Volunteers carry wounded soldiers to a hospital in Sri Lanka's eastern town of Polonnaruwa. The Sri Lankan government troops and the Tamil Tigers exchanged heavy fire Thursday, August 10, 2006 in northeastern Sri Lanka in continuation of the battles on the recent water spat between the two parties. At least 3 soldiers had died and around 30 were injured in the battles up to mid morning, the sources said. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

    COLOMBO, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan government troops and the Tamil Tigers exchanged heavy fire Thursday in northeastern Sri Lanka in continuation of the battles on the recent water spat between the two parties.

    The Defense Ministry website said that heavy fighting had erupted from 4.45 am (2315 GMT) Thursday at Maavil Aru in the eastern province the site of the controversial sluice gate shut down by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels.

    The rebels on Tuesday evening opened the gates a claim disputed by the military who said that the gate was opened by them after a successful military operation to seize it from LTTE control.

    The defense sources here who did not want to be identified said the government troops had moved forward to consolidate their hold of Maavil Aru when they came under heavy fire from the rebels.

    At least 3 soldiers had died and around 30 were injured in the battles up to mid morning, the sources said.

    The injured were brought to the hospitals at Kantalai and Polonnaruwa, the north central town, hospital sources said.

    The pro-LTTE Tamilnet website said that thousands of people were fleeing as the Army re-launched ground movement towards the sluice gate with air and artillery attacks.

    The water spat began on July 20 when the LTTE closed down the sluice gate depriving water to some 15,000 families and 30,000 acres. The Army late last month began an advance in order to secure the gates from LTTE control, which was the first open military advance into rebel territory since the February 2002 ceasefire.

    Then the rebels launched attacks on the eastern port of Trincomalee and the Muslim dominated town of Muttur displacing over 25,000 people.

    The fighting is the worst since the Norwegian backed peace process but both sides still maintain that the truce is still in force.

    More than 64,000 people were killed in the island's separatist armed conflict between the mid 1980s and February 2002. Enditem

An injured soldier is brought in for medical treatment in Kantale base hospital, near the northeastern town of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka August 10, 2006. The Sri Lankan government troops and the Tamil Tigers exchanged heavy fire Thursday in northeastern Sri Lanka in continuation of the battles on the recent water spat between the two parties. At least 3 soldiers had died and around 30 were injured in the battles up to mid morning, the sources said. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)