COLOMBO, Aug 26, Reuter: Suspected Tamil rebels butchered and beheaded 10 Sinhalese lagers in the jungles of eastern Sri Lanka, a police official said on Friday.

He said police were led to the bodies by a villager who had escaped the killers.

The villagers, all men, had gone into the remote Marawela jungle in Amparai district to collect firewood when they were attacked on Thursday.

An Indian High Commission (Embassy) spokeswoman said A Fierce battle erupted on Friday when Indian Commandos raided a fortified guerrilla hideout in the jungles of the northern Vavuniya district.

She said no details were available but heavy losses were reported to have been inflicted on the guerrillas.

About 50,000. Indian troops; have been deployed in the North and East to disarm separatist rebels under an India Sri Lanka peace pact.

Article extracted from this publication >> September 2, 1988