NGO worker killed, directors wounded in DPU attack in Mannar

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 March 2007, 11:42 GMT]
Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) directors who were returning after monitoring the relief assistance to the displaced civilians, following the Sri Lanka Army operation in Mannar Vavuniya border, were attacked by a Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit Claymore mine Saturday around 12:30 p.m., initial reports from Vanni said. Humanitarian worker Muthuraja Aruleswaran, was killed and 3 TRO directors, including the Assistant Executive Director of the TRO, Vadivel Ravichandran, 38, were wounded in the attack which took place at Periyamadu in Mannar district, located northwest of Madu.
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SLA offensive thwarted, civilians saved - LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 March 2007, 18:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers who had taken more than 120 civilians as "human shields" against Tiger artillery fire and advanced into Liberation Tigers territory in Vavuniya-Mannar border Friday morning were forced to pull back their soldiers from Thampanai and Sinna Pandivirichchan at around 10:30 p.m after 15 hours of heavy fighting Friday. Liberation Tigers officials said they had defeated the two pronged offensive, without harming the civilians who were in the hands of the SLA. Around 60 SLA soldiers were killed, the Tigers claimed. Official figures from Colombo released Saturday said 14 soldiers were killed and 42 wounded.
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Civilians flee artillery barrage east of Madu, 1 killed

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 March 2007, 07:28 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army launched heavy artillery and Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher fire on Periya Pandivirichchan 2 km east of Madu church. An MPCS worker attached to the Madu Multi Purpose Co-Operative Society (MPCS) secretariat was killed in the artillery fire, initial reports said. Civilians are caught in tension as they couldn't determine where to flee. Artillery shells exploded near the Central Dispensary in Periya Pandivirichchan village.
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SLA takes human shields in Vavuniya Mannar border - LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 March 2007, 05:00 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam officials in Kilinochchi Friday charged that more than 300 Sri Lankan Army (SLA) troopers had breached 2 km into LTTE territory and taken more than 120 villagers of Periyathampanai, around 10 km southeast of Madu, in Vavuniya Mannar border, as human shields Friday morning around 7:30 a.m.
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SLA blocks annual foot pilgrimage of Mannar Christians

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 March 2007, 12:13 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) refused permission to about hundreds of Christian devotees to continue their annual foot pilgrimage to Calvary located in Komarasankulam in Vavuniya citing security reasons Wednesday morning. Devotees returned to Mannar after they were stopped at Murunkan on their way to Vavuniya. The SLA also turned down appeals made by Mannar Bishop Rt.Rev. Rayappu Joseph, church officials said.


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SLA operation thwarted on southern front - LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 March 2007, 13:42 GMT]
Hundreds of Sri Lanka Army troopers who advanced into Liberation Tigers territory Palamoddai, northwest of Vavuniya, were forced to hurriedly withdraw from the area, leaving behind military hardware as the Tigers put up stiff resistance against the SLA troopers between 12:00 and 3:00 p.m., said LTTE's Military Spokesman, Irasiah Ilanthirayan. Four SLA troopers were killed and 20 wounded in the operation. However, the SLA said it suffered casualties when LTTE attacked their positions.
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SLA arrests three Tamil youths in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 March 2007, 11:28 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Friday morning arrested three Tamil youths travelling in a private bus to Mannar from Vavuniya. Monitors of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) have been informed of the arrest, sources said.


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Jaffna students denied permission to attend Trinco contest

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 March 2007, 00:05 GMT]
Tamil medium students selected from schools in Jaffna district to participate in the rescheduled 2006 North East Provincial Tamil Language Day competition scheduled to be held in Trincomalee on Saturday and Sunday have not been given permission to travel by sea to the east port town, education officials in Jaffna said.
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SLA attacks Vavuniya Mannar border villages

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 March 2007, 11:02 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army Thursday morning launched heavy artilery and mortar fire towards Mannar Vavuniya border villages Mullikulam, Keerisuddan and Periya Pandivirichchan causing hundreds of civilian families to flee the villages, according to initial reports in Vanni. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) have carried out three aerial attaks in Mullaithivu district till Thursday noon.
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Father, son injured in SLN firing in Pesalai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 March 2007, 19:42 GMT]
A fisherman and his son were injured when the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Tuesday morning around 6:00 a.m. fired at a group of persons at Ward No: 5 in Pesalai in Mannar district. The injured have been identified as 34 year-old Charles Peiris and his 2-year old son Joyson.
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Postman, civilian killed in DPU claymore attack

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 March 2007, 12:33 GMT]
A postman and another civilian were killed in a claymore mine attack carried out by the Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Monday morning at fourth mile post along Madhu-Parapukadanthan road in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held territory in Mannar district. The postman has been identified as Fernando Arulananthan Croos, 48, and the civilian has not been identified yet, sources said.


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Peoples' Committee urges opening of western sea-route to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 March 2007, 01:35 GMT]
Rt. Rev. Thomas Savundranayagam, the Bishop of Jaffna, said that he has requested Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse to open a sea route from Kurrikaduvan in the jaffna Islets to Mannar enabling people to travel to and fro from the peninsula, sources said. Closure of A9-highway has seriously affected the lives of the peninsula residents, the Bishop said in a press meet held by the Peoples' Committee for Peace and Goodwill (PCPG) Sunday around 3:00 p.m at the Jaffna Bishop House.
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Condition of fasting prisoners worsens

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 March 2007, 00:39 GMT]
The condition of 43 Tamil political prisoners on hunger strike for the third consecutive day in Welikada Prison is fast deteriorating, prison officials said. The prisoners have been held in Welikade for more than a year without charges. The prisoners are demanding immediate release or be provided bail, and their cases be transferred to courts in their own districts, relatives of the prisoners said.
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2 SLA troopers killed, 10 injured in APC accident

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 March 2007, 17:22 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers died and ten were injured when their Buffel Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) crashed against an electricity post Friday around 7:30 p.m at Chalampaikulam along Vavuniya-Mannar road, sources in Vavuniya said.
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SL Police, SLA cordon, search Mannar town

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 March 2007, 12:06 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Police Saturday afternoon 1:30 p.m conducted a combined cordon and search operation in Sinnakadai, Bazaar in Mannar town. More than seven hundred civilians, men and women were ordered to leave their houses and workplaces, and assemble in the Mannar common playgrounds by the military officials, and were subjected to severe interrogation. Their national identity cards were checked. Civilians were allowed to leave the playground after registering their names and other details with the military authorities, sources said.
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55 civilians killed in Mannar in 14 months

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 March 2007, 00:32 GMT]
Fifty-five Tamil civilians were killed, 105 injured, and 16 reported missing in Mannar district from 2006 January to February 2007 in military operations carried out by the Sri Lanka forces, civil sources said.
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SLA reopens Uyilankulam checkpoint

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 March 2007, 11:39 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Friday morning reopened the Uyilankulam checkpoint, the gateway to Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held territory in the Mannar district. The Uyilankulam checkpoint was closed by the SLA following a clash between the government troops and LTTE cadres Wednesday, sources said.


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Tamil youth abducted in Nanattan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 March 2007, 11:34 GMT]
An eighteen-year-old Tamil youth was abducted by a group of armed persons on Tuesday morning in Nanattan division in Mannar district, according to complaints lodged with law enforcement authorities and Mannar Foundation for Co-Existence. The youth has been identified as Amirthalingam Santhakumar, sources said.
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Policeman killed at Parapankandal in Mannar

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 March 2007, 10:12 GMT]
A police constable was killed Wednesday morning at 6:45 a.m. when uidentified men attacked a police party with small arms at Parapankandal area close to Uyilankulam along Mannar-Madawachchi road, sources in Mannar said
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SLA fires artillery on LTTE-held villages in Mannar

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 March 2007, 10:07 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Wednesday launched indiscriminate artillery fire on Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held villages in the Mannar district. The attack commenced at 8.30 a.m. and continued till about 12.30 p.m., sources in Mannar said. Several hundred residents from villages Palaikudi, Parapukadanthan and Adamban fled from their houses and sought refuge in Madhu church.
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