Sri Lankan government planes bombed three Tamil Tiger boats off the northern coast on Monday, the military said, after fighting since the weekend left 47 rebels dead. The fighting and the air raids were the latest in near daily land, sea and air battles that have left thousands dead in recent months. “We saw two boats coming and we engaged them on the beach, destroying them. One more we pursued in the sea and it exploded when we hit it,” said air force spokesman Andrew Wijesuriya. Fighting also erupted along the frontlines in the northern districts of Jaffna, Vavuniya and Polonnaruwa in which 40 rebels were killed since the weekend, the government said. The military lost five soldiers, it said. __
