LTTE concentrated fire on the 1 kilometer its left with

Heavy fighting continues in an area roughly the size of a square kilometer in Puthukudirippu, ahead of the no-fire zone. Task Force 8, the 58 and also the 53 took the brunt of a massive artillery and mortar attack almost carpeting the small area covered in coconut trees during the last two days. Though casualties are reported exact numbers are not available at this time.

Any further advances into the no-fire zone will take time as the Army cannot use its heavy firepower while the Tigers use all the fire power they can muster from gun positions situated inside IDP settlements.

The flow of civilians was continuing steadily until today when only 90 civilians reached Army controlled areas due to the massive shelling from the LTTE. As the week progresses more civilians are expected to come into government areas. So far around 55,000 civilians have returned to government areas. No agency has accurate estimates of the numbers still trapped in the no-fire zone.

Meanwhile the LTTE's cream has started abandoning the organization. The Director of the LTTE's Vanni Institute of Technology (VIT) surrendered to the Army a few days ago. A former Assistant Lecturer at the University of Peradeniya, the VIT Director graduated from the same school as a Computer Engineer and was later recruited by the LTTE while visiting his wife in the Vanni.