3 policemen, 2 civilians injured in Claymore attack in Ea’raavoor

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 July 2008, 16:37 GMT]
A Claymore attack on the train from Batticaloa to Colombo Thursday around 8:15 p.m near Ea’raavoor Railway station injured three policemen and two civilians including a student. The train left Batticaloa Railway station at 7:30 p.m.
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DPU shoot dead student in Vanni

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 July 2008, 16:19 GMT]
Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shot and killed a student of Mallaavi Central College Thursday around 10:20 a.m at Aiyangku’lam in Mallaavi in Vanni.
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Abducted restaurant owner released

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 July 2008, 14:31 GMT]
The owner of a restaurant abducted June 30 Monday night from Paduvaankarai within Palugaamam police division in Batticaloa district was released early morning Thursday, sources said.
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SLA, STF, police accused of sexual harassment in Aaraiyampathi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 July 2008, 14:01 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops, Special Task Force (STF) commandos, and policemen who visit homes in Aaraiyampathi area during daytime for interrogation, elicit information about men in the family, and visit the homes that do not have any males, on pretext of night patrol, subjecting widows and women to sexual harassment, residents in Aaraiyampathi in Kaaththaankudi police division in Batticaloa district said. The victims do not complain to the police or speak of their suffering due to fear of being killed by the troops and policemen.
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Knowledge books mistreat Tamil history

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 July 2008, 07:34 GMT]
The presentation of the History of Eezham Tamils, in some of the international reference material such as Britannica Concise Encyclopedia and The World Factbook by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), has become a matter of serious concern for Tamils all over the world. When the discipline of history itself is being deconstructed in the portals of knowledge of the postmodern era on one hand, these international sources of information are still harping on colonial brand of Orientalism, by basing history on myths.
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Treatment delayed to Aayiththiyamalai injured

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 July 2008, 03:46 GMT]
More than a hundred civilians, including women and children, assaulted by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops and policemen during the joint cordon and search operation following the claymore attack 23 June killing 3 policemen in Aayiththiyamalai, are continuing to be admitted to hospitals, sources in Batticaloa said. The injured civilians were first not allowed to go to hospitals, while the ICRC officials who went to the area to assess the situation were also sent back by the SLA troops and the police, residents of the area said.
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600 pilgrims on foot from east reach Kathirkaamam

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 July 2008, 03:38 GMT]
About six hundred pilgrims from several areas of the eastern province entered Kathirkaamam scared area Sunday evening after two weeks of foot pilgrimage through Yala sanctuary to attend the annual festival Kathirkaamam Murugan Temple. The festival is scheduled to commence on July 4 with the flag hoisting event.
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Assure government employees in Vanni their safety – Ki’linochchi GA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 July 2008, 02:42 GMT]
"If attacks and assassinations of government employees continues, the government services in Vanni will be completely crippled in the near future," N.Vethanayagan, Ki'linochchi Government Agent (GA) said, speaking at the protest rally held in Ki'linochchi Wednesday morning to condemn the brutal killing of N. Nanthakumar, Divisional Secretary (Assistant Government Agent) of Thu'nukkaay division of Mullaiththeevu district in a Claymore attack carried out by the Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA).
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Tamil political prisoners in Mahara prison launch protest fast

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 July 2008, 00:43 GMT]
Thirty-five Tamil political prisoners transferred to Mahara Prison began a protest fast Wednesday demanding to be sent back to Colombo Remand Prison. The prisoners said they will continue fasting until their demand is met by the authorities.
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HRW calls on GoSL to end illegal internment of IDPs in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 July 2008, 22:58 GMT]
The New York based Human Rights Watch has voiced against the illegal internment of around 400 Internally Displaced Tamils, who are languishing under Sri Lanka Army detention in a so-called 'welfare center' in Ka'limoaddai in Naanaaddaan division of Mannaar district. Since March 2008, the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) has detained civilians fleeing areas controlled by the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Ka'limoaddai. The SLA has imposed severe restrictions on freedom of movement, instituting a daily pass system that limits to 30 the number of people who can leave the camp each day, and only if a family member remains behind to guarantee the detainees return in the evening.
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Sri Lanka Army chief says victory date now mid-2009

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 July 2008, 09:01 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army chief Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka this week again revised his timetable for defeating the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam; to mid-2009, from an earlier estimate of June 2008. Saying that the LTTE had lost its conventional fighting capacity, he told international correspondents Monday that, within a year, most of the remaining Tigers would be dead. Saying that the objective of the LTTE was to capture the entire island and wipe out the majority Sinhalese community, he vowed: "we will not allow that at any cost, we will fight them."
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12 SLA killed, 19 wounded in Vavuniyaa - LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 July 2008, 08:50 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) officials in Vanni told media Wednesday morning that the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) attempt to break into LTTE defences at Paalamoaddai on Tuesday was thwarted around 10:00 p.m. the same day. 12 SLA soldiers were killed and 19 wounded in the fighting that raged for hours, the Tigers said.
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Australian parliamentarian calls for ceasefire

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 July 2008, 01:06 GMT]
Australian parliamentarian for federal state of Lowe, Mr John Murphy, submitted to the House of Representatives Wednesday, a petition signed by more than 4000 Australians calling the Australian Government "to do everything in its power to get a peaceful resolution" to Sri Lanka's conflict, and pressed for the "proper implementation of the 2002 ceasefire agreement" that brought optimism for all Sri Lankans that there would be an end to the needless death and displacement of innocent people.
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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.
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A9 gateway to Vanni closed after SLAF attack

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 July 2008, 18:29 GMT]
The International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) Tuesday evening informed the Government Agent (GA) of Ki'linochchi, N. Vethanayagam, that it has decided to withdrew its personnel from manning the A9 post in Pu'liyangku'lam after Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked a locality close to the gateway at 3:40 p.m., the GA told TamilNet. Four bombers attacked the location twice, endangering the lives of the civilians and the personnel manning the gateway.
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SLA, police expel picketing unemployed graduates in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 July 2008, 13:56 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police in Jaffna expelled Tuesday around 10:00 a.m. the unemployed graduates picketing at the front entrance of Jaffna Main Educational complex at Nalloor in a token protest for the second day, demanding immediate employment. The SLA and the police told the picketers that they will not permit the picketing and directed them to approach Douglas Devananda, the Sri Lankan Minister and the leader of the paramilitary-cum-political party, Eelam Peoples’ Democratic Party (EPDP), if they had any grievances.
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VVIP helicopter of Rajapaksa's fleet comes under attack in Ampaa'rai

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 July 2008, 10:11 GMT]
A VVIP helicopter of the fleet of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa came under fire, presumably a rocket attack, in the airspace over Ullai in Ampaa'rai district around 2:00 p.m. Tuesday. The helicopter had an emergency landing. Nobody was hurt, but the chopper was damaged, according to available information.
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STF intensifies searches in Aaraiyampathi area

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 July 2008, 09:57 GMT]
Special Task Force (STF) conducted a cordon and search operation in Aaraiyampathi Paramanaathar Koayil area in Kaaththaankudi police division in Batticaloa district Tuesday from 6:00 a.m to 9:00 a.m. Meanwhile, residents of Selvaanakar in Aaraiyampathi had to leave their houses and seek shelter away from the village as Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops set up camps amidst civilians houses in Selvaanakar.
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Nanthakumar’s remains cremated in Skanthapuram

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 July 2008, 08:50 GMT]
The remains of N.Nanthakumar, Divisional Secretary (Assistant Government Agent) of Thu'nukkaay division of Mullaiththeevu district killed Sunday afternoon in a Claymore attack carried out by the Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) was cremated Monday afternoon in Skandapuram with tearful homage in the presence of thousands of civilians including hundreds of government officers and a number of people displaced from Thu'nukkaay AGA’s administrative area.
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Heavy fighting in Vavuniyaa, 9 SLA killed - LTTE

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 July 2008, 05:53 GMT]
Nine Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and 12 wounded Tuesday as fighting continued throughout the day at Paalamoaddai, according to LTTE officials Tuesday evening.
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