9 Tamil civilians arrested in Chilaw

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 January 2008, 15:03 GMT]
Nine Tamil civilians, all residents of Vavuniya and Mannaar, were taken into custody by the Sri Lanka security forces in a cordon and search operation conducted in Chilaw police division in the northwestern province from dawn to dusk Saturday, sources in Chilaw said.
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Tamil youths arrested by Kandy Police released

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 January 2008, 11:55 GMT]
Two Tamil youths, one a resident of Nawalapitiya and other from Vavuniya, taken into custody by the Kandy Police on Thursday for allegedly taking photographs of the Kandy general hospital, were released Friday after interrogation by the Terrorist Intelligence Division of the Police, sources said.
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Fisherman abducted in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 January 2008, 09:13 GMT]
A 45-year-old fisherman from Eechchantheevu was abducted 200 meters away from Vavu'natheevu police station Saturday around 6:00 a.m., Police said.
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17 dead bodies located in Kebitigollewa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 January 2008, 12:49 GMT]
Sri Lankan Police has located 17 dead bodies in Kiriketuwewa GS area of Kebitigollewa division in Anuradhapura district Thursday evening, initial reports said. The victims, all civilians, with gunshot injuries had their hands tied behind their back, according to the Police. The bodies were located in two graves, 10 in one and 7 in the other, Police said. The bodies are still lying at the crime scene.
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ICRC hands over 9 bodies to LTTE in Oamanthai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 January 2008, 08:59 GMT]
International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) officials in Vavuniyaa handed over nine dead bodies to Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Oamanthai in LTTE controlled area Wednesday around 9:00 a.m, sources in Vavuniyaa said. The Sri Lanka Army had handed over the 9 bodies to Vavuniyaa hospital Tuesday.
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Accidental gun fire kills Policeman in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 January 2008, 14:44 GMT]
A police constable on duty in Ma'ndapaththadi, Vavu'natheevu in Batticaloa district died Saturday arond 6:00 p.m. when the gun belonging to a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) colleague on duty accidentally went off, police said.
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Alarming increase in Mannaar abductions

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 January 2008, 16:45 GMT]
In the past three weeks, Mannaar has witnessed the abduction of five Tamil civilians, including a leading businessman and a young mother, in broad daylight. In at least two of the cases, the victims had received mysterious phone calls asking them to come to an appointed place at a particular time. Distraught families have been running from pillar to post to trace their missing relatives, but a hostile police force has ensured that they remain groping in the dark.
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Tamil woman shot dead in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 January 2008, 04:02 GMT]
Unidentified armed men shot to death a middle aged woman Thursday night in Vaarikkuddiyoor area in Vavuniya, sources said. The victim’s body was recovered by Vavuniyaa police Thursday night and handed over to the Vavuniyaa teaching hospital Friday morning.
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Claymore attack kills 3 in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 January 2008, 07:51 GMT]
A military police and two home guards were killed and three persons, a soldier, a home guard and a civilian, were wounded when a Claymore attack targeted a vehicle carrying explosives to a stone quarry, at Kachchaikkodi near Pirappamadu southeast of Vavuniyaa town, Monday around 10:00 a.m., Police said.
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White van abductions escalate in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 January 2008, 17:33 GMT]
Threatened by increasing number of abductions in the area, members of 40 families residing in a refugee camp located in Thaalikulam, Vavuniyaa handed over a written appeal Saturday to the officials of Vavuniyaa Human Rights Commission (HRC) requesting them to take immediate action to provide protection and relocate them to a safer location, civil society sources in Vavuniya said.
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Gunfire ambush kills SLA soldier, wounds troops

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 January 2008, 10:10 GMT]
A group of gunmen armed with assault rifles ambushed a group of Sri Lanka Army soldiers on foot patrol near Aa'ndiyaa Pu'liyangku'lam area 28 km southwest of Vavuniyaa town Saturday around 7:00 a.m., Police said.
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SLA, LTTE clash in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 January 2008, 08:16 GMT]
Heavy clashes erupted in Mannaar between the Sri Lanka Army and the Liberation Tigers on two fronts when the SLA launched ground movement towards Uyilangku'lam in Mannaar Town DS division at 6:00 a.m. and towards Paalamoaddai in Vavuniyaa - Mannaar border, around 8:00 a.m. Friday. Mannaar Operations Command of the Tigers told media in Vanni that the SLA units was pushed back to their old positions after counter attacks that were carried out amid heavy artillery fire. The SLA sustained heavy casualties in Uyilangku'lam, the Tigers said. Meanwhile the SLA handed over 3 dead bodies of females to Murungkan Police claiming that the bodies belonged to LTTE fighters.
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Col. Charles laid to rest in Ki'linochchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 January 2008, 01:29 GMT]
The remains of Col. Charles, Head of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Military Intelligence, killed Saturday evening in a random Claymore attack by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit in Pa'l'lamadu in Mannar, was laid to rest with full military honours in Kanakapuram Heroes Cemetery Monday.
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Kārai-tīvu/ Kārainakar, Marukkāraṅ-kuḷam, Ceṅ-kārai, Kara-gaha-vala

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 January 2008, 00:06 GMT]
The island of Kārai shrubs

The tank or pond of Marukkārai shrubs/ trees

The (place of) Ceṅkārai shrubs

The jungle or thicket of Kara shrubs
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SLA advance in Vavuniyaa defeated, 3 SLA killed - LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 January 2008, 14:02 GMT]
A ground operation launched by the Sri Lanka Army in Paalamoaddai in Vavuniyaa - Mannaar border area was defeated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam in a clash in which three SLA soldiers were killed and seven wounded. The Tigers have seized military hardware in the clearing operation after the clash. The clash lasted for 40-minutes, LTTE's operations command in Vavuniyaa told media in Ki'linochchi Thursday.
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2007: The year in review

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 January 2008, 07:34 GMT]
For the people of the NorthEast, 2007 was a grim year. Sri Lanka’s security forces and allied paramilitaries intensified their campaign of abductions (‘white van’ abductions), torture, and murder of Tamil civilians. Tamil civil society leaders bore the brunt of the counter-insurgency campaign. Jaffna remained an open prison with shortage of essential items, east falling under the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) control with thousands displaced as Colombo concocts colonization schemes to make east a Sinhala majority province.
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Hartal for Maheswaran in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 January 2008, 05:58 GMT]
Vavuniyaa observed a day of mouring and a general shut down Thursday in protest against the killing of T. Maheswaran, the Tamil parilamentarian of the United National Party (UNP) in Jaffna on New Year day allegedly by Sri Lankan military intelligence backed paramilitary armed men.
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2 SLA killed, 4 wounded in Ma'nalaa'ru pressure mine attack

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 January 2008, 05:07 GMT]
At least two Sri Lanka Army were killed in a pressure mine ambush that targeted an SLA truck on Yakawewa Padaviyaa Road, at Sinhayaulpatha in Ma'nalaa'ru (Weli Oya) region, bordering Kebithigollewa of Vavuniyaa district, Thursday morning around 9:30 a.m., Sri Lankan military officials told media. Four wounded soldiers were rushed to hospitals.
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Colombo to annul CFA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 January 2008, 15:28 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces as well as the Minister of Defence, Mahinda Rajapaksa, has decided to annul the February 2002 Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) with the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE). Sri Lankan Government spokesman Keheliya Rambukwela, has confirmed that a cabinet decision to withdraw from the CFA has been taken on Wednesday. But, he did not provide a date for the GoSL withdrawal. The February 2002 agreement, in its paragraph 4.4, specifies that the agreement shall remain in force until notice of termination is given by either Party to the Royal Norwegian Government.
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3 EPDP paramilitaries, girl killed in Claymore ambush

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 December 2007, 09:36 GMT]
A Claymore attached to a bicycle, parked by a woman in Kuruma'nkaadu in Vavuniyaa exploded targeting an EPDP paramilitary vehicle at 1:45 p.m. Thursday, killing three paramilitary men and a girl. The ambush has taken place 200 meters from the paramilitary camp, Police said.
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