The STF and Tsunami recovery in the East

An STF officer strokes the head of a small boy who lost both parents to the tsunami waves that swept through Kalmunai. The child resides at the "Sinhala Maha Vidyalaya" camp but has not yet been recognized by anyone or claimed by relatives. Traumatized by his horrible experience, he does not remember his parents or even his own name and does not speak except to say "Na" when questioned about the fate of his parents.

Sri Lanka troops kill 12 Tiger rebels: military

Sri Lankan troops shot dead at least 12 Tamil Tiger rebels in three separate clashes in the island's north, the defence ministry here said Thursday.

Eight guerrillas of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were shot dead at Muhamalai along a de facto border separating rebel-held territory from the rest of the island late Wednesday, the ministry said.

"Troops fired small arms and rocket-propelled grenades at the group of LTTE cadres attempting to infiltrate," the ministry said in a statement.

It said four Tiger rebels were killed in two separate confrontations in the Vavuniya district on Wednesday.

There was no immediate reaction from the LTTE, which has been locked in combat with the government since 1972 for a separate state for minority Tamils. The 35-year-old ethnic conflict has claimed over 60,000 lives.

(http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070830/wl_sthasia_afp/srilankaunrest_070830122208&printer
=1;_ylt=Aqpxg2DaT0XAkp5MMlyw84PuOrgF)