News from Tamil Eelam - 13 December 1997
	
THREE TAMIL POLITICAL PRISONERS KILLED IN SOUTHERN JAIL
	At 2:00 PM yesterday, Sinhalese convicts at Kalutara jail attacked
	Tamil political prisoners, killing three while jail guards and the
	army stood by. Many more Tamil prisoners were injured in the attack.
	The Tamil prisoners had earlier been languishing without trial at
	Colombo's Welikada prison, where they were holding a fast asking for
	release or for their cases to be heard. Sinhalese police had forcibly
	transferred them to Kalutara prison to try and disrupt the protest.
	Sinhalese prisoners at Kalutura attacked the Tamils with knives, clubs
	and iron rods. Prison officers did not take any of the injured Tamils
	to hospital up to last night. The names of two of the dead prisoners
	are now available - Maruthalingam Tharmalingam (24) and Shanmugarajah
	Sivanesan (28). It is now known that the day before the assault
	Sinhalese prisoners at Kalutara had thrown stones at the Tamils,
	injuring several.

SIX SOLDIERS KILLED IN VANNI
	At 1:30 PM Friday, LTTE forces ambushed Sinhalese troops travelling on
	a tractor between Elumadu and Keerichuddan (near Nedunkerni). 6
	Soldiers were killed and some arms and ammunition were captured. The
	LTTE suffered no casualties.
	
TAMIL TRAVELLERS ILL-TREATED AT TRINCO
	Tamil travellers who arrived at Trincomalee to go to Jaffna are being
	badly treated by Sinhalese military officials there. Last Wednesday,
	the armed forces checked the travellers at Periyamadu and ordered that
	people without special passes would have to report to the police
	station and supply all their details, as if they were guilty of an
	offence. The army has indefinitely suspended the shipping service to
	Jaffna and several Tamils who have gathered in Trincomalee are now
	stranded without money for food or a place to stay.
	
JAFFNA CIVILIAN DEATHS SINCE 1990
	According to a report, 8554 Tamil civilians have died in Jaffna as a
	result of Sinhalese military operations since the year 1990.
	Meanwhile, 2620 civilians have been injured. According to information
	at the Jaffna secretariat, 80% of the injured have not received any
	compensation.
	
CIVILIAN INJURED IN LANDMINE
	A Tamil civilian, Supaiyah Arulampalam, last Thursday lost his leg
	below the knee when a landmine planted by the occupying Sinhalese army
	exploded. The incident happened as he was tilling his plot of land at
	Kondavil East (Jaffna).

TEEDOR HELPS VANNI FARMERS
	TEEDOR last Tuesday offered 5000 rupees each to 81 Puthukudiyiruppu
	farmers. The money will help generate economic progress in Tamil
	Eelam.
	
(English translation of the news released by LTTE International Secretariat, 
211 Katherine Road, London E6 1BU, United Kingdom. Tel:0181- 503 4294)