Tigers cremate remains of 14 dead SLA soldiers

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 June 2007, 16:45 GMT]
Eleven dead bodies of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers, declined to be received by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on Tuesday from the ICRC, were handed back to the LTTE Wednesday. The bodies were cremated with full military honours by the Tigers at 5:15 p.m. in Kokkaavil where more than 1500 soldiers killed in Mullaiththeevu SLA debacle, back in July 1996, were cremated. Meanwhile, LTTE officials said three more SLA bodies were cremated by them in Mannaar district Wednesday.



The Tigers had handed over 13 bodies to the ICRC Tuesday. SLA accepted two of the bodies and refused to accept the remaining bodies.

The explanation provided by the SLA officials for not receiving the bodies was that they could not identify the bodies as those belonging to the SLA.

"It is a human tragedy [manitha avalam] that these soldiers are refused a decent funeral by their establishment," said the Tiger official who led a group of LTTE fighters who rendered military honours to the unknown Sri Lankan soldiers.

"What is humiliating is that these soldiers who have come forward to fight whatever the cause of their Colombo leadership, are even denied their basic honour of being part of their military," he said speaking briefly to the TamilNet correspondent present at the cremation site.

More than 35 SLA soldiers were killed and 40 wounded when Tigers raided the Vavuniyaa-Mannaar border villages Vi'laaththikku'lam and Mu'l'likku'lam and attacked the Pampaimadu SLA artillery base, destroying an artillery battery.





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