57 SLA bodies returned

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 June 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The bodies of 57 Sri Lankan Army (SLA) soldiers captured by the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) in recent fighting were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) yesterday, said sources close to the LTTE in Europe today.

The handover was conducted in the LTTE's political offices at Thunnukkai, said the sources.

The bodies of 51 SLA troops had been captured when an SLA assault on LTTE positions in Kilinochchi was repulsed with heavy casualties on May 4 said the sources.

The bodies of six other SLA soldiers had been recovered after another SLA assault at Ampakamam was beaten off on May 5 said the sources.

The sources said that the bodies of several other SLA troops had been cremated by the LTTE as they had been too badly damaged in the fighting, or had decomposed.

Heavy fighting has been reported in the Vanni region during the past week. Several SLA assaults in the Mankulam and Kilinochchi regions had been repulsed said the sources. The SLA is said to have heavy casualties.

The Sri Lankan government has imposed strict censorship on the reporting of military action. This, combined with the ban on correspondents entering the war zone has made it impossible to independently verify events taking place there.

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