Madu Shrine premises comes under shelling: Priest

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 April 2008, 10:24 GMT]
Shells were exploding near the Shrine of Our Lady of Madu as Sri Lanka Army (SLA) continued to fire shells from Periya Pa'ndivirichchaan and Chinna Pa'ndivirichchaan areas since noon Wednesday, one of the priests staying in the Church told TamilNet when contacted over the phone Thursday. The shelling ceased only for two hours from 3:30 a.m. till 5:30 a.m. Thursday. "If you manage to look outside from here, you only see smoke and dust in the atmosphere amid deafening noise," he said.
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SLA fired shells, rounds hit Madu Shrine premises - LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 April 2008, 15:24 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has launched sporadic offensive pushes from Pa'ndivirichchaan targeting Madu on Tuesday and Wednesday, LTTE's Operations Command in Mannaar told media in Vanni. Meanwhile, LTTE's Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan told TamilNet that the SLA-fired artillery and mortar shells exploded inside the mess of the Madu shrines premises, in the vicinity of the well and on priests' quarters. All civilians, except the priests, have vacated the premises. LTTE has lost one fighter while facing the offensive initiated by the SLA, 1.5 km away from the Madu premises. The Tigers said 15 SLA soldiers were killed in two days in Pa'ndivirichchaan and 10 near Giant's Tank on Wednesday.
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Thousands march in Mannaar, urge protection for Madu shrine

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 April 2008, 09:01 GMT]
More than five-thousand people of Mannaar city gathered at St. Sebastian's Cathedral Wednesday morning for an special prayer service and staged a peace march towards the District Secretariat and handed over an appeal, urging the warring parties, the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) to respect the area of Madu Shrine as a 'Zone of Peace'. "Shells are falling within the Church premises several times and many of those staying there have been compelled to leave, while priests and the other church workers who are still remaining, live in fear and are being forced to seek shelter in bunkers," an appeal from the Bishop of Mannaar said.
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South African media regrets the act of Indian consulate

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 March 2008, 20:35 GMT]
It would have been better if a representative of the Indian Consulate had accepted the memorandum from the peaceful protestors, even if the consulate was not in agreement with their views, aired the South Africa Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) in its morning news last Friday while reporting the demonstration conducted in front of the Indian consulate in Durban the previous day by the Indian community in South Africa in support of the Tamil cause in Sri Lanka.
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SLN arrests 11 civilians in Kachchaitheevu seas

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 March 2008, 15:20 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) in Kayts arrested 11 civilians from Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held Vanni on their way to Tamil Nadu on Kachchaitheevu seas Tuesday early morning, according to the statements in Kayts Magistrate Court where the civilians were produced Wednesday before Kayts Magistrate Ms. Joy Mahatheva.
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Destroyed East villages, MP chronicles history

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 March 2008, 16:33 GMT]
"Population of Sinhalese in the East was a mere 0.53 percent in 1827 but due to systematic colonisation and subsequent establishment of military camps along the borders of traditional Tamil areas, Sinhala settlers encroached into more than 25 percent of land owned by Tamils," said Maavai Senathirajah, Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, addressing, as the chief guest, to a gathering in Colombo Saturday on the occasion of the release of a book "Destroyed Tamil villages," authored by fellow Member of Parliament (MP), S.Jeyananthamoorthy, literary sources in Colombo said. T. Kangasabai, Batticaloa district TNA parliamentarian presided the function.
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South African Indians oppose Indian Arms to Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 March 2008, 00:09 GMT]
Carrying the red and yellow flag, an impressive number of South Africans of Indian Origin, demonstrated outside the Indian Consulate in Durban on Thursday, to register their collective opposition to the military oppression of Tamils in Sri Lanka by the Sri Lankan Government. They appealed to the Indian government to stop military assistance to the Government of Sri Lanka. While the Chairperson of the South African Human Rights Commission received the memorandum of the demonstrators and spoke to them, the Indian Consulate refused to accept it. Except a negligibly few Eezham Tamils, the vast majority of the demonstrators were people of Indian origin.
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Assault on media

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 March 2008, 16:08 GMT]
While the 2007 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Sri Lanka released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the U.S. State Department catalogued the deteriorating climate for media freedom in Sri Lanka, State intimidation of, and violence on journalists continue in 2008. Unidentified men have broken into the houses of journalists Munusamy Parameshwari in Gampola, and Sashi Kumar and Sunetra Athugalpura in Gonawela, Kelaniya in three separate incidents in the last two days, according to media reports. Parameshawari's relatives were assaulted before the attackers got away, reports added.
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Husband, wife shot dead in Puththa'lam

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 March 2008, 10:51 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen shot and killed a young husband and his wife inside their house at I'raalmadu in Vannaaththivillu police area in Puththa'lam district in the early hours of Wednesday, Police said. The killings have taken place in front of their two children.
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50% turnout, paramilitary manipulates voting in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 March 2008, 11:10 GMT]
Voter turnout within Batticaloa municipal council was low till Monday noon, according to the sources in Batticaloa city. However, turnout at rural areas was above 50%. Despite the presence of a reasonable number of monitors, there were reports of fraudulent activities as paramilitary personnel were actively engaged in transporting voters to the booths. The TMVP paramilitary has heaped up anti-Muslim campaign warning Tamils that non-participation in local elections would benefit the Muslims. Paramilitary personnel were also seen visiting households checking civilians' participation in the elections. Violent incidents were low.
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SLA DPU Claymore attack kills 4 in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 March 2008, 16:59 GMT]
Four persons riding in a tractor were killed Tuesday when a Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit triggered a Claymore mine targeting their tractor, according to Tamileelam Police. The explosion was reported at 9:15 a.m. between Paalampiddi and Periyamadu at Thadcha'naamaruthamadu.
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10 injured, one SLA killed in two claymore attacks in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 March 2008, 16:42 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Police, two members of the Sri Lanka Government created Civil Defense Group, and six civilians were injured in a claymore attack that took place at Godshed junction in Vavuniyaa town Sunday evening around 4.30 p.m, electronic media said quoting police sources.
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8 civilians killed in SLA DPU attacks in Vanni

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 February 2008, 18:01 GMT]
Eight innocent civilians riding in tractors were killed in two different Claymore attacks carried out by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit teams that had infiltrated into Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) controlled areas on either sides of the A9 road, north of Vavuniyaa on Wednesday. The first attack, in which four civilians were killed, was reported at Panangkaamam in Moon'ru Mu'rippu GS area of Maanthai East division in Mullaiththeevu district at 1:50 p.m. The second attack was reported at 8:30 p.m. in which another four civilians were slain while they were riding in a tractor from Maruthoadai to Olumadu.
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27 civilians arrested at Veappamadu

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 February 2008, 12:17 GMT]
Twenty seven civilians, majority of them Tamils, were taken into custody by the Sri Lanka police in a cordon and search operation conducted at Veappamadu village along Puththa'lam-Mannaar road Wednesday from dawn for about five hours, media sources said.
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SLA push fails in Paalaikkuzhi, SLAF bombs Madu area- LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 February 2008, 22:05 GMT]
Attempts by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers to push forward in Paalaikkuzhi, Mannaar Saturday morning 7:00 a.m. was foiled according to Mannaar Operations Command of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE).
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SLAF bombs Visuvamadu, 3 civilians wounded

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 February 2008, 08:06 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked Eazhaalaik Kudiyiriuppu in Visuvamadu in Mullaiththeevu district Thursday around 10:30 a.m., wounding 3 civilians and destroying two houses of a settlement of IDPs.
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Three pronged SLA push thwarted in Pa'ndivirichchaan - LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 February 2008, 20:47 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Operations Command in Mannaar Monday said the Tigers thwarted a three-pronged ground push by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) along Pa'ndivirichchaan - Madu Road. The movement by the SLA, launched at 1:30 a.m. was defeated at one of the fronts within an hour. Heavy fighting was reported at the remaining two fronts on either sides of the road till the SLA was pushed back at 3:45 p.m., the Tigers said.
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TNA MP’s residence attacked, 2 youths shot dead

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 February 2008, 13:35 GMT]
Unidentified men hurled a hand grenade Monday night 7:30p.m, near the residence of Kishore Sivananthan, Vanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, but no one was injured, Vavuniyaa police said. Meanwhile, two youths have been shot dead in Vavuniyaa in two separate incidents.
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LTTE Political Head writes to UN Secretary General

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 January 2008, 10:17 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Political Head B. Nadesan, in a letter to United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, bringing attention to the Claymore attack by the Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit in Madu, urged the UN Secretary to "recognize Tamil sovereignty as a constructive approach to end the unending five decades long, large scale, and serious rights violations against the Tamil people." Stating that the Tigers have ensured that there was no underage members in the movement and that the LTTE has respected the efforts made by the international community to rectify the rights situation, Mr. Nadesan said the LTTE has "demonstrated its readiness to cooperate with the international community."
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Horror in the afternoon

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 January 2008, 22:42 GMT]
When her bunker at the Thadcha'naamaruthamadu refugee camp came under SLA shelling last Sunday, Mary Consulator sustained minor injuries and her child was critically wounded. She faced the crisis with the courage of a mother in a war-zone: she admitted her child to the Pa'l'lamadu hospital and stayed there to nurse it to health.
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