Trapped Jaffna residents demand transport facilities

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 January 2007, 22:46 GMT]
More than 500 civilians waiting to travel to areas outside Jaffna peninsula protested outside the Jaffna office of Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (SLHRC) on Saturday morning demanding that immediate arrangements are made to facilitate their travel needs, civil society sources in Jaffna said.
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Paramilitary abducts IDP boys as more flee Vaharai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 January 2007, 15:44 GMT]
Two boys, displaced from Vaharai to Kannankiramam village in Valaichenai, were abducted by armed paramilitary men at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. On Thursday, 3 youths belonging to IDP families were abducted by the paramilitary. Residents fear increased abductions as 4700 persons from Vaharai region crossed over the entry point at Kajuwatte, 5 km north of Mankerni, Friday and Saturday, and around 1200 civilians reached Singapura area through Kattumurivu. Abductions of underage youth, taking place almost on a daily basis, are no longer complained to Police following threats from paramilitary.
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Four civilians abducted in Jaffna, students continue boycott

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 January 2007, 00:13 GMT]
Two civilians transporting goods in a tractor were abducted on Friday morning at 8:00 am at Pallakkadu junction in Anaicottai area near Jaffna municipal area. The abduction was carried out in broad day light in the presence of public by unidentified men who arrived in a white van. Two more civilians were also abducted, one in Kalviyankadu and the other in Irupalai in two separate incidents Thursday and Wednesday. Meanwhile, the students of Point Pedro Hartley College and Velayutham Maha Vidyalayam continued their demonstration for the fourth day demanding the release of abducted students from their school.
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Forty civilians arrested in Wattala

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 January 2007, 18:38 GMT]
In a cordon and search operation conducted by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Police from Thursday night till early morning Friday in Wattala in Colombo city, forty civilians, majority of them Tamils, were taken in for questioning.
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SLA troops enter vacated Vaharai hospital

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 January 2007, 12:23 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army sources in Colombo claimed Friday afternoon that their troops have entered the Vaharai hospital without facing any resistance from the Tigers. Liberation Tigers Military Spokesman, verifying that the Tigers had relocated their positions in Panichchankerni where the SLA had obstructed the land route to Vaharai village, said LTTE had no combatants in Vaharai village where the hospital is located. Meanwhile, thousands of civilians who crossed through Kadjuwatte exit and entry point were escorted to Mankerni Catholic school and provided midday meal.
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SLA shelling on Vaharai hospital triggers exodus

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 January 2007, 06:02 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army stepped up shelling on Vaharai hospital Thursday night forcing 15,000 civilians to flee the Vaharai hospital area. 9000 Tamil civilians, denied basic needs, were forced to flee towards Kajuwatte entry and exit point Friday early morning, according to Vaharai Divisional Secretary, S. Giritharan. 200 tractors with fleeing civilians have reached Kajuwatte. Many women and children were fleeing on foot and bicycles. The only doctor at the hospital, T. Varatharajan, said the civilian IDPs who had sought refuge in the hospital area, were forced to flee as heavy shelling was stepped up during the early hours on Friday. Six civilians were injured Thursday night.
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SLA shells Vaharai hospital, 5 civilians wounded

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 January 2007, 17:37 GMT]
Sri Lanka army stationed at Mankerny and Kajuwatta camps have been continuously pounding the besieged Vaharai area with artillery shells from Thursday morning. SLA fired shells targeted Vaharai hospital area in the morning and in the evening and wounded five persons. Despite an urgent message passed to ICRC notifying the attack, after the SLA shelling Thursday morning between 6:00 and 10:00 a.m., the hopsital vicinty was attacked again in the evening at 5:15 p.m. wounding four civilians seriously. Targeting of medical facilities is a serious breach of the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) that applies to both internal and international armed conflicts.
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Sinhala civilian slain, Tamils threatened in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 January 2007, 07:42 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army troopers and police personnel Thursday morning threatened Tamil civilians at Mathavadikulam, a suburb located 3 km south of Vavuniya town, after a gang shot and killed a Sinhala civilian Wednesday night. The SLA soldiers warned Tamil residents that they would be chased away from the area, residents complained. The killing follows the slaying of 6 Tamil civilians Tuesday night in Vavuniya. Tension prevails in Mathavadikulam and Moonrumurippu.
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Two more youths surrender to Jaffna Human Rights group

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 January 2007, 19:51 GMT]
Two more youths sought protection with the Jaffna Humarn Rights Commission (HRC) group on Wednesday, adding to the 39 civilians already surrendered at the Jaffna office of the HRC, sources in Jaffna said. The youths complained of serious threats and intimidation by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers.
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Mannar civilian blindfolded and killed

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 January 2007, 12:14 GMT]
A highly decomposed body of a young father of two children was located at Kallikaddaikadu, 13 km southeast of Mannar town, Tuesday evening. The victim, Anthonipillai Sagayanathan, a mason, has been missing since eyewitnesses saw him Friday when Sri Lanka Army soldiers had stopped and interrogated him.
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Six civilians killed in Vavuniya, 2 abducted

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 January 2007, 06:05 GMT]
Six persons, including a woman and a driver attached to Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) were shot and killed, and two young men riding in a three-wheeler were killed, in two separate incidents in Vavuniya, Tuesday night. Four of the victims were killed at a house in Kurumankadu, 2 km west of Vavuniya town, 200 meters from a Police post, and the other two victims, riding in a three-wheeler on Rice Mill Road were shot dead. One of the victims was burnt inside the three-wheeler, Police said.
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Sri Lanka steps up offensive on Vaharai

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 January 2007, 08:35 GMT]
Heavy casualties were reported in fresh fighting as Sri Lankan armed forces launched a three pronged ground offensive towards Panichchankerni, south of Vaharai, towards Eachilampattu and Uppooral in the north. 12 Tiger fighters were killed and 7 wounded according to LTTE Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan who also claimed more than 40 SLA troopers were killed. Meanwhile Sri Lankan military sources in Colombo claiming to have inflicted a heavy casualty, more than 30, on the Tigers said 4 Sri Lankan troopers were killed, inclduing an officer and 20 wounded.
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Unfolding misery

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 January 2007, 09:50 GMT]
More than 72,000 Tamil civilians internally displaced due to the military confrontations in the East, residing in 50 temporary camps in Batticaloa district's LTTE and GoSL controlled areas, are facing serious shortage of food, accommodation, drinking water, sanitation and toilet facilities, according to Batticaloa District Secretariat. Muttur east clashes, followed by battle for Sampoor, and now Vaharai clashes intensifying, the increasing numbers of Internally Displaced (IDPs) in Batticaloa face a dismal future.
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One killed, two more bodies found dumped in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 January 2007, 09:13 GMT]
The bodies of two young men with gun shot injuries were found dumped in two different locations in Inuvil in Jaffna, Sunday morning. Meanwhile, a 46-year old man was shot dead at Kondavil, around 12:30 p.m., Saturday.
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Mosque leaders urge Muslim Tamil unity, blame paramilitary for violence

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 January 2007, 08:34 GMT]
Representatives of the Federation of Mosques in Kathankudy, Saturday, in a bid to calm down tension between communities in the border settlements between Kathankudy Muslim and Arayampathy Tamil areas, urged the civilians not to fall prey to the forces seeking to damage Muslim Tamil harmony, after Karuna paramilitary personnel attached to the Sri Lankan counter-insurgency Special Task Force (STF) camp in Arayampathy had attacked Muslim travellers Friday, causing the victims to seek refuge in Kathankudy Mosque. Paramilitary violence and threats posed by armed "Jihad" men against Tamils have ceased and normalcy was reported in the area Sunday.
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Northeast, Anuradhapura Bishops meet Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 January 2007, 03:21 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapksa met with Jaffna Bishop Rev.Thomas Saundranayagam, Mannar Bishop Rev.Rayappu Joseph, and Anuradhapura Bishop Rev.Norbert Andradi at Temple Trees Friday afternoon. The discussions centered on the hardships faced by civilians in the Northeast and steps that can be taken to alleviate the suffering, sources in Colombo said.
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Jafffna Army Commander orders registration of motorcycles

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 January 2007, 00:14 GMT]
In a special announcement made on Friday, the Head office of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) command in the North issued strict orders directing residents to register all motor cycles and scooters including the light vehicles used by women in Jaffna peninsula, before Saturday at the SLA camps in their areas, and to obtain permits to operate the vehicles. Failure to register these vehicles will result in the arrest of the owner and confiscation of their vehicle, the announcement warned.
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Tamil suspects detained at Boosa camp

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 January 2007, 23:08 GMT]
Tamil civilians arrested by the Sri Lanka's forces under the newly introduced Prevention of Terrorism (PTA) Act are now sent to Boosa detention camp located in Galle in the south of the island due to lack of space in Colombo jails. About sixty Tamils taken into custody in Colombo recently are likely to be sent to Boosa detention camp shortly, sources in Colombo said.
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NorthEast demerger, breach of International Treaty- Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 January 2007, 06:53 GMT]
“Not only the Tamil speaking people but also the International Community are unhappy with the de-merger of NorthEastern province. Though the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka told that former President J. R. Jayewardene’s step was defective and invalid, the Sri Lanka's President Mr. Rajapakse who wants to share no powers with Tamils, seized the opportunity quickly and declared the de-merger amidst the opposition from many of his own cabinet ministers and Members of parliament. Mr Rajapakse has not only betrayed the Tamil people, but also breached an international treaty, R. Sampanthan told in the Sri Lankan Parliament Wednesday.
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Three SLA troopers injured by rocket fire in Vavunativu

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 January 2007, 11:52 GMT]
Three Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers from Vavunativu camp were seriously injured in rocket fire launched by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on Vavunativu area in Batticaloa Wednesday around 7:00 p.m, SLA sources said. The attack continued through Wednesday night.
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