According to Batticaloa MP Joseph Pararajasingham, over 30 youths arrested by the Army in the district in January and February have disappeared. Three refugees from the Kalmadu camp who went fishing on 31 January are missing. The Army shot dead civilian S Vijayakumar at Kiran on 14 February. Mary Benedict of Eravur was killed by unidentified gunmen on 24 February. Mr Pararajasingham says rice farming in 10,000 acres of land is affected after the Army destroyed two bridges at Sithandy and Vantharumoolai, north of Batticaloa town.
Farmers are unable to take their tractors and bullock carts to the fields.
The military say that the Tigers were taking hijacked vehicles across the bridges in to areas under their control. Suspected LTTE cadre shot dead a Home Guard protecting Sinhalese farmers at Aralagangwila in Polonnaruwa District on 17 February. Two others were wounded. Two Tigers were killed and six others wounded. In Trincomalee District, the Navy killed A Kamalanathan while fishing near Kadalkaraichenai in Muthur on 6 February.