Policeman killed, LTTE cadre abducted from Vavuniya Hospital

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 December 2005, 10:20 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen shot and killed an armed policeman, Mahes Ranasinghe, inside the Vavuniya Hospital premises and abucted Ms Gunaratnam Puveneswari who was undergoing treatment at the hospital under police custody. The incident took place around 2:45 p.m. Sunday at ward no 1. Mr Ranasinghe was killed at the entrance to the ward while four unarmed policemen were guarding the patient inside the ward, police said. Puvaneswari, who took cyanide when Sri Lanka Navy arrested her with four others on board a boat in Mannar sea last Tuesday, was taken away by the men who entered the ward.
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LTTE confers "National Patriot" title on murdered sisters

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 December 2005, 22:14 GMT]
Liberation Tigers conferred "Tamil National Patriot" titles to the two sisters, Mrs. Yogarasa Yogeswary, 26, and Thurairasa Vathany, 17, who were victims of a revenge killing, Wednesday night, by suspected paramilitaries, at Palacholai in Batticaloa. Their bodies were kept for viewing at Illupadicheni Tamil School and were cremated with full military honors at the LTTE Cemetary for Patriots Saturday, daily Batticaloa Eelanaatham reported.
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CID to interrogate LTTE cadres in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 December 2005, 13:49 GMT]
Mannar Magistrate Thursday agreed to an application by Police to send the five alleged LTTE cadres arrested by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) on Tuesday evening to Colombo for further investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The five, including two women, were arrested in Pallimunai Sea in Mannar district when they were traveling in a boat, police said.
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CFA has to be revived says Lankan Chief of Defence

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 December 2005, 13:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka Chief of Defence Staff, Daya Sandagiri, during a press meet in Colombo Friday ruled out Sri Lanka armed forces going to war but said that they will be prepared to meet any military situation that may arise. He said that the military leadership has submitted a report to SL President Mahinda Rajapakse concluding that the Cease Fire Agreement has to be revived and that Mr Rajapakse will make the final decision on this matter.
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CFA, Muslim Tamil amity, key to peace - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 December 2005, 11:31 GMT]
Pointing out that the recent escalation of violence is due to military aggression and sabotage activities of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) supported paramilitaries, LTTE's Political Head Mr. S.P.Thamilchelvan stressed the urgent need for effective implementation of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) and the critical need to maintain Muslim, Tamil amity to maintain peace, when he addressed the media following a meeting with the Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar Friday morning. The meeting that began at 9:30 a.m. lasted for one and a half hours at the LTTE's Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi.
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Brattskar visits tsunami transit camps in Mullaitivu

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 December 2005, 03:37 GMT]
Norwegian Ambassador in Colombo, Hans Brattskar, toured tsunami affected Mullaitivu area and visited transit centers housing tsunamil refugees to directly witness their living conditions. Ambassador Brattsker arrived in Mullaitivu at 2.30 p.m. Sunday after travelling overland from Jaffna via A9 highway, sources said.
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Clause 1.8 key to saving truce - paper

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 December 2005, 15:34 GMT]
Arguing that “a period of mutual de-escalation and confidence building is a sine quo non if a meaningful peace process is to resume,” the Tamil Guardian newspaper said this week “[this] must begin with an end to the Army’s covert onslaught,” in reference to the ongoing shadow war by Army-backed paramilitaries against LTTE members and supporters. Despite the recent sharp rise in violence, fears of an imminent war are overstated, the Diaspora newspaper argued, noting that this is not the first time incidents involving heavy loss of life have occurred since the February 2002 ceasefire.
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Revenge killing by suspected paramilitaries

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 December 2005, 10:06 GMT]
Two sisters of Puhalventhan, Mrs. Yogarasa Yogeswary, 26, and Thurairasa Vathany, 17, were shot dead, Wednesday night, by suspected paramilitaries, at Palacholai in Batticaloa. Puhalventhan, a renegade paramilitary cadre from Karuna Group, had surrendered along with Gnanatheepan, his colleague, to the LTTE in Amparai, Tuesday. The sisters were shot as they emerged from their door to greet two callers who had entered the compound around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. A two years old child was seriously wounded.
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US Congressmen decry obstruction to tsunami aid flow to Northeast

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 December 2005, 03:10 GMT]
Pointing out that "obstruction of legitimate help from USAID and private donations for the reconstruction effort in North East Sri Lanka continues," and that "Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has suspended P-TOMS and its future is mired in confusion and controversy," United States Congressmen, Sherrod Brown, Danny K Davis, Patrick Tiberi and Brad Sherman, in a letter addressed to US Assistant Secretary of State Ms Christina Rocca, urged the "State Department to carefully and dispassionately revisit the situation and consider alternatives that would allow relief aid to quickly reach those in desperate need."
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SLA blocks Mannar traders from entering LTTE area

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 December 2005, 18:32 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) at Uyilankulam camp Wednesday refused entry into the LTTE held Wanni region for about six hundred traders of Nanattan division in the government controlled Mannar district to go to Killinochchi to attend a conference. SLA soldiers manning the checkpoint had told traders that they could not allow such large gathering to enter LTTE area, traders' association sources said.
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SLMM head arrives in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 December 2005, 18:30 GMT]
Mr.Hagrup Haukland, Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) arrived in Trincomalee Wednesday by air on a two day stay in the east port town to hold discussions with the local heads of Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy, Sri Lanka Police and LTTE district political head on the tense situation in Muttur following a spate of violent incidents in which several Tamil and Muslim civilians were killed, SLMM sources said.


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SLMM head meets Elilan in Sampoor

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 December 2005, 18:20 GMT]
Mr.Hagrup Haukland, Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Wednesday 2 p.m. held a two hour discussion with Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), at the LTTE political secretariat located in Sampoor in LTTE held Muttur east.


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Reopen channels for direct dialogue at local level - SLMM

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 December 2005, 07:48 GMT]
Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission on Tuesday urged the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to reopen the channels for direct dialogue at the local level to diffuse the situation in the NorthEast. The attacks that have taken place over the last few days must stop immediately if the peace process is to move forward, the SLMM statement said. Colombo, on Monday, declined permission to the Jaffna commander of the Sri Lanka Army to proceed with the SLMM facilitated meeting in Muhamalai no man zone with the LTTE's political head in Jaffna.
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SL Military commanders visit Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 December 2005, 02:24 GMT]
Cheif of Defence Staff Admiral Daya Sandagiri, the newly appointed Commander of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka, Commander of the SL Navy Vice Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda and Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force Air Marshal G D Perera visited Palaly Military base Tuesday evening and discussed security situation in Jaffna, sources in Colombo said. Lt Gen Fonseka's Jaffna visit is the first major visit the General has undertaken after he was appointed to the top military job.
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SLN arrests five LTTE cadres in Mannar Sea, one takes cyanide

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 December 2005, 16:47 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLAN) Tuesday evening around 4.30 p.m.arrested five LTTE cadres including two women traveling in fibre glass boat in Pallimunai sea area in Mannar district. One political cadre, Miss Gunaratnam Puvaneswary alias Uthaya, (20), took cyanide and was immediately taken to Mannar hospital. She was later taken to Vavuniya hospital in critical condition, Mannar Police said.


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Gnanakone released

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 December 2005, 13:14 GMT]
Mr. Charles Gnanakone who was detained for the past two months on alleged charges of involvement in the assassination of late SL Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, was released by the Colombo High Court Monday. Gnanakone, a leading bussinessman from Australia, was taken into custody by the Criminal Investigation Department for "misleading" the late Mr. Kadirgamar with regard to his security and safety.
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Two paramilitary cadres surrender, say Karuna group responsible for attacks against Muslims

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 December 2005, 11:28 GMT]
Two paramilitary cadres, Mr. Gnanatheepan and Mr. Puhalventhan, have surrendered to the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) in Amparai following the counter-attack on Karuna Group cadres where four paramilitary cadres were killed Tuesday, Mr. Daya Mohan, political head of the LTTE in Amparai told TamilNet. The surrendered cadres have confirmed the death of the key operative Iniyabarathy, and have revealed that the paramilitary cadres led by Iniyabarathy were behind the recent attacks against Muslims in Amparai district, including the grenade attack on Akkaraipattu Mosque where four Muslim worshippers were killed, said Daya Mohan.
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US condemns Jaffna attacks, urges parties to uphold CFA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 December 2005, 04:15 GMT]
US State Department Deputy Spokesman Adam Ereli in a statement issued on Monday called on the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to take immediate action to prevent violence and to uphold the terms of the Ceasefire Agreement.
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Key Karuna Group operative, 3 paramilitary cadres killed in East

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 December 2005, 02:56 GMT]
A key operative of the paramilitary Karuna Group, Iniyabarathy alias Barathy, was killed Monday night when the Liberation Tigers launched a counter attack on a group of paramilitary cadres who were on an ambush mission towards Kanjikudichcha Aaru forward defence post of the Tigers, Mr. Daya Mohan, LTTE's political head in Amparai told TamilNet Tuesday. Iniyabarathy was killed with three other paramilitary cadres in the no-man zone between the Sri Lanka Army held Manthoddam and the LTTE held Kanjikudichcha Aaru, located 5 km east of Siyambalanduwa near the border of the Moneragala and Amparai Districts.
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Muttur death toll rises to seven

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 December 2005, 01:30 GMT]
Muttur Police recovered two bodies of civilians Monday evening from the old jetty in Muttur town. Tamil sources said the bodies belonged to two of the five Tamils abducted Sunday evening by a mob. Number of people who have died in violent incidents in Muttur division since Saturday has now increased to seven, four of them Tamils and the rest Muslims.


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