Ex-soldiers identify more Jaffna grave sites

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 August 1999, 18:35 GMT]
Fourteen places where scores of arrested Tamil civilians were allegedly killed and buried by the Sri Lanka Army in and around Chemmani near Jaffna town in 1996 and 1997 were identified today by ex-soldiers convicted in the rape and murder of the Jaffna school girl Krishanthy Kumarasamy.
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Protest over acquisition of historic Tamil temples

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 August 1999, 14:16 GMT]
The All Ceylon Hindu Congress faxed an urgent letter to the Sri Lankan President today drawing her attention to a gazette notification by the government to acquire the Keerimalai Naguleswarar temple and the Maviddapuram Kandaswamy temple for the expansion of the Palaly army base in Jaffna and urging her to suspend any action in this regard. Lands belonging thousands of civilians in the northern part of the Valikamam division of Jaffna along with the two temples and numerous Hindu shrines are to be acquired under Gazette Extraordinary No.1083/9 of June 8, 1999.
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'Friendly fire' hits EPRLF cadres

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 August 1999, 12:05 GMT]
Sri Lankan Police shot dead a member of the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) and arrested another following the claymore attack on the police jeep at Veerapuram this morning said the group's district secretary in Vavuniya, Mr N.Sivasakthy Ananthan.
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Demonstration against attack on Uthayan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 August 1999, 10:03 GMT]
Over two hundred journalists, writers, students, priests and others took part in a demonstration in Jaffna town this noon to protest against the grenade attack on the Uthayan paper on August 21, blamed on a paramilitary organisation operating with the Sri Lanka Army in Jaffna.
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Soldiers desecrate LTTE burial site

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 August 1999, 03:10 GMT]
A group of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers on patrol damaged Libertion Tigers' war dead memorials at Eachchankulam, 9 km. west of Vavuniya town on Sunday, residents of the area said. The troops had also ordered the villagers to destroy the memorials, they added.
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Fact finding mission to Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 August 1999, 02:51 GMT]
N.A Obadage the Chairman of Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority for North (RRAN) and the Commissioner General of Essential Services and Ms. Miru Poulos, the Political Officer and the 3rd Secretary to the High Commission for Australia in Sri Lanka, visited Vavuniya today, said sources.
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Four policemen killed in claymore blast

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 August 1999, 23:04 GMT]
Four Policemen including a Police Inspector were killed and a Sub Inspector was wounded when the jeep they were travelling in was hit by a claymore mine at Veerapuram, few kilometres from Cheddikulam in the Vavuniya district, around 10 a.m. this morning
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Chemmani witness points out rape, murder scene

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 August 1999, 18:47 GMT]
Somaratna Rajapaksha showed investigators today the house of the couple who were dragged from their home and allegedly murdered by SLA soldiers while watching a video movie with their two children at Mulli in Ariyalai.
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Key witness identifies Jaffna grave sites

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 August 1999, 12:28 GMT]
Ex. Sri Lanka Army Corporal Somaratna Rajapaksha identified five places near Jaffna town today in which, according to him, about forty-three civilians arrested and killed by Sri Lankan Security forces may lie buried. The Jaffna press was briefed on the developments by state counsel Yasantha Kothagoda this afternoon at Chemmani.
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Ex-soldier goes to identify Jaffna mass graves

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 August 1999, 07:15 GMT]
Somaratna Rajapaksha, the SLA corporal convicted in the rape and murder of the Jaffna school girl Krishanthi Kumarasamy, told the district judge in the northern town this morning that Police investigators who questioned him on the alleged mass graves in Chemmani did not record the names of SLA officials who, according to him, were involved in the arrest and killing of more than six hundred civilians in the peninsula in 1996-97.
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Jayalath accuses President of making false allegations

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 August 1999, 07:13 GMT]
In letters addressed to President Chandrika Kumaratunge, Dr. Jayalath Jayawardene, an opposition (UNP) MP has accused the President of making false allegations about his visits to Vanni. TamilNet has received copies of two such letters.
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TELO cadres arrested for grenade attack

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 August 1999, 23:02 GMT]
(Adds Photo)Sri Lankan security forces arrested three TELO cadres tpday in connection with the grenade attack on a police post at Veppankulam. The TELO cadres sustained injuries when the forces entered TELO's camp at Ukkulaankulam and assaulted them following the grenade attack.
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LTTE-SLA clash in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 August 1999, 17:07 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army soldier was seriously wounded in a confrontation with the Liberation Tigers in Jaffna today. Sources said that the Tigers had attacked an SLA patrol near Saanthanayahi Vidyalayam in Madduvil south around 1.30 p.m. this afternoon.
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GA's driver arrested

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 August 1999, 09:12 GMT]
The driver of the Mannar Government Agent, Antonythas,34, was arrested by the Sri Lankan Police around 4 p.m. on Friday said his family members. He was arrested at Kachcheri by the Mannar police said sources.
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Muslim protesters jeer UNP leader

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 August 1999, 07:56 GMT]
Crowds of Muslim protesters jeered as the Sri Lanka's opposition leader Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe passed through Sammaanthurai, 48 kilometres south west of Batticaloa, this morning. The leader of the United National Party (UNP) was on his way to address a party rally in Kalumnai, organised by 'My Own' Mustapha, an influential businessman-politician who broke away from the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) recently.
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Four University students arrested

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 August 1999, 15:08 GMT]
Four Tamil undergraduates from the University of Moratuwa were arrested by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Colombo last night. The whereabouts of the students were not known until this noon sources said. All are from Jaffna.
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Detained soldiers stage roof protest

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 August 1999, 11:53 GMT]
Ten Sri Lanka Army soldiers detained at the Jaffna prison climbed to the roof of the prison building this morning protesting at their detention in the peninsula said sources. The soldiers shouted "help us" from the top of the roof.
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PLOTE calls Hartal in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 August 1999, 06:33 GMT]
Shops were closed and streets were deserted in Vavuniya this morning in response to the Hartal called by the PLOTE today as a token protest against attacks on the people of the northern town by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA). Sources said there was no traffic on the roads.
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ACTC leader's Jaffna trip stalls

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 August 1999, 16:53 GMT]
The leader of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), Mr. Kumar Ponnambalam was denied an air ticket to Jaffna today because he had not obtained permission from the Ministry of Defence for visiting the north.
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Explosives found in van - Police

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 August 1999, 12:16 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Police in Badulla, 230 kilometres east of Colombo, said that they discovered about 20 kilograms of explosives hidden inside the spare wheel of a van last night.
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Rains raise concerns about Chemmani probe

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 August 1999, 03:45 GMT]
Investigations on the mass graves of Jaffna civilians arrested and allegedly killed by Sri Lankan security forces in Chemmani might be delayed again until next year due to heavy rains that hit the northern peninsula in the early hours of the morning today according to human rights activists.
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Child's death 'accident' - Judge

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 August 1999, 20:37 GMT]
Vavuniya-based SLA troops were accused at an inquest today of killing a two-year old girl. However the Magistrate returned the verdict of accidental death.
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Civilian traffic from Vanni

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 August 1999, 18:49 GMT]
Four hundred and twenty six stranded people arrived in Vavuniya from LTTE-held areas today, Kachcheri Officials in Vavuniya said. They follow the arrival of 560 people on Monday who entered Vavuniya under escort by ICRC officials.
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Troops, paramilitaries disrupt temple festival

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 August 1999, 16:22 GMT]
The annual festival at the Siththaandy Murugan temple was disrupted last night by Sri Lanka Army troops and marauding cadres of the Razeek group. The annual festival draws thousands of devotees of the Tamil warrior god from many parts of the eastern province. Siththaandy is 21 kilometres north of Batticaloa.
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Children killed, hurt in firing

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 August 1999, 09:27 GMT]
A two year old child was killed, two other children, two members of TELO and a Policeman were wounded in a shooting incident which followed after a grenade was lobbed at the Policemen on guard at the Police point at Veppankulam refugee camp transformer this morning around 5.30 said sources. Veppankulam is about 3 miles west of Vavuniya along Vavuniya - Mannar road.
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Blast kills paramilitary member

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 August 1999, 09:14 GMT]
Chandran Kali (25), a former member of the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front who is working with the Sri Lanka Army's Intelligence Unit, and his friend Mariyathas Suman (21) were killed in a bomb blast around 12.15 a.m. this morning said sources.
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Four STF troopers killed in Tiger ambush

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 August 1999, 06:51 GMT]
Four Special Task Force (STF) commandos were killed when the liberation Tigers fired at a patrol on a route clearing operation in Pulukanavai, 40 km southwest of Batticaloa, near the Maha Oya-Ampara Road around 8:00 a.m. this morning.
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ICRC brokers bus service

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 August 1999, 23:27 GMT]
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Trincomalee is awaiting for a response from the Sri Lanka Army to recommence the bus service to Mallikaitheivu, a Tamil village in the LTTE-controlled area in the Muttur division, said the ICRC Health Delegate Mr.Christopher Cliffe at a press conference held this morning.
Full story >>

More civilian traffic expected

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 August 1999, 23:19 GMT]
Five hundred stranded people in the LTTE held areas of the Vanni are expected to cross Mankulam access route with an escort of ICRC delegates tomorrow, officials in Vavuniya said today.
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Amnesty concerned for Tamil politicians

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 August 1999, 23:14 GMT]
Amnesty International, the London based human rights group said today it is concerned for the lives of several politicians belonging to Tamil political parties represented in Sri Lanka's parliament who are said to have received threats from the Liberation Tigers.
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Two SLA bodies returned

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 August 1999, 20:14 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers handed over the bodies of two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Mallavi yesterday said sources.
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Two missing in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 August 1999, 19:35 GMT]
A 14-year schoolgirl, Selvarajah Thushanhini, of Gurunagar in Jaffna has been reported missing since Saturday, according to a statement made by her parents to the Human Rights Commission in the northern town.
Full story >>

Search for Tiger infiltrators in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 August 1999, 14:43 GMT]
Two hundred and ten Tamil youth were arrested in Wellwatte, Bambalapitiya, Kotahena and Pettah in Colombo last night in a search operation by the Sri Lankan Police.
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Government to provide food for malnourished students

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 August 1999, 14:42 GMT]
The Presidential Secretariat announced today that free milk biscuits will be distributed among grade one students in four districts of the island.
Full story >>

EPDP accused of grenade attack on Jaffna daily

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 August 1999, 13:46 GMT]
The People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) charged today that the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) was responsible for the grenade attack on the office of the Jaffna daily, the Uthayan, on August 21.
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Photo journalists receive money from UNP leader

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 August 1999, 12:21 GMT]
The leader of the United National Party (UNP), Ranil Wickremasinghe gave hundred thousand rupees to Sri Lanka's photojournalists' Association today. This was given to help journalists whose equipment were damaged by pro-government thugs during the attack on a rally by the opposition on June 15 said UNP sources.
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Views of Mankulam crossing

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 August 1999, 22:25 GMT]
(Photographs) TamilNet correspondents' views of the movement of civilians from the LTTE held areas of the Vanni region to Vavuniya today.
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Colonisation jubilee to be celebrated

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 August 1999, 19:25 GMT]
The golden jubilee celebrations of the Gal Oya development scheme will be held in Ampara on August 28 and 29, district co-ordinating committee sources said today.
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NAP calls for cease-fire

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 August 1999, 14:22 GMT]
The National Alliance for Peace (NAP), a group of NGOs, religious leaders and academics, called on the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers today to observe a three day cease-fire from August 27 to 29.
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Six villagers killed by homeguard

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 August 1999, 14:18 GMT]
A military trained home guard in the Sinhala settlement of Padaviya, south west of the district border between Trincomalee and Mullaithivu, shot six persons over a love affair last night before killing himself.
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Police overlook Sinhala encroachments - UC Chairman

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 August 1999, 17:33 GMT]
Encroachments on title deed lands belonging to Hindu temples and individual Tamils in Trincomalee, especially in the Mattikali area which lies at entrance to the town, are going on unabatedly, said the former chairman of the Urban Council, Mr.P.Sooriyamoorthy in a letter to the North East Governor Major General Asoka Jayawardene.
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School girl wounded in SLA shelling

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 August 1999, 16:28 GMT]
Paransothy Mohanarubi, a 15 year old school girl was seriously wounded when the Sri Lanka Army stationed at Kaddaiparichchan camp fired shells towards the Kaddakarachcheni in the Muttur area, about 20 km. south of Trincomalee yesterday evening, residents said.
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SLA advance repulsed -VoT

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 August 1999, 16:19 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers had attacked and repulsed the Sri Lanka Army troops who had attempted to advance from the Elephant Pass base the Voice of Tigers (VoT) said in its night transmission today.
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SLA corporal killed in mortar attack

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 August 1999, 04:13 GMT]
A Corporal of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) was killed in a mortar attack by the Liberation Tigers on the Vaakarai camp last night around 8.30 p.m, said sources. Vaakarai is a coastal village 64 kilometers north of Batticaloa.
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Vanni stranded civilians to arrive in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 August 1999, 03:56 GMT]
Five hundred civilians are expected to arrive in Vavuniya on Monday from the LTTE held areas of the Vanni region said K.Ganesh, the Government Agent in Vavuniya. He said the Liberation Tigers have also informed that another 300 are planning to travel to Vavuniya on Wednesday.
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Building owners ask for compensation

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 August 1999, 03:52 GMT]
The owners of 291 houses and buildings that were taken by the Sri Lankan Army in Kopay in Jaffna have petitioned the Divisional Secratariat of that area to return their properties or grant compensation for their loss or pay rent.
Full story >>

Grenades lobbed at office of Jaffna daily

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 August 1999, 16:38 GMT]
Two grenades were lobbed at the office of the only Tamil daily in Jaffna, the Uthayan, this evening around 8.30 p.m. A security guard , S.Selvarajah, was wounded and two cars parked in the shed behind the office were damaged by the explosion, the paper's assistant general manager Nadesapillai Vithiyatharan told TamilNet.
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Kumaratunga promises political solution in 2000

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 August 1999, 16:35 GMT]
A political solution to Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict will be found in the year 2000 said President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga addressing a massive rally of party members and supporters this evening in Colombo organised to mark the fifth anniversary of her People's Alliance coalition.
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Additional Tamil teachers to North-East schools

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 August 1999, 14:29 GMT]
The education of Tamil students in the Muttur area in the Trincomalee district, especially in the areas held by the Liberation Tigers, has been badly affected due to the acute shortage of teachers, parents complain.
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SLA accused of abductions

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 August 1999, 13:08 GMT]
Unidentified men, believed to be members of the Sri Lanka Army's intelligence unit abducted two youths at Iruthayapuram junction, 4 km. north of Batticaloa, yesterday noon, their relatives informed human rights organisations.
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Commandos smash shrines

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 August 1999, 13:07 GMT]
Special Task Force (STF) commandos cordoned off the Tamil village of Karaithivu, about 20 km. east of Ampara this morning and conducted a house to house search operation from 6 a.m. said residents.
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Electrified fences for Vavuniya Transformers

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 August 1999, 12:02 GMT]
Electricity transformers in the suburbs of Vavuniya are to be protected by electrified fences according to a decision reached at a special meeting convened this afternoon at the Sri Lanka Army's (SLA) Vavuniya headquarters.
Full story >>

Four LTTE casualties

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 August 1999, 06:23 GMT]
The Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio said in its transmission last night that two LTTE members died in the attack on Special Task Force (STF) in Ampara on Wednesday. Six STF personnel were also killed in the attack.
Full story >>

SLA fire hits child

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 August 1999, 23:05 GMT]
A seven year old boy, K.Nishanthan, who was playing in the compound of his house was wounded in indiscriminate fire by Sri Lanka Army soldiers on a route clearing patrol at Santhiveli, 27 km. north of Batticaloa on the Valaichenai road, this morning said sources.
Full story >>

Govt replaces Tamil Trinco Youth Affairs Deputy

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 August 1999, 17:05 GMT]
The government has replaced the Tamil Assistant Director of the Trincomalee district office's Department of Youth Affairs with a Sinhala officer, Tamil sources here said.
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South Asia land mine seminar concludes

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 August 1999, 16:09 GMT]
"Sri Lanka's war zones have the highest number of mines planted in the South Asia" said Lt.General (rtd) Gordon Reay, former commander of the Canadian army addressing a press conference at Wadduwa, south of Colombo today at the conclusion of a three day South Asia regional seminar on landmines organised by the ICRC. He said that alternatives to land mines in war fighting is being researched and developed by some countries such as Canada.
Full story >>

Editor questioned over corruption report

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 August 1999, 10:30 GMT]
Lasantha Wickrematunge, the editor of the independently owned Sunday Leader, an English weekly, is being questioned in Colombo by officials from the Criminal Investigations Department, his lawyers said today.
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One killed, three wounded in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 August 1999, 10:01 GMT]
Three Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were wounded this morning when a drunken trooper went berserk and opened fire at the Rockhouse headquarters of the SLA Armoured Corps at Moreda in Colombo, said SLA sources.
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One killed in Vavuniya clash

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 August 1999, 23:01 GMT]
A member of the Liberation Tigers was killed in a confrontation with military-trained police at Thavasikulam, an interior village 4 km. north-west of Vavuniya around 11.30 a.m. this morning, police sources said. A civilian was also killed in the incident local residents said.
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EPDP protests rights violations

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 August 1999, 23:01 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army's co-ordinating office in Mannar yesterday said sixteen youths have been detained by the Sri Lankan security forces under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) in the north-western district during the period between August 1 and 15.
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Jaffna skull unearthed

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 August 1999, 11:19 GMT]
A part of a human skull and a grenade were unearthed in Ariyalai West, a suburb of Jaffna, today by two woodcutters who were attempting to dislodge a tree stump by digging around this morning.
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Search operation in Valaichenai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 August 1999, 11:14 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army this morning cordoned off Valaichenai town, 32 km. north of Batticaloa, and conducted a search operation. All vehicular transport in the town area was also brought to a halt during the search operation, which lasted for three hours.
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SLA Jaffna operation concludes

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 August 1999, 11:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army officials said today three Liberation Tigers were killed during the combing operation they launched in the Vadamaradchi East Division of the Jaffna Peninsula in the past two days. Unconfirmed reports said three SLA soldiers were also killed.
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Arrest warrant for protest leader

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 August 1999, 23:00 GMT]
The Colombo district court issued warrant today to arrest Viraj Kariyawasam, the General Secretary of the United National Party's youth wing, (Jathika Yovun Peramuna), following yesterday's anti government demonstration in Colombo.
Full story >>

Violence at opposition rally

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 August 1999, 22:47 GMT]
A demonstration in Colombo today organised to protest against the Sri Lankan government's failure to honour its election pledges turned violent as Sri Lankan police fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.
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Troops assault civilians after complaints

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 August 1999, 22:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops Monday assaulted civilians who had recorded statements with the Chairman of the government-funded Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Jaffna Mr. Shanmuganathan Sreetharan, about their harassment by the SLA in Varani in the Thenmaradchi Division of the Jaffna Peninsula.
Full story >>

Trinco utility cuts to continue

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 August 1999, 22:17 GMT]
The cut in the power and water supply is expected to continue in the Trincomalee town and its suburbs for the second week, said officials today.
Full story >>

Lanka Muditha to resume service

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 August 1999, 22:14 GMT]
The Divisional Secretariat in Trincomalee today announced that about 1500 Jaffna bound civilian passengers and 1000 refugees would be shipped to Kankesanthurai on August 23 and 26 by the cargo ship 'Lanka Muditha'.
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SLA says ready to open route to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 August 1999, 17:13 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has informed the Liberation Tigers that it is prepared to open a safe passage between Jaffna and the Vanni through the Paranthan-Elephant Pass base complex.
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Navy extorting by proxy allege villagers

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 August 1999, 17:08 GMT]
The district judge of Mannar, M.Ilancheliyan, wrote to the commander of the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) base at Talaimannar pier, T.E.C Jayakody, today asking him to help the court uphold law and order in that area in view of reports that a middleman has been extorting money from fisherman allegedly on behalf of two naval officers attached to his camp.
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Nine SLA soldiers killed in Omanthai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 August 1999, 11:35 GMT]
Nine Sri Lanka Army soldiers were killed in an claymore mine attack by the Liberation Tigers this noon around 1.30 p.m. in Navvi in the interior, west of Omanthai in the Vavuniya district. The soldiers had been travelling in a tractor.
Full story >>

Fighting in Vadamaradchi East

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 August 1999, 10:44 GMT]
Fighting has been reported between the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and the Liberation Tigers in the mangroves of Nelliyaan, Chempiyanpattu south and Maamunai in the Vadamaradchi East division of the Jaffna Peninsula.
Full story >>

Tiger ambush kills 6 STF commandos

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 August 1999, 03:58 GMT]
Six commandos of the Special Task Force (STF) were killed in an attack by the Liberation Tigers near the Bar Junction in Central Camp this morning around 7.30 a.m. Five STF commandos were wounded in the attack sources in Ampara said.
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Suspension follows persistent argument

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 August 1999, 20:21 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Minister of lands and Land development, D.M.Jayaratne was suspended today from sitting in Parliament for arguing with an opposition member of Parliament.
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Recruitment drive in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 August 1999, 20:19 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has called on the youth of Valaichenai, Ottamaavadi and Vaakarai divisions of the Batticaloa District join its ranks. The SLA called for youths who have passed grade eight at school to attend walk in interviews to be held at its 23-2 Brigade Head Quarters in Valaichenai Paper factory.
Full story >>

SLN Dvora sunk - radio

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 August 1999, 16:43 GMT]
A Dvora Fast Attack Craft (FAC) was sunk and two other boats of the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) were heavily damaged in a Black Tiger attack launched on a group of Sri Lankan patrol boats in the seas off Pulmoddai, 52 kilometers north of Trincomalee, said the Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio this evening.
Full story >>

"Posting unfair" - Courts told

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 August 1999, 15:52 GMT]
A fundamental rights case filed by five recently qualified medical officers objecting to being posted in the north-eastern parts of the island was taken up for hearing before Sri Lanka's supreme court today.
Full story >>

Confusion over firing at sea

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 August 1999, 09:43 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) said that they sighted and engaged two boats of the Sea Tigers in the seas off Pulmoddai, 52 km. north of Trincomalee, in the early hours of the morning today around 3 a.m. However other reports said fishing boats had been fired on.
Full story >>

Two more transformers blasted

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 August 1999, 09:39 GMT]
Two transformers, one at the Industrial Estate at Poonthoddam, another at Periyaarkulam in the same area the eastern outskirts of Vavuniya were blasted in the early hours of the morning today, said sources.
Full story >>

Madhu Feast in pictures

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 August 1999, 02:15 GMT]
(Photographs) TamilNet correspondents' views of the Madhu Feast held over the weekend and attended by over 50,000 people.
Full story >>

News In Brief

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 August 1999, 22:23 GMT]
A civilian was killed and a SLA soldier was wounded in clashes, a Vavuniya youth goes missing, a bulldozer is blasted and cash shortage hits Vanni health officials.
Full story >>

Madhu Feast proceeds peacefully

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 August 1999, 14:21 GMT]
Over fifty thousand devotees participated in the Madhu Feast which took place today, said church sources. The Bishop of the Ratnapura diocese conducted the festival mass in Tamil and Sinhala at 6.30 a.m. this morning, along with Rev.Fr. A. Xavier Croos, the Vicar General of Mannar and Rev.Fr.D.B.Derarajah.
Full story >>

Five fishermen missing

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 August 1999, 14:19 GMT]
Complaints have been made to the Police that five Sinhala fishermen had been abducted by a group of armed men in the Sampoor sea, 4 km offshore, south of Muttur in the Trincomalee district on Saturday evening.
Full story >>

SLA operation towards Paduvankarai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 August 1999, 07:59 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) stationed at the Vavunathivu camp, 5 km. south west of Batticaloa town, began an operation to recapture areas under the control of the Liberation Tigers in the western hinterland of the district last night around 8 p.m.
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Civilian forced to work by Police wounded

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 August 1999, 16:06 GMT]
A civilian who was engaged in forced labour by Sri Lankan military trained Police near the Paddirippu bridge, about 24 kilometers south of Batticaloa was wounded when sentries at this entry point to the western hinterland of the district opened fire indiscriminately among civilians here today.
Full story >>

Youth arrested in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 August 1999, 10:19 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army (SLA) arrested twenty two youth in the Batticaloa town on suspicion today.
Full story >>

Inquest into death of SLAF personnel

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 August 1999, 09:20 GMT]
The inquest into the death of Flight Lt. Mahinda Rajapakse took place at the Vavuniya district court yesterday.
Full story >>

Bishop wants demilitarized zone for feast

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 August 1999, 05:53 GMT]
The Bishop of Mannar Dr. Rev. Rayappu Joseph called on the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and the Liberation Tigers to declare Madhu church and its precincts as a demilitarized zone for holding the annual feast.
Full story >>

Most Vavuniya stranded back home

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 August 1999, 20:04 GMT]
The arrangements to return the people from the Vanni who became stranded in Vavuniya and Mannar due to the closure of the access route to the Vanni will conclude on Monday August 16, said sources.
Full story >>

Five refugees arrested

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 August 1999, 19:48 GMT]
Five people were arrested from the Pesaalai refugee camp in Mannar this morning around 10 a.m., during a combined cordon and search operation by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and military trained Police.
Full story >>

Dvora damaged - VoT

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 August 1999, 17:48 GMT]
The Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio said in its night news bulletin today that in a confrontation with the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) in the deep sea off Kokkilai, the Liberation Tigers damaged a Dvora fast attack craft (FAC).
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Batticaloa SLA continue crackdown

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 August 1999, 17:03 GMT]
Several youths were arrested by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Batticaloa town area today. Residents said an SLA troops in a truck went round the town picking up the detainees at random off the street.
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Two women arrested

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 August 1999, 17:01 GMT]
Mrs. Selvarani Parameswaran,42, was arrested by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) at Kaithady on Tuesday, August 10, and Mrs. Prof. Kulasegaram, 37, was arrested on the following day at Chavakachcheri.
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Government team visits Chemmani

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 August 1999, 16:59 GMT]
A team of government investigators arrived in Jaffna today to examine the sites of the alleged mass graves of civilians killed by the Sri Lankan security forces at Chemmani and Ariyalai.
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Two held by SLA intelligence

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 August 1999, 13:18 GMT]
Krishnapillai Pavalakesan, 26, an employee of a local NGO and Thambinayakam Sribalu, 27, a journalist were detained by the Sri Lanka Army's (SLA) Intelligence Unit in Batticaloa yesterday evening.
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Two LTTE boats damaged-SLN

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 August 1999, 09:52 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) said today that two boats belonging to the Liberation Tigers were damaged in a three hour long confrontation in the seas off Kokkilai, 40 km. north of Trincomalee, in the early hours of the morning.
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STF operation in Ampara

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 August 1999, 17:59 GMT]
The Special Task Force (STF) conducted a combing operation today in the Kanjikudichcha Aaru area in the Ampara district. About 150 STF personnel participated in the operation led by the Superintendent of Police Lucky Peiris, military sources said.
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PA, UNP pressed over peace

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 August 1999, 16:22 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Communist party and the Lanka Samasamaja party (LSSP) went in a procession and demonstrated today at Lipton's circus, near downtown Colombo, directing their demands at Sri Lanka's two main Political parties.
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Batticaloa SLA, paramilitaries on edge

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 August 1999, 14:30 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army cordoned off the area around Loyds Avenue on the Batticaloa-Trincomalee road where the SLA convoy was attacked yesterday, and conducted a search operation from 11 a.m. this morning. The SLA searched the area for more than four hours.
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Villagers say being harassed

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 August 1999, 13:21 GMT]
Two villagers have been abducted in Aandiyaapuliyankulam, an interior Muslim village in the Cheddikulam Division in the Vavuniya District last week, said sources.
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Trinco police discover three bombs

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 August 1999, 12:11 GMT]
The Special Unit of the Trincomalee Police recovered three powerful bombs buried at Sinnakulam in Thuvarankadu on the Trincomalee-Uppuveli road, three km north of the eastern port town today, police sources said.
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Soldier killed by friendly fire

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 August 1999, 12:02 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army soldier was shot dead by troopers of his own unit in the early hours of the morning today around 1 a.m. in the Forward Defence Localities (FDL) at Paappamoddai in Mannar.
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Impromptu crossing of paths

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 August 1999, 09:41 GMT]
A group of Liberation Tigers met a troupe of artists campaigning for peace accompanied by journalists returning yesterday after a performance in Sri Lanka Army controlled Thatchanamaruthamadu, northwest of Vavuniya, and told them that "Peace cannot be brought about easily because the President is determined to wage this war."
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ICRC marks Geneva Conventions' 50th. anniversary

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 August 1999, 03:47 GMT]
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the modern Geneva Conventions, which falls on August 12, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has launched the 'people on war' project said the ICRC in a press release issued in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo today.
Full story >>

News In Brief:

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 August 1999, 23:01 GMT]
Tigers name bomber, a Razeek group member is shot dead in Batticaloa, the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) conducts search operations in Jaffna and Trincomalee and sets up a news camp in Vadamaradchi East.
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Fire-fight as temple agreement violated

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 August 1999, 16:42 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers and the Razeek group, a paramilitary force handled by the Sri Lankan Army, are reported to have clashed near Batticaloa's Sri Mamangeswarar temple in the early hours of the morning today, said sources.
Full story >>

CEB imposes Trincomalee power cut

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 August 1999, 15:30 GMT]
A 45 minute-power cut has been imposed in the eastern port town of Trincomalee from today after heavy winds damaged the electricity pylon at Tamplakamam, Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) sources said.
Full story >>

Convoy blast kills eleven

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 August 1999, 11:56 GMT]
(2nd Lead) Eleven military trained policemen were killed and 19 wounded, 5 of them seriously, when a bus they were travelling in was hit by a claymore mine at Thandavanveli junction in the eastern town of Batticaloa around 12.10, today.
Full story >>

Two fishermen shot

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 August 1999, 11:52 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops shot and killed two fishermen who were fishing off the sea of Siruthivu, an island south west of Jaffna around 5 a.m. this morning.
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Nine policemen killed

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 August 1999, 07:36 GMT]
(Correction) Nine Sri Lanka police personnel were killed and 18 wounded when a bus they were travelling was hit by a claymore mine in the eastern Batticaloa district this morning around 11.30 a.m.
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Human skull found

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 August 1999, 21:17 GMT]
A human skull was found by diggers in the village of Munai on the coast of Pt.Pedro in Jaffna yesterday residents in the area said. According to them there was a Sri Lanka army camp at the spot where the skull was discovered yesterday.
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Youth arrested over Kaithady blast

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 August 1999, 21:16 GMT]
The SLA arrested and detained a youth from Kaithady east in Jaffna east this morning in connection with a bomb blast near one of its camps in the area on Sunday August 8.
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Arrests in Batticaloa, Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 August 1999, 15:31 GMT]
Nine people, including five women were arrested during a combined search operation by the Sri Lanka Army and military trained Police in the Batticaloa Central Market area this afternoon sources said.
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Views of Vanni crossing

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 August 1999, 10:01 GMT]
(Photographs) TamilNet correspondents' views of the movement of civilians through the newly established crossing point between areas held by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Liberation Tigers (LTTE).
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Petition for Rehearing filed in U.S Court

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 August 1999, 06:58 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam today filed a petition for Rehearing and Suggestion for Rehearing En Banc with the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, said Ramsey Clark, Lawrence W Schilling and Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran, the Lawyers representing the LTTE, in a press release issued on August 9th.
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Five arrested in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 August 1999, 20:26 GMT]
Five women were arrested this morning by the Sri Lankan Army. They were arrested due to possible connections with the Liberation Tigers said sources.
Full story >>

Crossing completed at Mankulam

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 August 1999, 16:10 GMT]
Ten lorries carrying essential supplies were sent under ICRC escort to the Vanni this afternoon by 4.30 p.m. Supplies from lorries that came from Vavuniya were unloaded and reloaded onto lorries from the LTTE held areas of the Vanni which came through the safe passage on the A9 at Mankulam around 3 p.m.
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Travellers use new access route

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 August 1999, 10:30 GMT]
Seven seriously ill patients from the Vanni came through the safe passage opened today at Mankulam on the A9. The 500 civilians who were taken from the Vavuniya for the crossing are in the process of moving through the safe passage to the side held by the Liberation Tigers now said sources.
Full story >>

SLA officer killed in suicide blast

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 August 1999, 09:43 GMT]
SLA officer killed in suicide blast
Full story >>

Further details of Vanni crossing

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 August 1999, 14:47 GMT]
Five hundred stranded travellers from the Vanni who are currently housed in the 'Kolikoodu' transit camp in Vavuniya will be in the first batch allowed to return to the LTTE controlled areas on Monday, said officials in the northern town of Vavuniya.
Full story >>

Soldier wounded in LTTE Ambush

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 August 1999, 14:46 GMT]
A soldier was wounded at Iranai Iluppaikulam, 18 km. north west of Vavuniya, at about 11.00 a.m. this morning when the LTTE ambushed a SLA water tank, sources said.
Full story >>

Access route to be opened on Monday

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 August 1999, 17:02 GMT]
A safe route to the LTTE controlled areas of the Vanni will be opened on Monday and the first batch of 500 civilians, out of the 2000 who are stranded in Vavuniya, will be allowed to cross over along with 10 truck loads of food, said K.Ganesh, the Government Agent in Vavuniya.
Full story >>

Villagers protest STF intimidation

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 August 1999, 16:58 GMT]
Residents of Pesaalai in the western sector of the Mannar island said today that they are being threatened by the commandos of the elite Special Task Force (STF) who are camped in their village.
Full story >>

LTTE, SLA de-mine to open access route

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 August 1999, 11:23 GMT]
Work on opening a safe passage for civilians on the A9 at Mankulam began at 11:30 a.m. yesterday. The ICRC delegate for Vavuniya, Sherine Pollini, and the ICRC delegate for Mallavi, Rene Walter, were present on either side of no man's land to witness the event and to facilitate the process.
Full story >>

Twenty youths arrested in round up

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 August 1999, 23:17 GMT]
Twenty Tamil youths were arrested by the Sri Lankan Army in a cordon and search operation conducted on Wednesday night in the Nilaveli- Gopalapuram area, 10 km of north of Trincomalee, residents said.
Full story >>

Tamil groups asked to leave politics

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 August 1999, 23:16 GMT]
A group of leading Jaffna traders have urged the TULF and the EPDP to keep away from politics until Sri Lanka's ruling PA reaches an agreement with the Liberation Tigers about an acceptable settlement to the island's ethnic conflict.
Full story >>

Army commandos assault TELO cadres

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 August 1999, 23:14 GMT]
Special Forces (SF) commandos of the Sri Lanka Army entered a TELO camp at Pandarikulam this morning, smashed it and assaulted eight of their members, said TELO sources. They said that two of the eight received gunshot injuries.
Full story >>

Vavuniya traders demand access route

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 August 1999, 23:09 GMT]
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) officials in Mallavi and Vavuniya visited the LTTE and SLA Mankulam defence lines today while both parties were engaged in de-mining their respective areas, sources said.
Full story >>

News in Brief:

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 August 1999, 23:05 GMT]
Sixty year old man wounded in Jaffna; Fire destroys sentry points and generator in Jaffna; LTTE member killed in confrontation and Injured PLOTE member dies in hospital.
Full story >>

German Government funds teacher training in Northeast

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 August 1999, 22:58 GMT]
A three-year teacher training project funded by the German Ministry of Technical Co-operation and Economical Development has been launched in the north-east province.
Full story >>

Special Forces commandos wounded in Vavuniya blast

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 August 1999, 06:54 GMT]
(Correction) Seven Special Forces (SF) commandos of the Sri Lanka Army were wounded this noon around 11.50 a.m. near Vavuniya town when the truck in which they were travelling was hit by a claymore mine.
Full story >>

Tell me about corruption - President

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 August 1999, 23:15 GMT]
The President has announced today that all complaints about high level corruption and bribery can be sent directly to her. The announcement, which was released by the Presidential secretariat, comes amidst pressure from the media and opposition over alleged bribes taken by the President and her media advisor Sanath Gunatileke.
Full story >>

PLOTE member shot dead in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 August 1999, 16:46 GMT]
K.Uthayakumar alias Kannadikumar, 38, a senior member of the PLOTE military wing was shot dead around 7.30 p.m. this evening by an unidentified gunman near his house in Kovilkulam, a suburb of Vavuniya.
Full story >>

Jaffna fishermen protest loss of UN aid

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 August 1999, 16:44 GMT]
Fishermen on the coast of Vadamaradchi north in Jaffna have been affected by the withdrawal of aid from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Full story >>

Train drivers strike causes frustration

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 August 1999, 16:42 GMT]
The train drivers strike that started at the Colombo fort station at 4.00 p.m. today has spread to other parts of the island.
Full story >>

Access route to be opened on Sunday

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 August 1999, 12:17 GMT]
The movement of civilians and food between the LTTE controlled areas of the Vanni and SLA controlled areas is set to resume on Sunday August 8, said government officials in Vavuniya today.
Full story >>

Teacher and manager arrested in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 August 1999, 12:01 GMT]
The manager of the Kiraan Multi Purpose co-operative Society (MPCS), Sivalingam Vijtharan, 28, was arrested by the Sri Lanka Army from his office yesterday at about 11.00 a.m., said sources.
Full story >>

Veppankulam blast was a claymore mine says Police

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 August 1999, 06:28 GMT]
The blast in which 12 Special Task Force (STF) commandos were killed at Veppankulam in Vavuniya was not caused by a suicide bomber said Police investigators this morning. Inquiries by the Vavuniya Police have revealed that it was a claymore type bicycle bomb attack.
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Safe passage can be opened next week -Balagalle

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 August 1999, 13:15 GMT]
The commander of the Sri Lankan security forces in the Vanni, Maj.Gen. Lionel Balagalle, said this afternoon that the message from the Liberation Tigers regarding the opening of a safe passage for civilians through forward defence positions was received by the Sri Lankan army around 11 a.m. today. He said that a reply by the SLA to the LTTE's message consenting to open a passage at Mankulam on the A9 highway was sent forthwith.
Full story >>

CID seeks SLA evidence

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 August 1999, 11:00 GMT]
Mannar District Courts Judge M, Ilancheliyan Tuesday ordered the commanders of 21-2 Brigade in Mannar and 21-1 Brigade in Vavuniya to hand over any evidence connected to the suspects in the murder of Ida Hamilitta, to the CID officials who are now in charge of the case.
Full story >>

Vanni patients reach Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 August 1999, 10:54 GMT]
Three patients from the Vanni area were brought to Vavuniya yesterday evening from the north-western town of Mannar having been evacuated from the Vanni by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said hospital sources.
Full story >>

STF convoy attacked

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 August 1999, 07:11 GMT]
Ten Special Task Force (STF) commandos were killed and at least 22 wounded when a bomb exploded at Veppankulam, 3 km. north of Vavuniya around 12 noon today police sources said.
Full story >>

LTTE agrees Vanni access point

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 August 1999, 23:40 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers are agreeable to setting up a demilitarised zone on the A9 highway near Mankulam between the present forward defences of the LTTE and the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), said an official of the LTTE in London who was contacted by TamilNet tonight with regards to the SLA's latest proposals for an access route.
Full story >>

EPDP to boycott Parliament

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 August 1999, 13:07 GMT]
The Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) said today that it will boycott Parliament until the PA government meets its demands. The Tamil group has nine MPs in the Sri Lankan legislature. Two seats, however, remain vacant currently due to a case pending in the courts.
Full story >>

"Deep concern over deteriorating situation"

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 August 1999, 12:43 GMT]
The New York based international monitoring organisation, Human Rights Watch, yesterday urged the Sri Lanka government and the Liberation Tigers to" reach an immediate agreement which would guarantee safe passage of civilians and essential supplies" to the parts of the Vanni which are not under the control of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA).
Full story >>

More troop movement towards Vanni warfront

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 August 1999, 09:53 GMT]
The Deputy Defence Minister, General Anurudha Ratwatte, visited Vavuniya today to inspect the latest situation in the Vanni warfronts, said sources. He was accompanied by the Navy and Army Commanders and senior Police officials.
Full story >>

Mannar boat ambulance suspended?

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 August 1999, 19:24 GMT]
Six seriously ill patients were brought in fishing boats from the Vanni to Mannar hospital this evening around 5 pm by officials of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Medicine Sans Frontiers (MSF), said sources in Mannar. Unconfirmed reports say the boat service has now been suspended.
Full story >>

Jaffna HRC releases figures

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 August 1999, 17:12 GMT]
Ten people were reported missing and eight were said to have been arrested by the Sri Lankan security forces in the Jaffna peninsula during the month of July according to the local office of the government-funded Human Rights Commission (HRC).
Full story >>

Peace talks ´not ruled out´

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 August 1999, 13:36 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government will not rule out talks with the Liberation Tigers said Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar addressing a press conference today at his ministry in Colombo.
Full story >>

New access routes proposed

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 August 1999, 13:28 GMT]
New proposals have been sent by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to the Liberation Tigers this morning regarding the opening of an access route to the areas held by the LTTE in the Vanni, Major General Lionel Balagalla the Chief of Staff and the Commandar for Vanni told a news conference held in Colombo this afternoon.
Full story >>

Muslims to oppose new province

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 August 1999, 11:44 GMT]
Muslims outside the Ampara district have reacted strongly to the proposal for a south east province made by Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader, MR. M.H.M.Ashroff and organized a petition against it.
Full story >>

News in brief

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 August 1999, 10:28 GMT]
Police firing damages shops and Fire at Batticaloa airbase
Full story >>

Jaffna students organise prayers for Vanni

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 August 1999, 07:43 GMT]
There has been no movement on the dispute over where to open an access route to the Vanni, said the Colombo spokesman of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) - Mr. Harsha Gunawardene.
Full story >>

Eight Tamils arrested during tight security

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 August 1999, 19:17 GMT]
Eight Tamils from the upcountry were arrested yesterday by the Sri Lankan police at the Yattinuwara Pattumawatta lane at Alimudakku, Kandy.
Full story >>

Residents object to name change

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 August 1999, 19:14 GMT]
The Tamil residents of Maskelia have expressed their objections to an attempt to change the name of a Tamil village, Samimalai, to a Sinhala name, "Nisanka Uyanne."
Full story >>

Father of four killed in shelling - VoT

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 August 1999, 19:11 GMT]
Sinnathambi Selvagopal (53), of Selvapuram in Pandiyankulam and father of 4 children, was killed in an artillery shell attack by Rana Gosha troops this morning, the VoT said in its night news transmission.
Full story >>

Jaffna church service for Vanni

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 August 1999, 19:08 GMT]
The government should not be allowed to use food as a weapon of war, said Father Selvarajah at a service following a prayer fast at St. Mary's church in Jaffna today.
Full story >>

Arrangements made for examinations

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 August 1999, 19:04 GMT]
Mr. S.P.Thamilchelvan, the leader of the Political section of the LTTE held a discussion with the head of the ICRC and UNHCR delegations at Mallavi, in Vanni, at around 10.00p.m. last night, said the VoT in its night new bulletin.
Full story >>

Sea route arranged for serious Vanni patients

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 August 1999, 16:21 GMT]
The ICRC commenced today the transport of serious patients via a sea route from the areas held by the LTTE to Mannar hospital, said sources.
Full story >>

SLA operation in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 August 1999, 11:30 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched a limited military operation today towards Paduvankarai, an area administered by the Liberation Tigers (LTTE), from Batticaloa.
Full story >>

Exam papers dispatched to Vanni

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 August 1999, 11:26 GMT]
Eight boats carrying admission cards, stationery and a batch of question papers set off from Pallimunai ferry around 10.30 am today, officials in Mannar said.
Full story >>

Vanni protests suspended

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 August 1999, 11:22 GMT]
The Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio said last night that the picketing campaign around the offices of the UNHCR and the ICRC in Mallavi in the Vanni had been temporarily called off last evening.
Full story >>