Fisherman's body washed ashore in Mullaithivu, one missing

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 February 2007, 14:49 GMT]
The dead body of a fisherman who was reported missing with another fisherman in Mullathivu since Saturday, washed ashore at Koriyadi in Vetrilaikeni in Vadamaradchi east Monday morning.. Sri Lanka Navy gunboats had fired at the fishermen around 2:30 a.m. Saturday in the seas off Mullaithivu.
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Student shot dead in Jaffna, tension prevails

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 February 2007, 11:29 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers shot dead a final year Art faculty student of Jaffna University Sunday around 6:30 p.m close to the SLA 52-4 Brigade Head Quarters and near his house in Iyattalai in Varani in Thenmaradchi region. Black flags were flown in the Jaffna University which was reopened Monday for studies after nearly six months. SLA soldiers were deployed around the University premises as the students observed a remembrance event paying homage to the dead student at Kailasapthy stadium in the Jaffna University.
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Security tightened in southern province

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 February 2007, 11:17 GMT]
Security has been tightened in Kataragama, Hambantota, Ambalantota, Hungama, Tissamaharagama, Lunugamvehera, Sooriyawewa and Tangalle, all police divisions in Galle district in southern province that come under Superintendent of Police in Tangalle in Galle district, Police said.


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NPM urges Rajapakse to nullify CFA with LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 February 2007, 18:37 GMT]
The National Patriotic Movement (NPM) Sunday made an urgent appeal to Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse to nullify the ceasefire agreement (CFA) signed by Ranil Wickremasinghe, the then Prime Minister and Velupillai Pirapaharan, leader of LTTE, before the CFA completes five-year period on February 22, sources in Colombo said.
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SLN soldier killed, 19 injured in Kantalai accident

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 February 2007, 18:34 GMT]
A sailor of the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) was killed and nineteen others were injured when the bus transporting a group of SLA sailors from Habarana to Trincomalee town met with an accident at Kantalai Sunday afternoon around 3.30 p.m. Kantalai is located along Trincomalee Kandy road about 39 km off southwest of east port city, sources said.
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Education in peril

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 February 2007, 00:33 GMT]
More than 7% of school-aged children in Jaffna, amounting to 10201 students, dropped out of schools in 2006, most of the dropouts occurring following the fresh outbreak of violence from 11 August 2006, say education officials in Jaffna. The schools in the district that boasted highest literacy rates 3 decades ago, and produced nearly 40% of the medical and engineering freshmen, now are gripped with fear of student abductions, and with high school education crippled with lack of school supplies and scarcity of books.
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SLA fire kills one, injures two in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 February 2007, 14:02 GMT]
One civilian was killed and two were injured when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) opened fire in Kumankulam in Vavuniya at 12:00 noon Saturday, local residents in the area said. Vavuniya Police said they have received no information on the incident. Meanwhile, unknown assailants triggered a claymore mine in Pandarikulam at 9:40 a.m. Saturday. No injuries to SLA soldiers or Police officers were reported.
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TNA condemns threats against Tamil journalists

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 February 2007, 09:06 GMT]
"We condemn in the strongest terms the killing of the President of Tamil News and Information Centre (TNIC) Mr. Gananathan the very next day an indirect threat to his life was made in the Sri Lanka National Radio on the 31st of January," said a communique issued by Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Friday in Colombo. "We also condemn the unlawful incursion of the Sri Lanka Military Intelligence personnel into the office of the TNIC on the 9th of February and their attempt to seize information and photographs of its Media Coordinator and International Media Coordinator," the communique signed by the parliamentarians said.
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2 SLA soldiers killed, 12 wounded in Claymore attack in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 February 2007, 08:00 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army soldiers of the 51-2 brigade were killed and 12 troopers wounded in a road side Claymore ambush along the A9 road inside SLA High Security Zone, 300 meters from Jaffna District Secretariat in Jaffna city Saturday around 12:10 p.m. A child, believed to be around 5 years, was rushed to Jaffna Hospital with shrapnel wounds, but died at the hospital. SLA soldiers opened fire, cordoned off the area and launched a search operation. Three civilians were wounded.
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Kandy police arrest 14 civilians

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 February 2007, 00:30 GMT]
Kandy Police and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers arrested 14 civilians, majority of them Tamils, in a cordon and search operation conducted Friday evening following a tip off that a bomb had been placed in the Kandy bus stand, sources in Kandy said. Kandy general hospital was also put on alert to meet any emergencies.
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SLA intensifies shelling from Muhamalai, Manalaru

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 February 2007, 15:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) stepped up its artillery barrage on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held areas in two separate Front Line positions Friday evening, one from SLA Northern Front Defence Line (FDL) towards Muhamalai, Kilali and Vadamaradchi east and the other from Manalaru SLA camp in Mullaitivu district towards LTTE held areas, sources from Kilinochchi said.


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Jaffna Court blocks attempts to send Jaffna youths to South

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 February 2007, 10:35 GMT]
The attempt by Jaffna Police to send the 14 youths who surrendered to Sri Lanka Police fearing for their lives from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and paramilitaries working with SLA, to rehabilitation centres in South, was stopped by the intervention by the Jaffna District Judge, R. T. Vignarajah, legal sources in Jaffna said.
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SLAF bombs Muhamalai, heavy artillery barrage in Northern Front

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 February 2007, 06:34 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked Muhamalai, Kilali and Vadamaradchi East areas as Sri Lanka Army launched a heavy artiilery barrage using Multi Barrel Rocket Launchers (MBRL) Friday morning in the Northern Front.
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Chavakacheri courts orders action against SLA officers

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 February 2007, 04:49 GMT]
In a historic ruling, Chavakacheri courts, said Thursday that there is sufficient evidence of direct involvement of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officers in the disappearance of a number of youths in Thenmaradchchy area in 1996, and issued orders that further action be taken by Jaffna High Courts, legal sources in Jaffna said. The case against the accused officers of SLA was being heard at Chavakacheri courts since Monday, 12 February.
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SLFP dissidents urge Colombo to prevent Rights abuses

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 February 2007, 04:19 GMT]
Former Sri Lanka's Foreign minister, Mangala Samaraweera, and former Port Development Minister, Sripathi Sooriyaarachchi, on Thursday accused the Mahinda Rajapakse government of alleged human rights violations, and warned that Sri Lanka faced international isolation unless steps were taken to stem the tide of disappearances and extra judicial killings, sources in Colombo said. Addressing a press conference at the Parliamentary complex, Mr. Samaraweera said his concern about the growing human rights violations in Sri Lanka was one of the main reasons that he was sacked by Mr Rajapakse.
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Damage to Vaharai schools extensive, says Education official

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 February 2007, 00:51 GMT]
An inspection team appointed by the Department of Education, led by R Gogularamanan and accompanied by two other technical officials visited Vaharai Thursday to view the damaged schools, Vaharai regional education officer N.Gunalingam said. "Most of the schools in Vaharai have suffered extensive damages. The team will detail the damages in a comprehensive report to the Ministry of Education," Gunalingam said.


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SLN imposes ban on night fishing in Delft

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 February 2007, 11:24 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) in Delft, an islet of Jaffna, issued a directive Wednesday banning fishing and using boats on the Delft sea from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., fisheries society representatives in Delft said. Ninety percent of the total 7000 population of Delft depend on fishing for their livelihood, and are seriously affected by this ban on fishing.
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Jaffna journalists fearful amid threats, killings

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 February 2007, 02:27 GMT]
The campaign of intimidation backed up by deadly violence has compelled Sri Lankan journalists of all ethnicities to flee Sri Lanka. But unlike their southern colleagues, journalists in the Jaffna have no easy escape and media institutions in the northern peninsula are appealing for international support in the face of threats by Army-backed paramilitaries.
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Rajapakse, Bandaranayake meet to reconcile

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 February 2007, 01:40 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse and Anura Bandaranayake, one of three ministers sacked last week met Wednesday at Temple Trees and talked for about two hours regarding the current political situation. They explored ways to diffuse the tension in the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) following the dismissal of three ministers.
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SLA conducts search operation in Vankalai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 February 2007, 01:25 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Wednesday morning conducted a cordon and search operation in Vankalai village in Mannar district following the attack on the sentry point Tuesday night around 8.30 p.m., sources in Mannar said. The sentry was attacked with small arms by an unidentified group of three persons who came in a boat by sea, according to Mannar sources.
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