SLA declares amnesty to deserted soldiers

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 July 2008, 02:36 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has declared fourth amnesty this year for the deserted soldiers to return to service before midnight on July 28. Those who fail would be arrested and would be produced in military court and be punished, SLA headquarters said in a release.
Full story >>

Youth shot dead in Kodikaamam

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 July 2008, 14:28 GMT]
Two unidentified armed men on motorcycle shot and killed Wednesday around 5:00 p.m a youth at Veavil area in Kodikaamam in Thenmaraadchi while he was going to a relaitve’s house from his home in Veavil, sources in Kodikaamam said. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) had conducted a large scale cordon and search operation in Kodikaamam area Monday following the killing of two SLA soldiers in Thenmaraadchi on Friday night.
Full story >>

Voices of 1983: Basil Fernando's poem remembered

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 July 2008, 10:18 GMT]
A poem, based on an eye-witness account of an event during 1983 pogrom captures the determination of a Tamil father at the time of his agonising death. The poem by Basil Fernando, a Sinhala lawyer, encapsulates the impelling spirit of the Tamil struggle of the post-pogrom years. Mr. Basil Fernando is at present the Executive Director of the Hong Kong based Asian Human Rights Commission.
Full story >>

Plans afoot to restart production in KKS cement factory

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 July 2008, 10:38 GMT]
Sri Lanka Cement Corporation’s newly appointed Chairman S. J. Paranagama said that steps are being taken to recommence cement production in Kaangkeasanththu’rai (KKS) Lanka Cement factory, during a press meet held Tuesday for Jaffna media in Jaffna. He expressed hope that certain sections of the factory will be able to function within two months, sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

SLA launches large scale cordon, search in Thenmaraadchi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 July 2008, 17:26 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched a large scale cordon and search operation from Tuesday morning till evening covering areas west of A9 Jaffna-Kandy road blocking all the roads leading to the main road, local residents said. Residents were not allowed to leave their homes during the search.
Full story >>

Youth shot dead, 2 injured in SLA shooting in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 July 2008, 16:38 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers opened fire on three youths Tuesday around 1:00 a.m killing one and injuring the other two, along Loaddan Veethi, Maanippaay in Valikaamam, according to the report submitted by Maanippaay police to Mallaakam magistrate court. Police claimed that SLA soldiers on road patrol had opened fire on the youths when the youths tried to run away when ordered to stop. The injured youths are admitted for treatment in Jaffna Teaching Hospital.
Full story >>

Vellaave'li

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 July 2008, 08:20 GMT]
The wild expanse
Full story >>

White van confiscated in EPDP Chengkaladi office

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 July 2008, 08:01 GMT]
Ea’raavoor police confiscated a white van used in abductions in Batticaloa district in the paramilitary Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) office premises in Chengkaladi in Batticaloa district, Ea’ravoor Acting Inspector of Police, Nalakka Magedara said. The van bearing 56-5659 registration number was confiscated on information given by the EPDP members arrested in connection with the recovery of an abductee's body in the backyard of Chengkaladi EPDP office 17 July.
Full story >>

IDP abducted in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 July 2008, 04:38 GMT]
Unidentified men in a white van abducted Sunday an Internally Displaced Person (IDP) from Trincomalee district staying in an interim refuge centre in Batticaloa district, according to the complaint lodged by abductee's father with Batticaloa police Monday morning.
Full story >>

Thousands flee SLA artillery barrage

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 July 2008, 04:20 GMT]
Thousands of civilians from Moon’raampiddi, Paaliyaa’ru, Ka’neasapuram, and Theavanpiddi areas are moving out of their villages due to continued artillery attack by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on their settlements, seeking temporary refuge in Vannearikkulam and Akkaraayan areas in Ki'linochchi district, sources in Vanni said.
Full story >>

LTTE announces unilateral ceasefire during SAARC summit

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 July 2008, 18:30 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) on Tuesday announced that the movement would observe unilateral ceasefire during the period of SAARC conference from 26th July to 04 August, giving cooperation for the success of the conference. Conveying goodwill and trust of the Tamil people, the LTTE Political Wing, in a press statement issued from Vanni said it wished for the success of the SAARC conference, extending the movement's support to the "countries of our region, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives."
Full story >>

2 civilians shot dead in two separate incidents in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 July 2008, 13:57 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers shot and killed a family man Sunday around 5:30 p.m in Poayiddi area in I’lavaalai, while unidentified armed men shot and killed another family man around 7:30 p.m in Karaveddi in Vadmaraadchi during power cut, sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

2 SLA soldiers shot dead in Thenmaraadchi

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 July 2008, 13:10 GMT]
Unidentified armed men shot dead two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers in two separate attacks Friday night in Madaththadi and Vempiraai residential areas in Chaavakachcheri in Thenmaraadchi around 7:00 p.m and 7:30 p.m. The attacks were made during power cut on a SLA road patrol unit and a SLA camp. Sri Lanka Defence Department has confirmed the deaths of the two SLA soldiers.
Full story >>

SLAF, SLN attack Naachchikkudaa, 8 civilians wounded

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 July 2008, 15:14 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir fighters, helicopter gunships and Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) gunboats jointly attacked a coastal village, Naachchikkudaa, 17 km north of Iluppaikkadavai Sunday evening causing injuries to 8 civilians, according to initial reports from the area. Fishing huts, residences along the coast stretch and at least 13 fishing boats were damaged in the attack.
Full story >>

SLA suspends all CDMA phone connections in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 July 2008, 11:17 GMT]
Sri Lanka Tele Communication (SLTC) in Jaffna suspended all Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) wireless phone service to nearly 7,000 customers as per instructions by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Jaffna due to security reasons, SLTC sources in Jaffna said. Even the limited CDMA phone service to Courts and government departments have been suspended.
Full story >>

SLA hands over corpse of a civilian gone missing in Vanni

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 July 2008, 04:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) handed over a male corpse in a highly decomposed state Thursday to International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) claiming it to be the body of a member of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The person killed was the driver of a vehicle who had gone missing 13 July in Oddangku’lam in Thu’nukkai in Vanni.
Full story >>

Impersonator accused of Kalmunai robberies

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 July 2008, 15:17 GMT]
A Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) operative posing as a member of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has been robbing a number of residences of nearly 1.5 million rupees during the past month within Kalmunai police division in Ampaarai, sources said.
Full story >>

20 Tamil youths arrested in Sri Lanka's Central towns

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 July 2008, 09:11 GMT]
Twenty seven civilians including twenty Tamils were arrested in two separate cordon and search operation conducted from Wednesday evening till Thursday evening in Dambulla and Teldeniya areas, sources said. The arrested are still being detained in respective police stations, and are to be produced in courts after the investigation is completed, police sources said.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka's 'Tamil implementation'

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 July 2008, 04:04 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government and its agencies outside are bent on a propaganda programme of highlighting equal implementation of Tamil as an official language in Sri Lanka, as provided by the 13th amendment of the constitution, to argue the case against secession and to justify themselves to international opinion. But in actual practice there is a planned effort by the state to sinhalicise the very usage of Eezham Tamil itself.
Full story >>

Civilians flee SLA shelling in Northern Mannaar

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 July 2008, 00:07 GMT]
Internally displaced families in Moon'raampiddi and Ve'l'laangku'lam villages, located in the northern part of Mannaar district, were fleeing their villages and settlements Friday after artillery and mortar barrage from the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) that has approached Iluppaikkadavai, north of Vidaththaltheevu. Meanwhile, IDPs from the administrative areas of Maanthai West division of Mannaar district and Thu’nukkaay division in Mullaiththeevu district are undergoing severe hardships without proper accommodation and relief supplies in Karaichchi division of Ki'linochchi district.
Full story >>