Fighting continues to escalate in Sri Lanka

Since the killing of 64 Sinhalese villagers near the northern town of Kebithigollewa early Thursday morning, there have been four days of open warfare. The Sri Lankan government immediately blamed the LTTE for the Kebithigollewa bombing and ordered reprisals by the armed forces. Two days of air strikes and artillery barrages followed on LTTE positions near Kilinochchi, Mulaithivu and Muttur.

On Saturday, a major naval clash took place off the northwest coast near Mannar, in which the military claimed to have sunk eight LTTE vessels and killed 25 to 30 LTTE fighters. Both sides accused the other of initiating the battle, which also resulted in the deaths of 11 sailors. The LTTE acknowledged the heavy fighting, but insisted that only two of its fighters had been killed.

At the village of Pesalai on the neighbouring coast, at least five Tamil civilians were killed. While the military has denied responsibility, local villagers have blamed army and naval personnel for the deaths. In a particularly brutal attack, a grenade was lobbed into a church, where hundreds of locals were seeking sanctuary, killing an elderly woman and injuring at least 40 others. Four local fishermen were shot dead on the beach.

Defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella claimed that the LTTE was responsible. However, Bishop Rayappa Joseph, who visited the scene, said: “There was no fight at the land; no LTTE cadres were there.” He also pointed out that the fishermen “were still holding their national identity cards in their hands when they were shot,” indicating they had been asked to produce them by security forces.

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http://wsws.org/articles/2006/jun2006/sril-j19.shtml