Co-Chairs’ failure to condemn bombing will fuel violence - IFT

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 November 2006, 16:22 GMT]
Geneva based Tamil diaspora federation, International Federation of Tamils (IFT), criticising the Co-Chair's "failure" to condemn the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) airstrike on the environs of Kilinochchi hospital which killed five people, the IFT warned the weak international response “will encourage Sri Lanka to continue such attacks with impunity.”
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Arrested Jaffna youths to be transferred to Colombo for interrogation

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 November 2006, 01:11 GMT]
Five youths arrested by SLA troops and handed over to Chunnakam Police on Thursday night are being held at the Special Detention camp in KKS. Arrangements are being made to transfer these youths are to Colombo where CID police personnel of the Terrorist Investigation Division for further inquiries, civilian sources in Jaffna said. Parents and relatives who gathered at Mallakam courts on Friday expecting the youths to be produced for preliminary inquiry failed to see the youths.
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Colombo intensifies attacks in Vanni, Vaharai

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 November 2006, 22:34 GMT]
Four civilians were killed and six wounded in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery shelling in Vaharai in the East, and a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadre was killed and two wounded in Pooneryn, Vanni, Friday, as SLAF intensified air raids across Northeast, sources in Kilinochchi said. The attacks continued despite Colombo's commitment to cease violence at the negotiating table in Geneva last weekend, and Co-chairs' indignation over the bombing of a house in Kilinochchi that killed five persons and damaged Kilinochchi Hospital.
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Kilinochchi raid violates International Humanitarian Law- TNA

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 November 2006, 15:58 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in a press release issued in Colombo Friday condemned the Thursday bombing raid by SLAF near Kilinochchi hospital as "serious violation of International Humanitarian Law," and said the bombing was "conducted with callous disregard for the safety and the security of Tamil civilian life and property." TNA also expressed disappointment that despite repeated attacks by GoSL against civilian life and property, "the International Community is unable to bring such attacks of the GOSL to an end."
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Co-Chairs express deep regret over Kilinochchi bombing

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 November 2006, 13:43 GMT]
The Tokyo Co-Chair (EU, Japan, Norway and the US) ambassadors in Sri Lanka, in a press releas issued Friday, expressed their "deep regret over the bombing of a house in Kilinochchi on 2 November 2006 that resulted in the death of five civilians," and added that "the explosion comes at a delicate time when both sides should seek to build confidence and compromise to ensure further rounds of talks can soon be agreed, and an escalation of the conflict can be avoided."


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Respect International Humanitarian Law, urges Hospital Director

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 November 2006, 00:03 GMT]
Dr.Sathanandan, Director of Kilinochchi General Hospital at Anandapuram which was subjected to Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) aerial bombardment on Thursday afternoon at 2:45 p.m.appealed to all parties to respect the International Humanitarian Law and avoid targeting hospitals, in an interview to the TamilNet, Thursday. "The humanitarian law calls on States both “to respect” and “to ensure respect” the Conventions," Dr Sathanandan said, adding that hospitals attend to the most urgent humanitarian needs of people and should be safeguarded from all forms of violence.
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Health emergency in Mannar as virus fever spreads

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 November 2006, 17:14 GMT]
A virus fever is spreading fast in Mannar district and daily hundreds of persons affected by the fever are seeking treatment in the Mannar general hospital and private medical institutions, health officials in Mannar said. Mannar General hospital is overflowing with the large influx of affected civilians, hospital sources said.
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Governor rejects appeals from stranded Government employees

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 November 2006, 12:13 GMT]
Rear Admiral (Retd) Mohan Wijeyawickrema, Governor of the North East Province, rejected appeals from more than one thousand Tamil government employees stranded in Jaffna peninsula for the past three months to allow them to work in the province as an interim measure, civil society sources in Jaffna said Thursday.
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Fisherman killed, another injured in SLN attack in Mullaithivu sea

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 November 2006, 12:01 GMT]
A fisherman fishing in Silavattai Sea in Mullaithivu district was killed and another injured when Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) attacked them around 6:00 a.m. Sunday, Fisheries Society sources said.
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Claymore attack kills woman, injures two SLA soldiers, one policeman in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 November 2006, 11:54 GMT]
Unknown persons triggered a claymore bomb Wednesday afternoon killing one civilian woman, injuring two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers and a policeman at Thekankaadu in Vavuniya, said Vavuniya police. The attack was targetted towards a SLA road check-post located 1 km from Vavuniya town. The woman died due to heart attack caused by the blast, added the police.
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SLAF Kfir jets bomb LTTE held villages in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 November 2006, 10:47 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir bombers bombed civilian settlements nine times Wednesday around 7:15 a.m in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held areas of Kattumurivu in Kathiraveli in Batticaloa district. Casualties in this bombing are not yet known but 12 houses of civilians are said to be badly damaged.
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SLA fuel ban halts paddy cultivation in Mannar LTTE areas

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 November 2006, 03:12 GMT]
Farmers in villages held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Mannar district are unable to plough their fields due to fuelshortage, agricultural sources said. 90% of paddy fields will remain uncultivated unless Sri Lankan Army (SLA) lifts the ban on transport of petrol and diesel to the LTTE held agricultural villages through Uyilankulam checkpoint, civil sources said.
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Three civilians killed in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 October 2006, 17:16 GMT]
Three civilians were shot dead by unidentified men in the northern Jaffna peninsula in three separate incidents on Sunday and Monday, civilian sources said.
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Verugal Pradesiya Sabha member shot dead

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 October 2006, 11:14 GMT]
Gopalasundaram Pathmakalaparan, member of the Verugal Pradesiya Sabha in the Eachilampathu division in Trincomalee district, was shot dead Monday afternoon around 2:00 p.m. by unidentified armed men, Serunuwara Police said.
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SLA attacks, arrests 46 fishermen from Gurunagar

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 October 2006, 10:54 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) stationed in camps along Gurunagar shores south east of Jaffna town fired at, and launched mortar attacks for more than 15 minutes on nearly 46 Gurunagar fishermen returning to shores in 15 boats to Jaffna Municipal areas from Liberation Controlled areas of Pooneryn and Kanjikuda at 6:00 a.m Monday, sources in Jaffna said. One boat was destroyed and no one was injured, according to sources.
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Civilian shot injured at Kannankuda, Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 October 2006, 09:06 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen shot and seriously injured a civilian on his way to fish in a lake close to his house at Kannankuda in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held territory in Batticaloa district Sunday around 9:00 p.m, Batticaloa police said. The injured man was rushed to Batticaloa Teaching hospital.


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Statement by the Norwegian Facilitator

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 October 2006, 07:23 GMT]
At the conclusion of the 2-day meeting in Geneva between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers, the Norwegian Facilitator issued a statement urging “both parties to allow themselves some time to reflect on the situation and not to draw hasty conclusions or take actions that could increase the suffering of civilians in Sri Lanka.” “Norway will be in ongoing dialogue with the parties to discuss all possible ideas on how to move the peace process forward,” the statement further said.
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6 civilians killed in Vadamaradchy bomb blast

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 October 2006, 12:44 GMT]
Six civilians were killed and one seriously injured when a bomb allegedly carried by a bicyclist exploded in Udupiddy in Vadamaradchy along Udpiddy-Valvettiturai road at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, sources in Point Pedro said. The injured civilians was first admitted to the Valvettiturai hospital and later transferred to Jaffna Teaching Hospital, hospital sources said.
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Tigers warn Sri Lanka on military provocation in Northern Front

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 October 2006, 09:04 GMT]
LTTE's Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan, Sunday morning condemned the Sri Lankan armed forces for escalating the military hostilities by engaging in provocative offensive preparations and rehearsals in Northern Front in Jaffna while the Parties were engaged in talks in Geneva. Talking to media before entering the Conference Centre at rue de Varembé in Geneva, the Tiger military spokesman warned that any "Sri Lankan aggression, following the provocation, causing implications on the talks at this critical juncture, would have serious consequences."
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SLA intensifies deployment in Northern Front, curfew imposed

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 October 2006, 05:59 GMT]
Amid reports of deployment of additional troops and military hardware in Northern Front, Sri Lanka Army, from Palaly military base, Sunday morning announced curfew in villages near Northern Front Forward Defence Line (FDLs). Meanwhile, Sri Lankan troopers engaged in a major training exercise throughout Saturday night in Palaly, Thondamanarau lagoon and Valalai area in Vadamaradchy sector of the Jaffna district. The SLA rehearsal comes following a sudden visit by Sri Lanka Army commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka to Palaly Saturday as Parties, the GoSL and LTTE delegations were engaged in talks in Geneva, Switzerland.


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