SLRC visits Vanni Hospitals

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 July 2000, 13:40 GMT]
A team of Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRC) officials are visiting the LTTE held parts of the Vanni region to assess the situation there said sources. The team visited the Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital where there is acute shortage of vital drugs and other medical equipment.
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Mystery ID found in Mannar shores

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 July 2000, 06:16 GMT]
An Identity Card (ID) issued by the Police Department in Kanniyakumari District in Tamil Nadu, belonging to Police officer M. Easwaran, was found by fishermen in Thalai Mannar coast yesterday, said sources in Mannar.
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MP reads out raped woman's letter

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 July 2000, 17:03 GMT]
Speaking on the extension of the emergency in Parliament Thursday, Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) MP for Batticaloa Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham read out a letter written to the Sri Lanka's National Human Rights Commission by a seventy year old woman of Neervely in Jaffna who was raped and robbed by Sri Lankan army personnel on May 31. The MP said that he was bringing the letter to the attention of the house as the matter had been suppressed under the censorship. Mr.Pararajasingham pointed out that about 1500 Tamil youth have been detained for more than four years under the Prevention of Terrorism Act without trial.
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Army gives armoured vehicles to STF

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 July 2000, 20:48 GMT]
The Special Task force (STF), the elite arm of the Sri Lankan security forces, was given ten armoured vehicles by the Ministry of Defence Wednesday to beef up its operational capabilities against the Liberation Tigers in the eastern province and the southwestern sector of the Vanni. The STF is a specially trained and equipped unit of commandos drawn from the Sri Lankan Police. The operational responsibilities of the STF have been increased due to the withdrawal of Sri Lankan army troops from the east and Mannar in recent months to stall the advance of the Tigers in the Jaffna peninsula.
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Vanni medical situation dire say NGOs

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 July 2000, 20:47 GMT]
Hospitals, dispensaries and pharmacies in the Vanni region are on verge closing down due to the ban and restrictions on medical supplies imposed by the Sri Lankan Government, NGO sources said Wednesday.
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Black Tiger day commemorated

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 July 2000, 20:43 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers observed Black Tiger day in all parts of the Vanni on Wednesday, the Voice of Tigers said in its night news broadcast. The radio said special floats to commemorate the 188 black Tigers who had died so far in "sea and land attacks" took part in the processions and functions that had been organised to mark the day in many parts of the Vanni.
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Police Constable killed in explosion

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 July 2000, 21:04 GMT]
Wijesinghe (32), a police constable manning the 3rd Milepost checkpoint located about 4 km. south of Muttur town was killed when the Liberation Tigers fired a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) at 3.45pm today, said Police sources.
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Medicine shortages prompt demonstration

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 July 2000, 21:02 GMT]
Hundreds of people staged a demonstration in front of the office of Medicine Sans Frontiers (MSF) at Puddukudiyiruppu in the Mullaithivu District in the north-east of the island demanding that the aid agency should take immediate steps to get down enough drugs to save the lives of patients.
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Sunday Leader ban illegal

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 June 2000, 07:52 GMT]
The Supreme Court ruled Friday that the ban imposed on the English language Weekly, Sunday Leader, and its sister Sinhala language Irida Peramuna, was illegal and ordered the state to pay one hundred thousand rupees as costs to the Petitioner, within eight weeks.
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Drug shortage hits Vanni hospital

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 June 2000, 15:47 GMT]
Hospitals in the Vanni region are experiencing shortage of drugs and other medical equipment as they are yet to receive the entire supply approved by the Defence Ministry, for the first quarter of this year, government officers and medical sources said. They said the remaining supplies for the hospitals are lying in Vavuniya, awaiting approval from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) authorities.
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Explosion injures child

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 June 2000, 19:14 GMT]
Tharmalingam Vinodharan, a 10 year old child from Maravanpullo in the Thenmaradchi sector of Jaffna Peninsula, lost both hands below his wrists when an unidentified explosive detonated on Wednesday. He was admitted to the Mallavi hospital and later transferred to Vavuniya General Hospital for surgery, hospital sources said.
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Relief provisions to Jaffna reduced

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 June 2000, 11:15 GMT]
The Jaffna Government Agent (GA) was informed on Tuesday that relief provisions for civilians will be reduced to account for those who have fled the peninsula as a result of the war. Sources said about 5000 people who fled the war are currently housed in makeshift accommodation in the Pooneryn area.
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Tigers dismayed over ICRC, UNHCR inaction

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 June 2000, 07:16 GMT]
The political section of the Liberation Tigers has issued a statement expressing deep regret and dismay over the inaction of the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Commission of the Red Cross (ICRC) in helping to evacuate Tamil civilians trapped in the combat zones of the Thenmaradchchi sector of the Jaffna peninsula , according to the night broadcast of the Voice of Tigers.
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Shortage of Medical supplies in Vanni Hospitals

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 June 2000, 14:38 GMT]
Hospital authorities in Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi districts have made urgent appeals to the Health Department of the Northern Province to send basic medical supplies to Vanni hospitals.
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More casualties due to SLA shelling

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 June 2000, 15:16 GMT]
One civilian died and two suffered severe injuries whenthe Sri Lankan Army (SLA) intensified their shelling inthe Thenmaradchi sector of the Jaffna Peninsula.
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PA planning for elections

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 June 2000, 08:28 GMT]
The ruling People's Alliance (PA) is getting ready to face the forthcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled to be held between August and October this year, political sources said. The President, Ms.Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge, alerted the constituent political parties of the PA to be prepared for the general election on Tuesday. She made this announcement when she met the leaders of the ruling PA.
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Bishop says 500 civilian casualties in Madduvil

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 June 2000, 19:41 GMT]
The Bishop of the Catholic Church in Mannar Rt.Rev.Dr. Rayappu Joseph said in appeal sent to the heads of foreign missions in Colombo that there were more than five hundred civilian casualties due to bombing and shelling by Sri Lankan security forces in the Madduvil area, close to Chavakachcheri in Jaffna. "I am given to understand that the attitude of the armed forces is that 'it is better to kill the people than allow them to go into the LTTE controlled areas' the Bishop states in the appeal.
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ICRC, UNHCR urged over ceasefire for civilians

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 June 2000, 16:29 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said Friday they had urged the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to help arrange a temporary ceasefire between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan armed forces to facilitate the evacuation of civilians trapped in the battle zones of the thenmaradchi division in the Jaffna peninsula. The civilians are unable to leave as the Sri Lankan armed forces are pounding the possible routes of evacuation, the Tigers said in a statement from their London offices.
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Feeding Mars in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 June 2000, 23:59 GMT]
Jaffna has been supplied by air and sea for almost a decade. However, this is the first time the sea and air supply facilities of the SLA in the northern peninsula have been threatened directly. Sri Lanka's Deputy Defence Minister acknowledged last week that the Liberation Tigers are firing a large number of shells on the Sri Lankan army's Palali base complex, which includes the Kankesanthurai harbour.
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MSF brings Jaffna wounded to Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 May 2000, 17:19 GMT]
Four civilians wounded in shelling in the Thenmaradchi division of Jaffna were transferred from Mallavi to Vavuniya hospital Monday by Medicins Sans Frontiers. The four are from the village of Madduvil south which was captured by the Liberation Tigers when they advanced on Chavakachcheri and its environs on May 19-20. They were brought overland through the Vanni from LTTE held sectors of Jaffna by the MSF.
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