Providing moral support to Eelam, not a crime- Thirumavalavan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 January 2008, 18:53 GMT]
"Any move to suppress those expressing moral support to Tamil Eelam and LTTE is violation of all tenets of democracy and humanism, and will border on fascism," Viduthalai Chiruththaikal Katchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party) President Thol. Thirumavalavan said on Friday addressing a conference organized by his party in Chennai labeled "Redeem the Freedom of Expression."
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SLA, LTTE clash in Paalamoaddai, Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 January 2008, 16:12 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army Saturday morning abandoned a fresh attempt to infiltrate into Liberation Tigers controlled territory in Paalamoaddai in Vavuniyaa after a counter-attack by the Tigers, according to LTTE Operations Command in Vavuniyaa.
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School damaged in SLAF bombing in Mullaiththeevu

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 January 2008, 16:09 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers Saturday attacked Kaiveali, located 1 km from Puthkukkudiyiruppu on Paranthan Road between 1:30 and 1:50 p.m. Kaiveali Ganesha Viththiyaalayam school sustained damage in the air-strike, Tamileelam Police officials in Puthukkudiyiruppu said. The NGO White Pigeon is located close to the attack site.
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Jaffna residents first to benefit from local paddy harvest– GA

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 January 2008, 12:12 GMT]
Jaffna Government Agent (GA), K. Ganesh, in a press announcement Saturday, informed that the paddy expected to be harvested in the Maha cultivation 2007-2008 in Jaffna peninsula will not be sent out of the district. The GA took this step in response to the strong protest raised by NGOs and other civil organizations which pointed out that Jaffna peninsula will be facing an acute shortage of rice if the expected yield is shipped to outer districts, sources in Jaffna said.
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15 civilians arrested in Buttala still in custody

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 January 2008, 03:12 GMT]
Fifteen civilians arrested at Buttala in Badulla district in Uva province on Wednesday evening in a combined cordon and search operation conducted by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Sri Lanka Police are still being detained in police stations and interrogated. Of the arrested, 12 are Tamils and three are Sinhalese youths, police said.
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SLA faces stiff resistance in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 January 2008, 16:45 GMT]
Three Sri Lanka Army soldiers and two Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam fighters were killed Friday when Tigers offered stiff resistance to SLA units that stepped up an offensive push targeting Adampan in Mannaar, according to LTTE Operations Command in the district. A ground troop movement headed by tanks with the support of artillery and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher fire from Tha'l'laadi base, was halted at 1:00 p.m. due to the resistance mounted by the Tigers.
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Armed gang injures 3 Muslim traders in Pollanaruwa

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 January 2008, 13:11 GMT]
Unidentified armed young men went on a rampage Thursday night at 7:00p.m in the market area in Ridithenna located in the border area between Batticaloa and Pollanaruwa districts attacking three Muslim businessmen and seriously wounding them, police said.
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"We are not party to Vitarne Report"- WPF

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 January 2008, 12:23 GMT]
General Secretary of Western Peoples Front (WPF) in a press release issued Friday said, "Minister Tissa Vitarana has used the name of our party among other parties for his interim report he submitted to the [Sri Lanka's] president. By listing the name of our party, Western Peoples Front (WPF), he is giving an impression that we too are in agreement with his submission. This is a regrettable sinister move of the veteran samasamajist minister..."
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Jaffna Undergrads condemn killling of Student leader

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 January 2008, 09:18 GMT]
Jaffna District Tamil Students’ Union (JDTSU), in a press release issued Friday, strongly condemned the killing of Panchadcharam Kunenthiran, 22, who was shot dead inside the Jaffna Campus premises, and praised him for his efforts to safeguard the interests of Jaffna district students. The youth, the former president of Jaffna District Students Union, had gone to Jaffna University campus to meet his friends and was gunned down in day light inside the campus by two men in civil clothes on a motor bicycle amid tight security around the campus with several Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops posted in sentries posts near the campus, sources in Jaffna said.
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3 SLA killed, 6 wounded in Ma'nalaa'ru skirmish - LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 January 2008, 03:38 GMT]
Three Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and six wounded Thursday evening when Liberation Tigers counter-attacked SLA soldiers who mounted an attack on Tiger positions at Ma'nki'ndi Malai, according to the operation command of the LTTE in Ma'nalaa'ru. Meanwhile, the Tigers said they had seized weapons from the SLA in a separate clash at Ceylon Theatre area in Ma'nalaa'ru.
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Civlian killed, 2 wounded, SLAF bombs Ki'linochchi suburb

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 January 2008, 03:21 GMT]
A civilian traveler was killed and two civilians were seriously wounded when Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked Viveakananthaa Nakar, an outer suburb of Ki'iinochchi, located 3 km southwest of the town, Friday morning between 7:50 and 8:10 a.m. Three houses were fully destroyed and six more houses have sustained damage. Liberation Tigers anti-aircraft unit rushed to the area and opened fired when SLAF fighter jets swooped over the suburb, forcing the planes to higher altitudes.
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Youth abducted in Kotahena

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 January 2008, 01:00 GMT]
A Tamil youth from Batticaloa district, a resident of Poaratheevu, recently captured from Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) by Sri Lanka Army (SLA), was abducted in Kotahena, Colombo on the 14 January by group of five men operating in a white van with license plate number 2534899, the relatives of the youth stated in a complaint lodged with P.Rathakrishnan, Deputy minister and an Upcountry United Front (UPF) parliamentarian.
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3 SLA killed, 16 wounded in Mannaar - LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 January 2008, 15:55 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Operations Command in Mannaar claimed it repulsed a ground movement of the Sri Lanka Army towards Paalaikkuzhi Thursday morning following a confrontation that lasted from 6:00 a.m till 8:15 a.m. The Tigers further said SLA soldiers suffered casualties in booby traps while withdrawing from their mission. One LTTE fighter was killed in action.
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Tigers seize SLA weapons in Ma'nalaa'ru

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 January 2008, 14:59 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Ma'nalaa'ru Operations Command said it repulsed a ground movement by the Sri Lanka Army in Ceylon Theatre area of Ma'nalaa'ru Thursday evening and seized three T-56 assault rifles, a 40 mm gun and more than hundred 7.62 mm rounds after more than 2-hours stiff resistance.
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Pilfering of goods at KKS Harbour adds to material loss

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 January 2008, 12:03 GMT]
Construction contractors and traders in Jaffna made representations to Government Agent (GA) Jaffna that millions of rupees worth of essential goods and construction materials are routinely pilfered in Kaankeasanthu’rai (KKS) and Mayiliddi harbours located in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zone (HSZ), sources in Jaffna said.
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Youth returns back to HRC for protection

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 January 2008, 10:57 GMT]
A youth, who was earlier placed in protective custody in the Jaffna prison by Human Rights Commission (HRC) after seeking protection due to death threats by Sri Lanka Amy (SLA) troops and SLA-backed paramilitaries, and later left the custody, surrendered at the HRC again asking them to provide protection as unidentified armed men had allegedly tried to kill him, HRC sources said.
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Sri Lanka Navy plants explosives in Historic Waters

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 January 2008, 16:47 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) has planted underwater mines between Kachchatheevu and Neduntheevu (Delft Island) endangering the lives of Tamil Nadu fishermen according to reports in the Indian media Wednesday. Consequently, 12 fishermen from Rameswaram (Raameasvaram) in Tamil Nadu were taken into custody by the SLN Monday when they attempted to exercise their traditional fishing rights in Kachchatheevu. "In a shameless show of solidarity with the SLN which has violated the international convention, the Indian Navy has also arrested 60 fishermen from Rameswaram in the last two days," said a fishermen society representative in Rameswaram.
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LTTE refutes SLAF claims of air strike on Tiger leadership

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 January 2008, 13:11 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan Wednesday evening refuted the claims by the Sri Lanka Air Force that it had hit a location of the leader of the LTTE Velupillai Pirapaharan Wednesday morning. Stating that Colombo was spreading false propaganda, Mr. Ilanthirayan said the SLAF attack targeted civilian settlements at Vaddakkachchi twice between 11:10 a.m. and 11:35 a.m. and in the evening between 5:15 and 6:00 p.m.
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13 Tamils arrested in Kalpity

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 January 2008, 11:20 GMT]
The Chilaw Police Wednesday arrested 13 Tamil civilians in Kalpity coastal village in a cordon and search operation conducted from Tuesday night. Majority of them now detained and interrogated at Kalpity police station are residents of Mannaar and Jaffna, sources said.
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ICRC hands over 9 bodies to LTTE in Oamanthai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 January 2008, 08:59 GMT]
International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) officials in Vavuniyaa handed over nine dead bodies to Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Oamanthai in LTTE controlled area Wednesday around 9:00 a.m, sources in Vavuniyaa said. The Sri Lanka Army had handed over the 9 bodies to Vavuniyaa hospital Tuesday.
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