NE observes Lt. Col.Thileepan death anniversary

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 September 2002, 23:52 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Sunday commenced commemorating the fifteenth death anniversary of one of its senior commander Lt.Colonel Thileepan throughout the Tamil dominated northeastern province including Sri Lanka Army held areas for the first time. Lt.Col.Thileepan started his fast unto death agitation fifteen years ago on 15th September, 1987 putting forward five demands to be implemented following the signing of Indo-Sri Lanka agreement in a bid to solve the country's ethnic conflict.
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SLA arrests another Pt. Pedro fisherman

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 September 2002, 21:09 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army arrested a fisherman in Pt. Pedro Friday night around 9. 30 p.m. sources said. Ponnuchchami Jeyartnam, 59, was at the Munai beach near Pt. Pedro town when soldiers from the 52-4 Brigade took him into custody. Human rights lawyers said the situation is serious because the Sri Lanka army, which has no legal power whatsoever to make arrests after the Emergency lapsed last year, is continuing to take civilians into custody in Pt. Pedro.
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SLA meets LTTE’s Northern Forces Commander

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 September 2002, 17:08 GMT]
(Adds: Photo) The commander of the Northern Front Forces of the Liberation Tigers, Col. Theepan, had discussions with the commander of the Sri Lankan security forces in Jaffna, Major. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, Thursday evening to discuss the opening of the Pt. Pedro – Maruthankerni Road on Jaffna’s east coast and the positioning of Forward Defence Localities in the Nagar Kovil sector.
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SLA arrests two civilians in Point Pedro

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 September 2002, 18:08 GMT]
Soldiers of the Sri Lanka army Tuesday arrested the president of a fisheries co-operative society in Pt. Pedro and a local fisherman for allegedly causing damage to properties belonging to the military during a protest last week by students and parents in the northern town . “The arrests are in clear violation of the ceasefire agreement between the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lankan government and hence a very alarming development”, a lawyer in Pt. Pedro said.
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Black September remembrance in Batticaloa university

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 September 2002, 21:53 GMT]
Batticaloa marked the beginning of Black September Thursday with a largely attended function at the Eastern University in Vantharumoolai on the 12th anniversary of the massacre of 174 refugees who had sought asylum on the campus during Sri Lanka army operations in the area in 1990.
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Court to hear Mylanthanai massacre case

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 September 2002, 14:15 GMT]
The Colombo High Court Tuesday fixed September 30 as the date for inquiry into the Mylanthanai massacre case before a panel of Jury. In this case the Attorney General had indicted twenty-one soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army for killing thirty-five Tamil civilians and causing injuries to twenty-four others, court sources said.
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Jaffna students storm SLA positions

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 September 2002, 14:15 GMT]
(News Feature) Over two thousand protesting Tamil students Monday forced their way into Sri Lanka Army positions and camps in Point Pedro in the northern Jaffna peninsula, destroying barriers, sentry points and checkpoints. Students demanding the withdrawal of troops from public places also blocked the main entrance of the SLA's 52-4 Brigade headquarters. Troops fired tear gars and live rounds and assaulted students, journalists and local officials of the Liberation Tigers' political wing who intervened.
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Civilians to picket against army presence

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 September 2002, 21:19 GMT]
The Vadamaradchi People's Movement (VPM) Sunday announced that a mass picketing campaign blocking three supply routes to the Sri Lanka Army's 524 Brigade Headquarters in Point Pedro town would be launched Monday demanding the withdrawal of armed forces from areas encompassing court house, post office, schools, rest house, places of worship and several civilian homes.
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SLMM seeks return of Pesalai market, library

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 August 2002, 20:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission officials in Mannar said Saturday they visited three places occupied by the Sri Lankan security forces in the region on complaints from the Church and a widow. The Sri Lanka Police occupies the public cemetery, market building and the public library in Pesalai, 14 kilometres west of Mannar town.
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Navy assaults Karainagar civilians

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 August 2002, 22:01 GMT]
Seven Tamil civilians, including two school children, were assaulted by Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) personnel at Karainagar in Jaffna, around 7 p.m.,Wednesday, according to a complaint made by area residents to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in the northern peninsula.
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Court seeks Chemmani report

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 August 2002, 14:42 GMT]
The Colombo Chief Magistrate has directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to submit on November 26 a full report regarding the investigation into the mass graves at Chemmani. The court issued the directive when the case against six Sri Lanka Army suspects held in connection with the Chemmani graves was taken up for inquiry Tuesday.
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US Deputy Secretary of State visits Chavakachcheri

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 August 2002, 11:36 GMT]
The United States Deputy Secretary of State, Mr. Richard Armitage, visited Chavakachcheri Urban Council grounds Thursday morning accompanied by Sri Lanka’s Economic Reforms Minister Mr. Milinda Morogoda, Defence Ministry Secretary Mr. Austin Fernando, US Ambassador in Colombo Mr. Ashely Wills and the three heads of the armed forces. While touring the Chavakachcheri area, the visiting US diplomat said, "It reminds me of Vietnam where I served for six years. This shows the urgent need of finding a political solution to Sri Lanka's crisis."
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Naval personnel assault Tamil civilians

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 August 2002, 15:56 GMT]
Seven civilians were assaulted severely by Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) personnel at Naranthanai, an islet in the Jaffna district Friday afternoon, according to a complaint made by the Kayts Palmyra and Coconut Development Society to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission ( SLMM ) in the peninsula. Six SLN personnel entered a toddy tavern in the area and assaulted the civilians, around 2.30 p.m. Friday, the complaint further states.
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Six arrested entering Vanni

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 August 2002, 17:09 GMT]
The Tamil Eelam police arrested six people who entered LTTE-held Vanni without permission in two separate incidents on August 4, Tamil press reports said Monday. Among those arrested were three weapon-carrying Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers who attempted to infiltrate into LTTE-held areas.
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Hindu Minister visits devastated Nagarkovil village

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 August 2002, 20:48 GMT]
A group of civilians headed by the Hindu Affairs Minister Mr. T. Maheswaran visited Nagathambiran Temple located in Nagarkovil village, which is in a high security zone in the Vadamaradchi area of the Jaffna district Friday. This was the first time a civilian group had gone to Nagarkovil since its capture by the Sri Lanka Army two years ago, sources said.
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Navy vacates three schools in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 August 2002, 14:56 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Friday handed over three government schools, whichthey had been occupying in the Trincomalee district, to the northeast provincial department of education. The handing over event took place at Iranakerni Government Tamil Mixed School hall, one of the three schools, Friday afternoon. The Contingent Commander of the Nilaveli SLN Jayantha de Silva handed over the documents related to the schools to the Trincomalee Zonal Director of Education Mr. K. Thilakaretnam. The other two schools vacated Friday are Thiriyai Tamil Maha Vidyalyam and Sakarapura Sinhala Vidyalyam.
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Meetings as troop relocation deadline is missed

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 August 2002, 00:32 GMT]
(News Feature) As the last of the stipulated deadlines for the Sri Lanka military to withdraw from civilian properties passed Thursday without the related terms of the government’s ceasefire agreement with the Liberation Tigers being implemented, international monitors met with senior LTTE officers to discuss the truce while Tamil parliamentarians protested to the Prime Minister.
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IDPs find skeletons near SLA camp

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 July 2002, 15:39 GMT]
Displaced persons clearing land for resettling near a Sri Lanka Army camp in Nunavil in Jaffna found a bag Monday morning with several human skeletons without skulls. There were some pairs of slippers too in the bag, residents said. The remains are beleived to be of local residents who were killed during Sri Lanka Army operations in the area two years ago, according to them.
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Students demand demilitarisation of school environs

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 July 2002, 18:25 GMT]
More than a thousand protesting students blocked the A9 highway near the Chavakachcheri town in Jaffna Friday, demanding that their school environments be made free of Sri Lankan military presence and that Colombo should fully implement the cease-fire agreement. The protesting students stalled military and civilians traffic on the A9 for more than an hour.
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Trial-at-Bar inquiry for Mirusuvil massacre

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 July 2002, 16:28 GMT]
The Attorney General has decided to indict a group of Sri Lanka Army officials for the killing of eight Tamil civilians at Mirusuvil in Jaffna district before a three-member bench of the High Court. The Attorney General is to make a request to the Chief Justice shortly to name the judges for the Trail-at-Bar inquiry, legal sources said.
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