LTTE Headquarters,
                                                Tamil Eelam.
                                                18. April 1997


PRESS RELEASE
NEWS FROM TAMIL EELAM

ARMY GUNS DOWN FIVE CIVILIANS
	The Sri Lankan army has shot and killed a group of Tamil
	civilians who returned to Uruthirapuram (Kilinochchi) to salvage
	goods from their former homes. Kilinochchi was last year occupied
	by the army in an offensive which forced many Tamils to flee
	their homes. Every so often residents arrive back to retrieve
	belongings but only to find the army firing on them. One boy in
	the group - Maniyam Paramanathan (16) - managed to escape but
	sustained severe injuries. He is recovering in Akkarayan
	hospital.

Record of Tamil civilians massacred by Sri Lankan forces in this incident

	NAME OF TAMIL				AGE		SEX             
	1. Kumarasamy Kandasamy		39		male
	2. Muthusamy Mahadevan		25		male
	3. Anandan Ketheswaran		18		male
	4. Sinnavan					19		male
	5. Thayalan					17		male

POLICE DISRUPT NEW YEARS FESTIVITIES
	Sri Lankan police in Trincomallee have raked with gunfire a crowd
	of Tamils celebrating the Tamil New Year. The incident occurred
	on Tuesday at a stadium where a Tamil musical event was taking
	place. Witnesses say the group of four who opened fire were
	easily identifiable as local Sinhala police. Two Tamil civilians
	were severely injured while a few others received minor injuries.

TWO TOP ARMY SPIES ELIMINATED
	Two senior Sri Lankan army intelligence officers have been killed
	by LTTE forces in separate operations conducted in Batticaloa and
	Trincomallee. Sergeant Karunathilake, head of the Chenkalady army
	intelligence unit, was killed on Saturday while on Sunday, the
	Mutur area's second-in-command was killed in 6th Colony.

AIRFORCE BOMBS TAMIL FISHING BOATS - 3 DIE
	Three Tamil fishermen were killed and 20 fishing boats demolished
	when two Sri Lankan Kfirs dropped six bombs at a location off the
	coast of Nachchikuda (in the northwest of the island). Four of
	the bombs landed in the sea but two were direct hits which caused
	extensive damage to 20 of a total 35 boats in the vicinity. Along
	with the three killed, six people were severely injured.

NAVY SPEEDBOATS INTERCEPTED
	LTTE forces last week intercepted two navy speedboats travelling
	from Talaimanar to Pesalai (Mannar Island). One boat was
	captured, the other destroyed. 5 navy personnel, 3 police and one
	sub-inspector died in the attack. There were no LTTE casualties.

UP TO 9 A DAY JOIN LTTE IN SOME PARTS OF VANNI
	There has been an unprecedented surge in the numbers of new
	recruits to the LTTE in Vanni areas in the last few months. In
	Visvamadu alone up to 9 new recruits are signing up daily. The
	dramatic increase in LTTE numbers reflects not only the urgency
	of the hour - when tens of thousands of Sinhala troops are
	violating the Tamil homeland and its people - but the depth of
	Tamil national consciousness among the Tamil people, who see the
	oncoming Sinhala forces as invaders and not liberators.

TEACHERS NOT APPOINTED - CHILDREN SUFFER
	An acute shortage of teachers has been reported in Vanni, with a
	remarkable 944 unfilled vacancies. Sri Lanka is deliberately not
	appointing teachers to these Tamil areas. The idea is to inflict
	hardships on ordinary Tamil civilians in the hope that Sri Lanka
	can eventually break their collective will to live as a free
	nation. The non-appointment of teachers has ensured that Tamil
	school children suffer greatly. It proves yet again that Sri
	Lanka is not motivated by a concern for the lives of Tamils but
	rather a yearning to conquer them.

TAMIL MAN PRESUMED DEAD AFTER ARMY ABDUCTION
	Gopalasingam was taken away two weeks ago by Sri Lankan forces
	occupying Ilamaruthankulam (Kilinochchi) and has not been seen
	since. Troops abducted him at a jungle area close to his home.
	His relatives insist he has been killed by the army.

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)