Forces retaliate major attack on Jaffna FDLs

Security Forces in Jaffna yesterday retaliated a major LTTE artillery and mortar fire on Muhamalai and Nagarkovil Forward Defence Lines (FDL) from 5.45 p.m. yesterday, Senior Coordinator to the Media Centre for National Security, Major Upali Rajapakse told the Daily News.

Fierce fighting erupted at 5.45 p.m. as security forces began retaliating the LTTE fire with the Tigers continuing with their artillery fire that commenced at 5.10 p.m.

"Security forces retaliated the LTTE artillery and mortar fire at 5.45 p.m. since there was no sign of the LTTE ceasing their artillery attacks," Major Rajapakse said.

Fighting was continuing at the time of this edition going to press. According to civilians in Jaffna, the LTTE has warned the people from Puloli, Eluthumadduval, Kilali, Manthuvil, Varani, Kachchai, Kodikamam and Meesali areas to flee from their villages close to the FDLs in Jaffna.

"This is another attempt by the terrorists to displace the civilians inside the peninsula and to create a situation similar to what they created in Muttur," the Media Centre for National Security said in a statement last night.

Meanwhile, Air Force fighter jets yesterday bombed two identified LTTE targets in the Batticaloa district in support of the ground troops engaged in the operation 'Watershed' to take full control of the Mavilaru area, Major Rajapakse told the Daily News.

Major Rajapakse said the Air Force had taken two LTTE targets which can be considered a threat to the ongoing operation to take full control of the Mavilaru area to ensure an uninterrupted water supply to the people living there.

"The Air Force had taken the targets that cannot be taken by long range artillery of the Security Forces," he added.

A Reuter report filed from Colombo quoting LTTE Peace Secretariat Chief S. Puleedevan in Killinochchi said many of the LTTE cadres had been killed due to the ongoing operation by the Security Forces.

According to Major Rajapakse no casualties were reported from the Security Forces side yesterday, since there were no heavy calibre artillery attacks on the ground troops.

"There were only mortar fire yesterday but no heavy calibre artillery attacks," Major Rajapakse said.

The Army put the death toll of the Security Forces to nine due to artillery and mortar fires of the LTTE on Thursday as five soldiers succumbed to their injuries after being admitted to hospitals.

Air Force Spokesman Group Captain Ajantha Silva told the Daily News that the Air Force took two LTTE targets in Batticaloa yesterday morning and afternoon which were considered as a threat to the ground troops engaged in the Mavilaru operation.

"We are taking all LTTE targets which are going to be a problem for the ongoing operation," he said.

According to military sources from the battle front, ground troops were reportedly further consolidating the Mavilaru area and continuing their operation to take control of the second gate under their control located another one kilo metre ahead.

Security Forces took control over one sluice gate and carried out an air attack to open the other gate located ahead for the ground troops to restore the water supply to more than 15,000 families in Seruwila, Ichalanpattu and Muttur areas on Tuesday night.

SITUATION REPORT - SRI LANKA ON 12.08.2006

Deputy Head of the Government's Peace Secretariat shot in Colombo

Colombo, August 12, 2006, 10.23 p.m.. Suspected Tamil tiger rebels today evening shot the deputy secretary general of the Sri Lankan government's peace secretariat Kethesh Loganatha at Dehiwela. Attempts made by the Lanka Academic to verify Mr. Loganathan's condition was futile, but initial reports claimed that he had died, this is however is yet to be confirmed.

A police officer attached to the Dehiwela police station told the Lanka Academic that he was unable to give exact details about the incident because the team gone to investigate the incident had yet not returned to the station.

Rebels say break Sri Lanka armys northern defences

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels said on Saturday they had broken through army defences in the island's far north and were advancing on the government-held Jaffna peninsula, in the fiercest fighting since a 2002 truce.

The Tigers said they had pushed through a no-man's-land that separates rebel and government territory, destroyed army checkpoints on the other side and were advancing along the main A9 arterial road that connects the peninsula to their stronghold.

Aid workers reported pockets of fighting inside government territory near army forward defence lines, and truce monitors had received reports of fighting on beaches near Jaffna. Residents said hundreds were fleeing fishing villages near Jaffna.

The military said it still controlled the whole peninsula and had killed around 100 rebels, but said a few might have got through.

"We have completely destroyed the army checkpoints at the Muhamalai (border) crossing, and we are advancing on Jaffna," a Tiger official at the rebel Voice of Tigers radio station told Reuters, asking not to be named.

Tamil rebels push to recapture Sri Lanka 's Jaffna Peninsula

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Tamil Tiger rebels mounted a fierce offensive Saturday to retake Sri Lanka - 's northern Jaffna Peninsula, the heart of the island's Tamil minority, the military and rebels said, amid the heaviest fighting since the two sides signed a 2002 cease-fire. Meanwhile, a senior peace co-ordinating official of Sri Lanka - 's government was shot dead Saturday in a suburb of the capital, Colombo, police and a doctor said.

Ketheesh Loganathan, deputy head of the government's Peace Secretariat, which has coordinated a Norway-brokered peace process between the government and separatist Tamil Tiger rebels since 2002, was shot at his home, police officer N.K. Illangakoon said.

Dr. W.G Gunawardene confirmed that Loganathan had died. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the killing or the motive.

Loganathan was formally a political adviser to the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front, a former militant separatist group that fought to create a separate homeland for the country's ethnic minority Tamils.

EPRLF gave up arms in 1987 and has since opposed policies of the Tigers.

Saturday's fighting began early in the morning, when the rebels launched attacks against navy camps in the town of Trincomalee, and later pushed against government forces in Muhamalai and elsewhere, Jayawardana said.

A pro-rebel Web site, TamilNet, said the insurgents had overrun an army checkpoint at the village along the dividing line, but a statement from the defense ministry said soldiers had beaten them back, and that government forces were in ``firm and full control over the peninsula.''

The Jaffna Peninsula is considered the traditional home of Sri Lanka - 's 3.2 million ethnic Tamils. Most of the peninsula, including Jaffna city, is controlled by the government, but the rebels control a number of scattered areas.

It was the scene of intense fighting during Sri Lanka - 's two decade-long civil war, with control changing sides a couple times before ending up in government hands after a military offensive in 1995.

The main navy base in Trincomalee is a key supply point for the 40,000 Sri Lankan troops stationed on the peninsula.

The region around the fighting has been sealed off to outsiders, and there was no way to independently confirm the situation.

An ethnic Tamil lawmaker, meanwhile, said civilians in parts of the peninsula were trapped by heavy fighting, and are without electricity and telephones.

``People are not allowed to move to save their lives. The Sri Lankan government, by imposing a curfew, has kept them as human shields,'' said Nadaraja Raviraj, a lawmaker from Jaffna.

There was no immediate comment from the government.

The 2002 cease-fire was intended to halt more than two decades of bloodshed between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which has been fighting since 1983 for an independent homeland for ethnic Tamils in the north and east of the country.

While the cease-fire remains officially in effect, it has been left in shreds by weeks of fighting.

The latest conflict started when the rebels blocked the flow of water from a reservoir to government-held villages in the northeast on July 20, accusing officials of backtracking on a pledge to boost water to rebel-held areas. After days of fighting the sluice was reopened, with both sides claiming credit for ending the water crisis.

Sri Lankan rebels suffer massive loss: More than 100 Tigers killed overnight

Colombo, August 12, 2006, 7.10 p.m.. The LTTE has suffered a massive loss due to yesterday's fighting that erupted in Jaffna, with the organization reportedly losing more than 100 tiger rebels.

The media centre for national security said that, "tiger terrorists in their attempts to disrupt the Security Forces defences in Jaffna peninsula experienced humiliation when they suffered heavy casualties on the face of the Security Forces' retaliations."

Terrorists tried to attack the Forward Defence Lines (FDL) at Muhammalai and the defences at Kayts last evening and during the early hours of today by using heavy artillery and mortars with the intention of capturing the government controlled territory.

However during the battles at Muhammalai tigers suffered 30-35 cadres killed of whom some bodies are still lying in front of the FDLs. The government Air Strikes and the Multi Barrel Artillery attacks is estimated to have killed over 54 cadres who were kept as reserves at Poonarin. While another 20-25 sea tigers were killed at Kayts.

"Security Forces are at present consolidating their defences and conducting cordon and search operations to find and destroy any terrorists in the vicinity," the centre added. During the defensive operations the Security Forces had 36 soldiers injured of whom 7 were in critical conditions.

MUSLIM PARTIES’ PROTEST DEMO Today

A massive protest demonstration, sponsored by the Muslim United Liberation Front (MULF) and participated by all major Muslim political parties and organizations, is to be held tomorrow August 11 in front of the Dematagaha Jumma Masjid near the Colombo Town Hall to condemn to condemn LTTE war crime that has left over 40,000 Muslims of Muttur and over 15,000 of Thoppur as displaced refugees while also massacring over 100 of them. At this protest demonstration to be held at 1:00 p.m. after Jumma Prayers the government's failure to protect the innocent civilians will also be condemned at this demonstration, according to a media release issued by the MULF. Sri Lanka Muslim Congress national leader Rauff Hakeem MP and representatives of the MULF, United Socialist Party, All University Muslim Students' Federation, All Ceylon Muslim League Youth Front, Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum, Sri Lanka Sharia Board, Board of Tharikkas, YMMA national Council, Friends of Free Palestine, Palestine Solidarity Movement, Kashmir Solidarity Movement and Young Lawyers' Association will join the protest demonstration.

50,000 LANGUISHING IN KANTALAI- HAKEEM TELLS PARLIAMENT

Sri Lanka Muslim Congrss (SLMC) national leader Rauff Hakeem MP,speaking in parliament on Tuesday, August 8, on the current calamity of the displaced Muslim of the war ravaged Muttur town in Trincomalee said that over 50,000 people from areas in and around Mutur have fled to Kantalai and are now languishing in a deplorable condition. He said that more refugees were pouring in from there into many areas in Kurunegala, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruxva districts. Colombo and Kandy districts too have begun to receive small numbers of these unfortunate victims of war. Thousands of unfortunate victims of the Mutur eviction are recounting their harrowing experiences at the hands of the LTTE and the deliberate unceasing artillery and mortar attacks from security forces' camps, with the objective of flushing out the LTTE, despite calls to suspend this mode of attack and, unfortunately, this had resulted in scores of people dying, he said. He said that all of us are aware that in war the first casualty is truth.

Vivid details of the atrocious and inhuman treatment meted out to the fleeing civilian population by LTTE cadres, in the vicinity of Pachchanoor on the Mutur - Kantalai road. starkly exposed the LTTE's brutality, he said. The thousands of civilians who left Mutur on an assurance by the LTTE that no harm would be caused to them if they chose to leave were subjected to such harassment and cruelty resulting in the Muslims realizing that as in instances before, the LTTE's assurances could not be taken for granted, he further said.

He stated that ever since the invasion of Mutur by the LTTE, his appeals and statements have unfortunately been the subject of critical retort by some elements in the government, adding that in some print media and websites supportive of the LTTE, including the Tamil net, his statements were taken out of context and portions of the statements have been used to give the impression that he had attributed disproportionate blame on the government forces. There, armed cadres of the LTTE separated the young and able bodied men from the women, the children and the elderly and some of the cadres were seen beating the women, the children and the elderly who chose to plead on behalf of the detained men, he said. An artillery attack which targeted this checkpoint, according to scores of eyewitnesses resulted in the death of some civilians as well as a few LTTE cadres. In the ensuing confusion many civilians managed to escape from the LTTE cadres and reach Kantalai after trekking for many hours through inhospitable terrain, he also said.

Speaking further, he said that:

" The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress as a Party that has received preponderant mandate repeatedly from the Muslims is duty bound to bring to the attention of this august assembly and place on record the grave injustice caused to the innocent civilian population of Muttur and the surrounding villages as a result of the recent military engagement between the LITE and the Government of Sri Lanka that was aimed at gaining control of territory.

" The GoSL whilst claiming that their offensive was to ensure the security of the State and the LTTE the areas under their control have continued with absolute impunity to desecrate the human security of the innocent civilian population caught up in the cross fire.

" All of us are aware that in war the first casualty is truth. Unfortunately this has resulted in scores of people dying and the constructive expulsion of Muslims caused by the LTTE's surprise attack.

" The LTTE claims that they had withdrawn their forces to pre CFA positions after having achieved the limited objective of attacking selected targets of the Sri Lankan forces From the morning of 4th August, thousands of fleeing civilians, including children, pregnant mothers and the elderly who have been subjected to virtual starvation for over forty eight hours, as a result of incessant attacks on Mutur both by the government forces and the LTTE, were forcibly diverted to Kiranthimunai, off the 64th milepost on the Mutur - Kantalai road.

" Quite paradoxically the government stated that they are resorting to a limited offensive operation on humanitarian grounds to help the farmers who were served by the Mawilaru anicut, the sluice gates of which were forcibly closed by the LTTE. Similarly the LTTE in its statement announcing the withdrawal of their forces to pre-CFA positions all over the Trincomalee district also stated that they are doing so, in consideration of the humanitarian crisis.

"On Sunday 6th, we heard of the offer by the LTTE to voluntarily open the sluice gates of Mawil Aru provided the government agrees to certain conditions.

"All the peace loving people of Sri Lanka have come to realize that both the government and the LTTE continue to make sanctimonious pronouncements supposedly with the objective of respecting the humanitarian needs of the people. In real terms their motive is to pursue a relentless military option totally disregarding the sanctity of life and limb of innocent civilians. The destruction caused to property and other economic assets of the innocent Muslim, Tamil and Sinhala people of this area is incalculable. The psychological trauma experienced by these people is going to leave an indelible impact on their psyche for years to come. The cost of the ammunition, the bombs and all the military hardware that are employed and estroyed by both sides to this conflict could have fed the affected farmers of Mawil Aru and all the other victims who have been forced to leave their homes indefinitely.

" In terms of the CFA it is the GoSL that is responsible for the protection of human security particularly in government controlled areas. The events that unfolded in the recent past reiterates the SLMC's repeated call that the CFA must be reviewed and strengthened to address the legitimate concerns of all stakeholders and every possible step taken to protect and ensure security of the civilian population at all times.

" It is also our considered view that these incidents cannot be seen in isolation but need to viewed together with the events of the recent past, including the notices that were distributed in Muttur area calling the Muslims to vacate the areas. It is also pertinent to analyse as to whether the GoSL has unwittingly been lured into a trap, where it could easily be accused of triggering the exodus of the people of Muttur or have the radical elements clamoring for war as the solution to the ethnic problem skillfully achieved their objective of pitting the Muslims against the Tamils.

" It is also our reiterated position mat as a responsible political party we are committed to finding a lasting, durable and dignified peace that would be acceptable to all communities through negotiations. It is in this backdrop that we would find it difficult to endorse indiscriminate violations of the CFA that has resulted in forced eviction of Muslims from the areas of their traditional habitation and systematic destruction of the political and economic power of the Muslims of the Northern and Eastern Provinces. "

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.

HAKEEM ACCUES LTTE FOR MUSLIMS' CLAMITY

Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Rauff Hakeem MP who briefed the media just after his meeting this evening (August 8) with a delegation led by Norwegian Special Envoy Jon Hanssen Bauer said that the delegation was apprised that the LTTE was responsible for the present calamity of the Muslims of Muttur while the government was also responsible for certain aspects of violence including indiscriminate artillery shelling at civilian targets. The delegation was also informed that LTTE invasion of Muttur appeared to be part of their plan of ethnic cleansing, according to reliable information, he said.

He said that other details that were apprised to the delegation with regard to the current tragic condition of the thousands of displaced families included:

" Maximum damage has been done to the Muslim families of Muttur and its neighboring areas in fighting between the government forces and the LTTE. Their houses and properties were devastated and a majority of the displaced the people are now languishing in open air shelters in Kantalai and other places without food, water, medical care and other basic humanitarian assistance. The barbaric attacks that led to their evacuation has deprived them of their source of livelihood and has also affected them psychologically.

"The barbaric LTTE invasion of Muttur has achieved nothing other than leaving innocent Muslims in the lurch as destitute people. It was a senseless act and heartless act perpetrated by them. The right of the displaced families to resettle in their homes in their traditional villages should be asserted by the Norwegians and the international community with arrangements for their rehabilitation and resettlement after assessment of the reasons and the background that led to their expulsion and exodus.

"We have reliable information that the LTTE which set up a check point at the 64th mile post on the Muttu-Kantalai road diverted the fleeing families into routes through areas under their control and detained over 100 Muslim youths in an effort to conscript them into their rebel movement and gunned down several of them. We have requested the SLMM to assist us to retrieve the bodies of those killed for cremation. The little confidence that the Muslim people had bestowed on the LTTE has now been totally shattered. They have also perpetrated other cruelties and atrocities on our people. On the other hand, the government forces had also staged brutal attacks with total disregard for civilian lives.

"We have conveyed our requests to the LTTE on provision of humanitarian assistance to the affected people and we are waiting for their reply.

"The security of the Muslims has now become a major concern. We also held discussions today with President Mahinda Rajapakse on the present calamity of the Muslim people and their immediate humanitarian needs. At the discussion, we also requested for measures to ensure that convoys transporting food and other relief assistance do not become targets of attacks.

"In the light of the events that have occurred we reiterate on the need for incorporating changes to the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA). The SLMM should be strengthened not only in numbers but it should be broad-based and more powers should be bestowed on it.

"Braving all adversities and calamities, nearly 5000 Muslim people of Muttur are still continuing to live in their homes."

Key Irrigation Channel Reopened in Sri Lanka

A police patrol on a motorcycle urges a group of farmers on a tractor to clear the area as they pass over a canal near Kallar, in the eastern Trincomalee district of Sri Lanka, Aug. 9, 2006

A police patrol on a motorcycle urges a group of farmers on a tractor to clear the area as they pass over a canal near Kallar, in the eastern Trincomalee district of Sri Lanka, Aug. 9, 2006

An irrigation channel has been reopened in eastern Sri Lanka, after its closure prompted two weeks of fighting between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels. Both sides are taking credit for opening the channel.

Water is again flowing for 60,000 villagers living on government-held land in eastern Sri Lanka.

On a Web site Wednesday, the Tamil Tiger rebels said they re-opened an irrigation channel from a reservoir in rebel territory in response to an appeal by a Norwegian envoy. The rebels had shut off the water nearly three weeks ago

Muslim Aid condemns violence in Sri Lanka, at least 35,000 Muslims reportedly displaced

Muslim Aid, a charitable organisation headquartered in London, today unreservedly condemned the killing of 15 employees of French charity Action Against Hunger (Action Contre Faim) in the strife-torn town of Muttur in Eastern Sri Lanka.

The aid workers, who were from the local, ethnic Tamil community, had been working on post-Asian tsunami relief and reconstruction. While it is unclear who is behind the killings, Muslim Aid is calling on the Sri Lankan government to work towards bringing about an immediate ceasefire in the region.

"We appeal for a cessation of hostilities to allow the civilians to get out of Muttur," said Farooq Murad, chairman of Muslim Aid. "We deplore the loss of innocent civilian lives. We would like to see the situation return to normal, in order to enable displaced people to resettle back in Muttur and restart their lives."

Farooq Murad added that it is also very worrying to see that NGO workers are now being targeted, which makes working within the field even more challenging.

More than 60,000 people have died in the decades-old conflict between the Sri Lankan government and rebel forces such as the Tamil Tigers.

Muslim Aid has built 130 homes, community centres, medical clinic and rehabilitation centres for tsunami victims in Batticaloa. Muslim Aid has also implemented water supply projects in eastern Sri Lanka that have gone a long way towards helping survivors of the tsunami to get back on their feet.

In Nilaveli, Muslim Aid replaced the water pumps destroyed by the tsunami, assisting 167 families. In addition, working with the Sri Lanka-based Al-Husna Foundation, Muslim Aid trucked water to the villagers of Muttur.

In recent months, the deteriorating situation has been of increasing concern to Muslim Aid, who is calling on the government of Sri Lanka to take the necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of all its citizens. On Friday, residents of Muttur and surrounding villages have started fleeing the violence, and Muslim Aid has identified an immediate need for funds to aid in the resettlement of these refugees.

"There has been an initial displacement of at least 25,000 people from the town of Mutur," said Amjad Mohamed-Saleem, country director of Muslim Aid Sri Lanka. "The latest reports are that as many as 35,000 people could have been affected. Muslim Aid, in conjunction with other international NGOs, and relief agencies, are operating in tandem to assist these refugees."

Muslim Aid is currently one of the leading agencies coordinating the relief effort, with local and international organisations and the government, particularly for non-food items. Along with the United Methodist Committee On Relief (UMCOR), Muslim Aid is one of the few international agencies with staff on the ground.

Muslim Aid is managing and supervising 11 out of the 23 camps in the region.

TamilNet Reports Sinhalese People Seek Evacuation

The TamilNet website has reported that Sinhala families of Somapura of Trincomalee where the government forces and the LTTE are engaged in a fierce battle have sought to be evacuated claiming that their lives are in danger.

Extracts of the report are reproduced below:

Thousands of Sinhalese settlers from the southern sectors of Trincomalee district have demanded safe evacuation from the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled areas, civil sources in Somapura said. The local authorities have contacted the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) to facilitate evacuation from the southern sector where the SLA offensive towards Mavil Aaru was launched. Meanwhile, initial reports reaching from Kiliveddy said Muttur civilians, carrying white flags, have started to reach Kiliveddy area. However, the ICRC coordinator, Davide Vignati, in Colombo has told media that a formal cessation of hostilities for a limited time frame is yet to be established.

6700 families have already left their houses in Muttur, according to the ICRC.

The ICRC has sought assistance from other NGOs in the region to facilitate transportation of civilians towards remote areas.

The Sinhala settlers gathered at Ali Oluva junction Friday morning demanded immediate transportation. This has prompted the local authorities in turn to contact the ICRC to arrange vehicles for transportation, according to local sources in Somapura

BREAKING NEWS - MUTUR

Thousands flee fighting in northeastern Sri Lanka

TRINCOMALEE, Sri Lanka - (AP) Thousands of civilians were trying to escape fighting in Sri Lanka - 's northeast on Friday, with the most desperate among them walking through forests to find a safe haven, a Red Cross official said. A convoy had been dispatched to try to get to the refugees, said ICRC's Sri Lanka - chief, Toon Vandenhove.

The area is particularly dangerous and largely off-limits because of the fighting. Muttur, a government-controlled town edged by rebel-held villages and jungle, is located on a small peninsula, and travelers must cross several ferries or take land routes that are often helled.

But the rebels said they were arranging for safe passage for the refugees.

``We are making necessary arrangements to move civilians from Muttur to safer locations,'' the pro-rebel Web-site TamilNet quoted Irasiah Ilanthirayan, the rebels' military spokesman, as saying. It was not clear what arrangements they were making.

Sri Lanka - already has an estimated 800,000 internally displaced refugees as a result of the two-decade civil war between the government and rebels, who took up arms in 1983 over discrimination against Sri Lanka - 's 3.2 million minority Tamils by the country's Sinhalese majority. The Tigers say they are fighting for a Tamil homeland.

The war killed about 65,000 people before the Norwegian-brokered a cease-fire in 2002, which left parts of the north and east under rebel control.

While the agreement officially remains in effect, escalating violence since December has killed at least 900 people, half of them civilians.

Over the past few weeks, the violence has spiked even further, and the latest fighting in and around Trincomalee was sparked by the rebels' decision to cut off water supplies from a reservoir to government-held villages in the northeast. The military responded with airstrikes and a ground assault.

There were no immediate reports of casualties from Friday's shelling in Muttur. The rebels and government forces have blamed each other for artillery attacks Thursday on three schools that killed 18 residents sheltering there.

Also Friday, a Tamil playwright who wrote and directed dramas that extolled Tamil history and culture was fatally shot in the northern port of Jaffna, police said.

In Vavuniya, also in northern Sri Lanka - , a roadside bomb planted by suspected rebels wounded three policemen, and a rebel was killed when security forces responded to the blast, military officer Col. Ravipriya de Silva said.

Both Jaffna and Vavuniya are under government control, but lie close to rebel territory.

In another attack Friday, a breakaway rebel faction killed five mainstream guerrillas in the eastern town of Batticaloa, said T. Thuyavan, a spokesman for the renegades.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has expressed serious concern over the escalating violence, and has called on the parties to stop fighting.

The Tigers, meanwhile, were preparing to hand over, through the Red Cross, the bodies of about 40 Sri Lankan soldiers killed in the Muttur fighting, the pro-rebel TamilNet Web site quoted rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan as saying.

The government has acknowledged the death of just eight of its soldiers in Muttur.

AP reporters Vincent Jeyan in Jaffna, Dilip Ganguly, Bharatha Mallawarachi in Colombo, Sri Lanka - , contributed to this report.

Sri Lanka fighting claims more lives

More civilians have been killed in clashes between Tamil Tiger rebels (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan army bringing the death toll to 28 over the last two days, miltary officials have said.

Five more civilians and two soldiers were killed on Friday in artillery fire in the northeastern town of Muttur.

While shelling continued, thousands of Muslims have been fleeing the city of Muttur, south of the port city of Trincomalee, a Tamil stronghold, since fighting broke out last Wednesday.

"We just got information that they have started moving. According to information in Mutur, everyone will leave - that's 6,000-7,000 families," said Yvonne Dunton, head of the Trincomalee office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Five more Muslim Civilians Killed

Five Muslim civilians were killed in artillery fire that hit a school in Muttur town. The civilian victims were about to leave the school when artillery shells began hitting civilian areas, according to civilians who have fled the area. 22 civilians were killed Thursday in indiscrimate artillery fire. (Courtesy : TamilNet)

MUTTUR MUSLIMS IN GRAVE CRISIS,OVER 40 KILLED-HAKEEM

Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) national leader Rauff Hakeem MP apprising the media today (Wednesday) on the civilian crisis that has emerged due to continuing Government-LTTE fighting in Muttur, Trincomalee said that food, water, medial care and other humanitarian assistance were not reaching the people and they are in a desperate condition. He said that over 40 Muslim civilians of the pre-dominantly Muslim town were killed and over one hundred people were seriously wounded in artillery shelling and crossfire in fighting during the last three days. Muslims people who were feeling on foot via Kantalai and Palathoppu had also come under artillery shelling this afternoon at an LTTE check points and to make things worse the LTTE had already detained over a 100 Muslims for reasons unknown, he disclosed.

An assurance was given to the SLMC at a meeting yesterday at the Presidential Secretariat attended by Presidential Advisor Gothabaya Rajapakse and army chiefs that artillery shelling and hostilities would be suspended for enabling humanitarian assistance to reach the affected people but this assurance was not honored and the shelling were continuing, the SLMC leader said. When artillery shelling staged from army camps hit an LTTE check point where fleeing Muslims were being checked, five Muslim civilians were killed on spot and several others were wounded this afternoon, he disclosed. At these check point the LTTE was detaining certain Muslim civilians for unknown reasons, he said. Hakeem said that no measures whatsoever were being taken to evacuate the affected people or to provide them food, medical care and other humanitarian assistance. Even artillery shelling were staged at a building where the affected people had taken shelter, he said. According to the affected people, the artillery shelling in all cases were staged from SL army camps, he said.

He said that they were earnestly appealing to both the Government forces and the LTTE to enforce a temporary cessation of hostilities by way of a respite for food, drinking water, medical care and other humanitarian assistance to reach the affected people. The LTTE Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi was contacted through the Norwegian Ambassador and they showed the green light for humanitarian assistance to reach the affected areas under the escort of the ICRC and consequently the ICRC proceed with convoys of relief, including 03 buses and two ambulances yesterday but they were not allowed to proceed beyond a point in Kantalai. The ICRC would again try to convince the authorities concerned on the immediate need to proceed to the affected areas, he said.

The SLMC was in constant touch with the government authorities, the Norwegian Embassy, the ICRC, and SLMM on arrangements for providing humanitarian assistance to the affected people, he said. They were also in touch with the local political, social and religious leaders of the affected areas to get information on the latest situation and were closely monitoring the situation, he said. The SLMC itself was organizing dispatch of relief assistance which it would dispatch as soon as possible, he said.

The SLMC leader said that their party was meeting foreign diplomats in Colombo to persuade them to exert diplomatic pressure on both the Government and the LTTE for a temporary Cessation of Hostilities. They are meeting Indian High Commissioner Ms Nirupama Rao this evening at 6:30 p.m., he said adding that they would be meeting other diplomats in the next few days. The SLMC would take up this issue at the All Party Conference as well in the parliament at a special adjournment debate, he said. They would also meet co-chairs of the donor countries and the Organization of Islamic Countries to persuade them to exert pressure on the warring sides

BREAKING NEWS - MUTUR

Tamil rebels infiltrate government-held town in northeastern Sri Lanka , fighting rages

Associated Press, Thu August 3, 2006 03:00 EDT . DILIP GANGULY - Associated Press Writer - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Dozens of Tamil Tiger rebels infiltrated a small, government-held town during fierce fighting in northeastern Sri Lanka - , and soldiers were trying to flush them out, a government spokesman said Thursday. It quoted residents as saying intense fighting was under way in Muttur as ``hundreds of heavily armed (Tamil Tigers) who have taken control of the town center laid siege to four Sri Lanka - army camps on its periphery.''

Some residents have taken shelter in mosques and churches, TamilNet said.

The clashes have been among the fiercest since a 2002 cease-fire deal was signed between the government and the Tigers.

The latest violence was sparked by a rebel move last month to shut down a reservoir and cut off water to nearby government-held villages. The military responded with airstrikes and a ground assault.

Norwegian envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer, who is scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka - on Friday, was to meet with Sri Lankan government and rebel leaders in an effort to settle the dispute, Norwegian embassy spokesman Tom Knappskog said Thursday.

Separately, New York-based Human Rights Watch said a boosted international monitoring presence was needed in Sri Lanka - after three of the five Nordic countries overseeing the 2002 cease-fire decided to withdraw observers.

The group described ``the urgent need for a strong international human rights monitoring presence to help ensure civilian protection.''

``The lives of countless civilians are at risk at this critical time,'' Brad Adams, the group's Asia director, said in a statement.

Sweden, Finland and Denmark have said they were pulling out for security reasons. The rebels had demanded that EU members withdraw after the 25-nation group labeled the Tamil Tigers as terrorists in May.

Sri Lanka fighting rages, aid workers cannot help - Reuters

Artillery fire kills 10 civilians in northeast Sri Lanka town, military says

Associated Press, Thu August 3, 2006 04:13 EDT . - - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Artillery fire hit a school in a northeastern Sri Lanka - town Thursday where area residents had taken shelter to escape fighting, the military said. Ten people were killed.

The Media Center of the Defense Ministry blamed the separatist Tamil rebels for the attack. No comment was immediately available from the insurgents.

Dozens of rebels infiltrated the town of Muttur during fierce fighting and soldiers were trying to flush them out, chief government spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella said Thursday. Muttur is in Trincomalee district, the latest flash point in the ongoing clashes between the separatist rebels and the military.

Tamil rebels attack police station in government-held northeastern Sri Lanka town

Associated Press, Thu August 3, 2006 03:52 EDT . - - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Tamil Tiger rebels attacked a police station in northeastern Sri Lanka - Thursday, but the area's police chief said the attack was repulsed by anti-terrorist commandoes who arrived in the seaside town to help military forces.

``They tried to take over our police station, but our men fought back and forced the terrorist to retreat,'' said Senior Superintendent of Police Nihal Samarakoon. He gave no casualty figure. He added that the town area was under government control.

Artillery fire kills 10 civilians in northeast Sri Lanka town, military says
Associated Press, Thu August 3, 2006 04:13 EDT . - - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Artillery fire hit a school in a northeastern Sri Lanka - town Thursday where area residents had taken shelter to escape fighting, the military said. Ten people were killed. The Media Center of the Defense Ministry blamed the separatist Tamil rebels for the attack. No comment was immediately available from the insurgents. Dozens of rebels infiltrated the town of Muttur during fierce fighting and soldiers were trying to flush them out, chief government spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella said Thursday. Muttur is in Trincomalee district, the latest flash point in the ongoing clashes between the separatist rebels and the military.

Tamil rebels infiltrate government-held town in northeastern Sri Lanka , fighting rages

Associated Press, Thu August 3, 2006 03:00 EDT . DILIP GANGULY - Associated Press Writer - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Dozens of Tamil Tiger rebels infiltrated a small, government-held town during fierce fighting in northeastern Sri Lanka - , and soldiers were trying to flush them out, a government spokesman said Thursday. It quoted residents as saying intense fighting was under way in Muttur as ``hundreds of heavily armed (Tamil Tigers) who have taken control of the town center laid siege to four Sri Lanka - army camps on its periphery.''

Some residents have taken shelter in mosques and churches, TamilNet said. The clashes have been among the fiercest since a 2002 cease-fire deal was signed between the government and the Tigers.

The latest violence was sparked by a rebel move last month to shut down a reservoir and cut off water to nearby government-held villages. The military responded with airstrikes and a ground assault.

Norwegian envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer, who is scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka - on Friday, was to meet with Sri Lankan government and rebel leaders in an effort to settle the dispute, Norwegian embassy spokesman Tom Knappskog said Thursday.

Separately, New York-based Human Rights Watch said a boosted international monitoring presence was needed in Sri Lanka - after three of the five Nordic countries overseeing the 2002 cease-fire decided to withdraw observers.

The group described ``the urgent need for a strong international human rights monitoring presence to help ensure civilian protection.''

``The lives of countless civilians are at risk at this critical time,'' Brad Adams, the group's Asia director, said in a statement.

Sweden, Finland and Denmark have said they were pulling out for security reasons. The rebels had demanded that EU members withdraw after the 25-nation group labeled the Tamil Tigers as terrorists in May.

Sri Lanka fighting rages, aid workers cannot help - Reuters

Breaking News

Tamil Tigers attack Lanka army camps
Colombo (dpa) - Heavy fighting in eastern Sri Lanka between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels has expanded from control of a water sluice to port Trincomalee with the militants attacking four army camps Wednesday, according to government and rebel sources.

Militants of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) started firing artillery and mortars at the Sri Lankan army camps in Kaddaparichan, Selvanagar, Mahindapura and Thoppur in Trincomalee at 2 a.m. Wednesday, according to pro-rebel website Tamilnet.

The military said two soldiers died while 17 others were wounded and 40 rebels died and at least 70 more injured in the attacks on the army camps, but there was no confirmation of casualties by the rebels.

Tamilnet claimed the LTTE have taken control of the army camps, which the government denied, saying they had "repulsed" the rebels.

Rebel mortar rounds also fell in the town of Muttur and the police station was fired on, said police sources.

The military said that the bus station and town centre were initially vacated due to Tamil Tiger resistances but were later taken back under control of the military and police after additional troops were deployed.

Tamilnet claimed four soldiers were killed and the rebels had control of Muttur jetty, a strategic point of access to Trincomalee harbour area.

Meabwhile, the air force continued to bomb Tiger positions for the eighth consecutive day as the military inched towards the Mavilaru sluice gates, the focal point of the fighting.

The rebels control the sluice that supplies about 60,000 villagers in government-run areas with water.

Worst fighting in Sri Lanka since cease-fire leaves 40 rebels, five soldiers dead

Associated Press, Wed August 2, 2006 06:06 EDT . KRISHAN FRANCIS Associated Press Writer. COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ The Sri Lankan Defense Ministry said its forces have repulsed Wednesday's attacks by Tamil Tiger rebels around a strategic northeastern port, killing 40 insurgents and wounding 70 others.

The latest fighting raised fears that Sri Lanka was heading for a full-scale war.

The rebels said earlier that they had overrun four Sri Lankan army camps around the strategic port of Trincomalee, a day after the guerrillas laid siege to the area, which has seen some of the fiercest fighting in years.

The port is an important lifeline for thousands of troops stationed in the northeast, where the rebels want to carve out a separate homeland for the country's 3.2 million ethnic Tamil minority.

Trincomalee _ with its natural harbor _ is of strategic importance to the military and the rebels. The area falls within the envisioned Tamil homeland. Trincomalee town and surrounding urban areas are controlled by the government, but the surrounding villages and jungle are under rebel rule. During World War II, Trincomalee served as a base for Allied forces.

Meanwhile, there was no independent confirmation of the ministry's claim, but the administration acknowledged that five soldiers were killed in Wednesday's rebel attacks.

In a statement, the ministry said troops had inflicted ``heavy casualties killing over 40 Tiger cadres and wounding 70 other terrorists.'' The statement said the insurgents retreated, leaving bodies behind.

Earlier, witnesses in Muttur, near Trincomalee, said they saw the bodies of five rebels. The witnesses spoke on condition that they not be identified out of fear of violence.

If the Defense Ministry's claim proves to be true, the death toll in recent days will rise to 128 on both sides.

The army Director of Operation, Brig. Athula Jayawardena, denied that rebels overran the army camps.

``They attacked three of our camps, still fighting is going on. But we are 100 percent stable,'' he told The Associated Press.

But local officials reached by the telephone in Muttur said the rebels were trying to advance to take over a jetty in the seaside town.

Navy spokesman Commander D.K.P. Dassanayake said navy has not withdrawn from the area. ``We are there, but the Tamil Tigers are continuously firing mortars.''

Four mortars fell near two hospitals in the area, wounding four hospital workers and civilians.

The government has however said that it is committed to a 4-year-old cease-fire deal that one Tamil Tiger rebel commander has described as over.

``The government reaffirms its commitment to the cease-fire agreement,'' the government said in a statement, adding that it would continue its offensive against the rebels as long as they continued ``acts of terrorism and violence.''

No immediate comment on ending the clashes was available from the rebels, who have accused the government of starting the latest round of fighting.

Around 2 a.m. Wednesday, the rebels began an artillery barrage of army and police posts, TamilNet said.

``Fighting formations of the (Tamil Tigers) ... have overrun four key locations in Trincomalee district after fierce artillery shelling ...'' TamilNet said.

The battle Wednesday seemed to be focused on Trincomalee port, which is the only reliable resupply point for Sri Lankan troops based in the area.

The previous few days of fighting centered on a government push to capture a key reservoir in rebel territory that feeds government-controlled villages near Trincomalee.

The Tamil Tigers surrounded the reservoir near Trincomalee _ which is in guerrilla-controlled territory but supplies about 60,000 villagers in government-run areas with water _ last month.

The military responded with four days of airstrikes on rebel bases in the area before deploying ground forces on Sunday. It has insisted its offensive is not a cease-fire violation, describing it as a humanitarian mission to secure the area's water supply.

The reservoir's canal gate has remained closed.

But a rebel commander said Monday the Tigers considered the cease-fire void.

The rebels took up arms in 1983 to fight for a homeland for Sri Lanka's 3.2 million ethnic Tamils, who had faced decades of discrimination from the country's 14 million Sinhalese.

The civil war killed about 65,000 people before the 2002 cease-fire, which left wide swaths of the north and east under rebel control.

But in recent months the cease-fire has nearly collapsed, and renewed fighting has killed more than 850 people _ half of them civilians _ since December, according to cease-fire monitors.

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Sri Lanka military presses offensive to break rebel blockade of reservoir

Sri Lanka's military pounded rebel positions with bombs and artillery shells as it pressed its offensive to wrest a key reservoir from the insurgents, a push that has sparked the country's most intense fighting in four years.

With Tamil Tiger rebels saying a 2002 cease-fire is done, the two sides also engaged in a brief sea battle in the waters off the northeastern port of Trincomalee, and a pro-rebel Web site the rebels killed 14 sailors.

Another six sailors were killed when the insurgents shelled a nearby navy base, the TamilNet Web site reported.

Amid the violence, Sweden, one of the Nordic countries contributing to a cease-fire monitoring mission, said it was pulling its 15-member team out of the country.

The ground offensive is taking place just outside Trincomalee, and the fierce fighting has kept outsiders away from the battlefield, where the army said its advancing soldiers were coming under artillery bombardment and gunfire from Tamil Tiger rebels.

In response, ``our air force is targeting terrorist bases and our ground troops have started operations today,'' military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said, adding soldiers were using artillery to soften up rebel positions.

The bombing and shelling was also intended to prevent the rebels from bringing in reinforcements, he added.

The government's offensive got off to a bloody start Monday, with fighting around Trincomalee to break the 12-day rebel blockade of a canal gate and other clashes killing at least 68 people _ 39 rebels, 27 soldiers and two civilians, the military said.

Despite the ferocity of the fighting and sporadic clashes elsewhere, the large-scale violence for the time being appeared to be contained in the area around Trincomalee and had not spread to other flash points along the frontiers between government and rebel territory.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, as the rebels are formally known, took up arms in 1983 to fight for a homeland for Sri Lanka's 3.2 million ethnic Tamils, who had faced decades of discrimination from the country's 14 million Sinhalese.

The civil war killed about 65,000 people before a 2002 cease-fire, which left wide swaths of the north and east under rebel control.

But in recent months the cease-fire has nearly collapsed, and renewed fighting has killed more than 800 people _ half of them civilians _ since December, according to Nordic cease-fire monitors.

The Tigers surrounded the reservoir _ which is in guerrilla-controlled territory but supplies about 60,000 villagers in government-run areas with water _ on July 20, accusing the government of reneging on a promise to build a water tower for those living in rebel areas.

Following the rebels' seizure of the reservoir, 220 kilometers (135 miles) northeast of Colombo, Sri Lanka's military responded with four days of airstrikes on rebel bases in the area before deploying ground forces on Sunday.

The government has insisted its offensive is not a cease-fire violation, describing it as a humanitarian mission.

But a top rebel commander said Monday the Tigers considered the cease-fire void, and the head of the Nordic monitoring mission warned of an impending disaster.

``In reality, there is no cease-fire agreement in this area in Trincomalee today, but the paper is still valid,'' said Ulf Henricsson, the retired Swedish general in charge of the mission.

``A full-scale war will be a disaster for both sides,'' he added.

Later Tuesday, Sweden said it decided to pull its observers from Sri Lanka because the rebels have demanded the withdrawal of all monitors from countries that belong to the European Union, which in May declared the Tigers terrorists.

``Unfortunately I reached the conclusion that, when one of the partners no longer accepts the presence of Nordic EU countries, it would be very difficult to remain there,'' Foreign Minister Jan Eliasson told Swedish radio.

It was not immediately clear when the Swedish monitors, like Henricsson, would depart, although the Tamil rebels have set a Sept. 1 deadline for their withdrawal.

Denmark and Finland, also EU members, said last week they were pulling out their monitors, leaving Norway and Iceland as the remaining countries in the monitoring mission.

Meanwhile, TamilNet said unidentified gunmen killed two Tamils in separate incidents late Monday and Tuesday in northeastern Sri Lanka.

LTTE cadres attack passenger vessel carrying 854 unarmed soldiers, successfully repulsed.

Munza Mushtaq in Colombo, August 1, 2006, 5.10 p.m.. The LTTE today afternoon fired mortar and artillery shells targeting a passenger vessel carrying 854 unarmed soldiers from Kankasanthurai, Trincomalee while she was entering the Trincomalee Harbour.

The naval troops successfully retaliated the terrorist attack and brought the passenger vessel and the unarmed security forces personnel unharmed. Three boats were destroyed in the process. The incident occurred at around 2.15 p.m.

Tigers failed in a similar type of attack when they targeted the passenger vessel Pearl Cruise which carried 710 unarmed security force personnel on May 11, 2006. Failing for the second time, terrorists later fired mortar and artillery towards the naval base, the centre added, but no immediate details of causalities were available.

Arab support for Hezbollah grows

CAIRO: Rising anger on the Arab street over the Israeli offensive against Hezbollah apparently has prompted conservative rulers in the region to change their tune. Initial slaps against the Shiite Muslim guerrilla movement for igniting the fight have evolved into criticism of Israel and the mounting toll its offensive is taking among Lebanese civilians. The most dramatic turn has come from Sunni Muslim-led Saudi Arabia, a key US ally, where King Abdullah followed an initial rebuke of Hezbollah for carrying out "uncalculated adventures" with a warning this week that "if the option of peace fails as a result of Israeli arrogance, then the only option remaining will be war."

But even Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, an important mediator in the Arab-Israeli conflict for the last 25 years, now mixes his condemnation of Hezbollah's move with sharp criticism of the Israeli response. It was "disproportionate, to say the least," Mubarak said in remarks posted on Time magazine's Web site Friday. "Israel's response demonstrated a collective punishment against the Palestinians and the Lebanese. The bloodshed and the destruction caused by the Israelis went way too far."

As civilian casualties have risen into the hundreds, popular opinion in favour of Hezbollah has swelled as newspapers and television stations have shown graphic pictures of the suffering, including one showing an aid worker carrying the lifeless body of a young Lebanese girl upside down, by the legs with her innards spilling out of a gaping wound in her side. Much of the initial reaction among conservative Sunni Arab rulers was fuelled by a general dislike for the Shiite-Arab Hezbollah and wariness of its Iranian backers, but that has been swept aside in the flood public anger at Israel.

"Arab states are still worried, especially about Iran and Iraq ... but right now we are talking about the destruction of Lebanon," Hassan Al-Ansari, head of the Gulf Studies Centre at Qatar University, said in a telephone interview. "When people see all the stuff going on they cannot sit idle. There is no easy way just to get rid of Hezbollah, therefore those Arab states cannot be quiet, because they have public pressure." The rhetoric has also focused on the United States, whose broad military and diplomatic support that has allowed Israel to prolong and deepen its offensive. Media reports have emphasised that Israel's bombing of Lebanon is being done with US-made warplanes dropping US-made guided bombs - paid for with US tax dollars.

Egypt's semi-official newspaper Al-Ahram published an editorial cartoon yesterday, showing an Israeli hand and American hand clasped together holding a young girl upside down. An arrow pointed at her head says "peace." During US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's brief visit, her statement that the conflict represented the growing pains of a "new Middle East" provided ready-made ammunition for rallying Arabs to unite against Israel. "The Zionist-American plan aims as dismantling resistance and redrawing the map under the banner of a new Middle East where the supreme hegemony is for Israeli entity only," Mohammed Habib, deputy leader of Egypt's main opposition Muslim Brotherhood told AP. "All sects (of Islam) are in need of unity to deter the enemy."

Even Jordan's mainstream Al-Arab Al Yawm newspaper carried a column saying that what Rice really meant was a Middle East free from all kinds of resistance. "So it's important to dismantle all the organisations that fight Israel, especially Hezbollah, Hamas and the other Palestinians factions, because the New Middle East project is an obedient project and everybody must say yes to the American administration!!" the newspaper wrote. "Such projects will never succeed in the region and the people will resist such plans because it is impossible that these people will accept the oppression and the American and Israeli arrogance."

Part of the political difficulty now is that Arab governments have difficulty condemning Hezbollah without appearing at once to condone Israel's response. "The problem is Hezbollah is not an army, it is part of the Lebanese community," Al-Ansari said. "It is not an easy thing to deal with... . What are you going to do, keep quiet, let the Israelis do whatever they want to do?" Some shifts in position have been more subtle than that of Saudi Arabia. Where Jordan initially accused unspecified forces of dragging Lebanon into a conflict, the government's recent focus has been the increasing number of civilian casualties in what King Abdullah II has called a result of Israel's "aggression."

In Egypt yesterday, Mubarak remained critical of Hezbollah, saying "some forces are provoking conflict ... to achieve their private interests." But at the same time he chastised the turn the fight had taken. "Israel will lose a lot ... from the continuation of the military operation, which is concentrating, sadly, on civilian targets," the Egyptian leader said in an interview carried by the official Middle East News Agency. Fatma Hassan Al Sayegh, a professor of modern Gulf history at United Arab Emirates University, said she was surprised by the initial reaction, given that the foe was Israel. But as Hezbollah has shown resilience and garnered support among the masses, the governments have had to back away from their stance, she said.

"Don't forget Saudi has a large Shiite population ... and because of that I think they realize that they have taken the wrong attitude at the wrong time," she said in a telephone interview. "We know that inside they have this attitude to the Shiites and Hezbollah, but we are surprised to see it appear at such a time." And the people seem to have put aside Shiite-Sunni animosities to concentrate on the common enemy: Israel. "Oh Sunni, Oh Shiite, let's fight the Jews," a crowd chanted outside Cairo's Istiqama Mosque yesterday. "The Jews and the Americans are killing our brothers in Lebanon." The protesters carried photos of Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah alongside those of former Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser, whose Arab nationalist policies helped lead to the 1967 war.

Al-Ansari suggested that the shift in position from some Arab leaders could be not only because of public pressure, but also to what many believe has been a disproportionate Israeli response to Hezbollah's actions. "The Arab governments, they look at it from a rational point of view - they know it's going to be a big mess at their doors and they have to deal with it," he said. "From the beginning they made their positions clear (but) nobody was expecting the reaction by the Israelis this way."-AP