SLN, Sea Tigers clash in Jaffna lagoon

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 October 2006, 16:10 GMT]
Gunboats of Sea Tigers and Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) clashed for 5-hours in the Kilaly bay Thursday morning from 3:30 a.m. to 8:30. A Sri Lankan naval source that did not wish to be identified said their gunboats off Kerathivu had mistaken Sea Tiger patrol vessels in Sangupitty area as an LTTE attempt to launch an attack on Jaffna.
Full story >>

SLA shelling intensifies in Vaharai - Elilan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 October 2006, 15:05 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) from its Mankerny base began firing artillery shells and Multi-Barrel Rockets into Liberation Tigers controlled Panichchankerni area Thursday morning from 6:30 a.m. till 9:00 a.m., according to S. Elilan, Trincomalee Political Head of the LTTE.
Full story >>

LTTE delegation arrives in Geneva, enters consultations

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 October 2006, 14:52 GMT]
Delegation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), headed by Political Head of the Tigers S.P. Thamilchelvan arrived in Geneva International Airport Thursday morning and engaged in internal consultations Thursday around 4:00 p.m. with the legal advisors and diaspora experts in Geneva.
Full story >>

Tamileelam Legislature enacts Child Protection Act

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 October 2006, 22:29 GMT]
Tamileelam Child Protection Act 2006 (Act No. 03 of 2006), enacted by Tamileelam Legislature Secretariat and which became effective on October 15, brings into law measures to protect the Rights and well-being of children from inception of life through adolescence, Head of Tamileelam Judiciary, E. Pararajasingham, told TamilNet Wednesday. The Act, containing 83 sections, makes education compulsory upto grade 11, mandates registration of all child births, outlaws enlisting of children under 17 years in Armed Forces, makes participation of under 18-year olds in armed combat illegal, and proscribes all forms of child labour.
Full story >>

LTTE to focus humanitarian issues, CFA implementation in Geneva

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 October 2006, 06:37 GMT]
S.P. Thamilchelvan, the Political Head of the Liberation Tigers, before leaving Kilinochchi Tuesday morning, with Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar and the LTTE delegation, for talks in Geneva, told media that the Tigers were participating in the talks respecting the call by the International Community. "Agenda for the talks has not been worked out," Mr. Thamilchelvan said. "However, on our part, we have prepared to focus the urgent humanitarian crisis caused by the Sri Lankan state terrorism in the Tamil homeland," he told media adding that the Tigers were also prepared to focus the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement.
Full story >>

IFJ condemns bombing of VoT radio station

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 October 2006, 16:51 GMT]
The International Federation of Journalists has condemned the bombing of the official radio station of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the Voice of Tigers (VoT), by the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) in Vanni last Tuesday. The IFJ, reminding the Sri Lankan government of its "absolute obligation" under the Geneva Convention to respect the safety of journalists, said it hoped the attack does not set a "terrible precedent" for further "targeted attacks" on media outlets. The SLAF attack on Thamileelam Vanoli tower in Kokkavil, destroyed the main transmitter and tower of the station that broadcasts three services, the VoT, a Sinhala service and a Tamil commercial service from Vanni.
Full story >>

SLN arrests three Muslims in Mannar

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 October 2006, 15:40 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) arrested three Muslim villagers of Puthukudiruppu in Erukalampiddy division in Mannar district Monday around noon for allegedly transporting fuel to LTTE held villages. The suspects were handed over to the Mannar Police in the evening.
Full story >>

Shell injures police, civilian in Vavunathivu

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 October 2006, 15:34 GMT]
A civilian and a police Seargent were seriously injured when a mortar shell exploded near the police sentry point on the Vavunathivu Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Forward Defence Line (FDL) Monday around 6:30 a.m, said residents in Vavunathivu.
Full story >>

Lorry driver shot dead, one injured in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 October 2006, 10:37 GMT]
Unidentified armed men stopped a lorry and shot dead the driver and injuring another at Poonthodam in Vavuniya Monday around 10:30 a.m. said Vavuniya police. The injured was rushed to Vavuniya hospital.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka in "interminable and intractable crisis"- UN

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 October 2006, 01:56 GMT]
Prof. Philip Alston, United Nation's Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, speaking to the United Nations General Assembly, Third Committee, 20 October 2006, said that the "dramatic attacks in recent days and spiraling number of extrajudicial executions" indicate that "Sri Lanka is not so much on the brink of a new crisis but, instead, only in the midst of an interminable and intractable crisis that has already exhausted its fair share of international attention," and called upon the United Nations Secretariat to "establish a full-fledged international human rights monitoring mission in Sri Lanka."
Full story >>

SLA shells injure two youths, child in Vaharai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 October 2006, 10:52 GMT]
Three members of a family including a 3 year old boy was seriously injured when high explosive artillery shells fired by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) from Valaichenai brigade and Sinhapura camps on residential settlelments in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled Vaharai areas in Batticaloa district at 6:00 pm Friday, hit their house, said sources in Vaharai. The injured were rushed to Vaharai hospital and are listed in serious condition, hospital sources said.
Full story >>

US says backs Sri Lanka, urges talks

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 October 2006, 22:41 GMT]
As the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers prepare for their first face-to-face talks since February, the United States Saturday, whilst supporting the negotiations, threw its weight behind the Colombo government. "We have excellent relations with the government of Sri Lanka. I have met with President [Mahinda] Rajapakse. We are signaling our strong support for the government of Sri Lanka. We do not recognise Tamil Tigers and we don't support them,” Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns told a round table of South Asian journalists.
Full story >>

SLA embargo burdens Thirukovil residents

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 October 2006, 12:28 GMT]
People's representatives of Thirukovil region in Amparai district highlighted the hardships caused by travel restrictions and material embargo imposed by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), to Mr. Herath Abeyaweera, Government Agent (GA) Amparai district, at the Thirukovil Regional Secretariat Thurday 9:00 a.m., Thirukovil Secretariat sources said. The Special Task Force (STF) soldiers of the SLA have blocked medicines, fuel, fertilizer and materials essential for cultivation and building construction to be taken into Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled areas.
Full story >>

De-merger issue raises lot of questions - Richard Boucher

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 October 2006, 11:49 GMT]
Richard Boucher, US Assistant Secretary of State for Central and South Asian Affairs, when responding to a question at a press conference at the Galle Face Hotel Friday said that the timing of the "unfortunate" issue of NorthEast de-merger in Sri Lankan politics, raised lot of questions, right before the next round of talks, noting that the Sri Lankans were facing a critical moment and it was time to move forward and reverse the negative momentum.
Full story >>

Vehicle pass system re-introduced in Vavuniya, Mannar

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 October 2006, 16:39 GMT]
A "Pass" system for all vehicles leaving the districts of Mannar and Vavuniya to rest of Sri Lanka has come into effect from Friday. Vehicles have to obtain passes from police stations in Vavuniya, Chettikulam and Mannar before leaving to outstations, civil sources said. However vehicles moving between Mannar and Vavuniya are exempted from the pass procedures, sources said.
Full story >>

Two SLN Dvora vessels damaged in sea clash - LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 October 2006, 14:09 GMT]
Liberation Tigers officials in Kilinochchi said Sea Tigers retaliated a Sri Lanka Navy flotilla that launched an attack on Tiger vessels in the seas off Tiger territory in Nagarkovil. Sea Tigers chased the SLN flotilla towards Kudathanai in North. Two Dvora Fast Attack Crafts were damaged in the confrontation, they said.
Full story >>

Stranded Jaffna residents protest in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 October 2006, 09:43 GMT]
Jaffna peninsula residents, trapped in Vavuniya district following the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) imposed closure of the A9 land route to Jaffna when clashes erupted between SLA and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) August 11, marched in protest from Vavuniya Secretariat to the offices of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and International Committee of Red Cross in Vavuniya Friday and complained against the long delay in sending them home, Vavuniya Secretariat sources said.


Full story >>

SLA transport ban impedes development in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 October 2006, 09:23 GMT]
P. Ariyanenthiran, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian for Batticaloa said that despite the assurances given by Basil Rajapakse, brother of and Senior Advisor to the President of Sri Lanka, on June 29 that the military-imposed economic and transport restrictions in Batticaloa district would be lifted, situation on the ground has remained the same with all development projects at a standstill without building materials.
Full story >>

Akashi visits Muttur

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 October 2006, 00:24 GMT]
Mr. Yashushi Akashi, Japanese special peace envoy, paid a visit to Muthur town Thursday morning and met Muslims, Tamils and Sinhala residents at the Muthur Divisional Secretariat, sources in Trincomalee said.
Full story >>

Hindu Temple, 13 houses damaged in SLAF bombing

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 October 2006, 17:55 GMT]
A Pillayar temple, a Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society building and 13 houses were badly damaged Thursday morning around 11:00 when SLAF kfir attack aircrafts bombed civilian settlements in Tharavai and Iralakulam in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eeelam (LTTE) controlled area in Batticaloa district.
Full story >>