Tigers shell Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Areas within the Batticaloa town - the Batticaloa airport, the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) headquarters adjacent to it, and the security complex and government buildings at Weber Stadium, were shelled from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled areas today around 6:00 p.m., said sources in Batticaloa. There were no casualties.

Three shells fell within the perimeter of the SLAF headquarters and two outside.

Two shells fell into that part of the Weber Stadium which comes within the high security area.

The Batticaloa Kachcheri, office of the Civil Co-ordinating Officer, Batticaloa, and the Sri Lanka Army's (SLA) Batticaloa Brigade Headquarters are all housed within this complex.

The main stadium, where a lantern competition is now being held to mark the Buddhist festival of Wesak (a Bhuddhist religious day)), was not affected, said sources.

The SLAF and the SLA shelled the areas under LTTE control such as Kannankudah and Kokkadicholai, between five and 12 km west of Batticaloa across the lagoon, said sources.