LTTE Headquarters,
                                                Tamil Eelam.
                                                03. February 1997


PRESS RELEASE
NEWS FROM TAMIL EELAM

ARMY CAMP FALLS TO LTTE
        LTTE fighters have overrun Mavadivempu army camp in the East
        killing 30 Sri Lankan troops. The said camp came under LTTE fire
        just after midnight on Saturday and within 20 minutes fell into
        LTTE control. In addition to the 30 Sri Lankan troops killed,
        many others are missing and badly injured. 15 LTTE fighters lost
        their lives. A military-tractor was destroyed by LTTE demolition
        units and an array of sophisticated weapons and accessories was
        captured. This attack is the latest in a string of LTTE military
        successes this year.

UNKNOWN VIRUS APPEARS IN KILINOCHCHI
        An unknown virus has broken out in Kilinochchi provoking concern
        among doctors. The virus presents a further threat to the health
        of Tamil people who are already exposed to a range of infectious
        diseases due to Sri Lanka's block on medicines to Tamil
        territories. The new viral fever has been spotted at a variety of
        places in Kilinochchi but without proper drugs or equipment
        doctors say they are powerless to study it or cure it. However,
        they have no doubts that the outbreak is attributable to Sri
        Lanka's long-standing medicine ban which has also made many Tamil
        people of the Vanni region fall victim to malaria, cerebral
        malaria, septicaemia, diarrhoea and water-borne diseases. Doctors
        warn that many people will die unless the "inhuman" food and
        medical ban is done away with immediately.

ARMY HAS SHELLED 24 SCHOOLS - KILINOCHCHI
        Many Tamil school children in Kilinochchi are reduced to taking
        classes outside because Sri Lanka has bombed 24 schools in the
        district. The buildings were demolished during successive
        long-range artillery raids in which the army typically made no
        attempt to safeguard civilian centres. Along with the buildings
        most of the furniture such as desks and chairs have also been
        destroyed. Children now have to sit on the ground outside for the
        whole day. Most of the remaining school buildings in Kilinochchi
        are also unavailable because they have had to be turned into
        shelters to house Tamils displaced by Sri Lanka's military
        incursions into parts of Kilinochchi. UNICEF has so far provided
        Rs. 24 lakhs to put up 16 temporary sheds to be used as schools.
        More sheds are planned. The large-scale bombing of schools and
        other public buildings illustrates the little regard Sri Lanka's
        Sinhala armed forces show towards the ordinary Tamil people in
        its efforts to occupy Tamil territory. Despite such
        indiscriminate bombing campaigns on Tamil areas Sri Lanka claims
        to the outside world it is 'liberating' Tamils.

TAMIL CRAFTSMAN STILL IN JAIL WITHOUT TRIAL
        A Tamil jeweller is still in jail one year after being arrested
        under Sri Lanka's Prevention of Terrorism Act. Sornathasan has
        been languishing in a Colombo prison since April last year when
        police arbitrarily arrested him. After a five-day interrogation
        CID put him in front of a magistrates court without a charge
        sheet. The magistrate ordered him to be kept in jail without
        insisting on any formal inquiry. His case was then, like that of
        many other Tamils, conveniently forgotten and he has remained in
        jail without further notice. The respected Tamil craftsman has a
        wife and two children to support. His wife, however, has been too
        afraid to take up his case and it has been left to his mother to
        fight for his release on the grounds of wrongful imprisonment. In
        the present environment, however, the chances of a fair outcome
        remain slim. Hundreds of Tamils are currently being held without
        trial in Colombo's prisons. Some have been there for as long as
        five years. The harassment of Tamils in the South escalates while
        large-scale bombing of Tamils' ancient homeland in the north and
        east continues in parallel.

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 / Fax: 0181-470 8593)