Tamil Tiger rebels and Sri Lankan troops exchanged artillery and mortar fire during a fierce daylong battle in the countryÂ’s east that left at least 64 combatants dead, the military said Monday. An officer at the governmentÂ’s Media Centre for National Security said 24 soldiers were killed and 69 wounded in SundayÂ’s battle with the insurgents in the eastern Batticaloa district. Forty rebels were also killed in the clash, the officer said speaking on condition of anonymity due to policy. Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan said, however, that at least seven rebel fighters died in the clashes. The military said guerrillas mounted artillery attacks on four army locations in Batticaloa district, prompting soldiers to launch retaliatory attack. SundayÂ’s fighting came a day after thousands of ethnic Sinhalese fled from their homes to escape violence in neighbouring Trincomalee district. Tamil Tigers said in an e-mail statement that 19 civilians were killed by army artillery fire Sunday, a day after 22 Tamil civilians reportedly died from military shelling. The military, however, accused the Tigers of holding Tamil civilians as human shields. Independent verification of the incidents was not possible because reporters and aid workers are not allowed into the area.
After a fierce battle in Trincomalee district on Saturday, at least 3,000 Sinhalese civilians from 750 families took shelter in two Buddhist temples and two schools in Kantale village, some 30 kilometres southwest of Trincomalee town, said Sirimevan Dharmasena, the chief government bureaucrat in Kantale.
Maj Upali Rajapakse said five civilians died and 16 more were wounded by shells fired from rebel areas into ethnic Sinhalese villages in Trincomalee, prompting civilians to leave their homes. Medical sources said dozens of civilians wounded in weekend shelling poured into a hospital inside rebel-held territory. Sources in the Vakarai hospital inside territory held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) said 27 dead civilians were brought there. “We also have 65 people wounded who have been brought for treatment,” a medical source said when contacted by telephone. He said some areas were still unreachable due to fears of shelling, although there were fewer attacks Monday.
Meanwhile in the capital Colombo on Monday, about 5,000 people participated in a rally demanding the government ban the Tamil Tiger rebels. The protesters held placards which read “Shame for daydreaming a political solution,” and “Shame for persisting with cease-fire agreement.”