Gunmen attack SLA patrol, 2 wounded in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 January 2006, 09:20 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army soldiers were wounded when unidentified gunmen lobbed a handgrenade and opened fire at an SLA patrol in Varani, northeast of Jaffna in Thenmaradchi at 12:30 p.m. Sunday. The attack took place between Varani market and the SLA's 52-4 Brigade Head Quarters in Varani, SLA sources said.
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SLA conducts house-to-house search in Ilavalai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 December 2005, 12:46 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers cordoned off and conducted a house-to-house search Mailankudal area in Illavalai 12km north of Jaffna town Saturday for nearly four hours from 7 a.m, sources from Jaffna said. The search area included Mareesankudal where two vehicles belonging to Halo Trust, robbed Tuesday from the Organization's offices in Nallur Jaffna, were later found abandoned.
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Christian prelates meet LTTE in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 December 2005, 10:05 GMT]
Bishops and Senior Clergymen from different districts across Sri Lanka met with the Liberation Tigers leadership in Kilinochchi Peace Secretariat at 11.45 a.m. Friday. Discussions focussed on exploring ways to return normalcy to the NorthEast which has witnessed increasing levels of violence in the last few weeks, sources in Kilinochchi said. Prelates expressed their deep desire that peace return to NorthEast.
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Civilian shot dead at Urelu in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 December 2005, 09:35 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen riding in a motorbike shot and killed a 28 year old man, Jeyaseelan Yogalingam, near a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) checkpost located close to Urumpirai Hindu College, Saturday morning at 6:30 a.m., Chunnakam Police said.
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Six SLA troops injured in attack on Varani 52-4 Brigade HQ

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 December 2005, 18:38 GMT]
Six Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were injured in an attack on 52-4 Brigade Head Quarters in Varani, in the Thenmaradchi sector of the Jaffna Penisula, around 9 p.m., Friday, sources from Jaffna said. An explosion was heard in the area, followed by several gunshots, according to residents in the area. The SLA camp is located on the Kodikamam – Pt.Pedro road, between Varani market and Varani Maha Vidyalayam.
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SLA imposes restrictions on Thiruketheeswaram residents

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 December 2005, 18:33 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has imposed restriction and close surveillance on the movement of about forty families residing in the surrounding of the historic Thiruketheeswaram Sivan Temple following several explosions and violent incidents in other parts of the Mannar district. These families are among several hundred families displaced in the year 1990 due to violence. They were allowed to resettle to assist reconstruction work on the damaged temple.
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Claymore discovery, a deception by SLN, SLA, says LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 December 2005, 11:49 GMT]
The alleged discovery of claymore mines by the Sri Lanka security forces in Mannar Pattithottam area and along Mannar-Madavachchi road is a canard concocted by the Security forces to create a war atmosphere in the area, said the Mannar district Political Wing of the Liberation Tigers in a press release issued Friday. "We deny any involvement in the planting of these mines and condemn the Sri Lanka security forces for creating conditions where Mannar residents can be subjected to further harassment and indiscriminate attacks," said the release.
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Gunmen fire on SLA patrol in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 December 2005, 11:24 GMT]
Two soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) were injured when unidentified men fired at an SLA patrol close to the Jaffna Kandarmadam junction and Jaffna Hindu Ladies College Friday around 2.30 p.m, sources said. The firefight lasted for more than 10 minutes, according to the same sources. However, the Sri Lanka military did not confirm of injuries to soldiers.
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Rajapakse concludes visit to India

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 December 2005, 10:29 GMT]
The Prime Minister of India and the President of Sri Lanka reached bilateral understanding on identifying joint ventures, amongst others, for the development of the eastern port city of Trincomalee, and its surrounding region, according to the Joint Statement. Both countries are to prepare a Master Plan for realizing the project, the statement said. The statement stressed the importance of a negotiated settlement between the parties to the conflict through the internal processes that promote consensus and reconciliation, and said both sides emphasized the need for the strict observance of the ceasefire and immediate resumption of talks aimed at strengthening the ceasefire.
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Four claymore mines recovered in Mannar - SLA, SLN

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 December 2005, 10:18 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) troopers recovered two Claymore mines and Sri Lanka Army (SLN) soldiers recovered two more Claymore mines Thursday in Mannar according to the Police in Mannar. The mines were tied to trees, sources added.
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TamilNadu CM cancels Rajapakse meeting

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 December 2005, 19:16 GMT]
"Dinathanthi," a Tamil daily based in Tamil Nadu, India, in its print edition Thursday quoted India's Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Navtej Sarna, as saying that the meeting scheduled for Friday between the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu state, Ms. Jayalalitha Jayaram, in Chennai was cancelled due to the SL President's "full schedule in Delhi," and the Chief Minister not being available that day. Disclosing that the Sri Lankan President was scheduled to visit the bordering state of Kerala to attend a pooja at the Thiruvayoor temple on Friday, the paper said that the cancellation is more due to the increasing concerns being expressed in Tamil Nadu on the Sri Lankan Tamils' situation.
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Bishops, clergy to meet LTTE political head

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 December 2005, 18:51 GMT]
Clergy and Bishops from various parts of the island are scheduled to meet with Mr. S.P. Thamilchelvan, the political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, on Friday to discuss the current political situation following the slaying of senior Tamil politician Joseph Pararajasingam, sources in Colombo said. Bishops from Colombo, Kandy and Kurunagala were expected to attend the meeting with the Bishops of Jaffna and Mannar, the sources said.
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Pararajasingham slaying has endangered direct talks - TNA MPs

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 December 2005, 16:33 GMT]
Addressing the mourners who had gathered to pay the last tribute to the slain Tamil National Alliance MP, Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, TNA parliamentarians Mavai Senathirajah and M.K. Sivajilingam said that the Government of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan President, in his capacity as Defense Minister, are responsible for the continued engagement of paramilitary cadres and for the killing of the MP. "The whole affair of resuming the peace process has been placed at maximum risk by the brutal act," Mr. Sivajilngam told the gathering.
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HALO Trust vehicle fleet ordered moved inside HSZ

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 December 2005, 13:02 GMT]
Government of Sri Lanka has ordered all vehicles belonging to HALO Trust, an NGO involved in demining operations in Jaffna, to be moved inside the High Security Zone (HSZ), said a media release issued by HALO Trust in Jaffna Thursday. The release added that the Halo Trust's demining activities would be halted until further notice. This directive follows the recent robbery of two vehicles belonging to the Halo Trust.
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STF soldiers fire into LTTE held area in East

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 December 2005, 12:03 GMT]
Around fifty soldiers of the Sri Lanka Special Task Force (STF) Thursday morning 11:00 a.m. opened fire at random into paddy fields located inside the LTTE held area, dispersing more than a hundred farmers working in the fields. Only minor injuries were sustained by a few farmers in the gunfire, LTTE's Udumpankulam area Co-ordinator Mr. Veeramani told TamilNet.
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Grenade attacks in Inuvil, VVT, Nallur

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 December 2005, 11:54 GMT]
One Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier was seriously injured when unknown gunmen attacked an SLA foot patrol in Inuvil area, Jaffna, at 6 p.m Thursday. Inuvil has been isolated after the incident as the SLA has cordoned off the area. No other details of the injured soldier are available.
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Policeman shot, seriously wounded in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 December 2005, 11:40 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen shot and wounded Alagaratnam Lingarajah, 36, a Sri Lanka Police constable, Wednesday night 8:45 p.m. at Thandawanveli Telecom Juction in Batticaloa town. Gunmen riding in a motorbike opened fire on the policeman, who was off-duty and was going to a shop to purchase food, Batticaloa Police said. The wounded policeman has been admitted to Batticaloa Hospital.
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SLMM chief reiterates call for direct dialogue

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 December 2005, 09:35 GMT]
Hagrup Haukland, the Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, in a press statement issued from Colombo on Thursday, condemning the claymore attack on the Sril Lanka Army vehicle on Tuesday as well as all other attacks, has called the parties for direct dialogue. The spiral of violence is not conducive to a such high-level meeting, he said, clarifying that his monitors were still operating in Jaffna-, Mannar-, Vavuniya-, Trincomalee-, Batticaloa- and Ampara districts. However, the Nordic monitors cannot operate in an insecure environment that has made the work increasingly difficult for his monitors, the SLMM chief has warned.
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16-years-old boy shot dead in Thenmaradchi, Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 December 2005, 08:50 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen on Wednesday midnight shot and killed Thambirajah Arul Ajanthan, 16, at his house located in Eruvan in Kodikamam. The gunmen who entered the victim's house premises, following a Sri Lanka Army patrol in the area, opened fire and killed the victim, the younger brother of a youth who took part in organising Martyrs day remembrance events, civilian sources said.
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Grenade attack on SLA sentry, soldiers assault civilians in Mannar

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 December 2005, 08:43 GMT]
Unidentified men lobbed a grenade at a Sri Lanka Army sentry, which is located in Mannar playgrounds Wednesday night around 9:30 p.m. No one was injured in the incident. More than hundred SLA soldiers, following the explosion, launched a search operation in areas, Moor Street, Sinnakadai and Uppukulam. The soldiers fired in air at random and assaulted civilian travellers waiting in the Mannar bus stand, sources said.
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