Wounded Madhu refugees allege SLA fired

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 November 1999, 10:44 GMT]
Wounded refugees who were brought to the Vavuniya hospital speaking on condition of anonymity said this morning that an armoured column of the SLA, retreating from a fierce counter attack by the Liberation Tigers had opened fire on the Madhu shrine where they had been huddled together last night around 10 p.m. killing and wounding scores.
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37 killed at Madhu church

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 November 1999, 09:14 GMT]
Thirty seven civilians were killed and sixty four wounded when shells hit Madhu church amidst fighting between Sri Lankan Army units that had taken up positions in the environs of the Madhu shrine and the Liberation Tigers.
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Armoured units spearheading advance - VOT

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 November 1999, 04:18 GMT]
The Voice of Tigers (VOT) said in its news broadcast this morning that the special forces of the Liberation Tigers continued their advance towards Mannar and Vavuniya. The radio said that the armoured and artillery units of the LTTE's special forces are spearheading the advance.
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SLA pulls FDLs back

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 November 1999, 11:51 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) is establishing new forward defence lines (FDL) at Madhu road junction on the Vavuniya Mannar road after the Liberation Tigers took control of large areas in the northwestern district of Mannar yesterday.
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Shell kills three

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 November 1999, 11:48 GMT]
Hospital sources in Vavuniya said three civilians were killed and five wounded when a shell hit Kovilpuliyankulam, 4 km. north of Poovarasankulam around 5.30 a.m. this morning. Poovarasankulam is about 16 km from Vavuniya on the Mannar road.
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Hundreds of casualties in Mannar

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 November 1999, 19:23 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) suffered hundreds of casualties when the Liberation Tigers captured several SLA camps on the strategic land route between Vavuniya town and Vidathaltivu on the western coast, the LTTE said in a press release today. The Tigers lost 10 fighters, the statement said.
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Madhu said captured

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 November 1999, 14:06 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers captured Madhu town in the Mannar district this afternoon according to sources in Vavuniya town today. The Liberation Tigers however did not say they had taken control of Madhu in a state released earlier today, but said the Catholic pilgrimage town was surrounded.
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Tigers resume offensive

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 November 1999, 12:36 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said in a press release today their forces had overrun the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) base at Palampitty and Peria Madu as the LTTE resumed their offensive in the Mannar district.
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Tigers capture Paalampiddy

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 November 1999, 10:05 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers have captured Paalampiddy, an interior village about 45 km. northwest of Vavuniya in a predawn attack today said LTTE sources in London.
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Renewed fighting in Vanni

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 November 1999, 08:05 GMT]
At least 42 Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) personnel were wounded when the Liberation Tigers destroyed the forward defence lines (FDLs) at Iranaiilluppailkulam, about 21 km. northwest of Vavuniya town this morning said security sources.
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Civilians return to Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 November 1999, 10:51 GMT]
Deserted Vavuniya town is becoming alive after about a week as thousands of residents have begun to trickle into the town from adjoining villages from this morning sources said.
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Tigers urge civilians to return

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 November 1999, 20:05 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers have requested the residents of Vavuniya to return to their homes said sources in the northern town today. An announcement over the Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio said that in view of the difficult conditions the displaced were living in, the Tigers withdrew the original request to evacuate the town.
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Refugees prevented from leaving Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 November 1999, 16:04 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army in Vavuniya is preventing Tamil civilians living in refugee camps close to SLA camps from leaving the northern town, said the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) in a report submitted to the Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunge today. In addition no food supplies have been distributed to the displaced since they left, or allowed into the Vanni since November 1, the report said.
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SLA blocks civilians' dry rations

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 November 1999, 11:24 GMT]
The Sri Lankan military authorities have told the government officials in Vavuniya not to provide dry rations to thousand of civilians moved from the town last week, Kachcheri sources said.
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Bishop pleads for relief aid

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 November 1999, 17:21 GMT]
Rt.Rev.Joseph Rayappu, Bishop of Mannar today afternoon met the Vanni Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Commander Neil Dias and appealed to him to allow government officials to provide relief and other assistance to the displaced residents of Vavuniya, now living in schools and other public buildings at Asikulam,Rasendrakulam and other villages, Tamil sources said.
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Remaining Vavuniya residents asked to leave

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 November 1999, 15:12 GMT]
The Voice of Tigers in its news broadcasts this morning and yesterday night has appealed to the people who are still staying in Vavuniya area to leave immediately to designated safe places, residents said.
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Aid workers protest SLA pressure

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 November 1999, 19:58 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Vavuniya is pressuring civilians to return to the northern garrison town, said aid workers in Colombo today. The new SLA town commander has been applying severe pressure on aid agencies to support the SLA’s efforts, the aid workers said.
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Vavuniya said deserted

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 November 1999, 08:20 GMT]
Vavuniya is almost completely deserted, the last few traders to leave the northern town told TamilNet today when contacted by telephone. They said they would be leaving shortly for safe areas designated by the Liberation Tigers.
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Vavuniya residents said leaving

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 November 1999, 10:29 GMT]
Aid workers said today that civilians in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) garrison town of Vavuniya have begun leaving following several broadcasts in Tamil and Sinhala by the Voice of Tigers radio urging civilians to move to safer areas ahead of a possible LTTE offensive. The VoT is designating specific areas for the civilians to move into.
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SLA asks for villagers' support

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 November 1999, 18:43 GMT]
Sinhalese villagers in the Manal Aru (Weli Oye) region are being asked to support the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) resist advances by the Liberation Tigers into the eastern region, said sources in Trincomalee today.
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