OPERATIONAL ASSESSMENT
The situation remains very tense in the North and East. Heavy fighting is ongoing in the LTTE controlled Vakarai area in Batticaloa and Trincomalee districts. Civilians are fleeing the area, but there are conflicting reports as to how many still remain inside LTTE controlled areas. There are reports of a starting mass movement of civilians from the area. 

The situation remains tense in the Jaffna peninsula. Sporadic shelling was heard on a regular basis during the evening and morning. On two occasions fighter jets were heard flying over the FDL and Pooneryn. Attacks on the Security Forces using claymores, hand grenades and small firearms are still taking place, but with less intensity than in the past week. The attacks on the Security Forces are causing significant casualties among the Jaffna civilians. SLMM Jaffna reports that the humanitarian situation is worsening, and that there are serious shortages of basic necessities such as food and medicine. Civilian movement after dark is very limited, although the curfew was relaxed and now starts at 20:00.

Vavuniya is still calm. Armed political groups are extorting civilians and businesses and this activity is ongoing.

Mannar remained mostly calm except for a claymore attack against the SLA in Murunkan. There was no retaliatory action from the SLA following the attack. This has lately been a trend from the Security Forces in Mannar.

The tension in Vanni is somewhat reduced as the SLAF did not perform any air strikes the past week. Fishermen are still not allowed to go fishing, and the lack of fuel is still hampering paddy field cultivation. 

Last week there was a large scale displacement of civilians from Kallar in southern Trincomalee district. The IDPs are grouped in seven camps, and the relief work is satisfactory. There was good cooperation between the involved agencies and government agents. IDPs from LTTE controlled areas in Verugal / Vakarai have started to come into GOSL controlled areas near Toppur. The police in Troncomalee town performed cordon searches in Tamil neighbourhoods and arrested a large number of persons. This led to some unrest. There were no killings in Trincomalee town last week.

There are still many incidents in Batticaloa and Ampara districts. Several IDPs trying to flee Vakarai have died, some drowned when their boats capsized in the rough sea. The LTTE are still not allowing IDPs to move freely. There were two Muslim hartals in the district. The unrest that followed the hartals resulted in civilian deaths.