ICRC ship cancelled

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 May 2000, 14:11 GMT]
Mr. Harasha Gunawardene, the spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Colombo told TamilNet that his organisation's weekly ship service between Trincomalee and Jaffna was cancelled Monday due to security reasons. The ICRC ship was to sail from the eastern port town of Trincomalee to Kankesanthurai (KKS) harbour.
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Sunday Leader closed down

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 May 2000, 13:29 GMT]
The Sunday Leader, one of Sri Lanka's main newspapers was closed down by the government Monday, media sources told TamilNet by telephone. No reason had been given the sources said. The sources quoted Sunday Leader staff as speculating the move was linked to an article by the paper's defence correspondent published in its latest issue.
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Chavakachcheri captured - LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 May 2000, 14:41 GMT]
Chavakachcheri, the second largest town on the Jaffna peninsula, fell to the Liberation Tigers Saturday, after 12 hours of heavy fighting, the LTTE said in a press release from its London offices. The troops of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) were fleeing towards Kodigamam, the last SLA-held position in the Thenmarachchi sector, the Tigers said.
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ICRC monitoring condition of Jaffna displaced

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 May 2000, 13:09 GMT]
Aid agency sources in the north said that the Sri Lanka Army lifted the curfew in the Jaffna municipality area today from 9 a.m to 12.30 p.m. The town was generally quiet they said. The ICRC spokesman Harasha Gunawardena told Tamilnet that his organisation visited three camps for the displaced in Manipay today. He said that ICRC, along with Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (Jaffna), continues to monitor and assess the humanitarian needs of the displaced population in Jaffna.
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Investigators query telecast of censored news

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 May 2000, 06:27 GMT]
Mr. Namal Perera, the news editor of the private TV station TNL was interviewed by the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CID) of the Sri Lankan Police last night for putting out a story that had been censored by the Sri Lankan government's competent authority for the media.
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Kaithady SLA base captured - LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 May 2000, 16:07 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said Wednesday they had overrun the strategically important Sri Lanka Army (SLA) base at Kaithady, killing one hundred soldiers and wounding hundreds more and cutting off thousands of SLA troops in the Thenmaradchchi sector.
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Tigers advance on twin fronts

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 May 2000, 21:41 GMT]
In a twin fronted assault, the Liberation Tigers have advanced deep into Sri Lanka Army (SLA) held territory in the Jaffna peninsula, the LTTE said Tuesday. Tiger forces have advanced from earlier captured positions into the Chavakachcheri sector and are attacking the SLA base at Kaithady having overrun SLA defences at Navatkuli, the LTTE said in a statement from its London offices. LTTE forces have also smashed SLA defences at Pasaiyur and Kurunagar in the outskirts of Jaffna city, the statement said further.
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Thousands leaving northern town

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 May 2000, 20:18 GMT]
The Jaffna teaching hospital continues to function with all of its staff spokesman for International Committee of the Red Cross, Mr.Harasha Gunawardena, told TamilNet this evening. He said that neither the government nor the Liberation Tigers have so far approached the ICRC about establishing a demilitarized zone comprising the hospital and its immediate environs.
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Fresh advances in Jaffna town -LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 May 2000, 16:22 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers have advanced close to Jaffna city centre as their offensive in the northern peninsula continues, the LTTE said Thursday. The Tigers have also overrun two key Sri Lanka Army (SLA) bases at Kovilakandy and Thanankillappu in another prong of their operation, the organisation said in a statement from its London offices.
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SLA dismisses ceasefire offer

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 May 2000, 11:36 GMT]
The Sri Lankan army totally rejected the ceasefire offer by the Liberation Tigers today. An officer at the operational headquarters of the Ministry of defence said this afternoon that the SLA will fight to the last man to defend Jaffna. An official release stating the government's position would be out later this afternoon he said.
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UNP protest blocked

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 May 2000, 18:16 GMT]
A group of about thirty United National Party MPs were blocked by the Sri Lankan Police from staging a protest this morning at Independent Square near down town Colombo against the promulgation of the draconian regulations under the Public Security Ordinance.
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Censorship seen heralding authoritarian rule

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 May 2000, 09:12 GMT]
Sri Lanka's new censorship laws will lead to an authoritarian rule in the country, a press freedom organization said Friday. The Free Media Movement said the government was using Sri Lanka's ongoing conflict as a cover for its "repressive political project".
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SLA bodies transfer tomorrow -ICRC

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 May 2000, 16:01 GMT]
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that the Liberation Tigers had got in touch with its delegation in the Vanni this evening about handing over the bodies of the Sri Lanka army soldiers who were killed in the fighting yesterday in Pallai and its environs.
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Tigers to return SLA bodies

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 May 2000, 11:25 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers have recovered the bodies of several Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers from the recently captured town of Pallai and are making arrangements to return 50 which are in good condition to the SLA, LTTE sources in London said Monday.
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ICRC discusses body handover

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 April 2000, 15:26 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers have approached the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) regarding the handing over of the bodies of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops killed in the fighting at Yakachchi-Elephant Pass, an ICRC spokesman told TamilNet Monday.
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Tiger flag hoisted over Elephant Pass

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 April 2000, 10:13 GMT]
One of the senior military commander of the Liberation Tigers Col.Banu hoisted the Tiger flag over Elephant Pass around 9.30 a.m. this morning, LTTE sources in London told TamilNet.
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ICRC medical supplies blocked

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 April 2000, 12:25 GMT]
Sri Lankan troops this week prevented the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from taking its MoD authorised medical supplies for its mobile and primary health clinics in the Vanni, the ICRC spokesman Harsha Gunawardena told TamilNet Thursday. He expressed concern for the civilians in the Vanni who relied on the ICRC facilities.
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Ranil to brief Indian PM

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 April 2000, 13:57 GMT]
The leader of Sri Lanka's main opposition party, Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, will hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in New Delhi this week, a spokesman for the United National Party (UNP) said today. Mr. Wickermesinghe will brief the Indian PM on the current dialogue between his party and the Sri Lankan government about evolving a consensus on constitutional change aimed at solving the island's ethnic conflict. He will be arriving in Delhi tommorrow.
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'Hartal' protest in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 April 2000, 06:13 GMT]
Shops, offices and businesses were closed in Jaffna this morning in response to the 'Hartal' called by an alliance of forty NGOs including religious organisations and the Jaffna University students' union. The Hartal is being observed today as part of the continuing protest in the peninsula over the civilians who are awaiting the Sri Lanka army's permission to leave their villages that are situated close to the Elephant Pass garrison in Jaffna's southern sector.
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More bodies appear in Mannar town

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 April 2000, 05:34 GMT]
The bodies of three youth were found in Mannar town this morning. All of them were shot in the head said Police sources in Mannar. The Sri Lanka army's military intelligence unit had arrested several youth in the Mannar town yesterday residents said. This is the second time during the week that bodies of unidentified youth have appeared in the high security zone of Mannar town. All bodies were found with gunshot wounds.
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