Five schools in Eravur relocated

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 February 2007, 02:10 GMT]
Five schools in Chenkaldy educational zone in Eravur region in Batticaloa District have been temporarily relocated to alternate locations due to internal displacement of civilians, zonal education officer A.Sugumaran announced Monday.
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Two killed, civilian injured in Batticaloa firefight

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 February 2007, 02:08 GMT]
Two unindentified youths were killed and one civilian critically injured when Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) cadres and members of Karuna group engaged in a firefight in Kaluthavalai in Kaluwanchikkudy Police division in Batticaloa district around 6:00 p.m. Monday.
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Ratnapura attacks spark strike by plantation workers

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 February 2007, 14:02 GMT]
Seven housing units belonging to Tamil plantation workers in Farm Garden Estate in Ratnapura were destroyed by fire Friday night at 8:30 p.m. when a group of unidentified gangsters, allegedly from the neighboring Sinhala village of Navanagara, armed with hand bombs set ablaze more than fifty housing units. The mob kicked the doors open, removed valuables from the units, splashed accelerants before setting fire to the units. The workers at the Farm Garden Estate went on strike Sunday to protest against the violence, and the lethargic response shown by the Estate Management, spokesperson for the workers said.
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SLA officer killed, four troopers injured in Vavuniya in two separate attacks

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 February 2007, 11:44 GMT]
Unidentified armed persons attacked a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) road patrol unit at Pandarikulam road in Vepankulam, Vavuniya Monday around 11:05 a.m. killing an officer and injuring a trooper, sources in Vavuniya said. Meanwhile, SLA said that three troopers were injured in an attack by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Monday early morning at Macanar road in Sector 5, Vavuniya.
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Tamil Americans pay tribute to Anton Balasingham

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 February 2007, 01:29 GMT]
Several hundred Tamil Americans braved the weather to pay tribute to the later Anton Balasingham, theoretician and political advisor of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), at a memorial event held in Manmouth Middle School in New Jersey, 5:00 p.m. Saturday. Mr Balasingham was diagnosed with bile duct cancer in the middle of November, and passed away on 14 December 2006.
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Police commandos, Tigers exchange gunfire in Murunkan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 February 2007, 18:01 GMT]
Murunkan Police reported exchange of gunfire between a road patrol of Police commandos and a group of Liberation Tigers Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. at Pannavedduvan, 32 km southeast of Mannar. Police said that a Tiger cadre was killed and that the Tigers had taken the body of their dead cadre, but clamied to have located a T-56 automatic rifle after the clash. Five hours later, at 3:00 a.m. Sri Lanka Army fired artillery shells towards LTTE controlled Arippu, 20 km northwest of Pannavedduvan.
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SLA, LTTE exchange mortar fire near Muhamalai FDL

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 February 2007, 17:54 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers and the Liberation Tigers exchanged artillery and mortar fire near Thenmaradchy Forward Defence Lines (FDLs) near Muhamalai from Sunday morning, residents living close to the area in Mirusuvil and in Usan said. Two shells fell within the SLA camp at Usan located behind the Forward Defence Line (FDL) positions, residents said. A shell fired by the Liberation Tigers exploded in areas close to Usan and Mirusuvil Camps of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Sunday, causing minor injuries to two civilians, sources close to SLA said


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Chirac highlights civilian suffering on Sri Lanka's Independence Day

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 February 2007, 01:35 GMT]
France's President Jacques Chirac, in a message to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse on the occasion of the Sri Lanka's Independence Day on February 04, said he wished that a dialogue would start again and that a political solution to the conflict that is tearing Sri Lanka apart would be found. In his message to Mr. Rajapakse, Mr. Chirac noted that "numerous civilians are suffering in a very difficult humanitarian situation," since the fighting resumed beween the Sri Lankan military and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
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TE Law College releases book on 'Family Law'

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 February 2007, 02:25 GMT]
"We are very proud that even after the Tamil community has been subjected to unprecedented hardships, people have held onto their strong cultural values. In the last 12 to 13 years only 154 families have sought separation or divorce in Vanni region. It is a remarkable statistic in a society that has been struggling for social changes for many years," K. V. Balakumaran, senior member of Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) said Wednesday.
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More flee LTTE areas fearing SLA offensive in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 February 2007, 02:22 GMT]
More than three thousand people have moved out of Liberation Tigers (LTTE) held areas in Batticaloa west and northwest regions into government controlled areas, within the last few days due to continuous mortar and artillery attacks by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), sources in Batticaloa said. The displaced are given temporary shelters or are staying at the houses of friends and relatives.
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Abducted youth found dead in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 February 2007, 12:02 GMT]
Kopay police recovered Thursday morning the body of a youth, near LTTE's Heroes Cemetery in Rasaveethy, Kopay, sources in Jaffna said. The youth's family members had earlier complained to Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Jaffna that the youth was abducted by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers Tuesday while he was riding on his motor cycle near Nallur temple. The body bears signs of torture and gunshot injuries, Jaffna Teaching Hospital sources said.
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Union: Navy destroyed fishing boats, not Tiger craft

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 January 2007, 11:36 GMT]
On Saturday Sri Lanka’s military said it had foiled a Tamil Tiger attack on the Colombo port and that three Sea Tiger boats had been destroyed. The navy said nine people had been arrested in connection with the attack. However, the All Ceylon Fisheries Union (ACFU) Tuesday contradicted the military and said the Navy had fired on fishing boats and arrested fishermen. An alleged black out on news had censored details of an attack said to have destroyed four Sri Lankan vessels in Colombo Harbour last Saturday. A flotilla of five attack boats and four explosions were registered by eyewitnesses.
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JHU appoints militant leader as parliamentarian

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 January 2007, 06:29 GMT]
Sinhala Ultra Nationalist All Monks party, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), which is opposed to power-sharing and Norwegian facilitation, Wednesday replaced their National List parliamentarian monk Ven. Omalpe Sobhita Thero with a prominent militant leader of the National Movement Against Terrorism (NMAT), Patali Champika Ranawaka, paving way for him to assume a cabinet post this week, when the party with 9 parliamentary seats, is expected to join Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse's UPFA alliance.
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Mortar attack prompts search operation in Morawewa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 January 2007, 18:38 GMT]
Soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) with police Tuesday morning conducted a combined cordon and search operation in Morawewa area located about 24 km Northwest of Trincomalee along Trincomalee-Anuradhapura road. The operation followed a mortar attack on the SLAF camp located in Morawewa by LTTE cadres Tuesday early morning, security sources said.
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US backs Sri Lanka, urges talks and access for humanitarian agencies

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 January 2007, 14:23 GMT]
The United States, reiterating its strong support for Sri Lanka's efforts "to combat terror," Monday called on Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse's government to also forge a power-sharing proposal as the basis for negotiations with the LTTE. Pointing out development can only take place amid peace, U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert Blake told a meeting of Sri Lanka's donor community that 'transparency, good governance, and respect for human rights and the rule of law are essential preconditions for economic development and indispensable prerequisites for ... a lasting peace." He criticised Sri Lanka's blocking of access to humanitarian agencies in the Northeast.
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7500 flee homes due to SLA attacks in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 January 2007, 18:34 GMT]
Within the last four days, 7500 persons belonging to 1400 families have moved into government controlled area from Kiran, Chenkalady and Vavunativu Regional Secreatary divisions in Batticaloa district, Sundaram Arumainayagam, Batticaloa Government Agent (GA) said.
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International Community's flawed approach assists Colombo- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 January 2007, 15:07 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Political Head S. P. Thamilchelvan, in an Interview to TamilNet Sunday, said the passive stance adopted by the International Community, which he characterized as “unconstructive engagement,” is encouraging Colombo to pursue its power-centric politics and aggressive military agenda. The International Community, while making statements that a military solution is not possible, is either unable to, or unwilling to, exert its formidable muscle to force Colombo out of the current military path, despite the patience shown by the Tigers, he said.


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Confusion amidst harbour attack black out

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 January 2007, 20:29 GMT]
Conflicting details are emerging about the attack off the seas of Colombo harbour, Saturday morning. An informed source told TamilNet Saturday evening that four vessels were destroyed by the attackers, while the SLN authorities said they have destroyed 3 “suspicious boats”. SLN sources said Saturday evening that they have captured 9 "suspects" who were "fleeing" from the Harbour area.
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Tamil youth killed in STF attack in Murunkan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 January 2007, 16:55 GMT]
One cadre of Liberation Tigers was killed during retaliatory gunfire by the Special Task Force (STF) soldiers on a group of LTTE cadres who attacked the STF camp located in Murunkan area Saturday early morning, Murunkan Police said. The Police handed over the body of the unidentified Tamil youth, estimated to be 20-years old, to the Mannar base hospital Saturday afternoon.
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Terminate CFA, Buddhist monks demand

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 January 2007, 12:09 GMT]
Sri Lanka Buddhist Monks' Front Thursday decided to submit a memorandum to Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse demanding termination of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) signed on 22 February 2002 by then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe and V. Pirapaharan, leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) before it completes five year-term.
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