Tigers assault garrisons on Jaffna coast

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 March 2000, 04:14 GMT]
Heavy fighting erupted on Jaffna's southeastern coast last night when the Liberation Tigers launched simultaneous attacks on the Sri Lankan army's garrisons at Thalaiyadi and Maamunai. Civilians wounded in the cross fire who were brought from the area to the Manthikai hospital this morning said that the Liberation Tigers have moved into the two coastal villages.
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Ex-PLOTE cadre shot dead

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 March 2000, 19:32 GMT]
A former member of People's Liberation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), Nadarasa Velan or Lavan (19) was shot and killed yesterday night by gunmen alleged to be from the Liberation Tigers, in Kommathurai, Batticaloa, sources said.
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SLA arrests malaria patient

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 March 2000, 13:41 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) arrested a malaria patient in front of the Mutur hospital, south of Trincomalee today. The patient, a youth from a village in that part of the district held by the Liberation Tigers, had come to Mutur with his wife and child for treatment, said sources.
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Thousands march for peace in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 March 2000, 12:22 GMT]
More than six thousand people took part in a peace march and rally in Jaffna town today. The March began around 9.30 a.m. this morning from the outer precincts of the Nallur Kandaswamy Temple and wound its way through the town, reaching the Duraiappa Stadium by noon. The peace march and public rally were organised by the People's Council for Peace and Goodwill (PCPG).
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SLA arrests seven in east

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 March 2000, 19:05 GMT]
Seven Tamil villagers were arrested by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) this morning near the district border between Ampara and Batticaloa. Eight persons including an eight year-old boy were travelling in a tractor from 13th milepost towards Malayarkadu in Ampara district for work. The SLA arrested the seven adults near Malayarakadu. The eight-year old boy was abandoned alone at the spot.
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Three youths arrested

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 March 2000, 16:35 GMT]
Three youths were arrested during a combined search operation by the Sri Lanka Army and police in the Mutur Town area in the Trincomalee District yesterday residents said.
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Repressive conditions preclude peace talks - Balasingham

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 March 2000, 15:16 GMT]
The removal of "the complex set of repressive conditions" imposed by successive Sri Lankan governments on the Tamils was necessary to create a "conducive climate for peace and mutual trust" ahead of negotiations to settle the island's conflict, the Liberation Tigers' theoretician and political advisor, Anton Balasingham told the Tamil Guardian newspaper this week.
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Protest in Batticaloa against SLAF order

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 March 2000, 12:48 GMT]
More than a thousand people picketed in front of Manmunai North Divisional Secretariat this morning around 8.30 protesting against Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) acquiring their temple, school and cemetery along with a substantial portion land adjoining its base in Batticaloa.
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TULF meets President

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 March 2000, 20:24 GMT]
A six member delegation of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) held discussions with the Sri Lankan President after waiting more than five hours to meet her. The TULF delegation had urged President Chandrika Kumaratunga to resettle people in Waligamam north in Jaffna, restore Thirukketheeswaram, the temple of Shiva in Mannar, allow a Norwegian aid program in Batticaloa and to upgrade the Kalmunai Divisional Secretariat.
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SLAF orders school and temple to leave

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 March 2000, 20:09 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) ordered that a school and a temple in Batticaloa be closed immediately as they are within the land allocated for the future expansion of its base near the eastern town.
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Troops by schools: officer ventures rationale

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 March 2000, 18:41 GMT]
The officer in charge of the Sri Lankan army (SLA) camp at Kinnaiyadi, 33 kilometers north of Batticaloa, told residents of the village who were summoned by him this morning for a meeting that his troops were stationed by the local school in the interests of the students. Sources in Kinnaiyadi said that the officer appeared to be reacting to the strong objection raised by the Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union about the large number of SLA camps that are located by schools in Tamil villages when it met the Governor of the Northeastern Province Major Gen.(retd) Asoka Jayawardana on March 10.
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Tigers, SLA exchange artillery fire

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 March 2000, 08:56 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lanka Army exchanged artillery and mortar fire in Kaddaiparichchan, one km. south of Mutur in the Trincomalee District this morning. One of the shells fired by the Tigers hit the kitchen of the SLA camp setting it on fire, residents said.
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Youth missing since Salli rampage

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 March 2000, 23:28 GMT]
A Tamil youth, Vairamuthu Jayakili, who was arrested by Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) personnel on 25 February has been reported missing since February 24. He was arrested at Pigeon island at Salli village in Trincomalee district.
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SLA imposes curfew in Valaichenai

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 March 2000, 16:59 GMT]
The Sri Lankan army in Valaichenai told residents in the town today to stay indoors after 7 p.m. in the evenings. The announcement was made over the public address system at the Valaichenai Pillaiyar temple this morning and noon sources said.
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Amunugama takes northern rehabilitation

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 March 2000, 14:23 GMT]
Mr.Sarath Amunugama, the member of Parliament who crossed over from the United National Party last year with four of his powerful colleagues in the opposition to the People's Alliance (PA) late last year was appointed Minister for Rehabilitation and Reconstruction for the North by the Sri Lankan President today.
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PA-UNP agreement draws criticism

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 March 2000, 11:37 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government and the main opposition party discussed and agreed upon some modifications to the procedures for appointing governors to regions as spelt out in the draft constitutional proposals of the ruling People's Alliance (PA) of 1997 today during their third round of talks on working out a consensus to solve the ethnic conflict. Reacting to the PA-UNP communique this afternoon, Tamil parties in Colombo said that "this is an agreement to further water down the basis for devolving power to the proposed Regional bodies envisaged in the 97' proposals".
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UNP protest petroleum hike

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 March 2000, 18:22 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) organised a protest march and a rally in Colombo today, protesting against price hikes in petroleum products and increased coast of living.
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Electoral reforms stir apprehensions

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 March 2000, 12:46 GMT]
Leftist coalition partners of Sri Lanka's ruling People's Alliance and minority parties in the country's Parliament said today that they will not fully support the reforms to the island's electoral system which the government of Chandrika Kumaratunga plans to introduce in May this year. Leftists are apprehensive that their representation in the national legislature will virtually be wiped out by the proposed changes.
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Tamils protest in eastern town

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 March 2000, 06:24 GMT]
More than a thousand Tamils began a one day token fast in Kalmunai, forty kilometers south of Batticaloa, this morning around 8.30 a.m. to protest against what one of the organisers described as "ethnically prejudiced denial of a fully fledged Divisional Secretariat to the Tamils" in the Ampara district.
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NEMC for North east merger

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 March 2000, 12:53 GMT]
The newly formed political party called North East Muslim Congress (NEMC) has announced that they support a merged province where Tamil and Muslim communities enjoy equal rights and privileges under one autonomous council.
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