New SLA Psy Ops in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Psy Ops (Psychological Operations) unit of the Sri Lankan army put up colour posters for the first time in Batticaloa today. The numerous psyops posters by the army in the past have been in black and white.
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Outlook for Jaffna fishermen remains bleak

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Jaffna fisheries department sources said today that proposals announced by the Sri Lankan government on December 28, 1997 to develop the Jaffna fishing industry would founder due to the current restrictions placed by the Sri Lankan army and navy on lagoon and deep sea fishing in and around the peninsula.
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Fishmongers apprehensive over SLA order

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Sri Lankan military has ordered fishmongers at the Sithandy market to move their stalls opposite the Morakkottanchenai SLA camp. The order was issued by a Tamil informant for the SLA who wields some influence in the area.
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Kayts elections to be sober - army

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The sale of liquor has been banned in Kayts from today in order to maintain law and order during the forthcoming local government polls, the Sri Lankan army told the Tamil groups this morning.
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Peaceful start to New Year - almost

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A powerful bomb went off near the Kattankudy - Araipattai (Ariyampathi) border this morning around 11.30 a.m. The area is about six kilometers south of Batticaloa town. No one was injured.
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Vanni officials seen discriminated against

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Government officers are compelled to work under severe constrains in the North, especially in the Vanni area, said sources in the Vanni. They charged that that senior government administrators such as government agents (GA), additional government agents (AGA) and grama sevakas (village level government employees) were subjected to pressures which government employees in other areas did not have to face.
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Chinese Arms to bolster Jayasikurui - Radio

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A weapon ship from China is proceeding towards Sri Lanka to beef up the local military before Operation Jayasikurui's final push towards Kilinochchi, according to Voice of Tigers broadcast (VOT) last night.
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Jaffna election duty seen unappealing

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 December 1997, 23:59 GMT]
Sources at the Batticaloa Kachcheri election office said that only eight government servants have volunteered thus far to do election duty in Jaffna for the local polls there on January 29.
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LSSP veteran Bernard Soysa expires

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 December 1997, 23:59 GMT]
Mr. Bernard Soysa, Sri Lanka's cabinet minister for Science, Technology and Human Resources Development died this afternoon.
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9 people arrested

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 December 1997, 23:59 GMT]
A special Sri Lankan Police investigation team took nine persons into custody today from Kaluwanchikudy and Kattankudy in Batticaloa in connection with the vehicle bomb blast in Galle on Sunday. Five of the arrested persons were women said Police sources in Batticaloa. The nine persons have been taken to Colombo they said.
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No way out

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 December 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The plight of thousands of Tamil civilians incarcerated in the transit camps of Vavuniya still hangs in the balance, weeks after the Deputy Minister for Defence approved a procedure to expedite their release.
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TELO harassing civilians in Araippattai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 December 1997, 23:59 GMT]
Civilians in the Araippattai (Aryampathi) market, six kilometers south of Batticaloa, were beaten up by cadres of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) this morning after one of their colleagues was shot dead by a lone gun man near a tea boutique around 6.10 a.m.
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Muslim-Tamil ethnic unrest in Matale

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 December 1997, 23:59 GMT]
Twenty five Tamil shops were burnt today in the hill country town of Matale as Muslims in the area angered by the death of one of them went on a rampage.
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Father recovers shot sons body

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 December 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The father of Yogarajah Ramesh, the school boy who was shot dead by the SLA on Christmas day in Madduvil while reading an election poster, claimed the boys body today from the Jaffna hospital.
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Arms recovered from Razeek group - LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 December 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers announced in Batticaloa today that they recovered seven assault rifles including one NATO G-3 from the SLA's Razeek group in yesterday's ambush in the Thalavai-Punnaikudah, eight kilometers north of the Batticaloa town.
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Jaffna Bishop criticizes Tamil Groups

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 December 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The Jaffna Bishop Rt. Rev. Thomas Savundranayagam told TELO leaders who called on him this morning in connection with the forthcoming elections that it would have been a good thing if the Tamil parties had boycotted the local government elections.
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Tigers attack Razeek group in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 December 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers attacked the Razeek group which had been waiting in ambush for them in the Punnaikudah area east of Eravur town which is about eight kilometers north of Batticaloa this morning around 10.45 a.m.
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Pro-LTTE tone in TELO campaign

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 December 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) which is contesting all the local government bodies in Jaffna held a press conference today.
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No applications for postal voting

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 December 1997, 23:59 GMT]
Sri Lankan Election Commission sources said that no one has applied yet for postal voting in the Jaffna local government polls on 29 January. Although the commission has called for applications for postal voting on many occasions, there has been absolutely no response they said.
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Sitharthan says PLOTE is confident

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 December 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The PLOTE began its election campaign yesterday in Pt. Pedro, for the forth coming election for the local Government bodies. The organisation held several pocket meetings there.
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