Profit plans stymie passage to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 April 2000, 09:08 GMT]
The private operators of the passenger ship service to the north are quoting more than four thousand rupees (58 USD) for a return ticket to Jaffna from Trincomalee said a Jaffna Kachcheri official when contacted this morning by TamilNet over the continuing delay in obtaining the consent of the ICRC to escort such vessels. The official said "this ticket price structure is unfair". He added it could further compound the problem because the ICRC has no mandate, as far as he was aware, to escort a profit making passenger ship service.
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Dvora survivor swims ashore, helicopter hit

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 April 2000, 05:20 GMT]
A wounded sailor who escaped from one of the Israeli built Dvora Fast Attack Craft (FACs) that were sunk last evening by the Liberation Tigers swam to the Amban coast in southeastern Jaffna early this morning. The sailor, R.M.S.Seneviratna, 21, of Mihintale told the TamilNet's Vadamaradchi correspondent who spoke to him in Amban soon after he arrived in the village that only he and another survived the Tiger attack on their FACs last night. Military sources in Jaffna said that a helicopter gunship was hit and damaged by fire from the coastal anti-aircraft gun positions of the Tigers last night in Vadamaradchi east.
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SLA goes for Muhamaalai again

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 April 2000, 13:36 GMT]
Fierce fighting erupted again on the Main Supply Route to Jaffna's gateway garrison today when the Sri Lanka Army made another attempt from this morning to capture the segment of the A9 highway held by the Liberation Tigers.
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War zone refugees arrive

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 April 2000, 13:32 GMT]
More than five thousand Tamils in the Pallai and Pachchilaipalli areas in Jaffna arrived at Kilali late this morning, Catholic church sources in the north said. Most of the civilians were blocked at Kilali by the Sri Lanka army. Only about 200 families were allowed until noon to proceed beyond Kilali to Mirusuvil. The Catholic church is the only organisation assisting the people arriving from the war zone, according to the Tamilnet correspondent who was at Kilali and Mirusuvil today.
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Tigers, SLA brace for more

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 March 2000, 17:34 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers consolidated areas they captured on the peninsula's southeastern coast this week and the Sri Lankan army re-deployed troops from Maathagal and Varani to strengthen its defences in Thenmaradchi against the Unceasing Waves III offensive. The SLA, meanwhile, banned fishing again in the seas off the Vadamaradchi coast.
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Tigers pound Chavakachceri SLA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 March 2000, 12:39 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers bombarded the Sri Lanka army's 52-3 brigade in Thambuthottam near Chavakachcheri in Jaffna from this morning as hundreds of civilians continued to flee the battle zones in the Thenmaradchi division and the peninsula's southeastern coast. The SLA, meanwhile, vacated another camp at Karukkai on the Pt.Pedro Kodikamam road today.
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MSR remains breached

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 March 2000, 09:48 GMT]
The Main Supply Route (MSR) on the A9 highway (Kandy Road) to the Sri Lanka army (SLA) base complexes in Elephant Pass and Iyakkachchi remains cut off between Eluthumaddvaal and Pallai sources in Jaffna said. The Uthayan, the Tamil daily published in Jaffna, quoting Sri Lankan military sources, said that the army is continuing its attempt to bridge the gap in the MSR, breached and held by the Liberation Tigers from early Monday.
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Tigers beef up strength on coast

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 March 2000, 18:20 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers who are currently based in Maamunai on Jaffna's southeastern coast said the large number of their special units that have been transported by sea from the Vanni will continue to mount the attack on the Thalaiyadi base and its forward positions in Vaththirayan.
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Panicked soldiers shoot couple

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 March 2000, 18:05 GMT]
A couple who were returning home from the Jaffna hospital with their new born child in an auto rickshaw were killed when the vehicle was hit by SLA fire at Iththaavil, 3 k.m north of Pallai around 2.30 p.m. today. The driver of the auto rickshaw was also killed on the spot.
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Tigers assault garrisons on Jaffna coast

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 March 2000, 04:14 GMT]
Heavy fighting erupted on Jaffna's southeastern coast last night when the Liberation Tigers launched simultaneous attacks on the Sri Lankan army's garrisons at Thalaiyadi and Maamunai. Civilians wounded in the cross fire who were brought from the area to the Manthikai hospital this morning said that the Liberation Tigers have moved into the two coastal villages.
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SLA arrests malaria patient

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 March 2000, 13:41 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) arrested a malaria patient in front of the Mutur hospital, south of Trincomalee today. The patient, a youth from a village in that part of the district held by the Liberation Tigers, had come to Mutur with his wife and child for treatment, said sources.
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TULF meets President

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 March 2000, 20:24 GMT]
A six member delegation of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) held discussions with the Sri Lankan President after waiting more than five hours to meet her. The TULF delegation had urged President Chandrika Kumaratunga to resettle people in Waligamam north in Jaffna, restore Thirukketheeswaram, the temple of Shiva in Mannar, allow a Norwegian aid program in Batticaloa and to upgrade the Kalmunai Divisional Secretariat.
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UNP protest petroleum hike

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 March 2000, 18:22 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) organised a protest march and a rally in Colombo today, protesting against price hikes in petroleum products and increased coast of living.
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JVP demonstration

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 March 2000, 21:15 GMT]
(Photographs) TamilNet correspondents' views of the demonstration organised by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) in Colombo today.
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Norway "did not seek permission"

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 March 2000, 17:43 GMT]
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry today confirmed that Anton Balasingham, the Liberation Tigers' theoretician and political advisor had undergone treatment in Oslo and refuted comments by Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunge that Norway had sought her permission first.
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Peace maker government falls

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 March 2000, 00:40 GMT]
Norway's ruling coalition government led by Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik resigned Thursday night after the opposition voted in favour of building a new gas power plant. A spokesman for the Norwegian Foreign Minister told TamilNet, that Norway's peace initiative in Sri Lanka will be followed up by the new government.
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'Keep us informed on the peace talks' - UNP

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 March 2000, 00:22 GMT]
"We have also been informed by the Government of Norway that the Government of Sri Lanka asked for discussions with the LTTE and we are also being informed of certain other developments and I thought I should be briefed on that matter before we start talks," said Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the Sri Lankan opposition, United National Party, according to the communique» on today's meeting between the Government and UNP, issued jointly by both parties this evening.
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Fishy demands irk coastal folk

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 March 2000, 11:01 GMT]
The Sri Lankan army arrested and detained twenty men from Nainamunai, a settlement of fishing families on the southeastern coast of Jaffna, this morning. Local residents alleged that this was punitive action by the SLA in the area, angered by their refusal to let soldiers take part of the day's catch free.
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Ketheeswaram in disrepair says MP

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 March 2000, 21:13 GMT]
The group of Tamil devotees from the Sri Lanka's capital who went to observe the Saivite festival of Maha Sivarathiri at the ancient Shiva temple at Thiruketheesawaram occupied by the Sri Lankan army until last Friday returned to Colombo today with reports that the shrine was in disrepair and its sanctity had been defiled.
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ICRC to take bodies from Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 February 2000, 20:42 GMT]
The International Committee of the Red Cross will take the bodies of two Liberation Tigers killed this morning in a confrontation with the Sri Lanka army at Iyakkachchi, across the Jaffna lagoon to the Vanni mainland early morning tomorrow.
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