New Army offensive in the east
Gang rape
THREE Tamil women, including a mother and daughter, were raped at their home by soldiers on 9 January at Thiyavattavan in Batticaloa District. Two soldiers were taken into custody a week later by police.
Another woman has identified a Special Task Force (STF) member as the man who raped her on 1 January at Vellaveli. Two others at the STF camp in Vellaveli have also been arrested. Local people are concerned and say several incidents of rape remain unreported. Five soldiers are already in custody for the gang rape of a woman in Kalkudah in November.
Over 1,450 families were displaced in Porativu and Vavunativu, in the military’s Operation Rivijaya (Sun Victory) in the vast LTTE-controlled Paduvankarai area, west of Batticaloa lagoon. The Army advanced west towards the Chenkalady-Badalla road with air cover and shelling. Sixteen houses were destroyed by bombs and people say they fled before the Army entered their villages. The military say Tiger vehicles were captured at Ilupadichchenai and a senior LTTE intelligence officer MGR was killed in Kitul.
As the Army retaliates after Tiger attacks, civilians are increasingly being affected. The Army shot dead S Sornammah, 40, mother of eight children, on 6 January at Thihiliveddai. Six week-old Sivanesan Prema was killed at Vinayagapuram on 19 January. The following day soldiers shot and injured M Lingarasa, 67, and C Sasikaran and damaged ten houses near Kalkudah after seven soldiers died in a Tiger ambush. On the same day, following another LTTE attack at Kiran, in which a soldier was killed, S. Kengeswaran was shot dead and two others were injured.
The Army conducted a major search operation between Vantharumoolai and Santhiveli in early January. Thousands of people were paraded before masked informers. Some were detained and later released. The Army has denied the arrest of S. Singarajah and S Gnanasekaram. The whereabouts of 15 year-old psychiatric patient P Theivendrarajah, arrested at Nasivantivu on 7 January is unknown.
The LTTE has continued guerrilla attacks in the east. The Defence Ministry says three soldiers on patrol in a dinghy on 16 January near Kalmunai are missing after a Tiger attack. Two LTTE were shot dead at Kaluvanchikudy five days later. Six Sinhalese civilians died in a landmine attack at Kudapokkuna in Polonnaruwa District on 28 January.
Further north in Trincomalee District five soldiers died in a landmine attack on Mavil Aru-Kallar road on 7 January. Another five soldiers were killed in an ambush near Meegasgodella on 24 January. In early January 1,350 people arrived in Trincomalee from Vavuniya to travel by ship to Jaffna. They are forced to live in crowded conditions in two welfare centres. Over 7,800 have applied to go to Jaffna.
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