Pandemonium at Colombo peace rally

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 August 2006, 12:18 GMT]
There was pandemonium in the peace rally organized by the National Anti-War Front (NAWF) held Thursday evening at Viharamahadevi Park when a group of members of the Sinhala extreme National Bhikku Front (NBF) arrived at the site carrying a banner asking the organizers of the NAWF to proceed to Killinochchi to preach peace.
Full story >>

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.
Full story >>

Sri Lankan Kfir jets bomb Vanni

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 August 2006, 07:26 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force Kfir jets Wednesday bombed LTTE controlled Vadamaradchi East . A civilian was wounded when the bombers hit Thattuvankotti, located on A9 road, between Elephant Pass and Paranthan, 6.5 km north of Kilinochchi. The attack took place around 1:00 p.m.
Full story >>

UNICEF: "Bombing of innocent girls, shocking result of violence"

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 August 2006, 11:12 GMT]
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Tuesday said that the bombing on Monday of a Vallipunam Sencholai compound in Mullaithivu district that reportedly killed dozens of girls and wounded many more is a "shocking result of the rising violence," in Sri Lanka and called on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and ensure children and the places where they live, study and play are protected from harm. "These children are innocent victims of violence," said Ann M. Veneman, UNICEF Executive Director.
Full story >>

Day of mourning for teenagers killed in airstrike

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 August 2006, 09:50 GMT]
Tamils in the Vanni Tuesday mourned the 61 teenage schoolgirls killed in Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombing Monday. Urging the international community to condemn the attack, the Tamileelam Students Association (TSA) said “there are no words strong enough to condemn the Sri Lankan government’s pre-meditated massacre of innocent school girls in a peaceful learning environment”
Full story >>

Killed students, participants of leadership workshop - Ilankumaran

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 August 2006, 22:33 GMT]
The Director of Tamileelam Educational Board, V. Ilankumaran, in an interview to TamilNet Monday said that the schoolgirls killed and injured in Monday's Kfir attack were participants in a 10-day residential "Leadership, Self-Awareness and First Aid workshop." More than 400 G.C.E. A/L students from 18 different schools in Kilinochchi, Mullaithivu, and Oddusuddan Educational Zones, and selected girls from other educational organisations took part in the annual programme, Mr. Ilankumaran said. According to the timetable of the course, 7:00 a.m. on Monday, the time the air-strike took place, was the time of morning-assembly.
Full story >>

61 schoolgirls killed, 129 wounded in airstrike

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 August 2006, 04:15 GMT]
At least 61 schoolgirls were killed and 129 were wounded when Sri Lankan Kfir jets bombed a children's home compound in Mullaithivu district Monday morning where schoolgirls were attending a residential course on first aid, LTTE officials at the Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi said. Ambulances were rushing the wounded, many of whom are bleeding badly, to hospitals, sources said. Officials of the LTTE, briefing reporters in Kilinochchi, described the attack as “a horrible act of terror” by the Sri Lankan armed forces. UN’s child agency, UNICEF, and international truce monitors have visited the scene of the carnage.
Full story >>

Tigers repulse SLA counter-thrust

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 August 2006, 16:41 GMT]
A counter-thrust by the Sri Lanka Army’s (SLA) elite 53 division to recapture areas in Jaffna lost to the Liberation Tigers in the past two days was destroyed by LTTE forces using artillery and close quarter fighting, sources in Kilinochchi said. In Colombo, ambulances have been shuttling between Ratmalana and hospitals in the capital since early hours Sunday carrying military wounded, sources said.


Full story >>

37 killed, 93 wounded in Jaffna fighting

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 August 2006, 12:46 GMT]
25 Sri Lankan troopers, including 3 officers, were killed and 70 wounded during the past 24 hours in fighting in the Jaffna peninsula, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Brigadier Ajith Jayawardene, the acting defence spokesman who briefed media in Colombo Saturday. Meanwhile LTTE sources in Kilinochchi said 12 LTTE cadres were killed and 23 were wounded in the clashes.
Full story >>

Muhamalai, Pallai residents flee to Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 August 2006, 02:25 GMT]
Residents of Muhamalai, Pallai through Iyakachchi on A9 highway are fleeing for safety towards Kilinochchi. Two elderly refugees, Mrs. Thavamanithevi Mahalingam, 56, mother of 5 children, and Seran Selliah, 85, who trekked, found transport to Kilinochchi under severe duress, detailed their ordeal to TamilNet reporter. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shells were targeted to hit A9, fleeing civilians said.
Full story >>

Tiger aircraft rockets Palaly base, curfew in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 August 2006, 15:53 GMT]
At least one unidentified aircraft flew over the Sri Lankan military base at Palaly firing rockets at around 9.30 p.m. Friday, sources in Jaffna town said. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery fire being directed from the base stopped after the attack, the sources said. Meanwhile a curfew has been clamped on Jaffna town. The LTTE has vowed to repel the SLA offensive on the Elephant Pass area.
Full story >>

Four wounded in SLA shelling

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 August 2006, 15:03 GMT]
District Medical Officer (DMO) in Kilinochchi has called ambulance personnel to report to work at Kilinochchi hospital after Sri Lanka Army opened up with heavy artillery bombardment against LTTE controlled Palai and Elephant Pass areas, Friday evening. Hospital sources in Kilinochchi said two children who were injured in the SLA shelling in Pallai were brought to the hospital Friday evening. A father and his son, from Sembiyanpatru in Vadamaradchi East were rushed to Kilinochchi hospital Friday night.
Full story >>

Civilians flee SLA offensive in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 August 2006, 12:10 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Army (SLA) launched heavy artillery bombardment against LTTE-held Elephant Pass area Friday and at 5.40 p.m. troops began moving towards LTTE frontlines at Muhamalai. The Tigers said they are rushing reinforcements to their northern Vanni defences to confront the SLA advance. Civilians have begun fleeing the southern Jaffna area and the town of Pallai is emptying amid hundreds of SLA shells. Meanwhile LTTE artillery counterfire is hitting SLA positions in Nagerkoil, Jaffna sources said.
Full story >>

SLAF bombs Tharavai in Batticaloa, UAV spotted over Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 August 2006, 09:27 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) jets fighters, Friday around 1:00 p.m. bombed residential Tharavai, Miankulam and Iralakulam areas in Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled Batticaloa. SLAF Kfir bombers dropped at least 16 bombs in four bombing sorties destroying homes and setting fire to the surrounding scrub jungles. Meanwhile, a UAV reconnaissance aircraft was spotted over Kilinochchi at 2:20 p.m.


Full story >>

50 civilians killed, 200 wounded, renewed SLA offensive

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 August 2006, 04:59 GMT]
Atleast 50 civilians were killed and more than 200 were injured in Sri Lankan forces aerial bombardment and artillery attacks, Thursday morning, in Kathiraveli and surrounding villages as thousands of civilians were still fleeing the areas. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched a fresh offensive, involving thousands of troopers, from Kallaru SLA camp towards Maavilaru sluice-gate while launching indiscriminate aerial and artillery attacks on Eachilampathu and it's suburbs. Liberation Tigers Military Spokesman Irasaiah Ilanthirayan, speaking from Kilinochchi said: "We can only interpret this as Colombo's declaration of war."
Full story >>

GoSL paying "scant regard" to Norway's peace efforts - LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 August 2006, 06:39 GMT]
"It is the plea of the Tamil people to the international community that it understands the stark truth behind these actions of the GoSL," the Peace Secretariat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said Monday as Norwegian Special Envoy Jon-Hanssen Bauer was scheduled to visit Trincomalee to meet Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission Major General Ulf Henricsson in his final efforts to avert the outbreak of war. The Tigers on Sunday said they considered Sri Lankan forces continued attacks towards the LTTE controlled territory as Declaration of War by Colombo.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka’s shelling ‘declaration of war’ - LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 August 2006, 17:26 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said Sunday that the Sri Lankan government’s artillery bombardment of LTTE-controlled territory as amounting to “declaration of war.” The LTTE has not said if it is going to retaliate. Norwegian Special Envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer is undertaking hectic diplomatic efforts from Kilinochchi where he had been meeting LTTE officials.
Full story >>

Norway, Iceland to continue Monitoring Mission - Bauer

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 August 2006, 12:08 GMT]
"Norway and Iceland are prepared to continue to secure the existence of SLMM after the 1st of September," said Norwegian Special Envoy Jon-Hanssen Bauer, addressing media in Kilinochchi, after meeting the Liberation Tigers Political Head S. P. Thamilchelvan Sunday. Mr. Jon-Hanssen Bauer expressed appreciation to the Liberation Tigers for accepting Norwegian call for re-opening the sluice gate tp de-escalate hostilities. "We hope that the violence will be stopped as soon as absolutely possible. It is paramount now to restore the situation and to try to get out of this violence and escalation of the situation," he told reporters in Kilinochchi after his meeting with the LTTE political head.
Full story >>

Facilitators to ensure GoSL reciprocate - LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 August 2006, 10:56 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Peace Secretariat, in a press release issued after the meeting with the Norwegian facilitators, said that the LTTE wished to reinforce its commitment to the CFA and the peace process while at the same time expecting the GoSL to fulfill its CFA obligations relating to military occupation of a people denying them access to their habitats, farm lands and fishing. "The Special Peace Envoy and the Norwegian Ambassador have fully comprehended the situation from the perspective of the Mavilaru villagers and assured that they would proceed with the arrangement of a committee to look into the grievances of the Mavilaru villagers," the press release said.
Full story >>

Facilitator to ensure humanitarian action, sluice gates to be opened

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 August 2006, 06:15 GMT]
Norwegian Special Envoy Jon-Hanssen Bauer has assured the LTTE leadership that the facilitators would act, within three weeks, to ensure equitable humanitarian assistance as the Tiger leadership told the facilitator that the LTTE would convince the Maavilaru Tamils to re-open the closed sluice gates. The Tigers also said that the Sri Lanka's direct military actions such as air-strikes, artillery attacks and "socalled limited operations" would be regarded as Declaration of War.
Full story >>