LTTE Headquarters,
                                                Tamil Eelam.
                                                27. March 1997


PRESS RELEASE
NEWS FROM TAMIL EELAM

BIGGEST EVER JAFFNA ROUND-UP - HUNDREDS ARRESTED
        Hundreds of innocent Tamil civilians have been hand-picked by
        masked men during the biggest ever round-up operation launched by
        the Sri Lankan military occupying the Jaffna peninsula. All over
        Uduvil, Maruthanarmadam, Navaly, Suthumalai, Manipay, Sandilipay,
        Thavady, Anaikoddai, Kokuvil, Kulapiddy, KKS Road, Vannarpannai,
        Pommaiveli, Oddumadam, Thattatheru and Kallady frightened
        residents were led by troops to open fields and paraded in front
        of masked 'informers' who condemned them to arrest. The operation
        lasted from Saturday(22/03/97) through Sunday(23/03/97). Those
        arrested have been taken away to army camps. None have been
        released. Many women were among those taken. This is Sri Lankan
        justice for Tamils. There is no foreseeable end to this practice.
        No pressure has yet been applied to Sri Lanka to withdraw its
        Sinhala troops who, as in the past, are routinely committing
        atrocities against Tamil people.

YOUNG WOMAN MISSING AFTER ARREST - JAFFNA
        23 year old Thurairasa Manjula was arrested by the Sri Lankan
        army nearly four weeks ago. She has not been seen since. At 6.45
        pm on the second day of this month soldiers took her from her
        home in Kondavil west (Amman Koilady) where she lived with her
        parents. All the soldiers said was that she was wanted for
        inquiries. They did not return her that day so her parents went
        looking. Officials at the Kondavil army camp said they knew
        nothing about the arrest. It is therefore feared Manjula has been
        sexually assaulted and killed. This is not an isolated phenomenon
        in places the army occupies but an entrenched pattern. Sinhala
        soldiers are operating a ruthless regime in the Tamil territories
        it occupies. But Sri Lanka informs the diplomatic community that
        the Tamils are being liberated by them. The longer the
        international community believes this the longer will last the
        trauma of the Tamil people.

TAMIL PARENTS REQUEST HELP OF ICRC
        Worried Tamil parents have pleaded with the ICRC to help trace
        their 18 year old son who went missing after arrest by Sri Lankan
        forces in Manipay (Jaffna). The boy, Thurairasa Rajeevan, was
        arrested on 25 December last year. The boy - a student of
        Tellipallai Mahajana college - was waiting for his 'O' level
        results at the time of his arrest.  It is naive to think that
        such cases of disappearances will gradually subside as time goes
        on. On the contrary, while troops from one nation are occupying
        another these tragedies will persist and escalate. The only way
        to prevent them is to ensure that the Sinhala nation's troops are
        not occupying areas belonging to the Tamil nation.

SOLDIERS HUMILIATE AND GUN DOWN TWO TAMIL BOYS
        In the Kaluvankerni region of Batticaloa district two Tamils have
        been killed by Sri Lankan forces. The boys were first stopped in
        the street by an army patrol and made to carry the soldiers' gear
        for a distance. When the soldiers became bored of this game they
        started to beat the boys with their rifle butts. They then shot
        them dead.

TWO NEW SCHOOLS FOR MULLAITIVU
        The LTTE administration in Mullaitivu has completed work on two
        new school buildings in Eruddumadu and Theravil. The opening
        ceremony was attended by the respective headmasters as well as
        prominent LTTE officials.

TEEDOR ANNOUNCES NEW REPAYMENT SCHEME
        The Tamil Eelam Economic Development Organisation (TEEDOR) has
        said that debtors can settle their loans through rice and
        agricultural produce if they prefer this to paying by cash. This
        new scheme eases considerably the burden of farmers trying to
        develop Tamil Eelam's economy under the adverse conditions
        imposed by Sri Lanka.

NEW DENTAL CLINIC IN AKKARAYAN HOSPITAL
        The LTTE administration in Akkarayan is ensuring the smooth
        running of Akkarayan hospital which is functioning as
        Kilinochchi's main hospital after the Sri Lankan recent military
        invasion of certain parts of the district. A new dental clinic
        has been opened in the hospital which on Fridays and Saturdays
        caters for under-12s.

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)