Army, Police search TELO office

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 August 2001, 18:32 GMT]
The offices of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) in Vavuniya was searched by the Sri Lanka army and Police Monday, ahead of the public meeting by the Alliance of Eleven Tamil parties Wednesday in the border town. Soldiers and Policemen dug the floor of the office in several places, a local TELO official said.
Full story >>

TULF calls for cancellation of referendum

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 August 2001, 14:51 GMT]
The Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) has appealed to the President Chandrika Kumaratunge to cancel the August 21 referendum and reconvene the prorogued parliament. "In the event of the proclamation calling for the referendum not being revoked the TULF has decided unanimously to vote against the referendum", said in a statement issued Sunday evening by the Secretary General and the Senior Vice President of the party Messrs R.Sampanthan and V.Anandasangaree respectively.
Full story >>

Sinhala nationalist party to support referendum

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 August 2001, 15:33 GMT]
The Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP), a constituent party of the ruling People's Alliance, decided to extend its "fullest support" to the government for the 21 August referendum following a pledge by the Sri Lankan President that the draft constitution withdrawn last year will not be reintroduced. A unanimous decision to this effect was taken at a meeting attended by MEP parliamentarians, provincial councillors and members of local authorities held Friday.
Full story >>

Four SLA soldiers killed

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 August 2001, 19:18 GMT]
Three Sri Lanka Army soldiers were killed and three others were wounded in a claymore mine attack in the Omanthai area, about 14 km. north of Vavuniya Thursday morning, military sources said. They said the claymore was placed on a tree near a sentry post.
Full story >>

Judge orders CID inquiry into students' killing

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 July 2001, 19:07 GMT]
"Taking into consideration the contradictory evidence given by two police officers and the evidence of the parents of the dead students that they believe their sons were shot and killed by police officials, I direct the C.I.D to take over the investigations into these deaths and submit a report," said Mr. Anton Balasingham in his order delivered Friday at the conclusion of the magisterial inquest. Protests erupted in the town of Kalmunai, 40 kilometres south of Batticaloa, when Muslims angered by the killing of two school students on 13 July in a Police shootout took to the streets. The Special Task Force declared unofficial curfew to quell the protests.
Full story >>

President requests opposition support

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 July 2001, 05:43 GMT]
The appeal by President Chandrika Kumaratunge Wednesday night over the state television to opposition parties including United National Party "to put aside all political and other petty differences and join her government to rebuild the nation" has received mixed responses in political circles. UNP sources said, "if the government needs the co-operation of opposition at this critical juncture, it should prove its bona fide by reconvening the prorogued parliament and cancelling the 'mock' referendum".
Full story >>

Opposition slams government over attack

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 July 2001, 22:35 GMT]
Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party (UNP) and the Marxist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) have appealed to President Chandrika Kumaratunge to reconvene the prorogued parliament immediately. Both parties made this appeal in the wake of Liberation Tigers’ dawn attack on Katunayake airbase in the early hours of Tuesday morning. " The government is in breach of its duty to protect Katunayake international airport," said the UNP leader, Ranil Wickremasinghe, addressing a press conference Tuesday evening.
Full story >>

STF forces villagers into hard labour

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 July 2001, 15:40 GMT]
Villagers of Puthukudiyiruppu, about 12 km. south of Batticaloa, are being forced to carry out hard labour by the elite Special Task Force troops stationed in the village. The troops summoned 25 villagers to the camp on Sunday and ordered them to clear jungles and shrubs along Manmunai lagoon, said sources in the eastern town.
Full story >>

President outlines "Constitutional Revolution"

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 July 2001, 15:34 GMT]
President Chandrika Kumaratunge said Sunday that the present Constitution could be amended even without a two-thirds majority in parliament if the government obtained a clear mandate at next month's referendum. "How this could be done would be revealed in due course," she told activists and representatives of the ruling People's Alliance who attended a special meeting at the racecourse in Colombo.
Full story >>

Policeman shot dead in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 July 2001, 17:11 GMT]
A military trained policeman was shot dead by unidentified gunmen believed to be members of the Liberation Tigers at Kallady, 3 km. south of Batticaloa town, around 12 noon Saturday. The incident took place about 200 metres from Manchaththoduvaai police sentry post.
Full story >>

Two soldiers wounded in LTTE ambush

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 July 2001, 20:33 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were wounded, one of them seriously in an ambush by the Liberation Tigers at Vaarikuddiyoor, 16 km. northwest of Vavuniya, around 5.15 p.m. Wednesday, army sources in the northern town said.
Full story >>

Three SLA soldiers killed -VoT

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 July 2001, 18:37 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers attacked a sentry post in the Manal Aaru region in the north-east of the island, killing three government troops, the Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio said in its night news bulletin Monday.
Full story >>

HRC records bizarre torture by Ampara Police

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 July 2001, 13:46 GMT]
The Investigation Officer of the Human Rights Commission, Mr.S.Sritharan, visited Boossa camp recently and recorded evidence from four persons who were detained and tortured by the Counter Subversive Unit of the Police in Amparai. He said the suspects bore clear marks of torture on their bodies.
Full story >>

Deep penetration group ambush wounds 4 civilians

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 July 2001, 08:52 GMT]
Four civilians were wounded when the tractor in which they were travelling was hit by claymore mine triggered by a Sri Lanka Army deep penetration team in the Vaakarai region, about 75 km. north of Batticaloa local residents said. The incident occurred at Kathiraveli-Kattumurivu Kulam road, in the LTTE held area, around 3 p.m. Saturday.
Full story >>

Tamil parties criticize Colombo for re-imposing ban

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 July 2001, 05:45 GMT]
Tamil parties Thursday criticized the Sri Lankan government for re-imposing the ban on the Liberation Tigers under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). The legislation proscribing the Liberation Tigers lapsed Wednesday with the Emergency Regulations.
Full story >>

Opposition conspiracy thwarted -president

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 July 2001, 04:42 GMT]
"The government has been able to abort the conspiracy by the United National Party and Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to get the State of Emergency removed in the bid to serve the needs of the LTTE" claimed President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge in a special statement Thursday evening, which followed her decree extending the proscription of Liberation Tigers under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
Full story >>

Ban on LTTE extended by Presidential decree

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 July 2001, 16:37 GMT]
The proscription of the Liberation Tigers has been further extended according to a new order issued by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge Thursday. "The new order has been issued under Section 27 of the Prevention of Terrorism Act No: 48 in 1979" said the Presidential Secretariat.
Full story >>

Security stepped up for Black Tigers day

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 July 2001, 16:29 GMT]
Government troops stepped up security measures in towns in the north and east of the island as Liberation Tigers observed Black Tigers day Thursday. In Mannar Sri Lanka Army soldiers announced over loud hailers that stern action would be taken against businessmen who closed their establishments to mark the day. "Shops that remain closed would be forcibly opened, and they would not be allowed to open for the next eight days" the army announced, according to residents in the town.
Full story >>

PM's statement to reveal new strategy for ER extension

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 July 2001, 11:03 GMT]
The Government announced Thursday that the Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake will issue a special statement in the parliament tomorrow morning about the extension of State of Emergency in the country, amidst speculation in Colombo political circles that Attorney General Department is very busy in drafting alternate legislation instead of Emergency Regulations (ER), to give more teeth to the existing Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to deal with Liberation Tigers.
Full story >>

Tigers release MV Missen crewmember

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 July 2001, 13:28 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Tuesday released one crewmember of the vessel MV “Missen” who has been in their custody since 1 July 1997 to the representatives of the International Committee of Red Cross at Killinochchi. The sailor was identified as Jayantha Jayakody.
Full story >>