Colombo assails SLMM, accuses media bias in refugee figure dispute

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 April 2006, 16:58 GMT]
While Sri Lanka's President Mr Mahinda Rajapakse drew attention to "propaganda war," Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told the state-run weekly Sunday Observer that the Sri Lanka Government "categorically denies" and dismisses as "outrageous," accusation by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that security forces were involved in extra- judicial killings in the North-East. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, said State's attempt to accuse foreign media of bias is a precursor to enforcing self-censorship. The State wants to deter foreign press from exposing military excesses of Sri Lanka armed forces, he added.
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Police recover claymore in Kiran

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 April 2006, 16:46 GMT]
A claymore mine was recovered by Valaichenai Police in Kiran, Batticaloa near the market located along the Pulipaainthakal Road at 11.30 p.m. Sunday, Valaichenai Police said. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports said that a high level Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officer and an SLA trooper were killed when their vehicle hit a mine buried by the Liberation Tigers after the pre-dawn attack on paramilitary camp in Welikande.
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Grenade attack near SLA brigade head quarters in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 April 2006, 06:20 GMT]
Unidentified attackers lobbed a grenade at a checkpost located inside the high security area of the Batticaloa 22-3 Brigade head quaters Sunday around 2:00 a.m., Batticaloa Police said. An SLA soldier was wounded in the attack.
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Tiger Commandos attack paramilitary camps, 18 killed - LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 April 2006, 03:08 GMT]
18 paramilitary operatives of Karuna group were killed in an attack launched by an Elite Commando unit of the Liberation Tigers on three paramilitary camps in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled Kasankulam close to Thibulana, located 7 km east of Welikande in Batticaloa - Polannaruwa border Sunday. Arms were seized and ammunitions at the paramilitary camps in Kasankulam were fully destroyed by the LTTE commandos in the surprise attack that was planned and supervised by Special Commander Col. Bhanu, an LTTE official from Kokkaddicholai in Batticaloa district told TamilNet. 10 paramilitary cadres sustained serious wounds, 5 were captured by the Tigers. An abducted Vavuniya trader was saved.
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Civilian injured in Madhu claymore attack dies

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 April 2006, 18:05 GMT]
Mr.M. Jeevananthan, a 24-year civilian who was seriously injured in the claymore attack by the Deep Penetration Unit of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Thetchanamadu area of Liberation Tigers controlled Madhu area, succumbed to his injuries Saturday afternoon, sources from Jaffna said.
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SLA resumes mortar attacks in Vavunathivu

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 April 2006, 16:32 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) started firing mortar shells towards Liberation Tigers controlled Vavunathivu area from 11.30 a.m. Saturday, Thayamohan, Head of Batticaloa district LTTE Political Wing said. Several homes of residents of Mankikattu, Navatkudi and Puliyadikuda villages have been damaged but no one received any serious injuries, Thayamohan added.
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Sivaram memorial held at Colombo Tamil Sangam

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 April 2006, 15:05 GMT]
Speaking at the one year memorial event held at the Colombo Tamil Sangam by the Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance Friday evening, C.A. Jothilingam, a popular political analyst, called for making Sivram's death anniversary, a Day for remembering all journalists slain for their writings in Sri Lanka.
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Youth shot dead, Jaffna village rises against intelligence camp

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 April 2006, 07:57 GMT]
Motorbike riding gunmen, who shot and killed a Tamil youth Friday at Urelu in Valikamam, Jaffna, rushed into Sri Lanka Army Intelligence camp in the area, villagers who chased the gunmen away said. More than a hundred enraged villagers surrounded the SLA camp Friday night and Urelu was shut down in protest Saturday as the villagers launched a protest hartal against the recent kilings in Valikamam. Protesting villagers say that the Urelu intelligence camp is behind the killings in a terror-campaign targeting auto-rikshaw drivers and traders. An auto driver was recently gunned down at Urelu junction.
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Ex-LTTE cadre shot dead in Mandur

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 April 2006, 01:09 GMT]
Sellathurai Asokan, 36, alias Asok,, former member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was shot to dead by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) commandos Friday around 6 p.m at Mandur in the Wellaveli police division in Batticaloa, source said.
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SLA soldiers ambushed in Mannar, 4 wounded

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 April 2006, 14:40 GMT]
Unidentified attackers lobbed a grenaded and shot at a group of Sri Lanka Army soldiers in Nanattan, 20 km south of Mannar town, wounding four soldiers around 5:00 p.m. Friday. The soldiers opened fire for 15 minutes following the attack. More than 50 families have refuged into the nearest church, according to civilian witnesses.
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LTTE details civilian killings by Sri Lankan forces and paramilitaries after Geneva Talks

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 April 2006, 07:41 GMT]
103 civilians, including six children, have been killed by Sri Lankan forces and its paramilitaries since Geneva Talks on 24 February untill April 27, according to a report issued by the Political Head Quarters of the Liberation Tigers Friday. 12 Tamil civilians were killed on February 27, March 5, 6, 9, 20, 22, 24, 25, and 28, and the first attack on SLA posts after the Geneva Talks in February took place on April 8th after the assasination of Trincomalee district Tamil activist Mr. V. Vigneswaran. "Readers can now make their own conclusion about who is responsible for deteriorating situation following the Geneva talks," the report issued by the LTTE concluded.
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Two SLA troopers seriously injured in Jaffna grenade attack

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 April 2006, 17:28 GMT]


Two men on a motorcycle lobbed a hand grenade into the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) sentry point at the Thadatheru junction on the Kankesanturai road in Jaffna Thursday evening around 5.30 p.m seriously injuring two SLA troopers, said sources from Jaffna.
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3 SLA troopers killed, 2 civilians missing after Claymore ambush

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 April 2006, 12:24 GMT]
Three SLA soldiers who were on their way to Vallakkulam near Vankalai in Mannar district, were killed and three soldiers seriously wounded in a Claymore ambush around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, police sources in Mannar said. Two civilians bathing in Vallakkulam, including a 40 year-old woman, were missing, civilian sources said. The main road between Nanattan and Vankalai remains cut and soldiers have surrounded the area which remains tense.
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A9 reopens, prices of fuel, food increase

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 April 2006, 12:23 GMT]


A9 highway was announced open Thursday morning. However, the prizes for fuel and other critical items have gone up as people had begun purchasing items for storage fearing a long term closure of A9, sources from Jaffna said.
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97 Tamils arrested in Colombo suburbs

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 April 2006, 01:48 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers and Police arrested 97 Tamils from residences in Colombo suburbs of Bambalapitiya, Collpetty, Dehiwela and others Wednesday night through Thursday morning, and have detained them in Police stations across Colombo, said Deputy Inspector General of Police, Poojitha Jeyasundara. The security forces and police conducted thorough search of several residences and lodges, sources said.
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SLA obstruction of travel, an act of oppression - Jeyanandamoorthy MP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 April 2006, 21:51 GMT]
"Obstructing people in the North and East travelling to and from Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled areas as retribution for a bomb blast in the Colombo Sri Lanka Army (SLA) headquarters is an act of outright oppression of the Tamils in the north and east," said S. Jeyanandamoorthy, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) M.P for Batticaloa, in his statement to the press Wednesday.
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SLA blocks transport of critically injured out of Muttur east

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 April 2006, 12:59 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has refused permission to the International Committee of Red cross (ICRC) to take three seriously wounded Tamil civilians in air strike and artillery fire to the hospital in the government controlled area for further treatment, Mr.S.Elilan Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said.
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Two civilians, two SLA troopers killed in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 April 2006, 11:46 GMT]
Amid escalating violence in Jaffna two civilians and two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed in Jaffna district during Tuesday night and Wednesday, sources in Jaffna said.
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A9 SLA checkpoint closed at Omantai, hundreds stranded

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 April 2006, 11:06 GMT]
Sudden, unannounced closure of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) check point on the A9 highway at Omantai from Tuesday 3.30 p.m has caused severe hardships to the public who were in the middle of travel from Jaffna to the South, or in the other direction. Sri Lanka Government officials have also been badly affected by the suspension of travel facilities to Jaffna district and Vanni, said civil society sources in Vavuniya.


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Fifteen thousand Tamils in Muttur east flee for safety

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 April 2006, 07:38 GMT]
More than fifteen thousand Tamil people of about four thousand and five hundred families from Chenaiyoor, Kaddaiparichchan, Koonitheivu, Soodaikuda, Kadatkaraichenai, Santhoshapuram and several hamlets in the Muttur east Wednesday morning gathered in the village Pattalipuram in Muttur east fearing of more air strike and artillery fire. These families started walking toward Pattalipuram while SLAF Kfir jet resumed its bombing Wednesday early morning.
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