Renewed fighting in Mankulam

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 October 1998, 08:09 GMT]
Fierce fighting erupted yesterday between the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) when the troops of 'Operation Jeyasikurui' attempted to advance towards north of Mankulam, the Liberation Tigers said in Vanni.
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Calls to help refugees

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 October 1998, 20:43 GMT]
The People's Progressive Centre of Jaffna has asked more people in Jaffna to come forward and help more than 30,000 families who are facing starvation in Kilinochchi and Mullaitheevu districts. The families have been affected by the cut the Sri Lanka Government imposed on the dry rations to the refugees living in areas not controlled by it.
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Three die in accidents

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 October 1998, 11:43 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army soldiers (SLA) died in Colombo when an SLA ambulance collided with a lorry at Dehiwale, a suburb of Colombo yesterday morning. The ambulance was on it's way to Ratmalana military airport to bring wounded soldiers who had been airlifted from the Vanni front to Colombo hospital.
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Vanni military activity continues

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 October 1998, 19:15 GMT]
Heavy fighting is reported in the Mankulam sector, the town which the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) said it captured from the Liberation Tigers yesterday morning. Reports from the northern Vavuniya said Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) bombers carried out sorties in the area around 7 a.m. today.
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Kilinochchi reversal, not setback - SLA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 October 1998, 11:35 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) spokesman Brigadier Sunil Tennakoon appeared flustered and discomfited by questions journalists fired today at the weekly cabinet press briefing, regarding the fall of the Kilinochchi base. He said that the army received 600 bodies yesterday through the ICRC and by this morning 400 had been identified.
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SLA faces tough choices

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 October 1998, 09:36 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers' Operation Unceasing Waves II has completely destroyed the basic protective stratum of the gateway to Jaffna. The massive Elephant Pass base complex of the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) is now the sole barrier between the Liberation Tigers and the Jaffna peninsula.
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42 Tigers surrendered - SLA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 September 1998, 14:20 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) SLA claimed this evening that 42 Liberation Tigers surrendered to its troops that took control of Mankulam today. The SLA is flying a group of Sri Lankan journalists to Anuradhapura to see the alleged surrendees. Sources in Vavuniya claimed that only 26 boys and girls, alleged to be LTTE fighters, were brought to Vavuniya this afternoon.
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MoD says 'in control'

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 September 1998, 10:34 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence (MoD) acknowledged this afternoon an attack by the Liberation Tigers on the Sri Lankan Army's (SLA) largest base complex that began around midnight.
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Bishop's plea for Vanni refugees

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 September 1998, 17:20 GMT]
The Jaffna Diocese of the Catholic Church has called upon its members to forego a meal so that they can contribute its value in money to aid the people in the Vanni who have been affected by the severe food shortages.
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MP's Vanni visit obstructed

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 September 1998, 17:13 GMT]
The controversial Sri Lankan opposition MP, Dr. Jayalath Jayawardana said that he will file a fundamental rights case against the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for impinging on his freedom of movement and obstructing his duties towards the people as a parliamentarian.
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Thileepan remembered

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 September 1998, 17:06 GMT]
The final day of the Thileepan remembrance week was marked with fasts held all over the areas in the north-east that are under the control of the Liberation Tigers. Reports from Batticaloa said that thousands of civilians had joined the fast in Kokkaddicholai, west of Batticaloa today.
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Three killed in army fire

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 September 1998, 23:12 GMT]
Mannar magistrate, Mr. M. Ilancheliyan, ordered yesterday the cremation of the bodies of three people who were shot dead by the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) at the 10th mile post in Uylankulam on September 19.
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SLA operation in Vakarai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 September 1998, 17:47 GMT]
The SLA conducted a limited operation from Vakarai today in the direction of Kathiraveli. A soldier was injured by an anti personnel mine blast during the advance which began around 9 a.m. this morning sources said.
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Defence expenditure rises

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 September 1998, 18:59 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Minister for Education, Higher Education and Government whip placed before the parliament today a supplementary estimate of 12.2 billion Sri Lankan rupees for defence expenditure.
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Minority parties reject UNP - G.L. Pieris

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 September 1998, 13:17 GMT]
The minority parties have rejected the United National Party (UNP) as a credible alternative and this why none of them went for its all party conference on free and fair elections on Monday Sept.14 in Colombo said Prof. G.L Pieris, Sri Lanka's minister for constitutional affairs today.
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Sporadic Vanni fighting - SLA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 September 1998, 23:12 GMT]
Sri Lankan Army (SLA) conducted search operations in the Ambakamam and Kunchikkulam Forwards Defence Localities (FDL) and recovered 127 anti-personnel mines set by the Liberation Tigers, claimed Brigadier Tennekoon at the weekly cabinet press briefing held today.
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Military solution within the next year — Ratwatte

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 September 1998, 20:00 GMT]
"Our president began to talk to the LTTE with an open mind in 1995, to bring about peace and unity in this country, but the talks collapsed when they suddenly attacked ships in Trincomalee harbour, and now, the government is determined to build peace after wiping out terrorism", said Mr. Anuruddhe Ratwatte, the deputy minister for defence.
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Conditional negotiations only - Ratwatte

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 September 1998, 22:00 GMT]
While maintaining that a settlement in Sri Lanka's war in could only be reached through a political process involving the Liberation Tigers, Deputy Minister of Defence, Anuruddha Ratwatte , said that this could be only be achieved by negotiating on the conditions put forward by the Peoples' Alliance (PA) Government and not unconditionally as the opposition United National Party (UNP) was proposing.
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UNP MP interrogated for Vanni visit

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 September 1998, 22:11 GMT]
The UNP member of Parliament, Dr.Jayalath Jayawardana, whose controversial visit to the Vanni has created rumblings in the government, was interrogated this evening in Colombo by Police officers.
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UNP conspiring with the LTTE - President

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 September 1998, 19:42 GMT]
The Sri Lankan President Chandrika Bandaranayake Kumaratunge accused the main opposition party, the United National Party (UNP), of conspiring with the Liberation Tigers to overthrow the government this evening, while addressing a party meeting in Kurunagala.
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