LTTE Headquarters,
                                                Tamil Eelam.
                                                10. January 1997
PRESS RELEASE (2)
NEWS FROM TAMIL EELAM

LTTE OVERRUNS TWO MAJOR MILITARY CAMPS
	Over 200 Sri Lankan troops were killed and hundreds more badly
	injured when LTTE forces overran two military complexes at
	Paranthan and Elephant Pass yesterday. 140 LTTE fighters lost
	their lives in the heavy battle which began in the early hours of
	Thursday morning. The LTTE's strategic objective was to nullify
	Sri Lanka's fire-power in this region by capturing or destroying
	armaments. Much of the weaponry at these bases had been used
	systematically by Sri Lanka to launch indiscriminate bombing
	raids on residential Tamil villages.
	
	The LTTE destroyed 11 long-range artillery pieces and several
	more armouries after its commando units penetrated Sri Lankan
	forward defence lines extending 10 kilometres. Nine of the
	artillery pieces demolished were size 122mm, while the other two
	were 130mm. Several ammunition dumps were also wiped out. In
	addition, vast quantities of arms were captured including three
	120mm mortars, three 50-calibre machine guns and hundreds of
	automatic guns, along with ample amounts of mortar shells and
	ammunition. The LTTE withdrew soon after the mission was
	successfully completed.
	
	Earlier today, the LTTE made arrangements for 29 recovered bodies
	of Sri Lankan soldiers to be handed over to the International
	Committee of  the Red Cross (ICRC) in accordance with
	international humanitarian law procedures.
	
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)