Jaffna town deserted

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 May 2000, 13:50 GMT]
The Jaffna town was deserted this morning though the curfew imposed by the army was lifted for three hours from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Most of the town's population have moved out to the Waligamam sector, a journalist at a Jaffna daily office contacted by phone this afternoon said. Ex-Tamil militant sources in the town claimed that Sri Lanka Air Force's Israeli Kfir jets heavily bombed the Navatkuly and Thanangkilappu areas this morning.
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Tigers prepare final assault

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 May 2000, 17:11 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said Friday they were preparing for "the final push" into Jaffna city. Heavily armed LTTE troops have moved from the Vanni into the newly captured areas for this purpose amid panic and confusion amongst the defending Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops, the Tigers said in a statement from their London offices, adding that civilians were leaving the northern city despite an SLA-imposed curfew.
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Fresh advances in Jaffna town -LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 May 2000, 16:22 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers have advanced close to Jaffna city centre as their offensive in the northern peninsula continues, the LTTE said Thursday. The Tigers have also overrun two key Sri Lanka Army (SLA) bases at Kovilakandy and Thanankillappu in another prong of their operation, the organisation said in a statement from its London offices.
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CSU personnel injured in claymore attack

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 May 2000, 06:16 GMT]
Five military trained Policemen including three operatives of the Counter Subversive Unit (CSU) were wounded when they were hit by a claymore mine blast in the heart of Mannar town this morning around 10.30 a.m. The Police said that the Liberation Tigers were responsible for the attack in this high security zone.
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New advances in Jaffna -LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 May 2000, 19:38 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said Wednesday they are advancing into the Navatkuli, Ariyalai and Thanankillapu areas in the outskirts of Jaffna town, following fierce fighting with the Sri Lanka Army (SLA). A 2km stretch of the A9 highway, inclusive of the Navatkuli bridge, had come under the LTTE's control, the organisation said in a press release from its London offices Wednesday night. LTTE troops have also advanced 2km into the Thanankillapu area and occupied Maniyanthoddan in the Ariyalai sector, the statement said.
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Strategic bridge captured - LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 May 2000, 10:15 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said Wednesday their commando units had taken control of a section of the strategic Navatkuli bridge, cutting off the A9 highway. Heavy fighting was continuing in the area, the LTTE said in a statement released from its London offices.
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Chandrika says will win war soon

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 May 2000, 20:40 GMT]
"The government has decided to win the war as soon as possible" said the Sri Lankan President today in an address to the nation. She claimed that the draconian regulations promulgated by her government last week under the Public Security Ordinance was only a temporary measure and would be put into effect only in extreme situations.
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SLA dismisses ceasefire offer

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 May 2000, 11:36 GMT]
The Sri Lankan army totally rejected the ceasefire offer by the Liberation Tigers today. An officer at the operational headquarters of the Ministry of defence said this afternoon that the SLA will fight to the last man to defend Jaffna. An official release stating the government's position would be out later this afternoon he said.
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LTTE offers cease-fire for safe withdrawal

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 May 2000, 09:35 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said Monday that they are prepared to declare a temporary cease-fire to allow the Sri Lanka Army troops in the northern Jaffna peninsula to withdraw safely. In a statement from its London offices, the LTTE said its offer was "gesture of goodwill" to prevent further bloodshed and "to create a congenial environment" for the SLA "to withdraw from the unfavourable theatre of war with dignity and honour".
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SLA vacates camps north of Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 May 2000, 13:17 GMT]
The Sri Lankan army vacated two key camps north of Batticaloa on Friday. The pull out was acknowledged in the situation report put out today the Special Media Information Centre set up under the regulations of the Public Security Act.
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UNP blames government for debacle

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 May 2000, 12:32 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government, and not the Sri Lanka Army, has to take responsibility for the fall of the Elephant Pass base to the Liberation Tigers, Ranil Wickremesinghe, leader of Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party (UNP) said in an interview to The Week magazine.
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Censorship on foreign media

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 May 2000, 17:27 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Government Thursday followed up the tough security measures it announced Wednesday night with renewed press censorship on the foreign media. Sri Lanka's local media have been subject to censorship since last year. However, Colombo-based foreign media had been exempted.
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Lagoon coast road taken - VoT

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 May 2000, 20:21 GMT]
The Voice of Tigers said in its night news broadcast today that the Liberation Tigers have brought 12 kilometers of the road along the coast of the Jaffna lagoon between Elephant Pass and Kilali under their control. It said that the fighting formations of the Tigers are continuing to press on with the Unceasing Waves Offensive into Jaffna.
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Tigers attack Kilali

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 May 2000, 17:18 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army's Kilali base on the Jaffna lagoon's southeastern coast is being attacked by the Liberation Tigers said the Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio in its night news broadcast today.
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SLA builds bulwark as Tigers advance

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 May 2000, 12:24 GMT]
The Operational headquarters of Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defence (MoD) acknowledged that the Sri Lanka army was pushed out of Pallai, Pulopalai and Iththaavil by the Liberation Tigers yesterday in a press release issued Monday afternoon. The SLA, according to the release, was forced to withdraw with heavy casualties. Sources in Jaffna, meanwhile, said that the SLA is constructing a massive bulwark to stall the advancing Tigers.
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Tigers to return SLA bodies

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 May 2000, 11:25 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers have recovered the bodies of several Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers from the recently captured town of Pallai and are making arrangements to return 50 which are in good condition to the SLA, LTTE sources in London said Monday.
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Tigers overrun Pallai SLA base

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 April 2000, 14:40 GMT]
The combat formations of the Liberation Tigers overran the massive military base at Pallai and took control of the town and its surrounding villages today the organisation said in a press release from its London offices. The Tigers said with the fall of Pallai town, the Liberation Tigers have secured a strongly entrenched foothold in the Thenmarachchi division of the peninsula facilitating their advance towards the capital of Jaffna.
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Kumaratunga blames UNP for army woes

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 April 2000, 17:00 GMT]
The Sri Lankan President, in her first address to the country on the fall of the Elephant Pass-Iyakkachchi base, charged that the setbacks suffered by the army were mainly due to its weakening for eleven years by the UNP regime. She reiterated her stand that she would negotiate with the Tigers only if they laid down their weapons. She wowed to wrest the north and east back from the LTTE.
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Ex-service personnel called up

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 April 2000, 15:53 GMT]
The Sri Lankan President today called up all retired and pre-maturely retired security forces personnel for active service in the war against the Liberation Tigers. The unprecedented call had to be made to meet the severe manpower shortages faced by the army as a consequence of a series of major reversals in the battle fields in the northern theatre SLA sources said.
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Tigers advance towards Pallai -radio

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 April 2000, 07:59 GMT]
The fighting units of the Liberation Tigers engaged operation in "Unceasing Waves 3" have advanced one and a half km. from Puthukadu junction towards Pallai, the Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio said in its noon news broadcast Friday.
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