After end of the unilateral ceasefire in April, the LTTE launched a number of assaults on Army positions in the east. In an attack on Pachchanur police post, south of Muthur, a policeman and a civilian were killed on 14 May. Three soldiers died and two were wounded in an attack at 25 mile post between Aluthoya and Galpotte the next day.
The Army arrested two Tamils visiting Muthur on 3 May for shopping. The Navy say two other youths who were arrested, committed suicide by taking cyanide. Four days later, the Navy shelled Challi, injuring three civilians.
In Batticaloa District, after an attempt to penetrate LTTE-held Karaveddy in Manmunai on 15 May, the Army shelled the area, wounding M Balasundaram who was working in his field and ten year-old student P Sivakaran. Mandur Mariambal temple priest P Kovindapillai was killed by an Army shell in mid-May. The Army shot dead civilian Y Kesavarajah who went into the jungle in Mathurankernikulam to pick firewood on 22 May. Three others are missing.
The Army say the LTTE’s Pistol Group, which carries out selective assassinations has infiltrated Army-controlled areas. The Pistol Group killed at least six security personnel, including two members of a Tamil paramilitary group, in May. After a LTTE sniper seriously wounded a soldier near Kiran bridge on 11 May, soldiers ran amok attacking civilians in the area.
Three Muslim fishermen abducted for ransom by the LTTE were released on 12 May after 18 days. On 15 May, Oddamavady residents Mohamed Latiff and Mohamed Sharif were shot dead near Navalady Army camp. The Army has accused the LTTE. The Tigers have denied any involvement.
Over 5,000 teachers from various parts of the island, led by the Ceylon Tamil Teachers Association, staged a demonstration in Batticaloa on 25 May. Reports say that this was the largest protest in Batticaloa in the last ten years. Their demands were, among others, the removal of the ban on the LTTE in Sri Lanka, US and Britain, peace talks with Norwegian assistance and the recognition of the Tamil right to self-determination.
In Amparai District, two police Special Task Force (STF) members were killed in an LTTE ambush at Thamaraikulam on 5 May. The STF fired shells indiscriminately killing civilian M Chandrakumar. After the LTTE launched an attack at Thirukovil, the STF banned farmers working in their fields in Thamaraikulam and Kanjikudichcharu. Over 21,000 acres of rice land and 16,000 farm animals are affected.