Revenge fire, bombing force 5000 to flee

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 April 2001, 20:38 GMT]
More than five thousand civilians fled their homes in Pooneryn north following heavy shelling and bombing, aid agency sources in the north said Monday. They said that Sri Lanka Air Force jets bombed the area since Friday. The Sri Lanka army had fired mortars and artillery on civilian settlements in the northern parts of Pooneryn. The attacks are in retaliation to the heavy losses sustained by the SLA in the Agni Khiela I Operation last week, sources in Jaffna said.

People from the villages of Kowthaarimunai, Semmankundu, Gnani Madam, Nallur, Thambirai and Saamippulam have sought refuge in Saamikkulam, according to them. Most of the refugees have been temporarily put up in the Saamikkulam Government Tamil Mixed School and others are staying with relatives.

The Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation is providing cooked food for the displaced, sources said.