Sri Lanka said Tuesday it has taken two key positions of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam located south of Valayanmadam in the northeast of the country.
A statement of the Defence Ministry said ‘LTTE suffered double blows, losing two heavily fortified defense positions’ as troops made pre-dawn incursions at identified terror strong points located south of Valayanmadam.
Only on Monday the Sri Lanka announced it would heed international calls and stop heavy shelling and air strikes against the LTTE-held enclave to avoid civilian casualties. The rebel Web site, Tamilnet.com, has spoken of an ‘intense barrage of heavy weapons’ through Monday evening.
India, the US and European Union have called for a cease-fire in Sri Lanka. British Foreign minister David Miliband and his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner will visit Sri Lanka Wednesday.
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt was denied a visa to enter the country with his British and French counterparts in what is seen as a diplomatic protest.
High Commissions Attacked In London
The statement also said that LTTE loyal groups attacked the Indian and Sri Lankan High Commissions in Central London during a demonstration. The demonstrators smashed the windows of the Indian High Commission building. They tried to break into the building but the police thwarted the effort.
The demonstrators pelted stones at the Sri Lankan High Commission in Hyde Park Gardens.
