Shelling killed S Thayanadevi on 27 November at Unionkulam. Two Vanni refugees visiting their houses in Army-held Kilinochchi in early November were attacked by soldiers. Thiruchelvam escaped, but the fate of Shanmugasundaram is unknown. The Army arrested four other visitors at Bharathipuram on 18 November.
Many of over 380,000 Vanni refugees have been displaced several times. Denied shelter, adequate food and medicine, they are increasingly vulnerable. Heavy rains have increased disease. Several tanks are in danger of breaching banks and government officers have advised the people to move to safer areas. Shortage of food in the Vanni continues and prices remain high. Sugar is sold at Rs 40 a kilo and a bottle of kerosene costs Rs 120. Food aid is irregular and reports say many are surviving on one inadequate meal a day.
Thousands of refugees are waiting at Thunukkai, Jeyapuram and Mallavi west of Mankulam for the resumption of shipping services from Mannar to return to Jaffna. Entering Mannar is increasingly difficult as the four-mile no-man’s land between the LTTE checkpoint and the Army checkpoint at Uyilankulam has become muddy and there are no shelters. The Army allows only a limited number and many are forced to return.
Operation Jayasikurui troops are 20 miles south of Kilinochchi, the target to open a landroute to Jaffna. As the Army advanced on two fronts, the LTTE launched its sixth major attack at Kanagarayankulam and Mannakkulam on 4 December killing 147 commandos and injuring 396. The LTTE handed over 110 bodies of soldiers to the ICRC and claims it suffered only 35 casualties.
The Military says the Airforce destroyed two major LTTE camps north of Mankulam in late November. Two Airforce helicopters crashed in Kokkilai in Mullaitivu and Pallimadu, east of Puliyankulam. The military suspects that they were shot down with missiles.
Further south in Vavuniya, a number of murders have rekindled fears of death squads. T Krishnapavan was shot dead by gunmen at his home on 20 November. On the same day Nathan was killed at Poomankulam allegedly by Tamil group PLOTE. Nadesan Thurairajah was shot dead at Thonikkal and police accuse LTTE’s pistol group.
In the Vavuniya refugee camps 12,000 people from the Vanni wishing to travel to the south are still detained under insanitary conditions. Press reports say that 90% of 142 people admitted to Vavuniya hospital in the last six months with poisoning, had attempted suicide.