LTTE Headquarters,
                                                Tamil Eelam.
                                                25. January 1997


PRESS RELEASE
NEWS FROM TAMIL EELAM

TWO INJURED CIVILIANS RECALL TRAUMA
	Two of the civilians badly injured in Thursday's shelling of
	Tamil villages by the Sri Lankan army have spoken about their
	ordeal. Speaking from their beds in Akkarayan hospital, they
	recounted how they were caught in artillery fire originating from
	the army camp at Elephant Pass. They said they were both hit by
	shells as they tried to run from their home for cover elsewhere,
	but their injuries stopped them getting very far. Thirunavukarasu
	Maythini (20) and Thirunavukarasu Thayaparan (18), from the same
	family, are both from Vattakachchi, one of the villages that came
	under artillery fire on Thursday. The boy and girl are two of ten
	civilians seriously injured by Thursday's shelling of residential
	areas. Sri Lanka has banned independent reporters from the
	north-east where it is conducting a war.

NAVY HARASSES TAMIL VILLAGE
	Sri Lankan sailors have opened fire on a Tamil village in the
	island's east coast. On Thursday night, well-armed navy unit came
	close to Alampil's coast (Mullaitivu district) and fired into the
	village. Panicked residents, after being woken by the gun-fire,
	fled promptly to nearby jungles. Fishermen in coastal waters had
	rushed to shore on hearing the navy boats coming but two Tamil
	fishermen remain unaccounted for after the incident.

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/ Fax: 0181-470 8593)