SLA arrests Jaffna journalist

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 March 2006, 17:16 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers arrested a journalist working for the Tamil daily Thinakkural for photographing the front portal of the admintrative office of Jaffna jail located on the Main Street in Jaffna Town at 4 p.m. Saturday, sources in Jaffna said. The SLA soldiers refused to accept press credentials of Kandasamy Iruthayabavan and took him into the SLA camp for interrogation. He was released after two hours, sources said.
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Lectures resume at Jaffna University

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 March 2006, 00:32 GMT]
Lectures at University of Jaffna suspended from December 2005 due to violence in Jaffna district and the presence of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops in the university environment, resumed for freshmen to Senior classes of students Wednesday, said an official of the Jaffna University Student Union (JUSU). Only a few out of district students attended the first day but JUSU official said most of the other outstation students will arrive soon.
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TNA to boycott Devananda meeting

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 March 2006, 22:54 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians said Wednesday that they will boycott the District Integration Meeting schedueld for Thursday 16th at the Jaffna Secretariat to be chaired by Sri Lanka Cabinet Minister Douglas Devananda, the leader of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party, with the newly appointed Governor for NorthEast, Rear Admiral (Retd) Mohan Wijeyawickrema, and Mavai Senathirajah, TNA parliamentarian as co-chairmen, TNA sources said. The EPDP is a paramilitary group working with Sri Lanka Government and a political party aligned with the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA).
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Valaichenai protests against student abductions

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 March 2006, 11:19 GMT]
Valaichenai-wide hartal was observed and Valaichenai Hindu College in Batticaloa was closed Wednesday as protesters demanded the release of students, Jeyaraj Kirisanth and Suthaharan Kulosan, who were abducted by paramilitary cadres two days ago, sources in Batticaloa said. All public institutions, shops, banks, and hospitals were closed and the streets were deserted. Security was strengthened with increased police patrols and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers deployed at several key junctions, sources added.
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"Accusations, not negotiations" in Geneva - Nadesan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 March 2006, 22:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s delegation to the Geneva talks had no understanding of negotiation and set about hurling accusations at the Liberation Tigers rather than contributing to a constructive discussion that could lead to a resolution of the prevailing problems, Thamileelam Police Chief B. Nadesan said Tuesday in an extensive interview with TamilNet. He also discussed the multi-functionary expansion of the Thamileelam Police, including the use of DNA forensics. The Tamil Eelam Police Chief also said that the detention of three Sri Lankan police had been deliberately portrayed as arbitrary arrests by the LTTE but was based on specific intelligence on the individuals.
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Seven more youths abducted in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 March 2006, 11:20 GMT]
Five Tamil youths, aged between 15 and 20 were arrested by Sinhala speaking persons and paramilitary cadres in military fatigue Monday around 3:00 p.m. inside the LTTE controlled Murithanai in Vaharai, residents said. All five youths were laborers, villagers said. Murithanai is 5 km west of Valaichenai where two youths were abducted by paramilitary cadres on Monday. Further 2 youths were kidnapped in Urani in Batticaloa around 6:00 p.m. Monday. Nine youths were reported missing in Batticaloa on Monday.
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SLA rebuilding FDL posts in Vadamaradchi

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 March 2006, 08:51 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) is reconstructing previously abandoned positions in the Valikkandy area, a border village between Vadamaradchy North and Vadamaradchy east in Jaffna district. SLA soldiers are using large amounts of sleepers brought from Palaly military base for construction of the sentry posts and positions. The rebuilding of Valikkandy checkposts is part of an effort in strengthening the forward defense positions of the SLA in Jaffna district, SLA sources said.
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SLN takes Indian poachers to Point Pedro military base

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 March 2006, 09:13 GMT]
Five South Indian fishermen from Puthuchcheri district in TamilNadu who entered Munai area in the northern waters around 11:00 a.m. Sunday, were taken to the shore by Vadamaradchi fishermen. Tense situation ensued between the Sri Lanka Navy troopers and the local fishermen as they refused to hand over the Indian fishermen to the SLN. However, the SLN soldiers threatened the local fishermen and have forcibly taken the Tamil Nadu fishermen to the 52-4 Brigade quarters for investigations, fisheries officials said.
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Manalkadu refugee families lack basic facilities

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 March 2006, 03:33 GMT]
More than 350 tsunami affected families living in temporary shelters in Manatkadu, located 5 km east of Point Pedro, are undergoing severe hardships without very basic living facilities, civil society sources said. Only ten latrines have been built for the 350 families and no local or International relief agencies, nor Sri Lanka Government authorities have heeded the desperate appeals to provide additional latrines, sources added.
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Verugal FDL attack by paramilitaries repulsed- LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 March 2006, 15:06 GMT]
Liberation Tigers repulsed an attack on its Forward Defence Lines in Kattumurippu in Verugal area Batticaloa district by paramilitaries and members of Sri Lanka Army Friday night at 9.30 p.m., LTTE's media co-ordinator Thaymaster told TamilNet.
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SLA cordon, search Erlalai, beat bakery owner

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 March 2006, 12:02 GMT]
More than five hundred Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops with a few paramilitary cadres arrived in several heavy military vehicles and eight Buffel armored vehicles, cordoned off, and searched residences in Erlalai South, Kalavodai Amman Temple areas at 3.30 a.m. Wednesday morning, sources in Jaffna said. The SLA soldiers, at 6 a.m., entered the house of a 30 year old civilian who owns a bakery, beat him and left after ransacking his business premises, sources added.
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Jaffna student reported missing

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 March 2006, 17:20 GMT]
Parents of a seventeen-years-old boy in Jaffna, registered a complaint with Jaffna Human Rights Commission (HRC) office Tuesday that their son, Thushyanthan, has been missing for more than four days. HRC officials said there have been a marked increase in disappearances of persons in Jaffna district the last several days after a decline in the three weeks leading up to talks in Geneva.
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Northern fishermen call off protest action

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 March 2006, 02:43 GMT]
Valligamam South and West fishermen temporarily called off their protest against Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) after the Northern Regional Sri Lanka Navy Chief assured the fishermen, at a meeting Monday at Mathagal SLN base between Fishermen Societies Consortium and SLN, that he will take action to stop SLN soldiers from harassing the fishermen and damaging their fishing accessories, source said.
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Jaffna students boycott schools

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 March 2006, 15:54 GMT]
Students organisations in Jaffna district jointly boycotted schools Monday protesting against increasing Sri Lanka Army(SLA) officers' interference in administrative affairs in Jaffna,student officials said. Protesting students burnt the effigy of Northern Region Sri Lanka Military Commander, Maj. Gen. Chandrasiri in front of Jaffna Hindu College. Though large number of armed Police and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were stationed near all schools from early morning the boycott ended without incidents and normalcy prevailed in Jaffna, sources said.
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SLN fires at fishermen inside LTTE areas- Elilan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 March 2006, 15:52 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Trincomalee district political Head, Elilan, registered a complaint with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Sunday that Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) soldiers had entered the LTTE held coastal areas from Ilakanthai to Mankerni in the Muttur east division and fired at a group of fishermen, violating the CeaseFire Agreement (CFA), sources said. Sixteen fishermen in eight fishing boats in Koddadi near Ilakanthai were fishing within 200 meters of the shore line when SLN fired at them, according to LTTE political office.
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Jaffna students burn SLA Commander's Effigy

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 March 2006, 11:39 GMT]
In continuing protests in Jaffna against interference of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officers in the adminstrative functions of Jaffna Government officials, more than one hundred students from Kokuvil Techical College at 12 noon Sunday took the effigy of Northern Region Sri Lanka Military Commander, Maj.Gen.Chandrasiri, along Brown Road, and set the effigy on fire at Kaladdy junction, sources in Jaffna said.
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LTTE condemns attack on Vavunathivu sentry point

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 March 2006, 07:15 GMT]
The Batticaloa Political Wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, in a communiqué issued Saturday, condemned the attack by the paramilitary cadres working with the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on the LTTE Vavunathivu sentry point where two LTTE cadres were killed Saturday early morning 12.30 a.m. "We point out that the killings are a gross violation of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA), and provides further evidence that Sinhala extremists, SLA, its intellligence wing and the collaborating paramilitary forces are engaged in nefarious activities designed to trigger an all out war in our homeland to bring further calamity to our people," the communiqué further said.
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Student participation in LTTE functions irks SLA commander

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 March 2006, 02:39 GMT]
Major General Chandrasiri, Northern Region Commander of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), Thursday warned the five Regional Directors of Education in the Jaffna peninsula, not to permit students to participate in activities outside schools during school hours, education officials in Jaffna said.
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SLN fires artillery in Vadamaradchy deep seas

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 March 2006, 12:03 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) soldiers fired artillery in deep seas in Vadamaradchy east between 8 and 9 am Wednesday causing frightened fishermen fishing between Mamunai up to Uduthurai to hastily return to shore, sources in Vadamaradchy said.
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Muttur Magistrate reprimands Police irresponsible arrests

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 March 2006, 10:26 GMT]
Mr.Manickavasagar Ganesharajah, Muttur Magistrate instructed the Police to adhere to proper procedures while arresting and investigating suspects in cases. He admonished the police to not to harm and harass innocent civilians, and not to arrest suspects arbitrarily. The Magistrate made this remark Tuesday in open court when the Police submitted a report in a case stating that they did not recover any explosives from a suspect during the investigation. The Magistrate acting on the police report released the suspect from the case, legal sources said.
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