Fonseka claims credit for successful ‘retaliations’

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 March 2006, 01:46 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Army commander, Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, has claimed credit for a number of killings and disappearances of Tamil political activists in during the heightened violence in December and January. The Sunday Times quoted him as telling troops: “we bravely faced the situation and retaliated on those who attacked us. Thereafter we took a proactive role by looking for those who attacked us and retaliated in places like Jaffna and Batticaloa.”
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Sinhala nationalist extremists obstacle to peace – Balasingham

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 March 2006, 20:21 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers will view any further attacks by military-backed paramilitaries as an act of war and may postpone next month’s talks in Geneva unless the state fulfils the Ceasefire Agreement and disarms them, the LTTE’s Political Strategist and Chief Negotiator, Mr. Anton Balasingham said Tuesday. In an interview to Reuters at his London home, Mr. Balasingham also said President Mahinda Rajapakse should dump his Sinhala nationalist allies and seek support from the main opposition UNP party which led a government that held six rounds of talks with the LTTE in 2002-3.
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SLA rejects rent request for HSZ properties

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 March 2006, 03:07 GMT]
A meeting held Friday between the representatives of Consortium of Jaffna Welfare Associations and the Sri Lanka Military officials at 51-2 Brigade Headquarters in Jaffna to explore ways to simplify procedures allowing civilian owners of SLA occupied private buildings and houses to collect rents, ended without any agreements, sources attending the meeting said. The meeting was arranged by the Jaffna Human Rights Commission officials, sources added.
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Rajapakse to hold All Party Conference

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 March 2006, 11:51 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse is planning to hold the All Party Conference (APC), on March 6 Monday to brief the leaders of all registered political parties represented in the current parliament on the outcome of the Geneva peace talks, political sources in Colombo said. He will also brief the leaders on the matters to be discussed at the next round of talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).


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Supreme court hears Jaffna HSZ Fundamental Rights case

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 March 2006, 00:05 GMT]
The Supreme Court (SC) Monday gave additional time to the prosecution to obtain a report from the Jaffna Government Agent which dealt with issues related to allowing cultivation on lands within the high security zones in the Jaffna district. The SC made the order when the Fundamental Rights (FR) applications filed by three farmers and Mr.Mavai Senathirajah, Jaffna district parliamentarian, were taken up for further inquiry, legal sources said.
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Ceasefire Agreement is foundation of peace and must be implemented - Balasingham

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 February 2006, 10:19 GMT]
Describing the February 2002 ceasefire agreement (CFA) as the “most constructive achievement” of the Norwegian peace process and “the foundation upon which the process has to be built,” the Liberation Tigers’ Chief Negotiator and Political Strategist, Anton Balasingham said Wednesday the CFA had been agreed upon by both the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE after “careful and meticulous scrutiny” and crafted with the skilled assistance of the Norwegian facilitators.
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SLA strengthening security around key Jaffna bridges

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 February 2006, 03:33 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has increased its efforts in strengthening defences in several key positions around the main bridges connecting different regions, Vadamaradchy, Thenmaradchy, Valigamam and Jaffna Islets, with new bunkers, new sentry points and additional concertina wire fences, sources in Jaffna said. Security sources speculated that SLA is planning to declare many of the newly strengthened areas as small High Security Zones (HSZs).
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HSZ villagers face displacement due to SLA harassment

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 February 2006, 11:07 GMT]
Residents of villages located close to the Point Pedro harbor High Security Zone (HSZ) face imminent displacement due to increasing harassment by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers of the 52-4 Brigade located in Point Pedro, said civil society organizations in complaints registered with the Human Rights Commission and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission in Jaffna Monday, sources in Jaffna said.
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SLA troop presence at school entrances irks parents

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 January 2006, 13:20 GMT]
Increasing presence of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops near the entrances to several schools in Jaffna district has irked parents and have increased absenteeism in schools, civil society sources in Jaffna say. Educational institutions along the Jaffna-Kankesanthurai Road, from Jaffna town to Tellipallai entrance to the High Security Zone (HSZ) are the most affected, sources added.
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Two de-mining workers abducted in Point-Pedro

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 January 2006, 11:14 GMT]
Two demining workers, Tharmasiri and Kandeepan, employed by the humanitarian Danish De-mining Group, DDG, were abducted by unknown armed men who came in a white Hiace van Wednesday early morning in Point Pedro, sources in Jaffna said. The workers were on their way to de-mining in their motorbikes. The abduction occurred close to the Sri Lanka Army's (SLA's) High Security Zone (HSZ) about 100 meters from the SLA 52-4 Brigade camp in the area, civilian sources said.
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SLA informant shot dead in Point Pedro

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 January 2006, 12:52 GMT]
Sinnarasa Rasaiah, 47, from Vinayaga Mudaliyar (VM) Road in Point Pedro town, and owner of a bakery, was shot and killed at 3.30 p.m. Sunday by unknown gunmen who forced entry into the bakery located within 100 meters of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) 52-4 Brigade Head Quarters within the High Security Zone (HSZ) encompassing the Point-Pedro harbour, sources said. Residents allege that Rasaiah was a military informant.
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Halo Trust to resume Jaffna demining operations Monday

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 January 2006, 02:06 GMT]
Non-Governmental Organization, Halo trust, which suspended its demining operations in Jaffna following the theft of two of their vehicles, announced Friday that it will be resuming its operations from Monday, 9 January, officials of the NGO said.
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Educator missing from Nelliady HSZ

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 January 2006, 01:24 GMT]
Rasaratnam Thevachandran, 29, a father of two children and Director of a popular private educational institute in Nelliady, 4km south west of Point Pedro town, has gone missing from Tuesday, 03 January, sources in Jaffna said.
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SLN bans fishing east, west of KKS harbor

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 January 2006, 00:09 GMT]
Sri Lanka Security Forces have banned fishing on seas east and west of Kankesanthurai Harbor High Security Zone (HSZ), stripping nearly six hundred fisher families from their livelihood, said K Thavaratnam, president of Jaffna District Consortium of Fisheries Unions. According to Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) officials the ban will be lifted only when violents incidents subside and Jaffna district returns to normalcy, Mr Thavaratnam further said.
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HALO Trust vehicle fleet ordered moved inside HSZ

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 December 2005, 13:02 GMT]
Government of Sri Lanka has ordered all vehicles belonging to HALO Trust, an NGO involved in demining operations in Jaffna, to be moved inside the High Security Zone (HSZ), said a media release issued by HALO Trust in Jaffna Thursday. The release added that the Halo Trust's demining activities would be halted until further notice. This directive follows the recent robbery of two vehicles belonging to the Halo Trust.
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SLA guns down two civilians in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 December 2005, 14:08 GMT]
Two civilians from Thoppu, in Atchuvely Jaffna, who went to hunt wild boars in shrub jungles close to the Palaly High Security Zone (HSZ) armed with shotguns, were shot dead by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops at 12.15 a.m Sunday early morning, sources in Jaffna said.
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Chavakachcheri Police post comes under attack

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 December 2005, 12:29 GMT]
Chavakachcheri police post in Thenmaradchy came under grenade attack and small-arms fire at 8.30 p.m. Thursday, sources in Jaffna said. Police returned fire from their positions inside the Police station premises and the firefight lasted for more than 15 minutes, according to sources. No injuries were reported.
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SLA trooper knifed in Ampan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 December 2005, 11:43 GMT]
Ajit Kumara, a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier attached to the Ampan SLA camp located in the High Security Zone (HSZ) in Vadamarachy East, received cut injuries from a sharp instrument by unknown attackers at 10 a.m. Tuesday, security sources said. The injured soldier has been admitted to Palalay military hospital in serious condition.
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Punguduthivu erupts in violent protests against SLN

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 December 2005, 08:53 GMT]
Civlians in Punguduthivu Sunday morning protested against the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) in Punguduthivu following the discovery of the body of Ilayathambi Tharsini (20) from an abandoned well near SLN camp Saturday. A fifty-five years old civilian was rushed to Jaffna Hospital with serious gunshot wounds. Four more civilians sustained minor injuries. All traffic beyond Velanai thuraiyoor remains cut, reports from the islet said. Punguduthivu remains tense. The navy camp, an administrative office of the SLN, was stoned and later set on fire as the troopers withdrew from the camp, sources said.
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Student protests to widen

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 December 2005, 01:57 GMT]
Jaffna Student Consortium said Tuesday evening that they have decided to expand the protests across Jaffna district schools Wednesday since the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has not met the demands by the protesting Hartley College students and has continued to use force to suppress student actions the last two days, sources in Jaffna said.
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