SLA fresh offensive thwarted - LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 August 2006, 14:29 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers on Friday launched an offensive through Kandalkadu area, located between Nagarkovil Forward Defence Line (FDL) and Muhamalai FDL, inside the Liberaton Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled territory, LTTE military spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan told media in Kilinochchi.
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SLAF bombers destroy tsunami-boat yard

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 August 2006, 14:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers bombed and destroyed a boat yard, at Nellian in the Vadamaradchi East, around noon, Friday . The boat yard was built in February 2005 under 'Back to Sea' project, a Post Tsunami Rapid Rehabilitation Development Service, to help fishermen affected by 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. Two workers were wounded in the attack. The boat yard was funded by the Norwegian and Malaysian branches of Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO).
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SLA allows travelling to Batticaloa LTTE areas for limited hours

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 August 2006, 14:08 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Friday agreed to relax the ban on travelling for limited hours to areas held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Batticaloa district following repeated requests made by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to President Mahinda Rajapakse, TNA sources said.
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Cash flow low in Jaffna due to closure of banks

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 August 2006, 13:40 GMT]
Cash flow is decreased to minimum among the people in Jaffna district following the continuous closure of branches of state banks for about a week since the outbreak of fresh fight between the Sri Lanka forces and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fighters. Customers who have saving and current accounts in state banks are unable to withdraw their money for their immediate use, civil sources said.
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Humanitarian, relief assistance to LTTE held villages in Amparai suspended

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 August 2006, 12:27 GMT]
It has been reported that humanitarian assistance and other relief measures reaching war affected families in areas held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the Amparai district has come to a halt due to ban by Special Task Force (STF) deployed at Kanchirankudah on officials engaged in such works visiting these villages." It's a crime against humanity," said Mr.Jeya, Amparai District LTTE political head.
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SLA re-opens Omanthai checkpoint for stranded civilians to travel

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 August 2006, 09:47 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army Friday afternoon around 2 p.m. re-opened the Vavuniya Omanthai check point enabling stranded civilians in Vavuniya town to travel to their areas in the LTTE held Wanni region. About eight hundred Tamil civilians including around 260 public servants had been stranded in Vavuniya since the closure of Vavuniya-Omanthai check point, sources said.
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SLA arrests 16 Tamil civilians in Chavakachcheri

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 August 2006, 09:20 GMT]
Sixteen Tamil civilians were arrested by soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) when they were conducting a cordon and search operation in Chavakachcheri town and its suburbs Allarai, Periyamawadi, Kappachchi Mavadi and Kovilkuddiruppu Thursday afternoon from 12.30 p.m. till 4.30 p.m. About five thousand civilians were taken to Chavakachcheri Hindu College and were produced before a masked man who identified these sixteen civilians. They were detained in the Varani SLA camp. Relations of the arrested civilians immediately lodged complaints with the Jaffna regional office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), civilians sources said.
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TNA briefs Swiss diplomats on NE situation

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 August 2006, 20:04 GMT]
A Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary delegation Wednesday briefed Mr.Y.V.E.S. Nicoler, First Secretary and Mr.M.R.C.Mark Andre Vunzely, Assistant Secretary of the Swiss Embassy in Colombo about the massive internal displacement of Tamil people in the North East following indiscriminate aerial and artillery bombardment by the Sri Lanka forces. All land and water routes to the LTTE held areas in the Batticaloa district have been closed by the SLA, TNA delegation told Swiss diplomats, sources said.
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Canada must break silence on atrocities in Sri Lanka - Albina Guarnieri

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 August 2006, 19:12 GMT]
It is time Canada sent a forceful message to the Sri Lankan Government that it must now be held to account for a long series of atrocities by its military, said Albina Guarnieri, Member of Canadian Parliament and a former Minister of Veterans Affairs, in a press statement issued on Tuesday.
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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister condemns Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 August 2006, 15:42 GMT]
Kalaignar M Karunanidhi, the Chief Minister (CM) of the southern Tamil Nadu state of India, has condemned the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombing in Vallipunam in Mullaithivu district in NorthEast Sri Lanka, where tens of schoolgirls were killed and more than 100 wounded Monday. Describing the SLAF air-strike as an "atrocious and inhumane act", the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu state, home to 60 million Tamils in India, has urged the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, to request the Sri Lankan government to hold talks to settle the issue peacefully and stop killing innocent Tamils.
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Hartal in Mannar, demonstration in Musali condemning students' massacre

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 August 2006, 15:06 GMT]
General shut down and demonstration was held in Mannar district Thursday condemning the killing of students in Puthukudiruppu Sencholai children home and Tamil civilians elsewhere in the North East by aerial bombardment carried out by Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) and artillery fire by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), sources said.
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Stranded Tamil civilians in Vavuniya demand opening of A9 highway

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 August 2006, 12:30 GMT]
About six hundred Tamil civilians stranded in Vavuniya due to the closure of Vavuniya-Omanthai Sri Lanka Army (SLA) check point Thursday morning held a protest in front of the office of the Vavuniya District Secretariat demanding that they should be sent to their villages and towns in the districts of Jaffna, Mullaitivu and Killinochchi, sources said.
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SLMM monitors leave Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 August 2006, 06:36 GMT]
Monitors of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) posted in the Trincomalee district left for Colombo Thursday morning as the ground situation was not conducive for further monitoring. Trincomalee SLMM office located along the Inner Harbour Road in the east port town was closed down Wednesday and all six monitors led by SLMM Head of Trincomalee District Office (DO) Ove Janssen, left by road to Colombo, SLMM sources said.
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Diaspora Tamils condemn Sencholai Attack

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 August 2006, 06:17 GMT]
Diaspora Tamils around the world held protest marches and vigils to condemn the aerial attack of Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) that reportedly killed 61 schoolgirls in Mullaithivu in Vanni, Tuesday. Participants urged the international community to intervene to stop the atrocities of Sri Lanka armed forces and paramilitaries against Tamils in the Northeast, organizers said.
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Burnt body of youth recovered in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 August 2006, 05:18 GMT]
A body of an unidentified youth, with gun shot wounds, whose face was burnt with tyres to hide his identification, was found by Jaffna Magistrate R.K.Viknarajah at Potpathy Road, Kokkuvil in Valikamam area, in front of the LTTE's former Cultural Wing office, Tuesday morning, sources in Jaffna said.


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SLA denies medical treatment to Jaffna injured civilians

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 August 2006, 03:43 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) blocked attempts by the Government Agent (GA) of Jaffna District, K.Ganesh, to transport injured civilians in Thenmaradchi and in the Islands to the hospitals, and remove the dead bodies from the area, Jaffna Secretariat sources said.
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Eastern Muslims hold peace rally

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 August 2006, 02:10 GMT]
A Peace rally organized by the Eastern Muslim Mosques' Federation (EMMF) expressing solidarity for the Muslims of Muthur and Thoppur who had been displaced in the recent fight between the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was held Wednesday morning in the Ashraff Square at Kattaiady in Kalmunai municipal area in the Amparai district, sources in Amparai said.
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Batticaloa protest march condemns Sencholai air raid

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 August 2006, 21:47 GMT]
In protest marches across Batticaloa district organized by the Federation of the Batticaloa District Civilian Organizations, in LTTE controlled Kokkaddichcholai area, hundreds of school children and district residents took part, condemning the Chencholai attack in which 61 school girls were killed in Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) Kfir bombing, Tuesday, sources in Batticaloa said.
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SLTMA condemns SLA search of Tamil daily

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 August 2006, 21:41 GMT]
Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA) in a statement issued Wednesday “condemned the cordon and search operation carried out by the Sri Lankan Armed (SLA) forces on the media office of the Tamil national daily Sudar Oli, Tuesday." The Tamil Media Alliance called upon the Minister to ensure that the "threats posed to the media freedom are stopped and to guarantee the safety and security of Tamil media persons in Sri Lanka."


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Fighting erupts in Trincomalee district

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 August 2006, 20:30 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army troopers stationed in military installations located in Trincomalee town and its suburbs have been firing artillery shells towards Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam held positions in Muthur east and Eachchilampathu divisions in support of ground troops in Maavilaru area as fresh fighting was reported in Maavilaru.
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