Paramilitary abductions continue in Batticaloa, Amparai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 August 2006, 21:44 GMT]
Paramilitary Karuna Group men working with the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) abducted 15 Tamil civilians in Batticaloa and Amparai Districts within last two days, said Jeya, the Amparai District LTTE Political Head. He further said the incidents have been reported to the Sri Lanka Monitoring mission(SLMM).


Full story >>

Tigers repulse SLA counter-thrust

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 August 2006, 16:41 GMT]
A counter-thrust by the Sri Lanka Army’s (SLA) elite 53 division to recapture areas in Jaffna lost to the Liberation Tigers in the past two days was destroyed by LTTE forces using artillery and close quarter fighting, sources in Kilinochchi said. In Colombo, ambulances have been shuttling between Ratmalana and hospitals in the capital since early hours Sunday carrying military wounded, sources said.


Full story >>

40 civilians feared killed, 100 wounded in SLA shelling

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 August 2006, 15:26 GMT]
At least 15 persons were killed and 20 severely wounded when rockets and artillery shells fired from Palaly military base hit St. Phililp Mary Church in Allaipiddy, Sunday morning, where civilians had sought refuge. Ambulances dispatched from Jaffna hospital Sunday evening brought the wounded to the hospital. 37 wounded civilians were rushed to Jaffna hospital from other areas, Allaipiddy, Mankumban and Mandaithivu. Meanwhile, SLA soldiers resumed firing rockets from a Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) from Duraiappa stadium in Jaffna town, Sunday evening, sources said.
Full story >>

Tiger marines conclude pre-emptive strike on Mandaithivu - LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 August 2006, 13:56 GMT]
Marine Corps of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Saturday midnight destroyed the artillery launch pad in Mandaithivu, and Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and Sri Lanka Army's (SLA) preparations to launch a seaborne offensive towards Elephant Pass, LTTE's Military Spokesman Irasaiah Iltanthiryan told media Sunday. Two Sri Lanka Army tanks were destroyed within the last 48 hours, along A9 between Mirusuvil and Muhamalai, where severe clashes took place. Small clashes were still continuing, he said. Tiger marines returned to their positions from Mandaithivu Sunday early morning, according to LTTE military spokesman.
Full story >>

SLA blocks 2000 families fleeing Thenmaradchi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 August 2006, 11:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers, citing the Police curfew in force, blocked nearly two thousand families who were moving north towards safer Vadamaradchy from their houses in Thenmaradchi villages of Varani, Vatralai, Thaavalai, Idaikurichchi and Karambaikurichchi, civil sources in Jaffna said. The families were forced to stay in open terrain in Tharavai, Kapputhu areas bordering Vadamaradchi and Thenmaradchi without food and other basic needs. Water supply was also scarce in the area, according to members of 50 families who managed to escape SLA barrier and enter Vadamaradchi.
Full story >>

STF, LTTE clash in Batticaloa, Tiger cadre killed

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 August 2006, 08:34 GMT]
Sri Lanka Special Task Force (STF) troopers and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres manning the Forward Defence Line (FDL) positions in Vellaveli, clashed Sunday morning around 5:15 a.m. Mortar shells were fired towards LTTE FDL and the surrounding villages as a group of STF troopers attempted to move inside the LTTE territory, said LTTE Batticaloa District Poliitcal Head Daya Mohan. A Liberation Tigers cadre was kiled and two STF troopers were wouned in the clash that lasted for more than 45 minutes. Vellaveli is located 25 km southeast of Batticaloa.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka says "talks offer" as fighting continues

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 August 2006, 08:11 GMT]
As heavy fighting continued between the Liberation Tigers and Sri Lanka’s military in the northern Jaffna peninsula, the government in Colombo claimed Sunday to have received on Friday an offer of talks from the LTTE and that it was accepting it. The government announcement came as press reports said the military’s air bridge to the Jaffna peninsula had been cut as the Palaly airbase continued to remain under LTTE artillery fire. The sea lines to Jaffna were also being disrupted by LTTE shelling of Trincomalee port.
Full story >>

SLN arrests 95 Pesalai civilians fleeing to Tamilnadu

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 August 2006, 07:06 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Navy seized an Indian trawler with 95 Tamil civilians from Pesalai village in Mannar district while on its way to South Indian coast, Sunday. These villagers following the volatile situation in Mannar decided to seek refuge in Tamilnadu in South India, sources said.
Full story >>

ICRC convoy reaches Vaharai with relief to Tamil IDPs

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 August 2006, 06:59 GMT]
An International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) convoy of 17 trucks and four cars reached the town of Vaharai in the Batticaloa district of eastern Sri Lanka in the early afternoon on Saturday. The convoy brought food, water and other items such as tarpaulins, mats, bed sheets, cooking pots and buckets for distribution to thousands of displaced people fleeing the fighting in the Eachchilampathu area, said press release issued by the ICRC Saturday evening.
Full story >>

8 pilgrims killed in Muhamalai, 4 survive, fate of 37 not known

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 August 2006, 14:56 GMT]
Seven Jaffna civilians returning from a religious pilgrimage to Kathirgamam Hindu Temple were killed by artillery fired by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops retreating north from the Muhamalai checkpost, civil society sources in Jaffna said. The SLA had blocked a bus with 48 civilian pilgrims returning from Kathirgamam to Jaffna Friday evening. Four of the passengers survived artillery and gunfire attacks by the SLA troops while withdrawing from their checkposts. The injured were rescued by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres Saturday. Fate of the others is not known.
Full story >>

37 killed, 93 wounded in Jaffna fighting

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 August 2006, 12:46 GMT]
25 Sri Lankan troopers, including 3 officers, were killed and 70 wounded during the past 24 hours in fighting in the Jaffna peninsula, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Brigadier Ajith Jayawardene, the acting defence spokesman who briefed media in Colombo Saturday. Meanwhile LTTE sources in Kilinochchi said 12 LTTE cadres were killed and 23 were wounded in the clashes.
Full story >>

SLA closes Vavuniya, Uyilankulam, Madhu checkpoints

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 August 2006, 12:37 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Saturday morning closed the entry points to and from LTTE held areas in Omanthai, Vavuniya, and in the Mannar district at Uyilankulam and Madhu junction until further notice. Madhu church is located in LTTE held area. Madhu junction is the gateway to Madhu Church located in LTTE area. Due to the closure of the Madhu junction entry point about ten thousand pilgrims who have already gone to attend the annual Madhu church festival are unable to leave for their hometowns in the south and elsewhere in the country, sources said.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka ‘blocking massacre probe’ - SLMM

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 August 2006, 12:13 GMT]
Sri Lankan authorities are deliberately hampering efforts to investigate the murder of 17 aid workers, some of whose relatives blame the military, the island's chief truce monitor said on Saturday. “I have experienced this in the Balkans before. When you're not let in, it's a sign that there's something they want to hide,” retired Maj. Gen. Ulf Henricsson, who heads the unarmed Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) told Reuters.
Full story >>

Muhamalai overrun, battle on Mandaithivu

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 August 2006, 07:11 GMT]
Heavy fighting is reported at different locations in the southern Jaffna peninsula between Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops and the Liberation Tigers. The Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio confirmed that LTTE forces repelling SLA offensive towards Elephant Pass have now broken through SLA forward defence lines (FDLs) at Muhamalai. But Jaffna correspondents quoted military sources as saying that FDLs had been "breached in several locations." SLA artillery and Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) jets are bombing Mandathivu island, which LTTE officials say had been prepared as a launch pad for another offensive into Vanni.
Full story >>

Muhamalai, Pallai residents flee to Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 August 2006, 02:25 GMT]
Residents of Muhamalai, Pallai through Iyakachchi on A9 highway are fleeing for safety towards Kilinochchi. Two elderly refugees, Mrs. Thavamanithevi Mahalingam, 56, mother of 5 children, and Seran Selliah, 85, who trekked, found transport to Kilinochchi under severe duress, detailed their ordeal to TamilNet reporter. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shells were targeted to hit A9, fleeing civilians said.
Full story >>

Exchange of artillery fire continues in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 August 2006, 01:31 GMT]
Exchange of artillery fire has been going on between Sri Lanka Army (SLA) military installations in Trincomalee town and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Muthur East.
Full story >>

Fighting in Maavilaru

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 August 2006, 01:18 GMT]
Heavy fighting is reported between Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops and LTTE fighters near the Maavil Aru sluice gates in southern Trincomalee district. Sources in Trincomalee town said close-quarter battles are raging and that heavy weapons fire has been stopped by both sides to prevent hitting their respective troops.
Full story >>

LTTE shells Trincomalee navy base

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 August 2006, 00:44 GMT]
LTTE artillery shells are hitting the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) base in the Trincomalee harbour, sources in the eastern port town said. The shelling, which began at 3 a.m. had ceased at 4 a.m., but resumed at 6 a.m. the sources said. Several artillery shells have hit Chinabay SLAF air base in Trincomalee.


Full story >>

Jaffna curfew, troops block anxious residents

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 August 2006, 00:34 GMT]
Frightened residents of various parts of Jaffna are unable to flee their homes due to a total curfew imposed by Sri Lanka’s military, sources in the northern peninsula said. Amid heavy shelling by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) towards LTTE-controlled Palai and Elephant Pass and warnings by the LTTE last night that it would retaliate against SLA camps in Thenmaradchchi and Jaffna islets, large numbers of people are anxious to move away from SLA positions.
Full story >>

SLA allows food convoy after SL President's intervention

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 August 2006, 00:18 GMT]
Soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) manning the checkpoint at Mankerni allowed a convoy of lorries carrying dry ration and other food materials to enter the LTTE held Vaharai area at 5:00 p.m. Friday after Sri Lanka's President intervened on the request of TNA parliamentarian, Mr R Sampanthan, civil society sources said. The relief material was intended for distribution among the thousands of internally displaced Tamil civilians who fled from Muthur east and Eachchilampathu division in Trincomalee district following heavy aerial bombardment and artillery by the SLA, sources said.
Full story >>