SLA forces exodus of Tamils in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 March 2007, 01:34 GMT]
More than 100,000 people have moved out of Liberation Tigers controlled areas of Batticaloa district to the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled areas as Sri Lankan armed forces continued shelling for the third consecutive day in their attempt to force evacuation of large section of Tamil population with the military agenda to capture additional territory, officials providing relief assistance said Sunday.
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40,000 civilians displaced in two days in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 March 2007, 13:09 GMT]
More than 40,000 civilians were displaced within the last 48 hours in Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled Paduvankarai area as heavy artillery and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher fire by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) continued, forcing the civilians to flee from Kokkaddicholai and the surrounding villages. "Batticaloa is experiencing another tragic humanitarian crisis without the attention of the International Community," charged Batticaloa district parliamentarian S. Jeyanandamoorthy. Meanwhile, a third front, opened by the Sri Lankan Special Task Force troopers at Pullumalai, 31 km southwest of Batticaloa, was thwarted by the Tigers, according to the LTTE.
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TNA MPs visit Tamil political prisoners

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 March 2007, 00:12 GMT]
Seven Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians accompanied by Minister for Justice and Legal Reformation, Dilan Perera, visited the Tamil Political prisoners at Magazine Prison in Colombo Thursday evening and discussed matters related to their release. The prisoners who had begun a fast-to-death campaign on 21 February had called off their action temporarily on February 26 following TNA parliamentarians' assurance to assist them.
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SLAF bombs Vanni, DPU Claymore targets civilian bus

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 March 2007, 13:51 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force Kfir bombers Tuesday morning bombed Vallipunam in Mullaithivu district. No casualties were reported. The air raid was reported at 8:30 a.m., according to LTTE's Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan. Meanwhile a Deep Penetration Unit of the Sri Lanka Army has detonated a Claymore mine targeting a van carrying civilians from Mallavi to Palappani in Mullaithivu district Tuesday afternoon.
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Norwegian team visits key institutions in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 March 2007, 11:23 GMT]
Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Hans Brattskar, and other officials visited Kilinochchi Hospital, Education officials and the North East Secretariat of Human Rights office in Kilinochchi Monday around 3:30 p.m, and held discussions on current issues related to people's medical needs, education and human rights, sources in Kilinochchi said.


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SLA readies for Manalaru offensive, Tigers warn of bloodbath

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 March 2007, 12:07 GMT]
"We are aware that the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has amassed military hardware close to Manalaru in preparation for a major offensive towards Mullaitivu area. Consequence of this offensive will be a catastrophic bloodbath across Sri Lanka," said Mr. Thamilchelvan, Head of LTTE Political Wing, speaking to TamilNet after meeting the Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Hans Brattskar and Norwegian Embassy official Erik Nuremberg, in Kilinochchi Monday.


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VoT begins satellite transmission using Eurostar

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 March 2007, 16:47 GMT]
Voice of Tigers, the official radio broadcast of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), began satellite broadcast to South Asian countries from Vanni starting from today, LTTE sources from Kilinochchi said. "We are holding the inauguration ceremony on the 69th birthday of late Anton Balasingham as a mark of respect for his contribution to the progress of Tamil media. I also wish to thank all the staff at VoT for making the station a voice of Tamils," said Head of LTTE's Political Wing, S.P. Thamilchelvan speaking at the event.
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Acrimony flares, US says diplomats not LTTE’s target

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 March 2007, 00:13 GMT]
Amid growing acrimony within the Sri Lankan government over the LTTE mortar attack Tuesday on military helicopters carrying foreign ambassadors and UN officials to Batticaloa district, the American ambassador to Sri Lanka, Robert O. Blake, contradicted Colombo’s assertion that the Tigers had tried to assassinate the diplomats. Meanwhile Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary says the diplomats should share the blame for the near-disaster for asking to visit Batticaloa. He slammed as “interference” attempts by foreign dignitaries and NGOs to visit the war torn Northeast.


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Vavuniya lawyers continue boycott

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 March 2007, 12:25 GMT]
Lawyers in Vavuniya continued their boycott of the District Court and High Court in Vavuniya for the second day Friday protesting against a paramilitary group's demand for ransom and death threats against them, legal sources in Vavuniya said. The Chief Justice, Sarath N Silva, Friday morning, had requested the Lawyers in Vavuniya, Vavuniya District Judge Mr. Manickavasagar Illancheliyan and Vavuniya District High Court Judge Mr. Jeremiah Viswanathan to attend a meeting in Colombo immediately.
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Appeal to MPs, ICRC, GA to bring murdered student’s body home

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 March 2007, 10:51 GMT]
Eight Tamil parliamentarians have written to Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary, Gothebaya Rajapakse, on behalf the family of a murdered Jaffna University student, who are pleading for permission for his body to be taken to their home in Viswamadu in Tamil-Tiger controlled Vanni. The family has also requested the University authorities and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) office in Kilinochchi to also help, relatives said.
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Paramilitaries issue death threat to Vavuniya Lawyers

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 March 2007, 12:06 GMT]
Lawyers in Vavuniya made legal history by boycotting Vavuniya district Court and High court Thursday protesting against the persistent demand for ransom by a paramilitary group, and the death threats issued by the group, legal sources in Vavuniya said. Activities of a court has been completely suspended because of the boycott, Manickavasagar Illancheliyan, District Judge Vavuniya said Thursday at Vavuniya District Court.


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SLAF bombs civilian area in Vanni

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 March 2007, 07:50 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir bombers Thursday morning around 8:30 a.m. dropped at least 8 bombs in a civilian settlement including a farmland in Therankandal in Thunukkai DS division in Mullaithivu district.
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Civilian vehicle escapes DPU Claymore in Vanni

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 March 2007, 07:33 GMT]
A van carrying civilians from Nedunkeni to Mankulam Thursday morning escaped a Claymore attack at Olumadu in Nedunkeni in Vanni by the Deep Penetration Unit of the Sri Lanka Army, initial reports from Kilinochchi said.
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Missed exams rescheduled for Vaharai IDP students

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 March 2007, 00:11 GMT]
Officials of the Kalkudah Zonal Education office are making arrangements to conduct the special General Certificate of Examination Ordinary Level, and Grade five Scholarship Examinations for the students of Vaharai who missed the Examinations last year due to the military offensive of Sri Lankan armed forces, education officials said. The Zonal education officials and area principals met Wednesday to draw up the plans, sources said.
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Eastern Tamils oppose merger of Universities

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 February 2007, 00:32 GMT]
The initiative of the Deputy Minister of Higher Education, 'Myown' Mustafa to amalgamate the Eastern University of Sri Lanka (EUSL) with the Muslim-dominated South Eastern University, faces stiff resistance from Tamils and Muslims living Batticaloa district, sources in Batticaloa said.
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TNA appeals to international community to back Tamil self-determination

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 February 2007, 11:09 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s ongoing military campaign leaves Tamils with no option but to seek self-determination and self-rule, the country’s largest Tamil party said Friday. In a statement to mark the fifth anniversary of the Ceasefire Agreement between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) called on the international community to recognise the Tamil struggle pointing out that in the past five years, “the Sri Lankan government has utterly failed to alleviate the sufferings of the Tamil people. Neither has it contributed meaningfully to a lasting solution to the national conflict.”
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SLA moves military hardware to Thenmaradchy FDLs

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 February 2007, 03:15 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were seen moving heavy military hardware, including more than fifteen T-54 type tanks and Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) along Point-Pedro Kodikamam road towards Thenmaradchy Forward Defence Lines (FDLs) Monday night, residents in Varani area said. With the fifth year anniversary of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) approaching on 22 Februrary, the increased military movements have further fuelled speculations of renewed war in Jaffna, civil sources in Jaffna said.
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Hospital vehicle, passenger bus escape DPU attacks in Vanni

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 February 2007, 05:03 GMT]
A van belonging to Nedunkerni hospital narrowly escaped from a Claymore explosion, triggered by Sri Lanka Army deep penetration unit ambushmen at Manavalanpaddamurippu village, 32 km southwest of Mullaithivu town around 7:15 a.m. Tuesday. An hour later, a civilian vehicle on Nedunkeni Periyakulam route narrowly escaped from another Claymore mine, according to Tamileelam Police officials.
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SLAF airstrike kills 2 in Vanni

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 February 2007, 04:35 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir bombers attacked Parasankulam village 16 km northeast of Vavuniya, killing 2 civilians and wounding one, Tuesday around 7:30 a.m. Two hours later, the bombers dropped 12 bombs in another location, at Karipaddamurippu where a civilian house narrowly escaped, according to Tamileelam Police. As airstrikes were stepped up Tuesday, Deep Penetration Unit of Sri Lanka Army was also engaged in Claymore attacks.
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Education in peril

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 February 2007, 00:33 GMT]
More than 7% of school-aged children in Jaffna, amounting to 10201 students, dropped out of schools in 2006, most of the dropouts occurring following the fresh outbreak of violence from 11 August 2006, say education officials in Jaffna. The schools in the district that boasted highest literacy rates 3 decades ago, and produced nearly 40% of the medical and engineering freshmen, now are gripped with fear of student abductions, and with high school education crippled with lack of school supplies and scarcity of books.
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