NorthEast shuts down against de-merger

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 October 2006, 07:38 GMT]
The entire districts of NorthEast Wednesday came to a standstill following a shut down protest expressing Tamil opposition to Colombo's move to de-merge the NorthEast. Very few vehicles plied the streets, shops remained closed, businesses and private institutions remained closed and the Tamil towns in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled areas, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Vavuniya, Mannar and Jaffna were deserted, despite the threats by the SLA and paramilitaries.
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SLA shoots dead youth in Valvettiturai

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 October 2006, 18:21 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers shot dead a youth near Athiyady Hindu Temple on Beach Road in Valvettithurai, soon after a claymore attack triggered by unidentified persons killed a SLA trooper at the same place Tuesday morning around 9:30 a.m, said Valvettithurai residents.
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Two civilians injured in Valaichenai shootings

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 October 2006, 15:45 GMT]
Unidentified persons waiting in ambush opened fire seriously injuring a youth riding his bicycle for work, at Kinnaiady in Valaichenai police division in Batticaloa Tuesday around 6:40 a.m, Valaichenai police said. In a separate incident, a woman, 30, was caught in the cross fire between two rival groups and was seriously injured around 11:00 a.m, at Vinayagapuram in the same police division.
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Jaffna faces humanitarian catastrophe

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 October 2006, 12:24 GMT]
Closure of A9, the only trunk road to Jaffna from rest of Sri Lanka, more than 10 weeks ago, has halted the flow of essential food provisions, and medical supplies to Jaffna Peninsula, and if urgent steps are not taken, the residents will face severe humanitarian crisis, civil society leaders in Jaffna warned Monday. Jaffna residents face malnutrition and imminent starvation; and shortage of medical supplies and doctors, have wreaked havoc with the peninsula's fragile health care system, hospital and Non Governmental Organizations (NGO) sources said.
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One SLA trooper dead, another injured in Vadamaradchy claymore attacks

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 October 2006, 10:06 GMT]
One Sri Lanka Army (SLA) trooper was killed and another seriously injured in two separate claymore attacks triggered by unknown persons on SLA road patrol units in Vadamaradchi Tuesday. The first attack launched around 8:30 a.m. along Udupidy- Vathiry road in Navindiln a SLA trooper was seriously injured, and an hour later in a second attack near Athiyady Kovil on Beach Road in Valvettithurai, a SLA trooper was killed on the spot, sources in Point Pedro said.
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LTTE to focus humanitarian issues, CFA implementation in Geneva

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 October 2006, 06:37 GMT]
S.P. Thamilchelvan, the Political Head of the Liberation Tigers, before leaving Kilinochchi Tuesday morning, with Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar and the LTTE delegation, for talks in Geneva, told media that the Tigers were participating in the talks respecting the call by the International Community. "Agenda for the talks has not been worked out," Mr. Thamilchelvan said. "However, on our part, we have prepared to focus the urgent humanitarian crisis caused by the Sri Lankan state terrorism in the Tamil homeland," he told media adding that the Tigers were also prepared to focus the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement.
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Home guard seriously injured in Amparai

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 October 2006, 22:40 GMT]
Unidentified armed men opened fire on a police sentry point at 39th Colony Sunday around 6:30 p.m seriously injuring a home guard. Sri Lanka Army (SLA), Special Task Force (STF) and the police cordoned off and conducted a search operation in the 39th Colony, a village on the Amparai-Batticalo district boundary and recovered a T56 type assault rifle with its magazine, Amparai police said.
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IFJ condemns bombing of VoT radio station

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 October 2006, 16:51 GMT]
The International Federation of Journalists has condemned the bombing of the official radio station of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the Voice of Tigers (VoT), by the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) in Vanni last Tuesday. The IFJ, reminding the Sri Lankan government of its "absolute obligation" under the Geneva Convention to respect the safety of journalists, said it hoped the attack does not set a "terrible precedent" for further "targeted attacks" on media outlets. The SLAF attack on Thamileelam Vanoli tower in Kokkavil, destroyed the main transmitter and tower of the station that broadcasts three services, the VoT, a Sinhala service and a Tamil commercial service from Vanni.
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Shell injures police, civilian in Vavunathivu

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 October 2006, 15:34 GMT]
A civilian and a police Seargent were seriously injured when a mortar shell exploded near the police sentry point on the Vavunathivu Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Forward Defence Line (FDL) Monday around 6:30 a.m, said residents in Vavunathivu.
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Saivite priest shot dead in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 October 2006, 10:35 GMT]
Unknown men shot and killed a Saivite priest in Vavuniya Sunday night around 9:30. The victim was one of the organisers of a vigil group against theft and robberies, civil sources in Vavuniya said.
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6 youths disappear near Chemmani

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 October 2006, 15:33 GMT]
Six youths have been reported missing near Chemmani, the gateway between Valigamam and Thenmaradchy, within five days from Monday 16 October, the Human Rights Council (HRC) officials said in Jaffna Sunday.
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Claymore injures SLA trooper in Karaveddy

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 October 2006, 13:46 GMT]
One Sri Lanka Army (SLA) trooper was seriously injured when a claymore attached to a tree exploded on soldiers returning to their camps in Nelliyady, Karaveddy 4 km southwest of Point Pedro after conducting a cordon and search operation in Vathiry area at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, sources in Point Pedro said.
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US should support "confederal Sri Lanka"- Boston Globe

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 October 2006, 12:16 GMT]
The Boston Globe, in an editorial appeared in the 22 October edition, said that Washington should prevail on Colombo to "withdraw its armed forces from the Tamil areas in the north of the island," and urge Colombo to open A9, to demonstrate Washington's seriousness towards advocating a "permanent peace that provides for Tamil self-government and human rights in a confederal Sri Lanka."
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SLA shells injure two youths, child in Vaharai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 October 2006, 10:52 GMT]
Three members of a family including a 3 year old boy was seriously injured when high explosive artillery shells fired by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) from Valaichenai brigade and Sinhapura camps on residential settlelments in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled Vaharai areas in Batticaloa district at 6:00 pm Friday, hit their house, said sources in Vaharai. The injured were rushed to Vaharai hospital and are listed in serious condition, hospital sources said.
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SLA embargo burdens Thirukovil residents

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 October 2006, 12:28 GMT]
People's representatives of Thirukovil region in Amparai district highlighted the hardships caused by travel restrictions and material embargo imposed by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), to Mr. Herath Abeyaweera, Government Agent (GA) Amparai district, at the Thirukovil Regional Secretariat Thurday 9:00 a.m., Thirukovil Secretariat sources said. The Special Task Force (STF) soldiers of the SLA have blocked medicines, fuel, fertilizer and materials essential for cultivation and building construction to be taken into Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled areas.
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Abducted driver escapes, alleges SLA torture

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 October 2006, 00:39 GMT]
An auto trishaw driver who disappeared after being last seen at a Sri Lankan Army (SLA) check point in Jaffna Wednesday, escaped from the SLA camp in Chavakachcheri and appeared in Courts under the protection of Human Rights Committee (HRC)'s Jaffna branch officials Friday, legal sources said. The driver alleged he was taken to several SLA camps and was tortured while in SLA custody.
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Two SLN Dvora vessels damaged in sea clash - LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 October 2006, 14:09 GMT]
Liberation Tigers officials in Kilinochchi said Sea Tigers retaliated a Sri Lanka Navy flotilla that launched an attack on Tiger vessels in the seas off Tiger territory in Nagarkovil. Sea Tigers chased the SLN flotilla towards Kudathanai in North. Two Dvora Fast Attack Crafts were damaged in the confrontation, they said.
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Stranded Jaffna residents protest in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 October 2006, 09:43 GMT]
Jaffna peninsula residents, trapped in Vavuniya district following the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) imposed closure of the A9 land route to Jaffna when clashes erupted between SLA and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) August 11, marched in protest from Vavuniya Secretariat to the offices of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and International Committee of Red Cross in Vavuniya Friday and complained against the long delay in sending them home, Vavuniya Secretariat sources said.


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SLA transport ban impedes development in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 October 2006, 09:23 GMT]
P. Ariyanenthiran, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian for Batticaloa said that despite the assurances given by Basil Rajapakse, brother of and Senior Advisor to the President of Sri Lanka, on June 29 that the military-imposed economic and transport restrictions in Batticaloa district would be lifted, situation on the ground has remained the same with all development projects at a standstill without building materials.
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2 Civilians shot dead, auto-rickshaw driver disappears in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 October 2006, 05:18 GMT]
An auto trishaw driver from Chavakachcheri has disappeared after being seen interrogated by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers at the Five Junction check point in Jaffna Wednesday, civil society sources said. Meanwhile, two civilians were shot dead in different incidents in Jaffna Peninsula, Thursday.
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