Fresh fighting near Mankulam

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Fighting is reported to have broken out in the general area of Mankulam as the Sri Lankan Army launched a fresh attempt to advance towards the strategic Mankulam junction, said SLA sources in Vavuniya today.
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Tigers step up Jaffna activity

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Six SLA soldiers were killed in four separate attacks n the Jaffna peninsula by the Liberation Tigers between May 12 and 16, said the Voice of Tigers (VoT) in its broadcast this evening.
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Chavakachcheri mine kills two

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Two soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) were killed and four wounded when a claymore mine exploded at Pulliyadi junction, near Nunaavil in Chavakachcheri, 18 km south of Jaffna, this morning at 8:30 a.m., said sources in Jaffna.
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Translation of LTTE Leader's speech (13 May 98)

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The LTTE leader, Mr. Vellupillai Pirabhakaran delivered a speech in Tamil on 13 May 1998, the first anniversary of the launch of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Operation, 'Jaya Sikirui'('Victory Assured' in Sinhala). The following is TamilNet's translation of the speech.
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13 SLA soldiers killed

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Atleast 13 Sri Lankan Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and 37 wounded when the military bus they were traveling in hit a land mine, at Cheddikulam this afternoon, said SLA sources. The injured have been sent to Anuradhapura and Madawachi hospitals.
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A long year on the road

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Exactly one year ago, the Sri Lankan military began the largest military campaign in its history. Preceded by a massive artillery and aerial bombardment, over 20,000 Sri Lankan troops, led by elite Special Forces, broke out of their fortifications at Vavuniya and Manal Aru and pushed into the LTTE-controlled Vanni. The Sri Lankan government had much riding on the outcome of the operation, optimistically code-named 'Jaya Sikirui' ('Victory Assured' in Sinhala).
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Till the other side cracks

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Sri Lankan military's widespread and indiscriminate use of artillery and air power is arguably the major cause of civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict in Sri Lanka. In the past few years, the Sri Lankan military has repeatedly up-gunned its forces with ever larger caliber field guns, with more numerous aircraft that are capable of carrying heavier payloads and more heavily armed naval craft.
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Poor response to latest amnesty

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) Commander, Maj. General R.Daluwatte said today that 5000 SLA deserters had accepted the general amnesty and had returned to their duties during the period the amnesty had been offered to SLA deserters. However, SLA sources in Colombo said the actual response was far less than the official figure.
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New restrictions on Vadamaradchi East

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Army had imposed severe restrictions on taking notebooks, pens and other writing materials into Vadmaradchi east since May 6. Each person is allowed to take only two pens and one notebook through the SLA check point at Vallipuram.
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Military activity in Mankulam area

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Three SLA soldiers were wounded in Mannakulam, southwest of Mankulam, when the Liberation Tigers fired mortars on troops of Operation Jeyasikurui yesterday, said SLA sources in Vavuniya.
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Child rape, murder suspects bailed

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A SLA soldier who was remanded for alleged sexual abuse of a seven year old child last year, in Pathaimeni in Achchuveli, in the Jaffna Peninsula was released on 2000 Rupees (USD 31) cash bail on May 4, said sources in Jaffna.
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Batticaloa travellers being filmed

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Passengers undergoing security checks at Mannampitty, 65 km north of Batticaloa, while en route from Batticaloa to Colombo are video filmed by soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) at the checkpoint, said sources in Batticaloa.
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Rumbled Tiger impersonators retaliate

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A group of people returning home after poosai (worship) at a temple in Chulipuram, 15 km northwest of Jaffna, were accosted and asked to hand over the food they were carrying by soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) posing off as members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) around 8 p.m. on Monday, said sources in Jaffna.
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Fishermen to share sea with fish

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Fishermen working near certain villages on the northern coast of Waligamam in the Jaffna peninsula, about 15 km north-west of Jaffna, are forced to stay in waist deep water for up to four hours, due to new security restrictions imposed by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on shallow water fishing, said sources in Jaffna.
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Mine wounds three

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Two SLA soldiers and a woman police were wounded when the jeep in which they were traveling hit a claymore mine in Kondavil, north of Jaffna town, yesterday around 12.00 noon, said police sources in Jaffna.
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Jaffna island troops pulled out

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Sections of the 514 Brigade of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) stationed at Allaipiddy, Mandatheevu and Mankumban, in the islands off the Jaffna peninsula, are in the process of being withdrawn to other areas, said sources in Jaffna.
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Artillery barrage follows skirmish

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police camps around Valaichenai, 30 km north of Batticaloa, went on a shelling spree last night following an attack on the SLA-Police checkpoint at Ottamaavadi bridge, 36 km northwest of Batticaloa, by the Liberation Tigers around 2:50 a.m. today, said sources in Valaichenai.
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Two killed in Vavuniya blast - SLA

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A short circuit or an accident might have triggered the explosion yesterday in the main Vavuniya SLA camp which destroyed the entire stockpile of ammunition stored in an ammunition dump, said SLA sources in Vavuniya.
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Five soldiers killed in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Five Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and one wounded yesterday around 4.30 p.m. in the SLA controlled part of Kilinochchi when the Liberation Tigers activated a claymore mine, said SLA sources in Vavuniya.
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Army uses civilians as human shields - MP

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Joseph Parajasingham MP (Tamil United Liberation Front, Batticaloa District) has written to Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga requesting her to bring to a halt the practice of subjecting youths to hard labour under inhuman conditions by Sri Lankan Army (SLA).
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