IDP settlements flooded in Jaffna peninsula due to continuing downpour

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 November 2008, 13:00 GMT]
Unrelenting monsoon rains continue in Jaffna peninsula for the fourth day causing floods in areas where Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are located while fisher families in Vadamaraadchi North and East have been forced to seek shelter in churches and public buildings nearby because of the persisting rain and intermittent hurricanes which had torn off the roofs of many huts, sources in Jaffna said.
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Tigers release photos of Kugnchupparanthan battle

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 November 2008, 10:45 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) on Tuesday released photos from the pitched battle reported on Sunday between Uruththirapuram and Kugnchup-paranthan. The Tigers had claimed at least 43 SLA soldiers were killed, 70 wounded and that they had recovered 8 dead bodies of the SLA soldiers. LTTE officials, who provided photos to media also revealed the identity of a Sri Lankan soldier as 20-year-old Inthika Ruwankumara from Polgahamulla, Angkada, Gamewela.
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LTTE ambush kills 2 Sri Lankan troopers in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 November 2008, 08:33 GMT]
An ambush team of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) triggered a Claymore mine Tuesday around 7:15 a.m killing two Sri Lankan soldiers, who were patrolling along Ka'luvaagnchikkudi - Kuruma'nve'li Road, 20 km south of Batticaloa city, according to the LTTE sources in Batticaloa. Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Police in Ka'luvaagnchikkudi said two Special Task Force (STF) commandos were killed and their motorbike was destroyed in the attack.
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Booby trap kills SLA soldier, one wounded in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 November 2008, 04:34 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier, engaged in a cordon and search operation in Vaakaneari in Vaazhaichcheani division was killed in a booby trap explosion Monday morning around 7:00, informed military sources in Batticaloa said.
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Mano Ganesan blames Sri Lankan Consulate in Canada for fabricating stories on his visit

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 November 2008, 15:27 GMT]
Western Province People's Front (WPPF) parliamentarian and the convener of the Civil Monitoring Committee (CMC) in Colombo, Mano Ganesan, who returned to Colombo last Friday after a visit to Canada on the invitation by a Canadian organisation, blamed the Sri Lankan Counsel General in Toronto for fabricating a story in Sri Lankan Defence Ministry website on his trip to Canada. The story had alleged that Mr. Mano Ganesan was invited to Canada by the LTTE to attend a meeting "to give boost to LTTE fund raising."
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Colombo 'commissions' education for structural war on Tamils

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 November 2008, 13:28 GMT]
Beginning from curriculum, school textbooks, teachers, educational administrators and resources to the destruction of the existing educational infrastructure in the guise of war, the structural violence committed by the Sri Lankan state against Tamils has been condemned by the Trincomalee MP, Mr. Thurairetnasingam in a parliamentary debate on Friday. “An ethnicity can be devastated by the destruction of its education, and that’s what this government is bent on doing in the North and East”, said the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP, while exposing the short term and long term ‘conspiracies’ of the Colombo government in ruining the education of Tamils.
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SL forces tighten security in government controlled territory in NE

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 November 2008, 12:28 GMT]
Sri Lankan forces have beefed up military deployment in Northern and Eastern provinces controlled by their troops, prior to Tamileelam Heroes Day remembrance by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on November 27. All vehicles passing through the checkpoints of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Mannaar, Vavuniyaa, and Trincomalee are being thoroughly checked and people are questioned on the purpose of their travel.
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12 Tamil youths arrested in cordon, search Ea'raavoor

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 November 2008, 17:55 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Police arrested twelve Tamil youths in a combined cordon and search operation conducted in Ea'raavoor Police division in Batticaloa district Saturday afternoon. The search operation was triggered by the shooting death of M Ibrahim, 45, a SLA Intelligence operative at 4:00 p.m. Saturday in Punnakkudaa area in Earaavoor.
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Confession voluntary or coerced, Court to rule in Tissainayagam case

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 November 2008, 17:35 GMT]
Oral submissions for the voir dire inquiry in the case against a senior journalist J.S.Tissanayagam held in detention for more than eight months were concluded Friday in Colombo High Court under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), where State Counsel Sudarshana De Silva and Defense Counsel Anil Silva argued to establish whether the confession made by the journalist to the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) of the Sri Lanka Police was voluntary or made under threat and duress, legal sources in Colombo said.
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Sinhalese medical officers in Jaffna to be given protection

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 November 2008, 14:13 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) authorities, during a meeting with Sinhalese medical officers serving in Jaffna peninsula Thursday in Jaffna, agreed to provide Police and SLA protection with effect from Monday to all hospitals including Jaffna Teaching Hospital where Sinhalese medical officers work, sources in Jaffna said. This move comes in the wake of the Sinhalese medical officers in Jaffna peninsula announcing their decision to leave Jaffna peninsula for security reasons, triggered by the killing of a Sinhalese doctor in Eastern Province.
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43 SLA killed, 8 bodies recovered in Nalloor, Poonakari - LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 November 2008, 12:57 GMT]
At least 43 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and more than 70 wounded in the latest fighting that broke out at Nalloor on Poonakari - Paranthan road, LTTE officials told TamilNet correspondent in Vanni Sunday evening. The fighting went on amid pouring rain and floods, between 4:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Sunday according to the Tigers. The stiff fighting by the Tigers pushed back the Sri Lankan troops in the Poonakari direction, the LTTE said. Meanwhile, heavy rain has led to floods in several places of Vanni causing hardships to thousands of internally displaced people who have been deprived of shelters by the continuous blockade by the Sri Lankan military.
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Saiva priest, trustee continue to be detained in Jaffna Prison

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 November 2008, 12:37 GMT]
Of the seven persons including two Saiva priests, three trustee board members and two devotees arrested by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers at Cheera'ni Naakapoosa'ni Amman temple claiming that weapons were found in the search conducted in the temple precincts earlier, five were released from prison with instructions from the Sri Lanka Attorney General (AG), when they were produced at Mallaakam Court before magistrate T. J. Pirapakaran, Friday. One Saiva priest and one trustee board member were ordered continued detention in Jaffna.
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6 SLA killed in Mu'rikandi, dead body recoverd - LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 November 2008, 14:10 GMT]
At least 6 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed in a fighting that lasted from 5:30 to 10:45 a.m. on Friday near A'riviyal Nakar close to Mu'rika'ndi in Ki'linochchi district, according to latest details from the Ki'linochchi front. The Tigers said they recovered a dead body of an SLA soldier and seized a T-56 assault rifle with several rounds for Light Machine Guns in the fighting. The LTTE officials also said that a heavy fighting broke out at Karippaddamu'rippu on Friday.
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SLA soldier killed in gunfire ambush on Buttala Road

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 November 2008, 13:59 GMT]
Unknown armed men opened fire on soldiers inside a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) point along Buttala Kathirkaamam Road at 136th Mile Post in Moneragala district Saturday evening around 5:15 p.m., according to informed military sources in the district. One SLA soldier was killed on the spot and a number of soldiers manning the post were wounded, according to the initial details.
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Leaders of Mauritius voice against genocide in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 November 2008, 17:48 GMT]
Leaders of both the ruling party as well as the opposition of Mauritius, including the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Rama Sithenen and the Leader of the Opposition Mr. Paul Berenger attended an agitation against the genocide of Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka on Thursday. The focal event of the protest was the march of hundreds of Mauritian Tamils to the Indian High Commission in Mauritius, demanding the Indian government to prevail upon Sri Lanka to effect immediate ceasefire in the island and to commence talks with the LTTE. The agitators also presented a memorandum on their demands to the Foreign Minister of Mauritius and conducted a prayer at the Maariyamman Temple.
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SLA soldier opens fire on fellow troopers, 2 killed, 15 wounded

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 November 2008, 16:37 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier opened fire at fellow soldiers, killing two and wounding 15 while the SLA soldiers were engaged in training at Lindagama in Nochchiyagama in the North Central Province Friday around 2:00 p.m.
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Civilians in Vanni protest against Colombo's use of humanitarian supplies as tool of war

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 November 2008, 16:07 GMT]
People in Vanni marched in thousands towards two Government Agents' offices and two Divisional Secretariat offices in four locations on Friday protesting against Sri Lanka Government's restrictions on food and essential supplies, blaming Colombo for using humanitarian supplies as a tool of war to force civilians to flee against their will into the hands of Sri Lanka Army (SLA). K. Mahethevan, a representative of Vanni Peoples Welfare Organisation (VPWO), addressing more than 5,000 protesters in front of Ki'linochchi Government Agent's office at Tharmapuram described how the supplies were reduced from 600 lorries per month in 2007 to 250 lorries per month in 2008, but only 54 have allowed to cross into Vanni in the recent days.
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24 Tamils arrested from Marawila prawn farm

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 November 2008, 13:01 GMT]
Twenty four Tamil youths including two women who were residents of north, east and upcountry were taken into custody when the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police cordoned off a prawn farm located in Marawila-Lungsima in Chilaapam (Chilaw) district Wednesday night. The victims were subjected to severe interrogation during the search operation, residents said.
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SLA blocks 200 people, key officials, from entering Vanni at Oamanthai

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 November 2008, 10:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Oamanthai, while allowing 56 lorries carrying humanitarian supplies to enter Vanni, denied entry to more than 200 people including Ki'linochchi Regional Director of Health Services, Zonal Education Directors of Ki'linochchi and Mullaiththeevu, 15 school principals of both districts, Peoples’ Bank manager of Mullaiththeevu and four ambulances carrying 50 patients who were discharged from Vavuniyaa hospital after treatment to enter Vanni. When the stranded officials questioned if people are allowed to enter to Vavuniyaa this week as to why they were not allowed, the ICRC has informed the officials that they have not got clearance to be manned at Oamanthai.
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SLA captain's remains recovered in Ki'laali FDL

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 November 2008, 22:52 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) units found the skeleton of an SLA officer of the rank of Captain Monday in Ki'laali Front Defence Line (FDL) area. An officer was reported missing in action in a limited military offensive in Ki'laali three months ago, by SLA to their head office in Colombo.
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