Karuna: LTTE has lost 90 per cent of its fighters; Reports: India has set up a hospital in north Lanka to cater to displaced Tamils; Calls made to sever Colombo’s ties with Oslo on charges of facilitating meeting with LTTE’s KP; Karunanidhi
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    • Former LTTE military commander and now government Minister Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman stated that the LTTE experienced a loss of more than 90 percent of its fighters and that it was now “finished.” He also pointed out that around 1,500 surviving rebels were trapped and had no way of escaping1. Other reports noted that the LTTE’s hold over territory had diminished to around less than one sq km. The government’s Defence Affairs spokesman revealed that LTTE cadres had “infiltrated the No-Fire-Zone” (NFZ) and were carrying out terror activities in the NFZ2.

    Reports noted that India had set up a hospital in north Sri Lanka to provide medical aid to the displaced Tamil civilians. Indian authorities were also considering an expansion of the 115-bed hospital near eastern Trincomalee district3.

    NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa urged the government to sever all diplomatic ties with Norway on the grounds that Oslo had facilitated talks between John Holmes and Kumaran Padmanadan (KP), who was the LTTE's focal man for international arms procurement4.

    In other developments, reports noted that Sri Lanka’s economy was expected to grow around 5.5 percent in 20095. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi meanwhile asserted that his government would not hesitate to initiate legal action against the Sri Lankan Government if it went ahead with its plans to convert Kacchatheevu into a ‘sacred’ island and tourist spot6.

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