Abductees not released, Ea’raavoor shut down continues

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 May 2008, 10:14 GMT]
The general shut down observed in the Muslim town Ea’ravvor in Batticaloa district demanding the release of the two Muslims abducted Thursday allegedly by TMVP Pillayan paramilitary group continued Monday with all shops, schools, banks, public and private institutions closed, sources in Ea’raavoor said. Though TMVP had promised to release the abductees earlier, they have not been released, Eastern Province Council member and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Eastern Province President, Baseer Seku Dawood, said.
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14 civilians arrested in Katunayake HSZ

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 May 2008, 09:25 GMT]
Fourteen civilians including eight women, majority of them Tamils, were taken into custody in a joint cordon and search conducted by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) and police on Sunday in the high security zone of Katunayake.
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DPU attack victims laid to rest in Ki'linochchi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 May 2008, 21:00 GMT]
The bodies of 16 civilians including 5 children, three girls and two boys, killed Friday afternoon in Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled Vanni during the claymore attack by the Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) were laid to rest Saturday afternoon 5:20 p.m. in Baarathypuram General Cemetery.
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8 Tamil civilians arrested in Chilaapam

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 May 2008, 02:35 GMT]
Eight Tamil civilians, majority of them are from upcountry or NorthEast were taken into custody by the police in a cordon and search operation conducted from Friday night till Saturday morning in Chilaapam (Chilaw) area in northwestern province, media reports said.
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TNA condemns Mu'rika'ndi killings

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 May 2008, 18:27 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (The Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi) in a press release issued Friday condemned the killing of civilians in Mu'rika'ndi claymeor attack, and urged the International community "to take necessary measures to insist the Sri Lankan Government to stop its terrorist attack on Tamil civilians," and to restore the normalcy by withdrawing the security forces from the NorthEast.
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Family of 6 from Thenmaraadchi seeks protection with Jaffna HRC

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 May 2008, 16:46 GMT]
Two parents and their four children, all below the age of seventeen, from Thenmaraadchi, sought protection Friday with Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna, due to death threats by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers and SLA-backed paramilitaries. SLA and paramilitaries were threatening to extort money from the father who has a shop attached to his house at Kaa’li Koayilady, Meesaalai West in Thenmaraadchi, sources in Jaffna said.
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Curfew in Kaaththaankudi, Aaraiyampathi lifted

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 May 2008, 13:39 GMT]
The curfew imposed in Kaaththaankudi and Aaraiyampathi areas in Batticaloa district Thursday, following the killings of three Muslims in revenge by paramilitary and the slaying of a key operative of the TMVP Pillayan group, was removed Friday around 6:00 a.m. Tension continues in the areas as final rites of the victims were held in their respective religious cemeteries while all shops, government and private institutions remained closed, sources in Batticaloa said.
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SLA accelerates colonization in Vaaka'rai

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 May 2008, 13:31 GMT]
Sinhalese fishermen from Puththa'lam, Chilaapam, and other areas of the island are being brought in increasing numbers into Vaaka'rai area in Koa’ra’laippattu North, Batticaloa district by the civilian coordinator of Sri Lanka Army (SLA), residents in the area said.
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Girl, child killed in SLAF bombardment in Vadamaraadchi East

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 May 2008, 11:34 GMT]
A 14-year-old girl and a 3-year-old child were killed when Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked a civilian settlement in at Kalpaadu in Chu'ndikku'lam 21 km northeast of Kilinochchi Friday around 2:00 p.m. A woman was wounded in the attack.
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16 civilians killed in DPU attack in Vanni, 5 children, 7 females among victims

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 May 2008, 10:10 GMT]
16 civilians, including 5 children, three girls and two boys, were killed in a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) Claymore attack that targeted a Hiace van returning from Akkaraayan hospital to Ki'linochchi on Mu'rika'ndi - Akkaraayan Road Friday around 2:15 p.m., reports from Ki'linochchi said. The SLA on Friday stepped up DPU attacks in LTTE controlled Vanni as the region was observing a national mourning day following the demise of LTTE's Senior Commander Brigadier Balraj.
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Reserved hero: Brigadier Balraj

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 May 2008, 09:00 GMT]
In over two decades of service with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Brig. Balraj, who passed away Tuesday after a heart attack, had been a courageous and skilled fighter and commander whose last years were spent institutionalizing the training of a new generation of LTTE field officers. Although he joined the LTTE later than many of the other top commanders, Brig. Balraj had risen rapidly through the ranks on the strength of his shrewdness on the battlefield and courage under fire, fighters who served with him said this week.
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Fisheries director killed, DPU attack targets ambulance

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 May 2008, 04:33 GMT]
Assistant Director of Fisheries in Mannaar, J.G.Jujin and another civilian were killed when a Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) Claymore mine targeted an ambulance of the Ki'linochchi hospital at Muzhangkaavil in Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) controlled Vanni Friday around 8:00 a.m., initial reports said.
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EPDP member shot in Mannaar bazaar

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 May 2008, 14:59 GMT]
An EPDP member who was distributing the paper of the paramilitary-cum-political party, Thinamurasu, was shot and injured by unknown gunmen in Mannaar Bazaar around 5:30 p.m., police said. Civilians who fled the Bazaar as Sri Lankan forces entered attacking everyone at the place after the shooting incident said three Muslim youths were severely attacked by the military.
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Muslims shot dead in revenge by paramilitary after the killing of key operative

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 May 2008, 10:30 GMT]
Following the killing of a key paramilitary operative Shanthan and his associate of the TMVP Pillayan Group in the Muslim town of Kaaththaankudi around 11:40 a.m. Thursday, gunmen from the paramilitary group opened fire on Muslim travelers in the pre-dominant Tamil village Aaraiyampathi, 1.5 km south of the Muslim town, killing three Muslims, Police said. Four persons, including two Sinhalese were wounded. Tension prevails in Kaaththaankudi and Araiyampathi. Sri Lankan police and Special Task Force commandos have been deployed in the area. A local curfew was imposed and additional forces were sent to the border village, Police said.
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5 abducted following SLA search operation in Vadamaraadchi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 May 2008, 07:18 GMT]
Five civilians including a couple have been abducted in three days last week after the large scale cordon and search operations carried out by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Vadmaraadchi, according to complaints made to Human Rights Commission Office (HRC) in Jaffna Wednesday. Four of the abductions have taken place during the early hours of the day when the SLA imposed curfew was in force, by armed men in vehicles.
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3 Tamil civilians arrested in Katugastota

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 May 2008, 02:38 GMT]
Three Tamil civilians were taken into custody in a joint cordon and search operation conducted by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police in Katugastota in Kandy district Wednesday following the explosion of a bomb hidden under a bridge along Kandy-Matale rail track Tuesday night around 11:00 p.m., sources in Colombo said.
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Ground facts, Rights lobby cause Sri Lanka's UN debacle

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 May 2008, 00:27 GMT]
Despite determined lobbying by Colombo during and prior to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) session at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the stark history of gross rights violations by Sri Lanka Security forces, the unfolding ground situation including the exit of International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) from rights monitoring from the island, and intense lobbying by several Rights organization including three Peace Nobel laureates, have led to the ignominous defeat of Sri Lanka Wednesday in securing the sought after coveted spot in the Human Rights Council of the UN.
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SLA arrests 60 civilians in search operation in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 May 2008, 16:56 GMT]
Hundreds of civilians were brought to the streets, each of them were photographed and around 60 of them were arrested in a joint cordon and search operation conducted by the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and Police in Mannaar from 5:30 a.m. till 1:00 p.m. Tuesday. The search operation mainly targeted housing schemes at Chaanthipuram, Periyakamam, Pa'l'limunai, and Na'lavanvaadi, sources in Mannaar said. The SLA has used masked men in the operation.
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Displaced Muslim civilian abducted in Puththa'lam

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 May 2008, 15:58 GMT]
A Muslim civilian, Mohamed Yoosuf, 60, displaced from Mannaar and being sheltered in welfare centre located in Karaitheevu in Vannaathivillu police division in Puththalam district was abducted by unidentified men in a white van Friday night, according to complaints lodged with the Vannathivilu police station.
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15 civilians arrested in Kandy

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 May 2008, 14:33 GMT]
Fifteen civilians from all three communities were taken into custody on Saturday in Kandy town in a cordon and search operation conducted by the police with the assistance of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA). They had been employed in several business establishments within the municipal limit of Kandy, media sources said.
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