3RD LEAD

19 more Tamil refugees killed, new SLA offensive south of Vaharai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 December 2006, 06:16 GMT]
19 Internally displaced people, who fled artillery bombing in Palchenai and Vammivedduvan in Vahrai region to Kandalady Government School, were killed and more than 25 wounded when Sri Lanka Army fired artillery shells hit the school Sunday morning, according to LTTE's Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan. Sri Lanka Navy gunboats were also engaged in firing shells towards densely populated refugee camps as Sri Lankan forces opened a new front towards Panichchankerni Sunday morning. Meanwhile, a Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation official in Vaharai told TamilNet all the five refugee camps in Vaharai were being targeted by artillery shelling forcing all civilians to flee.



Mr. Moorthy, TRO's coordinator in Vaharai further said more than 7000 civilians were gathered at the hospital site in Vaharai Sunday morning as TRO volunteers buried six civilian's bodies brought from Kandalay IDP camp area.

Meanwhle, a female patients of the 10 critically wounded among the 26 patients admitted at Vaharai hospital following artillery barrage on two refugee camps Saturday, succumbed to her wounds as the hospital was refused permission by the military to transport the critically wounded to Valaichenai hospital through Mankerny SLA camp.



Five boats were engaged Sunday morning in an attempt to transport the critically wounded, but the heavy shelling from gunboats in the seas off Vaharai, scuttled the attempt.

Hospital staff had again urged for transport via landroute for critically injured, medical sources said.

The biggest military offensive, launched by the SLA this year in Trincomalee, imposing an econoimic blockade on 40 000 civllians in the region and denying access to NGOs and closing down the gateways, has continued for more than two months.

Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission has been denied access to the area by Colombo.



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