STF, LTTE clash in Batticaloa, Tiger cadre killed

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 August 2006, 08:34 GMT]
Sri Lanka Special Task Force (STF) troopers and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres manning the Forward Defence Line (FDL) positions in Vellaveli, clashed Sunday morning around 5:15 a.m. Mortar shells were fired towards LTTE FDL and the surrounding villages as a group of STF troopers attempted to move inside the LTTE territory, said LTTE Batticaloa District Poliitcal Head Daya Mohan. A Liberation Tigers cadre was kiled and two STF troopers were wouned in the clash that lasted for more than 45 minutes. Vellaveli is located 25 km southeast of Batticaloa.
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SLN arrests 95 Pesalai civilians fleeing to Tamilnadu

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 August 2006, 07:06 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Navy seized an Indian trawler with 95 Tamil civilians from Pesalai village in Mannar district while on its way to South Indian coast, Sunday. These villagers following the volatile situation in Mannar decided to seek refuge in Tamilnadu in South India, sources said.
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ICRC convoy reaches Vaharai with relief to Tamil IDPs

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 August 2006, 06:59 GMT]
An International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) convoy of 17 trucks and four cars reached the town of Vaharai in the Batticaloa district of eastern Sri Lanka in the early afternoon on Saturday. The convoy brought food, water and other items such as tarpaulins, mats, bed sheets, cooking pots and buckets for distribution to thousands of displaced people fleeing the fighting in the Eachchilampathu area, said press release issued by the ICRC Saturday evening.
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Allow free movement to civilians seeking safety, TNA appeals to Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 August 2006, 20:04 GMT]
Pointing out that the imposition of curfew in Jaffna Peninsula resulting in denial of legitimate right of civilians to move to safer areas is a severe violation of fundamental human rights, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) members appealed to Sri Lanka's President Rajapakse to "issue directions that no restriction whatever be imposed on civilians moving to safer and more secure places in order to ensure their personal safety and security," in a letter issued in Colombo Saturday, TNA sources said.
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8 pilgrims killed in Muhamalai, 4 survive, fate of 37 not known

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 August 2006, 14:56 GMT]
Seven Jaffna civilians returning from a religious pilgrimage to Kathirgamam Hindu Temple were killed by artillery fired by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops retreating north from the Muhamalai checkpost, civil society sources in Jaffna said. The SLA had blocked a bus with 48 civilian pilgrims returning from Kathirgamam to Jaffna Friday evening. Four of the passengers survived artillery and gunfire attacks by the SLA troops while withdrawing from their checkposts. The injured were rescued by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres Saturday. Fate of the others is not known.
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37 killed, 93 wounded in Jaffna fighting

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 August 2006, 12:46 GMT]
25 Sri Lankan troopers, including 3 officers, were killed and 70 wounded during the past 24 hours in fighting in the Jaffna peninsula, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Brigadier Ajith Jayawardene, the acting defence spokesman who briefed media in Colombo Saturday. Meanwhile LTTE sources in Kilinochchi said 12 LTTE cadres were killed and 23 were wounded in the clashes.
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SLA closes Vavuniya, Uyilankulam, Madhu checkpoints

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 August 2006, 12:37 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Saturday morning closed the entry points to and from LTTE held areas in Omanthai, Vavuniya, and in the Mannar district at Uyilankulam and Madhu junction until further notice. Madhu church is located in LTTE held area. Madhu junction is the gateway to Madhu Church located in LTTE area. Due to the closure of the Madhu junction entry point about ten thousand pilgrims who have already gone to attend the annual Madhu church festival are unable to leave for their hometowns in the south and elsewhere in the country, sources said.
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Co-chairs call for immediate cessation of hostilities, international investigation

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 August 2006, 06:49 GMT]
The Co-Chairs of the Tokyo Donor Conference for Sri Lanka Peace Process, the United States, the European Union, Japan, and Norway, Saturday called on the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to cease hostilities immediately and return to the negotiation table. The statement has called for independant, international investigations of serious human rights abuses, including the massacre of 16 Tamil and a Muslim NGO workers of the French NGO Action Faim and the alleged killing of Muslims. "Both parties should take immediate action to allow relief agencies to assist victims from all three ethnic groups and to grant access to disputed areas."
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Muhamalai, Pallai residents flee to Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 August 2006, 02:25 GMT]
Residents of Muhamalai, Pallai through Iyakachchi on A9 highway are fleeing for safety towards Kilinochchi. Two elderly refugees, Mrs. Thavamanithevi Mahalingam, 56, mother of 5 children, and Seran Selliah, 85, who trekked, found transport to Kilinochchi under severe duress, detailed their ordeal to TamilNet reporter. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shells were targeted to hit A9, fleeing civilians said.
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SLA allows food convoy after SL President's intervention

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 August 2006, 00:18 GMT]
Soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) manning the checkpoint at Mankerni allowed a convoy of lorries carrying dry ration and other food materials to enter the LTTE held Vaharai area at 5:00 p.m. Friday after Sri Lanka's President intervened on the request of TNA parliamentarian, Mr R Sampanthan, civil society sources said. The relief material was intended for distribution among the thousands of internally displaced Tamil civilians who fled from Muthur east and Eachchilampathu division in Trincomalee district following heavy aerial bombardment and artillery by the SLA, sources said.
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LTTE shells hit Palaly, civilians urged to move

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 August 2006, 20:13 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) helicopters, an Mi-24 gunship and a Bell 212 transport, were damaged by LTTE shells which hit the base Friday night, military sources said. The LTTE Friday vowed to repel a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) offensive on the Elephant Pass area and warned people living close to SLA positions in Thenmaradchchi and some of the islands off Jaffna, including the troubled Allaipiddy, to move away from Sri Lanka military positions for their own safety.
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Tiger aircraft rockets Palaly base, curfew in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 August 2006, 15:53 GMT]
At least one unidentified aircraft flew over the Sri Lankan military base at Palaly firing rockets at around 9.30 p.m. Friday, sources in Jaffna town said. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery fire being directed from the base stopped after the attack, the sources said. Meanwhile a curfew has been clamped on Jaffna town. The LTTE has vowed to repel the SLA offensive on the Elephant Pass area.
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Civilians flee SLA offensive in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 August 2006, 12:10 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Army (SLA) launched heavy artillery bombardment against LTTE-held Elephant Pass area Friday and at 5.40 p.m. troops began moving towards LTTE frontlines at Muhamalai. The Tigers said they are rushing reinforcements to their northern Vanni defences to confront the SLA advance. Civilians have begun fleeing the southern Jaffna area and the town of Pallai is emptying amid hundreds of SLA shells. Meanwhile LTTE artillery counterfire is hitting SLA positions in Nagerkoil, Jaffna sources said.
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"Restrain armed forces from killing civilians," TNA urges Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 August 2006, 11:26 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Friday wrote to Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse urging him to restrain the Sri Lanka armed forces from killing innocent Tamil civilians, and to ensure proper action is taken against those responsible for such crimes.
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No military solution to the conflict, says US Embassy

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 August 2006, 10:00 GMT]
The US Embassy in Sri Lanka, in a press release issued on Friday said there can be "no military solution to the conflict that continues to divide Sri Lankans. Without political commitment and a spirit of compromise between both parties, there will be no end to the conflict. "There is no other way forward than through a return to negotiations." The United States is "deeply concerned by the dislocation of tens of thousands of innocent civilians and the killing of NGO personnel in the northeast."
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Protests in Jaffna Peninsula condemn SLA atrocities

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 August 2006, 08:36 GMT]
Protests against Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in the Jaffna Peninsula are becoming widespread with people showing solidarity in their disapproval for the violence on innocent civilians perpetrated by the SLA. Student protests demanding removal of SLA presence near schools and other protests against SLA violence in Muttur and the killing of health care professionals, have increased in the last several days, civil society sources in Jaffna said.
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Swiss Tamils hold month long awareness program of Black July

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 August 2006, 00:01 GMT]
Tamil Forum Swiss, a confederation of 26 Tamil organizations in Switzerland, has been conducting a month long publicity and awareness program in different regions of Switzerland from 24 July, the remembrance day of the July Massacre in 1983, organizers said.
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Blast destroys SLA ammunition store

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 August 2006, 16:17 GMT]
A massive explosion at a Sri Lanka Army base (SLA) at Allai-Kantalai in the Trincomalee battle area caused severe destruction Thursday, military sources said. The reason for the blast, which destroyed the camp’s main ammunition store, is not known. Military officials, confirming the explosion, refused to comment on casualties. The ammo dump was seen burning till Friday morning. Wounded Sri Lanka Army troopers have been air-lifted to Anuradhapura hospital. Eight of the wounded have been brought to Colombo.
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Allai-Kantalai road closed for civilian traffic

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 August 2006, 15:45 GMT]
Allai-Kantalai highway located south of Trincomalee district has been closed for civil traffic to enable the injured soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to be transported to Kantalai district hospital without delay, civil society sources in Trincomalee said.
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Fighting kills 41 SLA troops, wounds 120

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 August 2006, 13:54 GMT]
Sri Lankan Army advancing into LTTE-controlled areas have lost 41 soldiers killed in Thursday’s heavy fighting around the Maavil Aru sluice gates, military sources said. 22 soldiers have been seriously wounded and 98 others wounded, military officials in Colombo said speaking on condition of anonymity. Meanwhile the LTTE military spokesman, Rasiah Ilanthirayan said ten Tigers had died and 20 were wounded.
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