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Sri
Lankan army, rebels in fierce northern fighting |
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June 11, 2000
COLOMBO, JUNE 10 (AP) - Government jets and artillery bombarded rebel bunkers in heavy fighting in Jaffna Peninsula as the freshly supplied military kept up attacks on guerrilla positions, according to information given by both sides on Saturday. The fighting erupted in the backdrop of a state funeral planned Saturday for Minister of Industrial Development Clement V. Gooneratne, killed Wednesday along with 22 others in a suicide bombing in the capital. The
government said 25 soldiers were killed and 50 wounded in Friday's
fighting. No casualties for rebels were given, but military spokesman
Brig. Palitha Fernando said large numbers of dead militants were seen in a line of bunkers the army destroyed east of Jaffna city.
"Fierce fighting flared up and continued for several hours," the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam said on their Web site. "Sri Lankan troops launched an attack on the LTTE positions at Sarasalai under the cover of heavy artillery and aerial bombardment."
The
Tamil Tigers, fighting to carve out a homeland for the Tamil minority
in the north and east, said they had beaten the army back. However,
Fernando said, "We achieved our aim of detroying the bunkers." With air force support the army launched an attack on rebel positions at Sarasalai and Kodikamam, 20-25 kilometers (12-15 miles) east of Jaffna city, Fernando said.
Each side accused the other of killing at least seven civilians with artillery and mortar fire and government aerial bombing.
The claims cannot be verified as neither side allows journalists into the war zone, the main scene of fighting in the 17-year civil war.
Gooneratne was the first member of the present government to be assassinated by a suicide bomber, although President Chandrika Kumaratunga was blinded in her right eye in such an attempted assassination in the capital in December.
There has been no claim of responsibility but the bombing bore similarities to other Tamil Tiger assassinations, aimed at politicians and military personnel. The male bomber detonated explosives strapped to his body as he approached Gooneratne, who was surrounded by supporters on a street drive to collect funds for soldiers and their families.
The rebels are fighting to carve out a homeland from parts of Sri Lanka's north and east for 3.2 million minority Tamils out of the country's 18.6 million people.
President
Kumaratunga and most other government ministers went to Parliament
on Saturday to pay respects to Gooneratne after his remains were brought
from his Ratmalana constituency in the industrial suburbs where the bombing occurred.
Scores
of people remained in police detention after more than 60 were
rounded up for questioning, said a police official at the Ratmalana
station. Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said some had been released after being cleared, but he gave no details.
The government banned officials from giving information to the press without permission in February.
Pope John Paul II sent a message saying he was deeply shocked by the bombing. He told Sri Lankans he was praying that "peace may not be extinguished from (your) hearts, but rather be rekindled to the eternal memory of all victims of violence and hatred."
Meanwhile, the rebels for the second time in two weeks asked for a cease-fire to facilitate the movement of civilians caught in the battle zones.
"Thousands are still caught up in the crossfire unable to move to areas of safety," a rebel web site statement said. The army rejected an earlier cease-fire offer in May but said they were willing to open up a route at the army front lines for civilians to move closer to Jaffna city. The rebels have said they want the civilians to move further south into rebel-held territory.
"If the rebels care for the safety of the civilians they would allow them to move to safer areas regardless of which direction they go," said Fernando.
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