Mannar, Jaffna Bishops meet SL President

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 May 2006, 11:46 GMT]
Rev. Fr. Rayappu Joseph, Bishop of Mannar, and Rev. Fr. Thomas Saundaranayagam, Bishop of Jaffna, met Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse Tuesday in Colombo, and discussed the ground situation in the Northeast, sources in Colombo said.
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Repatriation of refugees stopped by UNHCR intervention

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 May 2006, 18:33 GMT]
Intervention by officials of the UNHCR in Sri Lanka and representatives from the Norway Refugee Council has stopped temporarily efforts by the Puttalam District Secretariat officials to force 114 refugees from 29 families who were displaced from Thambalagamam in Trincomalee to Udappu in Selvapuram Puttalam to return to their villages, civil society sources in Puttalam said. Families fled their native Thambalagamam due to fear for their lives, artillery attacks by the security forces and escalating levels of violence in Trincomalee.
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Tamil auxiliary, SLA penetration team clash in Madhu, 1 dead

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 May 2006, 14:32 GMT]
One Tamil auxiliary cadre was killed and another rushed to Kilinochchi hospital when Tamil auxiliary cadres who were on a road clearing mission in Madhu area on Parappukadanthan Road confronted a group of 15 Sri Lanka Army personnel who were hiding with a Claymore mine attached to a tree in the area, Mannar Political Wing Head of the Tigers, S. Iniyavan said. The penetration group, spotted by the auxiliary cadres of the road clearing patrol around 3:30 p.m., Saturday, exploded the Claymore and fled the scene after exchanging gunfire with the auxiliary cadres. The clash was reported inside the holy zone of the historic Madu church, Mr. Iniyavan further said.
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Colombo imposes embargo on cement, steel, limits fuel supply to North

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 May 2006, 09:44 GMT]
Sri Lankan defense authorities, on Friday, banned the transportation of cement and steel to North. Government Agents (GAs) in Jaffna and Vavuniya have been informed of the decision by the Defense Ministry in contravention of the provisions in the February 2002 Ceasefire Agreement, political sources said. More than 20 lorries loaded with cement have been stopped at Omanthai checkpost Friday and are being held at the checkpost awaiting instructions from Defense Ministry, sources said.
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SLA Commander wants fleeing Trinco refugees sent back

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 May 2006, 02:27 GMT]
Maj. Gen. Munasinghe, the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) 21-2 Brigade in Mannar has directed Mannar Divisional Secretary Ms. Stanley de Mel Friday morning to advise the Tamil refugees from Trincomalee, arrested by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) in the TalaiMannar seas while fleeing to Tamil Nadu, to return to their homes in Trincomalee, said sources from Mannar. The Tamil refugees were fleeing for safety from aerial bombardment and artillery fire from Sri Lanka Security forces in several areas of Trincomalee, civil society sources said.
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Policeman injured in grenade attack in Murungan

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 May 2006, 21:56 GMT]
A Sri Lankan Policeman was seriously injured when unidentified men lobbed a grenade and opened fire at police post at Isaimalai Thalvu in Murungan on the Mannar-Madawachchi road, around 9.30 p.m., Thursday. The injured policeman was identified as S. B. Suthath 40, said, Murungan police said.
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Mannar Dialog telecom users under SL Military surveillance

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 May 2006, 11:39 GMT]
A Special Telecommunication technical team from Sri Lanka Security forces Thursday morning was seen upgrading Base Transceiver Station (BTS) equipment belonging to Dialog Telecom located under the telecom-tower in Mannar, sources from Mannar said. The work was carried under heavy security and was believed to facilitate closer monitoring of a section of cellular users.
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Ambush kills LTTE member in Madhu

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 May 2006, 10:32 GMT]
A member of the Liberation Tigers was killed and a civilian driver was seriously injured when the Sri Lanka Army soldiers who had advanced in to LTTE held area, set off a mine targetting a tractor that was transporting food to LTTE'S forward defence lines (FDL) in Madhu, LTTE sources in Mannar said. The ambush occured around 9.50 p.m., Wednesday, the sources said.
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Refugee bodies washed ashore at Nedunthivu

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 May 2006, 21:02 GMT]
Two severely decomposed bodies that washed ashore Wednesday at Nedunthivu coast have been handed over to the Jaffna Teaching hospital mortuary by Urkavatthurai police. It is feared the bodies, one male and the other female, may be that of the refugees who drowned after their boat capsized en route to Rameswaram from Mannar Saturday morning.
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Peace sacrificed for counter insurgency by Colombo - Col. Jeyam

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 May 2006, 17:42 GMT]
“The Sri Lankan government and its forces, obsessed with the idea of destroying our movement, has, without realising the strategic advantages of making peace, used various counter insurgency tactics throughout the peace process to kill our cadres,” said Colonel Jeyam, a top commander of the LTTE, addressing crowds gathered in Mullaitivu to pay their respects to Colonel Ramanan, who was assassinated Sunday by a Sri Lanka Army sniper.
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SLA arrests son taking coffin to father's funeral

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 May 2006, 16:05 GMT]
Mr. Thavithu Robinson, 27, of Iranaithivu-Pooneryn was arrested by soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Wednesday around 11 a.m. at Uyilankulam checkpoint located on the border of SLA and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled areas in Mannar district when he was transporting coffin for the funeral of his father Mr.Madutheen Thaveathu (David), 57, who died Tuesday in his home village Iranaimathanagar in Mulankavil. He was taken into custody by the army for allegedly possessing a T-56 live bullet, security sources said.
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Trincomalee refugees flee to Rameswaram

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 May 2006, 11:03 GMT]
More than 120 civilians belonging to 31 families reached Rameswaram in South India by boats from Mannar Wednesday, as numbers of refugees fleeing Trincomalee to South India escaleated, sources in Rameswaram said. Another 234 refugees had arrived in South India's coast Tuesday night. Civil society sources in Mannar said that around 1000 refugees from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled areas of Thirukadaloor, Padukkai, Nilaveli and Kinniya in Trincomalee had come to Mannar and Talaimannar to flee the island, since the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) bombing and the recent escalation of violence in Trincomalee.
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SLN arrests Tamil refugees in Mannar Sea

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 May 2006, 10:59 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) soldiers Monday night arrested seventeen Trincomalee Tamil families in Mannar seas when they werebeing taken in two boats to South India from Pesalai coast in Mannar district. The SLN later handed them to the Talaimannar Police, sources said.


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White Pigeon donates tri-wheeler bikes with UNICEF help

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 May 2006, 09:51 GMT]
White Pigeon Prosthesis Institute, with the financial assistance of UNICEF, has donated tri-wheeler bikes to 10 disabled persons in Killinochchi Monday.
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Student, companion killed in SLA Claymore attack in Madhu

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 May 2006, 09:25 GMT]
A 15 year old student and his companion were killed in a Claymore attack by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled jungle in Periya Pandivirichan at Madhu in the Mannar district Sunday, reported Voice of Tigers (VoT) Radio. The youths were out hunting when they were killed, according to VoT.


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TRO provides facilities to Allaipiddy refugees in Vanni

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 May 2006, 17:13 GMT]
Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) is providing temporary dwellings, food and transport facilities to the growing number of refugees moving into Vanni from Jaffna islets in the wake of the Allaipiddy assassinations, said TRO sources in Vanni. More than 40 families consisting of 200 members are yet to recover from fear and shock after the murders believed to be carried by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and the collaborating paramilitaries.
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20 local authorities go to polls Saturday

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 May 2006, 19:02 GMT]
Four Municipal Councils, Colombo and Gampaha in the Western Province, Galle in Southern Province and Kalmunai in the Eastern Province along with three urban councils and thirteen Pradesiya Saba in the country, altogether twenty local government institutions, will go to polls Saturday. About 1.1 million voters are qualified to cast their franchise in this poll to elect 312 councilors, election department sources said.
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Murunkan Police OIC kills sergeant

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 May 2006, 12:01 GMT]
Mannar Magistrate Mr.N.M.M.Abdulla Wednesday ordered for the arrest of the Officer-in-Charge of the Murunkan Police Sector who is alleged to have shot dead a police sergeant Shantha Premakumara (42) on Tuesday evening 5.30 p.m., legal sources said.
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UPFA, SLMC supporters clash, grenade lobbed in Oddamavady

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 May 2006, 06:46 GMT]
The house of a Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) supporter and a former Provincial Council member, Sinnalebbe Mohammed Hanifa, was attacked with grenade Tuesday early morning around 3:30 a.m., Valaichenai Police said. A quarrel between SLMC supporters and the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Muslim supporters engaged in local election campaign, ended in clash where the chief candidate of the UPFA alliance, M.H. Lebbe Hajjiar and two others were wounded Monday evening.
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SLN arrests Trinco refugees in Mannar Sea

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 May 2006, 17:56 GMT]
Eighteen Tamil refugees from Trincomalee, including women and children who were arrested by the Sri Lanka Navy, Saturday night, in Mannar sea when fleeing in two boats to South India were produced before Mannar Additional Magistrate Mr.D.J.Pirapaharan, Monday afternoon by Talaimannar Police, legal sources said.
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