The Tigers say that any ship carrying soldiers will be a legitimate target. The Tamil parties criticise the decision to transport soldiers and civilians together and accuse the government of using the people as human shields. Currently only an ICRC ship is allowed between Jaffna and Trincomalee carrying patients and medicines. Over 500 refugees in Trincomalee’s Glass Factory camp staged a hunger strike on 2 November demanding to be sent to Jaffna.
Reports say 14 members of LTTE’s Pistol Group, which carries out selective assassinations, were arrested this year. The Pistol Group shot dead Abdul Majeed in Muthur on 6 October accusing him of spying for the military. The Army killed two Tigers in the same area on the same day. Two soldiers were injured in a Tiger landmine attack near Thiriyai in early October. Two people died of cholera on 29 October in Pulmoddai. Seven people from the area were admitted to the hospital with the disease.