Jaffna's fishing industry in peril

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 March 2008, 10:55 GMT]
Fishing in Jaffna peninsula has suffered a near 95% plunge in the past twenty year period from 1983 due to ban and restrictions imposed on fishing by Sri Lanka Army (SLA), rendering most of the fishermen dependent on relief supplies to survive, Fishermen Society Federation sources in Jaffa said. SLA Commander Jaffna, Major General G. A. Chandrasiri, however, has ruled out lifting of fishing restrictions until security in seas surrounding the peninsula improves.
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Jaffna port workers complain of mismanagement

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 March 2008, 00:08 GMT]
The lack of interest by government officials in the North in paying wages in time to workers involved in unloading of goods in the sea ports of Jaffna in a timely manner has resulted in frequent disruption in unloading of loads from the cargo ships, civil sources in Jaffna said.
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Fishing restrictions to remain- SLA commander

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 February 2008, 01:54 GMT]
Major General G.A.Chandrasiri, commander of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Jaffna at a meeting held Monday afternoon within High Security Zone (HSZ) in Palaly addressing the representatives of various civil groups said that until security in seas surrounding the peninsula improves, fishing restrictions in Jaffna will not be lifted, but added that he will take steps to ease travel for the sick to obtain medical treatment in Colombo.
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Details of mine safe areas in Jaffna released

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 February 2008, 00:17 GMT]
The coordinating office for the removal of land mines in Jaffna peninsula, situated in Jaffna secretariat, in a communiqué issued Saturday, said mine clearing activities in areas permitted by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) is nearing completion and released details concerning the areas cleared of land mines.
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SLA occupation eats into Jaffna paddy cultivation

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 February 2008, 15:45 GMT]
Only around 65% of arable paddy fields in Jaffna peninsula was cultivated in 2007 while the rest remained fallow, turned into High Security Zones (HSZ) of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and war zones, according to Jaffna Agricultural Department statistics. Though the 2007 paddy yield was more than the expected quantity, the yield only barely meets the needs of Jaffna peninsula, according to the officials.
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Keerimalai Nakuleasvara temple festival begins Friday

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 February 2008, 05:27 GMT]
The annual festival of the historical Keerimalai Nakuleasvara Saiva temple located in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zone (HSZ) will begin on Friday and continue until 7 March, and the SLA command in Jaffna will allow devotees to go through its check posts in Cheanthaangku’lam and Thellippazhai SLA Front Defence Line (FDL) area in Valikaamam north, the chief priest of the temple, Rajaraja Sri K. Nakuleaswara Kurukkal said.
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Pilfering of goods at KKS Harbour adds to material loss

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 January 2008, 12:03 GMT]
Construction contractors and traders in Jaffna made representations to Government Agent (GA) Jaffna that millions of rupees worth of essential goods and construction materials are routinely pilfered in Kaankeasanthu’rai (KKS) and Mayiliddi harbours located in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zone (HSZ), sources in Jaffna said.
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Fonseka vows not to leave war to successor

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 January 2008, 06:27 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army Commander Lt. Gen. G.S.C Fonseka, due for retirement this year, has claimed that he would not leave the war to his succeeding commander, at a New Year party hosted by him Friday evening to select local and international journalists at his residence at Bauddhaloka Mawatha in Colombo. Fonseka was being tactfully upbeat as news of an explosion inside Fort Railway station threatened to dampen spirits at the cocktail party.
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Meritorious A/L performance brings cheer to Jaffna parents

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 January 2008, 22:47 GMT]
The performance of students from Jaffna in the General Certificate of Education (Advanced Level) Examination released Friday has brought cheer to the parents, Northern Province education department sources said. Jaffna students, while obtaining first places in the Tamil medium in Math and Biological Sciences, students have also performed competitively in all-island ranking, with a students getting 3rd and 5th places in Mathematics.
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Sri Lanka ranked third in murders of journalists

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 December 2007, 16:49 GMT]
Press Emblem Campaign, an independent media watchdog based in Geneva, in a press release issued Monday said, Sri Lanka ranked third worldwide in number of journalists killed in 2007 in line of duty, behind Iraq and Somalia. "Sri Lanka ranks third, seven journalists killed this year against four last year due to the intensity of the civil war," the press release said.
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Colombo's anti-terror laws assist killings, abductions, torture- MRG

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 December 2007, 19:32 GMT]
Minority Rights Groups International (MRG), an accredited non Governmental organization with the United Nations, in a report released Thursday said, after the promulgation of broad anti-terror laws in December 2006, Sri Lanka "has not hesitated to use these laws, and the country's human rights situation deteriorated. Under a general climate of impunity, 2007 has largely been marked by intense warfare, mass displacement, killings, abductions and torture in Sri Lanka."
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SLA, SLN conduct joint war rehearsals in Jaffna seas

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 December 2007, 01:56 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) sailors from Karaingar Naval base and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers stationed along the coastal areas, jointly conducted war exercises in the seas off the coast of Jaffna peninsula in Pannai, Araalai, and Karainagar areas since Saturday night up to Sunday morning, civil sources in Jaffna said. However, the SLA dismissed the threats insisting that the military activities were routine exercises.
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2 civilians shot dead in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 November 2007, 05:43 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen following a youth riding a bicycle from his house Thursday morning at Maasiappiddi, Changkaanai in Valigaamam, opened fire on him causing serious injury. The youth, rushed to Thellippa'lai government hospital, later succumbed to his wounds. Meanwhile, unknown armed men shot and killed an employee of a liquor shop Thursday around 4:30 p.m at Brown Road-Naavalar Road junction, in the centre of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zone (HSZ) in Jaffna, sources in Jaffna said.
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Media groups stage protest rally in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 November 2007, 09:29 GMT]
Hundreds of media men and women from five media groups including Free Media Movement (FMM), Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA), and Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA) held a protest rally Friday noon opposite the Fort Railway station condemning the burning of the printing press of the English-language news papers Morning Leader and Sunday Leader, and Irudina Sinhala weekly Wednesday early morning, civil society sources in Colombo said. The rally brought all vehicular traffic to stand still creating serious congestion on all major routes for more than an hour.
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Technical Officer shot dead in Thenmaraadchchi

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 November 2007, 16:20 GMT]
Two unidentified motorcycle gunmen, following behind the Chief Technical Officer of Chaavakachcheari Predeshya Saba on his way home on motorcycle after work Wednesday evening, shot him dead at Yattaa’lai, Va’ra’ni where the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) 52nd Brigade base is located, sources in Kodikaamam said. The officer had moved from his village Yattaalai to Inparuddi in Vadamaraadchchi due to continuous death threats by SLA and SLA-backed paramilitaries, the sources added.
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SLA, SLN conduct war exercise in northern seas

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 November 2007, 12:17 GMT]
Thousand of troops of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) together with a number of Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) shallow water vessels conducted a three hour war rehearsal Monday morning beginning at 6:00a.m. in Araali, Valigaamam, sources in Jaffna said.
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Halo Trust employee shot dead in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 November 2007, 18:56 GMT]
A 23-year old employee of Halo Trust, a British-demining group working in Jaffna, was shot dead inside the High Security Zone (HSZ) in Aathiyadi near Stanley Road, Jaffna Friday night, sources in Jaffna said. The body was taken to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital Friday night, and due to the curfew, was identified by the victim's parents Saturday afternoon.
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SC fixes inquiry into Palaali HSZ case filed by farmers

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 November 2007, 17:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court Monday fixed the inquiry for March 10 next year into the fundamental rights violation petition filed by a group of farmers seeking the court to make an order allowing them to cultivate their traditional paddy lands now being occupied by the Sri Lanka Army in the name of high security zone in Jaffna district since 1990, legal sources said.
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White van armed men abduct elderly man in Valikaamam

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 October 2007, 21:27 GMT]
Armed men in a white van abducted Wednesday around 7:00 a.m an elderly man residing in the High Security Zone (HSZ) of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Kuppi'laan north in Eazhaa'lai in Valikaamam north, according to complaints made to Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna, Wednesday noon by his relatives.
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Jaffna HSZ-located phone used for extortion threats

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 October 2007, 05:29 GMT]
Several leading businessmen, editors, and directors of newspapers in Jaffna have made complains to Human Rights Commission (HRC), Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and Jaffna magistrate, of receiving threats from a hand phone located in the High Security Zone (HSZ) of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), sources in Jaffna said. The call had warned that failure to pay or reporting the matter to police or the magistrate would result in severe punishment, according to the complaints made, sources in Jaffna said.
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