9 civilians killed in SLA mortar attack in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 March 2007, 04:12 GMT]
Eight civilians, including four children, were killed Thursday 7:30 p.m. when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired mortars from Murakkoddaanchaenai SLA camp towards Siththaandi 3rd division, located 800 m southwest of the SLA camp. One of the wounded succumbed to injuries at Batticaloa hospital. Two 2-year-old girls and 2 boys under 18 years were among the victims. Three of the children were from a single family, initial reports said. Sri Lankan police or SLA troopers in the area were yet to visit the site, civilians from the area said.
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SL Govt rejects UNP request to summon parliament

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 March 2007, 02:59 GMT]
The Sri Lanka government has rejected the request made by Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), to summon the parliament to debate the current security situation of the island in the wake of the air strike carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the Katunayake air base, parliamentary sources said.
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Resettle, provide relief to East refugees, TNA urges UN

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 March 2007, 11:45 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA), in a letter to the United Nations representative in Colombo, urged the International Agencies to take steps to resettle displaced refugees, all Tamils, by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) offensive in the East. The TNA also complained most of the refugees's houses have suffered damages and that they be provided with compensation to rebuild their houses.
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HRW slams Sri Lanka’s support for Karuna Group

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 March 2007, 11:38 GMT]
Despite promises to investigate abductions of children by the pro-government Karuna group, Sri Lankan authorities have taken no effective action and abductions continue, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday. “The Karuna group’s use of child soldiers with state complicity is more blatant today than ever before, ” Brad Adams, Asia director at HRW said in a statement. HRW also accused the LTTE of recruiting child soldiers. “The Karuna group is doing the government’s dirty work,” Adams said. “It’s time for authorities in Colombo to stop this group from using children in its forces.”
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Stop SLA troopers looting IDPs' houses, urge Batticaloa MPs

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 March 2007, 09:25 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers are breaking into houses of IDPs from Paduvankarai in Battialaoa district west displaced by SLA offensives, and robbing the belongings, said Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Batticaloa district parliamentarians, in a letter to the President of Sri Lanka, Wednesday evening, urging him to take necessary action to stop the practice.
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Six civilians disappear in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 March 2007, 09:23 GMT]
Abductions and disappearances of Tamil persons in Jaffna district by members of Sri Lankan armed forces and allied paramilitaries are continuing unabated amid accusations by the international community at the 4th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council held in Geneva for Sri Lanka's human rights violations against their citizens, civil society sources in Jaffna said. Within 36 hours from Tuesday morning to Wednesday evening, six complaints of abductions were lodged at the Jaffna branch of the Human Rights Commission (HRC).
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Elderly couple shot dead in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 March 2007, 08:51 GMT]
Unidentified armed men shot dead an elderly couple Wednesday around 8:30 p.m at their house near Urumpirai Katpahapillayar temple, while their 9 year old grandson escaped miraculously. The victims' house is located just 300 meters from Palaly road in the High Security Zone (HSZ), always guarded by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers.


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SLA MBRL fire paralyses Batticaloa district

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 March 2007, 22:38 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Batticaloa launched Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) fire from their camps towards Liberation Tigers Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held territories in Baticaloa district, Wednesday from 6:00 a.m til 10:30 a.m, sources in Batticaloa said. Government offices and schools were closed.
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India sidesteps LTTE air strike

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 March 2007, 19:07 GMT]
India treaded with caution and reserve Wednesday while reacting to the Tamil Tigers' air strike on the Sri Lankan Air Force base at Katunayake airport on Sunday, Indian press reports said. Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shanker Menon was quoted as saying India was concerned general escalation of violence in which the airstrike was one incident.
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SLA attempt to enter Batticaloa LTTE territory beaten

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 March 2007, 11:30 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) forces thwartted a pre-dawn attempt by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers and paramilitary cadres of Karuna group from Chenkalady Black Bridge SLA camp in Batticaloa district Wednesday around 3:30 a.m, to advance into Koduvamadu area in LTTE held territory in Batticaloa, sources in Batticaloa said.


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Mirusuvil massacre case inquiry resumes

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 March 2007, 11:09 GMT]
The Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar (TAB) inquiry into the Mirusuvil massacre case was fixed for June 25 when it was taken up before the specially constituted three member bench comprising Judges Mr.Upali Abeyaratne (Chairman), Mr.Deepali Wijesundara and Mr.Sunil Rajapakse last Monday, legal sources in Colombo said.
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Youth disappears after interrogation by SLA in Nallur

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 March 2007, 03:41 GMT]
A youth from Navalar Road Jaffna disappeared after being stopped at the Arasady Junction in Nallur for interrogation by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers stationed at the junction, the youth's relatives said in a complaint to the Jaffna Offices of the Human Rights Commission (HRC).
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Silent plays portray life in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 March 2007, 01:09 GMT]
Jaffna University undergrads staged two short, silent plays Tuesday between 11:00 a.m to 12 noon in Kailasapathy Hall on the 'World Drama Day.' Both plays were acted without any spoken dialogue, symbolising the loss of the freedom of expression in Jaffna peninsula, and the Principal Slogan for the day was 'Words have lost their worth!', the undergrads said. Invitations to the plays were written on Palmyra palm frond blades and sent out clandestinely to prevent Sri Lanka Army (SLA) authorities from obstructing the event, Jaffna University Student Union (JUSU) representatives said.
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Artillery duel along Jaffna FDLs

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 March 2007, 20:05 GMT]
Exchange of heavy mortar and artillery fire and Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) fire continued between Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Forward Defence Lines (FDL) from Muhamalai to Kilali in Thenmaradchy and Nagarkovil area in Vadamaradchy east area, Monday evening untilTuesday evening, sources in Jaffna said.
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Bogollagama meets with Co-chair Ambassadors

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 March 2007, 14:59 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister, Rohitha Bogollagama, met with the Ambassadors of the Co-Chair countries at the Foreign Ministry building in Colombo Tuesday, diplomatic sources from Colombo said. The discussions centered on the threat to Sri Lanka's security by the demonstrated capability of the Air-Tigers to penetrate air-defences of Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) and to strike at Sri Lanka's military nerve centers, sources close to the meeting said.
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LTTE Air Strike, no terrorism- SAAG

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 March 2007, 12:16 GMT]
B. Raman, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, South Asia Analysis Group (SAAG) Chennai, says in his analysis: "The TAF's [Tamileelam Air Force's] air strike was well-planned and equally well-executed. It was a night operation taking advantage of the weak capability of the SLAF for night operations. It was a precision attack, which carefully avoided causing any casualty or damage in the international airport, which could have roused international ire. There were no civilian casualties----targeted or collateral. As a result, it would not be possible to characterise the attack as an act of terrorism. It was pure and simple a conventional air strike."
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Jaffna Council employee seeks protection at HRC

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 March 2007, 08:18 GMT]
An employee of Jaffna Municipal Council (MC), shot and injured by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers in front of Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna office in an earlier incident, and admitted to Jaffna Teaching hospital, sought safety with the HRC Monday, sources in Jaffna said. The HRC officials took steps to place the employee under protective custody of Jaffna prison through Jaffna police after he surrendered at the HRC fearing for his life, the sources added.
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Civilian shot dead, another missing since Friday, in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 March 2007, 07:19 GMT]
Unidentified armed men arriving on motorbike shot dead a family man, Monday around 11:00 a.m, while he was eating in a food stall opposite Jaffna college, Vaddukodai. The killers, entering the food stall pretending to be normal customers, opened fire on the victim at point balk range, sources in Jaffna said.
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Bomb blast kills 2 SLA troopers, 4 EPDP members in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 March 2007, 05:04 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers and four Eelam Peoples' Democratic Party (EPDP) members were killed at Kommanthurai Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp in Batticaloa district Tuesday around 6:50 a.m, when explosives in a tractor blew up when the troopers opened fire as the driver of the tractor failed to stop on orders, Eravur police in Batticaloa said.
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Sri Lanka blackout on Air Force losses

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 March 2007, 22:24 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President held an emergency meeting of the country’s security leadership Monday as the government imposed a total blackout on the Liberation Tigers' bombing raid on Katunayake, the island’s main airbase in the early hours. Whilst the government says only two helicopter gunships were slightly damaged, airmen coming off duty told reporters in Colombo that several SLAF jet bombers were put out of action by fierce fires which broke out in the hangars struck by the LTTE aircraft. Up to 40% of the SLAF’s strike capability has been knocked out, they said.
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