DPU attack kills 2 civilians in Vanni

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 August 2008, 03:49 GMT]
A 15-year-old boy and a 33-year-old vegetable trader were killed on the spot at Olumadu Thursday evening when a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit triggered four Claymore mines targeting the grocery traders who were riding in a motorbike towards Nedungkea'ni in Mullaiththeevu district, Tamileelam Police said. The attack came a few hours before the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) dropped leaflets instructing the people of Vanni to move out of the LTTE controlled areas to Vavuniyaa.
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SLA Claymore attack kills refugee in Vanni

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 August 2008, 12:09 GMT]
A civilian was killed and three wounded when a group of Internally Displaced Persons, who were riding in a tractor in Thu'nukkaay, were attacked by the Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit Wednesday morning around 10:00, according to Tamileelam Police.
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Tamil Diaspora must act to prevent humanitarian tragedy - MP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 August 2008, 09:39 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Member of Parliament from Jaffna District, Selvarajah Gajendran, on Tuesday, urged the Tamil Diaspora to provide assistance to local aid agencies working among the IDPs in Vanni and to campaign in their host countries to exert pressure on the GoSL to remove restrictions on the transport of emergency supplies to Vanni and urge the International Community to support the Tamil people's right to live in peace in their homeland. The Sri Lankan government has ordered Government Agents to operate from Vavuniyaa and has actively discouraged even UN agencies from entering Vanni, the MP said.
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Catholic commission in Vanni highlights IDPs plight

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 August 2008, 00:19 GMT]
Amid pouring rain and thundering blasts of artillery and mortar shells, more than 170,000 Internally Displaced Persons in Vanni are facing a great human tragedy, which is calculatedly concealed from the world outside, said Rev. Fr. James Pathinathan, the president of the Vanni branch of the Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jaffna, in an urgent appeal to the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, on Tuesday. "If the International Community doesn't act at once, it will be too late," he told TamilNet after handing over the memorandum to the Residential Representative of the UNHCR in Vanni.
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Jaffna Catholics raise one million rupees to help Vanni IDPs

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 August 2008, 10:10 GMT]
In response to the recent appeal by the Commission for Justice and Peace (CJP) to all Catholics in Jaffna peninsula to generously contribute to a relief fund towards helping the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Vanni, 1.2 million rupees were collected during the special mass and Holy Communion held Sunday in the Catholic churches throughout the peninsula sources close to the Bishop of Jaffna, said.
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SLA restrictions affect cattle owners, farmers in Batticaloa district

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 August 2008, 09:56 GMT]
Cattle owners and farmers in Koara'laipattu South, Ea'raavoorpattu and Chengkaladi divisions of Batticaloa district have appealed to their respective Divisional Secretaries and Batticaloa Government Agent to help lift Sri Lanka Army (SLA) imposed restrictions in engaging in their livelihoods of dairy farming and agriculture. A threatening situation prevails in the remote villages of Batticaloa, especially against the cattle ownrs, as SLA soldiers manning the posts in Paduvaankarai region have stepped up deployment along jungle tracks and cattle posts used by cattle herders.
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IDP fire victims to be resettled in Sithamparapuram village

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 August 2008, 21:14 GMT]
220 Internall Displaced Persons belonging to 56 families, who lost their temporary shelters due to fire that took place second time at Poonthoaddam Welfare Centre in Vavuniyaa, could be resettled in Sithamparapuram village in Vavuniyaa division with their consent, according to Planning Officer Ms. Vijayaluxmy Ketheeswaran, who is in charge of resettlement division.
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6 Tamil youths of north arrested in Nuwara Eliya

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 August 2008, 21:10 GMT]
Six Tamil youths, residents of Maangku'lam and Ki'llinochchi in Vanni and Nelliyadi in Jaffna district, arrested on August 19 while residing in a rented out house located in Elgin area in Nuwara Eliya-Lindula police division are being held in detention in the police station under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), Police said.
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Fuel crisis cripples IDP movement in Vanni - Ki'linochchi GA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 August 2008, 11:24 GMT]
More than 100,000 Internally Displaced People in Vanni, languishing in dark beneath shrubs, bushes and in public buildings throughout Ki'linochchi district, and affected by various hardships imposed by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) has crippled the ability of the IDPs to move themselves and their belongings, according to the Government Agent of Ki'linochchi district. 134,868 IDPs belonging to 35,353 families are heavily affected by the economic blockade in Ki'inochchi district. Meanwhile the rainy season has begun in Vanni and more than 75 percent of the families are getting drenched by the torrential rain.
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University of Jaffna observes silent protest in solidarity with civilians in Vanni

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 August 2008, 09:40 GMT]
Hundreds of students and the staff of the University of Jaffna Tuesday morning gathered for a silent protest against the isolation of civilians in Vanni by the Sri Lankan government. The silent protest by the University society, expressing solidarity with thousands of displaced people in Vanni, comes after a long period of time marked with targeted annihilation of protesting voices in Jaffna.
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Colombo instructs Mullaiththeevu, Ki'linochchi GAs to work from Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 August 2008, 10:37 GMT]
Government Agents of Mullaiththeevu and Ki'linochchi districts are reported to have been 'advised' by the Colombo Public Administration and the Sri Lankan Home Affairs Ministry to work from Vavuniyaa due to 'tense situation' in the two districts, informed sources told TamilNet.
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GoSL suspends postal service to Vanni

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 August 2008, 16:40 GMT]
Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) has suspended postal service to Vanni since 8 August, completely cutting off all communications between Vanni and other districts. The GoSL had already suspended telephone connections with Vanni and the suspension of postal service has effectively isolated the LTTE controlled area in Vanni. People displaced in their thousands are undergoing innumerable hardships due to lack of food, shelter and medicine in Vanni and are unable to contact their relatives or friends outside Vanni.
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SLA steps up night shelling from three fronts on Vanni

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 August 2008, 11:20 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has continuously engaged its artillery batteries from the Northern Front, Mannaar Front and Ma'nalaa'ru Front with grinding bombardment during nights targeting residential areas in the rear of all the frontiers of Ki'linochchi and Mullaiththeevu districts since Tuesday. The systematic barrage has destroyed several houses properties and cattle abandoned by the fleeing residents besides damaging countless fruit trees. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) were continuously engaged in surveillance over Ki’linochchi and Mullaiththeevu districts during the nights.
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30% of Vanni students miss A/L Examinations due to aerial bombardment

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 August 2008, 00:12 GMT]
“Continuing hostilities in the region have seriously hampered the education of students in the region, and out of 762 students in the district only about 500 were able to sit for GCE Advanced Level examination," M.Theivendiran, Mullaiththeevu Zonal Director of Education told media Friday.
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SLA deprives Tamil devotees from attending Madu Shrine

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 August 2008, 21:14 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) hierarchy in Mannaar blocked Friday Tamil Catholic devotees from taking part in the special mass of blessing from Our Lady of Madu. Tamil Catholic devotees from Mannaar and Vavuniyaa were deprived from taking part in the mass, according to sources associated with the Church. Around 500 Catholic devotees from the South along with three Sri Lankan ministers were escorted by the Police to take part in Friday's blessings in Madu. However, Tamil speaking devotees who were present at Madawachchi were refused entry by the Police.
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Grenade attack on SLA checkpoint in Jaffna, no one injured

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 August 2008, 15:22 GMT]
Unidentified men riding a motorbike hurled a hand grenade inside the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) checkpoint located at the railway crossing along Naavalar Road, Jaffna at 12:00 noon Friday, sources in Jaffna said. SLA troopers manning the checkpoint escaped unhurt in the explosion. The checkpoint encompasses part of the railway track, and is located behind the EPDP headquarters Sridhar Theater building.
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Civilian killed, 2 injured in SLA shelling in Mullaiththeevu

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 August 2008, 17:21 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) from its bases in Ma’nalaa’ru area launched artillery and Multi-barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) fire Monday around 6:50 p.m on Kumu’lamunai, Chemmalai and Nedungkea’ni residential areas in Vanni killing a 57-year-old man and seriously injuring two, including a 46-year-old woman in Kumu’lamunai.
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Mullaiththeevu residents protest against SLA attacks

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 August 2008, 18:47 GMT]
Residents of Mullaiththeevu staged a protest march Monday condemning the recent Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery attack on Mullaiththeevu town injuring Mullaiththeevu Government Agent, on Mullaiththeevu hospital, the killing of Thu’nukkaay Assistant Government Agent, Nanthakumar and Ki’linochchi Development Officer in SLA Deep Penetration Unit attacks. The demonstrators voiced their protest against the indiscriminate Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombings of areas near schools during examination time and on civilian settlements in Vanni.
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SLAF fighter jets bomb Mullaiththeevu, 2 civilians wounded

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 August 2008, 18:04 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir jets dropped sixteen bombs in four sorties Monday around 8:20 a.m. on Puthukkudiyiruppu civilian settlements in Mullaiththeevu district. Two women including a lady teacher were injured in the bombing while many houses and fruit trees were damaged.
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Former IGP assumes duties as Governor of demerged North

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 August 2008, 10:48 GMT]
Former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Victor Perera, Saturday assumed duties as the first Governor of Northern Province in an event held at the chief secretariat of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) located at Varothiayar Nagar, Trincomalee, sources said.
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