Inaugural JMC meeting planned

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The inaugural meeting of the Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) will be held today at the Nallur Hindu Hostel premises in the Jaffna town, presided over by Jaffna Mayor Sarojini Yogeswaran. The Democratic Peoples' Liberation Front (DPLF), the principal party in opposition in the JMC, is expected to put up 10 proposals for consideration by the Council today.
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Investigations should be made public: Amnesty

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Amnesty International, the human rights organisation said on April 23, that the Government of Sri Lanka should promptly make public and disseminate widely, the findings of an investigation into more than 700 "disappearances" reported in 1996 in Jaffna.
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UNP meets South African peace group

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A South African human rights organization, Dravidians for Peace and Justice (South African Chapter), say they have held a meeting with a representative of the UNP, the main Sri Lankan opposition party, in Johannesburg to discuss the current conflict and human rights in Sri Lanka.
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Jaffna disappearances remain unsolved

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Board of Investigation of the Ministry of Defence which was appointed by the SL government to inquire about the people in Jaffna who were reported missing after being arrested by the army submitted its findings and recommendations to the Sri Lankan President yesterday.
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Rape witness said burned alive

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers in Vadamaradchi East issued the following information to TamilNet's Vadamaratchi correspondent, which contradicted that which had earlier been given to TamilNet's hospital sources by the Sri Lankan authorities.(TamilNet's correspondent says that the version which was originally given out by official sources was apparently aimed at creating confusion to cover up the truth.)
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Renewed operation in Vadamaradchi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Sri Lankan army began another operation into the Vadamaradchi east region on the southeastern coast of Jaffna this morning around 6 a.m. This region and parts of the Thenmaradchi division such as Eluthumattuvaal north and Meesalai north which are contiguous with it are not under the SLA control.
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Bread banned from Vadamaradchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Sri Lankan Army at the Vallipuram sentry point has banned civilians from taking bread into Vadamaradchi East region in the Jaffna Peninsula, said local residents. The ban was introduced on Saturday, April 11, they said.
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Travel permit delays to be eased in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Travellers from Jaffna may have their applications to leave the peninsula processed faster under a new system to be introduced from tomorrow in the peninsula. Jaffna travellers have had to face inordinate delays, some running into more than six months, due to the massive backlog at the SLA Civil Affairs Office on 3rd Cross street in Jaffna town.
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Police fire injures civilian

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A leading businessman of Batticaloa, K. Jegathees, was seriously injured in the early hours of the morning today around 5.30 a.m. by Sri Lankan Police fire while on his way back with his family from the Maamaangam Temple where he had attended the Tamil New Year Pooja. His wife and two children who were with him escaped unhurt.
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LTTE warns collaboration

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers put up printed posters in the Vadamaradchi and Thenmaradchi divisions of the Jaffna peninsula this weekend warning people who give information to the Sri Lankan army about their activities. The posters appeared in areas which are under the control of the Sri Lankan army overnight.
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Explosion in Jaffna town

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
One woman was killed and sixteen civilians were wounded in a grenade blast this evening around 5.20 p.m. (11.20 GMT) in the heart of Jaffna town. The explosion, suspected to be a powerful grenade, went off in front of Sivaganeshan Stores (formerly Malayan Cafe building) on the Power House Road in Jaffna town.
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Tamil gunmen operating with Colombo troops

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Armed men in civilian clothing who accompany uniformed Sri Lankan security forces personnel, including police, during cordon and search operations in Colombo are strongly suspected to be members of certain ex-Tamil militant groups now working with the SLA as para-military units, a human rights lawyer, who was not willing to be identified, told TamilNet.
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Accident victim bleeds to death

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
One civilian was killed and another critically injured when the motorbike in which they were travelling crashed into another belonging to the SLA near Aavarangal on the Jaffna-Pt. Pedro Road around 6.30 p.m. yesterday said sources in Jaffna. The injured were rushed to the Atchuvely hospital and from there to the Jaffna hospital around 11 p.m. last night.
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PLOTE raids porn theatre

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A video parlour showing pornographic films near Kalliyankadu bus halt on the Jaffna - Pt. Pedro road in the Jaffna peninsula was raided yesterday morning by the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) while a show was in progress said a spokesman of the group. The PLOTE had taken in three persons who were running the 'mini theatre'.
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Home guards bound for warfront

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Seven thousand home-guards have been issued automatic assault rifles and are now being trained by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to man the forward defence lines (FDLs) on the Anuradhapura - Vavuniya border that divides the war torn north-east Sri Lanka from the rest of the country, said military sources.
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Civilian hit by shelling

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A civilian was injured at Naasivanthivu, a village near Valaichenai on the shore of the Valaichenai lagoon 30 km north of Batticaloa around 2:00 a.m. today, when the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shelled the village, said sources in Valaichenai.
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Youths missing after arrest

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Five youths were taken into custody by home guards at Koyilporatheevu, 25 km north-west Batticaloa on March 31, while they were catching hares in the paddy fields and shrubs in the area, said sources in Batticaloa. The five youths, who are from Aliyarvattai in the 35th Colony of the Gal Oya scheme, were arrested when they crossed into the village of 36th Colony.
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Jaffna LTTE commander says attacks will intensify

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Jaffna military commander of the Liberation Tigers (who replaced the former commander Veeman recently) and his deputy gave an exclusive interview to TamilNet's Vadamaradchi correspondent who met them in Naagarkovil yesterday. (They asked the TamilNet correspondent to refrain from publishing their noms de guerre at this juncture for security reasons.) The following are excerpts from the interview.
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Mine hits SLA tractor

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
More than two SLA soldiers were killed and several wounded when the tractor in which they were traveling from Maruthankerni to Vettilaikkerni in Vadamaradchi east was hit by a land mine attack carried out by the the Liberation Tigers yesterday around 11.30 a.m. in the morning said LTTE sources in Naagarkovil. They said that the tractor was completely destroyed in the attack.
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Jaffna MPs campaign for cease-fire

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A signature collection campaign began in Jaffna today demanding an immediate cease-fire. The campaign, however, is low key and is backed by the EPDP break away MPs Rameswaran and Ramamoorthy. The memorandum states that the Liberation Tigers and the government should come forward to stop the war and create conditions for peace.
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