2 SLA killed, 7 wounded in Paalaikkuzhi, Mannaar - LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 February 2008, 10:33 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army soldiers were killed and seven wounded Friday when Liberation Tigers attacked SLA positions at Paalaikkuzhi, according to Mannaar Operations Command of the LTTE.
Full story >>

Producers of documentary on Women Tigers showcase new film

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 February 2008, 05:00 GMT]
Sabiha Sumar's "Dinner with the President: A Nation's Journey," which she made with her husband, political columnist Sachithanandam Sathananthan, is the story not only of an unusual and intimate dinner with Pervez Musharraf but chronicles a series of gatherings with the constituencies of modern Pakistan, reports Salt Lake Tribune, citing the showing of the documentary at Sundance festival, Utah held 17-27 January. Sri Lanka born Dr Sathananthan, currently in self-exile in India, and his Pakistani wife Sabiha Sumar, produced a 1996 documentary "Suicide Warriors" based on the lives of women cadre amongst the LTTE's women's brigade, some of whom belong to the elite Black Tigers.
Full story >>

Jayalalitha to Centre: Take action against Karunanidhi for LTTE support

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 February 2008, 16:57 GMT]
Jayalalitha, leader of All India Anna Dravida Munnetta Kazhakam (AIADMK), the major opposition party in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday urged the Centre to take action against Chief Minister M Karunanidhi for his "support" to the LTTE. A resolution adopted at the party's General Council said that Mr. Karunanidhi, after coming back to power, not only remained silent over LTTE supporters, but also went a step ahead and eulogized the death of S P Thamilchelvan, LTTE's former political head. It labeled Karunanidhi's elegy "an act of treason" and alleged that it would pave way for secessionism.
Full story >>

Germany wants sanctions if Sri Lanka continues war

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 February 2008, 13:40 GMT]
Unless Sri Lanka’s hardline government abandons its militarist path, the EU should impose sanctions, Germany said this week, adding that an EU-Troika will travel to Sri Lanka in early March to assess the situation. In an interview with the Tages Speigel newspaper published on February 9, German Economic Cooperation and Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul also said Germany had frozen new development cooperation projects with Sri Lanka and, because of the deteriorating security situation, was withdrawing half their development personnel from the island as well as closing the German Development Bank in Sri Lanka.
Full story >>

Appalling rights violations no bar to contain rebellion- RSF

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 February 2008, 12:24 GMT]
"The government and the military have intensified the war against the Tamil Tigers and President Mahinda Rajapakse has sworn to stamp out the rebellion, at the price of appalling human rights violations if necessary. Both the Sinhala and English-language press came under even greater pressure from the authorities in 2007. On their side, the Tamil Tigers allow no dissident voices in the areas they control," said Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF) in the annual report issued Wednesday. "Some ministers behave like gang leaders," the report further described the deteriorating state of governance in Sri Lanka.
Full story >>

Priests deny SLA's "Shramadana" story

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 February 2008, 08:22 GMT]
Rev. Fr. S.K. Devarajah, the parish priest of St. Sebastian Cathedral in Mannaar in a statement issued Thursday, said that "the Sri Lankan Army occupied this church premises on their own," and added that his visit to the St. Anthony’s Shrine on the 11th of February 2008 was to ask the SLA permission to hold Lenten Pilgrimage in the shrine, and not to request the SLA command to conduct Shramadana (voluntary work). Colombo media and SLA had earlier reported that the SLA troopers were in the church compound cleaning the premises on the Priest's request when LTTE shells fell on the premises.
Full story >>

LTTE, SLA exchange artillery fire across Jaffna lagoon.

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 February 2008, 16:57 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched heavy artillery and mortar fire towards Jaffna lagoon in Ariyaalai east, an area close to Thanangki’lappu and Koayilaakka’ndi in Thenmaraadchi, Tuesday around 8:30 p.m. targeting boats that were crossing the lagoon, sources in Jaffna said. Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) retaliated, and the artillery duel lasted nearly ten minutes, according to Thenmaraadchi residents.
Full story >>

42 SLA killed in Mannaar clashes - LTTE

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 February 2008, 14:15 GMT]
20 Sri Lanka Army soldiers were killed in an intensive counter-attack launched by the Tigers on SLA units that attempted to move through Paalaikkuzhi targeting Adampan on Tuesday, the Tigers said. The direct clash intensified after LTTE mounted artillery attack on Tha'l'laadi garrison and the fighting lasted till 12:30 p.m. Meanwhile, a unit of SLA troops that advanced was trapped, unable to pull back, in an open area along Paalaikkuzhi - Adampan road at 1:30 p.m. LTTE's long range snipers, who engaged the unit, gunned down 22 SLA soldiers between 4:30 and 6:00 p.m., Mannaar Operations Command of the LTTE told media.
Full story >>

Outgoing artillery fire rocks Mannaar city

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 February 2008, 04:04 GMT]
Normalcy was disturbed in Mannaar city Tuesday from 8:10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. as Sri Lanka Army mounted an artillery barrage simultaneously from all its camps in Mannaar towards Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam territories, after an artillery box barrage carried out by the Tigers targeting the Tha'l'laadi garrison. LTTE shells hit a mini-camp causing casualties among SLA soldiers. Clouds of smoke were observed in the area where at least 3 of the SLA positions attached to the mini camp took fire. According to SLA reports, the LTTE shelling caused damage to St. Antony's church and killed 6 soldiers staying in the premises. The church shares a common fence with the mini-camp.
Full story >>

Three pronged SLA push thwarted in Pa'ndivirichchaan - LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 February 2008, 20:47 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Operations Command in Mannaar Monday said the Tigers thwarted a three-pronged ground push by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) along Pa'ndivirichchaan - Madu Road. The movement by the SLA, launched at 1:30 a.m. was defeated at one of the fronts within an hour. Heavy fighting was reported at the remaining two fronts on either sides of the road till the SLA was pushed back at 3:45 p.m., the Tigers said.
Full story >>

Indian Marxist party shuts door on JVP

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 February 2008, 08:31 GMT]
The Communist Party of India (Marxist), the key ally of the ruling Congress, has not invited the JVP to its 19th Annual Meet to be held in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The boycott of the extreme Sinhala nationalist party, that has been a regular attendee of CPI-M meetings since the 1970s, comes in the wake of heightened Tamil sentiments prevailing in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu where the CPI-M looks forward to consolidating its base.
Full story >>

India imparts secret training to SLA

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 February 2008, 08:25 GMT]
According to a report in the 'Times of India', a high-level team from the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Sri Lanka Military Intelligence Corps (MIC) were "brought stealthily into Pune five days ago for advanced intelligence training at Indian Army's various high-security institutions." The team is expected to be briefed on advanced electronic warfare, command, control, communications and computer intelligence at the Military Intelligence Training School and Depot (MITSD), the only institution of the Indian Army which imparts training in all aspects of intelligence.
Full story >>

Sooriyaarachi to be laid to rest Wednesday

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 February 2008, 21:51 GMT]
The remains of former Port Development Minister and Sri Lanka Freedom Party-Mahayana Wing (SLFP) (M) Coordinator Sripathi Sooriyarachchi, who was killed in a car accident Saturday at Thambuththegama, Anuradhapura was kept in Jayaratne Funeral Parlour in Borella Sunday morning for viewing by public to pay their homage, and was later taken to his residence in Kandana, sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>

Kudos to wider Tamil identity

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 February 2008, 21:39 GMT]
The decision of Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which enabled Razeen Mohamed Imam becoming a national list member of the Sri Lanka parliament last Wednesday, is received with wide appreciation from different sections of the Tamil-speaking people, including the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress. The 60-years-old lawyer Mr. Razeen Mohamed hails from Jaffna and is a member of the Ilankai Thamizh Arasuk Kadchi (the Federal Party started by the late S.J.V Chelvanayakam) for more than 30 years. He was also earlier a member of the Jaffna Municipal Council, elected through a Federal Party ticket.
Full story >>

430 Moothoor IDP families resettled

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 February 2008, 19:33 GMT]
The members of 430 families internally displaced from areas under the administration of Moothoor District Secretary (DS) due to clashes between Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and living in various welfare centres in Batticaloa District were transported back to their original areas of residence, Batticaloa District Government Agent (GA) Suntharam Arumainayagam, said Sunday.
Full story >>

16 SLA troopers lose their limbs in Mannaar FDLs

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 February 2008, 14:17 GMT]
More than sixteen Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops have lost their legs caught in booby traps at the Front Defence Line (FDL) positions in Pa’ndivirichchaan, Mu’l’likku’lam and Vi’laaththikku’lam in Mannaar district, since Friday, Mannaar LTTE Operations Command said.
Full story >>

Tiger snipers kill 4 SLA troops in Paa'laikuzhi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 February 2008, 13:49 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) snipers killed four Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers Saturday at Paalaikuzhi in Mannaar district, Mannaar LTTE Operation Command said.
Full story >>

LTTE, SLA clash in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 February 2008, 11:05 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) drove Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops back to their positions in a fight at Pa’ndivirihchchaan in Mannar district Saturday which began at 5:30 a.m Saturday and lasted till 4:20 p.m, Mannaar LTTE Operations Command said. The SLA troops fled back carrying the dead and wounded, LTTE said.
Full story >>

LTTE, STF clash in Ka’luvaagnchchikudi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 February 2008, 15:48 GMT]
Special Task Force (STF) commandos of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eeelam (LTTE) fighters had a direct encounter Saturday morning 4:30a.m near Ka’luvaagnchchikudi in Batticaloa District. During the exchange of gunfire which lasted 15 minutes, there were no STF casualties. No details were available about LTTE casualties, police added.
Full story >>

Tigers attack SLA Claymore team in Ma'nalaa'ru

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 February 2008, 20:20 GMT]
An SLA Claymore team that infiltrated into Vedivaiththa Kallu area in Ma'nalaa'ru (Weli Oya) Friday noon was attacked by the Liberation Tigers. The SLA team withdrew, leaving behind three Claymore mines, detonators and batteries.
Full story >>