Kilinochchi protesters condemn SLA assault in Manipay

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 February 2003, 19:58 GMT]
Hundreds of residents of Kilinochchi and surrounding areas marched through Kilinochchi Saturday protesting the attack on Wednesday 12 February on Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) unarmed female cadres in Manipay, Jaffna, by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers and by the paramilitary Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) members. The march was organized by the Tamil National Uprising Front in Vanni, sources said.


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Protest in Vavuniya condemns Manipay SLA assault

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 February 2003, 12:24 GMT]
More than thousand residents of Vavuniya and surrounding areas marched in Vavuniya Saturday wearing black belts in their waists protesting the attack on Wednesday 12 February on Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) unarmed female cadres in Manipay, Jaffna, by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers. The marchers handed over a memorandum to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), sources in Vavuniya said.


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US to announce significant assistance in Japan meet - Armitage

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 February 2003, 02:59 GMT]
In a conference on "Srilanka: Prospects for Peace," held at the Center of Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C Friday, Richard Armitage, Deputy U.S Secretary of State, in his Keynote address said that, "..it is my intention to return to the follow-on meeting [to Oslo] of donors" in June in Japan and "I will be able to announce significant further assistance to Sri Lanka for both humanitarian and economic aid," sources said.
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Sole survivor in Mirusuvil massacre identifies army accused

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 February 2003, 21:54 GMT]
The sole survivor in the Mirusuvil massacre, Mr. Ponnuthurai Maheswaran, Thursday identified at the Colombo High Court all five soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) indicted for the murder of eight Tamil civilians when they returned to their Mirusuvil homes to look for belongings on 19th December 2000, legal sources said.
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Sri Lanka military 'jeopardizing' peace talks - LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 February 2003, 06:29 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers this week condemned the attack Wednesday on their unarmed female cadres in Manipay by Sri Lankan soldiers and warned that such incidents would "seriously jeopardize" the Norwegian peace process, the London based Tamil Guardian reported.
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'Manipay incident will not be repeated-' Jaffna SLA commander

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 February 2003, 17:41 GMT]
Jaffna area commander of the Sri Lanka Army, Major General Sarath Fonseka assured at the conference summoned by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Jaffna Wednesday evening that he would take appropriate steps not to repeat incidents that had taken place at Manipay Wednesday morning in which SLA soldiers assaulted eight LTTE women cadres with knives, sources said.
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LTTE women cadres, civilians injured in SLA assault

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 February 2003, 11:12 GMT]
Four women members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and several Tamil civilians were injured when soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Wednesday unleashed violence at Manipay junction, about 13 km off Jaffna town following the refusal by LTTE women cadres to remove their waist-belt, sources said.
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'Mirusuvil massacre a crime against humanity' -State Counsel

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 February 2003, 19:54 GMT]
The massacre of eight innocent Tamil civilians, including a five-year-old boy, by the accused soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army, was a crime against humanity, said State Counsel Mr.Sarath Jayamanne, in his opening address at the trial-at-bar inquiry into the Mirusuvil massacre case Tuesday afternoon. The three-member bench of the trial-at-bar comprised High Court Judges, Mr.I.M. Imam (Chairman), Mr.Sarath Ambepitya and Mr. Kumar Ekaratna, legal sources said.
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Human skeleton recovered in Chavakachcheri

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 February 2003, 16:58 GMT]
A human skeleton was recovered in Chavakachcheri in Thenmaradchchi area in Jaffna district Monday by civilians who were clearing their lands for resettlement, sources said. On an application made the Chavakachcheri police, the Chavakachcheri Magistrate Mr.K.Ariyanayagam ordered the skeleton to be sent to the government analyst, legal sources said.


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Human Rights Sub Committee formed in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 February 2003, 16:36 GMT]
In a conference organized by the Jaffna regional office of the Human Rights Commission (HRC) held at the Jaffna office of the UNHCR, Sunday, representatives of UNHCR, UNICEF and HRC appointed a sub committee to ensure better human rights situation in the Jaffna peninsula, sources said.
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High Courts without Judges worsen PTA accused woes

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 February 2003, 17:38 GMT]
The Eastern High Court which has jurisdiction over two districts, Batticaloa and Trincomalee, is without a permanent High Court Judge or an acting judge since second week of December last year holding up bail applications in murder cases and Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) cases forcing accused to be kept on remand and without any relief from high court, legal sources said.
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HRC to record Nelliady Police OIC's statement

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 February 2003, 18:52 GMT]
The Jaffna regional office of the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (HRC) is to record the statement of the Officer-In-Charge (OIC) of the Nelliady Police regarding the clash that took place on December 10 last year where several Tamil civilians were injured, HRC sources said.
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SLA restricts LTTE movement in Vadamarachchi

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 February 2003, 18:48 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Friday ordered the members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who go to villages Amban, Kudathanai and Manalkadu in the Vadamarachchi east division to leave the area by four in the evening daily, civilians sources said.
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Protests in Vavuniya on Independence Day

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 February 2003, 16:33 GMT]
Bills stating “Sri Lanka’s Independence Day is a sad day for Tamils” were found on the walls of the district secretariat and other buildings in Vavuniya town, and a silent procession by women protesters was held in the town today, sources said
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NE Tamils ignore Independence Day celebrations

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 February 2003, 13:43 GMT]
Except a handful of government servants, other officieals and majority Tamils including students kept away from participating in the country’s 55th Independence Day functions held at district secretariats in the northeast province Tuesday, sources said. The Jaffna undergraduates hoisted a big black flag in the university premises and observed the Independence Day as a mourning day. The university area was decorated with black flags, Jaffna Students Union sources said.
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Court allows eight Tamil civilians on bail

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 February 2003, 17:47 GMT]
The Point Pedro Magistrate Monday allowed all the eight Tamil civilians arrested for detaining two soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) at the Kudathanai area on bail and also on condition that they should not enter their village until further notice, legal sources said.
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Police arrest eight Tamil youths in Point Pedro

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 February 2003, 20:09 GMT]
The Point Pedro Police Saturday arrested eight Tamil youths in the Kudathanai village in Vadamarachchi division following a dispute between the soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA)and the members of the vigilant committee of the area. The arrest followed an incident Saturday morning when the vigilant committee detained two SLA soldiers who had forcibly entered a house and harassed the family living there, sources said.
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Protests force Minister to cancel Jaffna visit

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 January 2003, 11:25 GMT]
Minister of Rehabilitation Reconstruction and Resettlement, Dr. Jayalath Jayawardene, cancelled his visit to Jaffna as residents and members of peoples organizations announced in advance to hold black band demonstration in protest to his visit.
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Mirusuvil massacre accused remanded, warrant on witnesses

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 January 2003, 01:00 GMT]
The trial-at-bar comprising three judges of the Colombo High Court in the Mirusuvil massacre case Wednesday ordered remand for the five accused soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and issued warrant on four vital witnesses who had intimated through the State Counsel from Jaffna their inability to attend the trial due to fear, legal sources in Colombo said.
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De-mining in Jaffna said big business, as mines claim more

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 January 2003, 22:04 GMT]
A woodcutter, Sinnathambi Sinnathurai, 50, was seriously injured Tuesday while chopping fire wood with a relative in Mayilankoodal, Erlalai South, Jaffna, when his axe struck a landmine. He was admitted to the Jaffna hospital. Landmines continue to claim lives and limbs of civilians in Jaffna despite much publicised de-mining programs by international NGOs in the war torn northern peninsula.
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