2 masons killed, 1 wounded in Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 January 2007, 12:59 GMT]
Four armed men riding in two motorbikes shot and killed two Tamil mason workers at Kannakipuram in Alayadyvembu in Akkaraipattu Sunday around 1:30 p.m., Police said. The victims, former LTTE cadres, had left from Special Task Force camp located 300 meters, after presenting themselves as required by the STF.
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Heavy exchange of artillery fire at Thenmaradchi FDLs

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 January 2007, 11:12 GMT]
Exchange of heavy artillery and rocket fire in the Forward Defence Line (FDL) positions at Muhamalai and other areas in Thenmaradchi between the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) continued from Saturday evening until Sunday early morning, sources in Jaffna said. Small fire arms too were used in the clashes Sunday which lasted for more than an hour. No information on casualties is available.
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Northeast, Anuradhapura Bishops meet Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 January 2007, 03:21 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapksa met with Jaffna Bishop Rev.Thomas Saundranayagam, Mannar Bishop Rev.Rayappu Joseph, and Anuradhapura Bishop Rev.Norbert Andradi at Temple Trees Friday afternoon. The discussions centered on the hardships faced by civilians in the Northeast and steps that can be taken to alleviate the suffering, sources in Colombo said.
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Media watchdog condemns paramilitary ban on papers

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 January 2007, 11:52 GMT]
Free Media Movement, a Colombo based media watchdog, Friday said it noted with deep concern the alleged ban imposed by the Karuna paramilitary group on the sale of Colombo Tamil dailies Virakesari, Thinakkural and Sudar Oli in the East. The paramilitary group, operated by the Sri Lanka Army, had banned the sale of the Tamil papers, except the EPDP paramilitary owned Thinamurasu and the Sri Lanka Government owned Thinakaran in Sri Lanka Army controlled areas of Batticaloa district. The group has issued death threats to news agents in Trincomalee in an attempt to block the distribution of independent Tamil papers in the district.
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Muthur Tamil youth released

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 January 2007, 16:57 GMT]
Muthur Magistrate Manickavasagar Ganesharajah Thursday discharged a Tamil youth who was accused of having links with LTTE for lack of evidence, legal sources in Trincomalee said. The prosecuting police officer told court that he has no evidence that implicates him on the alleged offense.
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Three SLA troopers injured by rocket fire in Vavunativu

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 January 2007, 11:52 GMT]
Three Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers from Vavunativu camp were seriously injured in rocket fire launched by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on Vavunativu area in Batticaloa Wednesday around 7:00 p.m, SLA sources said. The attack continued through Wednesday night.
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SLA, LTTE exchange rocket fire at Muhamalai FDL

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 January 2007, 19:14 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army soldiers and LTTE fighters exchanged artillery and rocket fire in Muhamalai sector on the Thenmaradchi division of the Jaffna peninsula, Wednesday. Eight SLA troopers who were injured in Wednesday's shelling were admitted at the Palaly military base hospital.
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SL President must offer solution, truce - paper

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 January 2007, 12:28 GMT]
Warning Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse that a military solution to the ethnic question, “will be a long and arduous task that will take a long time,” The Morning Leader newspaper urged him instead to “forward [to the LTTE] a viable set of proposals and at least call for a temporary cessation of hostilities.”
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Shelters in schools affect education in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 January 2007, 02:42 GMT]
Education activities of children in Trincomalee district are badly affected due 17 government schools being used as temporary shelters for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), educational sources said.
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Mob led by SL Minister attack Journalists at UPM event

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 January 2007, 14:43 GMT]
An armed mob led by Sri Lankan Deputy Minister of Labour, Mervin Silva, arrived at the open air stage at Super Market Square in Nugegoda, the site of the first public event organised by the newly established United People's Movement (UPM), and attacked the journalists who were present at the site to cover the event which was about to commence at 3:00 p.m. Tuesday. The UPM is a political platform that seeks to establish consensus among especially the Southern polity on a Federal System of Governance, as against war and any other undemocratic, non-negotiable conclusion to the on going NorthEast conflict.
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Emergency extended, SL Parliament to debate de-merger of NorthEast

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 January 2007, 11:21 GMT]
The state of Emergency was passed for another month in Sri Lanka's Parliament Tuesday by a majority of 79 votes with 88 voting for and 9 against the motion. The motion, opposed by the Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians. UNP, JVP and JHU supported the motion. A debate on the de-merger of NorthEast would take place Wednesday.
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2 Tiger cadres shot dead in Vavuniya - SLA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 January 2007, 10:58 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army officials in Vavuniya said their troopers had shot dead two Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam cadres in Karuvelapuliyankulam area in Vavuniya, in a gunfight Tuesday, when SLA troopers tried to surround six LTTE cadres who had entered into Karuvelapuliyankulam jungle hills, crossing Atamasgada road. One SLA trooper was injured in the fight.
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SLA shelling kills 2 civilians, wounds 9 in Verugal

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 January 2007, 07:57 GMT]
Two Internally Displaced Persons were killed and 9 others including two children were wounded in artillery fire by the Sri Lanka Army towards Verugal Tuesday morning, LTTE officials in Verugal told media. The civilian victims were fleeing northwards after the artillery barrage towards Vaharai Monday.
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General shut down in East against dividing NorthEast

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 January 2007, 20:51 GMT]
People of Batticaloa and Amparai district staged a general shut down Monday condemning the Sri Lankan Government's decision of dividing North and East and demanding the immediate stoppage of killing civilians and carrying out aerial bombing and other attacks on civilians by Sri Lankan Forces.
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JVP demands SL government to declare war against the Tigers

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 January 2007, 19:41 GMT]
The Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Sunday demanded the Government of Sri Lanka led by President Mahinda Rajapakse to declare full scale war on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) openly after proscribing it. The JVP politburo made the demand in a statement issued Sunday.
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Fire fight at Omathai FDL

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 January 2007, 16:22 GMT]
A member of the Liberation Tigers was killed and two Sri Lanka Army soldiers were injured and in a confrontation near Sri Lanka Army's Forward Defence Lines (FDL) in Omanthai, north of Vavuniya, around 10:10 a.m., Monday, police in the northern town said.
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3 STF personnel injured in LTTE retaliation

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 January 2007, 11:33 GMT]
Three Special Task Force (STF) personnel were injured in an retaliation attack by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) when the STF and police tried to penetrate into LTTE held Kanchikudicharu in Amparai district Sunday around 5:00 p.m, Police said.


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Negotiate a new ceasefire, UNP tells Rajapakse government

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 January 2007, 22:43 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) Sunday appealed to the government of Mahinda Rajapakse to work out a fresh ceasefire agreement with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake made the request at a press briefing held Sunday.


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Second bus bomb kills 15 in South, 40 wounded

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 January 2007, 09:35 GMT]
Another bus explosion was reported in South, claiming 15 lives, on Galle Road, at Seenigama in Meetiyagoda Police area in Galle District, 88 km southeast of Colombo Saturday around 2:20 p.m. More than forty civilians were wounded in the second explosion reported within 24 hours, according to Karapitiya hospital sources. Military officials in Colombo blamed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for the bomb attacks in buses Friday and Saturday. LTTE Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthiryan denied the accusation as baseless accusations.
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2 killed, 2 wounded in DPU claymore explosion

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 January 2007, 04:24 GMT]
Two Agriculture Department officials were killed and 2 wounded Friday morning when a vehicle belonging to the department, transporting fruit plants, was hit by a Sri Lankan Deep Penetration Unit Claymore mine blast around 8:45 in Nedunkerni, 37 km northeast of Vavuniya. One of the two Claymore mines, triggered by the DPU attackers, exploded. Sri Lanka Army launched an artillery attack, firing around 25 shells towards the attack site, after the Claymore explosion.
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