1 killed, 9 wounded in bomb explosion in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 September 2008, 01:23 GMT]
A civilian was killed, 4 police personnel, 3 Sri Lanka Army soldiers and two civilians were wounded in a bomb explosion near Vavuniyaa bus stand around 3:20 p.m. Sunday, Police said.
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Protests in Tamil Nadu gain momentum, Jayalalithaa extends support

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 September 2008, 00:50 GMT]
In a significant move amid the building momentum in Tamil Nadu where Tamil leaders are voicing their support to the Eezham Tamils as the Sri Lankan forces intensified their attacks on Vanni, the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the Leader of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, J. Jayalalithaa, Saturday extended her support to a fasting campaign being organised by the Communist Party of India (CPI). In a letter to D. Pandyan, the general secretary of the CPI in Tamil Nadu, Ms. Jayalalithaa said her party extended wholehearted support to the success of the campaign, which highlights the problems and urges to safeguard the lives, properties and the rights of the Tamils in Sri Lanka.
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5 bodies washed ashore in Jaffna islets indentified

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 September 2008, 12:02 GMT]
The bodies of five persons washed ashore recently along with three other corpses in Analaitheevu, Nedunththeevu and Pungkudutheevu islets of Jaffna, were identified by a relatvie Monday in the presence of Oorkaavattu'rai (Kayts) Magistrate Ms. Joy Mahadeva at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital, hospital sources said. The five persons belonging to the same family died when their boat capsized mid-sea while returning to Mannaar to escape unbearable living conditions in the Tamil Nadu refugee camp, sources in Jaffna said.
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Two Tamil females shot dead in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 September 2008, 09:38 GMT]
Unidentified armed persons, who arrived in a three-wheeler, shot two Tamil working girls dead in Vairavappu'liyangku'lam in Vavuniyaa Monday night close to their houses. The victims succumbed to their injuries on admission to the Vavuniyaa general hospital by volunteers of the Sri Lanka Red Cross, according to medical sources.
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Fuel shortage threatens provision of drinking water in Vanni

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 September 2008, 10:45 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has instructed the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) not to allow Humanitarian Convoys to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Ki'linochchi district with food items provided under the United Nations World Food Programme, as a "punishment" for the people of Ki'linochhci district for not "obeying" its instruction to leave Ki'linochhi to Vavuniyaa, according to an official attached to Vavuniyaa District Secretariat. Meanwhile, North East Secretariat on Human Rights (NESoHR) in a press statement issued on Saturday said fuel shortage has severely affected the provision of drinking water to the internally displaced civilians.
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Armed men shoot dead Tamil civilian in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 September 2008, 14:59 GMT]
Unidentified armed men shot dead a Tamil man in his house on Wednesday morning around 10:30 a.m. at Vasanthan Kudiyiruppu in A'n'naa Nakar in Vavuniyaa police division. The victim, a married man, was identified as 30-year-old Sivalingam Ronald.
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3 killed, DPU Claymore targets bus on A9

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 September 2008, 06:33 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) infiltrators Thursday morning triggered a Claymore mine targeting a passenger bus, which was on its way from Pu'liyangku'lam to Ki'linochchi on A9 Road, killing at least three civilians, including the driver of the bus on the spot, accordingo to initial reports from the Tamileelam Police. Meanwhile, medical sources reported that five civilians were rushed to hospitals after the blast.
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SLA blocks humanitarian supplies to Vanni

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 September 2008, 15:25 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Vavunkyaa turned away Wednesday fifteen lorries carrying humanitarian supplies to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Ki'linochchi district. Officials attached to the Ki'linochchi GA office said the sudden blocking by the SLA of the much needed medicine and essential supplies, which were already delayed for weeks, would affect thousands as many more civlians were being made IDPs in the district.
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Armed men abduct Tamil youth in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 September 2008, 17:34 GMT]
Armed men who were riding in a white van and motorbikes Sunday night abducted a Tamil youth, Sakthivel Muruganandam, from his residence at Poovarasangku'lam in Vavuniyaa police division, according to complaints lodged with the Vavuniyaa Police by his relatives.
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SLAF steps up air-strikes on civilian settlements in Vanni

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 September 2008, 06:26 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked civilian settlements in Vanni killing three Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and wounding five on Tuesday. One air-strike targeted IDPs who were dismantling their huts to leave from Mu'rika'ndi 155 Mile Post area that has been targeted by SLA shelling since Monday, as foreign aid workers and NGO officials were leaving the region. Six houses have been destroyed by the SLAF bombers that bombed four locations, with more than 16 bombs. Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells targeting Puthumu'rippu, Oottuppulam, Chaanthapuram and Ira'naimadu area from 7:40 p.m.
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UN expects LTTE to provide safe passage to its convoy

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 September 2008, 15:42 GMT]
The United Nations office of the Resident / Humanitarian Coordinator for Sri Lanka, in a statement issued on Monday in Colombo, said it intends to move remaining UN and humanitarian agency staff in a single convoy at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday and that it expects the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) to provide safe passage to the convoy towards Oamanthai crossing.
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India: While taking action against LTTE, steps should also be taken to protect civilians

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 September 2008, 09:30 GMT]
India's Defence Minister A K Antony was quoted by Press Trust of India (PTI) on Monday as saying: "While taking action against the LTTE, steps should also be taken to protect the civilian Tamils in Sri Lanka and ensure their safety and security." The statement by the Indian Defence Minister has come in the wake of reports that Indian military personnel were involved in providing military support to the Sri Lankan forces.
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Body of youth found in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 September 2008, 16:28 GMT]
The body of a 25 year-old youth who is alleged to have been abducted Thursday from a lodge in Vavuniyaa town was recovered Friday morning around 9:00 a.m, at Pattaanichoor along Mannaar-Vavuniyaa road by the police on receipt of information. and postmortem report.
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Three students abducted in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 September 2008, 15:09 GMT]
Unidentified armed men abducted three students in three separate incidents in various areas of Batticaloa district, according to complaints lodged at the police stations in the areas.
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IDPs urge foreign aid workers not to leave Vanni, block convoy

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 September 2008, 16:50 GMT]
Internally Displaced Persons, who gathered Friday morning in front of the UNHCR office at Karadippoakku junction in Ki'linochchi, pleaded with the remaining officials of the UN and International NGOs not to leave Ki'linochchi as their presence was critical, not only for humanitarian assistance, but also to sustain a secure zone to escape. They said they feared that in the coming days Sri Lanka military will employ Colombo’s scorched earth policy to destroy key Vanni towns using aerial and artillery bombardment. Meanwhile, a group of IDPs blocked the convoy of NGO vehicles in a peaceful protest from 6:00 a.m, forcing the NGOs to abandon their trip on Friday.
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LTTE leader pays tribute to Black Tiger commandos on Vavuniyaa mission

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 September 2008, 04:16 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Leader Velupillai Pirapaharan on Thursday paid his last respects to the ten Black Tiger commandos, who laid down their lives during the Tiger operation on the Vanni headquarters of the Sri Lankan forces (SF HQ). LTTE officials told media that the LTTE leader paid his last respects with garlanding the photographs of the Black Tigers and by lighting the flame of sacrifice at an undisclosed location in Vanni. The Tiger mission destroyed the infrastructure of the joint operations command of the Sri Lankan forces in Vanni in the early hours of Tuesday.
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Foreign aid workers start leaving Vanni

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 September 2008, 09:55 GMT]
Vehicles with foreign aid workers of OXFAM, Save the Children, World Vision, Danish Refugee Council, ZOA, International Organisation of Migration (IOM) and a group of persons belonging to UN agencies were lined up at Oamanthai exit point, according to the sources in Vanni and Vavuniyaa. Meanwhile, a UN spokesman in Colombo confirmed that they have started to pull out from Vanni, but declined to give the time-frame chosen for the total pull-out.
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Opposition challenges war progress claims

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 September 2008, 05:38 GMT]
Hours after a devastating Tamil Tiger attack on the Sri Lankan military’s headquarters in Vavuniya, the main opposition Tuesday questioned the government’s claims of progress in the war against the LTTE, press reports said Wednesday. “The Air Force base and the Police HQ of Vavuniya was attacked using heavy artillery. Radar defence system is completely destroyed. This happened in an area that government has always claimed has been liberated a long time ago, and cleared of any LTTE activity,” United National Party (UNP) parliamentarian Lakshman Seneviratne was quoted by The Bottom Line newspaper as saying.
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SLAF bombs Ki'linochchi town, 3 civilians wounded

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 September 2008, 01:46 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir bombers attacked Ki'linochchi town Wednesday around 7:00 a.m., wounding a 90-year-old man and a 11-year-old boy and causing damage to 23 houses. A 23-year-old pregnant mother was to be operated due to fetal death, caused by the bombardment and a 1-year-old child was admitted in fainted state, medical sources said. The attack has taken place at the heart of the town where NGO offices, residences, civilian facilities and other offices are located. The Sri Lankan bombers fired 16 bombs and deployed lethal air bursts, causing wide destruction. NGO office of Seva Lanka and a store of OXFAM are located 100 meters from the attack site.
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Tiger attack devastates Vanni SF HQ

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 September 2008, 07:25 GMT]
The joint attack carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Air Tigers, artillery batteries and Black Tiger commandos, has devastated the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) installations inside the Vanni Sri Lankan forces Headquarters, according to an informed military source in Vavuniyaa. According to officials figures, 11 Sri Lankan military and police personnel were killed and 33 wounded, including two Indian radar operators. Six civilians were also admitted at Vavuniyaa hospital with injuries.
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