Shelling by both the LTTE and the police damaged 12 houses. Reports say that 1,400 Tamil families fled the area fearing reprisals. Some 1,390 families have found accommodation in three schools. In retaliatory attacks in September 1997, police murdered six Tamils and burned 66 houses in the area.
Reports say that the LTTE have intensified recruitment in the Eastern Province. Village-level seminars are being held to promote the Tiger image. The Sri Lankan government and UNICEF have accused the LTTE of recruiting children. As in the case of the Vanni, boarder guard and rural defence units are being established in areas under LTTE control. Observers believe that these are preparations for an offensive.
The LTTE is suspected of hijacking seven fishing boats on 18 and 19 August in Oddamavady in Batticaloa District. The Tigers are also said to be behind the killing of Velupillai Eeswaran on 19 August in Kiran. He had been tied to lamp post and shot dead. Two Tigers were killed in a police ambush at Mandur on 16 August. The following day, the Army shot dead two LTTE Pistol Group members in Kathankudy.
Local NGOs complain that payment to a family in the government’s poverty alleviation programme Samurthi in the war-torn north-east is Rs 400 whereas in other parts of the island it is Rs 1,000. The programme was introduced in the north-east in 1998, but the other areas benefited from 1995.
A deduction of Rs 20 is made from Samurthi payment for the National Defence Levy. This is a contribution for the war and war is the primary cause of poverty in the region. According to reports, the government is planning to cut the number of families receiving Samurthi aid by 20%, despite the fact that war is making it difficult for the people to become self-reliant.
The police issued an order on 18 August that people from LTTE-controlled areas must obtain a permit to enter Amparai District for rice harvest. The police turned away a large number of daily-paid workers who attempted to enter Amparai on that day. They are expected to apply to the police for permits with the recommendation of the Grama Sevaka (Village Headman).
In Trincomalee District, 17 civilians travelling in a bus were wounded by a landmine on 22 August at Nilaveli, 7 miles north of Trincomalee town. The police say that the LTTE were responsible for the attack which may have been intended for military vehicles.