Abducted mill worker shot dead in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 October 2006, 09:54 GMT]
A rice mill employee abducted by unknown gunmen Wednesday around 6.00 p.m at Vinayagapuram in the Valaichenai police division in Batticaloa, was found dead with bullet wounds Thursday morning around 3.00 a.m at 4th Cross street, Kanakipuram in Vinayagapuram, said Valaichenai police.
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UNHCR spotlights Batticaloa IDPs woes

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 October 2006, 09:07 GMT]
UNHCR representative stressed the urgency for providing the basic facilities of displaced people from Pullumalai village in LTTE controlled territory along Chenkaladi-Badulla road in Batticaloa district before the onset of northeast monsoon at a conference held at the Eravur divisional secretariat, sources in Batticaloa said. N.Puvanendran, Divisional Secretary presided.
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Bauer to visit Colombo next week

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 October 2006, 01:26 GMT]
Norwegian special peace envoy Jon Hanssen Bauer is expected to visit Colombo next week to meet government and LTTE leaders to finalize arrangement for the proposed peace talks scheduled for October 28 and 29 in Geneva, Colombo media sources said.
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Tamil teacher shot dead by SLA in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 October 2006, 15:13 GMT]
A Tamil graduate teacher was shot dead Wednesday morning around 9:00 a.m. by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers stationed in Kinnaiayadi camp while he was taking class to students. Thirunavukarasu Sivagnaselvam, 32, is a teacher at Saraswathie Vidiyalayam located in Valaichchenai police division in Batticaloa district. He was rushed to the Valaichchenai government hospital but succumbed to injuries.
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LTTE captures SLA soldier, locates 75 dead bodies of Lankan troopers

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 October 2006, 13:48 GMT]
LTTE Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan Wednesday evening told media that the Tigers had repulsed the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) offensive Wednesday. SLA troopers who broke through the LTTE Forward Defence Line (FDL) positions in Kilali and Muhamalai were defeated, leaving around 75 dead bodies of Sri Lankan soldiers inside the LTTE territory in Kilali. A soldier was captured alive by the Tigers, he said. Three tanks were damaged and one destroyed, according to LTTE military spokesman. Meanwhile, SLA sources in Colombo claimed 35 were killed and more than 300 wounded in the Sri Lankan offensive.
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SLA meets stiff resistance in Jaffna offensive

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 October 2006, 11:16 GMT]
Twenty two Sri Lanka Army troopers were killed and 113 injured when LTTE retaliated advancing SLA troopers towards the LTTE territory from SLA Muhamalai Defence Line Wednesday, military sources in Colombo said. Major clashes between Liberation Tigers and Sri Lanka Security forces took place in Thenmarachy Forward Defence Lines (FDLs) and seas along littoral villages from Kilali to Sangupiddy along Jaffna lagoon from early morning Wednesday.
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Akashi to visit Sri Lanka Sunday

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 October 2006, 11:12 GMT]
Mr. Yasushi Akashi, representative of Government of Japan to Sri Lanka is to visit Sri Lanka on 15 October Sunday and will spend five days, a press release issued by Embassy of Japan in Colombo said Wednesday. Mr Akashi is expected to hold talks with the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers to promote the on-going peace efforts, the press release added.
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Sri Lanka launches offensive in Jaffna, curfew imposed in Thenmaradchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 October 2006, 04:16 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army has launched ground troop-movement into Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam controlled territory with heavy artillery and MBRL rocket fire since 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, LTTE Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan told media. Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) was notified by the LTTE on the Sri Lankan offensive, LTTE officials at the Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi said. The offensive, shattering peace hopes, comes few hours after an official announcement by Norway that parties had agreed to meet in Switzerland from 28 to 29 October.
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Youth's body, weapons found in Eravur

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 October 2006, 00:58 GMT]
The body of a Tamil youth alleged to be a member of Liberation Tigers was recovered near Murkodanchenai tank by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) after the SLA sentry points were attacked by LTTE cadres Monday night around 8.00 p.m., Eravur police said.
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Gurunagar fishing boats used in SLN naval exercise

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 October 2006, 00:05 GMT]
Gurunagar Fishermen's Development Society made an urgent appeal to the Government Agent (GA) Jaffna, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (SLHRC) in Jaffna Tuesday to help recover their fishing boats and outboard motors confiscated by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), sources in Jaffna said.
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Media delegation briefed on the woes of Tamil journalists

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 October 2006, 11:25 GMT]
The delegates of International media, who arrived in Colombo on Monday on a fact finding mission, to assess the climate of press freedom in Sri Lanka, held a meeting with the representatives from Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA), Free Media Movement (FMM), Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA), Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum (SLMMF) and Federation of Media Employees Trade Union (FMETU ) in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI), sources in Colombo said.
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International Community should ensure SLMM access to FDLs - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 October 2006, 10:19 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Political Head S. P. Thamilchelvan accused Colombo for being the "aggressor" despite the International Community's efforts and the LTTE leadership's assurances in ceasing violence to create conducive environment for talks. Colombo has denied access to truce monitors to the Northern Front where Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has been seen readying for a frontal assault, he told TamilNet after meeting the Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar in Kilinochchi Tuesday.
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SLA forces Union college to relocate

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 October 2006, 06:56 GMT]
Arrangements are underway to move educational activities of Tellipalai Union College in private buildings in Chunnakam, Malakam and Maruthanamadam areas following the refusal of the SLA to allow the college to function in its own premises which fell into the newly extended High Security Zone (HSZ) of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Jaffna, sources from Jaffna said.


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20 youths abducted in 2 days in Amparai

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 October 2006, 05:22 GMT]
More than 20 Tamil youths were reported abducted in Akkaraippattu and Thirukkovil area in Amparai district by unidentified armed gang traveling in white vans on Sunday and Monday, civil society sources said. Relatives of abducted filed four complaints, two in Akkaraippattu and two in Thirukkovil, sources added.
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SLA reinforces artillery batteries in Northern Front

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 October 2006, 16:59 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) was seen moving truck loads of military hardware from its Palaly main base to Forward Defence Lines in Jaffna Monday. Consignments of artillery ammunition, mortar shells, and rockets were rushed in heavy military vehicles via two routes, Palaly-Jafffna Road leading to the A9 Muhamalai FDL, Ariyalai area and Point Pedro Road towards Nagarkovil FDL in Vadamaradchi East since Saturday night. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Navy ordered fishermen in Gurunagar to hand over more than 240 outboard motors and fishing boats, according to fisheries union officials in Jaffna.
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SLA trooper injured in claymore attack in Vantharumoolai

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 October 2006, 11:50 GMT]
A group of unidentified armed men triggered a claymore mine Monday around 10.30 a.m on Komanthurai Sri Lanka Army (SLA) road patrol unit on Theevu road at Vantharumoolai in the Eravur police division, seriously injuring a SLA trooper, said sources from Vantharumoolai, sources in Batticaloa said.
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Co-Chairs' ambassadors meet Sri Lanka's President

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 October 2006, 09:31 GMT]
Co-Chairs' ambassadors in Colombo Monday morning met with Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse and expressed their concern about the continuous hostilities between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) troops and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) even after both parties agreed to resume peace talks during the later part of October. The meeting comes following an urgent LTTE warning to the truce monitors Saturday that Sri Lanka Army (SLA) was readying for an offensive in the Northern Front.
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Paramilitary cadre injured in sniper attack

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 October 2006, 16:56 GMT]
A member of the Razik paramilitary group was injured in a sniper attack by unknown gunmen Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at the Vavunativu Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp in Batticaloa, said civil society sources.
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Dead body of Mankerni SLA Major located in Panichchankerni

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 October 2006, 15:47 GMT]
LTTE Trincomalee Political Head Sunday said the Tigers in Vaharai located 3 more bodies, 2 Sri Lankan troopers and a paramilitary cadre, in LTTE controlled Panichchankerni. A Sri Lanka Army Major who led the crack forces and paramilitaries into Tiger territory, identified as Major W.S.A Wijetunge, was among the dead. Nine bodies of Sri Lankan soldiers were dug up, in addition to the 2 bodies recovered later, and handed over to the ICRC by the Tigers in the presence of Trincomalee District SLMM in Vaharai Sunday. Earlier, Sri Lanka had declined to receive the bodies.
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TNA urges International Community to prevail upon Colombo to cease violence

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 October 2006, 15:12 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in an urgent press release Sunday appealed to the International Community to prevail upon the Government of Sri Lanka to cease all military operations immediately and actively work towards creating a conducive atmosphere for the resumption of peace talks. Mavai S. Senathirajah MP, on behalf of the TNA Parliamentary Group said: "There can be little doubt that any such further offensive military operations by the GoSL will almost certainly result in the break-out of full scale war and a complete negation of the Ceasefire Agreement."
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