SUMMARY

Finalising the ongoing military action in Thoppigala, government Security Forces managed to take control of the area. LTTE later acknowledged the fall of their Eastern stronghold.

 

In the north, Jaffna saw no end to the continuous selected killings. The SLMM received reports of two people shot to death during the last week, and one man was reportedly abducted.

 

A claymore mine attack resulted in the killing of five people on the A9 in LTTE controlled area, while an air strike carried out by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) caused the death of two civilians on the East coast.

 

The shelling both from Joseph military camp in Vavuniya and from Pomamaidu continued during the week. A lower intensity than earlier was registered in the beginning of the week, but the intensity increased and reached its peak Saturday to Sunday while SLA forces, mainly from 57 th Division, launched an operation against LTTE controlled area close to Tampanei in Madhu. The fighting calmed Sunday morning. The security forces stated two SLA soldier were killed and around 25 injured.

 

 

Eastern Region

 

Military Operations:

The ongoing shelling of Thopppigala, located west of the city of Batticaloa, ceased at 6am on Wednesday 11 July, with the Eastern Naval Commander telling the SLMM the area to be under government control.

 

Restoration of Normalcy:

Two assassinations were reported during last week. In Thiyawettuwan, located about 2 km north of Oddamavady, a man was shot dead and another injured on Wednesday 11 July.

 

A 19-year-old man was shot dead in the Eravur Police Division 12 July. The police suspected the assassination to be orchestrated by the LTTE, but the SLMM was not able to confirm this.

 

 

Northern Region

 

Military Operations:

Shelling were registered throughout the week from Joseph military camp in Vavuniya and from Pomamaidu. Artillery caused damage to a local hospital and a teacher training  centre close to Poliyankulam, located in the LTTE controlled area. No people were injured in the attack. The incident took place at midnight Saturday 14 July.

 

Two civilians were killed and between 12 and 17 injured as a result of an air strike directed at the fishing village Alampil, located south of Mullaittivu in LTTE controlled area, on Wednesday 11 July at 3pm. The SLMM made a visit to the site the following day.

 

Five people were killed and one seriously injured when three claymore mines hit a Tamil Eelam pick-up functioning as a mobile a health clinic, transporting LTTE personnel and health care workers. The incident happened on the A9 Road 12 km north of Mankulam at 10am on Tuesday 10 July. The LTTE police pointed out SLA’s Deep Penetration Unit as the perpetrator.

 

Shelling towards north and northwest continued throughout the week.

 

Restoration of Normalcy:

Selected killings continued in Jaffna, with the SLMM receiving reports on two incidents last week. A man was shot dead in his home in Kopay at 0.30am on Wednesday 11 July. On Friday 13 July unknown gunmen shot and killed a man in the city of Jaffna. Eyewitnesses said the man was chased down a street by a white van. People in the van shot him before escaping. The victim wore handcuffs and showed visible signs of having been beaten.

 

Unknown gunmen abducted a 21-year-old man in Katkovalam, located south of Point Pedro in the northeast of the district of Jaffna, at 9.15am Wednesday 11 July. The same day three students, all 19 years old, were released after having been abducted by unknown gunmen for 69 days. Parents of all three had made previous complaints of the abductions to the SLMM. In general, few cases of abduction resulted in the release of the victims.

 

SLA soldiers and police rounded up and entered the Tamil Eelam Liberation Office (TELO) in Vavuniya 12 July at 8.30am. A TELO member was shot and killed during the operation. Security Forces confirmed to SLMM that the incident had taken place, and added three claymore mines, a rifle and ammunition had been confiscated.

 

 

ADMINISTRATION

SLMM has appointed a Liaison Officer to the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) in order to facilitate information flow with the authorities.

 

The monitors who arrived in the beginning of July were deployed to the field and SLMM now had 11 international monitors based its Eastern and Northern Regional Offices and the LTTE Liaison Office respectively.

 

The increased intensity in shelling from the Vavuniya area was no imminent security threat to SLMM staff, while efforts were made to avoid areas in which military operations  were taking place. The A14 road from Vavuniya to Mannar was classified unsafe for SLMM personnel during the military operations in the Madhu area at the end of the week.