Jaffna refugees cross the bar

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 April 2000, 12:22 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army (SLA) allowed 1643 civilians to leave Kilali in Jaffna where they were blocked from proceeding to safer parts of the peninsula by the security forces since Sunday, April 2, amidst protests by human rights organisations and Tamil politicians. The released refugees began leaving the Kilali military encampment in the off monsoon shower from about 11 a.m. this morning.
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Bill defeat - UNP wants Govt. out

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 April 2000, 14:10 GMT]
Sri Lanka's main opposition, the United National Party, boycotted Parliament this afternoon to protest against the government's refusal to step down over the defeat of a bill to dissolve the Paddy Marketing Board, a money losing public enterprise. According to the UNP, the Sri Lankan President who is also the Minister for Finance had stated in her budget speech on February 14 that the Paddy Marketing Board would be dissolved by her government. Therefore the defeat of the bill to scrap the PMB is in effect the defeat of the Statement of Government Policy argued the UNP.
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Civilians being used as human shield -LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 April 2000, 08:49 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said in a press release today that the Sri Lanka Army was holding thousands of civilians as human shields in the northern battle zones. The LTTE said that the ICRC and the UNHCR delegations in Jaffna were failing in their duty protect civilians.
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Release refugee says Tamil group

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 April 2000, 04:25 GMT]
A Tamil group in Colombo called on the international community today to persuade the Sri Lankan government to let the refugees held up at Kilali in Jaffna by the Sri Lanka army proceed to safer areas in other parts of the northern peninsula.
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'Let us go' say Jaffna refugees

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 April 2000, 20:55 GMT]
"Do you intend to give us 2000 rupees to buy our coffins?" "Are you going to let us be used as human shields?" asked angry refugees from the war zones in the southern sector of Jaffna when senior government officials went to distribute dry rations among them this morning. More than three thousand civilians who fled the war have been blocked at Kilali by the Sri Lanka Army since Sunday. The irate refugees were reacting to reports in the media that the government had promised to give 2000 rupees (28 USD) as relief to each family displaced from the war zone near Jaffna's gateway garrison following representations made by Tamil Parliamentarians about their plight yesterday.
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(Photos) 10,000 Tamils demonstate at UN

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 April 2000, 18:07 GMT]
Thousands of Tamils marched to the United Nation in Geneva Monday and held a rally to protest human rights violations by the Sri Lankan government and calling for the island's conflict to be de-escalated. The organisers, the International Federation of Tamils, said over 10,000 people attended the event, which was addressed by several speakers, including Y.Gopalaswamy, leader of Tamil Nadu's MDMK party.
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SLA armoured thrust repulsed - LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 April 2000, 15:38 GMT]
Over one hundred Sri Lankan soldiers were killed and more than three hundred injured in the fierce fighting that erupted at Muhamalai yesterday the Liberation Tigers said in a press release issued from its London offices. The Tigers said they have destroyed 2 Tanks and damaged five others.
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SLA goes for Muhamaalai again

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 April 2000, 13:36 GMT]
Fierce fighting erupted again on the Main Supply Route to Jaffna's gateway garrison today when the Sri Lanka Army made another attempt from this morning to capture the segment of the A9 highway held by the Liberation Tigers.
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Tamil journalist's home attacked

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 April 2000, 05:42 GMT]
A grenade was lobbed at the house of senior Tamil journalist 'Nellai' G. Nadesan in the early hours of the morning today around 1 a.m. in the high security zone of Batticaloa town. Mr.Nadesan is a senior correspondent in the eastern town for several electronic media and political columnist for the Sunday edition of the Tamil daily, Virakesari . His home is in the high security zone of the Sri Lanka army's 233 brigade headquarters and is in the vicinity of the well defended camps of four Tamil para-military groups and the military intelligence in the heart of Batticaloa town.
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War zone refugees arrive

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 April 2000, 13:32 GMT]
More than five thousand Tamils in the Pallai and Pachchilaipalli areas in Jaffna arrived at Kilali late this morning, Catholic church sources in the north said. Most of the civilians were blocked at Kilali by the Sri Lanka army. Only about 200 families were allowed until noon to proceed beyond Kilali to Mirusuvil. The Catholic church is the only organisation assisting the people arriving from the war zone, according to the Tamilnet correspondent who was at Kilali and Mirusuvil today.
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Tigers, SLA brace for more

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 March 2000, 17:34 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers consolidated areas they captured on the peninsula's southeastern coast this week and the Sri Lankan army re-deployed troops from Maathagal and Varani to strengthen its defences in Thenmaradchi against the Unceasing Waves III offensive. The SLA, meanwhile, banned fishing again in the seas off the Vadamaradchi coast.
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Leave temple sacred - TULF request

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 March 2000, 20:13 GMT]
Tamil United Liberation Front General Secretary R. Sampanthan has requested President Chandrika Kumaratunge to preserve the Thiruketheeswaram temple and its environs as a neutral peace Zone.
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Tigers pound Chavakachceri SLA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 March 2000, 12:39 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers bombarded the Sri Lanka army's 52-3 brigade in Thambuthottam near Chavakachcheri in Jaffna from this morning as hundreds of civilians continued to flee the battle zones in the Thenmaradchi division and the peninsula's southeastern coast. The SLA, meanwhile, vacated another camp at Karukkai on the Pt.Pedro Kodikamam road today.
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Heavy casualties in Thalaiyadi battle

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 March 2000, 11:06 GMT]
Over 100 Sri Lankan Army (SLA) troops and 25 Liberation Tigers were killed when the LTTE overran the Thalaiyadi-Marunthankerni-Chempianpattu base complex Wednesday, the organisation said in a press release from its London offices. The Tigers said heavy fighting was continuing in the Pallai area where the Main Supply Route to the SLA bases at Elephant Pass and Yakachchi from the Palali base complex had been de-linked.
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MSR remains breached

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 March 2000, 09:48 GMT]
The Main Supply Route (MSR) on the A9 highway (Kandy Road) to the Sri Lanka army (SLA) base complexes in Elephant Pass and Iyakkachchi remains cut off between Eluthumaddvaal and Pallai sources in Jaffna said. The Uthayan, the Tamil daily published in Jaffna, quoting Sri Lankan military sources, said that the army is continuing its attempt to bridge the gap in the MSR, breached and held by the Liberation Tigers from early Monday.
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Tigers beef up strength on coast

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 March 2000, 18:20 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers who are currently based in Maamunai on Jaffna's southeastern coast said the large number of their special units that have been transported by sea from the Vanni will continue to mount the attack on the Thalaiyadi base and its forward positions in Vaththirayan.
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Tamil Nadu fisherman dies in custody

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 March 2000, 12:42 GMT]
A Tamil Nadu fisherman arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy (SLN) last month near Kachchathivu died in custody today. Ms. Maheswary Velayutham, a human rights lawyer who went to see his body at the government hospital in Colombo today charged that he died due to neglect of the injuries sustained when SLN personnel assaulted him during arrest in the high seas.
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Fighting displaces three thousand

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 March 2000, 05:40 GMT]
About three thousand civilians from the villages on Jaffna's southeastern coast displaced by the fighting have sought refuge at the Sembiyanpattu Government Tamil Mixed School sources said. Hospital sources in Pt.Pedro said twenty civilians wounded in the shelling and cross fire since Sunday night were brought in from the war zone for treatment.
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Panicked soldiers shoot couple

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 March 2000, 18:05 GMT]
A couple who were returning home from the Jaffna hospital with their new born child in an auto rickshaw were killed when the vehicle was hit by SLA fire at Iththaavil, 3 k.m north of Pallai around 2.30 p.m. today. The driver of the auto rickshaw was also killed on the spot.
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Unceasing Waves III resumes - LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 March 2000, 10:18 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army suffered heavy casualties when the Liberation Tigers launched a "massive" sea and land assault in the Jaffna peninsula last night, the LTTE said in a press release from its London offices today. LTTE forces had overrun the SLA artillery base at Pallai destroying eleven artillery pieces and cutting the A9 supply route to the SLA bases at Elephant Pass and Yakachchi, the press release said. The SLA base at Yakachchi had been penetrated and fierce fighting was raging, it added.
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