Situation Report - Sri Lanka

Troops feared dead as S.Lanka ammo dump explodes

TRINCOMALEE, Sri Lanka (Reuters) - Many troops battling Tamil Tiger rebels in east Sri Lanka were feared dead or wounded on Thursday after an ammunition dump at an army camp apparently accidentally exploded, military sources said.

"We fired artillery all day. Maybe one of the guns overheated and accidentally blew up," said one source. "The dump exploded. We expect lots of casualties and deaths."

Reuters correspondents in the eastern town of Trincomalee heard sustained explosions coming from the camp about 30 km (20 miles) away, which lit up the night sky on the horizon.

The army said the explosion appeared to be accidental, but had no details on the damage caused. Hospital officials at the nearby government-held town of Kantale sent four ambulances to the area as a precaution.

Heavy clashes erupt at Mavil Aru

Heavy fighting was reported between Sri Lanka's security forces and Tamil Tiger rebels early morning today (10), after Tiger cadres attempted to fire showers of mortars at troops facilitating the supply of water through the Mavil Aru Anicut, which was reopened only yesterday.

Troops retaliated with mortars. Security Forces suffered few injuries and the wounded were evacuated to Kantale hospital immediately. 'Operation Water shed' continues, the Media Centre for National Security said. No immediate details were available of the LTTE casualties

Minority Rights Group International demands Government and LTTE to make a greater commitment to safeguard minority rights

Sri Lanka's minorities, including its near two million Muslims, have been the worst affected in the recent surge in violence and both the Government of Sri Lanka and Tamil Tiger rebels must make a greater commitment to safeguard minority rights and provide equal access to humanitarian assistance, Minority Rights Group said today.

The London based human rights organisation calls on both the Government of Sri Lanka and Tamil Tiger rebels to urgently stop fighting, strictly observe the cease-fire and ensure the protection of minorities in their areas of control.

"The area where recent fighting has broken out is predominantly Muslim and Tamil and we are concerned at the risk to life, security and property that these minority communities face," says Clive Baldwin, Head of International Advocacy at MRG.

"In most conflicts there are always the forgotten minorities. The most vulnerable at present are probably the Muslims," Baldwin adds.

Muslims form 8 percent of the near 20 million population of Sri Lanka and are the majority community in the town of Muttur, which has been at the centre of recent fighting. Following the attacks Muslims have had to flee to predominantly Sinhalese villages and are being housed in schools and other temporary shelters, with limited facilities. The Sri Lankan Tamils who form the largest minority and are also part of the population of Muttur have reportedly fled to areas under Tamil Tiger control. Several thousand Muslims and Tamils remain trapped in areas where fighting continues.

"The specific needs of the Muslims and Tamils must be taken into consideration. Minority women in camps are likely to be in a particularly vulnerable situation." Baldwin says.

As international agencies warn of a humanitarian crisis, MRG is particularly concerned about the situation of displaced people and the impediments to aid agencies operating in the area.

"In situations of conflict minority communities are often the last to be given access to aid and we hope this will not be the case in Sri Lanka," Baldwin adds.

MRG calls on both the government and Tamil rebels to give international and local aid agencies unimpeded access to the affected areas. The aim should be to facilitate the free return, in safety, of minority communities to their homes as quickly as possible.

MRG also urges the government and LTTE to return to the negotiating process in order to find a permanent solution to the country's conflict. The group says it is critical that when peace talks resume all communities are represented in the process.

Heavy fighting breaks out in Sri Lanka , more than 50 civilians dead, rebels say

The Sri Lankan military attacked Tamil Tiger rebels from land and air Thursday and the rebels retaliated in heavy fighting that killed at least 13 combatants, officials said. A Nordic cease-fire monitor warned the situation was worsening.

A senior rebel official, Seevarathnam Puleedevan, said at least 50 civilians had been killed and 200 injured in the government military operation, but a military spokesman said he was unaware of any civilian casualties.

Puleedevan appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross to help evacuate civilian casualties, saying there weren't enough facilities locally available there to treat them. But ICRC official Davide Vignati said the organization had yet to receive an official request from either side.

At least six government soldiers were killed and 49 wounded and admitted to hospital, a doctor said. A Tiger spokesman, Rasiah Ilanthirayan, said seven rebels had died and 15 others were wounded.

``It is a warlike situation, our forces are retaliating with artillery fire and direct gun fire,'' Ilanthirayan said.

``The situation is worsening,'' said Robert Nilsson, a member of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission. ``Hopefully there will be a change of heart, this has already gone too far.''

The fighting centered around a key reservoir and canal in Trincomalee district, which in recent weeks has seen some of the worst fighting since the country's 2002 cease-fire, with estimates of the number of combatants and civilians killed ranging from about 100 to 300.

Dr. B.G.M. Costa, a hospital doctor in Kantale, a town in the area, said the bodies of five soldiers had been brought in and 35 others were wounded. Two with critical injuries were flown to Colombo.

Military spokesman Maj. Upali Rajapakse said he was not aware of any civilian casualties, but said the rebels were ``known for using civilians as human shields and they place their gun positions around civilian villages.''

``The Sri Lankan army does not target civilians,'' he said.

The rebels closed sluice gates at the reservoir on July 20, cutting water to over 60,000 people living in government-controlled villages, after accusing the government of reneging on a pledge to boost water in rebel-held areas.

The rebels announced on Tuesday that they were reopening the gates, saying that heavy attacks on rebel areas by army troops were hurting civilians, and the military said Wednesday that it had reclaimed control of the waterway.

But the government resumed shelling the area around the reservoir the same day, saying it needed to clear the area of rebels so they would not be able to block the water supply again.

``From dawn today, the Sri Lankan army has launched a full-fledged offensive operation against our territories involving thousands of troops, heavy guns and bombardment,'' rebel spokesman Ilanthirayan said.

The Tamil Tigers began fighting in 1983 for a separate homeland for the country's 3.2 million Tamils, accusing the 14 million Sinhalese majority of discrimination.

The 2002 cease-fire put a temporary halt to the bloodshed, but the truce has nearly collapsed in recent months. Renewed fighting has killed more than 900 people _ half of them civilians _ since December, the cease-fire monitors say.

____ Associated Press writer Dilip Ganguly in Colombo contributed to this report.