SLAF airstrike kills civilian, 6 wounded in Visuvamadu

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 August 2008, 05:38 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked on Saturday a populated village, known as 'Redd Barna' settlement, in Visuvamadu after targeting an irrigation tank in the area. A 40-year-old civilian, who was working at his paddy field was killed and six civilians were wounded, according to medical sources. The SLAF has stepped up indiscriminate bombardment on civilian settlements as the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells have targeted Mullaiththeevu and Akkaraayan hospital zones. At least five civilians were killed and more than 25 wounded in artillery and air-strikes carried out by the Sri Lankan forces in Vanni on Friday and Saturday.
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Tamil mother, daughter arrested in Moratuwa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 August 2008, 02:36 GMT]
A Tamil mother and her daughter who were arrested at Moratuwa in a search operation conducted by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Police Thursday night are still being detained in Mt.Lavinia Police Station, and are being interrogated by the Terrorist Intelligence Division (TID), reports from Colombo said. Both were taken into custody following the recovery of explosives in their house located in Soyzapura Housing Complex, according to the Police.
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SLA shelling targets another hospital zone in Vanni, IDP killed

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 August 2008, 15:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched an artillery attack targeting the area near Akkaraayan hospital, Vanneari and Aanaivizhunthaan in the Karaichchi division of Ki'linochchi district Friday evening around 6:30 p.m., killing a 49-year-old internally displaced person from Mannaar, who was residing in Vanneari. The attack on IDP settlement has caused the IDPs temporarily residing in the area to flee the area again.
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Teacher, mother killed, SLAF bombers target settlement, irrigation tank

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 August 2008, 15:13 GMT]
A 46-year-old teacher and a 35-year-old mother succumbed to their wounds at Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital, where six wounded civilians were admitted Saturday morning after an air-strike by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) at 10:00 a.m. A 2-month-old baby narrowly escaped death. The indiscriminate bombardment has destroyed more than 10 houses. The bombers also targeted an irrigation tank in Visuvamadu. Tension prevails in Mullaiththeevu district as the Sri Lankan military has stepped up artillery and aerial attacks targeting populated areas and basic civilian facilities.
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Government officials urge SLA to observe Safety Zones

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 August 2008, 08:10 GMT]
The target of the artillery attack of the Sri Lanka Army in the early hours of Friday in Mullaiththeevu was a residential enclave located within 500 meters radius of the Mullaiththeevu General Hospital, housing the Mullaiththeevu Government Agent (GA), the Medical Superintendent (MS) and many other government officials, who coordinate the essential services of the district. The attack was timed before a token protest scheduled for Friday by the government servants to voice against the killing of the Deputy Planning Director, Poonakari, in a claymore attack two weeks ago. TamilNet’s Vanni correspondent talked to the GA and the MS on Friday noon.
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Electricity transformer fired upon in Vadamaraadchi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 August 2008, 07:12 GMT]
Unidentified armed men opened rapid fire Thursday midnight on the main electricity transformer at Arasadi Chanththi in Karaveddi, Vadamaraadchi along Nelliyadi-Kodikaamam road, damaging the transformer and cutting off electricity supply to the above area, sources in Vadamaraadchi said.
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NPM opposes granting police, land powers to PCs

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 August 2008, 01:41 GMT]
The National Patriotic Movement (NPM), an extreme Sinhala nationalist organization, said Friday that it would launch a struggle if the government accedes to the demand to devolve land and police powers to provincial councils. "Granting of such powers to provincial councils is tantamount to granting Tamil Eelam to Velupillai Pirapaharan,"said Dr.Gunadasa Amarasekara, President of NPM at a press briefing held in Colombo.
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SLA arrests deserted soldiers

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 August 2008, 19:35 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has begun to arrest deserted soldiers who fail to return for duty on the expiry of amnesty period granted by the government. So far 1,700 such soldiers rejoined their ranks, said Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, military spokesman to the media.
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DPU mine attack kills civilian in Vanni

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 August 2008, 12:59 GMT]
A 56-year-old family man was killed Friday around 8:00 a.m at Maruthoadai in Nedungkea’ni division as he was riding on his bicyle to his farm in Nedungkea’ni, in a Claymore attack by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit.
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5 civilians missing in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 August 2008, 09:20 GMT]
Five cattle breeders in Thoppikkal area have gone missing following the Claymore ambush at Periyavaddavaan in Tharavai (Thoppikkal) area in Batticaloa district Tuesday evening where 23 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed, sources in Batticaloa said. Meanwhile, more than 500 persons who had gone to the above area on errands were made to kneel by the SLA for a whole day while assaulting some of them, the sources added.
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SLAF reconnaissance UAV grounded in Anuradhapura

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 August 2008, 06:59 GMT]
An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle belonging to the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) made an emergency landing near Nuwara Wewa in Anuradhapura Friday morning around 8:45, while it was on its way to Vanni on reconnaissance mission, police said.
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Sri Lanka steps up offensive in Ma'nalaa'ru, LTTE recovers SLA dead bodies

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 August 2008, 06:50 GMT]
LTTE officials told TamilNet Thursday that their defensive formations seized arms and ammunition after pushing back the SLA troops that attempted to advance further into LTTE territory in Ma'nalaa'ru (Weli Oya) region. Four dead bodies of the SLA were also recovered by the Tigers. Arrangements were underway to hand over the dead bodies through the ICRC, according to the LTTE officials.
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Child killed, Mullaiththeevu GA wounded in SLA shelling

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 August 2008, 05:54 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched an indiscriminate artillery barrage in the early hours of Friday. Official residences of Mullaiththeevu District Secretary (Government Agent) and the doctors of Mullaiththeevu hospital, located inside the hospital premises were hit by the shelling. The artillery barrage killed an 18-month-old baby and caused injuries to 16 civilians, including the GA, Ms. Imelda Sukumar, who was at her official residence and Medical Superintendent Dr. V. Shanmugarajah's wife, hospital officials told TamilNet. Meanwhile, the Director of LTTE's Peace Secretariat S. Puleedevan, blamed the Sri Lankan government for repeatedly violating the Geneva Conventions during its offensive.
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Iran ‘willing’ to share nuclear technology with Sri Lanka, ups aid

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 August 2008, 18:45 GMT]
Iran is willing to share nuclear technology for peaceful purposes with Sri Lanka, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told The Island newspaper. Mottaki, who was in Colombo to attend the 15th SAARC Summit told The Island, that Iran and Sri Lanka are long standing friends and Tehran was willing to assist Colombo in all fields, including uranium enrichment for peaceful purposes. He also called for the establishment of an Asia parliament on the lines of the European Parliament as a first step towards regional integration. Iran has outpaced Japan as Sri Lanka’s biggest donor this year.
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3 Tamil civilians arrested in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 August 2008, 16:35 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and the police launched an intensive checking operation Thursday from 8:00 a.m until 1:00 p.m in several places in Batticaloa including Batticaloa Kalladi, Naavatkudaa and Batticaloa town. Three persons were taken into custody in this checking.
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23 Sri Lankan soldiers killed in Claymore ambush in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 August 2008, 10:29 GMT]
23 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and four wounded in a Claymore ambush at Periyavaddavaan in Tharavai (Thoppikkal) area in Batticaloa district Tuesday evening around 6:30, well informed sources in Batticaloa told TamilNet. Wounded soldiers were admitted to Welikande hospital. This is the first major ambush on SLA since the Sri Lankan forces occupied the Thoppikkal region an year ago.
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2 civilians killed in SLA shelling in Vadmaraadchi East

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 August 2008, 08:00 GMT]
A 45-year-old father of three and a 30-year-old father of one were killed Wednesday morning when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells targeted civilian settlements, fishing huts and the stretch along the coast in Vettilaikkea'ni in Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) controlled Vadamaraadchi East of Jaffna district. One civilian was wounded in the shelling and rushed to hospital, according to initial reports from Vadamaraadchi East.
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Vanni students appearing for GCE examination uncertain

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 August 2008, 04:40 GMT]
While students across Sri Lanka will be sitting for the August GCE, Advanced Level examinations, beginning 6 August Wednesday, most students in Vanni, affected by continuous Sri Lanka Armed Forces (SLAF) offensives, cannot sit for the exam as many examination centres have been closed due to the offensives while many students are displaced, sources in Vanni said.
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Bomb hoax creates panic in Jaffna Secretariat

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 August 2008, 00:37 GMT]
An anonymous phone call to Jaffna Government Agent (GA) Monday around 3:00 p.m claiming that a bomb has been placed in Jaffna Secretariat complex created panic among the staff and employees, sources in Jaffna said. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers and Police who rushed to the secretariat searched the premises and declared the area free of danger.
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SLA soldier shot dead in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 August 2008, 11:27 GMT]
Two unidentified armed men on motor cycle opened fire on the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) road patrol unit Tuesday around 2:30 p.m killing a soldier in Charava’naa Veethi in Kalladi area in Batticaloa police division, sources in Batticaloa said. SLA and police launched a cordon and search operation in the area following the shooting.
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