23 civilians arrested in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 April 2007, 12:09 GMT]
Twenty-three persons, majority of them Tamils, were taken into custody in a cordon and search operations conducted in Trincomalee town and its suburbs by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers Friday evening. The arrested are being detained in police stations and are being interrogated, sources said.
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Sri Lankan soldiers kill 5 in fire ambush in Chenkaladi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 April 2007, 08:16 GMT]
Five persons, including a 3-year-old baby boy, a 15-year-ld girl and another civilian were shot and killed by a group of Sri Lankan troopers at Kanapathipillai village in Chenkaladi division in Eravur Police division around 8:30 p.m. Friday. The Sri Lankan soldiers who had taken cover alongside a road had opened fire on two persons suspected to be carrying weapons, according to civilian sources in the area. The two youths said to be carrying arms were yet to be identified. However, Sri Lankan military sources in Colombo have claimed that all 5 victims were civilians and blamed the Tigers for the killings.
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"Protect Muslim villages from chauvinists"- Amparai Muslims

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 April 2007, 10:37 GMT]
The Amparai District Muslim Theologian Council, known as Jemiyath Ulama Sabha (JUS), has appealed to the Muslim political leadership to take immediate steps to safeguard the traditional Muslim lands in Pottuvil electorate and other parts in Amparai district from being "swallowed by the chauvinist forces under the guise of tourism, archaeological reserve and environmental protection," sources in Amparai said
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9 Tamil civilians arrested in Muthur

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 April 2007, 10:35 GMT]
Nine Tamil civilians were arrested in Iruthayapuram, a Tamil village in Muthur south division, during a cordon and search operation conducted by combined security forces on Thursday from dawn till evening. All of the arrested were handed over to the Muthur police for further questioning, sources said.
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Rajapakse to meet Pope

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 April 2007, 10:33 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse is to pay a three-day official visit to Italy next week and is scheduled to meet Pope at Vatican on Friday during his stay in Rome, according to information released by the President's office.
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Police arrests twelve civilians in Eravur

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 April 2007, 00:09 GMT]
Eravur Police arrested and detained twelve Tamil youths including a woman in a cordon and search operation conducted at Division No 5 of Eravur in Batticaloa district Thursday morning. Large number of police officers sealed off the entire area and conducted a door to door search for several hours. The Police questioned every individual and scrutinized the identity cards.
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7 Sinhala civilians shot and killed in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 April 2007, 13:42 GMT]
Seven Sinhala villagers, including a boy and 6 women, all civilians, were shot and killed by unknown gunmen at Awaranthalawa, located 13 km southwest of Vavuniya around 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Police said.
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Civilian shot dead in Amparai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 April 2007, 12:58 GMT]
Unidentified armed men shot dead a family man Wednesday around 9:30 p.m. in Pandiruppu area in Kalmunai in Amparai district.
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Three Tamil civilians shot dead in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 April 2007, 21:16 GMT]
A group of armed men, alleged to be paramilitary cadres working for the Sri Lanka Army, shot dead three persons, a 20-year-old boy, a 48-year-old man and 68-year-old woman, and injured two at Kumankulam in Vavuniya Wednesday evening around 5:45. There have been at least five similar killings where 10 persons have been killed in the villages surrounding Veppankulam military camp.
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SLA disrupts Hindu festival in Thenmaradchy

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 April 2007, 08:52 GMT]
The annual Hindu celebrations at the historical Panrithalaichi Amman Temple in Manthuvil along Kanagampuliyady Junction- Jaffna Point Pedro road in Putur area in Thenmaradchy was disrupted when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers conducted a cordon and search operation Moday morning, civil society sources said. Thousands of disappointed devotees who thronged the area were prevented from proceeding towards the temple.
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Four Tamil youths in Udappu detained under PTA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 April 2007, 05:51 GMT]
Four Tamil youths arrested along with eight others in combined cordon and search operations conducted by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Police in Tamil villages of Udappu and Munthal, in Chilaw district in north-western province from midnight of Friday till Saturday dawn have been detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and are subjected to further interrogations, Police said.
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SLA, police, arrest 6 Tamils in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 April 2007, 14:51 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police took away six Tamils in a search conducted Tuesday from morning till evening in 4th, 5th and 6th Unit areas in Pavatkulam in Vavuniya district, in which all males in the areas were transported to Varikuttiyoor junction on Poovarasankulam-Chettikulam road, where they were produced before a person whose face and head were hooded, sources in Pavatkulam said. The hooded person identified five local males and one internally displaced person by nodding his head and the SLA and police brought the six civilians to Vavuniya, relatives of those arrested said.


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SLA suffers heavy casualties in shelling duel

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 April 2007, 13:28 GMT]
A triangular area covering East Ariyaalai, Naavatkuzhi and Kaeratheevu in Jaffna was targeted by Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) artillery guns Monday morning when exchange of artillery fire was reported along the FDLs in Jaffna and Vavuniya. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has suffered heavy casualties in artillery shelling by the Tigers. Meanwhile, in Vavuniya, one SLA soldier was killed and three others wounded near Omanthai entry - exit point around 7:45 a.m. Omanthai entry point remains closed.
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Mannar district under tight security

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 April 2007, 10:34 GMT]
Security in Mannar district has been tightened and more police personnel and soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) have been deployed for patrollling of key roads, civil sources in Mannar said. Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and Police have set up additional roadblocks along Pallimunai-Mannar Road and along Talaimannar-Thalvupadu Road, and are thoroughly checking all vehicles.
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SLA arrests 31 civilians in Eravur

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 April 2007, 10:41 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police arrested 29 men and 2 women, in a cordon and search operation conducted Saturday around 4:00 p.m in Palacholai, Kaluvankerny and neighbouring areas in Eravur police division in Batticaloa. The SLA, after interrogating the arrested civilians, handed them over to Eravur police around 7:00 p.m, for further investigation, sources in Eravur said. The arrested are detained at Earvur police station.


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Claymore ambush kills SLA soldier, wounds 6, soldiers beat civilians in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 April 2007, 08:05 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army soldier was killed and six soldiers were wounded in a Claymore attack Sunday noon when unknown attackers targeted a group of SLA troopers on road patrol near Pandathatharippu in Valikamam region, 12 km northwest of Jaffna city. SLA soldiers who cordoned off the area following the road side blast, beat the civilians in the area, civilian passengers reaching the city said.
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SLA accused of claymore attack on passenger bus

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 April 2007, 03:32 GMT]
Vanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Mr.V.Selvam Adaikalanathan in a statement issued Sunday accused the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) for the claymore mine attack on the passenger bus at Piramanalankulam bound for Vavuniya from Mannar on Saturday. Eight civilians were killed and about 25 injured in the attack.
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Tamil trader abducted in Karaveddy

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 April 2007, 16:58 GMT]
Unidentified armed men driving a white van abducted a young Tamil trader in Karaveddy, Vadamaradchchi, Friday night at 10:30 p.m. The relatives of the victim have lodged complaint at Nelliady police and at the Jaffna office of the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (SLHRC), sources in Point Pedro said.


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Civilians flee from LTTE-held village in Mannar

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 April 2007, 16:50 GMT]
Fifteen persons belonging to four families from Pappamoddai village in the Liberation Tigers controlled territory in Mannar district sought refuge Saturday morning in Sri Lanka government held Pallimunai village. They arrived in a boat at Pallimunai coast and registered their names with the Grama Sevaka Niladhari of the division seeking relief and accommodation, sources said.
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Twelve Tamil civilians arrested in Munthal, Uddapu

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 April 2007, 10:01 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army and Police Saturday morning arrested 12 Tamil civilians in Uddapu and Munthal, Tamil villages in Chilaw division in northwestern province in a cordon and search operation. The arrested Tamils are natives of Trincomalee, Jaffna and Uddapu areas.
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