Tigers push further in Mannar

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 November 1999, 05:24 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers brought more villages under their control as their troops continued operations in the large sector west of Madhu and north of the Vavuniya Mannar highway in the district of Mannar yesterday sources in Vavuniya said this morning. The sources said that the fighting units of the LTTE are moving closer to the Thallady SLA base from the areas captured in the latest phase of the offensive in Mannar.
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Madhu victims’ bodies recovered

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 November 1999, 00:28 GMT]
The bodies of 37 civilians who were killed at the Madhu Church Saturday night were brought to the Mannar hospital Sunday evening around 6 p.m., said sources. The Mannar Magistrate, Mr.Ilancheliyan, inspected the bodies at the hospital, they said.
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“Human shields” at Madhu

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 November 1999, 13:14 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Sunday denied Sri Lanka Army (SLA) accusations that they had killed scores of Tamil civilians by shelling the revered Catholic shrine at Madhu. The LTTE said SLA troops had shelled the church and used refugees sheltering there as human shields. The Tigers called on international NGOs to prevail upon the Sri Lankan military and halt this practice.
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Wounded Madhu refugees allege SLA fired

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 November 1999, 10:44 GMT]
Wounded refugees who were brought to the Vavuniya hospital speaking on condition of anonymity said this morning that an armoured column of the SLA, retreating from a fierce counter attack by the Liberation Tigers had opened fire on the Madhu shrine where they had been huddled together last night around 10 p.m. killing and wounding scores.
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37 killed at Madhu church

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 November 1999, 09:14 GMT]
Thirty seven civilians were killed and sixty four wounded when shells hit Madhu church amidst fighting between Sri Lankan Army units that had taken up positions in the environs of the Madhu shrine and the Liberation Tigers.
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SLA pulls FDLs back

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 November 1999, 11:51 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) is establishing new forward defence lines (FDL) at Madhu road junction on the Vavuniya Mannar road after the Liberation Tigers took control of large areas in the northwestern district of Mannar yesterday.
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Shell kills three

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 November 1999, 11:48 GMT]
Hospital sources in Vavuniya said three civilians were killed and five wounded when a shell hit Kovilpuliyankulam, 4 km. north of Poovarasankulam around 5.30 a.m. this morning. Poovarasankulam is about 16 km from Vavuniya on the Mannar road.
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Civilians return to Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 November 1999, 10:51 GMT]
Deserted Vavuniya town is becoming alive after about a week as thousands of residents have begun to trickle into the town from adjoining villages from this morning sources said.
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Tigers urge civilians to return

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 November 1999, 20:05 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers have requested the residents of Vavuniya to return to their homes said sources in the northern town today. An announcement over the Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio said that in view of the difficult conditions the displaced were living in, the Tigers withdrew the original request to evacuate the town.
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Refugees prevented from leaving Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 November 1999, 16:04 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army in Vavuniya is preventing Tamil civilians living in refugee camps close to SLA camps from leaving the northern town, said the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) in a report submitted to the Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunge today. In addition no food supplies have been distributed to the displaced since they left, or allowed into the Vanni since November 1, the report said.
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SLA blocks civilians' dry rations

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 November 1999, 11:24 GMT]
The Sri Lankan military authorities have told the government officials in Vavuniya not to provide dry rations to thousand of civilians moved from the town last week, Kachcheri sources said.
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Two policemen killed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 November 1999, 11:16 GMT]
Two policemen were shot dead by unidentified youths in Kaluwanchikudy, about 35 km. south of Batticaloa, around 10 a.m. this morning said police sources.
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Culvert blasted

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 November 1999, 13:33 GMT]
Unidentified men blasted a culvert on the Uppodai road in Vantharumoolai, about 20 km. north of Batticaloa last night around 7.30 p.m. yesterday evening said sources.
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CVF member killed

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 November 1999, 13:28 GMT]
A member of the Civilian Volunteer Force (CVF), was shot dead by unidentified youth at Kalviyankadu junction, near Iruthayapuram Police sentry post in the Batticaloa town around 9.30 a.m. this morning said sources.
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Aid workers protest SLA pressure

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 November 1999, 19:58 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Vavuniya is pressuring civilians to return to the northern garrison town, said aid workers in Colombo today. The new SLA town commander has been applying severe pressure on aid agencies to support the SLA’s efforts, the aid workers said.
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Vavuniya said deserted

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 November 1999, 08:20 GMT]
Vavuniya is almost completely deserted, the last few traders to leave the northern town told TamilNet today when contacted by telephone. They said they would be leaving shortly for safe areas designated by the Liberation Tigers.
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UNP pledges talks with LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 November 1999, 14:30 GMT]
Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremasinghe said that were the UNP to win the Presidential elections next month, he would, without delay, commence talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who would temporarily administer the Tamil dominated North East province for 2 years, prior to elections being held there.
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Vavuniya residents said leaving

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 November 1999, 10:29 GMT]
Aid workers said today that civilians in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) garrison town of Vavuniya have begun leaving following several broadcasts in Tamil and Sinhala by the Voice of Tigers radio urging civilians to move to safer areas ahead of a possible LTTE offensive. The VoT is designating specific areas for the civilians to move into.
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MSF "deeply concerned" by humanitarian situation

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 November 1999, 16:49 GMT]
The emergency medical aid organization Medecins Sans Frontieres Friday expressed its deep concern about the humanitarian situation in northern Sri Lanka where heavy fighting has been ongoing for almost a week.
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Soldiers tell of food shortage

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 November 1999, 11:41 GMT]
A large number of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops have fallen back to the government garrison town of Vavuniya, after being routed from the Puliyankulam area, say sources there. Residents said more troops were regularly coming from the war front.
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