Shelling claim victims

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 May 2000, 06:44 GMT]
Police sources in Batticaloa said that six civilians living close to the Sri Lanka army camp in a Batticaloa suburb were killed last night around 9.45 p.m. when a shell hit their garden.
Full story >>

Tigers advance on Meesalai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 May 2000, 16:25 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers resumed their offensive in the Jaffna peninsula Wednesday and are advancing towards Meesalai on the A9 highway, the LTTE said in a statement from its London offices. The crew of a Sri Lankan Air Force helicopter gunship were killed when it was shot down, the Tigers said. Meanwhile the town of Chavacachcheri had come under "a continuous barrage of indiscriminate artillery shelling" from the Sri Lanka armed forces, the LTTE said. The Tigers took control of the town in an offensive last week.
Full story >>

Hartal in Batticaloa to protest killings

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 May 2000, 13:00 GMT]
Shops and schools were closed, few reported for work in government offices and roads were generally deserted Wednesday in Batticaloa, Valaichenai and other towns in the eastern district. This hartal was in response to a call by a student organisation to protest against the indiscriminate shooting by Sri Lankan security forces on May 17 in which scores of civilians were killed and wounded. The Police failed in the morning to compel shops in Batticaloa town to open up for business.
Full story >>

Civilians urged to build bomb shelters

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 May 2000, 09:01 GMT]
The Voice of Tigers radio repeatedly urged civilians in Thenmaradchi division since Sunday to construct bunkers to protect themselves from heavy bombing by Sri Lanka Air Force jets. The radio said that four civilians were killed and eight were wounded when the Sri Lanka army yesterday shelled the Madduvil sector that was captured by the Liberation Tigers Saturday.
Full story >>

Tigers advance further in Jaffna - VoT

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 May 2000, 11:15 GMT]
The advancing troops of the Liberation Tigers captured the Sri Lanka army positions defending the approaches to Chavakachcheri, Jaffna peninsula's second largest town, the Voice of Tigers said in its noon special news broadcast today. The special forces of the Tigers had advanced on multiple fronts to interdict the third supply route from Palaly to the government troops in the Thenmaradchi division in Jaffna's southern sector since midnight the radio said.
Full story >>

Tigers urge SLA surrender

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 May 2000, 17:44 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Friday appealed to the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers in the Jaffna peninsula to surrender "to avoid a bloodbath." The LTTE said in a statement from its London offices that soldiers who lay down their arms "will be treated with dignity and honour" and handed over to the custody of the International Committee of the Red Cross "within 24 hours".
Full story >>

Artillery fire closes Jaffna air, sea ports - LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 May 2000, 16:03 GMT]
The Sri Lankan military has suspended operations in Jaffna's lone sea port and cancelled flights from the single airstrip on the peninsula after both came under direct artillery fire, the Liberation Tigers said Friday. The LTTE said in a statement from its London offices that its guns had hit the runway at Palali airbase and military installations at Kankesanthurai sea port. Meanwhile, advancing columns of LTTE troops captured the areas of Madduvil and Sarasali today, the organization said, adding that fighting was raging at the strategic Sarasali junction.
Full story >>

ICRC monitoring condition of Jaffna displaced

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 May 2000, 13:09 GMT]
Aid agency sources in the north said that the Sri Lanka Army lifted the curfew in the Jaffna municipality area today from 9 a.m to 12.30 p.m. The town was generally quiet they said. The ICRC spokesman Harasha Gunawardena told Tamilnet that his organisation visited three camps for the displaced in Manipay today. He said that ICRC, along with Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (Jaffna), continues to monitor and assess the humanitarian needs of the displaced population in Jaffna.
Full story >>

Kaithady SLA base captured - LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 May 2000, 16:07 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said Wednesday they had overrun the strategically important Sri Lanka Army (SLA) base at Kaithady, killing one hundred soldiers and wounding hundreds more and cutting off thousands of SLA troops in the Thenmaradchchi sector.
Full story >>

Bomb explodes in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 May 2000, 14:06 GMT]
At least 19 people, including 4 Sri Lanka Army soldiers and a police officer were killed when a powerful bomb exploded in the Batticaloa town around 5.50 p.m. Wednesday evening. Forty-two civilians and 21 members of the security forces were wounded in the blast police sources said.
Full story >>

Tigers advance on twin fronts

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 May 2000, 21:41 GMT]
In a twin fronted assault, the Liberation Tigers have advanced deep into Sri Lanka Army (SLA) held territory in the Jaffna peninsula, the LTTE said Tuesday. Tiger forces have advanced from earlier captured positions into the Chavakachcheri sector and are attacking the SLA base at Kaithady having overrun SLA defences at Navatkuli, the LTTE said in a statement from its London offices. LTTE forces have also smashed SLA defences at Pasaiyur and Kurunagar in the outskirts of Jaffna city, the statement said further.
Full story >>

Tigers ask civilians to move

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 May 2000, 11:38 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said that Operation Unceasing Waves III has resumed in Jaffna following a few days gap for the safe out movement of civilians, according to the Voice of Tigers broadcast monitored in Vavuniya this morning. The Tigers asked civilians in theMunicipality limits of the Jaffna town to urgentlymove out to safer areas such as Chankanai, Manipay, Siththankerni, Sandilippai and Vaddukkoddai in the Waligamam west sector of the peninsula according to the radio.
Full story >>

SLA warns Jaffna journalist

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 May 2000, 20:15 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army in Jaffna reprimanded and warned senior Jaffna journalist Mr.C.N Vithyatharan today for publishing in his paper a story about the Sri Lankan President breaking into tears during her meeting with Indian Air Force chief A.Y Tipnis last week. He was also severely warned that action would be taken against him for publishing in his paper, Uthayan, the names of the five civlians, including two children, who were killed in the Sri Lanka Air Force bombing in Pooneryn on Friday, May 12.
Full story >>

Thousands leaving northern town

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 May 2000, 20:18 GMT]
The Jaffna teaching hospital continues to function with all of its staff spokesman for International Committee of the Red Cross, Mr.Harasha Gunawardena, told TamilNet this evening. He said that neither the government nor the Liberation Tigers have so far approached the ICRC about establishing a demilitarized zone comprising the hospital and its immediate environs.
Full story >>

Tigers prepare final assault

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 May 2000, 17:11 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said Friday they were preparing for "the final push" into Jaffna city. Heavily armed LTTE troops have moved from the Vanni into the newly captured areas for this purpose amid panic and confusion amongst the defending Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops, the Tigers said in a statement from their London offices, adding that civilians were leaving the northern city despite an SLA-imposed curfew.
Full story >>

Send succor to Jaffna troops - Ranil

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 May 2000, 14:27 GMT]
Addressing the Sri Lankan Parliament today on the war crisis in northern Sri Lanka, opposition leader Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the government should guarantee the life and property of the civilians in Jaffna. The opposition leader urged the Sri Lankan government to send food and medicine urgently required by the beleaguered troops in Jaffna.
Full story >>

Fresh advances in Jaffna town -LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 May 2000, 16:22 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers have advanced close to Jaffna city centre as their offensive in the northern peninsula continues, the LTTE said Thursday. The Tigers have also overrun two key Sri Lanka Army (SLA) bases at Kovilakandy and Thanankillappu in another prong of their operation, the organisation said in a statement from its London offices.
Full story >>

Tigers pushing closer to town centre

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 May 2000, 13:13 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers have begun moving into the coastal suburbs of Jaffna town said a senior journalist at a daily newspaper published in the northern peninsula contacted by phone this evening. He said that the Sri Lankan army positions in Maniyanthottam, Ariyalai, Colombuthurai have been vacated.
Full story >>

New advances in Jaffna -LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 May 2000, 19:38 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said Wednesday they are advancing into the Navatkuli, Ariyalai and Thanankillapu areas in the outskirts of Jaffna town, following fierce fighting with the Sri Lanka Army (SLA). A 2km stretch of the A9 highway, inclusive of the Navatkuli bridge, had come under the LTTE's control, the organisation said in a press release from its London offices Wednesday night. LTTE troops have also advanced 2km into the Thanankillapu area and occupied Maniyanthoddan in the Ariyalai sector, the statement said.
Full story >>

SLA vacates camps north of Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 May 2000, 13:17 GMT]
The Sri Lankan army vacated two key camps north of Batticaloa on Friday. The pull out was acknowledged in the situation report put out today the Special Media Information Centre set up under the regulations of the Public Security Act.
Full story >>