SLA arrests several Tamils in Mt. Lavinia

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 February 2008, 16:07 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police launched a combined cordon and search operation Saturday in Mount Lavinia and surroundings in Colombo, and took several persons for questioning following the bus explosion that took place in the morning. Majority of the arrested are said to be Tamil civilians working shops and other offices in the locality, media sources said.
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18 wounded in bus explosion in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 February 2008, 07:07 GMT]
Eighteen civilians were injured in a bomb blast inside a bus in Colombo Mount Laviniya Saturday around 10:45 a.m. Most of the victims were bystanders. The passengers had a providential escape as a woman traveler alerted the conductor and the driver of the bus about an unattended parcel underneath a seat in the Colombo bound bus coming from Morattuwa. The explosion took place after the passengers have got off the bus and while the driver was taking it to a safe location, police said. The blast in Colombo has taken place a day after the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) aerial bombardment on civilians in Vanni took the lives of 8 and injured 14, which included many children.
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International bias contributes to 'vicious cycle of violence', says Jaffna MP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 February 2008, 02:37 GMT]
“The International Community and India, which provide tacit support to Sri Lanka's belligerency, fail to stop or condemn attacks on civilians by Sri Lanka armed forces. But, whenever an attack takes place in the South it gets the prominence of news and International response is prompt. Then, as an occasional passing reference, the antecedents are cited. There is a definite pattern in the international behaviour related to events in Sri Lanka. By such one sided approach, do they encourage retaliations to take place in the South?” asks Jaffna district parliamentarian K. Sivanesan.
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Body of election candidate's brother recovered in Kiraan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 February 2008, 01:02 GMT]
Civilians recovered a male body washed ashore in in the coastal area near Sinnaveambu, Kiraan in Batticaloa, district Friday afternoon 5:00 p.m.in Batticaloa. Thiyagarajah, a father of 2 children, was abducted on his way to Vaazhaichcheanai from his house in Chinnaveampu and a complaint was lodged Friday morning at Vaazhaichcheanai police station, Eastern Province Deputy Police Commissioner, H. M. P. Herath said.
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8 civilians killed in SLAF bombardment in Poonakari, children among victims

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 February 2008, 05:37 GMT]
Eight civilians including a 6-month-old infant, a 4-year-old boy, their mother, a 8-year-old girl and an English teacher were killed, 14 including four children and another teacher were wounded in a Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) aerial bombardment of a civilian settlement at Kiraagnchi in the Poonakari division of Ki'linochchi district Friday at 8:10 a.m. Three houses were fully destroyed and many houses have sustained damage in the indiscriminate aerial bombardment in which more than 20 bombs were dropped by four bombers. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan ministry of defence in Colombo claimed that the SLAF had attacked "an inland sea tiger base" at Kiraagnchi.
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3 SLA soldiers killed in Buttala ambush

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 February 2008, 03:46 GMT]
Three Sri Lanka Army soldiers were killed when Liberation Tigers ambushed the vehicle in which they were travelling on Buttala - Kathirkaamam (Kataragama) Road, around 11 a.m., Wednesday, Police said.
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3 SLA soldiers gunned down in Buttala

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 February 2008, 12:23 GMT]
A group of attackers opened fire on a Sri Lanka Army vehicle on Buttala - Kathirkaamam (Kataragama) Road Wednesday around 11:00 a.m., killing three SLA troopers on the spot, Police said. Meanwhile, Brigadier Sudantha Ranasinghe, Hambantota SLA Commander, has been removed from his post with immediate effect. Col. Devendra Perera is appointed in place of Brigadier Sudantha Ranasinghe
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Vavuniyaa residents appeal for resumption of train service

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 February 2008, 01:35 GMT]
A memorandum signed by more than one thousand civilians appealing to the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse to remove the obstacles faced by people in the north at the various check points including the one at Madawaachchi, and to recommence the services up to Vavuniyaa, was forwarded to Colombo Tuesday.
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Tamil civilian abducted in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 February 2008, 01:08 GMT]
A 39 year-old Tamil civilian was abducted by unidentified persons who arrived in a white colored van along Muhathurvaaram Road in Muhathurvaaram in Colombo Monday night around 8.30 p.m., media sources in Colombo said.
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4 civilians seek protection with Jaffna HRC

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 February 2008, 16:02 GMT]
Four civilians, including a young woman, 28, and her six-year-old daughter, sought protection Monday with Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna due to death threats from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops and SLA-backed paramilitaries. The young woman's husband is already in protective custody in Jaffna prison, and the SLA has been forcing her to get her husband out of protective custody and to have him surrender at the SLA camp, according to the complaints she lodged with HRC Monday.
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29 Tamils arrested in Gampaha

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 February 2008, 13:45 GMT]
Thirty four civilians were taken into custody in a cordon and search operation conducted by the government security forces at Gampaha town from Saturday night till Sunday morning. Twenty nine of those arrested are Tamils, majority of them plantation workers. Three are Muslims and 2 are Sinhalese, media sources said quoting police.
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Two abducted Tamils in police custody

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 February 2008, 02:26 GMT]
Two of the three Tamil civilians abducted by unknown persons in Dehiwala and Grandpass last week are reported to be in the custody of the police for interrogation. The whereabouts of the third person, Asirwatham Sooriyakumar, 22, who was abducted from Grandpass is still not known, according to civil sources.
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Ministry reshuffle impacts relief supplies for Jaffna IDPs

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 February 2008, 16:46 GMT]
The distribution of relief supplies for Internally Displaced People (IDPs) within Jaffna peninsula has been seriously affected due to shifting of the responsibility from the Ministry of Nation Building to the Ministry of Resettlement and Disaster Relief services, Jaffna Government Agent (GA) K.Ganesh said, Sunday.
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Colombo banks demand police certificate to open accounts

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 February 2008, 12:46 GMT]
Managements of some private sector banks are demanding Jaffna based Tamil civilians residing in Colombo district to produce police registration certificate in addition to other documents usually required to open current or saving accounts in their branches located in Colombo, civil society sources in Colombo said.
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Memorial services for Maheswaran held in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 February 2008, 14:12 GMT]
A number of memorial services, alms giving and blood donation events were organized Friday throughout Jaffna peninsula to pay homage to the slain former parliamentarian and cabinet minister Thiyagarajah Maheswaran. The various events to mark the 45th day of his death was held in a number of Hindu temples in the peninsula including all Hindu temples in his birth place Kaarainakar.
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SLN imposes restrictions on NGOs assisting Allaipiddy IDPs

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 February 2008, 13:29 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) stationed in the Jaffna islets has imposed severe travel restrictions for Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) assisting the residents of Allaipiddy to resettle in their own village, civil society sources in Jaffna said.
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Man injured in bomb blast dies in Jaffna Hospital

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 February 2008, 06:17 GMT]
An employee of Nalloor Regional Secretariat injured in the bomb explosion 31 January at Aadiyapaatham Road in Thirunelveali succumbed to his injuries Thursday after two weeks of treatment in the Intensive Care Unit at Jaffna Teaching Hospital.
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SLAF bombs Visuvamadu, 3 civilians wounded

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 February 2008, 08:06 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked Eazhaalaik Kudiyiriuppu in Visuvamadu in Mullaiththeevu district Thursday around 10:30 a.m., wounding 3 civilians and destroying two houses of a settlement of IDPs.
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Tamil civilian shot dead in Akkaraippattu

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 February 2008, 02:16 GMT]
Two unidentified men riding a motorbike shot and killed a middle aged man riding a bicycle in Naavatkaadu, Akkaraippattu in Ampaa'rai district Wednesday afternoon at 12:30, Akkaraippattu police said.
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Tamil civilian from Ratnapura reported missing in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 February 2008, 01:59 GMT]
A familied man from Happugastanne, Ratnapura, who moved to Colombo five months ago to Colombo and living in Grandpass has gone missing since Sunday, the victim’s relatives reported to Deputy minister Rathakrishnan Wednesday morning.
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