Oslo’s envoy returns as Sri Lanka expands offensives

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 August 2006, 21:03 GMT]
As Sri Lanka’s government widened its onslaught against LTTE held areas, opening new fronts in Batticaloa and Jaffna districts, in addition to its continuing offensive in Trincomalee district, Norwegian Special Envoy, Jon Hanssen-Bauer return home Friday.
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LTTE shells hit Palaly, civilians urged to move

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 August 2006, 20:13 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) helicopters, an Mi-24 gunship and a Bell 212 transport, were damaged by LTTE shells which hit the base Friday night, military sources said. The LTTE Friday vowed to repel a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) offensive on the Elephant Pass area and warned people living close to SLA positions in Thenmaradchchi and some of the islands off Jaffna, including the troubled Allaipiddy, to move away from Sri Lanka military positions for their own safety.
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Tiger aircraft rockets Palaly base, curfew in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 August 2006, 15:53 GMT]
At least one unidentified aircraft flew over the Sri Lankan military base at Palaly firing rockets at around 9.30 p.m. Friday, sources in Jaffna town said. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery fire being directed from the base stopped after the attack, the sources said. Meanwhile a curfew has been clamped on Jaffna town. The LTTE has vowed to repel the SLA offensive on the Elephant Pass area.
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Four wounded in SLA shelling

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 August 2006, 15:03 GMT]
District Medical Officer (DMO) in Kilinochchi has called ambulance personnel to report to work at Kilinochchi hospital after Sri Lanka Army opened up with heavy artillery bombardment against LTTE controlled Palai and Elephant Pass areas, Friday evening. Hospital sources in Kilinochchi said two children who were injured in the SLA shelling in Pallai were brought to the hospital Friday evening. A father and his son, from Sembiyanpatru in Vadamaradchi East were rushed to Kilinochchi hospital Friday night.
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Civilians flee SLA offensive in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 August 2006, 12:10 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Army (SLA) launched heavy artillery bombardment against LTTE-held Elephant Pass area Friday and at 5.40 p.m. troops began moving towards LTTE frontlines at Muhamalai. The Tigers said they are rushing reinforcements to their northern Vanni defences to confront the SLA advance. Civilians have begun fleeing the southern Jaffna area and the town of Pallai is emptying amid hundreds of SLA shells. Meanwhile LTTE artillery counterfire is hitting SLA positions in Nagerkoil, Jaffna sources said.
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LTTE says "casualties" in Tharavai SLAF bombing

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 August 2006, 11:56 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) sources Friday said there were casualties, without specifying figures, in Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombing in Tharavai, northwest of Batticaloa. "The GoSL forces are attempting to open another front of offensive towards Batticaloa," said Director of LTTE's Peace Secretariat S. Puleedevan. He said the Tigers had called on the Norwegian facilitators and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) to take "immediate steps to cease the Sri Lankan attacks that aimed to put CFA in jeopardy."


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SLAF bombs Tharavai in Batticaloa, UAV spotted over Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 August 2006, 09:27 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) jets fighters, Friday around 1:00 p.m. bombed residential Tharavai, Miankulam and Iralakulam areas in Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled Batticaloa. SLAF Kfir bombers dropped at least 16 bombs in four bombing sorties destroying homes and setting fire to the surrounding scrub jungles. Meanwhile, a UAV reconnaissance aircraft was spotted over Kilinochchi at 2:20 p.m.


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Protests in Jaffna Peninsula condemn SLA atrocities

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 August 2006, 08:36 GMT]
Protests against Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in the Jaffna Peninsula are becoming widespread with people showing solidarity in their disapproval for the violence on innocent civilians perpetrated by the SLA. Student protests demanding removal of SLA presence near schools and other protests against SLA violence in Muttur and the killing of health care professionals, have increased in the last several days, civil society sources in Jaffna said.
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Sri Lankan soldiers block food supply to Tamil IDPs

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 August 2006, 07:14 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers in the Mankerni army camp in Batticaloa district Thursday refused permission for a food convoy of more than ten vehicles taken to Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held Vaharai area by the South Indian Church to be distributed among hundreds of thousands of internally displaced fled from Muthur east and Eachchilampathu due to indiscriminate artillery fire and aerial bombardment in recent days. The IDPs have been staying in temples. Schools and public buildings at Palsenai, Vammivedduwan, Vaharai in the Koralaipathu North Divisional Secretariat division in the Batticaloa district, sources said.
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Blast destroys SLA ammunition store

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 August 2006, 16:17 GMT]
A massive explosion at a Sri Lanka Army base (SLA) at Allai-Kantalai in the Trincomalee battle area caused severe destruction Thursday, military sources said. The reason for the blast, which destroyed the camp’s main ammunition store, is not known. Military officials, confirming the explosion, refused to comment on casualties. The ammo dump was seen burning till Friday morning. Wounded Sri Lanka Army troopers have been air-lifted to Anuradhapura hospital. Eight of the wounded have been brought to Colombo.
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Allai-Kantalai road closed for civilian traffic

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 August 2006, 15:45 GMT]
Allai-Kantalai highway located south of Trincomalee district has been closed for civil traffic to enable the injured soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to be transported to Kantalai district hospital without delay, civil society sources in Trincomalee said.
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EPDP cadre shot dead in Valaichchenai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 August 2006, 15:39 GMT]
A paramilitary cadre belonging to Eelam Peoples' Democratic Party (EPDP) was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Meeravodai, Valaichchenai, Wednesday night, sources in Batticaloa said. K Rajanikanth, 32, a father of two children, from 18th mile post Sunkankerni, was operating with the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops based at the nearby Kommanthurai SLA camp, according to sources.
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Fighting kills 41 SLA troops, wounds 120

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 August 2006, 13:54 GMT]
Sri Lankan Army advancing into LTTE-controlled areas have lost 41 soldiers killed in Thursday’s heavy fighting around the Maavil Aru sluice gates, military sources said. 22 soldiers have been seriously wounded and 98 others wounded, military officials in Colombo said speaking on condition of anonymity. Meanwhile the LTTE military spokesman, Rasiah Ilanthirayan said ten Tigers had died and 20 were wounded.
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Humanitarian crisis: 42,000 displaced in LTTE areas

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 August 2006, 13:10 GMT]
Close to 42,000 civilians are trapped and displaced, without food, water, or medical assistance in LTTE areas of Eachchilampattu, Sampoor, Verugal, Kathiraveli, Vaharai and surrounding villages, the LTTE Peace Secretariat said Thursday. Sri Lanka’s military is blocking ICRC and UN relief supplies from reaching Vaharai, northern Batticaloa. UNICEF estimated that of the 40,000 civilians displaced half are women and children. The Head of the LTTE’s Peace Secretariat, S. Puleedevan, has contacted the British and Norwegian diplomatic missions in Colombo as well as Oslo’s Special Envoy, Jon Hansen-Bauer, over the humanitarian crisis.
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Vavuniya Hospital staff protest over Claymore attack on doctor and staff

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 August 2006, 10:26 GMT]
Vavuniya General Hospital staff including doctors, nurses, and hospital administration staff Thursday held a token strike on A9 Road for two hours protesting against the claymore attack Tuesday night in Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled Nedunkerni in which a doctor and four staff were killed, sources in Vavuniya said. Protestors who allowed to proceed a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) ambulance, did not allow a water-bowser to proceed. Nedunkerni hospital comes under Deputy Provincial Directors of Health (DPDH) in Vavuniya.
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SLA trooper killed, two injured in Kokuvil claymore attack

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 August 2006, 10:03 GMT]
One Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier was killed and two seriously injured when a claymore mine placed along the KKS Road between Kokuvil junction and Nachchimar Hindu Temple, targeted at the SLA road patrol exploded at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, sources from Jaffna said.
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Mobilization campaign against Violence and War

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 August 2006, 09:37 GMT]
A series of mass meetings and broad mobilisation of people against violence and war, to be organized by the National Anti-war Front (NAWF) , will be held from the August 17th to 21st September 2006, said NAWF Chairman, Dr Kumar Rupesinghe, in a memorandum circulated to the media in Colombo Thursday. A press conference to publicize this campaign labelled "All-Together," is being held Thursday at 3.30pm at Nippon Hotel, Slave Island, Colombo.
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Fighting rages close to Maavilaru sluice gate, 5 Tigers killed

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 August 2006, 09:33 GMT]
Heavy fighting continued around 3:00 p.m. in Maavilaru . Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers were close to Maavilaru sluice gates. Five Tigers were killed and 12 wounded, according to LTTE sources. Heavy fighting is reported in Mahindapura and Maavilaru.
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50 civilians killed, 200 wounded, renewed SLA offensive

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 August 2006, 04:59 GMT]
Atleast 50 civilians were killed and more than 200 were injured in Sri Lankan forces aerial bombardment and artillery attacks, Thursday morning, in Kathiraveli and surrounding villages as thousands of civilians were still fleeing the areas. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched a fresh offensive, involving thousands of troopers, from Kallaru SLA camp towards Maavilaru sluice-gate while launching indiscriminate aerial and artillery attacks on Eachilampathu and it's suburbs. Liberation Tigers Military Spokesman Irasaiah Ilanthirayan, speaking from Kilinochchi said: "We can only interpret this as Colombo's declaration of war."
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Government peace secretariat official visits Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 August 2006, 20:54 GMT]
Dr.Palitha Kohone, Director of the Sri Lankan Government Peace Secretariat, Tuesday evening visited Batticaloa district and held discussion with Mr.C.Punnyamoorthy, Government Agent, at the Batticaloa district Secretariat sources, said. He later met with Brigadier Amal Karunaratne, Senior Police Superintendent Maxie Proctor, and several security officials at 223 Brigade Headquarters in Batticaloa.
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