SLA shoots dead 2 Tamil civilians in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 March 2009, 16:34 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers shot and killed Sunday two Tamil civilians who had gone to collect firewood in in Mathurangku’lam and Kaddum’rivu jungles in Vaakarai in Batticaloa district, sources in Batticaloa said. SLA claimed that the two killed were Liberation Tigers and that T56 type rifles were recovered from them. The bodies of the victims remain unidentified in Vaakarai government hospital.
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Grenade attack on SLA in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 March 2009, 06:00 GMT]
Unidentified persons lying in ambush hurled more than two hand grenades Sunday around 8:00 p.m on a tractor carrying supplies between Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camps, at Naayanmaarkaddu junction in the outskirts of Jaffna town, causing severe damage to it, sources in Jaffna said. SLA has not reported on any causality or injury in the attack.
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Police, SLA harass Aalangku’lam Tamil residents

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 March 2009, 00:10 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police conducted a cordon and search operation Thursday in Aalangku’lam village in Batticaloa district following the burning down of a Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus in Vaazhaichcheanai area by uniformed men Thursday early morning. The Tamil residents were intimidated and subjected to harassment, sources in Vaazhaichcheanai said. Policemen allegedly warned the residents that they will be killed if a similar incident occured again, local residents said.
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US Senators call for immediate ceasefire, international oversight of detention camps

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 March 2009, 02:15 GMT]
A bipartisan group of seven senior U.S. Senators in a letter to Foreign Secretary Hilary Clinton blamed the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers for the "impending catastrophe," and said: "The situation in Sri Lanka is unacceptable and must be remedied as quickly as possible. We commend your recent statement with UK Foreign Minister David Milliband that called on the government and the LTTE to adhere to a ceasefire, allow access to humanitarian agencies, and resume political discussions to bring the long-standing ethnic conflict to an end. An enduring peace can be achieved only through a political solution that treats the Tamil minority as equal citizens under the law. Without such an agreement, the violence will only continue."
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SLTB bus burnt down in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 March 2009, 14:28 GMT]
A gang of unidentified men in military uniform burnt down a Sri Lanka Transport Board bus after ordering out the 50 passengers, conductor and the driver Thursday around 2:00 a.m at Aalangku’lam junction in Vaazhzichcheanai police division in Batticaloa district, sources in Batticaloa said. This act of arson may have been carried out as an attempt to create rifts between the Tamil, Muslim communities by some political forces, following the bomb blast in Akuressa in the Southern Province Tuesday, residents of Batticaloa said.
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Civilians entering Jaffna town subjected to severe checking

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 March 2009, 17:20 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers and police subject civilians entering Jaffna town from all parts of the peninsula to severe checking in three or four points along each of the main roads to Jaffna town while security measures at important places in Jaffna town are being strengthened, during the past few days, sources in Jaffna said.
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Tigers blast 6 Sri Lankan artillery positions in Vanni

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 March 2009, 11:54 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Black Tiger commandos and Col. Kiddu Artillery formation launched a joint attack destroying six artillery positions of the Sri Lanka Army in the early hours of Tuesday, confirmed an LTTE official in Vanni to TamilNet on Wednesday. Six artillery weapons platforms in Thearaavil, located around 18 km from Puthukkudiyiruppu junction, were completely destroyed in a "precise mission" carried out by the Black Tiger commandos and the Tiger artillery formation, the official said. Ammunition dumps were also destroyed, the Tigers said.
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Tiger shelling reaches Pa’lai, Mukamaalai, Ki’laali areas

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 March 2009, 13:16 GMT]
Large number of shells said to be launched by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) since Monday midnight fell and exploded near A9 road in Pa’lai and Mukamaalai, until Tuesday afternoon, sources in Thenmaraadchi said. Around 22 lorries loaded with goods which started to Jaffna along A9 road around 11:00 a.m Monday are yet to reach Naavatku’li but 25 buses carrying Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers have reached Thenmaraadchi along A9 route around Tuesday afternoon, the sources added.
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SLA cut downs use of A9 route to Jaffna due to security risks

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 March 2009, 15:56 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) which had earlier announced the opening of A9 land route to Jaffna has now limited its turns of transporting soldiers to 3 days in a week due to clashes breaking along the road and security risks, SLA sources in Jaffna said. Information on the days of transport is not disclosed and the convoy of busses takes the soldiers on vacation from Palaali to Vavuniyaa and back on unannounced days, three times a week.
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LTTE breaks through SLA lines amidst casualties

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 March 2009, 14:53 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army divisions surrounding Puthukkudiyiruppu face the threat of attack from behind their lines as LTTE fighters managed to break through their lines despite suffering casualties on Sunday, reports from Jaffna said quoting Sri Lankan military sources of anonymity. In the meantime, Sri Lankan defence sources in Colombo claimed recovery of more than 100 bodies of LTTE fighters. The Voice of Tigers, the official radio of the LTTE has claimed that more than 450 SLA soldiers were killed and around 1,000 injured in the first four days of the month in the clashes in Puthukkudiyiruppu alone and more than 100 SLA dead and 450 injured on Sunday.
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Heavy fighting reported in Vanni

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 March 2009, 16:19 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) launched heavy artillery barrage and mortar fire Saturday midnight on Sri Lanka Amy (SLA) soldiers of its 55th Division stationed in Chaalai, Chu’ndikku'lam and some areas of Puthukkudiyiruppu, killing and seriously injuring considerable number of soldiers, according to an SLA source in Thenmaraadchi.
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SLA arrests 12 youths in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 March 2009, 11:10 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers arrested 12 youths Sunday morning in a search operation conducted in Cheddiku’lam and Poovarasangku’lam in Vavuniyaa district. The fate of seven of the arrested youths is not known as only five of them are detained in Vavuniyaa police station, the relatives of the youths said.
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3 SLA soldiers injured in LTTE attack in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 March 2009, 12:10 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) combatants launched an attack Thursday around 9:15 p.m on Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers at Kommaanththu’rai 6th mile post area in Ea’raavoor police division, injuring three of them, LTTE in Batticaloa said.
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SLA shoots dead Tamil youth in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 March 2009, 20:42 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers shot and killed a Tamil youth Thursday around 8:45 p.m on Punnaikkudaa Veethi near Ear’aavoor Public Market in Ea’raavoor police division and claimed that the youth was a member of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) pistol group. SLA also claimed to have recovered a pistol and a hand grenade from the youth killed.
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President of Women’s Society threatened to death in Point Pedro

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 March 2009, 17:36 GMT]
The President of the Women’s Association, who led the demonstration recently in front of Point Pedro Divisional Secretariat protesting against the inadequate relief food supply, filed a complaint Wednesday evening of threat to her life by unidentified persons who came to her house, to Point Pedro police. Some other activists representing the Fisheries Societies, Women’s and Rural Organizations in Vadamaraadchi who actively participated in the demonstration too have been issued similar death threats, sources in Point Pedro said.
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2 SLA home guards killed in Puththa’lam

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 March 2009, 06:39 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen lying in ambush opened fire Wednesday around 8:20 a.m on a road patrol unit in Puththa’lam area in Hambantota district, killing two home guards and took away their two guns and cartridges, police media spokesman, Ranjith Gunasekara said.
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SLA launch search in Jaffna University surroundings

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 March 2009, 08:32 GMT]
Tension mounted around Jaffna University as large number of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police conducted an intensive search and checking operation from 6:30 a.m Tuesday in front of the entrances of University hostels and the faculties located along Aadiyapaatham road and Parameasvara junction in Jaffna, disrupting normalcy in the activities of the university, sources in Jaffna said. SLA arrested a Management Faculty student at the entrance of the hostel around 6:30 a.m but brought him and released him at the place of arrest after an hour, Jaffna University Students Union (JUSU) said.
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SLA uses A9 route to Jaffna after 18 years

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 March 2009, 22:51 GMT]
A detachment of around 600 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers arrived in a convoy of buses Monday evening in Jaffna town along the A9 Jaffna-Kandy land route from Vavuniyaa town after a period of nearly eighteen years, sources in Jaffna said.
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Chickenpox spreads among civilians in Mirusuvil detention camps

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 February 2009, 17:52 GMT]
Chicken pox infection is spreading fast among more the 1600 civilians held in Mirusuvil Sri Lanka Army (SLA) detention camp in Thenmaraadchi due to lack of basic hygienic facilities, lack of drinking water and people being crowded together, representatives of humanitarian organizations visiting the camp said. SLA soldiers do not allow patients in need of treatment even though their illness is severe, the sources said.
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Slave camp suspected in Ki'linochchi hospital building

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 February 2009, 17:34 GMT]
A slave camp consisting male and female members 'chosen' from the fleeing civilians by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) is reportedly setup in the abandoned Ki'lnochchi hospital building, reported TamilNet correspondent in Vanni, citing unverified information reaching Mullaiththeevu from males who escaped from the camp. According to the sources, men are kept at the downstairs for forced labour and women kept in the upstairs for abuse by the SLA soldiers who are on temporary leave.
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