LTTE Headquarters,
                                                Tamil Eelam.
                                                19. March 1997


PRESS RELEASE
NEWS FROM TAMIL EELAM

GOVT-BACKED TAMIL GROUPS OCCUPY JAFFNA HOSPITAL
        Government-backed Tamil gunmen belonging to PLOTE and EPRLF have
        occupied Jaffna Teaching Hospital and set up their offices there,
        rendering the medical faculty out of bounds. The occupation of
        the hospital reveals clearly the calibre of people who represent
        these pro-government groups, who have not the slightest regard
        for ordinary Tamil people and are motivated strictly by salaries
        paid to them by the Sri Lankan authorities.
        
        The Sri Lankan government promotes these Tamil quisling groups -
        PLOTE, TELO, EPRLF, EPDP and a government-backed splinter group
        of EROS - internationally as the "true" representatives of the
        Tamil people.
        
        These pro-government Tamil groups were responsible for the
        murders of many Tamil people though it was impossible to
        determine the precise number due to the secrecy with which these
        groups operated.. They were also to blame for numerous
        disappearances at illegal detention centres. An Amnesty
        International country report on Sri Lanka (1996) confirms this,
        citing routine human rights violations against Tamil civilians
        including extra-judicial executions, disappearances, torture and
        arbitrary arrests and detentions.
        
        It is well known that these same groups operated during the
        period of the IPKF presence in Tamil Eelam at which time they
        collaborated with the occupying army and carried out some of the
        worst atrocities against the Tamil people. They continue to play
        the same role today with the occupying Sinhala army.


ANNAI POOPATHY REMEMBERED FONDLY BY TAMIL EELAM NATION
        Known affectionately as the "mother" of Tamil Eelam, Annai
        Poopathy passed away nine years ago in a determined
        fast-unto-death protesting Indian military occupation of Tamil
        Eelam. She is upheld as a vibrant symbol of the spirit of Tamil
        resistance. Members of the Tamil nation scattered throughout the
        world annually devote a week of remembrance for this courageous
        woman. The memorial week begins today.

	
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 / Fax: 0181-470 8593)