Tiger activity seen rising in SE Ampara

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers blasted protective structures built around transformers by the Special Task Force (an elite commando unit of the Sri Lankan security forces) in the early hours of the morning today in the villages of Kolavil, Aalaiyadivembu and division - 7 of Akkraippattu in the south eastern part of the Ampara district.

Tamil youths passing by the destroyed structures were beaten up by STF personnel who had come to see the damages.

The LTTE has become more active in the south-eastern parts of the Ampara district from mid 1997 as the government thinned out the STF from the area to redeploy the force for security work in the Vanni and in Colombo.

The STF was entrusted with the task of holding the vital coast road from Akkaraippattu to Pottuvil and beyond by the government since 1990.

The army says that if this road falls into the LTTE's hands then the Yala sanctuary and the Hambantota district could stand fully exposed to the Liberation Tigers. And that this in turn could destabilise the security of Colombo and other areas on the south-western coast of the island.