British documentary team forced to leave Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 October 2007, 12:14 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Jaffna has forced three female journalists, including two journalists from UK based Quicksilver Media and a Sri Lankan journalist accompanying them, to return to Colombo Friday, canceling their documentary mission in Jaffna for the British Channel 4 Television. On Thursday, an hour after arriving at a hotel in Jaffna city, with military escort, they were taken back to Palaali base where they had to stay overnight before returning to Colombo next day. The SLA officers in Palaali, upon the arrival of the documentary team, had offered accommodation in a military camp, but the journalists had declined to accept the offer, informed media sources in Colombo said.
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6 Tamils arrested in Gampaha

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 October 2007, 11:48 GMT]
Six Tamil civilians were taken into custody by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in a cordon and search operation conducted in Gampaha town, situated 24 km northeast of Colombo, from Friday night till dawn of Saturday. The detainees were all staying with their relatives and lodges at that time of arrest.
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US expresses concern over rights abuses in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 October 2007, 23:08 GMT]
U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, R. Nicholas Burns, expressed "serious concern over credible reports of severe human rights abuses in Jaffna...," during a meeting with Sri Lanka's foreign minister Bogollagama in Washington D.C. Thursday, a press release issued by the State Department said.
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U.S. expresses rights concern, urges progress on power-sharing proposal

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 October 2007, 17:32 GMT]
U.S. Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns has expressed serious concern over credible reports of continued severe human rights abuses in Jaffna and other parts of Sri Lanka and ongoing threats to freedom of the press when he met Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, according to a media note released by the U.S. Department of State.
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SLA intelligence officer, soldier shot in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 October 2007, 17:10 GMT]
An unknown armed person shot and wounded a Sri Lanka Army intelligence officer and a soldier at Maligawatte in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo Friday around 2:40 p.m., police said. The two military personnel in plain-cloth were riding in a three-wheeler along Jumma Masjeed road.
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2 SLA intelligence operatives shot in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 October 2007, 15:17 GMT]
Unidentified men shot two intelligence operatives of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) at Maligawatte, a suburb in the Colombo city Friday evening around 3.30 p.m. They were immediately admitted to the Colombo national hospital with gunshot wounds. One of them is reported be in a critical condition, media sources in Colombo reported.
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3 disappear in Jaffna, 3 surrender at HRC

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 October 2007, 11:23 GMT]
Two civilians have been abducted by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers, one has disappeared, and three youths have surrendered with the Human Rights Council (HRC) offices in Jaffna in the last two days, HRC officials said.
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IDPs to be resettled in Chengkaladi

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 October 2007, 01:27 GMT]
Nearly 9000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) belonging to 4349 families, displaced due to Sri Lanka Army (SLA) offensives, are to be resettled in 5 villages located along Chengkaladi-Badulla road, according to decision taken at an urgent meeting held at Batticaloa District Secretariat (DS) Wednesday, presided by Eastern Province Governor, Rear Admiral Mohan Wijewickrema, Batticaloa DS sources said.
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Corpses of 2 Tamil youths recovered in Ea'raavoor

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 October 2007, 00:17 GMT]
Ea'raavoor police recovered two bodies of Tamil youths shots killed, hands bound and eyes blind folded Thursday around 8:00 a.m at Theavapuram, Mu'rakkoddaancheanai in Ea'raavoor police division in Batticaloa district. The youths may have been abducted and brought from another place and killed at Theavapuram, police said.
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Two civilians seek protection with HRC, youth abducted in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 October 2007, 11:04 GMT]
Two more civilians in Jaffna peninsula, one of them a University student receiving death threats from paramilitary personnel, have surrendered to the officials at the Jaffna office of the Human Rights Commission (HRC) Wednesday. One of the protections seekers is from Chavakachcheari, Mirusuvil in Thenmaraadchi and the other is from Thunnaalai in Vadamaraadchi. There is a sharp increase in the number of receiving death threats from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops and SLA-backed paramilitary armed men.
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Killings escalate in Vadamaraadchi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 October 2007, 11:03 GMT]
Armed men, arriving in vehicles during the early curfew hours Thursday at 3:30 a.m. shot and killed a 34-year-old family man, Suntharam Jeyarasa, at Kamparmalai in Valveddiththu'rai. 5 hours later, two armed men on motorcycle entering the shop of a trader located in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zone in Manthikai, Point Pedro, shot him dead spraying bullets on him and escaped from the scene.
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Gotabhaya bans transport of livestock from abandoned Tamil homes in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 October 2007, 08:55 GMT]
Acting on a complaint made by Ameer Ali, Sri Lankan minister of disaster relief services, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan defense secretary, has instructed teh Batticaloa district commanding officer of Sri Lanka Army (SLA), Superintendents of Police and officers of Special Task Force (STF) to ban the transport of livestock belonging to Tamils from the areas in Batticaloa district, recently brought under the control of the SLA. Tamils in these areas have repeatedly lodged complaint with Mr. Ameer Ali that cattle from their homes were being systematically stolen out of the district by paramilitaries and Sri Lankan soldiers and sold in Sinhala areas of the Polonnaruwa district.
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SLA blocks SLMM officials at Oamanthai border

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 October 2007, 06:58 GMT]
Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Northern Region officials scheduled to meet Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) officials in Ki'linochchi Thursday noon were blocked from crossing the Oamanthai entry point by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) due to new instructions from Colombo, General Secretary of Liberation Tigers Peace Secretariat, S. Puleedevan, told TamilNet. By refusing entry to the SLMM, Colombo was trying to block the information flow between the SLMM and the LTTE, he charged. Meanwhile, SLMM sources said the monitors had returned after being informed of new routines that involved going through a body check, inspection of vehicles and early enlistment of travelers.
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IFJ condemns SL defence ministry attack on Journalist Athas

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 October 2007, 14:42 GMT]
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), on Wednesday said it was concerned for the safety of Iqbal Athas, associate editor and defense correspondent for the Sunday Times in Colombo. Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence, in a web-posting, on Tuesday alleged that the recent work of Mr. Iqbal Athas, "raised doubts whether he has been assisting in the psy-ops of Liberation Tigers" and warned: "whoever attempts to reduce public support to the security forces or attempts to damage the loyalty of the soldiers towards their commanders at this moment can only be considered as those who serve the cause of the terrorists."
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Sri Lanka says tourism ‘picking up’ as European restrictions are eased

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 October 2007, 08:07 GMT]
Sri Lanka is confident of achieving its target of attracting 600,000 tourists this year following the relaxation of travel advisories in key markets, tourist board (SLTB) officials were quoted as saying this week. Germany, Britain, France and Netherlands have softened travel restrictions on their citizens, press reports say. However, citing falling tourist arrivals, an international hotels group slashed prices at its hotels in Sri Lanka by 50% until 2008, press reports also said.
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Grenade attack on SLA sentry post in Point Pedro

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 October 2007, 04:15 GMT]
Unidentified persons hurled a hand grenade into Sri Lanka Army (SLA) sentry post located along Jaffna-Point Pedro road at Karaveddi Maali junction Tuesday around 6:40 p.m. Some injured SLA troops were taken in SLA vehicles following the attack, residents in the area said. SLA authorities have not released any information about the attack.
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Family man abducted, civilian seeks HRC protection, in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 October 2007, 04:03 GMT]
Unidentified armed men in a white van abducted a family man Tuesday around 3:30 a.m, from his house at Koandaavil in Valikaamam, after assaulting his family members who tried to prevent the abductors taking him away. Meanwhile, another civilian from Thenmaraadchi area sought protection with Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna Tuesday.
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Jaffna GA's service extended

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 October 2007, 11:00 GMT]
Public Service Administration (PSA) of Sri Lanka Government extended Jaffna Government Agent (GA), Mr. K. Ganesh's service with effect from October 1 until further notice. Mr. Ganesh, already on extension after retirement, was generally expected to be replaced with a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Officer, sources in Jaffna said.
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SLAF bombs civilian settlement in Visuvamadu

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 October 2007, 06:31 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) kfirs bombed Visuvamadu East civilian settlements Tuesday, dropping 16 bombs in two sorties, the first between 6:30 a.m to 6:50 and the next between 7:00 a.m to 7:20 a.m, damaging six settlements, and agricultural crops in Visuvamadu area.
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Civilian shot dead in Veala'nai, Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 October 2007, 04:19 GMT]
Two unidentified armed men on motor cycle shot dead a civilian at point blank range Monday around 11:00 a.m in Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) controlled Veala'nai islet of Jaffna. The recent Claymore attack in Veala'nai, injuring two men, alleged to be government troops or paramilitary men, may be the cause of this killing, residents in Vela'nai said.
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