LTTE observes no humanitarian pause; troops withstand machinegun fire and shelling - Puthukkudiyiruppu

Sri Lankan soldiers manning their defences in the Puthukkudiyiruppu East and Ampelavanpokkanai areas encountered heavy machinegun fire and intermittent shelling yesterday (Apr 13) as they strictly observed the humanitarian pause ordered by the President.

According to the battlefield reports troops on the frontlines had to remain at their defensive positions all day long as LTTE fired small arms and heavy machine guns continuously. A soldier of 58 Division lost his life due to a sniper shot while two others of 53 Division suffered injuries in shelling.

His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka on Saturday (Apr 12) ordered the armed forces to remain defensive in view of the traditional Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebration. The LTTE's immediate response to this humanitarian pause was a brutal massacre of nine innocent civilians, including two children at Mahagodayaya village , in Buttala.

Meanwhile, troops manning the rear areas have stepped up de-mining and clearing operations in the areas previously occupied by the terrorists. Troops removed 12 anti personnel (AP) mines , one hand grenade, 200 ammunition used for T-56 rifles, 3 claymore mines, and one RPG bomb.

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