LTTE Headquarters,
                                                Tamil Eelam.
                                                01. April 1997


PRESS RELEASE
NEWS FROM TAMIL EELAM

HUGE ROUND-UP - HOMES RANSACKED, MANY CIVILIANS ARRESTED
        All Tamil homes and establishments in Puliyanthivu (including the
        local hospital) have come under siege by Sri Lankan military
        forces occupying Batticaloa. In this latest round-up operation -
        which started on Good Friday at 5am - Sinhala troops abruptly
        woke up sleeping Tamil residents and ransacked their homes
        turning things upside down. The operation lasted for 4 hours. A
        number of civilians were as usual taken away. None have so far
        been released.

POLICE TAKE ANGER OUT ON TAMIL CIVILIANS
        Batticaloa police have fired mortars at the Tamil village of
        Perianilavanai following an earlier clash with LTTE in which two
        policemen died. The Sri Lankan police launched shells and shot
        indiscriminately from a location at Maruthamunai junction. The
        residents of Perianilavanai have now been displaced to areas
        further afield adding to the already grave refugee crisis.
        Civilian casualties from this latest mortar incident are not yet
        known.

LTTE INTERCEPTS JAFFNA ARMY PATROL
        LTTE forces intercepted a Sri Lankan army patrol in Valigamam
        (Jaffna) last Wednesday killing a soldier and badly injuring
        another. The incident took place in Vembadi Manal. The LTTE did
        not suffer any casualties

	
Political Committee,
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

(English translation of the LTTE statement released by
LTTE International Secretariat, 211 Katherine Road, London E6 1BU,
United Kingdom. Tel:0181- 503 4294 / Fax: 0181-470 8593)