SL Prime Minister lays conditions for peace talks

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 September 2006, 00:18 GMT]
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Prime Minister and acting Minister of Defence, laid conditions for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to take part in future peace talks with the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL). "LTTE must first lay down their arms if they want to start peace negotiation with our government. There will not be any place for peace talks in our agenda if this condition is not met," said Mr. Wickremanayake addressing the 25th anniversary of the Land Reform and Development Organization held at Sethsiripaya in Colombo Thursday, political sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>

Six civilians killed in 24-hours, fear grips Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 September 2006, 16:00 GMT]
"White van" squad allegedly operated by Sri Lanka Army, abducted a 19-year-old female, beat the victim to death and hung her Thursday night in Uduvil, Jaffna. The victim was the fiancee of a 23-year-old male who was abducted, shot into eyes and dumped in Innuvil Monday. Meanwhile, an eyewitness from the bar on Manipay Road in Jaffna, said Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were behind the killings at the bar where two youths from Punguduthivu were gunned down in execution style Thursday night. Another youth was killed in Anaikoddai, shot into his eyes. The other victims to die were a 28-year-old employee at a fuel station Thursday night in Kalviyankadu and a 25-year-old fisherman, Friday morning.
Full story >>

Humanitarian supplies through land routes crucial - LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 September 2006, 11:40 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Political Head S. P. Thamilchelvan met Friday with the new Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, retired Maj. Gen. Lars Johan Sølvberg. Mr. Thamilchelvan, talking to press, after the meeting, said that the Tigers discussed the humanitarian crisis as the top priority issue. The closure of A9 is "not a mere violation of the Ceasefire Agreement, but an offence against humanity, denying basic supplies to hundreds of thousands of people," Mr. Thamilchelvan said.
Full story >>

Paramilitary group member shot dead in Chenkalady

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 September 2006, 09:54 GMT]
Unidentified armed person Friday morning around 7:00 a.m. shot dead a member of Karuna paramilitary group at Chenkalady near Kommathurai SLA camp in Eravur police division in Batticaloa district. The victim has been identified as Samithambi Thirumal, 28, police sources said.
Full story >>

Vanni patients stranded in Jaffna hospital

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 September 2006, 06:03 GMT]
Nearly 150 patients from Vanni who had completed their treatment at Jaffna Teaching Hospital have been stranded in Jaffna town, unable return to their homes for more than a month due to the closure of A- 9 highway since August 11 .Patients include mothers who had just delivered their babies. Hospital sources said the young mothers and their infants are in good health.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka spells out conditions for talks to Norway- reports

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 September 2006, 01:30 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s government (GoSL) is demanding a written assurance from LTTE leader Velupillai Pirapaharan that the LTTE would end its violence before GoSL will agree to hold talks with the Tigers, newspapers reported Friday. The GoSL demand was spelled out to Norwegian facilitators by Sri Lankan officials who met Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar on Thursday, they said. Meanwhile the government’s Defence Spokesman, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, told the Daily Mirror that Norway was informed that “a single bullet fired by the LTTE after agreeing for talks would compel the government to withdraw from the Ceasefire.”


Full story >>

SLA bars civilian travel through Uyilankulam checkpoint

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 September 2006, 16:08 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Thursday refused passage for stranded Tamil civilians in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Mannar territories and in areas controlled by the Sri Lanka government to cross over through Uyilankulam SLA check point, civil sources said.
Full story >>

Terrorised Tamil traders flee to India - report

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 September 2006, 12:20 GMT]
Several Tamil traders and businessmen have fled Sri Lanka following a spate of killings and abductions, IANS reported Thursday quoting officials and refugees. Sinhalese gangs in Trincomalee are targeting prominent Tamils and many ordinary Tamils in the capital were gripped by a "fear psychosis" the agency reported, quoting activists as saying the recent violence has led to one of the most traumatic periods for the island's Tamil community.
Full story >>

Girl's death not caused by cyanide - JMO report

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 September 2006, 11:03 GMT]
District Judge for Mallakam, Wednesday ordered the Jaffna Police to investigate and submit a full report when the Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) of the Jaffna Teaching Hospital said in his report to court that the young woman, Valarmathy, admitted by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) alive had no cyanide substance in her stomach, legal sources said. Meanwhile, the autopsy of the other girl, Tharshika Pathmanathan, whose body was handed over to the hospital by the SLA, is scheduled to be held Thursday in Jaffna Teaching Hospital to ascertain the cause of death whether she died due to cyanide poisoning or any other reason, medical sources said.
Full story >>

Youth shot by SLA, dies after swallowing cyanide

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 September 2006, 05:30 GMT]
Sri Lankan Army (SLA) soldiers on a foot patrol shot a youth who allegedly attempted to run away having thrown a hand grenade on them in Vinayagapuram in the Valaichchenai Police area in Batticaloa district, around 1.30 p.m. Wednesday, Valaichchenai Police said.
Full story >>

Education of students in LTTE held Mannar villages affected

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 September 2006, 05:23 GMT]
About 4850 students studying in 26 Tamil schools in villages located in Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held areas have been badly affected. The second term examination for these students scheduled to be held in August was not held as the education authorities were unable to transport question papers and related learning materials due to the closure of the Uyilankulam checkpoint by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) since August 11.
Full story >>

Another foreign aid worker shot dead

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 September 2006, 20:44 GMT]
A relief worker for the Seattle-based non-profit group World Concern has been killed in the Trincomalee district, where six weeks ago 17 aid workers were shot dead execution-style by Sri Lankan forces, reports said Tuesday. Ragunathan Ramalingam, a Tamil, was shot Monday while returning to the World Concern office on a motorcycle.
Full story >>

Rupavahini in ‘cultural censorship’ - FMM

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 September 2006, 18:38 GMT]
A local media watchdog Wednesday slammed Sri Lanka’s government for abruptly ending a television series after altering the dialogue in the last episode that was broadcast. The Free Media Movement (FMM) said it “condemns this cultural censorship” and asked Sri Lanka Rupavahini Cooperation (SLRC) to resume broadcasting the ‘Sudu Kapuru Pethi’ programme, whose story line, written in 2003, is set in island’s ethnic conflict. According to a BBC Sinhala service report, the SLRC says the teledrama ‘disgraced’ the Sri Lankan security forces at a time of war.
Full story >>

Vavuniya blast injures SLA soldier, claymore mines recovered

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 September 2006, 16:26 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army soldier was seriously injured when a water tanker was hit by a claymore mine blast at Rasenthirakulam in Vavuniya, Wednesday afternoon. The incident occured along Nellukulam - Cheddikulam Road, police said.
Full story >>

Two women take cyanide in Jaffna, one dies

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 September 2006, 04:26 GMT]
Two women took cyanide capsules when a group of soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on routine patrol during curfew hours in Vakaravaththai-Avarankal area in Valikamam East in Jaffna district had attempted to search them on Monday midnight. One woman died instantaneously and the other was admitted to Jaffna Teaching Hospital in a critical condition, Police informed Mallakam District Judge quoting SLA report.
Full story >>

Stable ceasefire ‘essential pre-requisite’ for peace moves - India

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 September 2006, 13:23 GMT]
India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Monday India's efforts would be to ensure that the current ceasefire holds in Sri Lanka as a pre-requisite for a durable solution to the island's crisis, IANS reported.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka pushing island to "full scale war" - LTTE

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 September 2006, 09:33 GMT]
Continuing offensives by the Sri Lankan military will compel the Liberation Tigers to switch from defensive operations to launching their own offensives, the LTTE said Wednesday. In an exclusive interview with Reuters, the head of the LTTE’s Political Wing, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan said the Sri Lankan military’s offensives and continuing forcible occupation of Tamil areas had rendered the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) "meaningless" but "since the facilitators and the international community are eager to strengthen peace efforts, the LTTE is also continuing to examine options for strengthening the CFA."
Full story >>

SLA fills fishing jetties with stones in Vadamaradchi

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 September 2006, 23:15 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army Saturday begun forcing fishermen along Vadamaradchi North to fill the mooring points and jetties with stones. "The mooring points, the only means of sea access for the fishermen who have struggled for years for their livelihoods are now being closed, shutting down all hopes of the fishermen in Vadamaradchi North," fishermen's Co-op Society sources said.
Full story >>

'White Van' squad abducts 8 civilans in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 September 2006, 18:28 GMT]
Eight civilians, including 2 young women were abducted in Jaffna by unidentified armed persons in white van, in five separate incidents, during the last 24 hours, ending at 6 p.m., Monday. Meanwhile, Surenthiraraja, the coordinator of Human Rights Commission in Jaffna Monday said that 67 persons were reported "disappeared" in August alone.
Full story >>

SLA, LTTE engage in artillery fire in Kadjuwatte

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 September 2006, 11:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) exchanged artillery fire in Kadjuwatte located along the border of SLA and LTTE controlled areas in Valaichchenai police division in Batticaloa district on Sunday night for about one hour.
Full story >>