Over 2,000 civilians had cross over to the government controlled areas by Tuesday and the majority of them had reached the 58 Division troops deployed in the Puthukudirippu area.

Meanwhile civilians Tuesday set fire to an LTTE ‘police’ station at Puthumathalan in the civilian safety zone after LTTE cadres shot dead parents of a child whom they made an abortive bid to abduct. They also shot dead the child before retreating amid violent protests, The Island reported quoting Navy spokesman Captain D. K. P. Dassanayake.

Quoting civilians who had taken advantage of the chaos triggered by the killings and the retaliatory civilian attack on the LTTE post to escape, Dassanayake said that the LTTE was on the verge of collapse. Several civilians are believed to have been killed during the incident.

Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told The Island that the area under LTTE control inclusive of the civilian safety zone was now down to about 28 sq. km.

Dassanayake said that civilians had urged ICRC staff on the ground to stop bringing in fresh supplies to the civilian safety zone, instead evacuate them immediately. The ICRC remains the only INGO active in the LTTE-held area since the government removed all others last September. The ICRC is facilitating government and international efforts to move in supplies to the civilian safety zone.