Veritas listeners' club formed

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 June 1999, 13:00 GMT]
(CORRECTION) On May 23, 1999 TamilNet reported that the Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio was to co-ordinate with Radio Veritas of the Philippines. This report was incorrect and resulted from an error in translation. The VoT report actually stated that a Radio Veritas Listeners club had been formed in the Vanni. A corrected version follows.
Full story >>

Catholics denied burial rights

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 June 1999, 07:40 GMT]
Burial in the cemetery adjoining the Catholic church in Vakarai, Batticaloa district has been banned by the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) which has its camp in the central section of the village, said sources. This has forced the Catholic population to use the cemetery traditionally used by the Hindus.
Full story >>

Military clearance only obstacle to resettlement

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 June 1999, 07:26 GMT]
The consensus amongst the 1067 Tamil families who have been crammed into four refugee camps in the village of Thirukovil, Ampara, for the past nine years is that they are unwilling to stay in their damaged cadgan huts any longer and want to move back to their homes immediately.
Full story >>

Razeek killed in blast

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 May 1999, 09:29 GMT]
P.Ganeshmoorthy, also known as Razeek, leader of the military wing of the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) and one of his assistants, Chandran Jeyakumar were killed in a bomb explosion at about 1.05 p.m. today. A civilian, Ali Mohamed Thahir of Eravur was also killed, along with the attacker.
Full story >>

Forced labour said exacerbating poverty

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 May 1999, 16:42 GMT]
"My family is dependent on my day-to-day earnings. My children will stave if I do not work even for a day", said a refugee who was among a group of men who were compelled by the Sri Lanka Army to clean its camp at Valaichenai last week.
Full story >>

Valaichenai youth shot dead

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 May 1999, 22:50 GMT]
(News Feature) A Tamil youth was shot dead by security forces personnel manning the cemetery sentry point at Valaichenai town in the Eastern province at around 2.00 p.m. today, said sources.
Full story >>

Missing person found in Hospital

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 May 1999, 09:53 GMT]
(Correction) The TamilNet's Vadamaradchi correspondent met one of the persons reported missing in the Jaffna Human Rights Commission's (HRC) report, Mr.Vanniyasingham Karthigesu today at the Manthikai hospital where he is under treatement for virus fever.
Full story >>

Tigers shell SLAF base

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 April 1999, 10:21 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers fired long range mortar shells into the Sri Lanka Air Force in Batticaloa this afternoon around 3.40 p.m. Three shells fired by the Tigers from positions beyond the Batticaloa lagoon fell inside the camp and exploded.
Full story >>

Fourteen civilians wounded in shelling

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 April 1999, 02:13 GMT]
Three civilians were killed and fourteen wounded in Eravur, 16 kilometers north of Batticaloa, by shelling and gunfire following an attack by the Liberation Tigers on a Sri Lankan Police sentry in the early hours of the morning today around 12.40 a.m.
Full story >>

Vanni vaccination programme blocked

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 April 1999, 12:58 GMT]
The SLA's 21-4 brigade in Mannar today refused permission to Dr.Kadirkamanathan, the district's Medical officer of Health (MOH), to visit Adampan, Illuppaikadavai, Vellaangkulam and Vidaththaltheevu for the purpose of vaccinating about 3500 children in these areas which are not under the control of the army.
Full story >>

News in Brief:

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 April 1999, 14:54 GMT]
Prayer protest at Madhu church and tension in eastern port town of Trincomalee as war anniversary approaches.
Full story >>

Batticaloa widows given empowerment training

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 April 1999, 10:53 GMT]
Kunapalan Amirtham, 40, a widow from Vammivedduwaan in Vaakarai, 64 kilometers north of Batticaloa, told TamilNet today that she and her five children live on the 1000 rupees (14.5 USD) she makes a month by working for a charcoal maker.
Full story >>

News in Brief:

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 April 1999, 21:51 GMT]
SLA investigates Tiger members' families, a senior EPDP cadre is killed, food convoys fail to arrive and free telephone calls for two days.
Full story >>

Missing fisherman found in Mullaithivu

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 April 1999, 09:06 GMT]
Six Muslim fishermen of Valaichenai who were reported missing since March 23 have been located in Mullaithivu their relatives said today. The two boats in which they had set out had been pulled by powerful deep sea current towards the Mullaithivu coast.
Full story >>

PA stalwarts' seats fall to UNP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 April 1999, 18:17 GMT]
The PA lost the electorates of its key leaders to the UNP at Tuesday's provincial polls. The ruling party was defeated by the UNP in the electorate of Senkadagala in the Kandy District, the 'seat' of Deputy Defence Minister General Anuruddha Ratwatte.
Full story >>

Low turnout said favouring ruling party

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 April 1999, 16:27 GMT]
A senior official at the Election Commissioner's department said this evening that 69 percent of the votes in the five provinces were cast by 3 p.m. this afternoon. He said overall turnout was excellent except in the district of Colombo.
Full story >>

Five killed in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 April 1999, 12:49 GMT]
Three SLA soldiers were killed and six were wounded when the Liberation Tigers attacked a group of SLA soldiers returning to their position around 6.10 a.m. this morning at the Puthuvelippaalam in Kaavaththamunai, four km. west of Valaichenai in the Batticaloa district.
Full story >>

Foreign carriers blamed for Jaffna AIDS cases

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 April 1999, 18:49 GMT]
(NEWS FEATURE) Jaffna's fourth positively identified AIDS patient died yesterday at his residence in Neduntheevu. The person who had worked abroad was admitted to the Jaffna Teaching hospital in May last year. HIV tests in Colombo and Jaffna had revealed that he was suffering from advanced stages of disease. Doctors discovered that his wife, a teacher, was also infected. The patient and his family were given medical advise and sent home. He died early morning yesterday.
Full story >>

Magistrate orders Chemmani exhumation

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 April 1999, 10:01 GMT]
The Jaffna additional magistrate N.Arulsaagaran ordered in court today that ex-Lance Corporal Somaratna Rajapaksha, the first accused in the Krishanthi Kumarasamy rape and murder case, to be produced in Jaffna on June 15 to identify the alleged grave site in Chemmani.
Full story >>

Quarterly meetings keep Jaffna council alive

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 March 1999, 20:35 GMT]
The Jaffna Municipal council was convened today by the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF). The meeting was held at the office of the EPRLF on Hospital street in the high security zone of Jaffna town following PLOTE's refusal to attend the event at the TULF's office for security reasons.
Full story >>