News from Tamil Eelam - 11 December 1997

GRENADE IN MARKET WAS DROPPED ACCIDENTALLY BY POLICE
	The devastating grenade explosion the day before yesterday in a
	marketplace in Batticaloa was caused by a Sri Lankan policeman
	accidentally dropping a grenade. 5 Tamil people were killed and 53
	others injured as a result. The incident was not caused by the LTTE as
	the Sri Lankan government mischievously claimed. The names of the dead
	people are Krishnapillai Thayaparan (24), Muthuthamby Vijayam (57),
	Manikam Kandasamy (43), Senathiraja Thevarajah (56) and Sambunathan
	Thangarajah (age unknown).
	
DEPLORABLE GOVT ATTEMPT TO CONCEAL 'DISAPPEARED' VICTIMS
	The Sri Lankan government has embarked on a racket to confuse the
	issue of 'disappeared' Tamils. It is releasing names of Tamils
	recently taken into custody and presenting these as names as those of
	'disappeared' Tamils now 'found'. However, the government's list of
	names does not tally with the list of names held by the organisation
	that is campaigning on behalf of disappeared persons, revealing the
	government's list to be a hoax. So far, the government has released
	the names of 8 Tamil people, none of whom can be found on the group's
	list. The organisation trying to trace the disappeared has condemned
	this deplorable and insensitive act of the government, which insults
	their intelligence.
	
	The names the government has supplied are: C. Swarnaseelan, S.
	Vigneswararajah, T. Arunthavakumar, T. Pararajasingham, S.
	Santhalingam, V. Jayaseelan, S. Nesakumar and R. Kamalathasan. None of
	these names are on the real list held by the above-mentioned
	organisation.
	
	In another development, the Sri Lankan army in Jaffna has at the last
	minute prevented the organisation for the disappeared holding a
	pre-planned demo.

ARMY BLOCKS ACCESS TO KARAINAGAR
	Occupying Sinhalese forces in Jaffna peninsula have curtailed Tamil
	civilians from crossing the Ponnalai bridge to the small island of
	Karainagar. The army has stopped people travelling unless they can
	show an identity card showing they are either originally from
	Karainagar, or that they were born there. The actions of the army make
	ridiculous the government's claims that Jaffna is returing to
	'normalcy'.

MASSIVE ROUND-UP OF TAMILS IN MANNAR
	Last Saturday, Sinhalese armed forces conducted a round-up in Mannar
	and arrested 200 young Tamil men. Their whereabouts are not known, and
	relatives are fearing for their safety.
	
(English translation of the news released by LTTE International Secretariat, 
211 Katherine Road, London E6 1BU, United Kingdom. Tel:0181- 503 4294)