Vaharai supplied for two weeks, 33 trucks blocked

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 November 2006, 18:09 GMT]
Additional Government Agent of Batticaloa District, K. Mahesan told media Thursday that 57 of 90 trucks with humanitarian supplies had reached Vaharai Wednesday. No supplies were sent on Thursday. Vaharai region has been supplied for two weeks, according to UN Office of Resident Co-ordinator in Colombo. A total number of 84 trucks had reached Vaharai, according to the UN office. Both the Additional GA and the UN office said 33 trucks had returned to Batticaloa without delivering supplies. The trucks were blocked at Mankerny entry point by the Sri Lanka Army.
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"Cool reception" in Delhi for Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 November 2006, 15:46 GMT]
President Mahinda Rajapakse’s visit to India this week was overshadowed by Tamil Tiger leader Vellupillai Pirapaharan’s Heroes’ Day address declaring a resumption of the struggle for independence. Sri Lankan and other media have made much of Delhi’s call for negotiations to end Sri Lanka’s protracted civil war, suggesting it was a rebuff for the LTTE’s ‘call for Eelam.’ But experienced political journalists saw India focusing on a different set of concerns – that of the hardline Sri Lankan government’s conduct vis-à-vis the Tamil minority.
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Sri Lanka Army bulldozes Heroes' Cemetery in Trincomalee - Elilan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 November 2006, 18:28 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army has bulldozed the Alankulam Heroes' Cemetery in Muthur East, on November 25, said LTTE's Trincomalee District Political Head, S. Elian Wednesday. "Sri Lankan military has once again desecrated a war cemetery. No military in the civilized world, would engage in a such act," charged Mr. Elilan.
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India rejects Rajapakse's call for joint naval patrols - Hindu

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 November 2006, 16:36 GMT]
Indian Press Reports Wednesday said that Indian External Affairs Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, had expressed India's concerns at the continuing civilian deaths in Sri Lanka and had reiterated that there was no military solution to the conflict between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The proposal for joint naval patrols advanced by the Sri Lankan President was not on the cards, Hindu reported. However, India was prepared to assist the Rajapakse government with "non-lethal" military supplies, according to the report.
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British Tamils appeal to Blair over humanitarian crisis

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 November 2006, 11:55 GMT]
A coalition of over 80 expatriate Tamil community organisations in the United Kingdom this week appealed publicly to the British Prime Minister Tony Blair to intervene diplomatically to end the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka's Northeast. The appeal was published in a full page advert placed in The Times newspaper on Monday by the British Tamils' Forum and signed by 88 expatriate Tamil welfare associations, religious societies, cultural and arts societies, sports clubs and rehabilitation organisations.
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Armed men shoot dead Tamil civilian in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 November 2006, 10:12 GMT]
Unidentified persons shot and killed a Tamil civilian and injured two others Tuesday night around 7:00 p.m. at sixth milepost north of east port town along Trincomalee-Nilaveli road in Uppuveli Police division, sources in Trincomalee said.
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81 lorries with supplies reach Vaharai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 November 2006, 08:00 GMT]
81 lorries of humanitarian supplies from UN aid agency, International NGOs and local NGOs, facilitated and monitored by the ICRC and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, have crossed the Mankerny Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp into Liberation Tigers controlled Vaharai region in Batticaloa district, held under siege by the SLA. However, food supplies in more than 44 lorries were blocked by the military alleging a military build up of the Tigers on Forward Defence Line (FDL) using the supply routes of humanitarian delivery. Trincomalee District Political Head of the LTTE, S. Elilan, when contacted by TamilNet, denied the SLA claim and said that the SLMM was provided access to verify such claims.
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Sri Lanka rejects Vaharai safe haven proposal

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 November 2006, 04:37 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary, Gothabaya Rajapakse, clashed with international diplomats Tuesday over the humanitarian crisis in the Northeast, the Morning Leader newspaper reported Wednesday. Mr. Rajapakse had resisted the suggestion by German Ambassador Jurgen Weerth of a safe haven for civilians in the Vaharai area, the paper said. He had also defended the closure of the A9 highway, blocking supplies to 600,000 people in Jaffna. Last week the Co-Chairs – US, EU, Japan and Norway – demanded Sri Lanka open humanitarian access routes and set aside safe areas for civilians.
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SLA strengthens security measures in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 November 2006, 01:25 GMT]
Key Sri Lanka Army (SLA) commanding officers were said to have visited Palaly Military base Tuesday morning, as SLA resumed reinforcing security arrangements in Jaffna peninsula, sources in Jaffna said.


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SLA shoots dead civilian, arrests youth in Valaichenai

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 November 2006, 11:46 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers from the Meeravodai SLA camp lay in ambush and shot dead the father of five children Monday around 8:00 p.m at Meeravodai, a Tamil village in Valaichenai police division in Batticaloa, said Valaichenai police. The Police recovered the dead body and handed it over to Valaichenai Base hospital.
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Police forces, Tigers exchange mortar fire in Murunkan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 November 2006, 07:11 GMT]
Sri Lankan police forces exchanged mortar fire for 45 minutes with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Monday night from 8:00 p.m., 15 km east of Mannar in Murunkan, Police officials said. 6th Mile Post and 17th Mile Post centry posts manned by military trained policemen were attacked by LTTE mortar fire, according to police officials who claimed that they launched mortar fire in retaliation. Civilians who reached Mannar from LTTE controlled areas above Murunkan said around 10 mortar shells hit civilian settlements. No casualties were reported.
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SLA sabotages Vavuniya Heroes Day celebrations

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 November 2006, 02:51 GMT]
Heroes day celebrations in Sri Lanka Army (SLA)-controlled areas in Vavuniya District were sabotaged on Monday due to ban imposed by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops preventing the entry of general public to Eeechankulam Heroes cemetery. Request by Mr.Gnanam, the Political Head of Vavuniya District to Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) to make arrangements to conduct the celebrations in the area did not produce any result, civilian sources said
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Heroes Day celebrations held across Jaffna as jubilation triumphs fear

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 November 2006, 12:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers remained inside their camps in the villages in Vadamaradchy, Valikamam, Thenmaradchi sectors and the outskirts of Jaffna city following posters that warned soldiers to stay inside their camps Sunday. Villages that have remained gripped with fear due to forced disappearances and killings for many weeks, were decorated with red and yellow flags, and youths wearing tiger-striped uniforms were seen in many places in Vadamaradchy, residents said. Meanwhile, SLA soldiers in Jaffna town and the surroundings of University of Jaffna and Parameswara Junction on Palay Road conducted search operations.
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Mahinda Rajapakse leaves to India

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 November 2006, 15:54 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse left Saturday afternoon to India on a four day visit. Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse is scheduled to inaugurate the Asian Mayors Conference in Dehra Dun in Uttaranchal State in North India Sunday. Tamil mayors from Chennnai, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Saleem, Tiruchi and Coimbatore in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu will be boycotting the Asian Mayor's meeting, media reports in Tamil Nadu said.
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STF offensive meets stiff Tiger resistance in Amparai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 November 2006, 11:29 GMT]
Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) troopers from Kanchirankuda and Sangamankandy camps in Amparai district Saturday morning around 7:00 a.m. launched an ambush-styled offensive towards Thangaveluathapuram in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled area. Following stiff resistance put up by a guerilla unit of the Tigers, the STF has pulled back, LTTE political official Veeramani said. A civilian was killed when the STF continued with heavy mortar fire towards Thangavelauthapuram. Two LTTE fighters and four STF personnel were killed in the fighting. STF officials have claimed seizure of 2 automatic rifles and a pistol from the Tigers.
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SLA demands cutting down trees lining Jaffna roads

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 November 2006, 04:05 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Jaffna is forcing civilians to cut down the trees and shrubs along Jaffna-Palaly road and along roads leading to SLA camps in the Peninsula citing security reasons, civil society sources in Jaffna said Friday. The SLA had ordered all trees along the Jaffna- Kankesanthurai road cut down two months earlier in a similar operation.
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Jaffna fishermen face economic ruin, starvation

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 November 2006, 01:01 GMT]
Comprehensive ban on fishing imposed by Sri Lanka Security forces across the shores of Jaffna Peninsula and islets has driven fisher families into economic ruin and forced many families near starvation, Fisheries Society sources said. Fishing ban is active in Vadamaradchy shores for the last six months, and ban was introduced in the rest of the peninsula after fighting brokeout between Liberation Tigers and Sri Lanka military on 11 August.
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7 troopers, LTTE cadre killed in Batticaloa STF offensive - LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 November 2006, 13:23 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has claimed that seven Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) troopers were killed when the Tigers counter-attacked the elite commando force that launched a troop movement towards 38th Colony with heavy artillery and mortar fire that claimed the life of a 15-year-old female student and wounded 5 civilians including 2 sisters and a brother of the killed student. A 40 mm Grenade Launcher and a T-56 rifle were seized by the Tigers who lost a cadre, Nanthan, according to LTTE Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan said.
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15-year-old girl killed, 5 civilians wounded in artillery fire in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 November 2006, 13:16 GMT]
A Tamil female student was killed, her sister and 2 brothers were wounded when artillery shells fired by Sri Lankan counter-insurgency Special Task Force (STF) troopers hit 50th Housing Scheme in Thikkodai in Vellaveli, Thursday noon. A 65-year-old woman and a man were also wounded. The victims had displaced from 39th Colony, 4 km from the border inside the LTTE territory, three months ago due to heavy shelling from the Sri Lankan camps.
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Colombo intensifies aerial bombardment

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 November 2006, 11:23 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers intensified aerial bombardment on LTTE controlled areas for the third day on Thursday. 2 Kfir bombers dropped bombs near a civilian settlment in Oddusuddan around 9:30 a.m. and on Mullaithivu around 1:30 p.m.
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