DATE=4/24/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=SRI LANKA FIGHTING (S & L)
NUMBER=2-261646
BYLINE=JIM TEEPLE
DATELINE=NEW DELHI
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka say they have
recovered large amounts of weapons and ammunition from
a government military base in northern Sri Lanka that
they overran on Sunday. The rebels say the seized
material will help them in their drive to re-capture
their former capital, Jaffna, 40-kilometers to the
north of the base. V-O-A's Jim Teeple reports Sri
Lankan military authorities deny the claims, and say
their forces will be able to keep Jaffna out of rebel
hands.
TEXT: A rebel radio broadcast says Tamil Tiger forces
captured more than 10 million rounds of ammunition,
artillery pieces, and even several tanks and other
armored vehicles from the Elephant Pass military
garrison. The base straddles the causeway that links
the Jaffna peninsula with the rest of Sri Lanka.
A statement from Sri Lanka's ministry of defense
denies the rebel claim, saying army troops took most
of their equipment with them when they withdrew to
Jaffna and any equipment left behind was rendered
unusable.
Confirmation of both sides' claims is impossible
because no independent observers are allowed into
combat areas.
Rebels now say they are preparing for an assault on
Jaffna, their former capital, which they lost to
government troops in December 1995.
Sri Lanka's army says the city is well-defended and
reinforcements have been moved to Jaffna airport,
which is the only remaining transportation link with
the rest of the country. Sea routes to the city are
vulnerable to rebel artillery fire.
// REST OPT FOR LONG // Phone lines to Jaffna have
been cut by Sri Lankan military authorities to prevent
the rebels from contacting supporters inside the city.
The Tamil Tigers launched their offensive to capture
Elephant Pass and Jaffna last November. In March,
they escalated their attacks - capturing sections of
the main north-south highway in the region.
Sri Lanka's military is believed to have withdrawn
more than 10-thousand troops from the Elephant Pass
military base to Jaffna. A Tamil Tiger assault on the
city could begin at any time and could result in
thousands of casualties on both sides.
International efforts to ease the crisis have
intensified. The Norwegian foreign ministry confirmed
Monday it had a received a request from the Tamil
Tigers to send a negotiating team to Sri Lanka's
capital, Colombo. In recent weeks Norway has been
trying to get both sides to negotiate a solution to
the war, which has claimed more than 55-thousand lives
over the past 20 years.
Tamil Tigers say they are fighting for a separate
homeland for Tamil areas in Sri Lanka because they say
they face discrimination in jobs and education at the
hands of the country's Sinhalese majority. Sri
Lanka's government acknowledges past discrimination,
but says such practices are no longer permitted.
(Signed)
NEB/JLT/KL
24-Apr-2000 04:27 AM EDT (24-Apr-2000 0827 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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