STF cordons, searches Amparai villages

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 June 2006, 11:00 GMT]
Special Task Force (STF) soldiers of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) cordoned off and searched Akkaraipattu, Aalaiyadi Vembu, Vaachikuda, Naavatkuda and Kolavil areas of Amparai district from 4:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Thursday, security sources said. Soldiers had in their possession a target list of names and registration numbers of motorbikes, local residents said.
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Son shot dead, father injured in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 June 2006, 10:43 GMT]
Armed men, carrying T56 assault rifles shot and killed, Milred Roy Weld, 39, and seriously wounded his father Milred Weld, 64, at around 9 p.m., Wednesday, while the two were resting after taking dinner at their home on Semakkalai Road in Jeyanthipuram, 1.5 km north of Batticaloa town, police sources said. Local residents alleged that the attackers were soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) from Jeyanthipuram camp. The Weld family belongs to the Burgher community in Batticaloa.


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SLA recovers claymore mine in Chenkalady

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 June 2006, 10:37 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers on a road clearing patrol discovered a claymore mine concealed in the shrub jungle along the Chenkaladi main road near Sellam Theater in Batticaloa Eravur Police division at 11:50 a.m. Thursday, security sources said.
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Arsonists target Kopay Heroes Cemetary

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 June 2006, 03:28 GMT]
Arsonalists alleged to be soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and collaborating paramilitaries set fire to the office building inside the Liberation Tigers' Kopay Heroes Cemetary on Rasa Veethy (road) Tuesday midnight, local residents said. The attackers forced open the main entrance, ransacked the office building, heaped the furniture and other photographs in the building, and set them on fire. The roof of the building sustained serious fire damage. Memorial stones were left undamaged, residents added.
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New medical faculty established for Eastern University

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 June 2006, 00:08 GMT]
The first batch of medical students for the newly opened medical faculty, the seventh in the island, at the Eastern University was welcomed in a ceremony held at 9:00 a.m. on Monday 19th June at Kallady in Batticaloa, administrative officials of the university said. The Vice-Chancellor of the Eastern University Dr. S. Ravindranath welcoming the new students said, “This new Faculty of Health-Care Sciences, will benefit a million people living in the eastern province extending from Mullaitivu to Pottuvil."
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Three SLA soldiers injured in Point-Pedro attack

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 June 2006, 19:44 GMT]
Three Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers including a corporal level officer were seriously injured when an SLA road patrol came under grenade attack followed by gunfire by unknown gunmen along the Point Pedro - Chavakachcheri road beween Manthikai junction and Kalikai junction in Vadamaradchy Wednesday afternoon, sources from Point Pedro said. Gunmen escaped after the attack.
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SLA takes Colombo journalists on Jaffna tour

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 June 2006, 18:07 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Colombo based journalists, including those reporting for international agencies, were taken on a tour of security positions in Jaffna, in a convoy of 20 armoured tanks, Buffels, and Saladin pickup trucks, by the Sri Lankan Military on Tuesday and Wednesday, sources in Jaffna said. The journalists wearing bullet proof vests and army-type helmets, were seen in armoured vehicles as they passed thorough the traffic ridden Palaly road, en route to Jaffna town from Palaly army headquarters, sources added.
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2 SLA troopers injured in Jaffna clash

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 June 2006, 10:45 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were injured when soldiers on road patrol duty, and unknown gunmen clashed about 100 meters from Vaddukoddai Hindu college, in Vaddukoddai, 9 km northwest of Jaffna town, Wednesday morning, civil sources said. The gunmen escaped with no injuries, sources added.


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Aerial bombardment tantamounts to undeclared war, says Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 June 2006, 10:17 GMT]
S. P. Thamilchelvan, the political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on Wednesday said the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) was yet to respond to LTTE's warning that the provocative air attacks, if continued, would be retaliated. "Aerial bombardment is interpreted as undeclared war on the Tamil nation," he told media after concluding a meeting with the Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar, clarifying the LTTE's response to Norway's five questions. "Colombo, obsessed with going to war with the Tamil Nation, has already begun to impose economic blockade on the Tamil homeland," LTTE's Political Head told media.
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Norway, Nordic countries to respond on 29 June - Brattskar in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 June 2006, 07:00 GMT]
The Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar, on Wednesday, discussed with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Political Head S. P. Thamilchelvan on LTTE's response to Norway's request of clarifications, issued on 08 June, from the parties to the Ceasefire Agreement. Confirming that the parties to the CFA, the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the LTTE, have submitted their responses to the five questions posed by Norway, Mr. Hans Brattskar told media that Norway, as facilitator, has to take note of LTTE's point of view, although Norway regretted the LTTE's stand to the continued engagement of EU Member States from Nordic countries in the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM).
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Youth shot dead near Urani SLA camp

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 June 2006, 01:18 GMT]
Unidentified armed gunmen riding a motorbike shot and killed Jeyaraj Suthaharan, 24, at Urani within the Batticaloa police division Tuesday afternoon, Batticaloa police said. The youth's body is lying in the Batticalao General Hospital, hospital sources said.


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SL Navy desecrated island's biggest church - Bishop

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 June 2006, 18:03 GMT]
The biggest church in Sri Lanka “has been desecrated by innocent blood being shed [in it] by unjust aggressors, the Sri Lanka Navy,” Bishop of Mannar, Rt. Rev. Dr. Rayappu Joseph, protested this week in a letter to the Vatican, through the Apostolic Nuncio to the island. “Today I buried the six civilians murdered by the Navy at Pesalai yesterday,” the outraged Bishop wrote Sunday. The local people are “mortally afraid of the Navy” and when they met the local Navy commander, 7,000 people of Pesalai begged to be allowed to flee to India or LTTE-controlled Vanni, he said.
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SLA soldier's body found with gunshot wounds in Kaithady

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 June 2006, 15:23 GMT]
The body of a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier who disappeared from the Thatchanthoppu SLA camp Tuesday morning at 6:30 a.m, was found with gunshot wounds in shrub jungles in a non-residential area of Kaithady in Thenmaradchy close the SLA camp, at 11.40 a.m., security sources in Jaffna said.
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SLMM guarantee needed to re-open Muttur east schools-Principals

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 June 2006, 12:24 GMT]
Around eight thousand students are not attending classes since the closure of eighteen government schools in the Liberation Tigers held Muttur east in the Trincomalee district since the three pronged attack launched by the Sri Lankan government forces in the last week of April following the suicide bomb attack on the army commander in Colombo. The artillery fire continued during the second week of June following Kebbitigollawa blast has forced them to continue the closure of schools, said Principals of Muttur east schools in a memorandum sent to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Tuesday.
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Jaffna Rights Group declines offer of SLA protection

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 June 2006, 10:08 GMT]
The new head of the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (SLHRC) for the Jaffna district declined Sunday an offer made by the Jaffna Commander of SLA Major General Chandrasiri to provide security for the SLHRC's workers in Jaffna. The SLA offer was made following the death threats received by the previous head of the Commission for the Jaffna Peninsula Rohitha Priyadharshana who has since left Jaffna.
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Gunmen attack sentry at Polannaruwa Buddhist temple

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 June 2006, 09:51 GMT]
Two unidentified gunmen fired at the joint Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Sri Lanka Police sentry located near the Somawathiya, a historic Buddhist temple in Polonnnaruwa Monday evening at 6:00 p.m., police said. The troops returned fire but gunmen escaped. No one was injured in the incident.
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Two Claymore mines captured in Eravur, says SLA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 June 2006, 09:13 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers captured two Claymore mines fixed in Eravur, targeting an SLA convoy Tuesday morning, SL police officials in Eravur quoted SLA sources as saying.
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Clash erupts at Nagarkovil FDL

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 June 2006, 14:43 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were wounded in Nagarkovil in a fresh clash between the SLA and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on Monday, according to SLA sources in Jaffna. The Liberation Tigers said they counter-attacked the SLA after LTTE Forward Defence Line (FDL) positions were targeted by SLA artillery fire around 5:45 p.m. Monday. Civilian sources in Thenmaradchi, Jaffna, said artillery fire was initiated from SLA 52 Brigade Head Quarters camp located in Varani.
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Man shot dead in Batticaloa town

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 June 2006, 11:26 GMT]
A male, aged between 45-50, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen riding a motorbike between Lloyds Avenue and Arunagiri Road infront of the Vijaya theatre in Batticaloa at 8:45 a.m. Monday, sources from Batticaloa said. The killing took place 25 meters from a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) sentry point.
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Independent Tamil homeland, a reality, not a myth -Elilan

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 June 2006, 11:02 GMT]
"Tamils as a people entitled to right to self-determination and the freedom of Tamil homeland is not a myth but a reality. The hardline Sinhala leadership in the South would come to know this soon," said Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) addressing a gathering of Tamil civilians who participated the civil defence training programme in several villages in the Muttur east Monday, sources in Trincomalee said.
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