LTTE hands over more bodies, fighting continues

According to reports, the LTTE has stepped up its attacks over Kilali naval detachment and nearby areas for the past two days, and has taken control of a dirt road earlier used by the Army to withdraw troops from the Elephant Pass garrison.

The road that runs across the banks of Jaffna lagoon was extensively used by the Army earlier for troop and supply movements till it lost Elephant Pass and Palli to the rebels.

Reports said the Army too killed nine rebels in the eastern coast of Jaffna on Tuesday. In another development moderate Sri Lankan Tamil parties that supported Chandrika government’s efforts in Jaffna began gearing up to evacuate there cadre on fears they would be killed by LTTE rebels if the Army withdrew from the peninsula.

"We have to pull out our cadre before the Government decides to withdraw from the peninsula," said T Sidharthan, leader of the Peoples Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE).

However, the leader of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) Douglous Devananda, whose party has nine members in Parliament from the peninsula believes the Army would hold on to Jaffna despite reverses.

"We are still hoping that Army would hold on to the remaining areas," Devananda, who has survived several assassination attempts by the LTTE in the past, said.

He said even if the LTTE captured Jaffna, a majority of the five lakh people would not like to be ruled by the rebel group because of its "repressive" methods.

In Colombo the government has not yet reacted to the reports that it had sought military assistance from India to help evacuate its troops from Jaffna.

President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who on Tuesday met with United National Party leader Ranil Wickramasinghe to discuss the `grim’ situation in the peninsula, on Wednesday addressed the joint parliamentary meeting of the ruling Peoples Alliance to apprise them of the situation.