Magistrate directs SLA Commander to comply with Geneva conventions

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 July 2006, 13:35 GMT]
Jaffna District Magistrate E. T. Vicknarajah, Tuesday issued special instructions ordering the Jaffna District Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Commander Major General Chandrasiri to take immediate steps to ensure that his security forces in Jaffna district strictly comply with Geneva convention protocols on humanitarian law, human rights law, and the law of armed conflict, legal sources in Jaffna said. The order was issued at Tuesday hearing in the case against the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) of death threats to Jaffna Additional Magistrate Mrs Srinithi Nandasegaran.
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Claymore blast injures SLA soldier in Udupiddy

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 July 2006, 07:48 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) was injured in a claymore mine blast between Udupiddy junction and Vathiri junction in the Vadamaradchi sector of the Jaffna peninsula, around 8.40 a.m., Wednesday, military sources said.
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SL President Rajapakse addresses APC, Expert panel

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 July 2006, 09:59 GMT]
Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse, Tuesday morning addressed All Party Representative Committee on Constitutional Reforms and the Panel of Experts at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, parliamentary sources in Colombo said. Without spellingout specifics Mr Rajapakse laid a broad framework for the APC to begin work, saying, "The international community, notably India and the Co-Chairs have endorsed our approach - a solution to the national problem must exclude any division of the country," and wished the committee success in "formulating a political and constitutional framework for the resolution of the national question."


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Claymore blast kills SLA soldier, injures 2

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 July 2006, 09:12 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army soldier was killed and two others were injured in a claymore mine blast on Kodikamam - Pt.Pedro road in the Jaffna peninsula, around 9.30 a.m., Tuesday. The mine was sett off about 500 metres from the Kodikamam junction, targetting the troops on a road clearing operation.
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Court employees protest against SLA's attempted attack on Judge

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 July 2006, 09:09 GMT]
Employees of the Jaffna Magistrate Court picketed outside the court house Tuesday afternoon protesting against the attempted attack by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers on Additional Magistrate Srinithi Nandasegaran's official car on Sunday and threats to her life, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, the three SLA soldiers who were detained for threatening the judge were released on Rs. 50,000 surety bail Tuesday, legal sources in Jaffna said.
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SLA commanders directed to use air-transport in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 July 2006, 19:49 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) high command in Palaly military base, Jaffna district, has issued a directive to all SLA camps in Jaffna peninsula advising high level military officers to use Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) helicopters for internal travel within the Peninsula, informed sources in Jaffna said. The directive comes in the wake of increased claymore attacks targeted on SLA vehicles, and on soldiers deployed on sentry duty and street patrols.
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Two Tamil youths shot dead in Mannar

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 July 2006, 10:56 GMT]
Two youths were shot dead by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers Monday morning in Mannar district in two separate incidents during a cordon and search operation. One body was found in a paddy field opposite the Nanattan Pradesiya Sabha (PS) office building and the other body at Rasool Puthuveli area, located one and half km off Nanattan, police sources said.
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Paramilitaries abduct businessman in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 July 2006, 10:05 GMT]
Seenithamby Sellan, 32, involved in liquor business, was abducted near Mankerny Sri Lankan Army (SLA) Camp, by Paramilitaries at 3:30 p.m., Sunday, Valaichenai residents said.
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"United Sri Lanka," cannot be accepted as a pre-negotiation parameter - Rudrakumaran

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 July 2006, 01:11 GMT]
During peace negotiations in South Sudan, Northern Ireland, Montenegro and Bougainville, the international community did not set "united country" as a pre-negotiation parameter for the expected outcome of a negotiated solution. The international community's stand that solution to the Tamil national question should be found within a united Sri Lanka, runs contrary to the current international practice, and to the law of self-determination, argued Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran, legal advisor to the Liberation Tigers, in a paper presented at a conference held in Zurich in April. The paper was released by the organizers, the Centre for Just Peace and Democracy (CJPD), Sunday.
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Jaffna Magistrate's vehicle escapes attempted attack

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 July 2006, 09:09 GMT]
Jaffna Additional Magistrate Srinithi Nandasegaran's official car, with her 10-year-old son and a police guard on board, narrowly escaped from an attempted attack Sunday morning on Palaly Road, eyewitnesses said. Uniformed Sri Lanka Army troopers from Kantharmadam Junction followed the Magistrate's well-familiar official vehicle at gun point in an auto-rickshaw, but gave up their mission as they did not find Mrs Srinithi Nandasegaran in the vehicle, civilians who witnessed the incident said. The incident took place around 9:00 a.m. Sunday.
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3 youths abducted, man shot and injured in Valaichenai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 July 2006, 22:28 GMT]
Paramilitary cadres working with the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), abducted 3 youths from Pethalai village located in Valaichenai Police area in Batticaloa district Friday night, residents said. Parents, gripped by fear and insecurity, have not reported the incident to the Police or human rights organizations, residents added. Meanwhile, a building worker was shot and wounded by unidentified gunmen with a 9mm pistol in Karuwakerny Saturday 6:15 p.m., Valaichenai Police said.
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Acting Army commander takes over

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 July 2006, 21:49 GMT]
Major General Nanda Mallawaratchchi has been appointed as acting Commander of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), taking over the responsibilities of Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, who was seriously wounded by suicide bomber on April 24, the Sunday Times reported.
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LTTE arrests Karuna group member with claymore mine

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 July 2006, 15:44 GMT]
LTTE cadres Saturday morning around 11 a.m. arrested a cadre of Karuna paramilitary group working in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) inside the LTTE held Eachchilampathu division in Trincomalee district, LTTE sources said.
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Three SLA troopers injured in Jaffna attacks

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 July 2006, 13:17 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops were injured when unknown gunmen attacked soldiers on street patrol near Methaikadai Junction 400 meters south of Point Pedro town along Jaffna-Point Pedro road at 11:45 a.m. Saturday, sources from Vadamaradchy said. Another SLA soldier was injured in a firefight lasting five minutes between unknown gunmen and SLA troops in Kachchai in Thenmaradchy Saturday afternoon, sources said.
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Housing worker found beaten to death in Vadamaradchy

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 July 2006, 09:54 GMT]
The body of a mason working in a housing development for tsunami victims was found with severe assault injuries in Polikandy, Vadamaradchy Saturday morning, civil society sources in Vadamaradchy said. Rasiah Muraleeswaran, 42, from Meesalai East was a resident mason at the Nilavan Kudiyiruppu Housing scheme funded by FORUT when he was killed. Another mason, Mr Rajani, 26, from Jaffna Islet of Punguduthivu, working on the same Housing Project, has mysteriously disappeared, according civil society sources.
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Ex-PLOTE cadre shot, injured in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 July 2006, 02:57 GMT]
A former member of Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) was shot and seriously injured by unknown gunmen in front of the Jaffna Teaching Hospital at 8:15 a.m. Saturday, sources in Jaffna said. Rasa Premkumar, 32, was immediately taken to the Jaffna Hopital and is undergoing emergecy surgery, hospital sources said.
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Vankalaipadu SLN commander gives evidence in Pesalai killings

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 July 2006, 13:32 GMT]
Mannar Additional Magistrate Mr.T.J.Pirapaharan Friday ordered the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of Talaimannar Police to record the statement of the Commanding Officer of the Sunny Village Naval Detachment and to produce Lieutenant Commander Rohana Dissanayake of Sunny Village SLN camp on the next date of inquiry. The Additional Magistrate made the above directive at the conclusion of the evidence of Lieutenant Dissanayake Santhana Lakshman Dissanayake, commanding officer of Vankalaipadu Navy camp, legal sources said.
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Paramilitaries abduct 35 children in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 July 2006, 12:07 GMT]
Paramilitary cadres, Thursday abducted more than 35 underage youths from the villages of Thivuchenai, Karuppalai, Sorivil and Sevanapitty in Batticaloa district, residents said. Parents of the abducted children, gripped by fear and insecurity, are afraid to make complaints to the police or human rights watchdogs, a Grama Sevaka official said. Tension prevails in the interior villages of Batticaloa district.
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UNP MP crosses over to UPFA Government, becomes deputy minister

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 July 2006, 17:07 GMT]
A United National Party (UNP) parliamentarian, Suasntha Punchinilame, representing Ratnapura district in the south joined the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government Thursday and was sworn in as the Deputy Minister for Rural Economic Development by the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse. He is the fourth UNP MP to cross over to the UPFA alliance since the elections in last November.
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Assassinated Journalist knew perpetrators in Avissawella killings - MP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 July 2006, 10:28 GMT]
Sinhala journalist Lakmal Sampath was murdered because knew the suspects in the murder of five youths believed to be Tamils whose mutilated headless bodies were found in Avissawella area in the South on 27 April, alleged the Colombo District parliamentarian of the Upcountry Peoples' Front (UPF), V. Radhakrishnan, during the debate on the extension of the State of Emergency in the Sri Lanka's Parliament Thursday, parliamentary sources in Colombo said.
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