Villagers flee areas caught between warring factions

(28 Jul 2006)
Vavuniya District
1. Sri Lankan soldier checking for roadside bombs in Vavuniya district
2. Various of Sri Lankan soldiers patrolling
Maha Kachcha Kudi, border village
3. Wide of M. Rambanda, resident in border village, talking to neighbour
4. Wide shot of Rambanda entering his new house
5. Close up of Rambanda's wife
6. SOUNDBITE (Sinhalese) M. Rambanda, Sinhalese civilian from Border village of Maha Kachcha Kudi:
''This is a border village. It is very dangerous to live here. They shoot people, and put claymore (antipersonnel) mines here. So because of fear, we came here.''
7. Various of Rambanda and his wife at home
8. Home guard riding on a bicycle
9. Various of Maha Kachcha Kudi village
10. Various of W. Piyaratne riding on a bicycle with his daughter en route to his sister's house
11. SOUNDBITE (Sinhalese) W. Piyaratne, Sinhalese civilian from border village of Maha Kachcha Kudi:
''Near our home, the terrorists planted a claymore (mine) and later they fired and killed one person. Because of that we are afraid to stay there and we came to my sister's place.''
12. Various of Piyaratne in his sister's house with his wife and daughter
13. Various of Sri Lanka Army patrolling village
14. Various of villagers gathering at centre of village
Batticaloa District
15. Various of LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) patrolling in Batticaloa district
Kurunajamunai village
16. Various of Kurunajamunai Tamil village
17. SOUNDBITE (Tamil) Kanapathipillai Vackneswara, Civilian Tamil from border village of Kurunajamunai:
"During the night there are attacks and we run away. Otherwise we stay at home. We fear that sometimes if the army (Sri Lankan Army) comes here they may attack with shells. When they attack, the children cry and say 'we shall move from here'."
18. Various of Kanapathipillai working in her shop
19. Various of Tamil villagers
20. SOUNDBITE (Tamil) Somasundaram Ravichandra, Tamil Civilian from Kurujamunai border village:
"Even when we go to get water we are attacked. In this village there is no water, so if you go to that well to take water we are attacked. How can we escape?"
21. Various of Tamil villagers
SUGGESTED LEAD-IN
Escalating violence in Sri Lanka between the government and Tamil rebels is forcing many people on both sides of the conflict to flee their homes.
More than 700 people - half of them civilians - have been killed since December, threatening to bring an end to a 2002 ceasefire brokered by Norway.
The Tamil Tigers began fighting in 1983 for a separate homeland for Sri Lanka's 3.2 (m) million ethnic minority Tamils.
Now residents caught in villages between rebel soldiers and government troops fear for their lives and are packing up their homes.
STORYLINE
Vavuniya district, 130 miles (210 km) north of Sri Lanka's capital Colombo, is said to be the gateway to the area controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE or Tamil Tigers).
It's a frontline town in the ongoing war between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Army.
The district is the northernmost government-held garrison town before rebel-held territory.
Residents on both sides of the conflict area say the spread of violence has left them living in fear.
M. Rambanda was living with his family on the outskirts of the village of Maha Kachcha Kudi, where the population is mainly Sinhalese.
That was until attacks in the area recently increased.
Now he says the fighting has forced he and his family to move to the centre where they feel a little safer.
Rambanda says the LTTE "shoot people, and put claymore (antipersonnel) mines here".

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