3 Tamils abducted, youth reported missing in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 June 2008, 13:40 GMT]
Unidentified armed men in civil clothes abducted Wednesday around 10:30 p.m. the manager of a lodge in Kotahena while a family man was abducted the same night by a gang of armed men arriving at his house in Kotahena. In the third abduction, three men in police uniform and one in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) uniform abducted Monday an elderly man from his house in Wattala, sources in Colombo said. Meanwhile, a Tamil youth from Kotahena is reported missing from his home since Tuesday, according to the complaint made by his relatives to Kottahena police.
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Unemployed graduates fast outside Batticaloa Education Office

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 June 2008, 12:05 GMT]
A one day token fasting campaign by hundreds of unemployed graduates organized by the Association of Graduates of Eastern province Tuesday outside the Zonal education office of Batticaloa district effectively stopped functioning of the office from 7:00 till 11.00a.m, sources in Batticaloa said.
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Veteran Tamil civil servant Sangaravel passes away

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 June 2008, 23:53 GMT]
Veteran civil servant and renowned social worker Poopalapillai Sangaravel, former Additional Government Agent of Batticaloa passed away Monday night in London, succumbing to heart failure four days before his 79th birthday. He is remembered with gratitude for his committed, relentless and yeoman service to the people of the Eastern Province for a long time. He was a well-wisher of TamilNet and readily helped it on many occasions with consultancies related to the Eastern Province. TamilNet joins the multitudes of mourners in paying tributes to him and conveying condolences to his bereaved family members.
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19 SLA killed in Vavuniyaa fighting - LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 June 2008, 22:07 GMT]
19 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers, including a Lance Corporal, were killed and 23 soldiers were wounded when Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) fighters at the Kugnchukku'lam Forward Defence Line in Vavuniyaa district put up heavy resistance confronting a multi-frontal attempt by the SLA to break into LTTE territory, according to LTTE officials in Vanni. Two Tiger fighters were killed in the counter-attack.
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CID arrests Tamil lady doctor in Dambulla

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 June 2008, 20:01 GMT]
Criminal Investigation Department (CID) police from Kandy arrested a Tamil lady doctor attached to Dambulla District Hospital in Matale district, according to a complaint made by the doctor’s mother to Deputy Minister P. Rathakrishnan of the Upcountry People's Front (UPF).
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Jaffna SLA Command announces security measures to Tamil dailies

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 June 2008, 17:28 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Jaffna Commander, Major. Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri, informed the representatives of the editorial boards of the three Tamil dailies Uthayan, Valampuri and Yaazh Thinakkural published in Jaffna peninsula that the SLA has taken steps to provide police and SLA security measures for the offices of the three Tamil dailies, in a meeting held Wednesday at the SLA Head Quarters in Palaali High Security Zone.
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22 Tamil youths arrested in Colombo suburb

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 June 2008, 12:51 GMT]
22 Tamil youths were arrested Wednesday in Dehiwala, a suburb of Colombo, during a pre-dawn cordon and search operation by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Police. The arrested Tamils were being detained at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at Kalkissa (Mount Lavinia) police station for questioning, Police said.
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"Tamil eelam, not a hastily concocted concept"- Balakumaran

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 June 2008, 01:05 GMT]
Balakumaran, Senior member of the Liberation Tigers, during an interview to an Australian Tamil Broadcasting Corporation (ATBC) said that while support of the international community is necessary for achieving the goal of liberation, Tamil people should clearly understand that policies of the International community towards different nationalist struggles are often inconsistent and motivated by self-interest. He added that listening to other people’s dictates, and compromising the ideals only reflect the weakness of a liberation struggle, and expressed confidence on the strength and resilience of the Tamil people to confront obstacles in the marathon towards liberation.
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Sea Tigers raid key SLN camp in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 June 2008, 22:18 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) naval wing, the Sea Tigers, launched a surprise attack on Sri Lanka Navy camp at Erukkalampiddi in Mannaar in the early hours of Wednesday, brought the installation under their control and have seized the arms and military equipments, including a radar, LTTE officials in Vanni told TamilNet. The operation was carried out by Marine Commandos, a special forces unit of the Sea Tigers. The Tigers have seized a 50-caliber machine gun, 81 mm mortars, Light Machine Guns, Rocket Launchers and several other military hardware from the camp, the Tigers said.
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SLA shoots dead 3 men in Addaa’laichcheanai

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 June 2008, 17:06 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops shot and killed two men Tuesday around 9:00 a.m in a joint cordon and search operation with police in Addaa’laichcheanai area in Akkaraipattu police division in Ampaa’rai district, and another man around 1:00 p.m. in a paddy field west of Addaa’laichcheanai, according to Akkaraipattu police. The police claimed that the three were members of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and that the two shot dead in the first incident had hurled a hand grenade on SLA troops during the search, and SLA fired at the third man when he tried to escape.
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7 upcountry Tamil youths arrested in Yatiayantota

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 June 2008, 14:10 GMT]
Seven upcountry Tamil youths were taken into custody by the police following the discovery of two hand grenades in an estate in Yatiayantota in Sabragamuwa province. The police said they found the explosives hidden in the estate Panawatte in Yatiayantota on receipt of information.
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Tamil youth abducted in Mukaththuvaaram

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 June 2008, 14:08 GMT]
A Tamil youth, Thambiraja Suthaharan, was abducted by unidentified persons arrived in a white van from his house located along James Street in Mukaththuvaaram in Colombo city Tuesday early morning, according to complaints lodged with the police by his relatives.
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Rival London demonstrations as Rajapaksa meets Commonwealth leaders

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 June 2008, 13:49 GMT]
Over thousand expatriate Tamils demonstrated Tuesday outside the Commonwealth Secretariat where Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa was attending a conference of Commonwealth leaders. Meanwhile several hundred other Tamils who arrived at the demonstration in Pall Mall were turned away by Police, citing space restrictions, to another space in Trafalgar Square. Next to the Tamil demonstration fifty Sinhalese staged a protest in support of the SL President Rajapaksa.
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Fear mounts in costal villages of Jaffna lagoon

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 June 2008, 13:19 GMT]
Shells across Jaffna lagoon from Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held areas fell and exploded Tuesday morning on Sri Lanka Army (SLA) bases and sentry points located in the coastal villages of Jaffna lagoon causing panic also among the residents, sources in Jaffna said. Large number of additional soldiers were brought from other areas in Jaffna peninsula and posted along the coastal line of the lagoon from Jaffna Fort to Ariyaalai during the last couple of days.
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SLAF fighter jets bomb LTTE FDL in Mukamaalai

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 June 2008, 11:22 GMT]
Four Sri Lanka Air Force Kfir fighter jets jointly bombed the Front Defence Line (FDL) positions of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Mukamaalai Tuesday around 8:00 a.m. after circling over Jaffna peninsula for quite a long time, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, SLAF spokesperson Janaka Nanayakara told media that a second air raid was launched on the LTTE FDL at 3:00 p.m. in the evening.
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Shady force speaks of revenge, claims responsibility for bus bombs

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 June 2008, 10:19 GMT]
'Ellalan Force', a shady identity in which name terror threats come from time to time in Colombo as well as in Jaffna, on Monday, claimed responsibility for the recent attacks on "transport vehicles" and said the attacks were "stern replies" to four Sri Lankan attacks, an aerial bombardment and three LRRP (also known as DPU) Claymore attacks, in which 26 Tamil civilians were killed.
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Tamil youth abducted in Thampalakaamam

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 June 2008, 17:20 GMT]
A Tamil youth S.Arumugam, a farmer in Thampalakaamam, was abducted by unidentified persons Monday morning around 11:00 a.m. The abductors arrived in a white van and took the victim by force, according to complaints lodged with the Thampalakaamam police by his relatives, sources said.
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50 civilians arrested in Ratnapura

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 June 2008, 17:18 GMT]
About fifty persons, majority of them Tamils of upcountry origin, were taken into custody in Ratnapura town in Sabragamuwa province in a cordon and search operation conducted jointly by the Sri Lanka Army and Police Sunday morning from 8 till afternoon. Police ordered owners to open their shops and searched, sources said.
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4 SLA killed, 9 wounded in Vavuniyaa fighting - LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 June 2008, 15:20 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on Monday attempted to break through Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Forward Defence Line three times at Paalamoaddai in Vavuniyaa district between 6:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. with the support of artillery and mortar fire. At least 4 SLA soldiers were killed in the fighting and 9 wounded, LTTE officials told reporters in Vanni.
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White van gang abducts Tamil civilian in Dehiwela

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 June 2008, 15:11 GMT]
Unidentified armed men in a white van abducted Sunday night the owner of a hair dressing saloon in Dehiwela while he was returning home after having closed the saloon, according to a complaint made to Dehiwela police. Policemen had gone a few days ago to the house of the person abducted and interrogated him, his mother Raasaathi complained to Deputy Minister P. Radhakrishan, Colombo district parliamentarian.
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