Tigers urge Elephant Pass surrender

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 December 1999, 09:33 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers have asked Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers stationed in the bases at Elephant Pass area to surrender, according to the Sinhala language service of the Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio, residents in the Jaffna peninsula said today.

"Those who surrender will be pardoned and will be sent to their hometowns safely. They could be with their families to celebrate the Christmas and New Year season," the radio said.

The appeal was made through the Voice of Tigers in the Sinhala language today, Jaffna residents said.

The VoT in its Sinhala broadcast further said that the leader of the Liberation Tigers, Vellupillai Pirabakaran has ordered LTTE troops to send all soldiers who surrender back to their home villages safely.

The VoT broadcast pointed out that SLA soldiers who had earlier surrendered had been released to return to their villages.

The Liberation Tigers have deployed new units in their military thrust in the Elephant Pass area, according to the Voice of Tigers broadcast monitored in Jaffna this morning.

Heavy fighting was reported at Sangathaar Vayal in the general area of Iyakkachchi since Thursday.

The commercial service of the VoT said the LTTE inflicted heavy casualties yesterday and today among Sri Lankan government troops and has captured a large haul of weapons, ammunition and military equipment from the SLA.