PRESS RELEASE
LTTE Headquarters
Tamil Eelam
21 December 1999
TWO MORE MILITARY BASES FALL TO TIGERS: ELEPHANT PASS SOUTHERN DEFENCES
COLLAPSE
The well-fortified defences around the southern sector of Elephant Pass
military complex have crumbled following the fall of two more military
bases to the LTTE in the area between Paranthan and Elephant Pass.
The Paranthan chemical factory base, which housed the 546 Brigade
headquarters and the Kurakkan Kadukulam army camp were brought under the
control of the Tamil Tiger fighters after fierce fighting that lasted
for several hours yesterday. The stiff resistance of the Sri Lankan
troops collapsed as the LTTE fighting units mounted heavy barrage of
artillery and mortar bombardment. When the military buildings collapsed
due to the intensity of the shelling, the Sri Lankan troops fled to
Elephant Pass central base in total disarray. With the fall of these two
bases, the entire Paranthan region, which constituted the southern
defence perimeter of the Elephant Pass base complex, has been brought
under the control of the LTTE.
Having overrun the naval supply bases and army camps that formed the
defence structures of the north-eastern and southern flanks of the
massive Elephant Pass base complex, the LTTE fighting units have begun a
concerted artillery attack today on the central base camp which houses
the military headquarters of the Sri Lankan army's 54 Division.
(Released by the International Secretariat of LTTE, 211 Katherine Rd,
London E6 1BU, United Kingdom. Tel : 44 20 8503 4294)
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