TAMILNET reports that on Saturday Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked a populated village, known as ‘Redd Barna’ settlement, in Visuvamadu after targeting an irrigation tank in the area.
A 40-year-old civilian, who was working at his paddy field, was killed and six civilians were wounded, according to medical sources.
The SLAF has stepped up indiscriminate bombardments of civilian settlements as the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) firing artillery shells have targeted Mullaiththeevu and Akkaraayan hospital zones.
At least five civilians were killed and more than 25 wounded in artillery and air-strikes carried out by the Sri Lankan forces in Vanni on Friday and Saturday.
The attack on ‘Redd Barna’ settlement in Visuvamadu was carried out around 10.20am on Saturday.
Two bombers dropped 12 bombs in three rounds in the air-strike that lasted for 15 minutes. Three houses were destroyed.
A civilian, P Thevarajah, succumbed to his injuries while he was being rushed to Tharmapuram hospital with six other civilians.
And P Thavapalan, 46, a father of four from Visuvamadu had to have his hand amputated, according to medical sources at the hospital.
The other wounded were identified as 18-year-old Subramaniam Thusanth from Muththaiyankaddu, 24-year-old Ponnusamy Kokulan from Visuvamadu, 32-year-old S Kannan, father of three from Thearaavil in Visuvamadu, 21-year-old S Satheesvaran and 21-year-old Ratnam Balakumar from Punnai Neeraavi in Visuvamadu.
Cultivated land and trees including many coconut palms were destroyed in the attack that has taken place 300 metres from Paarathi Viththiyaalayam school in the Redd Barna settlement.
A teacher and a mother were killed in Ira’naippaalai located along the Puthukkudiyiruppu – Maaththa’lan Road in Mullaiththeevu district.
And an irrigation tank in Visuvamadu was targeted in the SLAF bombardment.
On Friday, a child was killed and more than 18 wounded in artillery shelling that targeted the residences of administrative and medical officials near Mullaiththeevu hospital.
The GA of Mullaiththeevu district and the wife and a son of the Medical Superintendent of the hospital were wounded.
One internally displaced civilian was killed Friday evening when artillery shells fired by the SLA exploded 400 meters near Akkaraayan hospital located in the Karaichchi division of Ki’linochchi district.
Tension prevailed in the area as several IDP families who had sought refuge there were forced to flee the shelling.
One of the six wounded civilians after the SLAF airstrike was admitted to Tharmapuram hospital.
Meanwhile, Kodikaamam police, directed by the Chaavakachcheari magistrate, handed over two female bodies to Jaffna Teaching Hospital Sunday evening for identification.
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops in Ki’laali Front Defence Line (FDL) positions in Thenmaraadchi had handed over the two bodies to the police claiming that they belonged to two female combatants of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the police said.
The two killed were LTTE female combatants of the LTTE Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) who had tried to enter SLA FDL areas in Ki’laali, residents in Thenmaraadchi said.
Large scale clashes were heard on Sunday around 4.00am in Ki’laali SLA FDL positions and the two female combatants must have been killed while trying to penetrate into the SLA area, they added.
The two bodies handed over to Jaffna Teaching Hospital mortuary appear to be around 20 years old and one of them is clad in LTTE combat uniform while the other is in ordinary dress, hospital sources said.
The bodies will be kept in the mortuary for five days for identification.
A request is extended by hospital authorities to help identify the two bodies.
Also, five Provincial Councils in the south are to be dissolved
The Sri Lanka government is likely to dissolve Western Provincial Council (WPC), Southern Provincial Council (SPC), Central Provincial Council (CPC), North Western Provincial Council (NWPC) and Uva Provincial Council (UPC) after the elections to the North Central Provincial Council (NCPC) and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council (SPC) scheduled to be held on August 23, informed political sources in Colombo said.
The life terms of these five PCs expire in 2009, NWPC on May 18, WPC on August 4th, UPC on August 5th, CPC on August 5th and SPC on September 3rd.
The five PCs are currently administered by the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA).
Since the withdrawal of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) from extending its support to the incumbent provincial administrations, the ruling UPFA has lost its majority, and is facing imminent defeat when annual budgets are presented.
Hence the government leadership decided to dissolve these councils and to order fresh polls after the elections to NCPC and SPC, political sources said.
Also an unidentified group of people is alleged to have attacked a demonstration held by Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) activists in Nivitigala town in Ratnapura district last Saturday morning.
The demonstration was being held against the increasing violence by government elements thus disrupting the electioneering of the opposition parties contesting the forthcoming election to the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council.
Sabaragamuwa province comprises two districts, Ratnapura and Kegalle.
Several JVP activists are said to have been injured in the attack and hospitalised.
Police rushed to the site where the demonstration was held and took action to disperse the crowd.
Political sources claim that the members of the group that attacked the JVP demonstrators were supporters of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA).
