LTTE Headquarters,
                                                Tamil Eelam.
                                                17. July 1997

                                                
LTTE PRESS RELEASE
NEWS FROM TAMIL EELAM

FOUR KILLED IN SAVAGE ARTILLERY ATTACK ON HOSPITAL
        Sri Lanka's army has carried out a savage artillery raid
        on the Tamil hospital at Akkarayan (Kilinochchi) killing
        four civilians. The attack happened at 8.30pm on Tuesday.
        Sri Lankan troops based at Kilinochchi, Elephant Pass and
        Nedunkerni have been intensifying attacks on schools and
        hospitals of late. Artillery shells pierced through
        Akkarayan hospital's staff quarters killing a staff-member
        Antony Kanapathy (47), his father-in-law Raman (70), his
        wife Ketharny (43) and his son Umasankar (14). 

        The hospital's deputy health officer, Mahalingam Senthilnathan
        (40) is badly wounded together with four others:
         K. Vethakumar (25), A. Karuppan (56), K. Kirushanti (60)
        and Thavarasa Maheswari (29).

        Some patients at this hospital have been evacuated to
        Mallavi hospital while the rest have had to be sent home
        for lack of facilities. Artillery shells are continuing
        to fall on the area and so Akkarayan hospital is unable
        to resume its services.      

DISPLACED IN MALLAVI DRINK POLLUTED WATER
        Thousands of Tamils in Mallavi - displaced by successive
        Sri Lankan government offensives - spend most of their
        time looking for drinking water. But most of the water
        found here is polluted, leading to various illnesses.
        Moreover, the medicine-ban imposed by the government on
        Vanni means these illnesses cannot even be treated. 

TAMIL SCHOOL GIRL RAPED 
        A Tamil school girl in Araly South (occupied Jaffna) on
        her way to a leading Jaffna school was dragged by two
        Sinhala soldiers to a secluded spot where she was beaten
        senseless and raped. The 17-year old girl is currently
        in Jaffna teaching hospital with severe injuries.   

BUDDHA STATUES INSTALLED IN JAFFNA
        The process of assimilation of Tamils is underway in
        Jaffna with Buddha statues being brought in and installed
        in key locations, at the insistence of leading Buddhist
        monks in the Sinhala-south. Sinhala troops are busy
        placing Buddha statues under Jaffna's Bo trees. A huge
        Buddha statue was placed last week at the Irupalai-Kopay
        junction where four trunk roads intersect.  The occupying
        Sinhala forces are imposing the Sinhalese religion on a
        proud and ancient people. There is a sinister undercurrent
        to all this - the government is keen to obscure the
        territorial integrity of the Tamil nation by gradually
        replacing symbols of Tamil culture with those of Sinhala
        culture.   

TWO CIVILIANS KNIFED BY SOLDIERS - MANNAR
        Two Tamil civilians returning to Sonthakarankulam (Mannar)
        to recover valuables they left behind when Sinhala forces
        occupied the region, have been knifed to death by Sinhala
        troops. One other civilian fled to safety while two more
        were taken away by the occupying soldiers.

TWO FARMERS MURDERED BY SINHALA TROOPS
        The dead bodies of two Tamil farmers earlier arrested by
        the Sinhala army at Valaichchenai have been discovered in
        nearby paddy fields. The men had been arrested last Friday
        by soldiers occupying the Valaichchenai paper factory but
        troops had denied knowledge of the arrests when asked by
        the dead mens' relatives. The two farmers' bodies -
        discovered by locals - were covered with knife-wounds.

GIRL WOUNDED IN ARMY SHELLING - BATTICALOA
        A 16-year old Tamil girl has been hit by artillery shells
        fired from Eravur Senkalady police post and Eravur army
        camps. The girl was in her home when volley after volley
        of artillery and mortars rained down on a number of Tamil
        towns. The shelling, which took place at night, lasted over
        45 minutes. The girl is in a critical condition in
        Batticaloa hospital.

TAMILS DISAPPEAR IN BATTICALOA ROUND-UP 
        Two Tamils have gone missing after a massive army round-up
        operation in Puthur (Batticaloa) in which a number of Tamils
        were 'removed' by Sinhala armed forces. The residents of
        this teeming Tamil village were paraded in front of masked
        decoys who randomly nodded their heads to sanction the arrests
        of various people. The whereabouts of two Tamils picked out
        and arrested in this manner are not known. Enquiring relatives
        have been sent away by the army, fuelling fears that the two
        men have been already murdered.

TOTAL BAN ON FISHING TO TAMILS
        Over 500 Tamil fishing families are destitute following an
        army-imposed total ban on fishing to Tamils in Mutur
        (Trincomalee). Sinhalese fishermen in the region will not
        be affected by the ban. Tamils' fishing rights are being
        progressively curtailed by the Sinhala military which is
        occupying parts of Tamil Eelam. 

SEVEN SOLDIERS KILLED - JAFFNA
        7 Sri Lankan soldiers died yesterday during a confrontation
        with LTTE forces in Puthur (Thenmaradchy). The incident took
        place at 8.20am as troops were patrolling out from Puthur
        Junction army camp. The rest of the Sri Lankan soldiers fled
        the scene. There were no LTTE casualties.

30 CIVILIANS KILLED IN BATTICALOA IN MAY
        Sri Lankan armed forces killed at least 30 Tamil civilians
        in Batticaloa and Valaichchenai during the month of May 1997,
        according to a recent survey. The deaths were all caused by
        army shelling and gunfire directed at ordinary Tamil people.

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)