4 civilians seek protection with Jaffna HRC

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 February 2008, 16:02 GMT]
Four civilians, including a young woman, 28, and her six-year-old daughter, sought protection Monday with Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna due to death threats from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops and SLA-backed paramilitaries. The young woman's husband is already in protective custody in Jaffna prison, and the SLA has been forcing her to get her husband out of protective custody and to have him surrender at the SLA camp, according to the complaints she lodged with HRC Monday.
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Medical supplies for Ki'linochchi district arrive in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 February 2008, 04:56 GMT]
A portion of the consignment of Medical Supplies dispatched by Ministry of Health for Ki'linochchi district, held up at Anuradhapura railway station for more than two weeks, has been brought to Vavuniyaa Friday, Dr.Sathiyamoorthy, Ki’linochchi district Deputy Director of health services (DDHS), said Sunday.
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Sri Lanka rejects Kosovo independence

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 February 2008, 18:22 GMT]
While the United States and a number of European Union countries are expected to recognize Kosovo on Monday, Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry, reasoning that declaration of Independence can set "an unmanageable precedent in the conduct of international relations," said that Sri Lanka does not endorse the secession of Kosovo from Republic of Serbia. Questions raised by the birth of a new state towards demand for self-determination by similarly affected Tamils in Sri Lanka, may explain Sri Lanka's discomfiture towards Kosovo's independence, more than the outwardly expressed "concern" for the threat to international peace and security, political observers in Colombo said.
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LTTE attacks SLA FDL in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 February 2008, 14:13 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Sunday attacked a Sri Lanka Army Forward Defence post at Naavatku'lam in Vavuniyaa district, killing a SLA soldier and wounding two. The SLA soldiers withdrew from the checkpost following the LTTE attack that lasted for 30 minutes from 11:10 a.m., according to LTTE Operations Command in Vavuniyaa. Meanwhile, shelling duel continued in Paalamoaddai throughout the night till Sunday 10:00 a.m.
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SLA trooper killed in grenade blast

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 February 2008, 09:31 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier was killed in a grenade blast at a sentry post in Mu'l'li in the Vadamaraadchi Division of the Jaffna peninusla, around 2.45 a.m., Saturday, SLA sources said.
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Kosovo's parliament declares Independence

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 February 2008, 01:47 GMT]
Kosovo's parliament has unanimously endorsed a declaration of independence from Serbia, in an historic session Sunday amid growing excitement among its ethnic Albanians, anger from its Serbs, and the launch of an EU mission to ease the birth of the world's newest state, AFP reported from Pristina, Kosovo. Tens of thousands of people had thronged the streets of Kosovo's capital, Pristina, since the morning. When news came of the declaration in parliament, the centre of the city erupted with fireworks, firecrackers and celebratory gunfire, BBC reported.
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SLA closes segments of two key roads in Jaffna peninsula

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 February 2008, 00:16 GMT]
Citing security reasons, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) announced the closure of a section of two major roads in Jaffna peninsula, a 400 meter stretch of Dutch road from Chaavakachcheari town to Ramalingam road in Thenmaraadchi, and another 400 metre stretch of road from Vallai junction up to Udupiddy road in Vadamaraadchi, for public transport with effect from Friday, sources said.
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SLA push fails in Paalaikkuzhi, SLAF bombs Madu area- LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 February 2008, 22:05 GMT]
Attempts by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers to push forward in Paalaikkuzhi, Mannaar Saturday morning 7:00 a.m. was foiled according to Mannaar Operations Command of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE).
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7 SLA killed, 14 injured in Paalamoaddai, Vavuniyaa - LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 February 2008, 20:09 GMT]
Seven Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and fourteen were injured when SLA, supported by artillery fire and using heavy weapons tried to advance towards Liberation Tigers Forward Defence Lines (FDLs) in Paalamoaddai at noon around 12:45 p.m. Saturday, LTTE command in Vavuniyaa said.
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4 SLA killed, 9 injured in Pa'ndivirichchaan - LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 February 2008, 19:54 GMT]
During an attempt at 10:00 a.m. and a subsequent attempt at 3:20 p.m Saturday by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to advance towards Liberation Tigers Forward Defence Lines (FDLs), the LTTE fighters beat back the advance killing four SLA troopers and injuring nine, LTTE military command in Mannaar said.
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Memorial services for Maheswaran held in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 February 2008, 14:12 GMT]
A number of memorial services, alms giving and blood donation events were organized Friday throughout Jaffna peninsula to pay homage to the slain former parliamentarian and cabinet minister Thiyagarajah Maheswaran. The various events to mark the 45th day of his death was held in a number of Hindu temples in the peninsula including all Hindu temples in his birth place Kaarainakar.
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SLN imposes restrictions on NGOs assisting Allaipiddy IDPs

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 February 2008, 13:29 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) stationed in the Jaffna islets has imposed severe travel restrictions for Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) assisting the residents of Allaipiddy to resettle in their own village, civil society sources in Jaffna said.
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2 SLA killed, 7 wounded in Paalaikkuzhi, Mannaar - LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 February 2008, 10:33 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army soldiers were killed and seven wounded Friday when Liberation Tigers attacked SLA positions at Paalaikkuzhi, according to Mannaar Operations Command of the LTTE.
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Suspects remanded in attempted murder of Sarath Fonseka

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 February 2008, 12:27 GMT]
Colombo Fort Magistrate Mr.Namal Bandara Thursday ordered further remand till February 27 for two suspects in the suicide attack attempt made on Sri Lanka Army Commander Sarath Fonseka on August 25, 2006 near the headquarters of the Sri Lanka Army. The army commander escaped. But 11 soldiers of the SLA were killed and 25 injured, legal sources said.
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SLA ID cards will facilitate mass scale voting fraud- SLMC

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 February 2008, 12:22 GMT]
A delegation of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) led by its leader Mr.Rauf Hakeem told a leading election monitoring institution PAFFREL that the decision of the Election Commissioner to allow the identity cards issued by the defense establishment to voters to cast their votes in Batticaloa local election would lead to mass scale polling fraud. SLMC said that identity cards issued by government security establishment would only help the supporters of the government and its allies. Voters with only national identity should be allowed to cast their votes, the delegation said.
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Man injured in bomb blast dies in Jaffna Hospital

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 February 2008, 06:17 GMT]
An employee of Nalloor Regional Secretariat injured in the bomb explosion 31 January at Aadiyapaatham Road in Thirunelveali succumbed to his injuries Thursday after two weeks of treatment in the Intensive Care Unit at Jaffna Teaching Hospital.
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SLAF bombs Visuvamadu, 3 civilians wounded

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 February 2008, 08:06 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked Eazhaalaik Kudiyiriuppu in Visuvamadu in Mullaiththeevu district Thursday around 10:30 a.m., wounding 3 civilians and destroying two houses of a settlement of IDPs.
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Jayalalitha to Centre: Take action against Karunanidhi for LTTE support

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 February 2008, 16:57 GMT]
Jayalalitha, leader of All India Anna Dravida Munnetta Kazhakam (AIADMK), the major opposition party in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday urged the Centre to take action against Chief Minister M Karunanidhi for his "support" to the LTTE. A resolution adopted at the party's General Council said that Mr. Karunanidhi, after coming back to power, not only remained silent over LTTE supporters, but also went a step ahead and eulogized the death of S P Thamilchelvan, LTTE's former political head. It labeled Karunanidhi's elegy "an act of treason" and alleged that it would pave way for secessionism.
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4 Thenmaraadchi civilians seek protection, IDP reported missing

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 February 2008, 16:31 GMT]
Three persons from the same family and a driver from Thenmaraadchi sought protection with Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna due to death threats from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops and SLA-backed paramilitaries. Meanwhile, an Internally Displaced Person (IDP) from Thellippazhai Cheeriyam Pu'liyadi IDP refugee camp is feared to have disappeared after entering the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) check point in Thellippa'lai, according to a complaint made with HRC Jaffna Wednesday.
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Germany wants sanctions if Sri Lanka continues war

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 February 2008, 13:40 GMT]
Unless Sri Lanka’s hardline government abandons its militarist path, the EU should impose sanctions, Germany said this week, adding that an EU-Troika will travel to Sri Lanka in early March to assess the situation. In an interview with the Tages Speigel newspaper published on February 9, German Economic Cooperation and Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul also said Germany had frozen new development cooperation projects with Sri Lanka and, because of the deteriorating security situation, was withdrawing half their development personnel from the island as well as closing the German Development Bank in Sri Lanka.
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