LTTE Headquarters,
                                                Tamil Eelam.
                                                11. August 1997

PRESS RELEASE 
NEWS FROM TAMIL EELAM

MANY CIVILIANS KILLED IN "JAYA SIKURU" SAYS GOVT. AGENT
	Mullaitivuās government representative (GA) says Tamil civilian
	casualties so far in Sri Lankaās Jaya Sikuru offensive are heavy.
	He says in his latest monthly report to Colombo that 40 innocent
	Tamils have lost their lives and that 35 Tamil people have been
	seriously injured between May 13 and June 28. These casualties
	are the result of army and airforce strikes on populated civilian
	centres. The GA«s report is currently on the presidential desk.
	Below is the reportās breakdown of figures:
	
	ODDUSUDDAN      18 civilians killed     15 civilians wounded
	NEDUNKERNI      13 civilians killed     16 civilians wounded
	MANKULAM         9 civilians killed      4 civilians wounded
	
FISHERMENāS UNION APPEALS TO AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL FOR SUPPORT
	Mullaitivu districtās Fishermenās Co-op Societies Union has made
	a fervent appeal to the human rights group Amnesty International
	to prevail on the Sri Lankan government to stop attacking Tamil
	fishermen. The union also asks Amnesty to highlight their plight
	to the rest of the world. In the most recent incident, Sri Lankan
	Kfir bombers raided fishing areas of Mullivaikkal (Mullaitivu) on
	13 May. Seven fishermen were killed and three badly wounded.
	Valuable fishing equipment -- including fibre-glass boats,
	fishing nets and tackle -- was destroyed or damaged. Such attacks
	on Tamil civilians are routine but the Sri Lankan government has
	enforced a two-year media ban to Tamil regions which prevents
	international human rights groups like Amnesty from being alerted
	to these atrocities. The media ban also enables Sri Lanka to
	dismiss allegations by the Tamil fishing community as
	"propaganda". It remains to be seen whether Amnesty takes up
	further the case of these fishermen.
	
APPEAL TO HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS BY KILINOCHCHI ORGANISATIONS
	The Consortium of Peopleās Organisations (Kilinochchi) has posted
	to Geneva-based human rights organisations a comprehensive report
	bearing evidence of gross violations of human rights enacted
	against Tamils by the ethnically-Sinhalese Sri Lankan military.
	The report points out that 98 Tamil civilians have been killed by
	the Sinhala military in the Pooneryn administrative division in
	the past year. In the same period, 14 civilians have been killed
	and 28 badly injured in Kandawalai; 6 have been killed and 10
	injured in Karachchi. Moreover, 73 innocent people have been
	arrested in Kilinochchi by Sinhala armed forces over this same
	period. Their whereabouts are still not known. The Consortium
	solicits the help of human rights organisations to trace their
	whereabouts.
	
TEEDOR HELPS RETURN PEOPLEāS LIVESTOCK
	TEEDOR has begun a scheme in Mullaitivu to return to their
	rightful owners herds of cattle lost during the displacements
	caused by earlier Sri Lankan military operations. Though many
	cattle were killed in army bombing and shelling, TEEDOR has saved
	some and is now allowing farmers to claim back their livestock.
	
KFIRS STRIKE MUTHALIKULAM
	Two Sri Lankan Kfir bombers yesterday pounded jungle areas of
	Vavunikulam bordering Muthalikulam at 6.50am. A Puccara had flown
	around for more than an hour the preceding day. 


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)