Heavy SLA casualties feared in Jaffna ambush

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 February 2007, 04:10 GMT]
Several Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers have been feared killed in a claymore attack on a bus carrying SLA soldiers along Palaly Road, less than 50 meters from Urelu SLA camp at 10:30 p.m. during curfew hours Thursday night, sources in Jaffna said. The Palaly military command has not released official details on the attack.
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2 shot, injured in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 February 2007, 12:03 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers of the field motorcycle unit opened fire on a young farmer around 4:00 p.m Wednesday at Mirusuvil in Thenmaradchi seriously injuring him, sources in Mirusuvil said. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) marines shot and seriously injured a man driving a tractor in Ward 4 at Velanai east around 3:00 p.m Wednesday allegedly for not giving way to the SLN marines who were on a motorcycle behind the tractor. The SLN, however, said that the firing was a warning shot and was not intended to harm the driver.
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7 STF troopers, 3 civilians injured in mortar fire on Vavunathivu SLA camp

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 February 2007, 11:51 GMT]
Seven Special Task Force (STF) troopers and three civilians were injured in a mortar attack launched from Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held areas Thursday around 9:40 a.m on the Vavunathivu Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp, where a new STF camp was being constructed, SLA sources said. The SLA fired mortars back in retaliation.
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Priest killed in Santhiveli

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 February 2007, 08:08 GMT]
A Hindu priest who had been forcefully taken to Vaharai from Santhiveli by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to garland the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse during his visit to Vaharai last Saturday, was shot and killed by armed men who are allegedly attached to SLA military intelligence, Wednesday around 8:15 p.m. near his house a few meters away from the SLA camp at Santhiveli, 36 km south of Vaharai.
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Shell explodes in Velanai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 February 2007, 01:22 GMT]
A shell exploded in near the Navalar Community Development Centre in Velanai, a village on the island of Kayts off the Jaffna peninsula, at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday forcing the villagers to scatter in panic, residents in the islets said. No one was injured in the explosion. Some of the buildings nearby sustained minor damages, sources said.
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Trapped Vanni school teachers to be employed in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 February 2007, 00:02 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Commander for Jaffna, Major Gen. G. S. Chandrasri, told the teachers of Vanni schools, trapped in Jaffna peninsula due to SLA closure of the A9 route in August 2006, that they will receive temporary assignments to teach peninsula schools. Major Gen Chandrasri met with nearly half of the 700 stranded teachers at a special centre at Kattuvan, located close to Palaly Military Base, around 7:00 p.m Monday, education officials in Jaffna said.
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3 persons abducted in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 February 2007, 22:00 GMT]
Armed person believed to be members of the Sri Lankan armed forces abducted three youths from their homes in Jaffna Peninsula in the last three days, civil society sources from Jaffna said. Relatives of the youths have lodged complaints with the Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna branch.
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1300 Jaffna civilians to be transported by cargo ship

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 February 2007, 21:38 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) announced Wednesday that a group of civilians wishing to travel out of Jaffna peninsula will be first taken to Kankesanturai Harbour prior to being taken to Trincomalee. Consequence to the announcement from Palaly Military base, SLA troops arrived on Wednesday at Jaffna Sinhala Maha Vidayalayam and selected 1300 passengers to be allowed to travel from KKS harbour by a cargo ship.
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SLA restrictions cause hardship to Jaffna travellers

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 February 2007, 10:49 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) announced Tuesday that persons wishing to travel out of Jaffna peninsula cannot stay overnight to queue for ship tickets in areas near the Jaffna Sinhala Maha Vidyalayam where the tickets are issued, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, Jaffna Government Agent (GA) Mr. K. Ganesh informed Tuesday that registering the names of those wishing to travel in the ship from Kankesanthurai to Trincomalee at the District Secretariat has been temporarily suspended.
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SL parliament debates emergency extension motion

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 February 2007, 10:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament began Wednesday morning debating the motion of extending the State of Emergency for another month. Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, the Sri Lankan Prime Minister tabled a motion for extending the State of Emergency for eighteenth time, said soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) were being killed and 181 were injured in the month of January in the war front.
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SLA shoots dead youth in Vadamaradchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 February 2007, 09:23 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers lying in ambush along an interior road in Thatchanthoppu Pillayar temple area at Karaveddy in Vadamaradchi opened fire on a youth, killing him at the spot Wednesday at 5.45 a.m., Karaveddy residents said. However, military sources in Colombo said SLA killed a youth who had attempted to hurl a hand grenade at the troopers.


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Normalcy to return to Vaharai soon– Minister

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 February 2007, 02:15 GMT]
Vaharai Regional secretariat and Vaharai regional council presently relocated to Valaichenai will begin functioning at their original locations beginning Wednesday. Displaced civilians from the nine Grama Sevaka divisions will be resettled within the next four weeks, Mr.M.S.S.Amir Ali, Minister for Disaster Management and Rehabilitation announced in a meeting held at Ottamvady regional secretariat building, Tuesday 9:00 a.m. sources said.
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Youth shot dead in Kinniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 February 2007, 00:14 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) soldiers shot dead a Tamil youth in Maniarasankulam in Kinniya divisional secretariat division in Trincomalee district Sunday night around 10 p.m. Security sources claimed that the victim was an LTTE cadre.
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SLAF helicopters fire rockets in Trincomalee north

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 February 2007, 10:39 GMT]
Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) MI-12 helicopters Tuesday morning fired rockets in Kadawanaikulam and Morawewa areas in the north of Trincomalee town for more than 30 minutes. The sounds of explosions were heard in the east port city, sources said.
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Jaffna-wide schools boycott enters second week

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 February 2007, 10:33 GMT]
The boycott organized by Vadamaradchy Tamil Students union throughout Jaffna peninsula entered its second week on Monday, with no information received about the whereabouts of the two students abducted in Vadamaradchy three weeks ago. Most students in Jaffna district responded to the call by the Students Union to boycott school activities until the abducted students are released.
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Ranil: SLFP-UNP pact over, dark times ahead

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 February 2007, 09:39 GMT]
Addressing the new session of Parliament, leader of the opposition United National Party (UNP), Ranil Wickremsinghe, slammed President Mahinda Rajapakse for accepting the cross over of 19 UNP lawmakers to government ranks. Mr. Wickremsinghe said the move had led to the “dissolution” of the Memorandum of Understanding between the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the UNP. “The UNP thus finds it impossible to work with the government in finding a solution to the issues referred to in the MOU,” he said. Among the issues are a bi-partisan approach to ending Sri Lanka’s civil war.
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Home Guard trooper killed in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 February 2007, 05:40 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Home Guard trooper was killed in an attack on a guardpost at Kurumankadu in Vavuniya, around 8:35 p.m., Monday, police in the northern town said.
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SLA officer killed, four troopers injured in Vavuniya in two separate attacks

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 February 2007, 11:44 GMT]
Unidentified armed persons attacked a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) road patrol unit at Pandarikulam road in Vepankulam, Vavuniya Monday around 11:05 a.m. killing an officer and injuring a trooper, sources in Vavuniya said. Meanwhile, SLA said that three troopers were injured in an attack by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Monday early morning at Macanar road in Sector 5, Vavuniya.
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SLA cordon, search Jaffna University environs for missing Sri Lankan flag

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 February 2007, 09:37 GMT]
More than five hundred Sri Lankan troopers Monday morning cordoned off the area surrounding the University of Jaffna in Thriunelvely, 4 km north of Jaffna town and launched a search operation after a group of persons who entered the premises of Jaffna University and removed the Sri Lankan Lion flag Monday morning.
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Bread shortage looms in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 February 2007, 19:55 GMT]
Shortage of wheat flour in Jaffna will soon force the bakery owners in Jaffna peninsula to cease baking bread, civil society sources in Jaffna said. The stock of wheat flour at the Jaffna Secretariat had reached dangerously low levels while shipment of flour into the peninsula has been completely suspended, officials close to flour distribution in Jaffna Secretariat said.
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