LTTE Headquarters,
                                                Tamil Eelam.
                                                03. August 1997

PRESS RELEASE 
NEWS FROM TAMIL EELAM
                                           
OMANTHAI MILITARY BASE SMASHED
	LTTE forces on Friday entered Sri Lanka's heavily defended
	military fortifications at Omanthai,killing well over a hundred
	Sinhalese troops. Many more soldiers were critically injured. The
	attack started at 10.30 PM and the ensuing fire fight lasted till
	6 AM Saturday. Many highly sophisticated weapons and large stocks
	of ammunition were captured. 126 LTTE fighters lost their lives.
	 	
ARRESTED TAMILS SHOWN CHARGE SHEETS IN SINHALA ONLY
	Tamils arrested under Sri Lanka's draconian Prevention of
	Terrorism Act and held in Kalutara jail are being presented with
	charge sheets in Sinhala only. Prisoners have protested that they
	cannot understand Sinhalese and have sent petitions to the
	magistrate and to the president requesting charge sheets be
	offered in the Tamil language. Tamil is supposed to be an
	official language, but Sri Lanka does not even pay lip service to
	this.

"OURS IS A LIFE OR DEATH STRUGGLE" -- NEW LTTE RECRUITS
	New recruits to the LTTE's fighting arm are all voicing the same
	sentiments -- that the Sinhala army's intentions are clearly
	genocidal; that confrontation in full strength is the only route
	to salvation for Tamils; that this is a life or death struggle
	where the very existence of the Tamil people is at stake; that
	independence for the Tamil nation is the only guarantee of
	survival. These were the at Iranai Illippaikulam (Vavuniya).

FIVE ARMED HOME GUARDS KILLED
	Five Sri Lankan armed home guards died last week in an LTTE
	attack in Arantalaka (Batticaloa). Arms and ammunition were
	captured. There were no LTTE 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)