Sri Lanka Army launches tank offensive on Vaharai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 November 2006, 03:43 GMT]
Heavy fighting broke out between the Sri Lanka Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, at the southern border of Vaharai region in Batticaloa district Thursday as SLA troopers from Kajuwatte and Mankerni SLA camps, launched a ground troop movement backed by heavy mortar, artillery and Multi-Barrel Rocket fire, into the LTTE territory Thursday around 8:30 a.m. The fresh SLA operation comes following Sri Lankan defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwela's interpretation on Wednesday that the outcome of a crucial meeting by the Co-Chairs was not hard as Colombo had feared. Mr. Rambukwela had said Sri Lanka's "national security" had a higher priority than upholding the ceasefire.
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Sri Lanka assured of Co-Chairs’ military, financial support

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 November 2006, 13:13 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s casual dismissal of the Co-Chairs statement Tuesday condemning rights abuses and ceasefire violations by the armed forces stems from confidence that, despite these, military and financial support from the international community is not going to be disrupted – a point reinforced by the strong messages of support for Colombo by individual representatives of the Co-Chairs soon after their meeting in Washington on Tuesday.
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Two Tamil civilians shot dead in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 November 2006, 09:06 GMT]
Unidentified armed men who came in a motorbike shot dead two Tamil civilians when they were riding in a motorbike Wednesday morning around 7:30 a.m., to report for work in a cement factory located in the Chinabay police division. The killings took place when the victims had been riding along the rail track in Palaiyootu village, Police said.
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Co-chairs call for full implementation of CFA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 November 2006, 23:07 GMT]
While condemning the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers for "systematic ceasefire violations," the co-chairs called both sides to "seize the historic opportunity created by the 2002 Cease-Fire Agreement to resolve the country's conflict peacefully," in a press release issued after the meeting in Washington Tuesday. Co-chairs while urging re-opening of A9, called on the LTTE to co-operate with GoSL's effort to send one convoy as a first step.
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TNA warns of 'imminent humanitarian disaster' in Vaharai

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 November 2006, 17:33 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), condemning the Sri Lankan military's blockade of food and medicine going into the Vaharai area as "a blatant violation of all humanitarian laws", said Monday this action "is clearly an attempt to use food as a weapon of war, and compulsively evict persons from their areas of historical habitation." In an adjournment motion moved by its Parliamentary group leader, R. Sampanthan, MP, in the House, the TNA called on the government to "rush food medicine and other essentials to the families resident at Vakarai and Kadiravelli and thereby avert an imminent and grave humanitarian disaster."
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Colombo ignoring humanitarian catastrophe - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 November 2006, 15:49 GMT]
Colombo was engaged in "last minute tactics to placate the international community," prior to a scheduled meeting of Co-Chairs in Washington, by dispatching a single lorry into Vaharai where 38,000 civilians were starving for the past fortnight. Likewise, Colombo was showcasing to the media that it would dispatch a single convoy of supplies through A9 into Jaffna where 600,000 Tamils are under military siege in an "open prison," charged S. P. Thamilchelvan, political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Monday.
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6 SLA troopers injured in Vadamaradchy claymore attack

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 November 2006, 12:14 GMT]
Unidentified attackers triggered a claymore mine at a vehicle convoy of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) near Puraporruki in Vadamaradchy along Point Pedro-Jaffna road at 12:30 p.m. Monday injuring six SLA soliders and one civilian seriously, sources in Jaffna said. The injured soldiers have been taken to Palaly Military Hospital. Condition of the injured civilian is not known.
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Four bodies with gunshot injuries recovered in Muttur

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 November 2006, 16:44 GMT]
Fourbodies of unidentified civilians were recovered Sunday in Allesgarden, a suburb in Trincomalee town and Pattithidal in Muttur division, civil society sources in Trincomalee said. Three bodies are being kept Trincomalee General Hospital, and the other in Muttur Hospital mortuary for identification, hospital sources said.


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Troops 'shot students at close range’ - SLMM

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 November 2006, 14:38 GMT]
International truce monitors said on Sunday Sri Lankan troops entered a school and opened fire on a group of students at close range on Saturday, killing five, after a deadly Tamil Tiger ambush on government forces. "These soldiers fired indiscriminately at a group of students who had thrown themselves on the ground seeking safety after an LTTE (Tamil Tiger) claymore mine blast nearby," Helen Olafsdottir, spokeswoman for the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission that oversees the 2002 ceasefire, told Reuters.
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Bishop of Jaffna urges Co-Chairs to prevail upon GoSL to open A9, implement CFA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 November 2006, 13:47 GMT]
Bishop of Jaffna, Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Savundaranayagam, Sunday in an urgent letter, urged the Members of the Co-Chairs for the Sri Lanka Peace Process, to prevail upon the Sri Lankan government to implement the cease-fire agreement (CFA) in its entirety, and to open the A-9 Road so that the people "don't feel they are living and suffering in an open prison any more." The Government of Sri Lanka "seems to be blind" to the difficulties of the people of Jaffna, and refuses to open the land route for the people and make good for the short-fall in the quantity of the goods brought, the Bishop said in his letter.
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Execution-style killings of students in Vavuniya, a war crime - TNA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 November 2006, 09:15 GMT]
The Parliamentary Group of the Tamil National Alliance, condemning the execution style killing of four students of Agricultural Farm School by the Sri Lanka Army Saturday morning in Vavuniya where ten students including six girls were also wounded, said it was a serious war crime to be added to a long list of war crimes that targeted innocent Tamil civilians in NorthEast, the area of historical habitat of the Tamil people. Four key members of the the TNA, 2 MPs, an ex-MP and a to-be-nominated MP, have been assassinated during the past 2 years. The alliance consists 22 members of Parliament of the 23 Tamil members elected from the NorthEast.
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SLA, LTTE exchange mortar fire in Vavunathivu, Kommathurai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 November 2006, 07:41 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) exchanged mortar fire in Vavunathivu, 5 km southwest of Batticaloa town and Kommathurai and Black Bridge, 15 km northwest of Batticaloa Saturday evening and night. Details of civilian casualties or LTTE casualties were not available. 4 SLA soldiers were wounded and admitted to Polonnaruwa hospital. Meanwhile, a dead body was handed over to Valaichenai hospital by the SLA soldiers Saturday, medical sources said.
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Indian Premier writes to Vaiko: Colombo must meet legitimate Tamil rights through negotiations

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 November 2006, 12:38 GMT]
Indian Prime Minisiter Dr. Manmohan Singh has written to Mr. Vaiko, the General Secretary of MDMK in Tamil Nadu state of India, sharing his concerns about the closure of A-9 highway and the loss of many innocent lives, mainly Tamils, including women and children, stating that it was a matter of "utmost concern and sorrow." India would reiterate to Colombo that it must find a political solution through negotiations and meet the genuine and legitimate rights of the Tamils, rather than adopt tactics that lead to the death of innocent people, Dr. Manhoman Singh said, adding that India has taken great care not to provide Sri Lanka with lethal hardware that could be used against Tamils.
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5 SLA troopers killed in Claymore attack in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 November 2006, 07:22 GMT]
Five army troopers inculding an officer were killed and the remaining four soldiers were wounded when unidentified attackers triggered a Claymore mine at their truck around 9:45 a.m. Saturday. Soldiers manning a nearby checkpost entered the Thandikulam Farm School and shot at the hostel students inside the school premises following the Claymore attack, civilian sources said. 4 students were killed and 8 wounded and rushed to Vavuniya hospital.
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Sri Lanka Navy, Sea Tigers clash in Mannar seas

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 November 2006, 04:26 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Navy Inshore Patrol Crafts were sunk and a third IPC vessel was damaged in a sea battle that broke out in the seas off Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam controlled Vidathalthivu, 20 km north of Mannar, Saturday at 6:50 a.m., LTTE Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan said. Meanwhile, sources in Mannar said civilians were fleeing Talaimannar as the battle raged off Talaimannar two hours later around 8:30 a.m.
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Abducted youth escapes, surrenders to HRC

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 November 2006, 00:04 GMT]
A youth abducted by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) at gun point from his house at Sebastian lane in Kondavil East Jaffna on 11 November, surrendered Friday at the Jaffna office of the Sri Lanka Human Right Commission (HRC), officials at the HRC said. The youth said he had escaped from SLA's vehicle and went under ground for a week before surrendering. Jaffna Magistrated directed the police to place the youth in protective custody at Jaffna prisons, legal sources said.


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One civilian dead, five injured in Jaffna claymore blast

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 November 2006, 18:42 GMT]
Unidentified persons triggered a claymore device Thursday around 12:00 noon killing one civilian and seriously injuring five others at Sathirachanthy near K.K.S Road-Powerhouse road junction in the heart of Jaffna town, Jaffna sources said. The dead man succumbed to his wounds while being rushed to Jaffna Teaching hospital, hospital sources said.
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"Intervene and avert major humanitarian crisis in Vaharai," TRO urges International Community

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 November 2006, 14:32 GMT]
Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) on Thursday appealed to the International Humanitarian Community to intervene adn avert a major humanitarian crisis in Vaharai. No food convoy has passed through the Pannichankerni Bridge to Vaharai since 5th November which has resulted in an acute food shortage. ICRC, World Food Program (WFP) and other international NGOs have not been allowed to provide emergency food provision, non food relief items (NFRI) and shelter materials. The International Community must pressure the Government of Sri Lanka to allow access for humanitarian agencies and food supplies, the TRO said.
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Displaced cut off from international aid – watchdog

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 November 2006, 14:14 GMT]
Some 130,000 internally displaced people - more than half of those uprooted by the current intensification of violence in Sri Lanka - are "cut off from international assistance and exposed to serious human rights abuses," the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) said in a report released Thursday, citing the shelling of a refugee camp in Vakarai last week. Despite “signals” by the government that access restrictions "may be eased", IDMC said it is concerned that "bureaucratic procedures will in effect continue to prevent humanitarian workers from reaching the civilian populations."
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Children in Vaharai starving for 48 hours - Jeyanandamoorthy MP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 November 2006, 13:13 GMT]
The children in Vaharai have been starving for 48 hours as no humanitarian supply has reached the region since November 05, Tamil National Alliance MP S. Jeyanandamoorthy who met Sri Lankan President with fellow TNA parliamentarians said Thursday evening. "Despite the fresh assurances from President of opening Valaichenai Vaharai Road at Mankerni entry point by Thursday noon, the road remains closed," the MP who returned from the parliament where TNA MPs staged a silent protest, told media. Meanwhile civil officials in Vaharai said that all food supplies including the latest emergency rice supplies from the Tigers, had dwindled.
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