Mail service to Jaffna breaks down

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 February 2007, 12:25 GMT]
Mail services between Jaffna peninsula and other parts of Sri Lanka are disrupted since January 14, according to residents in Jaffna. More than six hundred mailbags and 5537 bags of parcels including food items have been lying in the Trincomalee main post office for the past 30 days waiting to be transported to Jaffna by sea, postal sources said.
Full story >>

Abrogate CFA before February 22, demands Bhikku Front

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 February 2007, 02:16 GMT]
The Sri Lanka National Bhikku Front (SLNBF) is considering intensifying agitation if the government fails to abrogate the ceasefire agreement (CFA) before 22nd February, Venerable Dambara Amila Thera, President of the SLNBF told media persons Friday evening at Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo where Buddhist priests have been fasting on rotation.
Full story >>

SLA intensifies shelling from Muhamalai, Manalaru

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 February 2007, 15:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) stepped up its artillery barrage on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held areas in two separate Front Line positions Friday evening, one from SLA Northern Front Defence Line (FDL) towards Muhamalai, Kilali and Vadamaradchi east and the other from Manalaru SLA camp in Mullaitivu district towards LTTE held areas, sources from Kilinochchi said.


Full story >>

Journalist reported missing in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 February 2007, 09:28 GMT]
A journalist working for two Tamil dailies, Thinakural and Valampuri, as correspondent of Vadamaradchi region, is reported missing since Thursday night, according to a complaint lodged with Nelliyady police by the journalist's family. The journalist, Subramaniam Ramachandran, 37, a father of two, was last seen at his private tuition centre Thursday evening.
Full story >>

LTTE appoints Human Rights spokesperson

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 February 2007, 08:27 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Friday appointed a spokesperson for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs. Ms. N. Selvy, who earlier served as a Peace Secretariat official has been appointed to the post, LTTE officials in Kilinochchi said.
Full story >>

FMM accuses Rajapakse of favoritism, urging self-censorship of NorthEast news

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 February 2007, 12:29 GMT]
Free Media Movement (FMM), a media watchdog based in Colombo, condemned Sri Lanka's President statement that he provided TV licences to JVP for the political support in the presidential election campaign. "Clearly, this nepotism and political favouritism is detrimental to the development of free media," the FMM said in the press release issued Wednesday. FMM also expressed consternation over Mr Rajapakse's criticisms of "Sinhala language weekly Mawbima newspaper for publishing articles that featured interviews with leaders of the LTTE, highlighting the humanitarian crisis in the North and East of Sri Lanka and exposing corruption."
Full story >>

Jaffna journalists fearful amid threats, killings

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 February 2007, 02:27 GMT]
The campaign of intimidation backed up by deadly violence has compelled Sri Lankan journalists of all ethnicities to flee Sri Lanka. But unlike their southern colleagues, journalists in the Jaffna have no easy escape and media institutions in the northern peninsula are appealing for international support in the face of threats by Army-backed paramilitaries.
Full story >>

3 LTTE cadres, Home guard killed in Amparai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 February 2007, 01:30 GMT]
Three Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) cadres and a Home Guard were killed, and two other Home Guards wounded in a firefight at a remote boarder village in Amparai district, around 5:00 a.m. Police sources said.
Full story >>

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.
Full story >>

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.
Full story >>

6 STF troopers injured in mortar fire in Vavunativu

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 February 2007, 12:05 GMT]
Six troopers were injured in a mortar attack launched on Vavunativu Special Task Force (STF) camp Tuesday from 6:30 a.m until 7:20 a.m by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from the no-man zone, Batticaloa police head quarter said. The STF retaliated the attack but information on LTTE casualties were not released by the police.
Full story >>

SLA re-opens Uyilankulam entry point

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 February 2007, 00:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Monday morning around 11.30 a.m. opened the entry point at Uyilankulam to enter areas controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). SLA closed the Uyilankulam entry point following artillery attack on a SLA sentry located near the Uyilankulam sentry point Sunday night.
Full story >>

SL Government troops conduct search operation in Kuchchaveli

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 February 2007, 12:41 GMT]
Sri Lanka government security forces Monday morning launched combined cordon and search operation covering fishing hamlets, Kallaruwa, Pudavaikattu, Pulmoddai and other coastal areas of Kuchchaveli divisional secretariat division north of Trincomalee town, sources said.
Full story >>

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.
Full story >>

Buddhist monks to fast demanding abrogation of CFA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 February 2007, 22:09 GMT]
Sri Lanka's National Bhikku Front (NBF), an organization of Buddhist monks, is to launch a fasting campaign Monday in Colombo demanding the Sri Lanka President to abrogate the ceasefire agreement (CFA) signed by the then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe and Velupillai Pirapaharan, leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>

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.
Full story >>

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.
Full story >>

Trapped Vanni school teachers to be employed in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 February 2007, 00:02 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Commander for Jaffna, Major Gen. G. S. Chandrasri, told the teachers of Vanni schools, trapped in Jaffna peninsula due to SLA closure of the A9 route in August 2006, that they will receive temporary assignments to teach peninsula schools. Major Gen Chandrasri met with nearly half of the 700 stranded teachers at a special centre at Kattuvan, located close to Palaly Military Base, around 7:00 p.m Monday, education officials in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Youth shot dead in Kinniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 February 2007, 00:14 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) soldiers shot dead a Tamil youth in Maniarasankulam in Kinniya divisional secretariat division in Trincomalee district Sunday night around 10 p.m. Security sources claimed that the victim was an LTTE cadre.
Full story >>

SLAF helicopters fire rockets in Trincomalee north

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 February 2007, 10:39 GMT]
Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) MI-12 helicopters Tuesday morning fired rockets in Kadawanaikulam and Morawewa areas in the north of Trincomalee town for more than 30 minutes. The sounds of explosions were heard in the east port city, sources said.
Full story >>