Three SLA soldiers injured in Jaffna grenade attack

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 May 2006, 16:20 GMT]
Three Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were seriously wounded when unknown assailants threw hand grenades at the SLA foot patrol near the Post Office Junction along Jaffna-Palaly Road at 7.30 p.m., Saturday, sources from Jaffna said.
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2000 books, 40 computers lost in Student office fire - Jaffna MP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 May 2006, 12:12 GMT]
A total of six and a half million Rupees worth of books, computer equipment and property were damaged in the lastest attack on the International Students Association of Tamileelam (ISATE) building and the office of the Jaffna MP Mr. S. Kajendran, in the fifth attack of this kind on the same building, the MP wrote in a letter to the Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Major General Ulf Henricsson.


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Self-defense training to Mannar civilians

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 May 2006, 03:45 GMT]
Cadres of Liberation Tigers are providing two week-self defense training to about 270 Tamil civilians in Arippu in the LTTE controlled territory in the Mannar district, sources from Mannar said. The training which began on May 3rd is to conclude on May 18, according to sources.


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Soosai reiterates sovereign right to seas bordering Tamil Homeland

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 May 2006, 02:15 GMT]
"We have openly established our control, and have unequivocally asserted our rights to maritime waters adjoining our homeland, in the same way we recovered and control large areas of northeast. We are not prepared to relinquish sovereign rights to the seas which we have won with the sacrifice of our people," said Col.Soosai when he met the press soon after the confrontation with the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) in the seas off the northeastern cost of Jaffna Friday.
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SLA sets Students Association Jaffna building, office of Jaffna MP on fire

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 May 2006, 01:55 GMT]
The International Students Association of Tamileelam (ISATE) building which also contains the office of Tamil NationalAlliance (TNA) parliamentarian Mr Gajendran located close to Parameswara College in Jaffna Palaly Road was set on fire Friday night at 11.30 p.m., according to sources from Jaffna.
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SLMM has no mandate to rule on Tamils sovereign rights - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 May 2006, 09:09 GMT]
"We entered the peace process based on a status-quo achieved in the battlefield in our territory. Nobody has the right to pass judgement on the sovereign rights of our access to the adjacent sea and airspace of our homeland," told LTTE's Political Head S.P.Thamilchelvan after having an urgent meeting with the Head of the Scandinavian truce monitors on Friday. The ceasefire and the entire peace process between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) is a process based on parity of status and military power of balance. The SLMM statement issued on Thursday was a serious statement affecting this framework, LTTE's Political Head told media.
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Elilan alleges SL army-Jihad nexus in killing Muttur Tamil youths

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 May 2006, 06:40 GMT]
Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Friday made complaint to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Trincomalee that government troops in connivance with an armed Muslim Jihad group have been killing Tamil youths in Muttur to create rift and enmity between Tamil and Muslim community currently live in amity and harmony, sources said.
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Tamil student shot dead in Muttur town

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 May 2006, 06:33 GMT]
Seventeen-year-old student Balakumar was shot dead Friday morning around 8.45 a.m. along the Church Road in Muttur town by unidentified persons who came on pedal cycles. Another Tamil student seriously injured in the attack is now warded in the Muttur hospital. The deceased student has been studying in a school in Trincomalee town and had gone home in Muttur for weekend vacation, Police sources said.
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Colombo lacks realpolitik strategy- Furuhovde

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 May 2006, 04:32 GMT]
The present situation in Sri Lanka is mainly caused by Colombo's reluctant approach for a peace based on negotiations involving concessions. Central political players and its Military leadership still believe a military solution to the conflict is possible. This reflects a dangerous perception of reality and lacks a "Realpolitik strategic basis," required to handle Sri Lanka's war, wrote late Maj. Gen. (retd) Trond Furuhovde in a comment he wrote under the title "The troubled Sri Lanka" in Norwegian daily Adressa on January 30, a few days before Geneva-I talks. He touches on the geopolitical significance of the Sea route and the geographic location of the island Sri Lanka in his article.
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LTTE refutes SLMM's controversial statement

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 May 2006, 20:26 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Political Head, S. P. Thamilchelvan, in a letter to Major General Henricsson, the Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission Thursday said that the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission's statement issued earlier Thursday, stating that the Tigers have no rights at sea, was in contradiction to SLMM's earlier stand, as expressed in a Press Release on 25 April 2003. Sea Tigers existed prior to CFA and it contributed to the balance of power that resulted in the CFA. The LTTE statement attached three letters sent to SLMM explicitly asking the SLMM to stop boarding Sri Lankan naval vessels as the Lankan vessels have come very close to the shores of LTTE area firing at their naval bases.
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General shut down called off to observe Wesak Day in Trinco

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 May 2006, 14:41 GMT]
The three-day general shut down organized by the Pongu Tamil Forum (PTF) of Trincomalee district was called off after first day following the discussion held at the office of the Foundation of Co-Existence between the organizers and a delegation of Sinhala Buddhist representatives Thursday evening. The PTF officials agreed to a request by the Sinhala Buddhist delegation to call off the general shut down for the rest two days, Friday and Saturday to facilitate Buddhists to observe the Wesak Day and to participate in religious events to be held in Buddhist Vihares in Trincomalee town, sources said.
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LTTE has no rights at sea - SLMM

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 May 2006, 13:02 GMT]
Following the escalating violence in the sea Thursday, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) said that the "sea surrounding Sri Lanka is a Government Controlled area. Non-state actors cannot rule open sea waters or airspace. The LTTE has therefore no rights at sea." Meanwhile, the Tigers have repeatedly urged the truce monitors to stay away from the Sri Lankan Navy vessels during the past few weeks, LTTE sources in Kilinochchi said.
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Gunfire reported in Muttur east seas, tension high

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 May 2006, 11:13 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) boats entered the Liberation Tigers controlled coastal area in Muttur east Thursday around 1:30 p.m.where ten boats of LTTE's naval wing was engaged in training exercises. Despite the warnings issued by the Tigers, the naval boats with Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) officials on board, had approached the LTTE controlled area in Muttur east and reports indicate sounds of mortar and gun in the seas were heard from the seas. Tension has escalated in the coastal areas, sources from Muttur east said.
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Furuhovde's peace mission, an exemplary service - Pirapaharan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 May 2006, 10:31 GMT]
Major-General Trond Furuhovde, with passionate commitment to peace, performed his task with stunning efficiency, adhering to the noble principles of objective neutrality and social justice, said Mr. V. Pirapaharan, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in his condolence message sent to the family on Thursday. Furuhovde's exemplary service will always be appreciated with gratitude, Mr. Pirapaharan said. The Norwegian Major General passed away on Wednesday. Maj. Gen (retd) Trond Furuhovde twice undertook the most difficult task of the Head of Mission in Sri Lanka.
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Three-day general shut down begins in Trinco

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 May 2006, 09:58 GMT]
Three-day general shut down began in Trincomalee town and its suburbs Thursday in response to the call made by Pongu Tamil Forum (PTF) of Trincomalee district condemning the genocide and extra-judicial killings of Tamil civilians in the North East and the recent three-pronged air, sea and ground attack on Muttur east killing fourteen Tamil civilians including children, sources said.
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Trond Furuhovde passes away

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 May 2006, 05:40 GMT]
Retired Major-General of Norwegian army and the first chief of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Trond Furuhovde, has passed away at 67, in Norway on Wednesday. Maj. Gen. Furuhovde made an outstanding contribution to the establishment of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and gave leadership to the monitoring mission through its crucial first year of operations.
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Direct negotiations necessary to contain violence - Akashi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 May 2006, 15:21 GMT]
"It is important to have direct negotiations to de-escalate violence which have come very far", Japan's peace envoy to Sri Lanka Yasushi Akashi said Wednesday, speaking to journalists in Colombo before leaving to New Delhi. Meanwhile the Liberation Tigers have told the Japanese envoy that Colombo should cease all extra-judicial killings and stop deliberately creating obstacles to conduct a safe travel of their Eastern commanders.
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Talks on conscription meaningless while children die in military attack-LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 May 2006, 09:13 GMT]
Trincomalee District Political Secretariat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said in a statement released Tuesday from Sampoor that LTTE is not prepared to hold talks on the child recruitment issue with the so-called child welfare organizations that are not showing any interest in providing security for children from the attack by the Sri Lankan government troops, sources said.
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PS condemns air, sea, ground attack on Muttur area

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 May 2006, 09:05 GMT]
The Muttur Pradesiya Sabah (PS) in its first meeting held Monday unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the three-pronged attack by the State armed forces on Muttur villages last month, which killed fourteen civilians and wounded 47. About fifty-four civilian houses and thirty schools were damaged. About forty thousand were displaced. Schools and hospitals in the affected area are not functioning since then, sources said.
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Claymore attack in Jaffna islet, 2 SLN troopers wounded

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 May 2006, 07:59 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) troopers were seriously wounded in a Claymore attack in the Jaffna Islet of Velanai Wednesday at 9:10 a.m., Sri Lankan military sources said. SLN conducted a large scale cordon and search operation between 9.30 a.m. and 2 p.m. in Velani Vangalavadi area where the explosion took place, and have arrested an elderly civilian, according to sources.
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