LTTE Headquarters,
                                                Tamil Eelam.
                                                31. July 1997

PRESS RELEASE 
NEWS FROM TAMIL EELAM
                                           
1 1/2 YEAR JAFFNA CURFEW AFFECTS THE ELDERLY
	The one and a half year curfew imposed on Tamil Jaffna by Sri
	Lanka's Sinhala army is taking its toll particularly on the
	elderly and sick who have to wait till "permissible" hours before
	they can be taken to hospital. The curfew operates from 6pm until
	5am, which means anyone falling ill between those times is unable
	to seek treatment until the following day. In Thenmaradchy the
	curfew period is even longer - between 4pm and 6am. A number of
	preventable deaths have already resulted from this curfew, which
	has been imposed by a Sinhalese army upon a Tamil population.
	
DESPERATE ARMY INCREASES VICTIMISATION OF TAMIL RESIDENTS
	Sinhala army round-ups of Tamils in Batticaloa are more frequent
	than ever before, with the increasingly vulnerable troops aiming
	to intimidate and inconvenience the local population. Sri Lanka's
	army - fast losing ground to the LTTE in the east - is
	compensating for it by stepping up victimisation of Tamil
	civilians in the few eastern areas Sri Lanka still hangs on to.
	On the 25th, 26th and 27th of this month, round-up operations
	took place in Iruthayapuram, Puliyanthivu and Navalady. Combined
	Sinhala police and army units stormed Tamil people's homes and
	marched them to isolated spots for interrogation. Those civilians
	taken away have not been seen since.
	
MANNAR REFUGEES ARE NEGLECTED
	Displaced Tamils who had to migrate to Mannar from Vavuniya after
	Sri Lanka launched operation Jaya Sikuru are being totally
	neglected by government authorities. No provisions have been made
	for their health and welfare, and there is no shelter for them.
	Lacking money, these persons are unable to purchase food. The
	government has not even given them emergency food relief. If they
	are not assisted soon it is possible they will starve.
	
DAILY SHELLING UPSETS NORMAL LIFE
	STF commandos holed in their camp at Manmunai (Batticaloa) are
	daily shelling residential parts of Paduvankarai. The shelling
	has totally stalled traffic between Manmunai and Thurai. Tamil
	people are unable to engage in their normal activities while the
	bombardment persists. Journalists are banned from entering Tamil
	areas that are being targeted by Sri Lanka's Sinhala forces.
	
TWO TAMIL MEN ABDUCTED BY SINHALA ARMY
	Two displaced Tamil men who were living in Kandawalai have
	disappeared after going to Kompady to cut sticks for building
	cottages. Balasingam Manoharan and Murugesu Nadarajah are
	presumed abducted by Sinhala soldiers of the Elephant Pass army
	camp.
	
TAMIL WOMAN LOSES FOOT IN ARMY MINE
	A woman stone-cutter in Puttur (occupied Jaffna) has lost her
	right foot after accidentally stepping on a land-mine planted by
	the occupying Sinhala army. Suntharan Kanthi, a 19-year old, is
	now warded in the Jaffna teaching hospital.
	
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)