SLA restrictions affect cattle owners, farmers in Batticaloa district

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 August 2008, 09:56 GMT]
Cattle owners and farmers in Koara'laipattu South, Ea'raavoorpattu and Chengkaladi divisions of Batticaloa district have appealed to their respective Divisional Secretaries and Batticaloa Government Agent to help lift Sri Lanka Army (SLA) imposed restrictions in engaging in their livelihoods of dairy farming and agriculture. A threatening situation prevails in the remote villages of Batticaloa, especially against the cattle ownrs, as SLA soldiers manning the posts in Paduvaankarai region have stepped up deployment along jungle tracks and cattle posts used by cattle herders.
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Male corpse washed ashore along Jaffna lagoon

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 August 2008, 09:36 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers in their sentry post along Jaffna lagoon on finding a male corpse with gun shot wounds washed ashore Monday morning informed Jaffna police, sources in Jaffna said. Jaffna Magistrate, Vasanthasenan, who visited the site held inquiries and directed the police to hand over the corpse to Jaffna Teaching Hospital mortuary.
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2 SLA soldiers killed, 2 injured in Vadamaraadchi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 August 2008, 09:48 GMT]
A group of unidentified armed men opened fire and hurled hand grenades on the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camps in Yaakkarai and Kalikai areas in Karaveddi in Vadamraadchi Saturday midnight killing two soldiers and seriously injuring two, sources in Jaffna said. Thousands of SLA troops deployed in the above area launched a cordon and search operation, immediately after the attack, that continued till Sunday evening.
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Thenmaraadchi farmer seeks refuge with HRC

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 August 2008, 19:19 GMT]
A 27-year-old farmer from Thenmaraadchi sought refuge Friday with Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna office due to death threats by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers and SLA-backed paramilitary men. HRC officials took steps to place the farmer in the protective custody of Jaffna Prison.
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Family man shot dead in Vadamaraadchi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 August 2008, 14:04 GMT]
Unidentified armed men shot and killed a young family man Thursday around 6:30 a.m in Thoampu, Imaiyaa’nan area in Vadamaraadchi as he came out of his house, his wife said in the inquest into the killing. Her husband had been threatened to death by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers many times and had hidden himself for a long time, she said.
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SLA arrests family man in Vadamaraadchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 August 2008, 16:50 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers arrested a family man on suspicion Monday night after 9:00 p.m during curfew hours for being found walking close to the premises of Karaveddi SLA camp in Vadamaraadchi. The arrestee, handed over to Nelliyadi police, was produced in Point Pedro court Tuesday where the magistrate directed the police to produce the suspect before a Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) and obtain a medical report on his health conditions.
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2 SLA soldiers shot, injured in Vadamarraadchi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 August 2008, 14:34 GMT]
Unidentified armed men opened fire on a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) sentry post in Vallipuram area in Point Pedro, Vadamaraadchi Monday midnight, seriously injuring two SLA soldiers, sources in Point Pedro said. The injured soldiers were rushed to Palaali Military hospital and an intensive cordon and search was launched in Vallipuram and the areas close to it by the SLA.
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Devotees arrested in Nalloor temple released

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 August 2008, 10:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) arrested Saturday around 7:30 p.m more than fifteen youths who were worshiping at the historically famous Nalloor Kantasuvaami Koayil claiming their behavior was suspicious, sources in Jaffna said. The youths who were taken in Buffel Armoured Personnel Carriers to an SLA camp in Jaffna town were released Sunday morning after being held for interrogation, the sources added.
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SLA soldier killed, 4 injured in mortar attack in Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 August 2008, 09:23 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier was killed and four wounded Saturday night when the SLA camp at Ka'n'nakipuram in Akkaraippattu of Ampaa'rai district came under mortar fire, according to Sri Lankan police sources.
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Claymore ambush kills 2 SLA soldiers in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 August 2008, 13:40 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and five wounded in a Claymore mine ambush at Ira'nai Illuppaikku'lam in Vavuniyaa Saturday morning around 10:30 a.m., Police said.
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3 youths suffer electric shock injuries

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 August 2008, 17:23 GMT]
Three youths were seriously injured after coming into contact with live electric wires while forced to build a rampart around a live high voltage electricity transformer by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers Friday in Chiruppiddi in Valikaamam East, sources in Jaffna said. One of the injured was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Jaffna Teaching Hospital Friday, the other two were treated for burn injuries. Sri Lanka Electricity Board officials in Jaffna declined to comment on the incident.
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Grenade attack on SLA checkpoint in Jaffna, no one injured

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 August 2008, 15:22 GMT]
Unidentified men riding a motorbike hurled a hand grenade inside the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) checkpoint located at the railway crossing along Naavalar Road, Jaffna at 12:00 noon Friday, sources in Jaffna said. SLA troopers manning the checkpoint escaped unhurt in the explosion. The checkpoint encompasses part of the railway track, and is located behind the EPDP headquarters Sridhar Theater building.
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Fragile fictions of 'sovereignty' and 'territorial integrity'

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 August 2008, 14:05 GMT]
Russia’s intervention over South Ossetia and Abkhazia, just like the Western intervention over Kosovo, amply demonstrates that 'sovereignty' and 'territorial integrity' are not cast-iron principles, but fragile covers for pursuit of interests by powerful states, the Tamil Guardian newspaper argued this week. “Sri Lanka's sovereignty and territorial integrity, like those of Serbia, Georgia, and many others, has always been contingent on these being sufficiently useful to all the Great Powers, at the same time,” the paper said. “The moment the emergence of Tamil Eelam becomes useful to any of the Great Powers, a new game will begin.”
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SLA corporal shoots dead 2 soldiers in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 August 2008, 18:03 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) corporal shot and killed two of his troopers who were harassing a Tamil woman at Maavadiveampu in Ea'raavoor police division Thursday around 4:30 p.m. The soldiers were shot after a stand off with their corporal, residents said.
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Transformer set fire in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 August 2008, 02:00 GMT]
Unidentified persons during curfew hours Tuesday day night set fire to the main electricity transformer on Aadiyapaatham road, Kokkuvil in Valikaamam, completely burning the unit, sources in Jaffna said. Electricity supply to the area was cut off and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops, deployed in large numbers, cordoned off and searched the area.
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Grenade attack on house in Vaazhaichcheanai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 August 2008, 13:16 GMT]
Two unidentified armed men arriving on a bicycle hurled hand grenades Tuesday around 8:45 p.m on the house of the brother of a person called PLOT Maamaa shot and killed by unidentified gunmen on 25 June 2006, in Ka’n’nangkiraamam 3rd Cross Street in Vaazhaicheanai police division in Batticaloa district. The front portion of the house was damaged in the grenade attack, sources in Vaazhaicheanai said.
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STF, police harass women in Ampaa’rai, says MP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 August 2008, 02:58 GMT]
Special Task Force (STF) commandos and police in Aalayadiveampu area in Ampaa’rai district are harassing women during nights on the pretext of searches, K. Pathmanathan, Ampaa’rai Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian said. “Many residents of this area and other places in Ampaa’rai district have brought this matter to my notice,” the MP further said.
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Tiger penetration attack kills 21 SLA in Northern Front

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 August 2008, 11:44 GMT]
Twenty-one Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed in the early hours of Sunday at Ki'laali in the Northern Front, according to well-placed Sri Lankan military sources. The SLA sources attributed the ambush to 'Deep Penetration Units' of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileealm (LTTE). The latest information on SLA casualties come in the wake of SLA stepping up sporadic clashes in the Northern Front after a long pause since it suffered a debacle in April 2008. The LTTE is yet to issue details on the latest episode in the Northern Front.
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Electricity transformer fired upon in Vadamaraadchi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 August 2008, 07:12 GMT]
Unidentified armed men opened rapid fire Thursday midnight on the main electricity transformer at Arasadi Chanththi in Karaveddi, Vadamaraadchi along Nelliyadi-Kodikaamam road, damaging the transformer and cutting off electricity supply to the above area, sources in Vadamaraadchi said.
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NPM opposes granting police, land powers to PCs

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 August 2008, 01:41 GMT]
The National Patriotic Movement (NPM), an extreme Sinhala nationalist organization, said Friday that it would launch a struggle if the government accedes to the demand to devolve land and police powers to provincial councils. "Granting of such powers to provincial councils is tantamount to granting Tamil Eelam to Velupillai Pirapaharan,"said Dr.Gunadasa Amarasekara, President of NPM at a press briefing held in Colombo.
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