Police Units established to curb Batticaloa Election violence

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 February 2008, 23:52 GMT]
A number of Special units have been established in Batticaloa district to curb election related violence and to enable the affected parties to lodge complaints against such incidences, police sources in Batticaloa said.
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Veeramunai NGO employees continue to be detained

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 February 2008, 13:54 GMT]
Six female employees at the Veeramunai office of a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) Social Welfare Organization of Ampaa'rai District (SWOAD), arrested by Sammanthurai police Tuesday afternoon are continued to be detained, civil society sources in Ampaa'rai said.
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Five employees of Social Welfare Organization Arrested

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 February 2008, 00:01 GMT]
Sammanthurai police arrested Tuesday afternoon five female employees at the Veeramunai office of a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) Social Welfare Organization of Ampaa'rai District (SWOAD), civil society sources in Ampaa'rai said.
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Thirumavalavan urges Center to hold referendum on extending LTTE ban

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 February 2008, 20:18 GMT]
Viduthalai Chiruththaikal Kadchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party) President Thol. Thirumavalavan on Friday urged the Indian Government to conduct a referendum among the sixty five million people of Tamil Nadu on the extension of LTTE ban. He was speaking at a demonstration organized by his party to pressure the Indian Government to wage war against Sri Lanka for planting mines in the sea waters of Kadchatheevu and for arbitrarily arresting Tamil Nadu fishermen.
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Paramilitary operative shot dead in Chengkaladi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 31 January 2008, 13:47 GMT]
Unidentified armed men shot and killed a paramilitary personnel belonging to Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) Wednesday night 7:05 p.m. at Siththaa'ndi in Ea'raavoor police division in Batticaloa district.
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Iththikka'ndal

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 January 2008, 00:01 GMT]
The marshland in the locality of Iththi trees (Ficus virens)
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STF shoots dead Tamil youth in Ka’luvaagnchchikudi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 January 2008, 14:51 GMT]
Sri Lanka Task Force (STF) commandos shot and killed a Tamil youth Saturday night on Ka’luthaava’lai beach, Ka’luvaagnchchikudi police said. The police claimed that the youth was a member of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and was shot and killed when he tried to lodge a hand grenade on the STF commandos of a road patrol unit.
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Abducted UPFA candidate released, in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 January 2008, 10:30 GMT]
A United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) candidate abducted Friday from his house by unidentified armed men in a white van was released Saturday around 9:30 p.m after being severely assaulted, in a coconut plantation area in Mayilaampaavea’li in Ea’raavoor police division in Batticaloa district, sources said.
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Armed men abduct paramilitary UPFA candidate in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 January 2008, 08:05 GMT]
A man appointed by the TMVP paramilitary group to contest in Batticaloa Municipal Council Elections under the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) ticket was abducted by unidentified armed men, around 10 p.m., Friday, Kaaththaankudi police said.
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Civlian killed, 2 wounded, SLAF bombs Ki'linochchi suburb

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 January 2008, 03:21 GMT]
A civilian traveler was killed and two civilians were seriously wounded when Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked Viveakananthaa Nakar, an outer suburb of Ki'iinochchi, located 3 km southwest of the town, Friday morning between 7:50 and 8:10 a.m. Three houses were fully destroyed and six more houses have sustained damage. Liberation Tigers anti-aircraft unit rushed to the area and opened fired when SLAF fighter jets swooped over the suburb, forcing the planes to higher altitudes.
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Sri Lanka Navy plants explosives in Historic Waters

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 January 2008, 16:47 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) has planted underwater mines between Kachchatheevu and Neduntheevu (Delft Island) endangering the lives of Tamil Nadu fishermen according to reports in the Indian media Wednesday. Consequently, 12 fishermen from Rameswaram (Raameasvaram) in Tamil Nadu were taken into custody by the SLN Monday when they attempted to exercise their traditional fishing rights in Kachchatheevu. "In a shameless show of solidarity with the SLN which has violated the international convention, the Indian Navy has also arrested 60 fishermen from Rameswaram in the last two days," said a fishermen society representative in Rameswaram.
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Alarming increase in Mannaar abductions

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 January 2008, 16:45 GMT]
In the past three weeks, Mannaar has witnessed the abduction of five Tamil civilians, including a leading businessman and a young mother, in broad daylight. In at least two of the cases, the victims had received mysterious phone calls asking them to come to an appointed place at a particular time. Distraught families have been running from pillar to post to trace their missing relatives, but a hostile police force has ensured that they remain groping in the dark.
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Muslims demonstrate against Pillaiyaan group in Aaraiyampathi

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 January 2008, 17:06 GMT]
Muslims in Eastern province observed total hartal Monday condemning paramilitary shooting on Muslims emerging from a Mosque in Karbala village in Aaraiyampathi Saturday evening, injuring three persons including a chief Mawlawi. The Muslim Mosques Federation in Kaaththaankudi had called for the hartal and more than 1000 people marched in a protest demonstration arranged by the federation.
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White van abductions escalate in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 January 2008, 17:33 GMT]
Threatened by increasing number of abductions in the area, members of 40 families residing in a refugee camp located in Thaalikulam, Vavuniyaa handed over a written appeal Saturday to the officials of Vavuniyaa Human Rights Commission (HRC) requesting them to take immediate action to provide protection and relocate them to a safer location, civil society sources in Vavuniya said.
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Paramilitary opens fire on Muslim worshippers at Mosque in Kaaththaankudi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 January 2008, 15:33 GMT]
Paramilitary gunmen from Pillayaan Group opened fire on Muslims who were emerging from a Mosque in Karbala village in Aaraiyampathi Saturday at 7:55 p.m. Three persons, including a chief Mawlawi were wounded, two of them were in critical state, eyewitnesses told TamilNet. Tension prevails in the village with longstanding settlement dispute between the Tamil and Muslim communities. Shops were closed and additional police and Special Task Force personnel have been rushed to the village, Police said.
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Tamil trader shot dead in Kaaththaankudi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 January 2008, 15:08 GMT]
Unidentified armed men shot and killed a Tamil trader in Selva Nakar in Kaaththaankudi police division in Batticaloa district Friday around 8:45 p.m as he was going home after closing his shop, Kaaththaankudi police said. Police recovered his body Saturday morning and handed it over to Batticaloa Teaching hospital.
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Woman shot, injured in Kalladi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 January 2008, 18:30 GMT]
Unidentified armed men called a woman out of her house in Kalladi area in Batticaloa district Thursday around 3:30 a.m and opened fire on her inflicting serious injuries. The woman, rushed to Batticaloa Teaching hospital is in a critical condition after being operated on, hospital sources said.
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2 men shot dead in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 January 2008, 05:45 GMT]
Unidentified armed men shot killed two men Wednesday around 8:45 p.m near Kalladi Sivaananthaa playground, 5 km south of Batticaloa city. One of the victims was earlier working in Sri Lanka police department, Kaaththaankudi Police said.
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STF, police search Eastern University student hostel

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 January 2008, 13:46 GMT]
Special Task Force (STF) commandos and police surrounded Wednesday dawn the student hostel in Vanthaa’rumoolay Eastern University and conducted a search operation, subjecting the students to intensive checking and interrogation until 9:30 a.m, sources in Batticaloa said. SLA and the police have been deployed in large numbers in Batticaloa district in the wake of Sri Lanka government’s announcement of its unilateral withdrawal of the 2002 Cease Fire Agreement signed with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the sources added.
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SLN orders Mannaar villagers to obtain photos of families

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 January 2008, 11:57 GMT]
Commanders of Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) camps located in littoral villages in Mannaar have ordered the residents living within the SLN's area of dominance to avail themselves to take photographs, residents in Mannaar said. Areas of Thalaimannaar, Nadukkudaa, Peasaalai, Vankaalaippaadu, Erukkalampiddi, Pa'l'limunai, Thaaraapuram, Thaalvuppaadu and Sunny Village are affected by the SLN order, sources added.
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