Sri Lanka resumes diplomatic relations with Israel

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 May 2000, 08:18 GMT]
The Government of Sri Lanka has decided to resume diplomatic relations with the Government of Israel with immediate effect, said foreign ministry in a news release today.
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SLA builds bulwark as Tigers advance

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 May 2000, 12:24 GMT]
The Operational headquarters of Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defence (MoD) acknowledged that the Sri Lanka army was pushed out of Pallai, Pulopalai and Iththaavil by the Liberation Tigers yesterday in a press release issued Monday afternoon. The SLA, according to the release, was forced to withdraw with heavy casualties. Sources in Jaffna, meanwhile, said that the SLA is constructing a massive bulwark to stall the advancing Tigers.
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School shifted due to Navy bombarding

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 April 2000, 13:11 GMT]
The Government Tamil Mixed School (GTMS) in Ilankanthai has been shifted to a safer location in the interior for fear of further attacks by Sri Lanka Naval gunboats Department of Education officials in Mutur said today. The classes for the children were conducted under trees following the SLN attack yesterday as there are no buildings in the interior for running the school they said.
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SLN shells village, two killed

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 April 2000, 05:53 GMT]
Two civilians were killed and another wounded yesterday morning when the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) gunboats shelled Ilakkanthai, a fishing hamlet in the Mutur area, about 15 km. south of Trincomalee.
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Tigers begin advance on Pallai centre

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 April 2000, 17:31 GMT]
The fighting formations of the Liberation Tigers are advancing on the centre of Pallai said the Voice of Tigers (VoT) in its night news broadcast today. The Tigers have asked civilians living in villages between Pallai and Kodikamam to move out to safer areas to ensure their safety, according to the radio.
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Road writing provokes STF wrath

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 April 2000, 10:45 GMT]
Seventeen civilians who were severely assaulted by the Special Task Force (STF) commandos were admitted to the Batticaloa hospital today. They had been beaten up during a search operation in Kirankulam where writings hailing the Tigers for overrunning the Elephant Pass base had appeared on the Batticaloa - Kalmunai highway yesterday.
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Tiger flag hoisted over Elephant Pass

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 April 2000, 10:13 GMT]
One of the senior military commander of the Liberation Tigers Col.Banu hoisted the Tiger flag over Elephant Pass around 9.30 a.m. this morning, LTTE sources in London told TamilNet.
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ICRC medical supplies blocked

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 April 2000, 12:25 GMT]
Sri Lankan troops this week prevented the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from taking its MoD authorised medical supplies for its mobile and primary health clinics in the Vanni, the ICRC spokesman Harsha Gunawardena told TamilNet Thursday. He expressed concern for the civilians in the Vanni who relied on the ICRC facilities.
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SLA blocking essential medical supplies - MSF

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 April 2000, 12:51 GMT]
Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF), the international aid agency said Monday Sri Lankan security forces were preventing it from taking urgently needed medical supplies into the Vanni region. The shortage of essential drugs in the region had become "critical" MSF said in a statement.
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Soldier arrested for waylaying women

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 April 2000, 15:08 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier was arrested by the Police yesterday for allegedly robbing two houses on April 11 and way laying four women on April 10 in Thampalakamam in the Trincomalee district. The arrest was made following a protest march by a large number of civilians in Thampalakamam on April 13.
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Three soldiers missing in Valaichenai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 April 2000, 11:46 GMT]
Two soldiers have been reported missing from the Sri Lanka army camp in Kalkudah, 35 km. north of Batticaloa, since Tuesday April 11, Police sources in Valaichenai said today. There is no indication of their whereabouts despite investigations by the army, according to them.
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'Hartal' protest in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 April 2000, 06:13 GMT]
Shops, offices and businesses were closed in Jaffna this morning in response to the 'Hartal' called by an alliance of forty NGOs including religious organisations and the Jaffna University students' union. The Hartal is being observed today as part of the continuing protest in the peninsula over the civilians who are awaiting the Sri Lanka army's permission to leave their villages that are situated close to the Elephant Pass garrison in Jaffna's southern sector.
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Protestors blockade Jaffna Kachcheri

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 April 2000, 13:18 GMT]
Hundreds of people blocked the entrance of the Jaffna Kachcheri from this morning demanding that the civilians in the war zone in Jaffna's southern sector be allowed by the Sri Lanka Army to move out of their villages forthwith to safer areas in other parts of the peninsula. An urgent note to the Sri Lanka army's 52-2 brigade in Kodikamam was sent by the Government Agent for Jaffna following the blockade urging the officers there to do the needful for the civilians' release. There was no reply to his note until 5 p.m. today, Kachcheri officials said. The blockade of the Jaffna District Secretariat continues.
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Will assist Pallai evacuation - Commander

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 April 2000, 13:16 GMT]
The Operational Headquarters of Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defence said in a press release today that the Jaffna Security Forces (SF) Commander Maj.Gen Chula Senaviratne has arranged transport to move out civilians who are willing to leave their villages from the war zone near the Elephant Pass garrison in Jaffna's southern sector.
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Villagers near garrison still trapped

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 April 2000, 15:01 GMT]
Mr.V. Puththirasigamani, the Divisional Secretary (DS) for the Pachchilaipalli region in Jaffna, said that 2704 civilians are awaiting permission to leave their villages that are situated close to the Elephant Pass garrison. He said that they are ready to leave their villages as soon as the Sri Lanka army grants them permission to move out to safer areas in the peninsula.
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Profit plans stymie passage to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 April 2000, 09:08 GMT]
The private operators of the passenger ship service to the north are quoting more than four thousand rupees (58 USD) for a return ticket to Jaffna from Trincomalee said a Jaffna Kachcheri official when contacted this morning by TamilNet over the continuing delay in obtaining the consent of the ICRC to escort such vessels. The official said "this ticket price structure is unfair". He added it could further compound the problem because the ICRC has no mandate, as far as he was aware, to escort a profit making passenger ship service.
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Jaffna Students In Boycott

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 April 2000, 08:51 GMT]
Jaffna University Students are boycotting lectures from today demanding army authorities to permit civilians held up in the war zone to leave the area.
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Jaffna refugees cross the bar

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 April 2000, 12:22 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army (SLA) allowed 1643 civilians to leave Kilali in Jaffna where they were blocked from proceeding to safer parts of the peninsula by the security forces since Sunday, April 2, amidst protests by human rights organisations and Tamil politicians. The released refugees began leaving the Kilali military encampment in the off monsoon shower from about 11 a.m. this morning.
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'Let them go' say Jaffna protestors

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 April 2000, 09:14 GMT]
More than eight hundred people staged a sit in protest today in front of the district secretariat of Jaffna town, urging the Sri Lankan government and the international community to guarantee the safety of civilians trapped in the battle zones of the peninsula's southern sector and to let them move out to safer areas.
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Four civilians killed in shelling

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 April 2000, 13:52 GMT]
Four civilians were killed and 11 injured when the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) based in Naagar Kovil opened up a heavy barrage of shelling on a group of refugees taking shelter in a catholic church in the village of Chempiyanpattu in the Vadamaradchi East division, today, LTTE sources in London said.
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