SLA suffers heavy casualties in Mannaar, clashes erupt in Northern FDL

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 March 2008, 15:15 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Operations Command in Mannaar said upto 55 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed in heavy fighting that ensued between the SLA and the LTTE Saturday at Iththikka'ndal in Paalaikkuzhi, Mannaar. Meanwhile the SLA has handed over dead bodies of 10 LTTE cadres, 6 females and 4 males, at Mannaar hospital Sunday, claiming that the bodies were recovered in the heavy fighting on Saturday. On Sunday, 4 SLA soldiers were killed and 7 wounded, according to LTTE Operations Command in Vavuniyaa. As the rain ceased, the SLA engaged in offensive push in Mannaar, Vavuniyaa and along the FDLs in the North.
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3 SLA killed in sniper attack - LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 March 2008, 18:11 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Operations Command in Mannaar told media in Vanni that Tiger snipers gunned down 3 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers at Iththikka'ndal in Paalaikkuzhi on Sunday between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m.
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Students protest abduction of girl students in Kalkudaa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 March 2008, 08:35 GMT]
Students of Kalkudaa Naamakal Viththiyaalayam continue their boycott demanding the immediate release of two girl students of the school abducted last week by paramilitary men in white van, sources in Kalkudaa said. Kalkudaa police chief summoned the principal and teachers of the school and urged them to persuade the students to suspend the boycott, student leaders said.
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Karaveddi civilians pay homage to slain MP Sivanesan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 March 2008, 00:25 GMT]
Amidst tension in the village of Keava'lai in Karaveddi East due to heavy presence of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers, thousands of civilians paid homage Friday to the slain Jaffna District Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian K.Sivanesan assassinated Thursday in a claymore mine attack allegedly carried out by a Deep Penetration Unit of the Sri Lanka Army, south of Maangku'lam on A-9 Road in Vanni. The body of the slain parliamentarian was taken to his home town in Karaveddi East to enable the public to pay their last respects.
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Jaffna TNA MP Sivanesan killed in DPU Claymore attack

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 March 2008, 09:59 GMT]
Jaffna District Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian, K. Sivanesan, was killed in a Claymore attack carried out by the Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit on A-9 road, 30 minutes after he crossed into Vanni through Oamanthai / Pu'liyangku'lam entry point Thursday. The Claymore attack has taken place between Pu'liyangku'lam and Maangku'lam around 1:20 p.m., according to initial reports. The MP's vehicle was targeted when he was returning to his residence in Mallaavi, after attending the parliamentary sessions in Colombo. His driver was also killed in the attack. The DPU attackers have exploded four Claymore mines in a row, Tamileelam Police officials told TamilNet.
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Armed men abduct 2 teenage girls in Vaazhaichcheanai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 March 2008, 12:08 GMT]
Fatigue uniform clad armed men who came in a white van abducted a 16-year-old girl student Monday night around 11:30 from her house in Karungkaalichchoalai in Vaazhaichcheanai police division in Batticaloa district and another 16-year-old girl student from the same area Tuesday night around same time from her house. The armed men had also tried to abduct a young woman from another house in Karungkaalichchoalai but had let her go when she, amidst wails, had begged saying she is married, residents in the area told TamilNet.
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SLA attempt to advance from Paalaikkuzhi thwarted - LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 March 2008, 15:49 GMT]
Heavy fighting erupted between the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Sunday from 5:00 a.m. till 11:20 a.m. when the SLA attempted to advance towards Iththikka'ndal from Paalaikkuzhi in Mannaar. The SLA withdrew to its positions in Paalaikkuzhi after sustaining heavy casualties. The Tigers have seized military hardware, according to the LTTE Operations Command in Mannaar.
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White van armed men abduct 2 youths in Jaffna peninsula

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 February 2008, 14:21 GMT]
Unidentified armed men arriving in a white van at a school in Kaithadi in Thenmaraadchi Wednesday around 7:00 a.m forcibly abducted the office assistant of the school in the presence of students, according to a complaint lodged by his wife with Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna. In a separate incident, unidentified armed men abducted an auto-rickshaw driver at gun point Wednesday around 9:00 a.m at Aadiyapaatham Veethi in Kokkuvil, Jaffna, the victim's grandfather complained to HRC Jaffna.
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New Auxillary Bishop appointed for East

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 February 2008, 02:56 GMT]
Pope Benedict XVI appointed Rev.Fr.Joseph Ponniah as auxiliary Bishop of Trincomalee-Batticaloa diocese, where he was already serving as Vicar General. The announcement was made on 19 February according to Church officials in Trincomalee.
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Two Muslim traders shot, injured at Akkaraippattu

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 February 2008, 12:43 GMT]
Special Task Force (STF) elite troopers lying in ambush shot and injured two Muslim traders riding on a motorbike at Akkaraippattu in Ampaa'rai district, around 10:00 p.m., Monday, according to police and hospital sources.
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Iththikka'ndal

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 January 2008, 00:01 GMT]
The marshland in the locality of Iththi trees (Ficus virens)
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School damaged in SLAF bombing in Mullaiththeevu

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 January 2008, 16:09 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers Saturday attacked Kaiveali, located 1 km from Puthkukkudiyiruppu on Paranthan Road between 1:30 and 1:50 p.m. Kaiveali Ganesha Viththiyaalayam school sustained damage in the air-strike, Tamileelam Police officials in Puthukkudiyiruppu said. The NGO White Pigeon is located close to the attack site.
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Paramilitary operative shot dead in Akkaraippattu

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 January 2008, 13:41 GMT]
An unidentified gunman shot and killed a operative of Karuna paramilitary, identified as Panneerchelvam, Friday noon at Aalaiyadiveampu in Akkaraippattu police division in Ampaa’rai district, Akkaraippattu police said. The victim was walking with a friend towards Karuna group camp when he was shot. The killer, following Panneerchelvam on foot, took his T-56 assault rifle and escaped from the site after gunning down the paramilitary operative.
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Tamil youth reported missing in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 January 2008, 19:35 GMT]
A young construction worker from Jaffna working at the site of Colombo Mahavidyalaya Mawathe has not returned home after leaving his workplace for lunch Friday, the relatives of the youth complained to Deputy Minister Rathakrishnan, sources in Colombo said.
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Kanakapuram bombings

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 January 2008, 10:20 GMT]
Statistics compiled by social service groups in Kilinochchi reveals 67 civilians belonging to 17 families have been affected by the aerial bombardment when four Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) fighter jets dropped bombs 100 meters away from Kanakapuram Maha Viththiyaalayam school in the Ki'linochchi suburb Thursday morning. The group includes 26 infants and young children, a polio victim, and 16 civilians previously displaced from Va'ra'ni in Jaffna District and living in the vicinity of the school.
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Ki'linochchi schools close fearing SLAF attacks

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 January 2008, 18:29 GMT]
Two schools in Ki'linochchi were closed, while three other schools were without pupils Friday as many students chose to stay home near bunkers fearing another SLAF bombing raid. Four Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombs missed hitting Kanakapuram Maha Viththiyaalayam by 100 meters, and 790 schoolchildren and 22 teachers at the school narrowly escaped death. One civilian was killed and seven wounded in the air-strike.
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790 schoolchildren escape SLAF attack

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 January 2008, 13:09 GMT]
790 schoolchildren and 22 teachers at the Kanakapuram Maha Viththiyaalayam school escaped the jaws of death when four Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) fighter jets dropped bombs barely 100 meters away from their school in the Ki'linochchi suburb Thursday morning. A repeat of the gruesome Chegnchoalai massacre was avoided as civilians sought shelter inside bunkers, managed to flee the area and anti-aircraft fire disturbed the SLAF mission. One civilian was killed and seven wounded in the air strike.
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SLAF bombs Ki'linochchi suburb, 1 killed, 7 wounded

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 January 2008, 04:09 GMT]
Liberation Tigers anti-aircraft guns fired at Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) warplanes that bombed a civilian area with a mechanic workshop near Kanakapuram Maha Viththiyaalayam school at Kanakapuram, a suburb of Ki'linochchi town, Thursday morning. A 32-years-old man who sought safety inside a bunker was wounded and succumbed to his injuries. Seven civilians were wounded in the SLAF attack. Nine houses were damaged in the bombardment that was launched at 9:30 a.m. and carried out four times.
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UNOPS suspends post tsunami school reconstruction projects in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 December 2007, 18:35 GMT]
The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) suspended its construction works in two schools in Vaveddiththu'rai (VVT) in Vadamaraadchi that were affected by Tsunami, due to the prevailing unstable condition in Jaffna peninsula besides encountering difficulties in procuring construction materials for its school building projects, education officials in Vadamaraadchi said. The latest suspension of Tsunami projects in VVT comes as many International NGOs and local agencies, which had engaged in Tusnami relief and rehabilitation projects in the peninsula, had already stopped their work due to the abnormal atmosphere prevailing in the Sri Lanka Army controlled Jaffna.
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Floods in Ampaa'rai, Batticaloa displace families

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 December 2007, 14:41 GMT]
8300 families in Chengkaladi, Kiraan in Batticaloa district and Aalayadiveampu area in Ampaa’rai district were forced to leave their homes and seek refuge in schools, after rising floods due to the persisting down pour of monsoon rains threatened to engulf their homes, Batticaloa Additional Government Agent K. Mahesan said.
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