LTTE Headquarters,
                                                Tamil Eelam.
                                                21. June 1997

PRESS RELEASE
NEWS FROM TAMIL EELAM
                                           
JAFFNA OCCUPATION FORCES GO ON KILLING SPREE
	Sinhala forces occupying the all-Tamil Jaffna peninsula took part
	in a shooting frenzy which has left 4 civilians - all young men -
	dead. The Sinhala soldiers were engaged in another of their
	"cordon and search" operations on Tuesday in Ponnalai, Moolai,
	Vaddukoddai and Sithankerni (all in Valigamam west) when the
	atrocities took place. Their bodies were left strewn on the
	roadside in order to terrorise Tamil residents.
	
	Such is life for Tamils in army-occupied territories. The
	slightest ill-mood of a Sinhala soldier is enough justification
	to kill innocent Tamils. There is no law for Tamils beyond the
	law of the all-Sinhala military. Any pretence by the Sri Lankan
	government that the occupation forces possess a
	liberation-mentality is a wilful deceit. The truth is, Jaffna is
	tenser than ever with the civilian population literally
	defenceless against the armed troops of the foreign Sri Lankan
	nation who posses, unmistakably, a conquest-mentality.
	
	The peninsula is still banned to journalists after two long
	years. There is only one possible explanation: to prevent
	independent witnesses from seeing or reporting the brutal
	character of the Sinhala occupation.

SINHALA INVADERS ORDER TAMILS TO CUT TREES
	All over the Sinhala-occupied Tamil north and east the military
	is ordering the felling of trees on a massive scale. Trees and
	vegetation along vast stretches of road are being ordered to be
	cut down without a second thought for the environmental
	consequences. The section of the Kandy road from Pallai to Jaffna
	is now bare. Even walls and fences near to the road have been
	demolished. The trees used to provide much-needed shade to
	heat-stricken travellers, but the lives and comfort of Tamils is
	not exactly a priority for the invading Sinhala military.

MILITARY ROAD-BLOCKS FRUSTRATE EASTERN TAMILS
	Intolerable inconvenience for Tamils has been rendered by the
	closure of the Batticaloa-Kalmunai road  by Sri Lanka's occupying
	STF, which has a camp along the road at Araiyampathy. Also, since
	June 10th all roads leading to the Tamil towns of Oddumavaddy and
	Valaichchenai have been blockaded by other Sinhala military
	authorities. There is no indication that any of these much-used
	roads will be reopened.
	
3 PARAMILITARY POLICE KILLED
	Liberation forces of the LTTE intercepted paramilitary Sinhala
	police in Ondachimadam (Batticaloa) last week, killing three.
	There were no LTTE casualties.

	
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)