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SRI LANKA ARMY SOLDIER KILLED BY A FEMALE CADRE OF THE TIGERS IN THE LTTE CONTROLLED KILALI AREA OF THE JAFFNA PENINSULA By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles February 17,05:48 AM:K.G.A. Dharmadasa, a private of the First Vijayaba Infantry Regiment of the Sri Lanka Army was shot dead by a woman soldier of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the Kilali area of the Northern Province, army sources reported. The soldier was shot dead in the area demarcated for the control of Tamil Tigers by the ceasefire agreement signed one year ago between the Ranil Wickremesinghe government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The shooting took place few days later following the Sri Lanka Army soldiers and women soldiers of the LTTE clashed over the LTTE cadres wearing military belts in the Sri Lanka controlled areas Dharmadasa is the second Sri Lanka soldier to be killed by the LTTE since the ceasefire agreement was signed a year ago. The Tamil Net, official news website of the LTTE, said the soldier was killed around 2.15 p.m. February 15 2003 near their Forward Defense Line near Kilali, in the Jaffna peninsula. The LTTE website said when the women Tigers were patrolling the area near the FDL were returning to their guard post near the Kilali Forward Defense Line , they saw three SLA soldiers who were hiding within the LTTE region starting to run towards no man’s land . The LTTE controlled website said the women cadres shouted to the soldiers to stop running and raise their hands. The website further said two soldiers managed to disappear inside the no man’s land and the third soldier stopped and tried to throw a hand grenade at the women soldiers. Then they opened fire killing him. Teitur Torkelsson, spokesman for the international truce monitors said that monitors visited the scene and saw the soldier’s body. He said the body was clad in an army uniform and he was having a T56 gun. Near his body lied a grenade. He said entering an area of the opposite side wearing army uniform and with arms was a violation of the cease-fire agreement. In such instances both sides were expected to be restrained from shooting. Mr. Torkelsson said if he had tried to lob a grenade , as reported, the other side was entitled to act in self-defense. He said that part had to be determined after a full investigation. A full scale investigation has been ordered by the army. The Army said the dead soldier was missing with a T56 weapon and ammunition since an argument with some of his colleagues. Army sources said that to state there were three soldiers near the forward defense line of the LTTE was wrong. The International Red Cross has already delivered the dead soldier’s body to the army. Army spokesman Brigadier Sanath Karunaratne said the incident would not hamper the peace negotiation between the army and the LTTE. He said a similar incident had happened earlier too Meanwhile an unidentified person has lobbed a grenade at a police vehicle in Eravur near the Eastern city of Batticaloa. A police constable in the vehicle has been admitted for treatment for shock to Batticaloa teaching hospital. The OIC of the Police, Siripala Uduwaka said the cause of the attack is being investigated (17/01/03 go2lanka.com) |