LTTE, SLA discuss issues affecting Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 May 2004, 14:36 GMT]
Jaffna district political head of LTTE, Mr.C.Ilamparithi, and Jaffna district General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Sri Lanka Army, Major General Susil Chandrapala, held a two-hour long discussion at the office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Jaffna Friday morning, on problems affecting the normal life of the people of the Jaffna district, sources said.


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US to host multinational peacekeeping training in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 May 2004, 11:23 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army's first Multinational Platoon Exercise (MPE) on UN Peace Support Operations Training, orientated to achieve effective inter operability among participating countries is to be ceremoniously launched at the newly established campsite at Kukuleganga on June 12. The Kukuleganga campsite will be renamed as the Institute of Peace Support Operations Training Sri Lanka (IPSOTSL), Sri Lanka Defense Ministry said in a press release.


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Two SLA soldiers reported missing in Weli Oya

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 May 2004, 16:04 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Thursday complained to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that two of its soldiers serving in Weli Oya camp, north of Trincomalee district are reported to be missing since Wednesday evening, military sources said.
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SLA soldiers threaten LTTE cadre released to parents

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 May 2004, 15:50 GMT]
Parents of Mr.Nadaraja Tharasingham of Point Pedro Wednesday lodged a complaint at the Jaffna regional office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) that his son who was handed over to them by the LTTE in the presence of HRCSL officials recently is being intimidated by the soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) for being in the LTTE, civil rights sources said.
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Grenade attack on SLA in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 May 2004, 00:32 GMT]
Three Sri Lanka Army soldiers and a policeman were injured in a hand grenade attack when they were traveling on Vinyagar road, Sethukudah, 3 km from the Batticaloa town center, at 12:30 a.m. Saturday, sources said.
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Security strengthened for Batticaloa TNA parliamentarian

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 May 2004, 10:39 GMT]
More than ten Police officers and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers are providing security to Batticaloa district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, Ms.Thangeswary Kathirgaman, at her Nalliah Road residence in Batticaloa, security sources said.
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Hand-grenade explosion injures STF soldier in Batticaloa camp

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 May 2004, 10:22 GMT]
Explosion of a hand grenade Friday evening inside a Special Task Force (STF) camp near the main bus stand in Batticaloa town injured soldier Champika Kumara, security sources said. The injured soldier has been admitted to the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital and receiving treatment for his injuries, according to hospital sources.
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SLA bans cultivation in lands outside Palaly HSZ

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 May 2004, 18:09 GMT]
Inspite of repeated assurances by the Jaffna command of the Sri Lanka Army that internally displaced families will be allowed to resettle and do their cultivation in their lands located six hundred meters away from the forward defence line of the Palaly high security zone, soldiers manning checkpoints are putting obstacles for the resettled farmers to prepare their lands for cultivation, resettled families complained to TamilNet Friday.
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3 SLA soldiers charged in December shooting incident

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 May 2004, 10:21 GMT]
Police has filed papers in Jaffna District Courts against three Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers, Nagoda Witharna, Ranjith Samarakoon and Sunil Rohana for attempted murder of a newspaper vendor in Jaffna bus stand on December 9 of last year, local media reported.
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LTTE criticizes UNICEF over recent statements

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 April 2004, 16:57 GMT]
Mr. S.P. Thamilchelvan, the political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, has expressed disappointment with the UNICEF in a letter on Monday to the resident representative of the organization in Sri Lanka, Mr. Ted Chaiban, over the UNICEF's ‘vocal’ criticism of the LTTE on the issue of child soldiers, arguing that the UNICEF, while being vocal on the issue, has failed in its obligations under an Action Plan agreed upon by both parties in addressing the community needs and to support the released underaged cadres.
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Pannalai resettled complain of SLA harassment

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 April 2004, 09:55 GMT]
Eight Internally Displaced (IDP) families now resettled in no man zones located beyond 600 meter of the High Security Zones (HSZs) in Pannalai, Valigamam north in the Jaffna district Sunday complained that the soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) manning checkpoints and camps in the area have started harassing them with an intention of ousting them from their dwellings, civil society sources in Jaffna said.


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'Don't re-recruit released underage LTTE cadres' -UNICEF

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 April 2004, 13:19 GMT]
UNICEF Friday called on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to ensure that released underage cadres are not re-recruited. “The LTTE must commit itself to not re-recruiting any of the children that have left the organization in the wake of last week’s fighting,” the UNICEF said in a press release.
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LTTE hands over 269 cadres to their parents in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 April 2004, 14:53 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said Tuesday that it has handed over 269 of its cadres, including 168 who are less than eighteen years old, to their parents when they rejoined the LTTE following the LTTE's recovery of the Batticaloa-Amparai areas from the breakaway faction led by Mr. Vinayagamoorthy Muraleetharan (Karuna), Vanni sources said.
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Thennamaravadi voters return back to Vanni

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 April 2004, 02:16 GMT]
About five hundred displaced Tamil voters of Thennamaravadi village, seventy-three km off north of Trincomalee town Sunday returned to their temporary residence Ponnagar in the Mullaitivu district in the LTTE held Vanni region, after voting in the Friday poll, sources said. The villagers were denied their right to vote for the last two decades.
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Fishermen complain of harassment by SL Navy

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 March 2004, 16:50 GMT]
Vadamaradchi fishermen have made complaints to the Jaffna regional officials of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka that the Sri Lanka Navy has prevented them from fishing in the northern sea. " We are being chased away by the navy personnel when we venture out for fishing in the northern sea since Saturday,' fishermen said in their complaints to the HRCSL, fisheries sources said.
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EU Chief Observer visits Batticaloa scene of killing

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 March 2004, 11:48 GMT]
European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) Chief Observer Mr.John Cushnahan accompanied by European Union (EU) Sri Lankan delegation head Mr.Wouter Wilton arrived in Batticaloa Tuesday morning and visited the house where the Tamil National Alliance candidate Mr.Rajan Sathyamoorthy and his relative Mr.Kanthan Kanagasabai were killed. They also visited the hospital and inquired from the Police regarding the incident, sources said.


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Thennamaravadi residents to vote after 17 years

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 March 2004, 03:10 GMT]
Nearly six hundred displaced voters of Thennamaravadi, a traditional Tamil village on the northern border of the Trincomalee district located about 73 km from the east port town wiil be voting for the first time after they fled from the village in 1987 due to military operation by the Sri Lanka Army, civil sources said.


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SLN blocks TNA candidates from campaigning in Jaffna islets

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 March 2004, 11:53 GMT]
Lead candidate for Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in Jaffna district, Mavai Senathirajah, complained Friday to the Elections Commissioner that the Sri Lanka Navy soldiers are blocking TNA candidates and their supporter to carryout election campaign in Jaffna islets, local media from Jaffna reported.
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Permit Tamil people to exercise their franchise - Australian MP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 March 2004, 12:14 GMT]
"Unfortunately, due to a conflict between the President, who holds executive power, and the Prime Minister, the President dismissed parliament in February of this year and Sri Lanka will face general elections on 2 April 2004. It is vital that these elections are free and fair. It is particularly important that the Tamil people of the north-east, who have been deprived of their franchise during the last two decades, are permitted to cast their votes at the forthcoming elections," said John Murphy, Australian MP in a speech in the Australian Parliament Tuesday.
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STF searches Kovil kulam area for weapon cache

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 March 2004, 11:12 GMT]
In Kovil Kulam, Vavuniya district, Sunday around 12 noon, Sri Lanka's Special Task Force (STF) soldiers, dug several areas using heavy machinery near the tomb stone of Uma Maheswaran, leader of Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), in search of weapon cache alleged to have been buried there, security sources said.
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