Shells exploded near Mullivalai Vivekananda school on 4 August disrupting examinations. Mullaitivu Government Agent (GA) R Tharmakulasingham says large number of people fled west and east from Oddusuddan and Mankulam in early August to escape aerial bombing.
Airforce bombers injured six civilians in Puthuvilankulam, 12 miles south-east of Mallavi on 15 August. The following day Army shells injured ten civilians in Karukaikulam. Refugee V Sathasivam and his daughter two year-old Kokila were killed by shells in Muthaiyankaddu on 1 September. TULF leader M Sivasithamparam has written to President Kumaratunge requesting her intervention to stop military attacks on civilians.
Jayasikurui troops on the Vavuniya-Kilinochchi road linked with the column advancing south-west from Nedunkerni, outside Puliyankulam town on 6 August. The Army captured Puliyankulam railway station on 21 August. The LTTE launched another devastating attack south of Puliyankulam on 19 August resulting in large number of casualties on both sides. The Airforce says the Tigers fired a Stinger missile at a military aircraft during the assault. Press reports say 650 soldiers have been killed in Operation Jayasikurui and 4,000 wounded. The LTTE claims that over 1,000 troops have died. The Army claims to have killed over 2,000 Tigers but the LTTE admits to only 300 deaths.
The government’s arbitrary decision to reduce food aid to LTTE-held areas by 55% since May is biting hard. Jaffna Bishop Thomas Savundaranayagam says lack of food and medicine have led to people attempting suicide. According to Mr Tharmakulasingham the arrival of 45,000 refugees in Mullaitivu District since the beginning of Operation Jayasikurui has put enormous pressure on resources. He informed North-East Governor Gamini Fonseka that medicines for typhoid and malaria are exhausted in hospitals and no medicines for the third quarter of 1997 have been received. Over 380,000 refugees remain in the Vanni since the fall of Jaffna town in December 1995.
The Vavuniya GA K Ganesh told the Governor in late August that the reduction in kerosene supply to the Vanni from the agreed 8,000 barrels a month by 5,350 barrels has badly affected education, health and agriculture. The ICRC says the Defence Ministry has denied permission for the last six months for equipment to instal new water pumps.