Sri Lanka's private transport operators strike

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 August 2005, 07:56 GMT]
All private public transport systems except State services came to a standstill from midnight Monday following an island wide strike by private bus operators and three wheelers, demanding that authorities should postpone implementing the announced increase in fines for traffic offences. The strike affected tens of thousands of people in Colombo and its suburbs from reporting for work in government offices, private business establishments and schools since Tuesday morning, sources in Colombo said.
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SLA collects information on Nedunthivu resettlers

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 August 2005, 00:56 GMT]
Soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) have started collecting names of displaced persons who are resettled in Nedunthivu, one of the islets in Jaffna peninsula, after the ceasefire agreement came into operation, residents said.
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SLA soldiers attacked in Mirusuvil

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 August 2005, 03:01 GMT]
Three soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army sustained injuries when the vehicle in which they were taking meals to fellow soldiers stationed in the area came under attack after being waylaid by unidentified persons Sunday night around 9 p.m. at Mirusuvil in Thenmaradchchi divisions in Jaffna district, police sources said.


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SLA trooper accidentally fires gun at busy junction

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 August 2005, 00:55 GMT]
Residents around the busy Madathady junction in Trincomalee town and civilians nearby were struck with fear for about half an hour and ran for cover hearing the noise of a gunshot Sunday evening around 6 p.m., residents said. Police later revealed that a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier's gun had accidentally gone off. No one was hurt in the incident, Police sources said.
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Rebuilding Kaddaiparichchan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 August 2005, 11:36 GMT]
The Social Development Centre (SDC) headquartered in Killinochchi, has drawn up plans to rebuild the war-destroyed Kaddaiparichchan village in the Muttur east in the Trincomalee district, officials said. SDC has sought the assistance of non-governmental organizations to rebuild the village currently in an abandoned state with uncleared mines, shrub jungles covering residential areas which once flourished with coconut trees and banana cultivation with villagers gainfully employed in animal husbandry and other cottage industries.
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Civil group complains of new SLA camps in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 August 2005, 11:08 GMT]
Mr. Arthur Tveiten, Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Trincomalee district held discussions with the representatives of Trincomalee District Tamil Peoples' Forum (TDTPF) and Trincomalee heads of Sri Lanka government security forces regarding the allegation by the TDTPF that Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has built new mini-camps and sentry points in the east port and its suburbs after the erection of Buddha statue near the bus stand, sources said.
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Civil groups call for day of mourning for Inuvil killing

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 August 2005, 16:42 GMT]
Jaffna Civil Organizations' Consortium (JCOC) Saturday appealed to the people of Jaffna district to observe Sunday as a mourning day to coincide with the funeral of Mr.Santharoopan who was killed by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers Thursday at Inuvil, civil sources in Jaffna said.
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UN Sub-Commission urged to promote and protect Human Rights in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 August 2005, 10:42 GMT]
There has been no proper investigation or punishment of culprits in the many cases of murders of human rights defenders and journalists in Sri Lanka, noted Ms. Deirdre McConnell in an oral intervention on the agenda item 3, "Administration of Justice, Rule of Law And Democracy," at the 57th session of UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human rights on Tuesday. "There has been no progress on the case of the assassination of Mr Kumar Ponnambalam on 5th January 2000, despite ample evidence regarding the alleged perpetrators of the crime," she said citing a number of instances that evidenced "pattern of bias" in the Sri Lankan judicial system.
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Batticaloa woman raped before murder - JMO

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 18:11 GMT]
The young woman whose body was found at Batticaloa Methodist College on Wednesday was raped before she was stabbed to death, according the post-mortem analysis conducted by the Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) Mr. M.A.M. Rahman, Batticaloa Hospital sources said. The body of the young woman with short haircut, estimated to be between 20 to 25 years of age, was found inside a class room of the Batticaloa Methodist Central College in Batticaloa town Wednesday evening.
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SLA-LTTE officials meet in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 17:41 GMT]
An LTTE delegation led by Mr.C.Ilamparithi, Jaffna district political head and Major General Sunil Tennekoon, Jaffna area commander of SLA, met at 6.45pm for nearly two hours in the presence of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Jaffna SLMM offices. They discussed in detail the current ground situation in the district following Thursday incidents and to take steps to restore normalcy, SLMM sources said.


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Two soldiers remanded in Inuvil killing

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 17:36 GMT]
Mallakam Magistrate Ms Sarojini Ilankovan Friday night ordered remand till August 20th for two Sri Lanka Army soldiers in connection with the killing of Jeyaseelan Santharoopan Thursday afternoon inside the hairdressing saloon in Inuvil in Jaffna district, legal sources said.


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Curfew lifted in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 09:47 GMT]
The curfew imposed in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled areas in Jaffna district since 8:00 p.m. Thursday night was lifted around 12:30 p.m. Friday. Normal life is returning slowly and transport services commenced immediately to and from Jaffna through Muhamalai SLA checkpoint in the afternoon Friday, police said. However, police sources said a night curfew may be imposed Friday.
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CFA, P-TOMS discussed in Helgesen, Kumaratunga meeting

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 07:54 GMT]
The Norwegian Depurty Foreign Minister and the facilitator of the peace process Mr. Vidar Helgesen met Sri Lanka's President Ms. Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga at her official residence Thursday night, Presidential Secretariat sources said. The Norwegian Deputy FM discussed the current state of the peace process with the SL President along with the issues which confront the implementation of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA). Mr. Helgesen also discussed the issues related to the scuttled P-TOMS deal, sources added. The meeting which began at 9 p.m. continued till 10.30 p.m. The Norwegian Deputy FM is visiting Kilinochchi Friday to meet the LTTE's Political Head Mr. S.P.Thamilchelvan.
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Police curfew disrupts normal life in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 05:50 GMT]
All roads in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled areas in Jaffna district almost deserted due to the police curfew imposed from Thursday night around 8.30 p.m. Schools did not function. Government offices did not open. Normalcy has been disrupted, civil and media sources in Jaffna said. Along KKS road near the Inuvil Kandasamy Temple vicinity large contingent of Sri Lanka Army soldiers and policemen has been deployed since Thursday night. Several riot police squads are kept in readiness to quell any disturbance, Police said. All transport services to and from Jaffna have come to a standstill. The curfew will be lifted on Saturday morning 5 a.m. police said.
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Jaffna under police curfew

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 August 2005, 19:55 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled areas in the Jaffna district have been brought under thirty two hour police curfew with effect from Thursday night 8.30 p.m. till Saturday 5 a.m. Jaffna residents said monitoring news broadcast of the FM radio station run by the SLA from Palaly Military Headquarters.
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Inquest held into the death of Jaffna SP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 August 2005, 16:45 GMT]
Jaffna Police Superintendent Mr.Charles Wijeratne's body is to be taken to his native place Kurunagala in the south Friday. Ms. Sarojini Ilankovan, Mallakam Magistrate held the inquest into the death of Mr.Wijeratna Thursday evening and directed the authorities to take the body to Colombo and to hold autopsy examination by Colombo Judicial Medical Officer.


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Jaffna tense: Civilian shot dead by SLA, angry mob kills police officer

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 August 2005, 09:14 GMT]
A salon employee, identified as Mr. Jeyaseelan Shantharooban, 24, was shot in his head by Sri Lankan Army soldiers who entered the hairdressing salon located at Innuvil Junction on KKS Road in Jaffna around 1:00 p.m. Thursday, residents said. Another employee Mr. K. Thevathas was injured. Mr. Shantharooban, who was being rushed to Jaffna Hospital, succumbed to gunshot wounds, hospital sources said. Residents angered by the incident blocked the road and were seen throwing stones at SLA vehicles approaching the site. Riot Police were seen firing tear gas at the protesting residents. A Superindent of Police, abducted and attacked by an angry mob, later succumbed to his wounds.
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SLA soldiers harass devotees at Jaffna checkpoints

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 August 2005, 09:01 GMT]
Jaffna residents attending to celebrate "aadi amavasai" festival at the Keerimalai Naguleswarar temple and at Keerimalai seas were subjected to severe checking and harassment at the Tellipalai and Senthankulam Sri Lanka Army (SLA) checkpoints in Jaffna Thursday, sources from Jaffna district said. Hindus commemorate death anniversary of their fathers on 4 August.
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JHU to protest against P-TOMS

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 August 2005, 04:58 GMT]
"We have decided to hold island-wide protests against the Post-Tsunami Operations Structure (P-TOMS), we demand holding of elections for Sri Lanka's presidency in 2005, and want immediate suspension of all talks with International community regarding P-TOMS," said Omalpe Sobitha Thera, parliamentarian from the extremist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) , an all monks party, to media persons Wednesday.
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Young woman found stabbed to death in Batticaloa town

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 August 2005, 14:24 GMT]
Unidentified dead body of a young woman, estimated to be between 20 to 25 years of age, was found inside a class room of the Batticaloa Methodist Central College in Batticaloa town Wednesday evening. The body was found with stab wounds to the neck. Batticaloa Police believed that the girl was killed Tuesday night.
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