LTTE Headquarters,
                                                Tamil Eelam.
                                                17. February 1997


PRESS RELEASE
NEWS FROM TAMIL EELAM

ANOTHER VILLAGE HAS FOOD SUPPLY CUT
        Sri Lankan troops occupying Valaichchenai (an Eastern Tamil town)
        have blocked rice supplies from getting past Kumpurumulai
        checkpoint and through to the Tamil village of Kiran. The people
        of Kiran are now desperately in need of  food with little sign of
        the government lifting its order to stop all supplies. Under
        cover of a reporting ban, strong signs are emerging that the
        government is carrying out a policy of slow genocide of the
        Tamils in the north and east. This latest measure ties in with
        similar attempts all over occupied parts to cut off vital food
        supplies to Tamils in areas not under Sri Lankan military rule.

SINHALA DOCTOR REFUSES TO TREAT TAMIL
        A female Sinhalese medical officer at a prominent Colombo
        maternity clinic has told a pregnant Tamil woman that she is not
        welcome at the clinic should she get pregnant in the future. The
        doctor elaborated, in front of witnesses, that Tamils should
        limit the number of children they have as Sri Lanka is hardly a
        big enough place for the Sinhalese. She even went as far as to
        tell the woman's husband (a prominent Tamil) to make sure his
        wife does not get pregnant again. The doctor responsible for the
        statements will face no penalties. Discrimination of this sort is
        simply what Tamils in Sri Lanka are expected to put up with.

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)