Muslim civilian abducted in Puththa'lam

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 June 2008, 19:11 GMT]
A Muslim civilian was abducted in Puththa'lam Tuesday afternoon by unidentified armed persons who arrived in a white van, according to a complaint lodged with the Puththa'lam police by the relatives of the victim, Mohamed Nisthar.
Full story >>

Outgoing Vavuniyaa Judge says he held inquests into 1000 deaths

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 June 2008, 14:06 GMT]
Newly appointed High Court Judge of Trincomalee district M.Ilancheliyan at a farewell event held in Vavuniyaa magistrate's court Monday said that he had held inquests into the deaths of over one thousand persons during his service in Vavuniyaa as Magistrate and District Judge, reports from Vavuniyaa said. He added that killing in nights, abductions and disappearances in Vavuniyaa district should be brought to an end. Authorities concerned should move into stop all atrocities committed against civilians in Vavuniyaa without delay.
Full story >>

Vavuniyaa Inter school sports competition indefinitely postponed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 June 2008, 11:37 GMT]
A sports competition for the students of a number of schools within the Northern provincial council scheduled to be held in Vauniyaa has been postponed indefinitely due to security concerns, Trincomalee based Northern Province Ministry of Education announced in a media communiqué released Monday.
Full story >>

Shady force speaks of revenge, claims responsibility for bus bombs

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 June 2008, 10:19 GMT]
'Ellalan Force', a shady identity in which name terror threats come from time to time in Colombo as well as in Jaffna, on Monday, claimed responsibility for the recent attacks on "transport vehicles" and said the attacks were "stern replies" to four Sri Lankan attacks, an aerial bombardment and three LRRP (also known as DPU) Claymore attacks, in which 26 Tamil civilians were killed.
Full story >>

50 civilians arrested in Ratnapura

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 June 2008, 17:18 GMT]
About fifty persons, majority of them Tamils of upcountry origin, were taken into custody in Ratnapura town in Sabragamuwa province in a cordon and search operation conducted jointly by the Sri Lanka Army and Police Sunday morning from 8 till afternoon. Police ordered owners to open their shops and searched, sources said.
Full story >>

White van gang abducts Tamil civilian in Dehiwela

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 June 2008, 15:11 GMT]
Unidentified armed men in a white van abducted Sunday night the owner of a hair dressing saloon in Dehiwela while he was returning home after having closed the saloon, according to a complaint made to Dehiwela police. Policemen had gone a few days ago to the house of the person abducted and interrogated him, his mother Raasaathi complained to Deputy Minister P. Radhakrishan, Colombo district parliamentarian.
Full story >>

48 persons arrested after Katubedda blast produced in court

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 June 2008, 14:20 GMT]
48 civilians of 56 arrested in Moratuwa, Katubedda and its suburbs during cordon and search operation following bus bomb blast that took place Friday morning were produced in Moratuwa magistrate's court on Saturday. The court ordered further detention of them. Eight were released, legal sources said.
Full story >>

Don't visit Colombo, Ganesan tells NorthEast Tamils

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 June 2008, 16:58 GMT]
Accusing both the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers for action irrationally, Mano Ganesan, leader of Western People’s Front (WPF) and the Convener of Civil Monitoring Commission (CMC) said in a media release Saturday, "[n]either the government nor the LTTE have any control over blasts going on in the respective territories under their own control," and appealed to the Tamil civilians travelling from NorthEast to stay away from Colombo and the South as both areas are "unsafe and insecure for Tamil civilians."
Full story >>

Australia asks citizens not to travel to North, NorthCentral, East

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 June 2008, 10:07 GMT]
Australian Government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in a reviewed and reissued travel advisory for Sri Lanka, asking citizens not to travel to "Northern, north central and eastern areas (including Cultural Triangle, Wilpattu and Yala National Parks),...because of the very high risk of politically motivated violence. " The advisory added that "[a]ttacks in Colombo have become more frequent and have killed many civilians. Recent attacks have been directed against public buses and trains. Further attacks can happen at any time, anywhere in Sri Lanka. Australians could inadvertently become victims of violence directed at others.
Full story >>

Two Tamils abducted in Colombo Friday

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 June 2008, 03:01 GMT]
Two Tamil civilians were abducted in Vaalaithoddam and Aattupattiththeru in Colombo city Friday afternoon by unidentified persons who came in vehicles, according to complaints lodged with respective police stations by the relatives, media sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>

Nine Muslim abductees released in Poththuvil

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 June 2008, 22:56 GMT]
Unidentified men who abducted 12 Muslim civilians collecting firewood from Meyaangoda area within Poththuvil police division, Ampaa’rai, four days ago released nine of them Friday, sources said.
Full story >>

Amnesty Australia exhibits photos on Sri Lankan rights abuses

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 June 2008, 09:21 GMT]
Amnesty International Australia held a photo exhibition, Cries of the Voiceless, over two days in central Sydney city, at the Martin Place Amphitheatre on 5-6 June 2008, o highlighting human rights abuses and violence against journalists in Sri Lanka. The photos taken with a rented camera by a 23-year-old man in Sri Lanka and explore life as a child in a conflict situation.
Full story >>

Claymore attack in Colombo kills 22 civilians, 50 wounded

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 June 2008, 02:45 GMT]
At least 22 civilians, including 8 females, were killed and more than 50 wounded when a Claymore mine targeted a bus at Katubedda, near the University of Moratuwa, 18 km south of Colombo at 7:35 a.m. Friday, Police said. The wounded were rushed to Lunawa and Kalubowila hospitals. Police has clamped down a curfew in Katubedda area.
Full story >>

27 Tamils arrested in Wellawatte

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 June 2008, 20:59 GMT]
Twenty seven Tamil civilians including four women were taken in for questioning by the police in Wellawatte in a lightning cordon and search conducted in Wellawatte area Thursday. They are being detained in the police station and interrogated by the Terrorist Intelligence Division (TID), media sources reported.
Full story >>

Two civilians killed in DPU Claymore attack

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 June 2008, 16:58 GMT]
A 45-year-old man and a 24-year-old youth were killed on the spot Thursday morning when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) set off a Claymore mine targeting a tractor carrying Internally Displaced Persons who were on their way to relocated their personal belongings from the houses in Maanthai West in Mannaar district to Maanthai East in Mullaiththeevu district, Tamileelam Police officials said.
Full story >>

138 military personnel killed, 549 injured in May - Wikremanayaka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 June 2008, 16:48 GMT]
During the third session of Sri Lanka's parliament which commenced Thursday morning after a month long prorogation by Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa using his executive powers, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake stated that during May 138 members of the three armed forces and police were killed and 549 were injured in confrontation with the LTTE. 63 civilians were also killed during that period, according to Wickremanayaka.
Full story >>

Mob attacks ambulance in Kaththaankudi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 June 2008, 07:56 GMT]
Nine civilians, 6 of them patients and 3 medical staff, were wounded Thursday around 11:00 a.m. when a mob stoned an ambulance which was on its way to Batticaloa Hospital from Akkaraippattu Base Hospital. The angry Muslim mob was not aware that it was attacking an ambulance with 6 Muslims, Police said. Tension prevails in Kaaththaankudi and the surrounding areas. Meanwhile, medical staff at Batticaloa Teaching hospital staged a protest rally towards Batticaloa Police protesting against the security laps in the area where tension prevailed Thursday and demanded improved security measures for medical workers and ambulances.
Full story >>

16 Tamils wounded in mob attack in Kaaththaankudi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 June 2008, 06:40 GMT]
Sixteen Tamil civilians, traveling in a private bus, lorry and another vehicle on Batticaloa Kalmunai road were wounded when a Muslim mob armed with stones and batons attacked them in Kaththaankudi around 10:30 a.m., following a rumour that a Muslim trader was knifed in Araiyampathi. Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) opened fire to disperse the crowd and brought the said Muslim trader to the street to show that he was unhurt, police officials said. 26 Tamils were wounded. 16 Tamils including 3 females and a 12-year-old minor were admitted to the district hospital in Aaraiyampathi and four of them were transferred to Batticaloa Teaching hospital.
Full story >>

9 civilians arrested in Dehiwala

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 June 2008, 21:35 GMT]
Nine Tamil persons were taken into custody by the Dehiwala police in connection with the bomb blast that took place along the rail track Wednesday morning in which eighteen persons were injured. They are being detained in the police station to conduct further inquiries, police sources said.
Full story >>

2 civilians wounded in SLA artillery attack in Vavuniyaa North

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 June 2008, 12:38 GMT]
Two civilians were seriously wounded Wednesday noon when artillery shells fired by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) hit the civilian settlements in Nedungkea'ni, Olumadu, Paddikkudiyiruppu and Cheanaippulavu villages in Vanni, Tamileelam Police officials told media. Nedungkea'ni is located in Vavuniyaa district, 37 km northeast of Vavuniyaa town and 30 km southwest of Mullaiththeevu town.
Full story >>