COLOMBO, NOV 25: Four Air Force personnel were killed as a Sri Lankan Army helicopter crashed in the Army-held territory Mankulam town early today in northern Vanni after it was suspected to have been hit by anti-aircraft missiles fired by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels.

Army sources here said the helicopter last night left for the northern Vavuniya base to Thallaiwadi camp near Mankulam to airlift a number of injured soldiers to base hospitals. But it crashed near the Thalaiwadi Army camp even before it landed killing the two pilots and two gunners on board.

This is the second helicopter to have been shot down by the LTTE in a fortnight. An MI-24 helicopter with two pilots and two gunners crashed into Kokilai Lagoon in the eastern region on November 10 after it was targetted by LTTE missiles.

The LTTE which has stepped up its presence in Jaffna peninsula following withdrawal of large number of troops killed two policemen behind the famous Nallur Kandaswamy temple in Jaffna town yesterday.

The Sri Lankan Air Force which was in the thick of controversy after the inquiry committee blamed its chief, Air Marshal Oliver Ranasinghe for not initiating adequate measures to meet the missile threat posed by the LTTE has lost about 13 aircraft this year. Some of them were lost after being hit by either rebel fire or due to mechanical failures.

Meanwhile, the LTTE has pasted in Jaffna peninsula posters warning people not to co-operate with the Army with an announcement that ``We will come back again''. The computer printed posters in Tamil appeared in a number of places, both in Jaffna and other areas.

The LTTE has also apparently threatened death penalty to illicit arrack brewers and ordered the owners of mini film theatres to close down as they were accused of screening blue movies.

The appearance of the posters coincided with the shooting down of two policemen in the street behind Nallur temple.

They were reportedly shot down by LTTE's `pistol gang' which began operating again in the peninsula following the withdrawal of large number of troops for the Army offensive in Vanni region.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.