On 3 December the LTTE launched an attack on Army positions at Eluthumadduval east of Chavakachcheri.
Two members of an elite LTTE unit Leopards were shot dead in early December in Kallikadu and Madduvil. The Army says Sea Tiger Arjunan and four others hidden in a house at Vathiri in Vadamaratchy were shot dead on 16 December. Five LTTE suspects were killed in a clash in the same area two days later. The Army shot dead Yogarajah Ramesh, 17, on 25 December while he removed wall posters. Three civilians were killed in a landmine blast on 28 December at Velanai. Tamil party EPDP says ten youths arrested by the Army remain in detention.
The western Valikamam north area remains a high security zone. Some 10,500 people have been allowed to resettle in 15 of the 45 village headman divisions. Only 850 of the 3,000 families have received the Rs 5,000 resettlement assistance, although the Rehabilitation ministry has provided each homeless family Rs 6,000 for huts. Sri Lanka Telecom Director Christie de Silva says 60 new telephone connections have been provided to Jaffna.
In early December Northern Province Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (NPRRA) Chairman Somapala Gunadheera and government officers discussed Jaffna’s needs. Officers reported that 8,554 people had died as a result of the war since 1990 and 2,620 disabled and requested an additional Rs 75 million for rehabilitation. Press reports say bureaucratic red tape is causing serious delays in projects which international agencies are prepared to implement.