SL parliament to debate UK moves on ethnic conflict

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 May 2007, 10:58 GMT]
The Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) is to move for a special debate in Sri Lanka's parliament on the appointment of an all-party committee by the House of Commons in United Kingdom to assist in finding a political solution to the island ethnic conflict, parliamentary sources in Colombo said. Earlier the JVP politburo issued a statement condemning the United Kingdom for interfering in Sri Lanka's internal affairs and undermining the sovereignty of Sri Lanka.
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Bomb scare disrupts Colombo Municipal Council work

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 May 2007, 16:10 GMT]
Soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police personnel evacuated all employees of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), and conducted an extensive search of the premises after they received a tip off from an unidentified source that a bomb is about to detonate within the offices, sources in Colombo said.
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SLA soldiers search Thiriyaai village

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 May 2007, 16:07 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Monday morning conducted cordon and search operation in Thiriyaai, a traditional Tamil village located about 42 km off north of Trincomalee town along Trincomalee-Thennamaravaady road. The operation was launched following the attack on a group of SLA soldiers Sunday night in which one soldier sustained injuries.
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Armed men open fire on Udupiddi SLA camp

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 May 2007, 15:15 GMT]
Unidentified armed men opened fire on the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Udupiddi junction camp and its sentry posts, positioning themselves between Udpuiddi junction and the road to Vathiri in Vadam'raadchchi, Monday evening, blocking the road for public traffic, sources in Udupiddi said. The firefight lasted nearly fifteen minutes, and the attackers escaped after the exchange of fire.


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SLA cordons off, searches Kokuvil area

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 May 2007, 11:18 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers cordoned off and search large residential areas in Kokuvil east Monday early morning, sources in Jaffna said. Potpathi road, Medical Faculty road, Ka'lngkarai Road, Railway Station Road, and Temple Road areas were subjected to house-to-house search.
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LTTE hands over 5 SLA bodies to ICRC

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 May 2007, 11:06 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) officials Monday around 1:30 p.m. handed over the bodies of five soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) killed in action during a SLA initiated offensive Sunday, to a delegation of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC). The handing over event took place at Vaddakka'ndal where the LTTE Mannar (Ma:n:naar) district political secretariat is located.
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Dissidents to rejoin UNP?

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 May 2007, 10:35 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament is to meet Tuesday after Tamil-Sinhala New Year and Wesak celebrations amid speculation in political circles that some dissident parliamentarians of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) are expected to re-join the UNP. The dissidents are expected to cross over to the opposition side during the current session of the parliament, informed political sources in Colombo said.
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SLAF bombs fuel storage in Vanni

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 May 2007, 08:16 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers Monday morning dropped bombs over a fuel storage at Vaddakkachchi around 7:30, Liberation Tigers officials in Kiliniochchi said. The fuel storage, located 8 km east of Ki'linochchi, belonged to the Chamber of Commerce of Private Businesses in Kilinochchi, they said.
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Tigers repulse Sri Lankan offensive in Mannar, recover 5 SLA bodies

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 May 2007, 13:41 GMT]
Liberation Tigers recovered 5 dead bodies of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers as more than 300 SLA troopers who advanced into LTTE controlled area in Thampa:nai in Mannar (Ma:n:naar) - Vavu:niya border were repulsed after 10 hours of heavy fighting in the area, LTTE's Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan told media in Ki'linochchi.
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Sri Lanka buying advanced fighter jets from Russia - paper

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 May 2007, 11:50 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s air force is shortly to take delivery of five advanced fighter aircraft from Russia to counter the threat posed by the LTTE’s air wing, The Nation newspaper reported Sunday. In addition to buying the five MiG 29 interceptors, Sri Lanka is looking to upgrade its ground attack Kfirs to interceptor role by adding radars and missiles, the paper said.


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3 STF troopers killed, 4 injured in claymore attack, in Kokkaddichcholai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 May 2007, 10:32 GMT]
Unidentified persons triggered a claymore device Sunday around 10:00 a.m at Kokkaddichcholai in Batticaloa, killing three Special Task Force (STF) troopers and injuring four. The injured troopers were rushed to Batticaloa Teaching hospital. The STF took over the bodies of the troopers killed in the attack.
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SLA assault repulsed in Vavuniya - LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 May 2007, 05:51 GMT]
A group of Sri Lanka Army soldiers who attempted to move towards Naavatku'lam in Liberation Tigers controlled territory in Vavuniya Mannar border Sunday morning were repulsed and 2 SLA soldiers were killed, LTTE's military spokesman told media. On Saturday, five days after the Tigers shot down a Sri Lankan jet fighter, the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) attacked Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullaiththeevu district. Meanwhile, 3 Sea Tigers were killed in action Friday night, when a sea-fight broke off Pulmoaddai in the north-east coast. Both the LTTE and the Sri Lanka Navy claimed to have inflicted heavy damage on the other in the clash off Pulmoaddai seas.
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3 High School students abducted in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 May 2007, 15:28 GMT]
Three students studying advanced level in two prominent high schools in Jaffna were forcibly abducted Friday night from their homes by armed men arriving in white vans, according to complaints filed by the parents of the students with the Jaffna Human Rights Commission offices. Two are students at Jaffna Hindu College and the third student attends St.John's College.
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Armed men in civil, force entry, search Jaffna Campus

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 May 2007, 06:41 GMT]
A gang of more than ten armed men in civil clothes, forcibly entered and searched Jaffna University (JU) campus, holding the security officer at gun point, Saturday around 1:00 a.m, sources in Jaffna said. The security officer was severely beaten and held by some of the armed men at gun point while the others searched the campus area for several hours.
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LTTE hands over two SLA bodies to ICRC

[TamilNet, Friday, 04 May 2007, 17:58 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Liason officer for the NGOs, Thiyagarajah, Friday morning at 10:00 a.m., handed over the bodies of two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers to Maurizio Geremila, Acting Head of Sub Delegation of ICRC, at the secretariat for Non Governmental Organizations (NGO), sources in Kilinochchi said.
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UK lawmakers urge LTTE de-proscription

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 May 2007, 23:47 GMT]
Amid signs of greater British involvement in efforts to end Sri Lanka’s conflict, the UK government was this week urged by ruling and opposition lawmakers to lift the ban on the Liberation Tigers in the interests of a negotiated solution. At a landmark debate on Sri Lanka’s conflict in the British Parliament on Wednesday, leaders of a newly formed all party group representing the interests of the island’s Tamils urged the Blair government to lift the ban on the LTTE and also called for LTTE political leaders to be allowed to address the British parliament to better understand their views.
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Katunayake international airport to be shut down at night

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 May 2007, 19:36 GMT]
The Katunayake International Airport, the main airport in the island is to be shut down for civilian air traffic during nights between 10.30 p.m. till 4:30 am from May 10, according to Sri Lanka's civil aviation sources. The restriction is being instituted as a temporary security measure and no passenger planes will be allowed to land or leave between these hours
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SLA offensive thwarted, bodies captured - LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 May 2007, 09:26 GMT]
Liberation Tigers have repulsed a fresh offensive by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Vavuniya Mannar border Thursday morning, LTTE's Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan told media in Kilinochchi. 2 dead bodies of SLA soldiers were captured with arms and ammunition by the Tigers when the SLA offensive towards Paalmpiddi by more than 300 SLA troopers was thwarted, Mr. Ilanthirayan said. A Tiger fighter was killed in action.
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2 SLA troopers injured in claymore blast in Vadamaraadchchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 May 2007, 19:00 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers were injured Wednesday around 9:15 a.m, when a claymore device hidden in an empty building along Vathiri-Udupiddi road in Navindil, Karaveddy in Vadamaraadchchi, exploded when the troopers tried to remove the device, sources in Vadmaraadchchi said. One of the troopers is seriously injured while the other sustained minor injuries.
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Tamil civilian shot dead in Moothoor

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 May 2007, 10:38 GMT]
Unidentified armed men shot dead a fifty-eight year-old civilian at Me:nkaamam, a Tamil village in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled territory in Moothoor south division in Trincomalee district Tuesday night, Moothoor police sources said.
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