SLA search in Colombo's business hub

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 May 2000, 19:03 GMT]
The Sri Lankan army cordoned off and searched Sea Street, the island's 'gold market', in the heart of Colombo's business hub Tuesday. More than thousand businessmen and shop assistants in this predominantly Tamil sector of the capital's business district were lined up for identification by 'spotters' who had come with the army. More than thirty youth, including five girls were arrested.
Full story >>

Pickering says north needs humanitarian assistance

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 May 2000, 10:18 GMT]
US Under Secretary of State Thomas Pickering who called on United National Party leader Mr.Ranil Wickremesinghe today at his office in Colombo told media persons that there is a need for humanitarian assistance in the northern province. An Indian TV journalist asked Mr.Pickering whether the US will provide military assistance to Sri Lanka. "No" the US Under Secretary of state replied emphatically.
Full story >>

SLA silence stymies UNHCR effort

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 May 2000, 15:32 GMT]
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a press release issued in Colombo Sunday that it did not receive a response to a request it had made to the Sri Lankan government on May 6 that "military actions be suspended for the period of the LTTE declared cease-fire" on May 27 Saturday, "in the interest of the civilians, who may be moving during that time". The UNHCR had also asked the Sri Lankan government to indicate a safe route to areas held by the army but had got no reply from the Ministry of Defence according to the press release.
Full story >>

No response to ceasefire offer

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 May 2000, 16:29 GMT]
There was no official reaction from the Sri Lankan government to the ceasefire declared unilaterally by the Liberation Tigers Friday to enable civilians in the Thenmaradchi division and other sectors of the Jaffna peninsula to move out, with the assistance of the UNHCR, to designated safer areas. Sri Lankan army headquarters sources in Colombo peremptorily dismissed the LTTE ceasefire.
Full story >>

Group claims Norway embassy bombing

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 May 2000, 17:17 GMT]
A group calling itself as National Front Against Tigers (NFAT) claimed responsibility for the grenades attack on the well guarded Norwegian mission in Colombo on Wednesday. The group in a statement faxed to the newspaper offices in Colombo said that the Norwegian government is the "international agent" of the Liberation Tigers. The same group claimed responsibility for the outspoken Tamil politician Kumar Ponnambalam on 5 January.
Full story >>

Ranil criticises gagging of press

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 May 2000, 14:44 GMT]
Sri Lanka's opposition leader Mr.Ranil Wickremesinghe Thursday lambasted the government in Parliament for suppressing the freedom of expression. He pointed out that the appeal procedure available to the papers that have been shut down by the Sri Lankan government is specious. He called on the government to immediately withdraw the regulation that gives sweeping powers to the government to shut down papers and printing presses.
Full story >>

Athas intimidation case trial date fixed

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 May 2000, 14:31 GMT]
The English language weekly Sunday Times Defence Columnist Iqbal Athas intimidation case was re-fixed for trail on September 6th and 7th by a Colombo High Court Judge Andrew Somawanse. The prosecution amended the charges, to which defence counsel did not object.
Full story >>

Tear gas breaks demonstration

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 May 2000, 09:15 GMT]
Sri Lankan police fired teargas and used water cannon Thursday to disperse demonstrators protesting against the government's emergency regulations which civic rights activists say are draconian. A large number of people gathered outside the Colombo town hall in the afternoon, defying the government's ban on demonstrations, sources said.
Full story >>

ICRC ship cancelled

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 May 2000, 14:11 GMT]
Mr. Harasha Gunawardene, the spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Colombo told TamilNet that his organisation's weekly ship service between Trincomalee and Jaffna was cancelled Monday due to security reasons. The ICRC ship was to sail from the eastern port town of Trincomalee to Kankesanthurai (KKS) harbour.
Full story >>

Tiger manoeuvres pressure SLA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 May 2000, 11:46 GMT]
The special forces of the Liberation Tigers which on Saturday overran the Sri Lankan army garrison and other defensive positions in Chavakachcheri and its environs, fifteen kilometers south of Jaffna, are attacking the Kilali base and the remaining Sri Lanka army positions in the peninsula's Thenmaradchi division said the special noon news broadcast of the Voice of Tigers today.
Full story >>

SLA shuts down Jaffna paper

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 May 2000, 05:28 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army sealed the Jaffna daily, Uthayan, yesterday. Soldiers who went to the paper's office in Jaffna town last evening locked the building, cut phone lines and took the keys away said a journalist at the paper. The Sri Lankan government declared draconian laws recently granting sweeping powers to specially appointed officials including the authority to close down news papers and printing presses.
Full story >>

Tigers urge SLA surrender

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 May 2000, 17:44 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Friday appealed to the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers in the Jaffna peninsula to surrender "to avoid a bloodbath." The LTTE said in a statement from its London offices that soldiers who lay down their arms "will be treated with dignity and honour" and handed over to the custody of the International Committee of the Red Cross "within 24 hours".
Full story >>

Palaly shelling cancels Jaffna ship

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 May 2000, 07:33 GMT]
'The City of Trinco', a passenger ship to Jaffna that was scheduled to depart this morning from the eastern port of Trincomalee was canceled by the Sri Lanka Navy for security reasons officials said. The ship was to set sail with 350 passengers to the Kankesanthurai harbour (KKS), located in the sprawling Palaly base complex in the northern sector of the Jaffna peninsula. The Liberation Tigers say that their artillery units have been firing on the base since Wednesday.
Full story >>

Tigers shell Palaly

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 May 2000, 13:04 GMT]
Artillery shells fired by the Liberation Tigers on the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) base at Palaly hit the main communications tower and the air strip of the northern military complex said the Thamileela Vaanoli, the commercial broadcast of the Voice of Tigers said in its 5 p.m. news broadcast Thursday. The radio said that two policemen who were on duty at the communications tower were killed in the shelling.
Full story >>

Kadirgamar says paying dearly for arms

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 May 2000, 20:41 GMT]
"What is the message that you would like to give Prabhakaran at this juncture?" asked Dilip Ganguly, the Colombo correspondent of Associated Press, as Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Mr.Lakshman Kadirgamar was winding up his press conference today. The Minister replied "Is it not time for you (Prabhaharan) to say 'I've seen a good battle; now it must end' ?" Mr.Kadirgamar ruled out the possibility of his government getting down foreign troops to fight the Liberation Tigers.
Full story >>

Tigers overrun SLA defences in Chavakachcheri

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 May 2000, 09:30 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers overran the defences of the Sri Lanka army on the approach to Chavakachcheri, east of Jaffna town according military sources in Colombo. A press release by the Sri Lankan government's Media Centre said this afternoon that senior ground commanders of the SLA "shifted their defences to prepared positions to the north east" of the Thanangkilappu sector.
Full story >>

SLA warns Jaffna journalist

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 May 2000, 20:15 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army in Jaffna reprimanded and warned senior Jaffna journalist Mr.C.N Vithyatharan today for publishing in his paper a story about the Sri Lankan President breaking into tears during her meeting with Indian Air Force chief A.Y Tipnis last week. He was also severely warned that action would be taken against him for publishing in his paper, Uthayan, the names of the five civlians, including two children, who were killed in the Sri Lanka Air Force bombing in Pooneryn on Friday, May 12.
Full story >>

Offensive exposes Jaffna's 'soft underbelly'

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 May 2000, 16:02 GMT]
Sri Lankan Air Force jets continued bombing raids on the positions of the Tiger troops holding the Ariyalai and Thanangkilappu sectors to the south east of Jaffna town. However, the situation report put out by the Sri Lankan government's Media Centre today indicated that the Tigers are active in these sectors despite the heavy bombing.
Full story >>

SLA dismisses ceasefire offer

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 May 2000, 11:36 GMT]
The Sri Lankan army totally rejected the ceasefire offer by the Liberation Tigers today. An officer at the operational headquarters of the Ministry of defence said this afternoon that the SLA will fight to the last man to defend Jaffna. An official release stating the government's position would be out later this afternoon he said.
Full story >>