News in Brief:

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 February 1999, 20:47 GMT]
Sri Lankan Army (SLA) sources said that six Liberation Tigers were killed during the last two days; Vadamaradchi East civilians face further travel restrictions; The Minister for Industries Development, Mr.C.V.Gooneretna, announces rehabilitation of the Atchchuveli Industrial Estate in Jaffna.

Six Tigers killed - SLA

Sri Lankan Army sources said that six Liberation Tigers had been killed during the past 2 days in the north of the island. Two Tigers were killed by troops operating in the Northwest of Mankulam yesterday while three others were killed in Jaffna, they said.

They further said that another Tiger was killed and two wounded in the general area of Puthankulam.

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Civilian movement restricted

The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) stipulated new travel restrictions for civilians travelling from Maamunai, Sempiyanpattu and Thanippanai in Vadamaradchi East to Palai in Thenmaradchi, through its sentries at Kathaapu and Maruthankerni.

They said that only government employees who had obtained permissions would be allowed to travel through the sentries.

The travel restriction came in to effect from February 20, Saturday.

Meanwhile Naakalingam Nesaratnam, 23, was severely assaulted by the SLA at a sentry post in Valvettithurai yesterday as he failed to get off his bicycle when approaching the post.

In Manthikai a SLA soldier guarding a sentry post was shot at and wounded by his colleague at the sentry, following a quarrel.

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Minister announces development plans

The Minister for Industries Development, Mr.C.V.Gooneretna, announced the government's decision to rehabilitate the Atchchuveli Industrial Estate in the Jaffna peninsula.

About seventy youths previously trained at the industrial estate would be provided with bank loan facilities to start self-employment projects.

The industrial estate is now defunct due to damage caused in the military operation on the peninsula.

The Minister, on Saturday, inaugurated a project to expand the jetty off the Tokyo Cement Factory at Chinabay, eight miles off Trincomalee town, to berth 20,000 ton-ships, at a cost of 100 million rupees. This project is scheduled to be completed in May, this year.