UNP condemns abductions

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 February 2007, 21:41 GMT]
Tamils who have no connections with war and terrorism are being abducted in Colombo and other areas in the country, said Lakshman Kiriella, Kandy district United National Party parliamentarian addressing a press briefing held Thursday at the office of the Leader of the Opposition.
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SL Police arrests 19 Tamil civilians in Moratuwa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 February 2007, 11:31 GMT]
Moratuwa Police took into custody 19 Tamils, all of them from areas of NorthEast, Thursday morning in a midnight to dawn cordon and search operation conducted by the government security forces in the Soysapura Flat area in Moratuwa police division, sources from Colombo said. The arrested are being detained and interrogated in Moratuwa police station.
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12 missing, 35 arrested in two weeks in Vavuniya - HRC

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 February 2007, 11:30 GMT]
Twelve civilians have disappeared and 35 have been arrested in Vavuniya district in the past two weeks, Vavuniya Human Rights Commission (HRC) said.
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Jaffna students end boycott

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 February 2007, 14:54 GMT]
High School and Secondary school students in Jaffna peninsula returned to their classes on Wednesday, in response to the communiqué issued by Jaffna Students Union calling for an end to the two weeks-old boycott of classes. However, attendence was low at Hartley College, Point Pedro and Velauththam MahaVidyalayam, the schools where two abducted on 17 January were attending classes.


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LTTE shells Meesalai camp, 10 SLA troopers injured

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 February 2007, 12:40 GMT]
Ten Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were injured when more than forty shells fired by Liberation Tigers hit the SLA camp located in Meesalai area along A9-high way between 11:30 am and 12:00 noon Wednesday, sources in Jaffna said. SLA command has not released official details of the attack and casualties.
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Armed paramilitaries rob bus in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 February 2007, 11:53 GMT]
Karuna group armed paramilitaries in military fatigues waylaid a Colombo bound civilian bus from Kathankudy in Batticaloa on Sithandy main road in Eravur police division Tuesday around 8:20 p.m., and robbed Rs. 1,500,000 rupees, several national identity cards, 15 hand phones and jewellery from the passengers, according to complaints made to Eravur police.
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LTTE responds to UN report on Children and Armed Conflict

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 February 2007, 11:34 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in a report issued by the Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi, Wednesday stated that the LTTE which runs a civil administration with "extensive civil services," in which it's members take part, was entitled as a "functioning defacto-state" to recruit those above the age of 17. The Tigers were prepared to observe the minimum age of 18 when this practice has been accepted as an international standard by all the states, the LTTE statement said. The statement is the LTTE's response to the report made following the mission of Allan Rock, Special Adviser to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict on Sri Lanka.
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Two civilians seek protection at Jaffna HRC

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 February 2007, 22:08 GMT]
Two family men, one aged 34, from Kalvayal in Chavakacheri in Thenmaradchi, and the other aged 32, from Kokuvil area in Jaffna, fearing threat to their lives from Sri Lanka (SL) armed forces and allied paramilitaries sought safety at the Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Jaffna Tuesday, civil society sources in Jaffna said.
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Military victory unlikely to produce lasting solution - British Minister

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 February 2007, 11:36 GMT]
"A military victory for one side is very unlikely to produce a lasting political solution," says British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Dr Kim Howells, who is visiting Sri Lanka Tuesday to assess the impact of recent fighting on the civilian population and will hold a series of meetings with the Sri Lankan government, diplomatic and civil society representatives in Colombo.
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SLAF steps up aerial bombardment in Vanni

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 February 2007, 07:16 GMT]
Six Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir bombers Monday morning dropped 18 bombs in Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled Visvamadu in Mullaithivu district in Vanni.
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Two civilians abducted in Jaffna Sunday

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 February 2007, 12:45 GMT]
Two more civilians were abducted early morning Sunday in Chunnakam and Ariyalai areas by armed men riding in white vans, Jaffna Branch of Human Rights Commission (HRC) officials said citing complaints registered at their offices by victims' relatives. The escalation in abductions has continued amidst the visit to Jaffna of a special Human Rights group under the direction of UN Secretary General Saturday, civil society sources in Jaffna said.
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Civilians arrested in Kandy, Chilaw police divisions

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 February 2007, 12:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka Government security forces in a combined cordon and search operation arrested three upcountry Tamil youths who were waiting Saturday night at 8.30 p.m.at Kandy railway station to travel to Colombo, sources said. More than 45 civilians were arrested in Chilaw in a similar operation.
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Eight "white van" abductions in Jaffna in 3 days

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 February 2007, 01:10 GMT]
Eight Tamil male civilians have been abducted by unidentified armed men in white vans within seventy two hour period beginning Wednesday, Jaffna branch of Human Rights Commission (HRC) officials said. According to complaints registered at the HRC office by the victims relatives, three men were abducted on Wednesday and five on Friday.
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Tamil teacher shot dead in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 February 2007, 01:55 GMT]
Unknown gunmen shot dead a male teacher in Pattanichchur Puliyankulam area in Vavuniya Friday evening at 7:40 p.m., Vavuniya Police said. The killing brings the number of homicides by armed men in Vavuniya in February to 6, sources in Vavuniya said.
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UN urged not to ignore Rajapakse regime

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 February 2007, 12:58 GMT]
The UN security council working group which is set to study underage recruitment in Sri Lanka later Friday should not ignore the practice of Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse’s regime in the practice, a senior columnist with The Guardian newspaper wrote in Friday’s edition on Guardian's 'Comment is Free' section. And condemning political movements for the violence they turn to, “whilst ignoring their complaints and the degree of support they command leads only to political stalemate and more bloodshed,” Jonathan Steele said in his column. He criticised President Rajapakse for destroying the 2002 truce by trying to reoccupy the areas recognised as under Tiger control.
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11 Tamil civilians arrested in Chilaw

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 February 2007, 12:00 GMT]
Sri Lanka Government security forces arrested eleven Tamil civilians during cordon and search operations in Munthal, Uddapu and Munneswaram areas in Chilaw district located in the northwestern province Friday. The arrested are being held in Chilaw police station and are being interrogated, sources said.
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Three seek protection at Jaffna HRC

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 February 2007, 00:30 GMT]
Three civilians, fearing threat to their lives from Sri Lankan armed forces and allied paramilitaries, took refuge with the Jaffna branch of Human Rights Commission (HRC) in the last two days, civil society sources in Jaffna said. HRC officials handed them over to the Jaffna prison officials to be kept under protective custody.
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1300 Jaffna passengers arrive in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 February 2007, 18:04 GMT]
About one thousand three hundred civilians from Jaffna arrived in Trincomalee port Thursday evening in two vessels "Jetliner" and "Green Ocean". Jeliner carried nearly one thousand passengers and Green Ocean about three hundred, sources said.
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7 STF troopers, 3 civilians injured in mortar fire on Vavunathivu SLA camp

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 February 2007, 11:51 GMT]
Seven Special Task Force (STF) troopers and three civilians were injured in a mortar attack launched from Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held areas Thursday around 9:40 a.m on the Vavunathivu Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp, where a new STF camp was being constructed, SLA sources said. The SLA fired mortars back in retaliation.
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Civilian body found in Kuchchaveli beach

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 February 2007, 11:49 GMT]
The body of an unidentified male person was found washed ashore in the Salaipaiaru seacoast in Kuchchaveli police division, north of Trincomalee town Wednesday evening. The Kuchchaveli Police removed the body and handed it over to the Trincomalee general hospital.
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