam Aananda of Batticaloa) of the Liberation Tigers.

A SLA Major was killed when the attacker ran into the camp and detonated a bomb which also injured two other soldiers.

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Razeek group member killed

A member of the Razeek group, Tharmalingam Suthaharan, 27, was shot dead by suspected members of the Liberation Tigers, at Kallady about 2 km. south of Batticaloa yesterday evening around 5.30 p.m.

According to Razeek group sources, Suthaharan was shot dead when he went to his house near Sri Lanka Army camp.

Razeek cadres conducted a search operation in the area. No one was arrested.

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Detentions in Jaffna, Trincomalee

Four youths were detained by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers during a cordon and search operation in the Jaffna town area this noon. Shops and houses were searched during the operation said sources.

However it could not be confirmed whether the youth have been taken to the SLA camp or had been released after interrogation.

Meanwhile sources in the eastern district of Trincomalee said that troops have intensified search operations in the town area.

SLA sources said this was following the arrest of a youth with four cyanide capsules at a police check post located at the railway station junction yesterday evening.

SLA sources said they have received information that several Liberation Tigers have infiltrated the town area.

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New SLA camp established

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers advanced today from their camp at Naagarkovil into Amban in the Vadamaradchi East area and have put up a new camp there, said sources in Jaffna last night.

The troops have sited the camp at the premises of the Pradeshiya Sabha (local government body) in Maruthankerny.

The Sri Lanka Army captured the Jaffna peninsula in early 1996. However, the Vadamaradchi East area has not been under its control.

Earlier, the troops have launched several limited operations in the area, but had not put up camps there before the sources said.