Police curfew clamped down in Batticaloa district

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 November 2008, 09:31 GMT]
Following the killing of 23 innocent civilians within the past 4 days by armed men in Batticaloa and mounting international attention on the terror prevailing in the East, a 12-hour police-curfew has been clamped down in Batticaloa district from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday to launch search operations.
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SLAF bombs refugee camp in 'secure zone' in Vanni, children among victims

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 November 2008, 08:59 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir bombers attacked a refugee camp of Internally Displaced People bordering Piramanthanaa'ru and Uzhavaoor (Tharmapuram) in Ki'linochchi district in the early hours of Saturday around 1:35 a.m. Medical authorities at Tharmapuram said three persons were killed. Two, a 5-year-old child and an 80-year-old man, died at the hospital. At least 18 wounded civilians, including 7 children and 7 females, were admitted at the hospital following the indiscriminate bombardment on IDP settlement. Medical authorities described the bombardment as "terrible mid-night aerial attack on refugee camp". SLAF bombs refugee camp in Vanni, children among killed, wounded
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80 Tamils arrested in Colombo, Kandy

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 November 2008, 17:42 GMT]
More than eighty Tamil civilians, including eight women, arrested in Colombo and Kandy in separate cordon and search operations conducted by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police on Wednesday and Thursday are detained in respective police stations and are being interrogated.
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Floods kill 6 people in Vanni, thousands displaced

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 November 2008, 17:21 GMT]
At least four people were reportedly killed and two more feared dead in the floods caused by storms coupled with torrential monsoon rain during the past 6 days in Vanni. The sluice gates of Visuvamadu tank were opened as the raising water level posed great danger to the wall of the dam that has been shaken already by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) attacks. Also the sluice gates of two other tanks, Udaiyaarkadduk-ku'lam and Kalmaduk-ku'lam, were opened. Hundreds of volunteers of Tamils Rehabilitation Organiation (TRO) and the Tamileelam Police personnel were seen evacuating civilians and in arranging immediate accommodation in public places.
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Token fast against killings of Tamil civilians observed in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 November 2008, 14:57 GMT]
A one-day token fast demanding the immediate stop of the rampant killings of Tamils in Batticaloa district and the arrest of the killers was observed Friday around 9:00 a.m near Gandhi Statue in Batticaloa town, organized by Pillayan faction, Baticaloa Municipal Council (BMC), and Federation of Local Government Councils' (LGC) Presidents, presided by the Mayor of Batticaloa Municipal Council, Ms. Sivakeertha Pirapakaran, sources in Batticaloa said.
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15 Tamils arrested in Ratnapura

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 November 2008, 05:45 GMT]
The Ratnapura police assisted by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and home guards took into custody about fifteen Tamil civilians in a cordon and search operations conducted in the Ratnapura town on Wednesday early morning till midnight
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Vanni MP condemns Mumbai killings

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 November 2008, 20:08 GMT]
The deliberate and indiscriminate killing and injuring of hundreds of civilians and foreign tourists in Mumbai by armed men shocks the civilized world and is beyond all justification, said Selvam Adaikalanathan, Tamil National Alliance MP for Vanni, on Thursday.
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India is our friend, we are not against any country, remove the hindrance of ban: Pirapaharan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 November 2008, 12:31 GMT]
While conveying his love and gratitude to the people and leaders of Tamil Nadu and leaders of India who have grasped the heartbeat of Eezham Tamils and have come forward with timely support, the LTTE leader V.Pirapaharan in his Hero’s Day speech on Thursday requested them to voice firmly for Tamil Eelam and to undertake conducive measures to remove the ban, a great hindrance to amicable relationship between India and the LTTE. “At no stage did we ever consider India as an enemy force. Our people always consider India as our friend. They have great expectations that the Indian super power will take a positive stand on our national question”, he said. The LTTE leader also requested the world powers to remove the ban on it, citing that the LTTE never schemed any act against any country and the Tamil struggle is not against the geopolitical, national or economic interests of any country.
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2 Tamil civilians shot dead in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 November 2008, 09:43 GMT]
Unidentified armed men shot and killed Tuesday night two Tamil civilians in two separate shootings, in Vaakarai and Vavu’natheevu police divisions in Batticaloa district.
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Grenade attack injures policeman in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 November 2008, 18:31 GMT]
Unidentified persons hurled a hand grenade Wednesday around 8:00 p.m on a police sentry post near Kalladi Clock Tower, seriously injuring a policeman. A Tamil civilian was seriously injured when the policemen in the sentry post opened indiscriminate fire following the attack.
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19 Tamils arrested in Wattegama

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 November 2008, 13:20 GMT]
Nineteen Tamil civilians including six women were taken into custody by the Sri Lanka police in a cordon and search operation conducted in Wattegama town in Kandy district in the central province on Tuesday, sources in Kandy said. The arrested are being held in Wattegama police station and are being interrogated.
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6 Tamil civilians including 4 in a family shot dead in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 November 2008, 06:27 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen shot and killed the parents, son and daughter Tuesday around 12:30 p.m in Ka’luvaangchchikkudi police division and in a separate shooting unidentified armed men shot and killed a young woman Tuesday around 9:15 p.m in Vaazhaichcheanai police division while unidentified armed men shot and killed a family man Tuesday around 11:00 p.m in Karadiyanaa’ru police division.
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Relief supplies from Tamil Nadu still not reached Vanni

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 November 2008, 05:25 GMT]
Emergency relief supplies, sent by the efforts of Tamil Nadu people and their government, received in 100 containers in Colombo 11 days ago, have not reached Vanni due to the sabotage by the Sri Lankan military, a top government official, who did not wished to be named, told TamilNet. Severe flooding has cut off Vanni on Wednesday. However, contradicting to the ground reports, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi was made to believe that the supplies were reaching the affected civilians unhindered.
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Vanni irrigation bunds close to breach, threaten 10,000 IDPs

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 November 2008, 05:03 GMT]
Increasing water levels due to non-stop rain the past five days, and the earth bunds critically weakened to withstand water pressure in several irrigation tanks, including Visuvamadu and Udaiyaarkaddu in Vanni, are posing increasing danger to populated neighborhoods and closeby temporary shelters of internally displaced, civil society sources in Vanni said. More than 10,000 IDPs are being relocated throughout Vanni due to the threat posed by flood waters, according to local officials.
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Thousands of IDPs stranded by floods in Vanni

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 November 2008, 18:50 GMT]
Floods are flowing over most of the roads and civilians who had sought refuge in open lands and in temporary huts in low-lying areas were forced to seek shelter in schools, temples, churches and public buildings in Vanni. Patients from Ki’linochchi and Mullaiththeevu district hospitals in need of urgent treatment in Vavniyaa hospital cannot be transported as the trunk roads in Vanni remain submerged in water.
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Mother, son, grandson shot dead in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 November 2008, 16:56 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen forcibly entering a house Tuesday around 7:30 p.m in Ka’luvaangchchikudi police division shot and killed an 80-year-old mother, her son, a retired village officer (Grama Sevaka) and grandson in a family, sources in Ka’luvaangchchikudi said. Meanwhile, more than a hundred civilians have been arrested and detained on suspicion following the killing of two Special Task Force (STF) commandos in a Claymore attack Tuesday morning in Ka’luvaangchchikudi, in a cordon and search conducted by the STF and the police.
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Rain, floods add to Vanni IDPs woes

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 November 2008, 12:30 GMT]
Continuous torrential rain for four days in several areas of Vanni has caused floods, destroying temporary huts of war-displaced civilians and disrupting transport on several roads of densely populated Northeastern region of Vanni. Several hundred volunteers of Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation and other local NGO were struggling to assist the displaced civilians to find shelter in various schools, churches, temples and other public places as thousands of civilians, forced to vacate their houses due to the Sri Lankan military offensive into Vanni, were deprived of proper shelter by the blockade imposed by the Sri Lankan government.
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Rights watchdog faults Colombo for deteriorating human rights situation in East

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 November 2008, 07:52 GMT]
"Killings and abductions are rife and there is total impunity for horrific abuses," in the eastern province, which the Sri Lankan government claims to have 'liberated' as an example of democracy in action, said the New York based Human Rights Watch (HRW). There have been at least 30 extra-judicial killings and 30 abductions in Eastern Province within the last 60 days, the HRW said blaming the Sri Lankan government for providing unqualified support to TMVP paramilitary factions. The attacks and other threats against journalists have caused the media to curtail reporting on the security situation in the East. Members of civil society organizations have also been subjected to threats, according to the HRW.
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3 Tamils shot dead in 3 separate shootings, in Batticaloa district

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 November 2008, 14:34 GMT]
Unidentified armed men shot and killed three Tamil civilians Sunday night in three different places in Batticaloa district. The first killing took place around 7:00 p.m in Kokkaddichchoalai police division and the second in Kaaththaankudi police division around 7:15 p.m while the third in Ea'raavoor police division around 8:30 p.m, according to sources in the respective police stations.
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Colombo 'commissions' education for structural war on Tamils

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 November 2008, 13:28 GMT]
Beginning from curriculum, school textbooks, teachers, educational administrators and resources to the destruction of the existing educational infrastructure in the guise of war, the structural violence committed by the Sri Lankan state against Tamils has been condemned by the Trincomalee MP, Mr. Thurairetnasingam in a parliamentary debate on Friday. “An ethnicity can be devastated by the destruction of its education, and that’s what this government is bent on doing in the North and East”, said the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP, while exposing the short term and long term ‘conspiracies’ of the Colombo government in ruining the education of Tamils.
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