Vavuniya - Tamil Tiger rebels were consolidating their hold on new territory seized from government troops in northern Sri Lanka yesterday as tension gripped the town of Vavuniya located near the battlefield.
A 35-year-old mother and her two-year-old child were killed instantly on Thursday and a 10-year-old girl died in hospital when the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) shelled the town, residents said. About 500 families were made refugees by the artillery fire.
The latest military defeats are seen as a further blow to the government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who is seeking re-election on December 21st.