News in Brief:

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 November 1998, 20:23 GMT]
Sri Lanka is to observe a two minute silence in respect of dead troops, Government allocates 700,000 RS for filming documentary about S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike and TELO holds annual national convention today and tomorrow.
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Emergency Regulations further extended

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 November 1998, 12:59 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Parliament yesterday extended the Emergency Regulations for one further month. One hundred and seven parliamentarians voted for the motion on extension of the emergency regulations while 80 voted against it.
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Tamil politicians meet President

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 November 1998, 12:54 GMT]
Douglas Devananda, leader of the EPDP, T.Sidharthan, leader of the PLOTE and S.Premachandran of EPRLF met the Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunge yesterday, at Temple Trees, the official residence of the president.
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Kumarapuram case goes to high court

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 November 1998, 20:48 GMT]
The Muttur Magistrate R.M.Jayawardene on Wednesday (04.11.98) committed the Kumarapuram murder case for high court trail. In this case eight soldiers of Sri Lankan army have been charged with the murder of 24 Tamil civilians and attempted murder of 26 Tamil civilians on 11.02.1996 at Kumarapuram of remote village in Muttur division about 20 miles, south of Trincomalee town.
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Jaffna lagoon 'no go' area

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 November 1998, 15:57 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) announced today that the Jaffna Lagoon would become a 'no-go' zone said sources in Jaffna. The ban will come into effect from 5 a.m. tomorrow, November 5, they said. Jaffna fishermen would be severely affected they said.
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Tiger helicopter flying in the East?

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 November 1998, 13:00 GMT]
Panic spread in Special Task Force (STF) camps in the Batticaloa and Ampara districts today upon the receipt of reports that the Liberation Tigers have flown a helicopter to the areas in the hinterland held by them.
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Prayers for soldiers planned

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 November 1998, 23:32 GMT]
The Presidential secretariat in Colombo said today that special prayers will be offered in Buddhist and Hindu temples and churches tomorrow at 7 p.m. simultaneously in the evening to invoke blessings upon soldiers of the Sri Lankan army who are fighting the Liberation Tigers in the north and east of the island.
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Victory, not Hindu celebrations say posters

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 November 1998, 15:46 GMT]
Posters appeared in the campus of Morattuwa University, south of Colombo, on Saturday, October 31, alleging that the "Saraswathy Pooja" celebration (a Hindu religious festival) held in the University at the beginning of this month had been organised to mark the capture of Kilinochchi by the Liberation Tigers.
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Indian official visits east

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 November 1998, 11:47 GMT]
"The ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka cannot be resolved without talking to the Liberation Tigers; they are the key players and main actors in the Tamil issue" said Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham MP of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) during discussions with Mr. C.V Thripathi, the first senior Indian official to visit the war torn Batticaloa district in ten years, this morning. Mr.Thripathi is India's new Deputy High Commissioner in Sri Lanka.
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President solicits Tamil MP's Support

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 October 1998, 19:45 GMT]
The Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumarathunge will meet leaders of Tamil political parties on November 6 prior to debate on government's budget proposal for the next year, said political sources in Colombo.
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Captured Dvora sinks - radio

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 October 1998, 14:35 GMT]
The Sea Tigers captured a Dvora Fast Attack Craft (FAC) and removed all its heavy weapons in the sea battle off Mullaithivu coast said 'Tamil Eelam Vaanoli' (radio), the commercial broadcast of the Voice of Tigers (VoT) in its news bulletin at 6.30 this evening.
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Amnesty seeks safety guarantees

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 October 1998, 00:08 GMT]
Amnesty International, the London based human rights organisation said today that the Sri Lankan government "must guarantee" the safety of forensic experts to enable international observers to participate in the exhumations of the alleged mass graves at Chemmani.
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Government accused of prolonging war

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 October 1998, 20:41 GMT]
The PA government is using the shortfall of 16 MPs as a pretext to carry on with the war without settling the ethnic conflict said Mr.Ronnie de Mel MP. The powerful ex minister of finance during the previous UNP government, was speaking this morning at the press conference held in the Opposition Leader's official residence on the continuing protest fast of unemployed university graduates who are demanding that the government should provide them with jobs.
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U.S Bishop's concern over atrocities

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 October 1998, 03:58 GMT]
Bishop Felton Edwin May of the United Methodist Church of the Washington Episcopal Area has expressed his concern to the U.S State Department over the alleged mass graves of up to 400 civilians in Chemmani, Jaffna, and other human rights violations by Sri Lankan forces, said sources close to the Church today.
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Four Batticaloa youths abducted

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 October 1998, 22:37 GMT]
Four Tamil youths were abducted by a group of unidentified armed men in Kalmunai, 37 km south of Batticaloa, yesterday around 4.00 a.m, said human rights sources there.
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Tamil journalist released on bail

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 October 1998, 12:21 GMT]
S.Sree Gajan, the Tamil journalist who was arrested on July 6 by the Terrorism Investigation Department (TID), a special unit established in May this year by the Sri Lankan government, was released on bail today by the Colombo magistrate. The journalist's lawyer Joseph Charles, instructed by Ms.Gowri Shankar, appeared for him.
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Business leaders court UNP

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 October 1998, 20:06 GMT]
The ICRC declined an informal request by the leaders of the Sri Lankan business community to take relief supplies donated by them to the people living in areas of the Vanni region which are under the control of the Liberation Tigers. Meanwhile a delegation of Sri Lanka's top businessmen met the UNP leader Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo this evening.
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Widows driven into prostitution

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 October 1998, 14:36 GMT]
A guest house in Orr's Hill, a suburb of Trincomalee town, was surrounded last night by angry locals who called the Police to raid the premises, said sources. The residents alleged that the guest house was operating as a brothel at night, they said.
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Tigers overrun police camp

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 October 1998, 01:34 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers overran a Sri Lankan Police mini-camp in the Batticaloa suburb of Maamangam last night. The camp, located within a high security zone, was completely destroyed and set on fire said police sources in the eastern town.
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SLA to re-establish Pooneryn base?

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 October 1998, 17:35 GMT]
Sources close to the SLA in Jaffna speculated today that government troops might move into Pooneryn (Poonagary) soon to establish a base there, mainly to impede the Liberation Tigers from attacking the Elephant Pass base. The VoT said in its 9 p.m. news broadcast that the army launched a heavy and unprecedented artillery barrage on Pooneryn from 7.30 p.m. this evening.
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