SLA harass Tamil resettled civilians in Batticaloa district

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 April 2009, 06:13 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers are subjecting the resettled civilians in Koa’ralaippattu South Divisional Secretariat area in Batticaloa district to undue harassment and restrictions accusing them of helping Liberation Tiger combatants who had infiltrated into the area, the civilians said. SLA soldiers intimidate them aimng to to expel them when they have to attend to their seasonal agricultural work, they added.
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SLA soldier killed, another injured in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 April 2009, 12:44 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) launched a hand grenade attack on Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers Tuesday around 10:45 p.m near Vaazhaichcheanai bus stand in Vaazhaichcheanai police division in Batticaloa district, killing a soldier and injuring another, Batticaloa district LTTE sources said.
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SLA arrests Mannaar hospital employee in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 March 2009, 13:46 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers arrested a hospital employee from Mannaar government hospital who had gone on duty to Vavuniyaa government hospital where he was arrested by the SLA soldiers and handed over to Vavuniyaa police 22 March, according to the complaint registered by his father with the Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna office Monday.
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Tamil journalists applaud “Women of Courage” award to Srinithy Nandasekaran

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 March 2009, 11:46 GMT]
Magistrate Srinithy Nandasekaran, who had served earlier in the courts of Vavuniyaa, Jaffna, and Oorkaavattu'rai (Kayts), and currently a Magistrate in the Colombo Juvenile Court, was recognized as a South Asia Regional Finalist for the US Secretary of State's Women of Courage Award by the U.S. Ambassador Blake in Colombo on 24th March. Commenting on the award, a senior journalist said: "Ms Nandasekaran took strong, legally admissible steps to reign in on the Sri Lankan military's attempts to encroach into basic freedom of movement and rights of Jaffna residents. She ruled that the military cannot wear black masks during duty, and was a staunch critic of the road blocks the military forces set up that created hardship to the normal life of civilians."
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Elderly detainee in SLA detention centre dies in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 March 2009, 09:01 GMT]
An elderly civilian held in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) detention centre in Mirusuvil in Thenmaraadchi died Saturday night in Jaffna Teaching Hospital (JTH) due to delayed medical treatment, sources in Jaffna said. Regional Health Service sources said that there is an acute scarcity for ambulances to transport patients in need of urgent treatment from the SLA detention centres to hospitals. Besides, SLA soldiers do not permit the civilians held in the detention centres to go out for early treatment when they are infected and sick and the life of the elderly man may have been saved had he had proper treatment in time, the sources added.
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Grenade attack on SLA in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 March 2009, 06:40 GMT]
Unidentified persons lobbed three hand grenades in succession Thursday night around 7:45 p.m on Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers at the electricity transformer sentry post on Kaangkeasanthu’rai road in I’nuvil, sources in Jaffna said. Two soldiers may have been killed or seriously injured, unconfirmed reports said.
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4 home guards shot, killed, 4 injured in Polanaruwa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 March 2009, 07:16 GMT]
Unidentified armed men shot and killed Wednesday night four home guards in Welikande police division in Polanaruwa district besides seriously injuring four of them. However, Welikande police claimed that the persons killed and injured are farmers of Manikdeniya village where the attack took place, sources in Polanaruwa said.
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25 Tamil civilians arrested in Morawewa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 March 2009, 20:38 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army and Police Tuesday conducted combined cordon and search operations in several Tamil villages in and around Morawewa division in Trincomalee district and took about twenty five Tamil civilians into custody following the attack on a patrolling group of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) that took place in the morning at Veappanku'lam which is located along Trincomalee-Anuradhapura highway about 15 miles from east port town.
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More than 1,200 HR violations in Jaffna peninsula in 2008 – HRC report

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 March 2009, 16:04 GMT]
More than 1,200 human rights violations including extra judiciary killings, abductions, forced disappearances, death threats, torture and harassment by Sri Lanka armed forces and paramilitary men have been registered with Jaffna Human Rights Commission (HRC) office in the year 2008 alone, according to the HRC report to Colombo HRC Head Office. SLA soldiers and policemen have been directly accused in around 65 complaints made to HRC Jaffna. The above complaints have been made despite threats not to report these instances to HRC. Meanwhile, a four-member team of key HRC officials is presently in Jaffna to instruct SLA officials on matters related to human rights.
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Tamil employee in Anuradhapura hospital arrested

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 March 2009, 19:46 GMT]
Anuradhapura police arrested a Tamil employee of Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital Sunday claiming that he had used a Sinhalese name instead of his own name. The police arrested him on complaints that he was often moving in and out of a medical ward where injured Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were being treated, according to media reports.
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SLA launches extensive search operations in Jaffna peninsula

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 March 2009, 14:33 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched large scale cordon and search operations in areas in Vadamaraadchi, Thenmaraadchi and Valikaamam in Jaffna peninsula from Sunday early morning till evening, sources in Jaffna said. Warned by its Intelligence Wing of infiltration into the peninsula by Liberation Tigers, SLA has stepped up cordon and searches besides strengthening its security arrangements throughout the peninsula, the sources added.
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Tamil civilian reported missing in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 March 2009, 05:48 GMT]
A Tamil family man from Paavatkodichcheanai who had been stopped on his way by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers at Unnichchai 6th Mile Post SLA camp check point in Vavu’natheevu police division in Batticaloa district is reported missing since Friday, sources in Batticaloa said. The missing man was returning home with 100,000 rupees from sales of his cattle and people had seen him being detained at the SLA check post Friday.
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42 civilians killed, 80 wounded in Vanni Saturday

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 March 2009, 04:17 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells into the 'safety zone', also on Saturday, killing 42 civilians and causing injuries to around 80 civilians, including a GS (Village officer), initial reports from Vanni said Saturday. Meanwhile, the SLA and Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) were using heavy explosives in their clashes with the LTTE defensive units in Puthukkudiyiruppu (PTK) area. At least 7 civilians who ventured into Iranaippaalai to collect coconuts were reported killed in SLAF air strike.
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SLA denies complicity to robberies in Jaffna peninsula

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 March 2009, 09:32 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officials rejected accusations of SLA soldiers’ involvement in or complicity to the increasing number of robberies in Jaffna peninsula, particularly when the night time SLA curfew is in force, in a meeting held Saturday in Jaffna Duraippah Stadium with the shop keepers in Jaffna Municipal Council area and representatives of Jaffna Traders’ Union, sources in Jaffna said. Extortion demands through phone calls too have escalated at an alarming rate, the attendees told the SLA officials.
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STF, SLA conduct search in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 March 2009, 03:34 GMT]
Special Task Force (STF) commandos and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers conducted a cordon and search Friday from 5:30 a.m to 11:00 a.m in Aarayampathi area in Kaaththaankudi police division in Batticaloa district. As no policeman or policewoman was engaged in this search fear and tension prevailed among the residents who were subjected to rigorous search and interrogation by the commandos and the soldiers who entered their houses, sources in Batticaloa said.
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Tissainayagam: always agitated against violence, fought for justice for oppressed

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 March 2009, 12:16 GMT]
In statement made to the Court Friday, senior Tamil journalist J.S. Tissainayagam who has been held in detention for more than a year under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), said: "I was and am still an advocate against terrorism. I have criticized terrorism in whatever form. I never advocated violence, my objective was to generate non violent means of resolving the conflict, my research, writings and work was towards achieving this." Many international rights groups have called for the "unconditional release of Tissainayagam, who has been subjected to arbitrary court adjournments and is suffering ill health.” First anniversary of arrest and imprisonment of Tissaianayagam fell on 7th March.
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4 Tamil herdsmen reported missing in Ampaa’rai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 March 2009, 06:44 GMT]
Four Tamil herdsmen who went to graze their cattle on 23 January in the area between Ampaa’rai and Batticaloa district boundaries, with permission from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers had gone missing, according to complaints made to the police authorities. More than 500 cattle taken for grazing in Pullukannaava, Manka’lakama, Keviliyaamadu and Vakkiyella are reported missing too.
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Policeman, 2 SLA soldiers killed in LTTE attack in Ampaa’rai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 March 2009, 06:12 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) combatants launched an attack Wednesday around 10:00 a.m on a road patrol unit at Saahaamam area in Akkaraippattu police division in Ampaa’rai district killing a policemen, sources Ampaa’rai said. In another attack around 12:00 noon LTTE attacked the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers engaged in a cordon and search in Panangkaaddu area in the same police division killing two soldiers and injuring two, LTTE souces in Ampaa'rai said. Meanwhile, SLA shot and killed a Tamil youth in Panangkaddu area and claimed that he was a member of LTTE pistol group and that a pistol recovered from him, Akkaraipattu police said.
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2 SLA soldiers killed, 3 injured in LTTE attack in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 March 2009, 10:30 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) combatants launched a grenade attack Tuesday around 8:05 p.m on a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) unit at Mu’rakkoddaancheanai in Ea’raavoor police division, killing two soldiers and injuring three, Batticaloa LTTE wing said.
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604 SLA killed in 3 days - LTTE media

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 March 2009, 17:53 GMT]
The Voice of Tigers, the radio broadcast of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) in its evening broadcast on Tuesday said that 604 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed in heavy fighting in Puthukkudiyiruppu. Several hundred soldiers were wounded in the fighting, according to the VoT.
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