LTTE Headquarters,
                                                Tamil Eelam.
                                                26. January 1997


PRESS RELEASE
NEWS FROM TAMIL EELAM

ARMY PATROL INTERCEPTED
	Six Sri Lankan soldiers were killed when a unit on patrol from
	Kallaru army camp to Thikkodai was intercepted by the LTTE. The
	attack took place at 7.30 am causing the rest of the Sri Lankan
	soldiers - including some wounded - to flee. The LTTE suffered no
	casualties and captured a quantity of arms and ammunition.

SECOND DECAPITATED BODY FLOATS ASHORE
	The body of another Tamil fisherman with his head cut off by navy
	personnel has washed onto Ampalavan Pokkanai (Mullaitivu
	district). Local residents identified the man, who floated ashore
	at Ampalavan Pokkanai, as one Mr. Ganesh. He was killed by the
	Sri Lankan navy while out fishing. The navy has escalated its
	attacks on Tamil fishermen in the north and east in recent
	months. A few days before, another headless body belonging to a
	Tamil fisherman came ashore at Mullaitivu. This man had bullet
	wounds.Sri Lankan naval forces are known to fire deliberately on
	ordinary Tamil fishing vessels. But the decapitation of Tamil
	victims, many believe, is meant to terrorise north-eastern Tamils
	who are trying to resist Sri Lankan occupation of their homeland.

POLICE IN EAST FIRE ON VILLAGE
	Sri Lankan police in Batticaloa (in the East) have injured a
	Tamil mother and her young daughter after opening fire randomly
	on their village of Valaichchenai. The firing, as usual in such
	incidents, was unprovoked and unrestrained. The mother (Menaka)
	and her 9-year old girl (Thurujayani) lived just 50 yards from a
	series of police checkpoints from which the shooting hailed.
	Residents say police here fire at nights quite regularly in this
	manner. Two weeks ago members of another family living close to
	the checkpoints was hurt. And on Christmas Day a small girl was
	shot dead by police while she was out picking flowers.

GOVERNMENT STEALS TAMIL LANDS
	Sri Lanka plans to take over agriculturally-rich Tamil rice
	fields in Kalmunai (in the East) and build town structures in
	their place. The project will have disastrous consequences for
	Tamils living there as the area's 82 acres of rice fields is
	presently their chief source of income. What is more, the
	proposed filling up with earth of three irrigation tanks will
	damage paddy cultivation and lead to flooding in rainy periods.
	This will force residents to abandon their homes and migrate to
	higher-level areas. The proposed project yet again underlines Sri
	Lanka's discrimination against the Tamils of the island.

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)