Tigers pound Chavakachceri SLA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 March 2000, 12:39 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers bombarded the Sri Lanka army's 52-3 brigade in Thambuthottam near Chavakachcheri in Jaffna from this morning as hundreds of civilians continued to flee the battle zones in the Thenmaradchi division and the peninsula's southeastern coast. The SLA, meanwhile, vacated another camp at Karukkai on the Pt.Pedro Kodikamam road today.

The LTTE artillery units on the Vanni mainland had pounded SLA positions on the Kodikamam - Kachchai road and the Chavakachcheri - Kachchai road for two hours from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m today.

The army pulled out one of its camps in the Varani sector on the road between Pt.Pedro and Kodikamam today to beef up defences closer to the battle zones. The Tamilnet's Jaffna correspondent who went there this afternoon said that people in Karukkai were removing building material and other items left behind by the troops here.

The SLA is not letting anyone pass beyond Ottuveli on the A9 south of Chavakachcheri he said. The ICRC was not permitted to pass Chavakachcheri today.

Hundreds of civilians have moved into churches and temples along the A9 and in the interior between Mirusuvil and Pallai to escape the fighting.

The coastal region captured by the Tigers yesterday is being bombed by Sri Lanka Air Force Kfir jets and pounded from the sea by Sri Lanka Navy gunboats said residents who fled the war zone today.

Three civilians were killed in the bombing raids and shelling and were buried in Sembiyanpattu due to lack of transport, according to them. One of the dead was identified as Vairavapillai Ponnuchamy, 40, a Sammaatty from Uduththurai and another as Mrs. Mariyadas of Thalaiyadi.