Five killed in Vanni clashes - VoT

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 February 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Voice of Tigers radio said in its night broadcast today that two Tigers were killed in the fighting which broke out between the LTTE and the SLA yesterday in the Mankulam area.

It gave their names as Thavasutha (Ponnuthurai Mehalawathi - Batticaloa) and Kalaivaani (Rasiah Sivaneswary. Vattakkachchi).

The radio said another Tiger was killed in the fighting which erupted yesterday when the army tried advance from Karadippokku towards Kilinochchi. The army's attempt was thwarted it said.

Meanwhile, according to the VoT, two civilians were killed and two were injured around 3.30 p.m. yesterday when the mini-Landmaster tractor in which they were travel ling was ambushed by the SLA at Moondumurippu south west of Mankulam.

The civilians were on their way to see their homesteads in Mankulam. There had been six people in the mini-tractor. Two escaped. The wounded have been admitted to the Akkarayan hospital.

The radio said that the dead were identified as Rasakutti Jeevaratnam, 23, the owner of the tractor who had been displaced from Kottady in Jaffna and S.A Vijayaratna, 44, father of four children, a resident of Mankulam.