LTTE Headquarters,
                                                Tamil Eelam.
                                                13. February 1997


PRESS RELEASE
NEWS FROM TAMIL EELAM

KATPIDDY BARRIER TRAUMAS
        Sri Lanka's military barrier at Katpiddy is fast gaining the
        notoriety of Thandikulam checkpoint where Sinhala soldiers put
        Tamils passing to and from government-occupied territory through
        tremendous ordeals. On top of routine verbal and physical abuse
        (and the accompanying danger of abduction) each and every Tamil
        making the Katpiddy crossing is forced through a drawn-out
        procedure designed to cause weary travellers as much grief as
        possible. National identity cards must be surrendered to military
        officials who then conduct individual 'interrogations' of men,
        women and children. If people are subsequently 'cleared' they are
        dished out a blue token while their identity cards are withheld
        by officials. Only if and when these people return from their
        journeys (from Mannar) can they hope for their identity cards to
        be returned. This is yet another indication that Sri Lanka's
        harsh military occupation of parts of the Tamil homeland is
        continuing to worsen.

ARMY STOPS POSTAL SERVICE TO VANNI
        Since Sri Lanka's Operation Edibala began over a week ago, the
        postal service to unoccupied Tamil Vanni has ground to a halt.
        Sri Lankan soldiers no longer permit mail to pass across the
        Thandikulam barrier and so a backlog of mail is piling up at
        army-held Vavuniya. Kilinochchi, Mannar and Mullaitivu are being
        denied correspondence with worried relatives and friends
        elsewhere.

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)

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)