SLA commander speaks at music function

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The SLA's Jaffna Town Commander Brig. Susantha Mendis called on the Tigers to join the path to peace last night at a music show at the Duraiappa stadium in the northern town. The musical show where 'Sithara', a band flown in from Colombo played to a crowd of 25000 until 1 a.m. in the small hours of the morning today was organised by the Jaffna SLA.
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Parents' fury at BoI's report

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Parents of those who 'disappeared' in the Jaffna whilst in Sri Lankan army custody, accused A.T. Ariyaratne, a member of the Human Rights Commission, and founder of the NGO Sarvodaya, of also violating human rights, when he met them in Jaffna to convey that the Board of Investigation (BoI) appointed by Sri Lanka President to look into the disappearances had only listed 16 persons as having 'disappeared' during that time, said sources in Jaffna. The MPGA and international human rights organisations put the disappearances in Jaffna at around 600.
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UN official plans visit

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Mr. K. Otunnu, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations will be in Sri Lanka next month to study the condition of children affected by the war in the North- East, said UN sources in Colombo.
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SLA deserters abscond again

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Two soldiers from a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp in Vavuniya who hijacked a three wheeler taxi on April 22 at Pattaanichoodu, 10 km west of Vavuniya, were arrested by the Neeriyakulam police at Neeriyakulam on the Chettikulam- Madwachchi road, while trying to escape, said sources in Vavuniya.
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Arrests follow postal strike

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Three of the ten Sri Lankan postal trade union leaders arrested by the Police last night as the Sri Lankan government declared the postal service an essential service were interrogated today by the Criminal Investigation Department. The other leaders are being held at different Police stations for security reasons said Police sources.
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MP laments trade of Hindu statues

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
"There has been a trend in recent years to rob metal statues and religious icons from Hindu temples to be sold and smuggled overseas. There has to be vigilance to prevent this," said P.P.Devaraj, MP (United National Party - Colombo District) in Parliament yesterday.
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SLA destroys own tanks

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The SLA in Vavuniya said today that troops of Operation Jayasikurui destroyed two of their own Main Battle Tanks (MBT) which the Liberation Tigers had attacked and immobilised on Monday when they (SLA troops) were retreating from LTTE held areas into which they had attempted to advance from the early morning that day.
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Tamper proof cards for Tamils

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Reading out the PA government's position at today's adjournment debate in the Sri Lankan Parliament moved by the TULF on the indiscriminate mass arrests of Tamils in Colombo and other parts of the island, Deputy Minister for Finance Prof. G.L Pieris said that Tamils who are not permanent residents of Colombo will be issued with special tamper proof identity cards to prevent problems.
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India expresses interest and concern

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Mr. Nagendranath Jha, formerly India's High Commissioner in Sri Lanka and currently a senior advisor to the BJP government, who is currently on a visit to Colombo to speak on the future of Indo Lanka relations, told sections of the local press today that the Vajpayee government is interested and concerned about the situation in Sri Lanka.
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SLA loses tanks, withdraws - LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers announced in the Wanni this evening that the Sri Lankan Army launched a three pronged offensive from it's positions in Olumadu and Moondumuripu in the early hours of the morning today. They said that they counter attacked the SLA's advance and that there was fierce fighting from morning 5 a.m. to 12 noon.
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US designation "not welcome" - Tamil parties

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Tamil party leaders who met US President's special envoy Bill Richardson during a brief meeting yesterday in Colombo told him that it is essential that the Liberation Tigers should take part in the talks to bring about peace in Sri Lanka.
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Goldsmiths beaten, then worked

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Thirty eight youth who were rounded up yesterday in the village of Annamalai, about 36 kilometers south west of Batticaloa, were severely beaten up by the Special Task Force for not reporting to its camp in the area on their arrival from Colombo where they are employed as goldsmiths. The boys had come home to Annamalai on leave for the Tamil New year.
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Senior US official to visit Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Ambassador Bill Richardson, the most senior US official to visit Sri Lanka since 1972, will arrive in Colombo on Saturday April 18 with a special letter from President Bill Clinton to Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunge Bandranaike.
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Explosion in Jaffna town

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
One woman was killed and sixteen civilians were wounded in a grenade blast this evening around 5.20 p.m. (11.20 GMT) in the heart of Jaffna town. The explosion, suspected to be a powerful grenade, went off in front of Sivaganeshan Stores (formerly Malayan Cafe building) on the Power House Road in Jaffna town.
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SLA appoints new Vadamaradchi chief

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The SLA commander of Jaffna's Vadamaradchi division, Col.Larry Wijeratne is to be transferred out of the area with effect from April 20. Col. Wijeratne has been considered by the SLA as one of its best officers in the Jaffna peninsula. He was praised for keeping the activity of the Liberation Tigers under complete check in Vadamaradchi since 1996.
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Tamil gunmen operating with Colombo troops

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Armed men in civilian clothing who accompany uniformed Sri Lankan security forces personnel, including police, during cordon and search operations in Colombo are strongly suspected to be members of certain ex-Tamil militant groups now working with the SLA as para-military units, a human rights lawyer, who was not willing to be identified, told TamilNet.
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Ratwatte visits Palaly base

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Deputy Minister for Defence Gen. Anuruddha Ratwatte visited the Palaly SLA base complex yesterday to attend an army sports festival in connection with the Sinhala new year. The sports function was held on the grounds of the Palaly Teachers' Training College which is now part of the SLA base.
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Mass arrests to be restricted: AG

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Attorney General (AG), Sarath N Silva has pledged to representatives of the Tamil community that steps will be taken to restrict mass arrests during cordon and search operations in Colombo, said sources in Colombo.
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No confidence motion against Gen. Ratwatte?

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) will seek an adjournment debate on the indiscriminate arrests and harassment of Tamils in Colombo and other parts of the country when the Sri Lankan Parliament resumes sittings tomorrow.
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With extreme prejudice

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The racial hatred that had been simmering at the Kalutara prison where Tamils arrested under the infamous Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) are remanded, exploded into naked violence on December 12 last year, resulting in the deaths of three Tamils who were being held under preventive detention.
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