Decapitated bodies found in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The bodies of two villagers with their heads severed and with gunshot injuries were found in the jungles west of Veerakulam in the Vavuniya district Tuesday evening, said source.
Full story >>

Refugees' bodies washed ashore

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The bodies of five Tamil refugees drowned when their boat capsized off the shores of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu were washed ashore yesterday at Analaitheevu, an island off the Jaffna peninsula, said sources in Jaffna.
Full story >>

Horrors of Kumarapuram told in Court

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Kumarapuram massacre case, where 24 civilians were killed, allegedly by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on February 11, 1996, was taken up at the Magistrate's Court at Muthur, 35 km south of Trincomalee, before Magistrate R. M. Jayawardene on Wednesday, said sources in Trincomalee.
Full story >>

Mass graves cover up alleged

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Leader of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) Mr. M. Sivasithamparam, has appealed to the Human Rights Commission asking that foreign experts should be brought to excavate the mass graves at Chemmani. Between 300 and 400 people who disappeared whilst in military custody in Jaffna are alleged to have been buried in the graves.
Full story >>

Fishermen's catch siezed

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Members of the Batticaloa Municipal Council (BMC) expressed stern disapproval at the way the military and para-military forces in Batticaloa intimidated and robbed poor fishermen returning home with their day's catch, said sources in Batticaloa.
Full story >>

SLA shells wound four family members

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Four members of a family in Paythali were wounded when the Sri Lankan Army fired rounds of shells from its camp at Kalkudah in Valaichenai around 9.00 p.m. on Wednesday, said sources.
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SLA bodies returned - LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The bodies of 5 Sri Lankan Army (SLA) soldiers captured by the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Tuesday, said Liberation Tigers in a press release issued by their International Secretariat in London yesterday.
Full story >>

Watchman shot dead

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Poopalapillai Somanathar (37) a watchman at the Kiran cooperative society office at Kiran, 34 km south of Batticaloa, was shot dead by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), on Monday around 8:30 p.m., said sources in Batticaloa.
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Informal meetings at India House

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Indian Prime Minister Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee had brief meetings with leaders of Tamil parties at a function held the India House in Colombo this evening.
Full story >>

Appeal for funds to arrest cholera epidemic

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The District Secretary, and the Deputy Provincial Director of Health Services, Kilinochchi District, have made an urgent appeal for rupees five million to construct special wards to arrest an alarming outbreak of cholera in the Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts, said sources in Trincomalee.
Full story >>

DS transferred amid allegations of corruption

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
M. Thayaparan, Division Secretary (DS), Aalayadivembu Division, Akkaraipattu, 60 km south of Batticaloa, in the Amparai District, was transferred to Colombo with immediate effect, following a complaint by M. Jegathees, Member of the Pradeshiya Sabha (PS) of the area to the Ministry of Public Administration, said sources in Batticaloa.
Full story >>

Police bans prayer meetings

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Prayer meetings to be held at places of religious worship and schools to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the anti-Tamil riots of 1983 were dashed yesterday, when the police and military authorities in Batticaloa issued orders against holding them , said sources in Batticaloa.
Full story >>

Body washed ashore

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A body of an unidentified woman was found washed ashore at Tirukovil, 70 km south of Batticaloa, on Tuesday morning, said sources in Batticaloa. She is described as middle-aged and clad in a skirt and blouse.
Full story >>

Policemen killed in Amparai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Two Sri Lankan Policemen were killed and one wounded when suspected members of the Liberation Tigers attacked policemen travelling in an autorikshaw on the Kalmunai-Amparai road, at around 12.15 p.m. today, said sources.
Full story >>

LTTE member killed

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), identified as 'Murugan', was shot dead by the Special Task Force (STF) at Tirukovil, 70 km south of Batticaloa, yesterday around 3:30 p.m., said police sources in Batticaloa.
Full story >>

Prayers for peace

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Black flags flew in Batticaloa town and suburbs yesterday to commemorate Black July, the anniversary of the anti-Tamil race riots of 1983, said sources in Batticaloa. Though there were a few incidents where irate policemen tore and destroyed the flags, protests were otherwise peaceful.
Full story >>

Grenade explosion kills two

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Two unidentified persons died in a grenade explosion at Sangiliyan Road in Nallur, 5 km northeast of Jaffna town, around 12:45 p.m., yesterday, said sources. Their bodies have been handed over to the Jaffna hospital, they added.
Full story >>

Underage domestic servant rescued

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Rajendran Maharaji (14), an underage girl working as a domestic in a house on Central Road in Batticaloa town and allegedly assaulted by her mistress, was produced on Monday before K. Thatchanamoorthy, Additional District Judge, Batticaloa, who ordered that Maharaji be kept in safe custody until she was claimed by her parents, said sources in Batticaloa.
Full story >>

Monsoon relief supplies requested

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The District Secretary (DS) of Kilinochchi District, T. Rasanayagam made an urgent appeal for 3.2 million rupees from the Provincial Ministry of Rehabilitation and Reconstruction to purchase cadjan and other material for the displaced persons in Kilinochchi before the forthcoming northeast monsoon season, said sources in Trincomalee. The north-east monsoon is expected to set in by October.
Full story >>

Toronto Tamils mark 'Black July'

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
(Adds. photo)The world Tamil Movement (WTM) of Canada held an exhibition and rally Saturday evening in Scarborough, Toronto to mark 'Black July', the anti Tamil pogrom of 1983 in Sri Lanka. TamilNet's Toronto correspondent said that more than four thousand people attended the event.
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Police arrest LTTE suspect

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Sri Lankan Police said that they have arrested a member of the Liberation Tigers, identified as Kathiravel Sunthiresan, at Prince Street in the capital Colombo yesterday morning.
Full story >>

Plot foiled - paper

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) of the Police Department has discovered a plot to assassinate Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga, the Sunday Times reported today.
Full story >>

Fresh fighting near Mankulam

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Troops of Operation Jeyasikurui made a fresh attempt to capture the strategic town of Mankulam today said sources close to the Liberation Tigers in Europe. The SLA advance was repulsed, they added.
Full story >>

Four Tigers died in Jaffna - LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said in a press release issued by their International Secretariat in London that four of their fighters died in the attack in Jaffna yesterday morning.
Full story >>

Language issue raised again

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Munmunai Pradeshiya Sabha (PS) unanimously voted on Wednesday to inform police authorities in charge of the Kattankudy police area, that in future they should take down statements in Tamil, said sources in Batticaloa.
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Islandwide emergency regulation - paper

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Provincial Council elections scheduled to be held on 28 August is to be postponed with the entire country coming under Emergency Regulations from that day, reported the Sunday Times, quoting D. M. Jayaratne, General Secretary, People's Alliance.
Full story >>

India urged to intervene

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) has asked for Indian mediation to resolve the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. A statement issued by Suresh Premachandran, General Secretary, EPRLF, states that India has a moral obligation to intervene in resolving the conflict because of its long involvement.
Full story >>

Families without permits ordered to leave

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Peoples Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) has ordered the residents of the Kovilkulam, Irambaikulam areas, who do not hold permanent residence permits, to vacate the area before August 10, said sources.
Full story >>

Festival atmosphere in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Outside the temple premises at Amirthakali, it was carnival time. The Batticaloa Municipal Council, the District Secretariat, the Bank of Ceylon and institutions dealing with the public, set up temporary offices outside the temple.
Full story >>

Selective appointments

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Leader of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) Mr. S.Thondaman will meet the Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on July 30 at 09.15, during his visit to Colombo to attend the SAARC summit, said CWC sources today.
Full story >>

Heavy fighting in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers simultaneously attacked Sri Lankan Army and Police posts at Chinnakkadai, Kurunagar jetty and Kolumbuthurai, 2 km southeast of the high security zone of Jaffna Town, around 12.15 Saturday morning, said ex-militant sources when contacted by TamilNet.
Full story >>

Civilian shot dead

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Mr. Kanthasamy Srikantha, 21, was shot dead by the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) during a search operation in Puthukkudiyiruppu, in Valaichenai this morning around 5.30 a.m. said sources in Batticaloa.
Full story >>

Provincial council elections postponed ?

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Prof. G.L Peiris, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs said while speaking at the Annual Meeting of Business of Chambers in Colombo that the government was considering postponement of the forthcoming provincial council (PC) elections.
Full story >>

TELO member dies

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Senior member of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO), Mr. Thillainathan Joseph Thurairajah, alias Christy, died in Colombo today after he mistakenly took insecticide in the early hours of the morning today, said sources close to the TELO.
Full story >>

Tight security around SAARC conference

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Security in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo will be further tightened in view of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) conference which begins on July 29, said sources.
Full story >>

Resettlement package for Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Trincomalee Government Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Committee is to go on a publicity campaign in the refugee camps in the Trincomalee District to popularise its package for resettling refugees, said sources in Trincomalee.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka radio allays fears

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
There is no restriction on food or medicines supplied to the Wanni as stated by certain reports, said Radio Sri Lanka (RSL), quoting a press release from the Ministry of Defence (MOD), in its broadcast tonight.
Full story >>

Four students arrested

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Four students from Ambalanthurai Kalaimagal Viththiyalayam who were arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) while they were working in the fields at Thaandamalai, 30 km southwest of Batticaloa on June 29, are to be produced in court today, said sources in Batticaloa.
Full story >>

Refugees complain to President

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Two thousand seven hundred and four refugees living in Thirukkovil, 60 km south of Batticaloa, faxed the Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga on July 21, complaining that they had not been issued dry rations for May and June this year, said sources in Batticaloa.
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Soldiers arrested in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Military Police has arrested two soldiers of the Vadamaradchi Brigade for allegedly killing a civilian, Nicholas Pillai Robert Wellington (33) on Tuessday after detaining him at a checkpoint at Madaththadi, between Nelliyadi and Manthikai, on the Jaffna-Pt. Pedro Road, 23 km from Jaffna, said sources in Jaffna.
Full story >>

STF finds body

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The body of Ilaiyathamby Selvarajah (27) of Thambattai, near Tirukovil, 60 km south of Batticaloa, was found by the police and the Special Task Force (STF) on Wednesday putrefying, said sources in Batticaloa.
Full story >>

Tamil parties remember Black July

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Three Tamil political parties in Batticaloa issued a statement yesterday, requesting the public to observe three days, July 25 - 27, as days of mourning in memory of the race riots of 'Black July' 1983, said sources in Batticaloa.
Full story >>

SLFP, UNP exchange rights accusations

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
During the adjournment debate on alleged mass graves in Chemmani in the Sri Lankan Parliament, both main Sinhala mainstream parties, the UNP and the SLFP, attacked each other for human rights violations in their respective terms in office, said sources.
Full story >>

Doubts over cause of death

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) handed over the body of Michal Pillai Robert Wellington, 33, to the Manthikai hospital yesterday around 1.30 p.m., said sources in Jaffna. He had been shot in the chest and head, they said.
Full story >>

Tension ahead of Black July anniversary

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Security has been tightened in the northern town of Jaffna with increased search operations being carried out by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), as the 15th anniversary of 'Black July' approaches said sources in Jaffna. Road checks by the SLA have also been increased during the last few days, they added.
Full story >>

Uncertainty over journalists' arrests

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Officials from the Terrorist Investigation Department (TID), of the Sri Lankan Police have said that the two Tamil journalists who were recently taken into custody were arrested for reasons not related to their work, said sources.
Full story >>

Police to investigate mass graves

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The National Human Rights Commission has urged the Sri Lankan Government to protect the areas of Chemmani where the bodies of between 300 and 400 people who disappeared whilst in military custody in Jaffna are alleged to have been buried. Sri Lankan State radio, meanwhile, said that the police had been asked to investigate the allegations.
Full story >>

Another journalist arrested

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Mr. P Manikkavasagam, a senior journalist with the Veerakesari newspaper was arrested by the Sri Lankan police in Vavuniya, according to his family. No reason had been given for the arrest, they added. Mr. Manikkavasagam is the second reporter from the Tamil language Veerakesari to be arrested in the past week.
Full story >>

Sleeping fisherman killed

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Soosaimuthtu Arulanantham (43), a fisherman, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Saturday night at around 2:00 a.m., at Navalady beach, 5km south of Batticaloa. He was killed while he was asleep in an open hut before going out to sea, said sources in Batticaloa.
Full story >>

Bomb defused at telephone exchange

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A bomb discovered at the Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) sub- exchange at Kaluwanchikudy, 18 km south of Batticaloa, this morning, was defused by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), said sources in Batticaloa.
Full story >>

Search operation in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Sri Lankan Army (SLA) has cordoned off and launched a house to house search operation in the Jaffna Town from 7.00 a.m. today, according to sources there.
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Police check Jaffna videos

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The police have imposed new regulations on the sending of video cassettes out of Jaffna, one of the few items still allowed to be airmailed out of Jaffna to other parts of Sri Lanka.
Full story >>

Woman dies after labour

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A woman who was being taken to hospital with labour pain was stopped on the way by Sri Lankan Army personnel manning a check post in Aanaikottai in Jaffna and was forced to give birth at a house close to the check post, said sources in Jaffna.
Full story >>

TELO member fills vacancy

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
S. Sivajilingam, Leader of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) has been appointed to the Valvettithurai (VVT) Pradeshiya Sabha (PS), the local council, in place of a member of the council who had not taken oaths, said sources in Jaffna.
Full story >>

Specialist shortage at Jaffna Hospital

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Services to sick children are being comprimised by the lack of qualified pediatricians at the Jaffna Hospital, said Dr (Ms) Sivasangary of the hospital. The severe shortage of specialists is not a problem specific to pediatrics but exists in other specialities too, she added.
Full story >>

Funny behaviour punished

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
It was summery justice at the hands of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) for a young man of Oorelu, Jaffna, who had made advances to a woman of the area, said sources in Jaffna.
Full story >>

SLA officer killed

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A Sri Lankan Army (SLA) Major was killed and a soldier was wounded in a claymore mine
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News Briefs from Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Army opens fire to disperse gang fight, SLA's search operation following explosions, mines continue to injure cattle and mother gives birth on a boat.
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Vavuniya MP's funeral held

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The funeral of Vavuniya Parliamentarian, Mr. S.Shanmuganathan (PLOTE), and his son who were killed in a land mine attack on Wednesday was held in the Vavuniya Kovilkulam cremation ground last evening.
Full story >>

Blast destroys telecomtower

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A telecommunication tower owned by the company Mobitel, at Nittambuwe, 30 km south of capital Colombo on the Colombo - Kandy road, was destroyed when two bombs exploded this morning, said police sources.
Full story >>

Heavy Rains Continue

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Heavy rains continue to lash the Sri Lankan capital Colombo and Puttalam said meteorology department officials in Colombo.
Full story >>

Resettlement problem in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Resettlement of displaced people has been prohibited in forty four Grama Seveka divisions of the Jaffna Peninsula said officials of the Jaffna Katchcheri.
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War zone postings fail to enthuse

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Many unemployed graduates from Batticaloa who had staged protests, including a fast to death last week, in order secure employment as graduate teachers, are refusing to serve in schools in the outlying areas in the Batticaloa District, said sources in Batticaloa.
Full story >>

Development meeting

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Government Agents (GAs) of the five districts of northern Sri Lanka, met with N. Obadage, the Chairman of the Relief and Rehabilitation Authority of the North (RRAN), in Trincomalee today, to brief him on the projects earmarked in their districts for financial assistance from the Australian Government, said sources in Trincomalee.
Full story >>

Medical unit missing

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
One of the three mobile emergency surgery units donated by the US military to the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) has been reported missing said defence officials. Military intelligence and officials attached to the Ministry of health have launched an investigation, they added.
Full story >>

Rough weather in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, and its suburbs experienced heavy showers with winds upto 50 km per hour this morning, said meteorological officials in the city. They said that 113.3 mm of rain was measured between 6.00 a.m. and 9.00 p.m.
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Dogs flourish amid war

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Its a dog's life for the Batticaloa public, which has to contend with an estimated 25,000 stray dogs in the District. Around 10,000 of these haunt Batticaloa town, said sources in Batticaloa. The main reason for the explosion in the population of stray canines in the area is that the two usual methods of eliminating them - shooting and poisoning - can no longer be practised in Batticaloa.
Full story >>

Police raid nets suicide kits - paper

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The police Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) yesterday, raided a grocery store in Kochchikade, Colombo, and found a cache of three suicide kits, each containing plastic explosives, four batteries and a detonator reported the state run Daily News today.
Full story >>

Investigation demanded

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Tamil political parties and human rights groups have urged the Sri Lankan government to excavate the alleged mass graves in Chemmani in Jaffna in the presence of representatives of the public where between 300 and 400 Tamils are believed to have been buried.
Full story >>

Rape victim's body found

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
M. Thirunavukarasu, the Mallakam Magistrate, pronounced on Wednesday that Nagalingam Bavany (48) had been murdered in her home, possibly after being raped, said sources in Jaffna.
Full story >>

MP's funeral on Saturday

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The funeral of Mr. Shanmuganathan, Vavuniya parliamentarian, and his son who were killed yesterday in the mine blast will be held on Saturday at 3.00 p.m. in Vavuniya said PLOTE sources today.
Full story >>

Teaching appointments uneven

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Hardly a week after unemployed graduates forced the Sri Lanka Government (SLG) to appoint 1000 graduate teachers from the Northeast Province, allegations of favouritism have surfaced over appointments in the Jaffna District, said sources in Jaffna.
Full story >>

Norwegian ambassador visits Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Batticaloa coming within the Eastern Rehabilitation Organisation (ERO) network, met His Excellency Jan Westbourg, Ambassador of the Royal Norwegian Government in Sri Lanka, at the Catholic Club in Batticaloa for a discussion, said sources.
Full story >>

PLOTE leader blames Tigers

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Leader of the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), Mr. T. Siddarthan, blamed the Liberation Tigers for the killing of group's parliamentarian for the Vavuniya district, Mr. Saravanapavananthan Shanmuganathan, 36, yesterday.
Full story >>

One killed in explosion

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A fisherman was killed and three others were wounded when a land mine exploded this morning around 11.00 in Negombo, north of Colombo, said police sources there.
Full story >>

Journalist arrested

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
At around 8.30 p.m. today, Mr. Gajan, a journalist with the 'Veerakesari', the Tamil daily with largest circulation in the island, was taken from the paper's offices for interrogation by officials from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Colombo.
Full story >>

Four arrested in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Four persons were arrested by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) at the Mutthirai Chanthi (junction) in Nallur in Jaffna on Tuesday around 7:00 a.m., said sources.
Full story >>

Regional divisions apparent

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Mr. Akram Lucky, special envoy of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Nawar Sherif, arrived in the capital Colombo today. He is expected meet the Sri Lankan President, Mrs Chandrika. Kumaratunge, tomorrow and hand over a letter from the Pakistani Prime Minister.
Full story >>

Vavuniya MP killed

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Mr. S. Shanmuganathan, also known as Vasanthan, parliamentarian for the Vavuniya district representing the Democratic People's Liberation Front (DPLF), was killed along with five others when a claymore mine exploded under the van they were travelling in at Irambaikkulam, 2 km east of Vavuniya around 10.00 today, said police sources.
Full story >>

Fugitive caught

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Ninth accused in the 'Krishanthy Kumarasamy case', Abayasekara Pathiranalage, a soldier, who had escaped form the court house was arrested by the Sri Lankan Police this morning, said sources.
Full story >>

Nominations filed

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Eleven political parties and two independent groups have filed nominations for the provincial council elections scheduled for the August 28. Nominations were closed this afternoon for the Western, North-central and Sabragamuwa provinces, while nominations for the Central and Uwa provinces were closed on July 3.
Full story >>

Vavuniya parliamentarian killed

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Mr. S. Shanmuganathan, PLOTE parliamentarian for the Vavuniya district, his son and three policemen were killed when a landmine exploded under the vehicle they were travelling in at Irambaikkkulam, 2 km east of Vavuniya around 10.00 p.m. (16.00 GMT) today, said police sources.
Full story >>

Mass graves found - paper

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Between 300 and 400 of the 700 civilians who were reported missing soon after the Sri Lankan government forces took control of the Jaffna peninsula three years ago, are buried in the paddy fields surrounding the main road near Chemmani checkpoint said this week's issue of Yukthiya, a Sinhala weekly. The paper has also published a map of the area, marking the location where the bodies are buried.
Full story >>

Tigers overrun camp

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) overran joint camp of the Sri Lankan Army and Police at Poovarasantheevu in the Trincomalee district yesterday around 10.45 p.m., said sources close to the LTTE in Europe.
Full story >>

EPDP leader taken abroad

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), Mr. Douglas Devananda, who was critically wounded when he was attacked by the detainees at the Kalutara prison two weeks ago, has been flown to a foreign country for further treatment said ex-militant sources in Colombo.
Full story >>

SLFP veteran passes away

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Mr. Maithiripala Senanayake, a veteran Sri Lankan Freedom Party (SLFP) politician and the Governor of the North-central provincial council died at the National Hospital in Colombo yesterday morning, at the age of 82.
Full story >>

Eight killed in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) handed over the bodies of four fishermen with gunshot injuries to the Valaichchenai hospital, 32 km. north of Batticaloa, said ex-militant sources in Europe when contacted by TamilNet. The bodies had recovered by the SLA from the Kinnaiyadi lagoon Sunday morning, they said.
Full story >>

News in Brief

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The number of psychiatric patients being treated at Jaffna Teaching hospital is said to have increased. Meanwhile, thieves are said to have stripped abandoned houses from Valikamam North and a woman has given birth on a bullock cart.
Full story >>

Shot youth was civilian - Magistrate

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
K. Thiyagarajah, Acting Magistrate, Batticaloa, pronounced that Nallaratnam Yoganathan (22), who was killed in the crossfire between the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in an incident on Thursday at Valaichenai, was a civilian, contrary to SLA's claim that he was an member of the LTTE, said ex-militant sources in Europe, quoting legal sources.
Full story >>

Appointments to Jaffna local bodies

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) has appointed 80 persons as substitutes to the members of the local bodies in the Jaffna peninsula whose seats were rendered vacant because they failed to take the oath of office within three months of local government elections, said sources in Jaffna.
Full story >>

Committee to investigate detainees' conditions

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Government (SLG) has appointed a committee of Ministers and senior Parliamentarians to investigate allegations of mistreatment of detainees, said Radio Sri Lanka in its broadcast yesterday.
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Two policemen killed

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Two Sri Lankan policemen were killed at a checkpoint in Valaichenai, 32 km north of Batticaloa, when suspected Liberation Tigers drove up in an auto-rickshaw and opened fire around 9:00 a.m. yesterday, said ex-militant sources in Europe when contacted by TamilNet.
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Tamil parties seek meeting

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Sri Lankan Tamil parties have expressed their wish to meet the Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, to discuss issues related to the island's ethnic conflict, when he visits Sri Lanka to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Co- operation (SAARC) summit at the end of this month.
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Cement rationed

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Residents in the village of Kokilakandy, near Navatkuli, 8 km south of Jaffna on the Keratheevu road, are unable to repair their homes due to restrictions on the transport of cement imposed by the Sri Lanka army (SLA), said ex-militant sources in Europe today.
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"Commission's mandate too narrow" - MP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Joseph Pararajasingham, MP, has exhorted the Sri Lanka President, Chandrika Kumaratunga to extend the mandate of the recently constituted Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Involuntary Disappearances, to also investigate disappearances that occurred in the Tamil majority areas in the period from July 1995 to the present.
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Army patrol ambushed

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A Sri Lankan Army soldier was killed and two wounded when the Liberation Tigers ambushed an army patrol yesterday around 11 p.m. in Pulmoddai, north of the eastern port town of Trincomalee, ex-militant sources told TamilNet.
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New military spokesman

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Major General Sarath Munasinghe, former Sri Lankan military spokesman, has been appointed as the new Commanding Officer (CO) of the Elephant Pass base in the northern province, said defence sources in Colombo.
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Land mines injure 1,800

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Over 1800 civilians have lost a limb due to land mines in Jaffna during the last 6 years, said Lankadeepa, the Sinhala daily with the largest circulation in Sri Lanka today, quoting a survey conducted in connection with the removal of land mines there.
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TELO files nominations

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) is expected file nominations for the western provincial council elections said sources close to ex-militant groups in Colombo.
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Two die of cholera

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Two people have died of Cholera recently in Mannar and six new cases have been detected said Medical Health Officer (MHO) of Mannar Dr. Kathirkamanathan. The dead patients are Aarumukam Subenthira, 18 from Vaddakkandal and Ameer Jameela, 35, mother of four, from Erukkalampiddy.
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Devananda's condition improves

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The condition of Douglas Devananda is improving rapidly said ex-militant sources in Colombo today after visiting him at the Colombo National Hospital. Mr. Devananda was moved from the intensive care unit yesterday night, they added.
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President on Holiday

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Sri Lankan President and Minster of Defence, Mrs. Chandrika Kumarathunge left Sri Lanka on a private visit to a foreign country with her children today.
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Anniversary of church bombing

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The third anniversary of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombing of St. Peter's Church, Navaly, in Jaffna, in which almost 150 people died and 200 were injured, was commemorated today, said sources in Jaffna.
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Cargo Ship Sinks

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Port authorities in Colombo said today that a cargo ship sank off the shores of Negombo, north of Colombo. All the sailors have been rescued, they added.
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Protests at Illegal Settlement

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A Tamil Member of Parliament protested to Indika Gunawardene, Minister of Housing, Construction and Public Utilities, about moves by the Sri Lanka Government (SLG) to give illegal Sinhalese occupants the titles to lands and houses belonging to Tamils, said sources in Trincomalee.
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Mine clearing delayed

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A seminar on educating the public on deactivating buried pressure mines was held in Jaffna on Monday, under the auspices of the Department of Community Medicine, University of Jaffna, and UNICEF, said sources in Jaffna.
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Drug shortage hits hospital

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The hospital on the island of Neduntheevu, which lies off the Jaffna peninsula, is badly hit by a shortage of medicine, said hospital sources.
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156 Jaffna seats remain unfilled

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Political parties in Jaffna have failed to appoint replacements to local council seats made vacant by the failure of members elected in the local elections of January 29 to take oaths within the stipulated time period.
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UNP leader sends warnings

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Except the President , Mrs Chandrika Kumarathunge, and the Prime Minister, Mrs. Srimavo Bandaranayake, all of the other government ministers are corrupt, said Mr. Anura Bandaranayake, UNP parliamentarian, brother of the President and son of the Prime Minister while speaking at the UNP's parliamentary committee meeting yesterday.
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Clearing patrol attacked

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Sri Lankan security forces who were on a routine clearing patrol came under attack
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Cafes close over cholera fears

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Doctor K. T. Sivapalan, Deputy Director of Health for the Jaffna District, has told health inspectors to take all precautions necessary to arrest the spread of cholera in Jaffna.
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Student boycott called off after apology

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) tendered an unqualified apology to the high school students of Trincomalee this morning, after students insisted that they would boycott classes until the SLA apologised for assaulting them during a peaceful demonstration on Monday, said sources in Trincomalee.
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Devotees stranded in Jaffna Town

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A number of people were stranded in Jaffna town last evening without transport, when they arrived in the town on their way to celebrations at the Nagapooshani Amman Kovil (temple) in Nainatheevau, said sources in Jaffna.
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Sri Lanka conflict not on SAARC agenda

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Leaders of the seven South Asian countries who are expected to meet in Colombo for the South Asian Association for Regional Co- operation (SAARC) summit at the end of this month are not expected to focus on Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict, said sources close to the Indian diplomatic mission in Colombo.
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'Excavate mass graves' - NGO Consortium

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The NGO Consortium of Jaffna has told the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka's Jaffna office, that not only should unauthorised graves at Chemmani be excavated, but mass graves in other parts of Jaffna too should be opened, said sources in Jaffna.
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Delft youth barred from Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Youth below the age of 25 are not permitted to travel to the Jaffna peninsula from the Delft, an island off Jaffna's northwestern coast, except for emergencies, said sources in Jaffna.
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Graduate protest over unemployment

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Over one hundred unemployed graduates of Vavuniya district staged a token fast from 9 am to 4 p.m. yesterday in the premises of Vavuniya Kachcheri, in support of those unemployed graduates fasting in Trincomalee.
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Tigers attack Police Patrol in Amparai

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Six Special Task Force commandos and five home guards were killed when the Liberation Tigers attacked a joint clearing patrol today around 8.30 a.m. in Pulukunavai in the eastern Amparai district, said ex-militant sources in Europe when contacted by TamilNet.
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Forced labourer commits suicide

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Muththuthamby Thangavelu (42), of Palai, 35 km southeast of Jaffna, committed suicide by hanging, because he was unable to withstand the harsh treatment he received from the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) during forced labour, said sources in Jaffna.
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Blast destroys electricity cable towers

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
High voltage electricity cable towers which supply electricity to Mannar town and Pesali were destroyed in a bomb explosion Sunday night shortly after midnight, resulting in disruption of electricity supplies to those areas, said sources there.
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Graduate Protest Resolved

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga agreed to appoint protesting unemployed graduates as high school teachers yesterday evening, but not before high school students demonstrating in Trincomalee town, were assaulted by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), said sources in Trincomalee.
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Three daughters killed by their father

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A father killed three of his daughters and then attempted to commit suicide on July the 4th in Alaveddi north, Jaffna.
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Vadamaradchi restrictions partially lifted

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Restrictions on taking food and other essential goods to Manalkaadu in Vadamaradchi East through the Sri Lankan Army check post at Vallipuram have been lifted from today following a meeting yesterday between Vadamaradchi SLA commander Brigadier Karunaratne and representatives of the public, said sources.
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TELO accused of extortion

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
In response to a complaint made by the public that members of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) were indulging in extortion and other corrupt practices in Jaffna, Brigadier Susantha Mendis, Brigade Commander, Jaffna Town, said today, that he will not allow any orgainsation to engage in lawlessness, said sources in Jaffna.
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New mobile health clinics for Northeast

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) arranged a press conference at its office in Jaffna town, to announce that it was setting up 65 new mobile clinics in the Northeast of Sri Lanka, said sources in Jaffna.
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Accused rapist alleges mass graves in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Revelations by Corporal Rajapakse, the first accused in the rape and murder case of Krishanthi Kumaraswamy, the Jaffna schoolgirl, that there were places in Jaffna where more than 400 dead bodies were buried, have had repercussions in the minds of the Jaffna public, said sources in Jaffna.
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Bodies of youth handed over to ICRC

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The bodies of two youth, suspected to be members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), killed in a clash with the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) at Pallai, 30 km southeast of Jaffna on June 30, were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross yesterday, said sources in Jaffna.
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Chief Priest rejects Committee Findings

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Mahanayake Thera (Chief Priest) of the Malwatte Chapter of the Siam Nikaya rejected the findings of the official three member committee headed by Chandrananda De Silva, Secretary, Ministry of Defence, appointed to probe the Maligawa bomb blast, said the Sunday Times today.
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Amnesty commends sentences, appeals for clemency

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The international human rights watchdog Amnesty International commended the sentences passed on the six accused security forces personnel in the Krishanthi Kumaraswamy rape and murder case, but also said that it will go through the formality of asking the Sri Lanka President for clemency because it did not believe in the death sentence.
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EPDP leader's condition said improving

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Sunil Rajapakse, the Kalutara Magistrate remanded 16 suspects over the stabbing of Eelam Peoples' Democratic Party (EPDP) leader Douglas Devananda on Tuesday at the Kalutara prison, said prison sources on Saturday.
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Protests over planned evictions

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Over 500 persons staged a peaceful sit down protest (Satyagraha) before the Trincomalee Divisional Secretariat on Friday, protesting against the notice issued by the Sri Lanka Government that it intended to acquire the land on which their homes had stood for 30years, said sources in Trincomalee.
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Trinco fast over jobs continues

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
One of the three persons fasting unto death over the issue of jobs for graduates was warded at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Trincomalee Base Hospital with a heart problem on Friday, said sources in this eastern port town. The trio began their fast on Thursday at 9:00 a.m.
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Batticaloa youth shot dead

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
An unidentified youth riding a bicycle was shot dead by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) at Viloontrikovil, near Vantharamoolai, 15 km north of Batticaloa around 5:00 p.m. yesterday, said ex-militant sources in Europe when contacted by TamilNet last night.
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Death sentence for Krishanthi accused

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Five Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers and a policeman were given the death sentence by the three member bench trial at bar, for the abduction, rape and murder of Jaffna schoolgirl Krishanthi Kumaraswamy, and the murder of three other people, including her mother and brother, in September 1996, said sources.
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Fear in Batticaloa, Amparai

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Members of the public in the Batticaloa and Amparai Districts are fearful that they might be punished by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) for filing cases in the courts run by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and for making complaints to the LTTE's police force, said ex-militant sources in Europe today when contacted by TamilNet.
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Jaffna SLFP official appointed

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) appointed Mr. S. Devakulanayagam as the party Secretary for the Jaffna District yesterday, said sources there. He replaces Mr. S. Oswald who was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on June 24.
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Fast love?

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A school girl was abducted this afternoon from a leading school in Vantharamoolai, 15 km south of Batticaloa, and taken to Eravur, 12 km north of Batticaloa, before she was rescued, said sources Batticaloa.
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Five councillors lose their posts

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Commissioner of Elections, Mr. Dayananda Dissanayake informed five members of the Chavakachcheri Pradeshiya Sabah that they will cease to hold office, having failed to take their oaths in the three months after the completion of the local government elections, said sources in Jaffna.
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Civilians killed in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Two civilians were killed and two wounded when a shell fired by the Special Task Force (STF) from Manmunai, during its operation on June 29, hit a house at Makiladitheevu, 18 km Southwest of Batticaloa, said sources there. Manmunai is 12 km south of Batticaloa.
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SLAF squadron leader killed

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Nine Airforce personnel, including a squadron leader, were killed and five wounded when a landmine exploded under the jeep they were travelling in at Puthur, west of Kanakarayankulam, in the Vanni around 4.50 p.m. today, ex-militant sources in Europe told TamilNet.
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Colonisation sparks communal passions

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Communal passions flared up when encroachment on state land in Trincomalee was discussed during the Trincomalee District Coordinating Committee meeting at the Trincomalee District Secretariat last morning, said sources at this eastern seaport town.
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Munasinghe makes Major General

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Brig. Munasinghe of the Sri Lankan Army has been promoted to a rank of Major General said sources. Brig. Munasinghe has been the official SLA spokesman for several years.
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Massacre suspects charged

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Attorney General, yesterday, filed plaints against 21 suspects in the Thapalakamam massacre, before P. Swarnaraj, Magistrate, Trincomalee, said sources in Trincomalee.
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Displaced people's rations slashed

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Dry rations for a third of the displaced families in the Trincomalee District is to cut from today, said sources in Trincomalee.
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Investigation into EPDP leader's stabbing

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Ministry of Justice has appointed Mr. P.Paskaralingam to investigate the attack on EPDP leader Mr. Douglus Devananda in the Kaluthura prison, said sources. Mr. Paskaalingam is expected to submit his report to the Minister of Justice, Prof. G.L.Pieris shortly, they added.
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EPDP leader's condition 'serious'

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The condition of Mr. Douglas Devananda, leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) and Parliamentarian for the Jaffna district, who was attacked by detainees at the Kalutara prison yesterday is said to be serious, said hospital sources.
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