Vaharai students miss GCE(OL)

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 December 2006, 12:29 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Department of Examination organized General Certificate of Examination (Ordinary Level) began Monday in about 3900 centers except in the three centers in Vaharai, Kathiraveli and Vammivedduwan located in LTTE held areas in Batticaloa district, education officials in the East said. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has refused to allow question papers and other related documents to be transported through Mankerni checkpoint from the co-coordinating center located in the government controlled Valaichchenai.


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Abducted youth found shot dead in Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 December 2006, 08:48 GMT]
Five unidentified gunmen abducted a youth Sunday around 11:00 p.m from his house at Pansala road in Akkaraipattu in Amparai district. The dead body of the abducted youth was recovered Monday morning, with gunshot wounds, close to Akkaraipattu Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp, sources in Akkaraipattu said.


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Church groups slam PTA

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 December 2006, 00:10 GMT]
Churches in Sri Lanka have denounced the revival of a draconian anti-terrorism law by the government. "Many still have painful memories of the harsh impact of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) on the life of the nation not too long ago. It was political wisdom coupled with political will that finally led to it being suspended," Anglican Bishop Duleep de Chickera of Colombo said last week after the government declaration.
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"Colombo on genocidal war path" - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 December 2006, 23:50 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Political Head, S. P. Thamilchelvan, in his address on International Human Rights Day held in Kilinochchi Sunday, stated that the Sri Lankan Government, depriving the Tamil people of their fundamental birthrights such as the "right to life, right to national identity and the right to homeland," and disabling the Ceasefire Agreement with its presently introduced "Prevention of Terrorism" act, was on a "genocidal war path," violating not only human rights laws, but also the Geneva humanitarian laws by carrying out bombardments on hospitals and schools. "Tamil people stand deceived by the membership conferred on the Sri Lankan state to the newly formed Human Rights Council."
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Two SLA troopers injured in claymore attack in Karaveddy

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 December 2006, 15:10 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were injured when unidentified gunmen triggered a claymore mine in Yaakeru, Kevalai area in Karaveddy East, Vadamaradchy, at 7:30 a.m. Sunday, sources said. The injured troopers were first taken to Manthikai Hospital and later transferred to Palaly Military Hospital in a helicopter.
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Elilan: SLA offensive repulsed in Panichchankerni

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 December 2006, 13:33 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army offensive south of Vaharai along the costal line towards Panichchankerni was defeated by the defence forces of the Tigers, said S. Elilan, Trincomalee Political Head of the Tigers. 19 civilians were killed in SLA and Sri Lanka Navy shelling and 50 civilians were wounded Sunday.
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Paramilitary penetration into Pendugalchenai beaten back- LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 December 2006, 13:29 GMT]
Attempt by a group of 25 members of paramilitary cadres and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to penetrate into Liberation Tigers controlled area of Pendukalchenai to launch attacks around 7:30 a.m. Sunday was foiled when the LTTE counter attacked killing two and injuring ten paramilitaries, S. Seeralan, head of LTTE Batticaloa political wing said. Two cadres of LTTE were also killed in the counter attack.
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TRO appeals for SLMM, ICRC access to Vaharai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 December 2006, 12:48 GMT]
Pointing out that "over 30 shells have landed close to the Vaharai Hospital in the past few hours and 6 TRO Camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the area have received direct hits from shells resulting in 17 deaths, including a 6 month old baby, and 67 injured," Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), in a press release issued from its Colombo office Sunday, appealed to the Humanitarian Organizations and the International Community to pressure Government of Sri Lanka to allow access to the ICRC and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) to the Vaharai area.
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MP accuses Colombo for "coward's war"

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 December 2006, 09:12 GMT]
Batticaloa District Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian S. Jeyanandamoorthy, has condemned Colombo Sunday morning for attacking Tamil women and children refugees in Vaharai. The entire Vaharai region has been under siege for more than 3 months. 40 000 civilians are tightly packed in the area and the Government of Sri Lanka has imposed a war on the civilian population, Mr. Jeyanandamoorthy said. The MP called on the International actors, monitors and the Norwegian facilitators "not to show bias in their condemnation of the attacks that targeted civilians."
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19 more Tamil refugees killed, new SLA offensive south of Vaharai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 December 2006, 06:16 GMT]
19 Internally displaced people, who fled artillery bombing in Palchenai and Vammivedduvan in Vahrai region to Kandalady Government School, were killed and more than 25 wounded when Sri Lanka Army fired artillery shells hit the school Sunday morning, according to LTTE's Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan. Sri Lanka Navy gunboats were also engaged in firing shells towards densely populated refugee camps as Sri Lankan forces opened a new front towards Panichchankerni Sunday morning. Meanwhile, a Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation official in Vaharai told TamilNet all the five refugee camps in Vaharai were being targeted by artillery shelling forcing all civilians to flee.
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Under attack, Christians fear militant Buddhism

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 December 2006, 03:29 GMT]
Amid growing violence in Sri Lanka that Church leaders have likened to the 'killing fields' of Cambodia, Christians in the island are facing increased persecution from Buddhist extremists, Release International reported this week. Christians in Sri Lanka are appealing to the international community for help, RI which monitors persecution of churches around the world, said. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) also says Christians in Sri Lankan are facing more intense persecution as mob violence becomes an increasingly visible trend in the country.
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15 Tamil civilians feared killed, 41 wounded in 11 hour artillery barrage

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 December 2006, 19:18 GMT]
At least 15 civilians, including a 6-month-old baby, were feared killed and 41 wounded when SLA troopers fired artillery shells towards IDP camps in Vammivedduvan and Palchenai, medical sources in Vaharai told TamilNet. The parents of the baby killed in artillery barrage were admitted at Vaharai hospital. Nine dead bodies, 5 male and 4 female victims, were brought to hospital, according to doctor M. Varathan at Vaharai hospital. Ten of 26 patients, incuding children from 3-years to 15, admitted at hospital were at critical state. Many more were feared wounded. The SLA has refused access to ambulances from Batticaloa to transport wounded out of Vaharai.
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Verugal offensive thwarted, 30 troopers killed, 1 captured alive - LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 December 2006, 18:12 GMT]
Liberation Tigers officials in Vaharai told TamilNet Saturday night that Sri Lankan troopers who advanced into LTTE territory Saturday morning from Mahindapura camp, were defeated at 2:30 p.m. after 9 hours of stiff resistance by the Tigers. More than 30 troopers were killed, around 100 wounded, one soldier was captured alive and 9 bodies recovered by the Tigers. An artillery gun in Kallaru SLA camp was destroyed in LTTE artillery fire, LTTE officials claimed. The SLA troopers who had advanced 2.5 km into LTTE territory north of Vaharai, were hastely withdrawn after suffering heavy casualties.
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Food War

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 December 2006, 14:27 GMT]
Four months after the closure of A9, Jaffna’s economic lifeline, bakeries are closed, and shelves in the co-operatives and private shops are empty, as stocks have depleted and fresh supplies dwindled. Assurances given by the Government of Sri Lanka to provide sufficient food and essentials to Jaffna Peninsula have only brought in supplies of rice and lentils by sea. There's no sugar, oil, milk, the basics. People queue from morning until afternoon by the special military shops run by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) adjoining their camps for a rationed amount of essential commodities. Colombo appears adamant to continue to prosecute the food war with Jaffna residents.
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Avoid criticism, pay ransom, paramilitaries tell Tamil dailies

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 December 2006, 12:34 GMT]
Following a 7th December press release by the Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF) that "pro-government militia led by Tamil warlord Karuna" has issued death threats to distributors preventing the circulation of the papers in Batticaloa, paramilitary TMVP office in Colombo placed conditions as they attempted to negotiate with the management of Colombo Tamil dailies of allowing circulation of papers in Batticaloa SLA controlled areas, Tamil media sources in Colombo said.
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UK to remove Sri Lanka from asylum "whitelist"

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 December 2006, 11:36 GMT]
Asylum & Appeals Policy Directorate attached to the British Home Office, Friday said it would remove Sri Lanka from the list of countries designated for non-suspensive appeals under Section 94 of the 2002 Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act, in the light of the deterioration in the situation in Sri Lanka.
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Terror campaign stepped up in Trincomalee, 5 Tamils killed since Wednesday

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 December 2006, 10:33 GMT]
A Tamil civilian was shot dead and another wounded Friday evening in Orr's Hill, a suburb of Trincomalee town, bringing the death toll to 5 in individual slayings since Wednesday. Armed men who came in a three-wheeler opened fired at the victims Friday night around 7.30 p.m in front of a house along Lower Road in Orr's Hill. The victim, identified as 46 year-old Desmond Antony, was a sea diver. Tension prevailed in the area following the shooting.
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Thousands flee Eachilampattu, Palchenai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 December 2006, 08:49 GMT]
Hundreds of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim families started fleeing villages surrounding Eachilampattu border area into SLA and LTTE controlled territory as thousands of refugees from Palchenai and Verugal areas north of Batticaloa district started fleeing towards Vaharai, where Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir bombers engaged in aerial bombardment in an attempt to block civilians from reaching Vaharai.
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SLA fired artillery shells hit school, 13 refugees wounded

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 December 2006, 06:29 GMT]
Thirteen refugees, including a 4-year-old child, were wounded when Sri Lanka Army fired artillery shells hit a school in Paalchenai, 8 km north of Vaharai Saturday, around 11:20 a.m., as SLA intensified a ground offensive from Eachilampattu, via A15 trunk road towards Verugal, 15 km northwest of Vakarai amid indiscriminate artillery barrage. Nine wounded refugees from the school where IDP families were staying, were rushed to Vaharai hospital, medical sources said. Heavy fighting was reported between Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lanka Army at Eachilamapattu.
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Re-opening of landroutes, non-negotiable humanitarian priority - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 December 2006, 10:15 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Political Head, S. P. Thamilchelvan, Friday told media after meeting Norwegian Special Envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer in Kilinochchi, that the re-opening of A9 and A15 landroutes constituted basic humanitarian priorities for the survival of the civilian population. "It is critical that the International Community addresses the issue of Colombo's cooperation in re-opening of A9 and A15 landroutes ensuring the Tamil people their top-most basic humanitarian need," Mr. Thamilchelvan said. Tamil people are at the verge of losing hopes in Norwegian facilitators, the SLMM and the International Community for failing to condemn Colombo for refusing to re-open the landroutes, he said.
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