Decapitated body washed ashore in Vadamaraadchi East

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 December 2007, 21:29 GMT]
A decapitated body in a highly decomposed state was found washed ashore Friday in Maamunai area in Vadamaraadchi east, fishermen in the area said. The body is likely have been dumped in the areas controlled by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) further north of Maamunai, according to the fishermen.
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2 SLA soldiers killed, 17 injured in Mannaar clashes

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 December 2007, 21:03 GMT]
In three separate incidents in the North, at least 17 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers have been injured and two killed Sunday and Monday, according to reports received from Mannaar Operations Command of the LTTE. No casualties among LTTE cadres were reported.
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Four surrender at Jaffna HRC seeking safety

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 December 2007, 19:56 GMT]
Four civilians from Thenmaraadchy and Valikaamam in Jaffna sought safety at the offices of the Jaffna Human Rights Commission (HRC) Sunday, fearing for their lives from the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and SLA-backed paramilitaries, civil society sources in Jaffna said. Human Rights Watch (HRW), a human rights organization based in New York, told a public radio in Chicago saturday that in the last 18 months more than 1000 Tamils between ages 18 and 35 have disappeared, or tortured and killed, mainly in Jaffna. HRW added that on the average 4 persons are abducted or killed every day in Jaffna.
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Protecting Rights defenders, a challenge to Diplomatic missions- Ganesan

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 December 2007, 15:01 GMT]
In an appeal addressed to all Diplomatic Missions in Colombo, Mano Ganesan, Leader of Western People’s Front and Convener of Civil Monitoring Commission, said Friday, that it is a challenge Western Democratic Governments which have expressed "human rights as the most core issue" in Sri Lanka, to urgently move to protect defenders of human rights and humanitarian workers. Ganesan recently charged that Colombo, by withdrawing his security personnel, is creating a climate for getting him assassinated.
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Crisis looms as milk food prices soar in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 December 2007, 09:29 GMT]
A serious humanitarian crisis is developinging in Jaffna due to the acute shortage of infant milk food, and the resulting doubling of prices in black market. The high prices have made the essential commodity out of reach to many mothers with infants, consumer groups in Jaffna reported. The groups urged Government authorities to take urgent action to rectify the situation and protect the welfare of peninsula infants, especially those under 3 years of age.
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Kinniya-Moothoor land route re-opened

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 December 2007, 17:11 GMT]
Kinniya-Moothoor road along Trincomalee-Batticaloa A 15 highway was reopened last Friday for public transport after seventeen years by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA). Ferries have been put on service to connect the three causeways, Upparu, Gangai and I'raalku'li that separate Moothoor and Kinniya along A 15 highway. The strip of road was closed since 1990 due to security reasons by the SLA, sources said.
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Passport fiasco

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 December 2007, 11:58 GMT]
While the Sri Lankan High Commissioner for U.K., Ms. Kshenuka Senewiratne, toils hard to extricate the Government of Sri Lanka from the diplomatic bungle it made in issuing a diplomatic passport under false name to fugitive Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna, Rights organizations accused Karuna of "war crimes," and urged British Government to try him in Britain. Meanwhile, informed sources in Colombo said Canadian Embassy had earlier rejected visa application for "Karuna," before British Embassy was misled by Colombo to issue a visa under the name of "Dushmantha Gunawardene, Director General, Wild Life Conservation."
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Sri Lanka Army, Police smash pavement shops in Mannaar bazaar

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 December 2007, 07:31 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army soldiers and policemen who went amok in Mannaar bazaar Sunday morning around 7:00 a.m. smashed around 100 pavement shops, beat the petty shop owners, and arrested at least 80 Tamils and Muslims. The police razzia has taken place following the killing of a Sinhala police constable Saturday night when he went to buy cigarette in the bazaar. Parents and relatives of the persons arrested, most of them petty shop owners and three-wheeler drivers, have gathered at Mannaar police station. Tension prevails in the city and the streets were deserted although shops remained open for Christmas shopping.
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17 SLA killed, 54 wounded, two-pronged SL operation thwarted in Mannaar - LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 December 2007, 16:33 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) on Saturday thwarted a two-pronged Sri Lanka Army (SLA) movement towards Uyilangku'lam in Mannaar, Tiger officials at Mannaar Operations Command told media in Ki'linochchi. Backed with heavy artillery and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher fire, the SLA troops attempted to enter LTTE controlled area on two fronts, but were defeated after 12 hours of stiff resistance in which 17 SLA troopers were killed and 54 wounded. 3 LTTE fighters were killed in action, according to the Tigers.
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4 SLA troops killed, 9 injured in Ma’nalaa’ru

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 December 2007, 09:38 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) thwarted an attempt made by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops to enter LTTE Forward Defence Lines(FDLs) at Kokkuthoduvaai in Ma’nalaa’ru in Vanni Friday around 5:30 p.m, killing four troops and injuring more than nine, according Ma'nalaa'ru Operations Command of the LTTE.
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SLA lifts curfew in Jaffna for Christmas celebrations

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 December 2007, 05:08 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA), Palaali High Command has announced the lifting of curfew on Monday and Tuesday to allow Jaffna residents to celebrate Christmas and to attend churches, sources in Jaffna said. Currently the SLA strictly enforces curfew from 9:00 p.m. to 4:30 a.m.
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Tamil youth of Malaysia: question of culture and empowerment

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 December 2007, 17:00 GMT]
If it could be realized that development, social empowerment and even winning a struggle are rather cultural than economic or political, then it won’t be difficult to see that the problems of the Tamil Diaspora all over the world are more internal than external. The Tamil culture is one of the classical cultures of humanity. But if there is anything wrong in its contemporary manifestations, one shouldn’t shy away from reform. The global Tamil Diaspora should come together in this regard and help each other by commonly addressing the cultural problems. The privileged and developed sections of the Tamil Diaspora bear more responsibility in this regard, writes Opinion Columnist Ampalam.
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Court rejects police request to remand, releases suspect on bail

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 December 2007, 16:22 GMT]
The Colombo Chief Magistrate Mackie Mohamed Thursday refused an application by the Cinnamons Garden Police to remand a Muslim resident of Sammanthurai who was arrested by a mobile squad of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on suspicion that he was a terrorist suspect. The court ordered the release of the suspect on personal bail in a sum of Rs: 50,000/= with two sureties.
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Mannaar Bishop meets Nadesan in Ki’linochchi

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 December 2007, 03:40 GMT]
Rt. Rev. Rayappu Joseph, Bishop of Mannaar Diocese, discussed humanitarian problems faced by the Tamil people with B. Nadesan, the political head of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in a meeting Thursday around 1:00 p.m in Ki’linochchi.
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SLA artillery injured Mannar IDP, dies

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 December 2007, 17:19 GMT]
An Internally Displaced Person (IDP), who was injured in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery fire on 26.10.2007 on the IDP camp at Periyamadu in Mannaar, succumbed to the wounds Thursday early morning in Muzhangkaavil hospital, hospital sources said.
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LTTE attacks SLA infiltration unit in Ma’nalaa’ru

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 December 2007, 16:54 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) waylaid and attacked an infiltration unit of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Thursday around 1:45 p.m in Ceylon Theatre area in Ma’nalaa’ru in Vanni, inflicting heavy injuries to the SLA troops. The SLA group retreated carrying the injured, sources in Ki’linochchi said.
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India offers joint air-defence exercise to Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 December 2007, 16:46 GMT]
The top-level visiting Indian defence delegation to Sri Lanka to review the ongoing bilateral defence cooperation has offered assistance in the form of "joint air-defence exercises" to face any threats posed by the aerial capability of the Tigers, according to highly placed sources in Colombo. Indian Defence Secretary Vijay Singh who called on Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa in Colombo early this week has made the offer. The delegation arrived in Colombo last Sunday and left the island Wednesday after meeting with the Commanders of the Sri Lankan Army, Air Force and Navy.
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SLA, LTTE artillery duels intensify in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 December 2007, 10:35 GMT]
Heavy artillery duel between Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) beginning Thursday morning continued even after midday while unrelenting rain poured down in the peninsula, sources in Jaffna said. Residents in the peninsula are apprehensive of an impending offensive operation by the SLA as intensive artillery fire both on land and sea reverberates amidst pouring rain. Meanwhile, the Tigers said an attempt by the SLA to advance towards their Forward Defence Line in Naakarkoayil was thwarted, killing two SLA soldiers and recovering the dead body of a SLA soldier with an assault rifle.
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2 SLA killed in Naakarkoayil FDL clash - LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 December 2007, 09:35 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army soldiers were killed and a fresh attempt by the SLA to advance towards the Forward Defence Line of the Liberation Tigers at Naakarkoayil in Vadamaraadchi East was thwarted Thursday around 1:00 p.m., according to the Northern Front Operations Command of the LTTE. The Tigers recovered a SLA dead body. One T-56-2 rifle was among the military accessories seized in the counter-attack, the LTTE said.
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Sri Lanka ranked third in murders of journalists

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 December 2007, 16:49 GMT]
Press Emblem Campaign, an independent media watchdog based in Geneva, in a press release issued Monday said, Sri Lanka ranked third worldwide in number of journalists killed in 2007 in line of duty, behind Iraq and Somalia. "Sri Lanka ranks third, seven journalists killed this year against four last year due to the intensity of the civil war," the press release said.
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