Artillery exchanges continue on New Years day in Northern FDLs

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 January 2008, 15:44 GMT]
While Jaffna celebrated New Years day, the peace was disturbed by intermittent sounds of gun fire as Liberation Tigers and Sri Lanka Security Forces exchanged artillery and mortar fire for 30 minutes at 8:00 a.m. and again for 30 minutes in the evening at 6:30 p.m. near Forward Defense Lines (FDLs) in Naakarkoayil and Mukamaalai, sources in Jaffna said. Details of casualties and injuries are not known.

Large number of Jaffna residents participated in New Year festivities held in temples and churches in most areas of the peninsula. Although crowds were visible in key roads across Jaffna during morning and early afternoon hours, the activities subsided as late afternoon approached, civil sources in Jaffna said.

Residents observed reduced presence of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers and military vehicles across Jaffna, according to reports.

Meanwhile, a 32-year old fisherman from Columbuththurai inside Jaffna Municipal Boundary, surrendered at the offices of the Jaffna Human Rights Commission (HRC) fearing for his life from SLA soldiers and SLA-backed paramilitaries, HRC officials said.

Recently another fisherman from Kurunagar was killed, two had disappeared, and several others have sought safety at the HRC offices.