LTTE Headquarters,
                                                Tamil Eelam.
                                                27. August 1997
PRESS RELEASE
NEWS FROM TAMIL EELAM

ARMY ADVANCE TO PULIYANKULAM AGAIN BEATEN BACK
	LTTE forces once again drove back an attempted army advance to
	Puliyankulam, killing over 25 Sinhalese troops and injuring more than
	100 of them. The LTTE counter-attack sent Sri Lanka's battle-weary
	troops into further disarray. One Sri Lankan battle-tank was
	completely destroyed while two more were badly damaged and had to be
	dragged away by retreating troops. 9 LTTE fighters lost their lives.
	Government forces attempted this latest ill-fated advance on
	Puliyankulam at 11.50 am yesterday after a three-day interval. A few
	earlier army efforts to capture the town had also met with disaster,
	with troops persistently beaten back by LTTE counter-strikes.
	
TRO OPENS NEW AYURVEDIC MEDICAL CENTRE IN VANNI
	Since the Sri Lankan government is aiming to break Tamils' willpower
	through a medical embargo on Vanni, traditional medicines have become
	essential for maintaining the health of the people here. TRO in its
	efforts to counter the worst effects of the embargo, is reviving and
	encouraging the use of traditional Ayurvedic treatments. To this end,
	TRO has just opened in the Vanni town of Puthukudiyiruppu a medical
	centre and clinic specialising in Sidha Ayurvedic treatment.
	
ORPHANAGE HOLDS SPORTS MEET
	Orphaned children who are being looked after in the Therankandal
	Kalaimagal orphanage and nutritional centre are to hold a sports meet
	today in their area. The ophanage's head -- Miss Mithra -- is
	presiding over the function.  Most orphans here are children who have
	lost their parents in Sri Lankan ground and air military attacks.
	
SRI LANKAN TROOPS TO TAKE OVER  BATTICALOA'S LIBRARY
	Sinhalese troops will soon be taking over the premises of the
	Batticaloa public library, and converting the building into a military
	camp. A team of army officers recently inspected the premises in
	preparation for taking it over. The library was built using funds from
	local Tamil ratepayers, nevertheless complaints from Batticaloa's
	mayor and municipal commissioner about the army's plans have fallen on
	deaf ears. The Sinhalese military has never shown respect towards the
	local institutions of Tamils in the areas it has occupied. In 1982 the
	revered Jaffna library was completely burnt down by Sinhala forces.
	
TAMIL BORDER TOWNS ENDURE MILITARY SADISM
	Tamils living on the border between Batticaloa and Polunaruwa face
	regular harassment from the Sinhala military. Many young Tamil women
	have been made widows after their husbands were taken away by troops
	never to be seen again. Kannama, a Tamil widow aged 60, has lost three
	young sons to the Sinhala military. Many of the women here have also
	been gang-raped by soldiers several times in their lives. Moreover,
	the government does not supply any form of relief or rehabilitation
	aid for these people, while amply providing for the adjacent Sinhala
	villages of Thimbulagala, Namal Pokkuna, Sorovil, Mannanpiddy and
	Namilava.
	
DISPLACED PEOPLE DEPEND ON PALMYRAH FRUIT
	Displaced Tamils driven by Sinhala military operations from their
	original homes to Muthuaiyankaddu and Peraru are having to live on
	Palmyrah fruits, the only food available in these parts. These people
	have been denied any form of relief either by the government or by any
	NGOs.
	
TROOPS STEAL TRACTOR-TRAILER
	Sri Lankan troops last week stole a tractor and trailer belonging to a
	Tamil farmer from Puthukudiyiruppu. The vehicle was being driven from
	Iranai Illuppaikulam to Rampaikulam when Sinhala soldiers pounced on
	it and drove it away. The driver and his companion were lucky to
	escape with their lives through the Vanni jungles.

        
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)