20th anniversary of hospital massacre remembered in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 October 2007, 12:28 GMT]
Twentieth death anniversary of twenty-one persons including medical specialists, nurses, attendants, patients, and members of public who were killed inside Jaffna Teaching Hospital (JTH) by Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) troops stationed in Jaffna Fort on 21st October, 1987 was held at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital Sunday morning at 10:15 a.m., sources in Jaffna said. Mrs. K. Yogarany, a staffer at the Teaching Hospital, presided the event.
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SLAF bombs Puthukkudiyiruppu in Vanni

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 October 2007, 21:30 GMT]
Five Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir bombers dropped more than twenty four bombs in two sorties Friday morning, targeting civilian settlements in Vea'naavil and surrounding areas, sources in Vanni said.
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Resettlement of Batticaloa IDPs begins

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 October 2007, 11:23 GMT]
The first stage of resettlement process of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in areas close to Chengkaladi-Badulla main road A5 Highway, Batticaloa district was initiated Thursday morning 10:00a.m.
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Artillery shelling shuts down A9 entry point

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 October 2007, 18:41 GMT]
The entry, exit point between Sri Lanka Army controlled areas and Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) controlled Vanni, has been closed Thursday as the parties exchanged artillery fire, sources in Vavuniyaa said. All traffic through the gateway including ambulances carrying patients in critical condition was blocked as shells exploded close to the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) office in the no-man's land, sources in Vanni said.
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Witness safety stalls Allaippiddi massacre case

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 October 2007, 03:18 GMT]
The main witness to the Allaippiddi massacre, where 13 civilians were allegedly killed by Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) soldiers in May 2006, informed Additional Magistrate of Kayts, T. Vignarajah, that he has sought safety in Vanni fearing for his life from Sri Lankan forces and that he will be unable to travel to Kayts to attend any court proceedings, legal sources in Jaffna said.
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SLAF kfirs bomb civilian settlements in Vanni

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 October 2007, 15:19 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) kfir bombers struck civilian settlements in Muththuaiyankaddu in Vanni Wednesday from 7:00 a.m to 7:20 a.m. Eight bombs, dropped in two sorties, fell close to civilian settlements and exploded, sources in Vanni said. No one was hurt as the bombs missed the houses. However, tension and fear prevailed in Muththuaiyankadu area.
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3 children wounded in SLAF airstrike in Vanni

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 October 2007, 09:29 GMT]
Five civilians, including three children, were wounded in Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) airstrike on Neasan Kudyiruppu settlement in Puthukkudyiruppu in Mullaiththeevu district, Tuesday around 2:00 p.m. Three of the victims belong to a single family. Five houses were damaged, two of them fully destroyed in the attack, according to initial reports.
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LTTE hands over 3 SLA bodies to ICRC

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 October 2007, 21:56 GMT]
LTTE's NGO and U.N. Liaison Officer M. Pavarasan handed over 3 bodies of Sri Lanka Army (SLA ) troopers killed during Saturday clashes in Paasaiyoor-Kurunakar seas to Ms.Katja Lawrence, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) representative in Kilinochchi, Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m.
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TNA opposes police station in Silaavaththurai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 October 2007, 05:19 GMT]
No useful purpose would be served in establishing a police station in the deserted village Silaavaththurai in Mannar district without taking immediate steps to resettle them in their traditional habitats, said Mr. Selvam Adaikalanathan, Wanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian. Silaavaththurai residents have all been displaced to other areas after the recent offensives by Sri Lanka military on 01 September.
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SLN arrests 32 Jaffna fishermen

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 October 2007, 21:07 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) soldiers arrested thirty two Paasaiyoor and Kurunakar fishermen who hurriedly returned to the shores Jaffna Lagoon after getting caught in the sea battle between the Sea Tigers and the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Saturday morning 10:45 a.m. The fishermen had gone out fishing early morning at 7:00 a.m. after satisfying the pass formalities with the SLN.
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Sea Tigers sink SLA vessel, recover 3 bodies

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 October 2007, 08:04 GMT]
Five Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and three dead bodies of the SLA soldiers were recovered by the Sea Tigers who sunk a SLA Inshore Patrol Vessel (IPV) in the seas off Paasaiyoor in Jaffna Saturday around 10:45 a.m. in a retaliation against an attack by three SLA vessels that entered the LTTE territorial waters, the Tigers said. Sea Tigers have seized weapons from the sinking vessel. Arrangements were underway to hand over the three dead bodies to the ICRC.
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Tigers urge UN Human Rights Commissioner to visit Vanni

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 October 2007, 22:57 GMT]
Welcoming the "timely mission" by United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights, Louise Arbour, to investigate human rights violations in Sri Lanka, Liberation Tigers Human Rights spokesperson N. Selvy, Tuesday said the Tamils were expecting the UN High Commissioner to visit the LTTE administered Vanni to get an absolute assessment of the Human Rights violations perpetrated by the Sri Lankan military and its paramilitaries in the Tamil homeland. Tamils, as a people, were disappointed as "the main violator, the Sri Lankan government itself," was exercising control over the itinerary of the visiting High Commissioner, Ms. Selvy said.
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FMM condemns expulsion of British media team

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 October 2007, 09:21 GMT]
"Jaffna is one of the most dangerous places in the world today for media and journalism," said Free Media Movement (FMM), a Colombo based media watchdog, stating it was appalled by the gross violation of journalists' rights by the military command in Jaffna in expelling three journalists last week. The journalists from the British Quicksilver Media were traveling in Sri Lanka to produce a documentary for Channel 4 television in UK.
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Sri Lankan minister contradicts diplomatic immunity of SLMM

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 October 2007, 08:20 GMT]
Sri Lankan Defense spokesman and a Cabinet Minister, Keheliya Rambukwelle, at the weekly press briefing in Colombo on Friday warned the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that their officials and vehicles would be checked at any checkpoints when they travel North. The Sri Lankan minister, by his statement on Friday, has contradicted the diplomatic immunity, provided to the SLMM according to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a well-placed diplomat in Colombo said.
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IDPs to be resettled in Chengkaladi

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 October 2007, 01:27 GMT]
Nearly 9000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) belonging to 4349 families, displaced due to Sri Lanka Army (SLA) offensives, are to be resettled in 5 villages located along Chengkaladi-Badulla road, according to decision taken at an urgent meeting held at Batticaloa District Secretariat (DS) Wednesday, presided by Eastern Province Governor, Rear Admiral Mohan Wijewickrema, Batticaloa DS sources said.
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SLA blocks SLMM officials at Oamanthai border

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 October 2007, 06:58 GMT]
Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Northern Region officials scheduled to meet Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) officials in Ki'linochchi Thursday noon were blocked from crossing the Oamanthai entry point by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) due to new instructions from Colombo, General Secretary of Liberation Tigers Peace Secretariat, S. Puleedevan, told TamilNet. By refusing entry to the SLMM, Colombo was trying to block the information flow between the SLMM and the LTTE, he charged. Meanwhile, SLMM sources said the monitors had returned after being informed of new routines that involved going through a body check, inspection of vehicles and early enlistment of travelers.
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WFP welcomes food shipment to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 October 2007, 14:32 GMT]
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed the shipment of 3,500 tons of food for Jaffna that will be distributed to the families among the most vulnerable populations in the isolated peninsula. "I am very pleased with these recent positive developments but I am concerned about our resourcing situations as we will be running out of food in November" said Jean-Yves Lequime, Acting Country Director of the World Food Programme in Colombo, adding "this is the moment to mobilize food for the vulnerable people."
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Kilinochchi protest rally condemns Fr.Pakiyaranjith's killing

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 October 2007, 11:05 GMT]
More than 2500 people joined in a protest rally held Monday afternoon 2:00 p.m. in Kilinochchi condemning the brutal killing of Rev.Fr.Nicholaspillai Pakiyaranjith, Mannar Coordinator for the International Humanitarian Organization, Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), by an alleged Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) on 26 th September, and the killing of number of other humanitarian workers in North and East recently.
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Naakarkoayil offensive thwarted, weapons seized - LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 October 2007, 07:24 GMT]
A ground offensive, launched by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Naakarkoayil in Northern Forward Defence Line (FDL), backed by heavy artillery and mortar fire, was withdrawn following one-hour long stiff resistance put up by the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Sunday night at 11:30 p.m., LTTE field officials in Vanni said. Claiming that they inflicted heavy casualties on the SLA, the Tigers said they have seized weapons and ammunitions including Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) Launchers and Light Machine Guns (LMG). Three LTTE fighters were killed in action.
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SLAF Kfirs bombs in Puthukkudiyiruppu

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 September 2007, 18:14 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers dropped 28 bombs in two sorties Saturday morning between 7:00a.m. and 8:30a.m. over civilian targets in Vallipunam, in Puthukkudiyiruppu DS division of Mullaiththeevu district.
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