Tiger rebels destroyed army bases in northern Sri Lanka leaving 82 combatants dead according to both sides on Sunday, as Japan prepared to launch a fresh peace bid. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they launched attacks along a broad front in Vavuniya and Mannar districts. They captured armoured vehicles and heavy weapons after destroying long-range guns belonging to the military. They said they also destroyed four or five gun positions. They said they killed at least 30 personnel in a five-hour battle to capture several gun positions and military detachments.The Defence Ministry said heavy fighting raged in the area, but claimed the military had beaten back a guerrilla offensive by killing at least 52 Tiger cadres. Neither sideÂ’s claims could be verified, but the guerrillas said they were planning to return the dead bodies of 16 government soldiers through the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Tiger spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiriyan said that the guerrillas had established a forward defence line in areas previously held by the military following the commando-style attack, which began on Saturday. “The LTTE troops are consolidating their positions in the recaptured area,” Ilanthiriyan said in a statement. He said a military artillery unit was also “completely destroyed”.
JapanÂ’s special peace envoy to Sri Lanka, Yasushi Akashi, is due to head to the conflict zone during a four-day visit to Sri Lanka beginning Tuesday, officials and diplomats said. Separately, two Red Cross workers were found shot dead in central Sri Lanka on Sunday, a day after they were abducted by men claiming to be from the police, the charity said. The defence ministry said an investigation was under way into the attack.