LTTE Headquarters,
                                                Tamil Eelam.
                                                06. August 1997

                                                
LTTE PRESS RELEASE
NEWS FROM TAMIL EELAM

JAFFNA'S TRAPPED MILITARY HI-JACKS FOOD FROM CIVILIANS
        Sri Lanka's military forces in Jaffna -- isolated from troops
        in the rest of the island -- are raiding Tamil civilian food
        stocks and taking the food back to their military camps. The
        Sinhala troops' main targets are multi-purpose co-operatives
        and warehouses where stocks are largest. Armed soldiers enter
        premises, grab large quantities of food and leave, leaving
        stores virtually empty. The price of food in Jaffna has
        subsequently shot up sky-high. A kilo of rice sells at 95 rupees,
        and a bottle of kerosene at 100 rupees. Now that the army is
        trapped in the peninsula without a sea-supply route it has
        turned its attention to civilian food stocks.

SRI LANKAN PLANES BOMB HUNDREDS OF CATTLE
        Hundreds of cattle were killed in Vanni on Monday when Sri Lankan
        Kfir warplanes dropped bombs on a Tamil town. The attack took
        place at 8:30am.Several animals had their limbs broken and were
        suffering immense pain so their owner -- Mr. Selvam -- was forced
        to kill them. There are no veterinary facilities in the Vanni  due
        to the Sri Lankan government's medical blockade.

MILITARY INTIMIDATES KRISHANTI'S LIVING RELATIVES
        Relatives of Krishanti Kumaraswamy living in Thenmaradchy
        (in Jaffna peninsula) are facing death-threats and intimidation
        from Sri Lanka's armed forces occupying Jaffna. Krishanti -- who was
        from Thenmaradchy -- was recently gang-raped and murdered by Sinhalese
        troops and her immediate family were also killed when they went to
        enquire about her disappearance. Every night Sinhalese troops now
        gather around the residences of Krishanti's relatives and fire
        repeated gunshots to terrorise them. The army's high command is aware
        of this. It has not taken any remedial action.

NEDUNKERNI FORCES DISRUPT 'A' LEVEL EXAMS
        Artillery fired by Sri Lanka's army occupying Nedunkerni have
        landed close to an exam hall where Tamil students were sitting for
        their 'A' levels. Students  answering papers in the Mulliyawallai
        Vidyananda college ran out of the building in panic when the shells
        rained down on their college grounds. It was the first day of exams.

BABY AND THREE CIVILIANS SHOT DEAD BY TAMIL MERCENARY
        One of the Sri Lankan-hired Tamil mercenary groups has shot dead 4
        Tamil civilians including a small baby in Senkalady (Batticaloa).
        The two and a half year old baby -- Sasitharan -- and his mother --
        Kovinthamma (57) -- died together. Kanesan (38) and Sivaskathy (17)
        were the other victims.

MANNAR TAKES IN MORE LTTE RECRUITS
        As Tamil people's desperation grows they are flocking to join the
        LTTE's fighting wing. They say that the government's ulterior motive
        is genocide of the Tamil nation. Young Tamils in Mannar have been
        worst affected by the Sinhala army's brutality. Meanwhile Sri Lanka
        is launching a war of extermination in the island's east. Tamil youth
        there are increasingly joining the LTTE's ranks as their only chance
        of salvation.

TAMIL HINDUS MARCH FOR PEACE AND SELF-DETERMINATION
        Vanni Hindu devotees today make a pilgrimage to Vattapallai Amman
        temple. They will be walking the distance while singing devotional
        songs. The pilgrims are praying for peace, prosperity and the right
        of Tamils to freedom from occupation.

4th ANNIVERSARY OF LTTE NEWSREEL
        The LTTE's information division completed four years of its
        Oli Veechu newsreel by releasing the April-May 1997 edition. The
        news reel contains news features, informative material and
        entertainment.

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)