2 civilians seek protection with HRC Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 March 2008, 04:20 GMT]
Two civilians from Puththoor Navakkiri and Chaavakachcheari areas sought protection Monday with Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna due to death threats by Sri Lanka Amy (SLA) troops and SLA-backed paramilitaries, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, 44 persons placed in protective custody of Jaffna Prison have been taken to the SLA Special Rehabilitation Centre in the High Security Zone (HSZ) in Thellippa’lai, the sources added.
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5 civilians arrested in Wellawatte

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 March 2008, 03:10 GMT]
Five civilians, all said to be Tamils, were arrested Monday in Wellawatte area in Colombo city in a cordon and search operation conducted by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police immediately after the time bomb explosion that took place near Roxy Theatre Monday morning around 7 a.m., media sources said quoting Wellawatte police sources.
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Allaippiddi IDPs reluctant to return despite concessions

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 March 2008, 16:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka government (GoSL) and Jaffna Government Agent (GA) are making efforts to resettle Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Allaippiddi, displaced due to Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) offensives in August 2006, offering benefits and concessions with the help of International and local Non-government organizations, Jaffna Secretariat sources said. But 90% of the IDP fishing families are reluctant to return because fishing, their main means of living, is banned by SLN and the danger from land mines near civilian settlements have not been fully eliminated, IDP related welfare organization sources said.
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50% turnout, paramilitary manipulates voting in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 March 2008, 11:10 GMT]
Voter turnout within Batticaloa municipal council was low till Monday noon, according to the sources in Batticaloa city. However, turnout at rural areas was above 50%. Despite the presence of a reasonable number of monitors, there were reports of fraudulent activities as paramilitary personnel were actively engaged in transporting voters to the booths. The TMVP paramilitary has heaped up anti-Muslim campaign warning Tamils that non-participation in local elections would benefit the Muslims. Paramilitary personnel were also seen visiting households checking civilians' participation in the elections. Violent incidents were low.
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Civilian killed, 4 wounded, bomb blast in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 March 2008, 02:16 GMT]
A civilian was killed and four students wounded in an explosion, believed to be caused by a time bomb, hidden inside a concrete pot along the Galle Road, opposite Roxy theatre in Wellawatte, Monday around 7:00 a.m., Police said. The locality of Roxy theatre in Wellawatte is a congested Tamil residential suburb of Colombo.
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Artillery duel in Northern Front

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 March 2008, 11:05 GMT]
An intense artillery duel was reported across Mukamaalai and Naakarkoayil in the Northern Front Sunday from 1:00 p.m. till 3:00 p.m., sources in Thenmaraadchi said. LTTE fired artillery shells had hit Sri Lanka Army (SLA) positions in Thenmaraadchi.
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Genocidal policies exposed, Colombo stands weakened - Nadesan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 March 2008, 22:49 GMT]
"Signs of desperation are evident in Sri Lanka’s defense hierarchy as the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) divisions stay bogged down within a few square kilometers in Mannaar, unable to advance for nearly a year. While SLA commanders are on foreign jaunts to build hurried military alliances, Colombo has also suffered politically with its racist policies in governance exposed internationally, and has earned opprobrium from international community for the escalating human rights violations," said B. Nadesan, head of political section of the Liberation Tigers addressing the event held in Ki'linochchi to pay last respects to the slain parliamentarian, K. Sivanesan, Saturday.
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Mt. Lavinia bomb blast suspects released on bail

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 March 2008, 14:19 GMT]
Four civilians-two Tamils and two Sinhalese- arrested in connection with the bomb blast in a bus in Mount Lavinia recently were released on bail when they were produced in court Friday. Magistrate Mr.Harsha Sethunge ordered personal bail for each suspect by signing a bond for Rs. 100,000. Further inquiry in the case was put off for May 7, legal sources said.
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Search operation in Anuradhapura

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 March 2008, 14:06 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police Saturday launched a cordon and search operation in Anuradhapura and took several persons for questioning. Police said they launched the operation after receiving information from a civilian on the presence of a claymore mine weighing about 10 kg close to a tank.
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Heavy fighting erupts in Parappaangka'ndal, Mannaar

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 March 2008, 09:11 GMT]
Heavy fighting has broke out between the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) in Parappaangka'ndal area in Mannaar from early morning Saturday. The main road linking Mannaar and Mathavaachchi was blocked from 10:00 a.m. till noon when ambulances were busy transporting casualties to Anuradhapura from Uyilangku'lam junction and a Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) helicopter was engaged in air-ambulance sorties from a landing pad near Tha'l'laadi.
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Karaveddi civilians pay homage to slain MP Sivanesan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 March 2008, 00:25 GMT]
Amidst tension in the village of Keava'lai in Karaveddi East due to heavy presence of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers, thousands of civilians paid homage Friday to the slain Jaffna District Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian K.Sivanesan assassinated Thursday in a claymore mine attack allegedly carried out by a Deep Penetration Unit of the Sri Lanka Army, south of Maangku'lam on A-9 Road in Vanni. The body of the slain parliamentarian was taken to his home town in Karaveddi East to enable the public to pay their last respects.
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Pirapaharan confers Maamanithar title to Sivanesan

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 March 2008, 16:58 GMT]
Velupillai Pirapaharan, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) has conferred Maamanithar (Great human being) title, the highest national civilian honour by the LTTE, posthumously to K. Sivanesan, the Tamil national alliance parliamentarian who was assassinated Thursday in Vanni in Claymore attack allegedly carried out by the Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit. Honouring Mr. Sivanesan, the LTTE leader said: "Mr. Kiddinan Sivanesan is a unique individual who functioned selflessly, honestly, and with courage. He is simple, courteous and loving. He is a sincere politician who possessed high ideals. He labored tirelessly for the advancement and welfare of the workers."
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STF accused of sexual abuses in Ampaarai District

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 March 2008, 14:37 GMT]
The Special Task Force Commandos of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) are illegally entering into the residences in Akkaraippattu, Aalaiyadiveambu areas in Ampaarai district during night hours, and sexually abusing female residents, affected civilians in Ampaa'rai said.
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Jaffna SLA commander calls upon LTTE cadres to surrender

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 March 2008, 04:34 GMT]
Major. Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri, the Head of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in the North in a media communiqué released Tuesday night called upon the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres operating in the peninsula to surrender themselves at the military bases in the peninsula, sources in Jaffna said.
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HRW: Rajapaksa Government, one of world's worst perpetrators of enforced disappearances

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 March 2008, 09:09 GMT]
The United States-based Human Rights Watch, an International rights advocacy group, on Thursday said Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa, "once a rights advocate," has now led his government to become "one of the world’s worst perpetrators of enforced disappearances." Issuing a 241-page report, "Recurring Nightmare: State Responsibility for 'Disappearances' and Abductions in Sri Lanka," the group has called on, in particular, India and Japan, to make further military and other non-humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka contingent on government efforts to halt the practice of “disappearances,” and to end impunity, including its acceptance of an international monitoring mission.
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SLAF fighter jets bomb Poonakari

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 March 2008, 14:08 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers dropped several bombs Tuesday around 10:45 a.m on Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held areas in Poonakari after flying over Jaffna peninsula, sources in Jaffna said. Details of damage or casualties in the air strike are not known. In an earlier raid on 22 February on civilian settlements in Poonakari region eight civilians were killed.
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Pillayaan group begins collecting voting cards of disappeared

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 March 2008, 12:50 GMT]
Paramilitary operatives of Pillayan group have started visiting the homes in the villages in Batticaloa district and begin to collect the voting eligibility cards of those who are deceased, gone missing or left for foreign countries, residents in the area said.
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SLA cordons, searches Jaffna coastal areas

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 March 2008, 15:35 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched a large scale cordon and search operation Sunday around 5:30 a.m in areas from Kurunakar to Kozhumpuththu’rai along Jaffna lagoon shores and led thousands of young men and family men to school and church compounds for interrogation, Jaffna sources said. The men had to wait in the hot sun the whole day while SLA troops subjected them to rigorous checking and interrogation, the sources added.
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TNA condemns SL Ministers' attempt to mislead Batticaloa voters

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 March 2008, 00:15 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in a media communiqué released Saturday condemned the action of the cabinet ministers of Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) attempting to mislead civilians in Batticaloa for their own political gain by falsely claiming the Japan initiated scheme of reconstructing Kallady bridge as “Dawn of the East," whereas the project is part of the ongoing effort Japan's effort to rebuild bridges after tsunami.
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10 injured, one SLA killed in two claymore attacks in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 March 2008, 16:42 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Police, two members of the Sri Lanka Government created Civil Defense Group, and six civilians were injured in a claymore attack that took place at Godshed junction in Vavuniyaa town Sunday evening around 4.30 p.m, electronic media said quoting police sources.
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