Detainees in SLA camps in Jaffna lack freedom, facilities - NGO representatives

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 March 2009, 18:42 GMT]
Representatives of Non-governmental organizations in Jaffna peninsula who visit the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled detention camps in Jaffna district expressed concern for detainees who lack clothes, proper food except the dry food rations provided by the government, besides being denied permission meet their relatives. Meanwhile, Jaffna Government Agent, in his press report Tuesday, has detailed a long list of assistances given by the District Government Secretariat and the Divisional Secretariats to improve living conditions of the said detainees, sources in Jaffna said.
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604 SLA killed in 3 days - LTTE media

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 March 2009, 17:53 GMT]
The Voice of Tigers, the radio broadcast of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) in its evening broadcast on Tuesday said that 604 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed in heavy fighting in Puthukkudiyiruppu. Several hundred soldiers were wounded in the fighting, according to the VoT.
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84 killed, 182 wounded in SLAF attacks, shelling on Tuesday

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 March 2009, 17:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombardment and Sri Lanka Army shelling that targeted Pachchaippulmoaddai, Valaignardam areas within the so-called safety zone announced by the Sri Lankan government on Tuesday killed 52, causing injuries to 182, according to initial reports by the Voice of Tigers (VoT) evening broadcast. Earlier, in the morning, 32 civilians were killed in the shelling in other areas of the 'safe zone', according to independent sources.
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Swiss embassy First Secretary visits Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 March 2009, 16:04 GMT]
First Secretary of the Swiss Embassy in Sri Lanka, Fiona Corrigan, arrived Sunday on a two day visit to Jaffna to participate in events related to the projects of the Swiss Development Corporation (SDC) in Jaffna peninsula, sources in Jaffna said. The delay by the Defence Ministry in handling the Ambassador’s request for permission to visit Jaffna was said to be reason why the Ambassador was unable to attend the events, the sources said. The First Secretary will be visiting the various projects the Swiss Development Corporation in the peninsula, and is expected to stay in Jaffna until Tuesday.
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SLA shoots dead 2 Tamil civilians in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 March 2009, 16:34 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers shot and killed Sunday two Tamil civilians who had gone to collect firewood in in Mathurangku’lam and Kaddum’rivu jungles in Vaakarai in Batticaloa district, sources in Batticaloa said. SLA claimed that the two killed were Liberation Tigers and that T56 type rifles were recovered from them. The bodies of the victims remain unidentified in Vaakarai government hospital.
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'Safe zone' under encircling fire, 137 killed in 3 days, ICRC worker wounded

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 March 2009, 12:48 GMT]
137 people have died and more than 200 injured since Saturday night in Sri Lanka Army shelling and gunfire inside the 'safe zone' of Vanni. At least 18 of them have died hit by long-range gunfire coming from SLA attacking the civilian zone. Meanwhile, massive bunker buster bombs numbering around 50 dropped by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) on the fringes of the 'safe zone' on Tuesday caused untold panic among the civilians.
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Court recommendation on moving HSZ in Valikaamam ignored

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 March 2009, 17:12 GMT]
The committee appointed by Supreme Court to consider its recommendation to expedite resettlement of displaced residents from the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zone (HSZ) in Thellippazhai met Sunday in Palaali SLA head quarters headed by President of the committee, Jaffna High Court magistrate, R. T. Vicknarajah, to discuss the recommendation. The committee, however, decided on certain other measures related to the issue Sunday, ignoring the recommendation of the Court, attendees of the meeting said. Meanwhile, the committee’s announcement that demining work in the said HSZ has begun is refuted by the District Coordinating Committee (DCC) in Jaffna District Secretariat, the sources added.
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Grenade attack on SLA in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 March 2009, 06:00 GMT]
Unidentified persons lying in ambush hurled more than two hand grenades Sunday around 8:00 p.m on a tractor carrying supplies between Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camps, at Naayanmaarkaddu junction in the outskirts of Jaffna town, causing severe damage to it, sources in Jaffna said. SLA has not reported on any causality or injury in the attack.
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Boyle warns UN repeating Srebrenica debacle in Vanni

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 March 2009, 03:41 GMT]
Pointing out that “in 1995 the United Nations Organization as a whole was fully complicit in Serbia's genocidal massacre of 8500 Bosnian Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica in violation of Article III (e) of the 1948 Genocide Convention that prohibited, criminalized and required the punishment of: 'Complicity in genocide'," Professor Francis Boyle, an expert in international law and a professor at Illinois College of Law, said that it looks as if "the United Nations is now repeating one of the most shameless and disgraceful debacles in its entire history in today's Vanni Pocket by becoming complicit in Sri Lanka's genocide against the Tamils there.”
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Makeshift-hospital struggles without medicines

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 March 2009, 15:57 GMT]
"Due to exhaustion of stocks of important medical supplies and the demonstrated inability of the District officials to resupply essential medicines, we are unable to operate the hospital. We are saddened that many sick and wounded who need immediate attention, including children and new borns have to suffer serious consequences because of this action," said Dr T Varatharajah, in a letter sent to the Provincial Commissioner of Health Services for the North and East provinces.
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Nadesan urges UN to investigate Colombo's War Crimes

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 March 2009, 08:19 GMT]
B. Nadesan, the political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Sunday said the Tigers had "plenty of evidences" to document that the Sri Lankan government of Mahinda Rajapaksa was "intentionally directing attacks against civilians," committing war crimes and crimes against humanity when asked to comment on the recent statement issued by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The UN High Commissioner had warned that the actions by the warring parties could amount to war crimes.
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Shelling doesn't spare even babies in wombs

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 March 2009, 02:18 GMT]
While four pregnant mothers were killed in SLA shelling on Friday inside the safe zone, another mother who was admitted to the makeshift-hospital after injuries in her lower abdomen gave birth Saturday to a baby girl, but the hospital staff noticed the child having shrapnel on her left thigh. The newborn child went through a small surgery even before her first feeding, according to the medical staff at the hospital in Maaththa'lan.
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Civilian casualties mount as intense bombing and shelling continues

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 March 2009, 01:45 GMT]
69 civilians were killed, including 19 children, and scores wounded within the safe zone in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shelling and Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombardments Saturday in Mullaiththeevu. The SLAF bombers have been attacking the zone continuously for the 5th day, despite the call from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Friday to the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa that the SLA "should not fire into the civilian areas of the conflict zone."
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Ask people their choice - LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 March 2009, 18:04 GMT]
Have those who advocate evacuation ever cared to ask the concerned civilians whether they want to leave? What will they do if people refuse evacuation? Will they allow them to be killed, asked Yogaratnam Yogi, LTTE military advisor in Vanni in a speech given by him to the LTTE broadcast, Voice of Tigers, Thursday. Why are the governments reluctant to ask our people whether they want to live under the Sri Lanka government or under their own government? They don’t ask because they know the answer. Our request to the world is to pose this question to the people and make decisions rather than attempting through murder and denial of food, in the belief of forcing the people to accept the Sri Lankan regime, Yogi said.
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SLA intensifies restrictions on fishing in Jaffna peninsula

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 March 2009, 15:39 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Jaffna has imposed additional restrictions on fishing in the seas of Jaffna peninsula to facilitate safety of their troops’ transport between Kurikkadduvaan in Pungkudutheevu in the islets of Jaffna and Mannaar, fisheries society representatives in Jaffna said. The existing ban on fishing onTuesdays and Wednesdays in a week has been extended to other days too as transport of troops through the newly opened A9 land route is not feasible enough as anticipated by the SLA, sources in Jaffna said. The additional restrictions on fishing have deprived the fishermen in Jaffna peninsula of their sole livelihood, the sources expressed concern.
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Pathmanathan welcomes US shift in approach

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 March 2009, 14:51 GMT]
"We have been hoping for such a fresh approach to the longstanding but little understood problem of the Eezham Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka," said Selvaraja Pathmanathan, the newly appointed LTTE plenipotentiary for international relations, when contacted by TamilNet for his response on US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton’s statement Friday. “An immediate ceasefire can stop the killing of civilians and will pave way for other measures to take effect in a more acceptable manner to the affected people”, he further said, adding, “ grief on one side and greed on the other side have to be assessed impartially in working out a solution meeting the aspirations of all of Sri Lanka’s communities.
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Colombo-Vavuniyaa train service stops with Madawachchi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 March 2009, 14:13 GMT]
Vavuniyaa bound Yaazh Theavi (Yarl Devi) train service from Colombo has been curtailed up to Madawachchi due to 'security reasons' with effect from Thursday until further notice, media reports said. Railway Department, however, has not given the reason for the suspension of service, according to media reports.
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Police, SLA harass Aalangku’lam Tamil residents

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 March 2009, 00:10 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police conducted a cordon and search operation Thursday in Aalangku’lam village in Batticaloa district following the burning down of a Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus in Vaazhaichcheanai area by uniformed men Thursday early morning. The Tamil residents were intimidated and subjected to harassment, sources in Vaazhaichcheanai said. Policemen allegedly warned the residents that they will be killed if a similar incident occured again, local residents said.
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UN lopsided in calling for evacuation - TNA MP

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 March 2009, 17:21 GMT]
Calling for the evacuation of civilians and making them to end up in the hands of their killers, is taking side with one of the parties to the conflict and amounts to another one of the war crimes, perhaps the most serious one of them when comes from a world body of human rights, said Jaffna MP, Kajendran, responding to a statement from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Friday. The High Commissioner, Ms. Navi Pillai called on both the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE to immediately suspend hostilities in order to allow the evacuation of the entire civilian population by land or sea, a press release from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said. She didn’t say anything on where should they be evacuated or on who would be responsible for them thereafter.
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SLA shelling targets relief supplies and hospital, patients wounded

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 March 2009, 16:27 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells hit the area close to the makeshift-hospital in Puthumaaththa'lan inside the 'safe zone' Friday around 4:10 p.m., causing injuries to four patients who were already wounded. The artillery attack intensified while ICRC ship was unloading humanitarian supplies. Seven civilians were killed and 32 wounded in shell explosion near the ground where the humanitarian supplies were being stored around 3:00 p.m. Totally, 31 civilians were killed during the daytime on Friday inside the 'safe zone'.
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