5 SLN sailors, 1 LTTE cadre killed in sea clash - LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 June 2006, 07:50 GMT]
Sea Tiger vessels counter-attacked and sunk a Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) navy water-jet vessel and destroyed another SLN vessel in the northwestern seas, according to a news release issued by the media unit of the LTTE. Five SLN troopers were in the boat which was sunk by the Sea Tigers. One LTTE cadre was killed in the clash. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Police sources in Puttalam claimed that the clash had taken place between Kuthiraimalai and Kalpitty in Puttalam district.
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State funeral for Major General Kulatunga

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 June 2006, 03:16 GMT]
The funeral of Major General Parami Kulatunga, is expected to take place with full State honors at 6:00 p.m. at the Borella Kanatte cemetary Wednesday, Sri Lanka Government sources in Colombo said. The funeral cortege will begin its journey from Maj.Gen.Kulatunga's brother's house in Kelany Maithri Mawatte to the Kanatte cemetary, sources said.
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Protect witnesses in Trinco killings, Rights Group tells Colombo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 June 2006, 01:28 GMT]
“Dr. Manoharan has courageously come forward to testify about the brutal killings of these five young men [in Trincomalee]...The Sri Lankan government should show a fraction of his courage and take urgent measures to control its security forces and protect the doctor and other witnesses who may wish to testify,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, in a media release issued by the New York based Rights Group Tuesday, one day before Trincomalee court will hear eyewitness testimony against a dozen security force personnel implicated in the case.
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Major General Kulatunga, Late Commander SFHQ-(W)

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 June 2006, 18:18 GMT]
Defence correspondents in Colombo describe Major General Parami Kulatunge RSP USP USAWC, as a hardliner and a close associate of the SLA commander Sarath Fonseka who was seriously injured in a suicide attack in front of the Sri Lanka Military Head Quarters in April 2006. Maj.Gen.Kulatunga took over as the new Commander of Security Forces Headquarters - Wanni [SFHQ-(W)] in August 2004, the position he held when he was killed in a bomb explosion in Colombo Monday.
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MPs, NGOs urge lifting of Batticaloa embargo

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 June 2006, 15:52 GMT]
Batticaloa parliamentarians P Ariyanenthiran, S Jeyananthamoorthy and Ms T Thangeswari, North East Community Restoration and Development Project (NECORD) implementing officer K Sivanantharaja, and other NGOs,Monday at 9:30 a.m., met the Batticaloa's military-civil coordinating officer Maj. Gen. Wetty Perera at a conferenceed by Batticaloa Government agent S Punniyamoorthy held in the Batticaloa Kachcheri, to appeal against the military-imposed economic restrictions in the region.
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Senior SLA Commander killed in bomb blast

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 June 2006, 02:59 GMT]
A senior top official of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), Major General Parami Kulatunga, who holds the third position in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) high command was killed in Pannipitiya, 15 km southeast of Colombo, in Homagama police division in Western Province, in a suicide bomb attack around 7:45 a.m. Monday, Police said. Maj. Gen. Kulatunga, Deputy Chief of Staff, has served as SLA Commander for Vanni High Command of the Sri Lanka Army.


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Rajapakse will disarm Karuna if LTTE accepts direct peace deal- paper

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 June 2006, 12:50 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse has intimated to the editor of Jaffna daily Uthayan, N. Vithyatharan, to exchange messages with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to strike a deal for starting direct talks with the LTTE, with the intention of bypassing the facilitation of Royal Government of Norway, a leading broadsheet in Colombo, Sunday Leader said in its latest edition. Mr Rajapakse had said that he will disarm Karuna Group if his proposed two week peace-deal is accepted by the LTTE, the paper said.
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War unavoidable if Norway suspends monitoring function - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 June 2006, 10:52 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Political Head S.P.Thamilchelvan, when asked what LTTE's reaction would be, if Norway, on 29 June, chose to suspend the monitoring role, responded that a such decision would signal an end to the already fragile ceasefire and plunge the island into war. Mr. Thamilchelvan further said that the Tigers responding to the questions posed by the facilitator Norway, had replied that they were fully prepared to continue providing diplomatic immunity to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) as a mission coordinated, facilitated and led by the Royal Norwegian Government.
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Ministers cancel visit to Pesalai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 June 2006, 18:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka Ministers Mr.Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, Mr.Rischard Badiudeen and Mr.Felix Perera Saturday evening called off their scheduled visit to Pesalai and Vankalai after being notified about a firefight between the SLN soldiers and unidentified persons in Vankalaipadu coastal area, civil sources said. The Ministers had planned to visit the these areas after a conference held in the Sunny Village Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) camp in Mannar Saturday 3:00 p.m. to look into the difficulties faced by Mannar fishermen after SLN's fishing ban.
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Tamil journalist detained by Mt.Lavania Police

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 June 2006, 20:21 GMT]
K Kumarathasan, 35, a news editor at Jaffna based Tamil daily Uthayan, was arrested by Sri Lanka Police at 10:00 a.m. Friday in Moratuwa at a sentry point in Galle Road, and held at the Mt.Lavania police station for more than 10 hours before he was released, sources in Colombo said. Kumarathas's wife, two children, and the driver of the van he was travelling, were also held in custody with Mr Kumarathas, sources added.
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Nordic countries to discuss SLMM's future role

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 June 2006, 11:15 GMT]
Embassy of Norway in Colombo, in a press release issued today said that according to LTTE, "European Union ban on the LTTE has seriously disturbed the neutrality of these countries," and LTTE has "repeated its demand that SLMM monitors from EU countries (Denmark, Finland, and Sweden) be replaced." The release added that this demand is "deeply regrettable and will weaken the SLMM in a critical period," and that Norway has invited the other Nordic countries to a meeting in Oslo on 29 June to discuss the safety and future role and function of the SLMM."
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Tamil businessman shot dead in Negombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 June 2006, 03:05 GMT]
Two unidentified gunmen riding motor bikes shot and killed Sivarathnam Sasikumar, a businessman, Wednesday at 10:15 p.m. in Negombo. Sasikumar was going home with a friend when he was shot in the head and chest police said.


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UNICEF calls for halt to child recruitment by Karuna Group

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 June 2006, 11:27 GMT]
Following reports from the field in the past week of abductions and forced recruitment of children in the areas of Santhiveli, Kiran, Mankerni, Valaichchenai and Iruthayapuram in Manmunai North, the UNICEF, in a press release issued Thursday, condemned the abductions, and called for an immediate halt to the recruitment of children by Karuna Group.


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SLA takes Colombo journalists on Jaffna tour

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 June 2006, 18:07 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Colombo based journalists, including those reporting for international agencies, were taken on a tour of security positions in Jaffna, in a convoy of 20 armoured tanks, Buffels, and Saladin pickup trucks, by the Sri Lankan Military on Tuesday and Wednesday, sources in Jaffna said. The journalists wearing bullet proof vests and army-type helmets, were seen in armoured vehicles as they passed thorough the traffic ridden Palaly road, en route to Jaffna town from Palaly army headquarters, sources added.
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Aerial bombardment tantamounts to undeclared war, says Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 June 2006, 10:17 GMT]
S. P. Thamilchelvan, the political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on Wednesday said the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) was yet to respond to LTTE's warning that the provocative air attacks, if continued, would be retaliated. "Aerial bombardment is interpreted as undeclared war on the Tamil nation," he told media after concluding a meeting with the Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar, clarifying the LTTE's response to Norway's five questions. "Colombo, obsessed with going to war with the Tamil Nation, has already begun to impose economic blockade on the Tamil homeland," LTTE's Political Head told media.
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Norway, Nordic countries to respond on 29 June - Brattskar in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 June 2006, 07:00 GMT]
The Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar, on Wednesday, discussed with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Political Head S. P. Thamilchelvan on LTTE's response to Norway's request of clarifications, issued on 08 June, from the parties to the Ceasefire Agreement. Confirming that the parties to the CFA, the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the LTTE, have submitted their responses to the five questions posed by Norway, Mr. Hans Brattskar told media that Norway, as facilitator, has to take note of LTTE's point of view, although Norway regretted the LTTE's stand to the continued engagement of EU Member States from Nordic countries in the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM).
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SLMM guarantee needed to re-open Muttur east schools-Principals

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 June 2006, 12:24 GMT]
Around eight thousand students are not attending classes since the closure of eighteen government schools in the Liberation Tigers held Muttur east in the Trincomalee district since the three pronged attack launched by the Sri Lankan government forces in the last week of April following the suicide bomb attack on the army commander in Colombo. The artillery fire continued during the second week of June following Kebbitigollawa blast has forced them to continue the closure of schools, said Principals of Muttur east schools in a memorandum sent to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Tuesday.
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UNP MPs cross over speculation rife in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 June 2006, 20:58 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Parliament is scheduled to meet Tuesday morning amid speculation in political circles about the cross over to the government rank by a group of parliamentarian of the main opposition United National Party (UNP). However the UNP officials denied such cross over, political sources said.
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SLAF Kfir bombers observed over Vanni

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 June 2006, 10:01 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir jets were observed over remote suburbs of Vanni in high altitude around 2:25 p.m. Monday. Civilian sources reported hearing sounds of explosion. Liberation Tigers had earlier warned Colombo that they would be forced to retaliate if SLAF bombers continued to bomb Vanni.
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10,000 complaints await investigations, says Rights Group

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 June 2006, 09:25 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (SLHRC) has approximately 10,000 complaints in the Commission's head office awaiting investigations, said Mr. P Ramanathan the head of the Commission in a press statement released in Colombo last week. The statement accused some government authorities, administrative heads and judicial establishments for refusing to implement some key recommendations of the Commission to improve human rights.
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