By Our Correspondent NEW DELHI: Six people, four of them government officials were killed even as Sri Lanka mobilized 30,000 reserve troops to assist the army in containing violence in the country.
Their transport has been paralyzed, many shops have been closed as the right wing J.V.P. party enforced its strike protesting the continuing presence of the Indian army in the island nation.
In the meanwhile Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi has apparently agreed to withdraw the troops in a “phased manner.”
Sri Lanka had, in a recent diplomatic note asked Indian troops to leave their country by July 29 or confine themselves in their barracks,
Sri Lankan president Ranasinghe Premadasa had told Rajiv that there was no change in Colombo’s position.
Indian officials here are denying reports that Indian troops in Sri Lanka have launched a fresh offensive against the Tamil Tigers.
It was previously reported that Indian Air Force planes had staffed and bombed the Tamil positions in spite of Sri Lankan governments request to not do so.
Officials here however confirmed the Indian Peace Keeping Force as the Indian troops are officially called, had launched an intensive “search” operation from early last month.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 7, 1989
