Soldiers desecrate LTTE burial site

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 August 1999, 03:10 GMT]
A group of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers on patrol damaged Libertion Tigers' war dead memorials at Eachchankulam, 9 km. west of Vavuniya town on Sunday, residents of the area said. The troops had also ordered the villagers to destroy the memorials, they added.

They said around 50 SLA soldiers entered the village around 10 a.m. on Sunday and stayed there till Monday morning.

According to residents, several LTTE fighters killed in confrontations with the SLA were buried at this memorial site when the area was under LTTE control.

Eachchankulam was brought under the control of the SLA during the Operation Ranagossa 1. However, the troops stationed in the area had not damaged the memorials, residents added.

Several similar memorials in the Jafna peninsula have been destroyed by the Sri Lankan security forces after they took control of the region in early 1996.

Meanwhile Sri Lankan MoD said troops have cleared 104 mines from the Madhu area. The mines which were placed by the SLA are being cleared for the civilians to use the area, SLA spokesman Brig. Sunil Thennakoon said.

Madhu area was captured by the SLA in March this year.