Five killed in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 April 1999, 12:49 GMT]
Three SLA soldiers were killed and six were wounded when the Liberation Tigers attacked a group of SLA soldiers returning to their position around 6.10 a.m. this morning at the Puthuvelippaalam in Kaavaththamunai, four km. west of Valaichenai in the Batticaloa district.

The LTTE had removed the weapons of the soldiers killed in the attack. The Puthuvelippaalam SLA point stands at the entry point to the western hinterland which is under the control of the Liberation Tigers.

Although it is a position on 24 hour alert, the soldiers manning it were in the practice of dispersing from it after dark and spending the night in safer areas nearby said Police sources in Valaichenai. The soldiers were killed while returning to their position this morning.

The SLA at the Valaichenai Paper Mill retaliated to the attack by firing heavy mortar towards the LTTE held hinterland for more than 30 minutes following the attack. The damage cause by the shelling in the areas held by the Liberation Tigers is not known said the TamilNetís Valaichenai correspondent.

Meanwhile, a civilian was killed and four were wounded by three mortar shells fired by the Tigers at the SLA camp at the Valaichenai Paper Mill during the attack fell on the factory's quarters which is adjacent to the army detachment there. One of the wounded civilians died on admission to the Batticaloa hospital.

The Kaavaththamunai SLA point was attacked by the Liberation Tigers three years ago. Brigadier Nalin Angamanna the SLA's Batticaloa commander, who went to see the damage the morning after the attack was killed when the LTTE exploded a claymore mine on the Kaavaththamunai road.