Christian prelates meet LTTE in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 December 2005, 10:05 GMT]
Bishops and Senior Clergymen from different districts across Sri Lanka met with the Liberation Tigers leadership in Kilinochchi Peace Secretariat at 11.45 a.m. Friday. Discussions focussed on exploring ways to return normalcy to the NorthEast which has witnessed increasing levels of violence in the last few weeks, sources in Kilinochchi said. Prelates expressed their deep desire that peace return to NorthEast.
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Civilian shot dead at Urelu in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 December 2005, 09:35 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen riding in a motorbike shot and killed a 28 year old man, Jeyaseelan Yogalingam, near a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) checkpost located close to Urumpirai Hindu College, Saturday morning at 6:30 a.m., Chunnakam Police said.
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Six SLA troops injured in attack on Varani 52-4 Brigade HQ

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 December 2005, 18:38 GMT]
Six Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were injured in an attack on 52-4 Brigade Head Quarters in Varani, in the Thenmaradchi sector of the Jaffna Penisula, around 9 p.m., Friday, sources from Jaffna said. An explosion was heard in the area, followed by several gunshots, according to residents in the area. The SLA camp is located on the Kodikamam – Pt.Pedro road, between Varani market and Varani Maha Vidyalayam.
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Claymore discovery, a deception by SLN, SLA, says LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 December 2005, 11:49 GMT]
The alleged discovery of claymore mines by the Sri Lanka security forces in Mannar Pattithottam area and along Mannar-Madavachchi road is a canard concocted by the Security forces to create a war atmosphere in the area, said the Mannar district Political Wing of the Liberation Tigers in a press release issued Friday. "We deny any involvement in the planting of these mines and condemn the Sri Lanka security forces for creating conditions where Mannar residents can be subjected to further harassment and indiscriminate attacks," said the release.
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Gunmen fire on SLA patrol in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 December 2005, 11:24 GMT]
Two soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) were injured when unidentified men fired at an SLA patrol close to the Jaffna Kandarmadam junction and Jaffna Hindu Ladies College Friday around 2.30 p.m, sources said. The firefight lasted for more than 10 minutes, according to the same sources. However, the Sri Lanka military did not confirm of injuries to soldiers.
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16-years-old boy shot dead in Thenmaradchi, Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 December 2005, 08:50 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen on Wednesday midnight shot and killed Thambirajah Arul Ajanthan, 16, at his house located in Eruvan in Kodikamam. The gunmen who entered the victim's house premises, following a Sri Lanka Army patrol in the area, opened fire and killed the victim, the younger brother of a youth who took part in organising Martyrs day remembrance events, civilian sources said.
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Grenade attack on SLA sentry, soldiers assault civilians in Mannar

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 December 2005, 08:43 GMT]
Unidentified men lobbed a grenade at a Sri Lanka Army sentry, which is located in Mannar playgrounds Wednesday night around 9:30 p.m. No one was injured in the incident. More than hundred SLA soldiers, following the explosion, launched a search operation in areas, Moor Street, Sinnakadai and Uppukulam. The soldiers fired in air at random and assaulted civilian travellers waiting in the Mannar bus stand, sources said.
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Two youths shot and killed in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 December 2005, 12:01 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army soldiers manning the checkpoint at Mutthirai Junction, located on Jaffna - Point Pedro Road near Nallur, stopped two youths who came in a motorbike and shot dead both of them after beating one of them against a wall. The incident took place Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. Civilian sources said that the youths were inebriated after a party, and stopped only at a distance from the checkpoint when the soldiers ordered them to stop. Jaffna Police said that the SLA soldiers had recovered a grenade from the killed youths but witnesses said the youths were unarmed. Meanwhile, two SLA soldiers were wounded in two different grenade attacks in Jaffna Wednesday.
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Solheim calls for urgent talks

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 December 2005, 11:25 GMT]
Norwegian Development Minister Mr. Erik Solheim on Tuesday expressed concern at the recent acts of violence including shooting of civilians near Jaffna University, attacks on Sri Lankan Military personnel and civilians, Claymore attacks, violence against Muslims and the assassination of parliamentarian Joseph Pararajasingham during Mass on Christmas Eve, and urged the two parties to meet urgently to strengthen the CeaseFire Agreement. Attending a one-year Tsunami remembrance event in Oslo on Monday, Erik Solheim has gone on record saying that "Norway was even prepared to take the parties to the moon" if that was the only venue left for talks.
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Military uniforms discovered in Batticaloa church

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 December 2005, 00:55 GMT]
Two pairs of military fatigue jackets and trousers, two pairs of shoes and a bag were recovered Tuesday morning around 11:00 a.m. from a rest-room attached to St. Anthony's church located close to the St. Mary's church where the Tamil National Alliance MP Joseph Pararajasingham was murdered on Sunday.
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Pirapaharan pays tribute to slain TNA MP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 December 2005, 22:43 GMT]
The leader of the Liberation Tigers, Mr. V. Pirapaharan, on Tuesday, paid tribute to the slain senior Tamil politician Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham in the Vanni. The body of the Tamil National Alliance paraliamentarian, who was shot inside Batticaloa St. Mary's Co-Catherdal during Christmas mass on Sunday, was taken to LTTE controlled Kokkadicholai on Monday and to Kilinochchi on Tuesday. The funeral service of the MP is to take place in the church where he was slain Thursday after receiving Holy Communion from Bishop Kingsley Swampillai.
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Trincomalee observes hartal in protest against Pararajasingham's killing

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 December 2005, 13:01 GMT]
Trincomalee Tamil speaking people Tuesday observed a general shut down in response to the call by the Trincomalee district Tamil Resurgence Committee condemning the assassination of Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham and killings of Tamil civilians in their homeland, and demanding the withdrawal of government armed forces deployed in Trincomalee violating the Ceasefire Agreement, sources said.
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US Tamils call for sanctions against SL Government

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 December 2005, 11:24 GMT]
Expressing anger and sadness at the killing of Senior Parliamentarian Joseph Pararajasingham, US based Tamil Organizations, in a press release issued Monday, pointed out that "Tamils killings are never investigated...and armed forces in Sri Lanka operate with complete impunity," and urged the international community to "show political and moral courage and impose sanctions on the government of Sri Lanka in order to put an immediate end of this deliberated and calculated violence."
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All five Jaffna victims identified as civilians

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 December 2005, 10:48 GMT]
The young woman, who was shot and killed by the SLA soldiers and dressed up with denim trousers last Saturday, was identified as a heart patient, Ms Parameswari Somasundaram, 26, who had come to Jaffna Hospital for treatment from Konavil in Kilinochchi. Two other remaining bodies were also identified as belonging civilians from Kanakarayankulam and Pallai. Two bodies were earlier identified as belonging to a night watcher and a garage worker in Kottady. The Sri Lanka Military spokesman in Colombo had claimed that the five persons were gunmen who were shot by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and that troopers had recovered weapons from the victims.
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Eleven SLA soldiers killed in Claymore attack

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 December 2005, 07:36 GMT]
Eleven SLA soldiers were killed and six wounded in a Claymore ambush on a Sri Lanka Army convoy near the Regional Bus Depot, 1 km south of Point Pedro town on Jaffna-Point Pedro road at 12:50 p.m. Tuesday, Police said. Three civilians who were shot by the SLA troopers following the ambush were rushed to Point Pedro Teaching Hospital, medical sources said. Tension prevails in Point Pedro.
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Boycott call cripples administrative services in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 December 2005, 09:57 GMT]
Civil administration in Jaffna district came to a halt Monday following call by the NorthEast Government Services Workers Consortium for Government workers to shun work to protest against Sri Lanka Army (SLA) attacks against civilians and workers. The Consortium warned that the strike will continue until troops are vacated from main roads and Government offices, and their workers' safety is guaranteed. Primary offices of Civil administration including Jaffna Secretariat, Divisional secretariats, Health services department, Department of Education remained closed.
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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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One dead, another injured in separate incidents in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 December 2005, 12:25 GMT]
Mr.Weerakody (65), retired employee of the Sri Lanka Port Authority was shot dead Saturday night around 8.30 p.m. by unidentified men close to his house located in Orr's Hill area, a suburb in Trincomalee town. Large number of soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army and Sri Lanka Navy rushed to the site and took several Tamil civilians residing close to the scene for questioning. They were released Sunday afternoon by the Police, sources said.
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Civilians burnt to death in Pesalai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 December 2005, 10:25 GMT]
Remains of burnt bodies including a four-year-old boy were discovered inside a house of the Victoria Hundred Houses resettlement in Pesalai Sunday at 10:30 a.m. by residents who reached the site for the first time following Friday's revenge attacks on the civilians by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN). Soldiers blocked residents from searching for two other missing persons in parts of surrounding area. Three houses and a shop were burnt and almost all the houses were found looted. The victims were burnt using madras, kajan leaves and palmyrah stems, sources said. The exact number of victims killed in the revenge attacks is not known yet.
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Joseph Pararajasingham MP shot dead in Batticaloa church

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 December 2005, 19:56 GMT]
Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, a senior Tamil politician and the Batticaloa district Member of Parliament (MP) of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) was shot and killed by two unidentified gunmen at St. Mary's co-cathedral church in Batticaloa town while attending Christmas prayers early morning at 1.20 a.m Sunday. The MP's wife, Mrs. Sugunam Pararajasingham, seriously wounded in the gunfire, was rushed to Batticaloa Hospital in critical condition. Seven more persons were injured in the gunfire, civilian sources said.
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