Colombo aggravates humanitarian crisis in NorthEast – NGO forum head

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 August 2006, 15:32 GMT]
Head of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) forum in Kilinochchi, Mr Ganesapillai, speaking at a press conference Wednesday accused the Sri Lankan government of deliberately blocking food and other supplies to civilians living in Vanni and Jaffna. "The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) is not allowing supply vehicles to pass through the check posts located at the entry points to the Vanni region. Governments agents for Jaffna, Kilinochchi, and Mullaitivu have requested the GOSL to instruct the SLA to open the roads so that all supplies can pass through to civilians in Vanni and Jaffna but the Colombo Government has been withholding issueing such directive," said Mr.Ganesapillai.
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GoSL's aid delivery, inequitable - Rev. Dr. Jeyanesan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 August 2006, 13:34 GMT]
Sri Lankan government does not treat alike the people of all communities, affected in war and Tsunami, in connection with relief distribution, and the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) is deliberately creating barriers to effective functioning of Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in delivering relief to the affected, said Rev. Dr. Jeyanesan, the Coordinator of South Indian Missionary for Batticaloa District.
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Paduvankarai faces misery

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 August 2006, 12:20 GMT]
Tamil people living in LTTE controlled Paduvankarai area in Batticaloa District face starvation and danger of health hazards due to the closure of all the entry points to the LTTE controlled area from Military controlled Eluvankarai area by the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) from 12 August, local residents said. "This act of collective punishment by the SLA has affected mostly the poorest civilians in the LTTE-controlled areas in Batticaloa," civil society sources in Batticaloa said.
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Thousand civilians enter LTTE held Vanni region

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 August 2006, 15:48 GMT]
Stranded Tamil civilians in Vavuniya town for about six days were allowed to travel through Omanthai check point to the LTTE held districts of Killinochchi, Mullaitivu and Vavuniya North division in the Vavuniya district Friday. The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) reopened the Vavuniya-Omanthai check point Friday afternoon around 2.30 p.m for limited hours due to combined effort taken by Mr.Kishore Sivanathan, Vanni district parliamentarian and officials of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) and Vavuniya district secretariat.
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US to provide USD 50 000 water, sanitation assistance to Trinco victims

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 August 2006, 14:42 GMT]
United States Embassy in Colombo in a press release issued on Friday said the US released Rs. 5,000,000 to provide water and sanitation services to immediate assistance to people affected by recent fighting in Trincomalee district. "We are providing this assistance to help the displaced from all communities in Sri Lanka," USAID Mission Director Dr. Carol Becker said. "We repeat that there is no possible military solution to this conflict. We urge both sides to cease hostilities immediately to alleviate a yet larger humanitarian crisis."
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SLA fresh offensive thwarted - LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 August 2006, 14:29 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers on Friday launched an offensive through Kandalkadu area, located between Nagarkovil Forward Defence Line (FDL) and Muhamalai FDL, inside the Liberaton Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled territory, LTTE military spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan told media in Kilinochchi.
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SLAF bombers destroy tsunami-boat yard

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 August 2006, 14:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers bombed and destroyed a boat yard, at Nellian in the Vadamaradchi East, around noon, Friday . The boat yard was built in February 2005 under 'Back to Sea' project, a Post Tsunami Rapid Rehabilitation Development Service, to help fishermen affected by 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. Two workers were wounded in the attack. The boat yard was funded by the Norwegian and Malaysian branches of Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO).
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SLA allows travelling to Batticaloa LTTE areas for limited hours

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 August 2006, 14:08 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Friday agreed to relax the ban on travelling for limited hours to areas held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Batticaloa district following repeated requests made by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to President Mahinda Rajapakse, TNA sources said.
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21 bodies recovered in Kilali

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 August 2006, 13:46 GMT]
Kodikamam Police Friday recovered bodies of 16 men and 5 women in Kilali area where heavy fighting was reported recently. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) was making arrangements to bury the bodies as the bodies were in highly decomposed state. Chavakacheri Magistrate A. Premsankar was visiting the area Friday with the Police officials.
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Cash flow low in Jaffna due to closure of banks

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 August 2006, 13:40 GMT]
Cash flow is decreased to minimum among the people in Jaffna district following the continuous closure of branches of state banks for about a week since the outbreak of fresh fight between the Sri Lanka forces and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fighters. Customers who have saving and current accounts in state banks are unable to withdraw their money for their immediate use, civil sources said.
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Humanitarian, relief assistance to LTTE held villages in Amparai suspended

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 August 2006, 12:27 GMT]
It has been reported that humanitarian assistance and other relief measures reaching war affected families in areas held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the Amparai district has come to a halt due to ban by Special Task Force (STF) deployed at Kanchirankudah on officials engaged in such works visiting these villages." It's a crime against humanity," said Mr.Jeya, Amparai District LTTE political head.
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SLA re-opens Omanthai checkpoint for stranded civilians to travel

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 August 2006, 09:47 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army Friday afternoon around 2 p.m. re-opened the Vavuniya Omanthai check point enabling stranded civilians in Vavuniya town to travel to their areas in the LTTE held Wanni region. About eight hundred Tamil civilians including around 260 public servants had been stranded in Vavuniya since the closure of Vavuniya-Omanthai check point, sources said.
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TNA briefs Swiss diplomats on NE situation

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 August 2006, 20:04 GMT]
A Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary delegation Wednesday briefed Mr.Y.V.E.S. Nicoler, First Secretary and Mr.M.R.C.Mark Andre Vunzely, Assistant Secretary of the Swiss Embassy in Colombo about the massive internal displacement of Tamil people in the North East following indiscriminate aerial and artillery bombardment by the Sri Lanka forces. All land and water routes to the LTTE held areas in the Batticaloa district have been closed by the SLA, TNA delegation told Swiss diplomats, sources said.
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Hartal in Mannar, demonstration in Musali condemning students' massacre

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 August 2006, 15:06 GMT]
General shut down and demonstration was held in Mannar district Thursday condemning the killing of students in Puthukudiruppu Sencholai children home and Tamil civilians elsewhere in the North East by aerial bombardment carried out by Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) and artillery fire by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), sources said.
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Palaly clash defeated says SLA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 August 2006, 08:46 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officials in Palaly Thursday morning, confirmed the civilian accounts of a clash in Palaly area Wednesday night. The SLA sources said the clash took place near Palaly and claimed that the attempt by the Tigers to enter Palaly base was defeated.
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SLMM monitors leave Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 August 2006, 06:36 GMT]
Monitors of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) posted in the Trincomalee district left for Colombo Thursday morning as the ground situation was not conducive for further monitoring. Trincomalee SLMM office located along the Inner Harbour Road in the east port town was closed down Wednesday and all six monitors led by SLMM Head of Trincomalee District Office (DO) Ove Janssen, left by road to Colombo, SLMM sources said.
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Burnt body of youth recovered in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 August 2006, 05:18 GMT]
A body of an unidentified youth, with gun shot wounds, whose face was burnt with tyres to hide his identification, was found by Jaffna Magistrate R.K.Viknarajah at Potpathy Road, Kokkuvil in Valikamam area, in front of the LTTE's former Cultural Wing office, Tuesday morning, sources in Jaffna said.


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Eastern Muslims hold peace rally

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 August 2006, 02:10 GMT]
A Peace rally organized by the Eastern Muslim Mosques' Federation (EMMF) expressing solidarity for the Muslims of Muthur and Thoppur who had been displaced in the recent fight between the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was held Wednesday morning in the Ashraff Square at Kattaiady in Kalmunai municipal area in the Amparai district, sources in Amparai said.
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Batticaloa protest march condemns Sencholai air raid

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 August 2006, 21:47 GMT]
In protest marches across Batticaloa district organized by the Federation of the Batticaloa District Civilian Organizations, in LTTE controlled Kokkaddichcholai area, hundreds of school children and district residents took part, condemning the Chencholai attack in which 61 school girls were killed in Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) Kfir bombing, Tuesday, sources in Batticaloa said.
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March for Peace campaign to be held in Colombo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 August 2006, 19:21 GMT]
A broad coalition of people against violence and war is to participate in a "March for Peace," organized by the National Anti-war Front (NAWF), that will begin at Hyde Park in Colombo at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, culminating in a peace rally at the Viharamahadevi open Air Theatre at 3.00 p.m, said a press release issued by the NAWF Chairman, Dr Kumar Rupesinghe.
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