SLAF fighter jets bomb Ki'linochchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 July 2008, 01:07 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers dropped at least four bombs Wednesday morning between 6:20 and 6:35 a.m. targeting Thiruvaiyaa'ru, 4 km east of Ki'linochchi. The aerial strike comes as the Sri Lankan government has rejected to respect the unilateral ceasefire announced by the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) in connection with the SAARC summit taking place in Colombo from 26 July to 04 August.
Full story >>

SLA shelling targets Theavanpiddi, civilian killed

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 July 2008, 18:00 GMT]
A civilian was killed and two wounded Sunday when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched artillery and mortar barrage as displaced civilians were engaged in transporting their movable properties at Thevanpiddi, one of the topmost localities of Mannaar district. The SLA launched a day-long intense shelling barrage from 7:00 a.m. targeting Theavanpiddi where the statue of Our Lady of Madu was placed for the past 12 weeks. The shrine was taken on an ambulance by the Church authorities via Omanthai to Mannaar Bishop's House on Friday.
Full story >>

Two milk vendors missing in Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 July 2008, 18:02 GMT]
Two milk vendors from Akkaraippattu police division have been reported missing since Saturday early morning 4:00 a.m., Vimalavathy, wife of one of victims, stated in a complaint lodged with Akkaraippattu police. The relatives of the victims have also reported the disappearances to the nearby Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camps.
Full story >>

Family man abducted in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 July 2008, 07:13 GMT]
A 34-year-old Tamil civilian was abducted Thursday night while he was on his way to the residence of his friend, according to a complaint registered with Batticaloa police by his wife. The victim, Sundaranathan Selvakumar, is a former employee of Ceylinco Insurance company and was currently engaged in contract business. According to eyewitnesses, two armed men who were riding in a white van without number plate, abducted him at gun point.
Full story >>

Paramilitary 'safe houses' hinder peaceful PC election -JVP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 July 2008, 11:06 GMT]
Candidates contesting on behalf of opposition parties in the North Central Provincial Council election are reported to have expressed fear that 'safe houses' used by the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) paramilitary in villages Thiruchcheanai, Muthgala, Madurangala, Thuruvilla, and Mannampiddi where about 5,800 Tamils are living, would hinder peaceful election, media reports said quoting M.Palitha Upul Kumara, a former councillor of the NCPC. Mr. Upul Kumara, a resident of Mannampiddi, is contesting the election on the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) ticket.
Full story >>

SLA artillery attacks target IDP settlements in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 July 2008, 19:45 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) continue to launch artillery fire on Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) settlements in Ka’l’liyadi, Aaththimoadai and Illuppakkadavai in Mannaar district from Monday early morning. Large number of civilians who had been displaced from their villages in Mannaar district due to SLA offensives had been living in temporary shelters in the above villages.
Full story >>

Heavy fighting in Vavuniyaa front

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 June 2008, 14:33 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) officials in Vanni told reporters Thursday that their fighters confronted the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) from 8:30 a.m. till 3:20 p.m. at Paalamoaddai in Vavuniyaa claiming that 8 SLA troopers were killed and 24 wounded in repeated clashes. Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Army officials in Colombo claimed that their troops have brought Periya Madu in Maanthai West of Mannaar district, under their control.
Full story >>

DPU mine attack kills student, 4 wounded in Vanni

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 June 2008, 16:16 GMT]
A 16-year-old student, who was moving with his father and another family on a tractor due to increased artillery shelling by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) was killed in a mine attack at Annatheavan madu, Kuzhavisuddaan in Nedungkea'ni Wednesday morning around 9:30, Tamileelam Police officials told media in Vanni. The TE Police blamed the SLA Deep Penetration Unit for the attack that has injured the victims father and three brothers of another family.
Full story >>

Decapitated body of male found in Kayts

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 June 2008, 15:19 GMT]
A young family man’s body with his head cut off separately was found Wednesday morning near the Little Flower School at Nerugnchiyadi, Churuvil in Oorkaavaththu'rai (Kayts), an islet of Jaffna, police said. The victim, originally from Visuvamadu in Ki'linochchi, was married to a woman in the islet four years ago and had been residing in Kayts since then, residents said.
Full story >>

4 students arrested in Batticaloa district

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 June 2008, 01:52 GMT]
Sri Lanka Special Task Force (STF) elite commandos arrested a grade eleven student and a grade ten student in Ka’luvaangnchchikudi police division on 15th June, while on 13th June Batticaloa police arrested two students for stealing a bicycle, sources in Batticaloa said.
Full story >>

SLA, police arrest two youths in Naavalady

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 June 2008, 00:45 GMT]
Two youths were taken into custody during a cordon and search operation jointly conducted Saturday from 9:00 a.m. till noon by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops and police personnel in Naavalady area in the administrative area of Maanmunai North District Secretariat within Batticaloa police division, sources said.
Full story >>

SLAF airstrike kills 4 Tamil civilians, 10 wounded

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 June 2008, 06:45 GMT]
Three civilians were killed on the spot Sunday morning when Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombed a civilian settlement of Internally Displaced Persons in Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullaiththteevu district. Another civilian succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. 10 civilians, including a pregnant mother, were wounded in the air attack, Tamileelam Police said. Puthukkudiyiruppu Central College, located 100 meters away from the IDP settlement, zonal office of education, and temples in the vicinity have sustained damage in the SLAF attack. Tension prevails in the town as shrapnels from the air-blasts of the bombs were spread around the area.
Full story >>

42 SLA killed in two days, heavy fighting in Mannaar - LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 June 2008, 07:57 GMT]
At least 42 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and 76 wounded Within the past 48 hours at two fighting fronts in Mannaar, Tiger officials cited LTTE Operations Command in Mannaar as saying. On Monday, 22 SLA soldiers were killed when the SLA launched a ground movement at 5:30 a.m. at Aalangku'lam towards Vaddakka'ndal, the Tigers said. The SLA move was thwarted at 10:00 a.m. Meanwhile, at Periyamadu the SLA opened a ground operation on four fronts on Sunday. The SLA was defeated at 2 of the fronts. Meanwhile, the SLA said it had recovered three dead bodies of LTTE fighters and handed over the bodies to Murungkan police on Monday.
Full story >>

Muslim hooligans sexually assault mother, daughter in Akkaraippattu

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 June 2008, 22:31 GMT]
A mother and her daughter who were custodians at a coconut estate were sexually assaulted by a gang of Muslim thugs at 1:30 a.m. Friday in Oluvil area within Akkaraippattu police division in Ampaa'rai District, police sources said.
Full story >>

2 civilians wounded in SLA artillery attack in Vavuniyaa North

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 June 2008, 12:38 GMT]
Two civilians were seriously wounded Wednesday noon when artillery shells fired by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) hit the civilian settlements in Nedungkea'ni, Olumadu, Paddikkudiyiruppu and Cheanaippulavu villages in Vanni, Tamileelam Police officials told media. Nedungkea'ni is located in Vavuniyaa district, 37 km northeast of Vavuniyaa town and 30 km southwest of Mullaiththeevu town.
Full story >>

3 white van abductions in Puththa'lam

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 June 2008, 16:31 GMT]
Three Tamils were abducted by unidentified men in Puththa'alm Saturday afternoon and Sunday, sources in Puththa'lam said. One was abducted by gunmen in a white van Sunday, and the other two Saturday afternoon while travelling in an auto-rickshaw, also by men who arrived in a white van.
Full story >>

SLA appropriating Tamil IDPs' properties in Ampaa’rai district

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 June 2008, 09:38 GMT]
The appropriation of the properties of the Internally Displaced People (IDP) and a Non-government organization in the Tamil areas in Ampaa’rai district by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Special Task Force (STF) Friday is a premeditated government plan to prevent the displaced from resettling in their traditional villages, K. Pathmananthan, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian for Thikaamaduva in Ampaa’rai district, said.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka lies to UN on disppearance of upcountry youth - Ganesan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 May 2008, 17:40 GMT]
Mano Ganesan, Leader of Western People’s Front and Convener of Civil Monitoring Commission (CMC), accused the Sri Lanka Government of lying to the United Nations Working Group of Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) when the disappearance of a 25-year old upcountry youth was raised by the WGEID based on a complaint filed by the CMC. While CMC said it had irrefutable evidence of complicity of Sri Lanka Police officials in the disappearance of the youth, Colombo has responded to the WGEID that no such person was arrested and that National Identity Card was not a valid one.
Full story >>

Maheswari Velayutham shot dead in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 May 2008, 15:23 GMT]
Maheswari Velautham, an advisor of EPDP leader Douglas Devandanda, was shot and killed at her residence at Navi'ndil near Nelliyadi in Vadamaraadchi in Jaffna Tuesday around 6:30 p.m., initial reports from Jaffna said. Ms. Maheswari, whose association with Tamil militancy dates back to late 1970s, narrowly escaped from a group of Tamil prisoners who attacked Mr. Douglas Devananda when he visited Kalutara prison in June 1998 with her. She is a lawyer by profession.
Full story >>

UPFA wins 'rigged' EPC election

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 May 2008, 05:40 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa's ruling UPFA alliance wins the Eastern Provincial Council (EPC) election with 18 seats and 2 bonus seats in the election held on Saturday with widespread rigging. The opposition UNP-SLMC alliance receives 15 seats, 1 seat for the JVP and 1 seat for Tamizh Democratic National Alliance. Meanwhile The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) observed that the Eastern Provincial election, was not at all ‘free and fair’. Despite the rigging, the opposition UNP-SLMC alliance wins the Trincomalee district where it had promised to resettle displaced Tamils in Champoor.
Full story >>