Colombo explosion kills eight

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 February 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A bomb exploded in down town Colombo late this afternoon. According to initial reports, it had gone off at the SLAF check point on Malay street, killing eight persons, including three security forces personnel.
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Suicide bomber caused blast - police

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 February 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Contrary to initial reports, the explosion in Slave Island in downtown Colombo this afternoon was caused by a woman suicide bomber said Sri Lankan police.
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Plantation workers strike over wages

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 February 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Three plantation based trade unions, whose 600,000 strong members downed tools today, rejected the Employer's Federation of Ceylon (EFC) offer to increase the wage from 83 rupees (USD 1.34) per day to 100 rupees (USD 1.61), said trade union sources in Colombo.
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City deserted as celebrations begin

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 February 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Colombo remains largely deserted today when Sri Lanka celebrates its golden jubilee of independence from British as most key roads in the city have been sealed off. There was very little traffic on the roads in the morning.
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SLA burns KIA bodies

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 February 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The SLA, according to sources in Vavuniya, burnt all 41 of the bodies of SLA soldiers which they received from the ICRC today at Madukanda, an area near Vavuniya.
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Independence celebrations overshadowed by conflict

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 February 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Events in other parts of Sri Lanka have rendered the golden jubilee of national independence, and its celebration tomorrow in Kotte, the country's administrative capital, almost a non-event.
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SLA sources differ on Kilinochchi situation

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 February 1998, 23:59 GMT]
SLA sources at the Palaly base in Jaffna said that fighting in the Kilinochchi area was continuing till this afternoon. They said that thus far fifty soldiers have been confirmed killed in the fighting. The SLA sources were unable to confirm whether army casualties will mount further.
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Doubts over SLA claims

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 February 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Tamil Eelam Radio, the commercial broadcast of the Voice of Tigers, said in its evening broadcast today that the fighting in the Paranthan Kilinochchi area continues to rage for the second day. Hence, no clear details of the battle are available as yet it said. The Radio said that the SLAF is continuing with retaliatory strikes against civilian targets in the Vanni today.
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Body of missing policeman found

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The body of a Policeman who went missing after the attack on the Sri Lankan army-Police point at the Gurunagar jetty on Wednesday night was found washed ashore this morning on a small sand bar near Sirutheevu by the Mandatheevu island south of Jaffna town.
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Election commissioner releases results

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
These are results of the Jaffna local government polls released by the Commissioner of Elections in Colombo today.
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Demonstrations in support of Gen. Ratwatte

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Demonstrations were held in Kandy and Colombo demanding that the Deputy Minister for Defence Gen. Anuruddha Ratwatte should not resign.
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Low turnout in quiet polls

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
An official at the independent election monitoring group's office in Jaffna town said this evening that today's polls were generally free of any incidents of violence. Voter turn out was generally very low said TamilNet reporters in Jaffna.
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Gen. Ratwatte submits resignation

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Sri Lanka's deputy minister for defence Gen. Anurudha Ratwatte resigned his portfolio this afternoon. He submitted his resignation to President Chandrika Kumaratunge. His resignation is yet to be accepted by the Sri Lankan President said sources in the Presidential secretariat this afternoon.
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Army bans civilians from leaving Vanni

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The government decided to completely ban civilians from the LTTE controlled parts of the Vanni unless for very special reasons according to new strict regulations which came into affect from today. No civilians from the LTTE controlled parts of the Vanni will henceforth be permitted to enter Vavuniya.
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Polls overshadowed by developments elsewhere

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Civilian activity on the roads of Jaffna came to a virtual standstill today, the eve of local government elections, as residents stayed at home through fear, said sources in the peninsula. What was seen on the roads were buses, specially brought from Colombo for the polls, transporting officers on election duty, ballot boxes and ballot papers, under heavy armed guard by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA).
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Police given deadline

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Colombo high court judge N.Ramachandran directed the Sri Lankan Police yesterday to produce LTTE leader Velupillai Pirabakaran, his intelligence chief Pottu Amman and eight others in courts on February 27, 1998 in connection with the Central Bank bomb blast on January 31, 1996.
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Calls for Gen. Ratwatte's resignation

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
An effigy of Deputy Defence Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte was burnt in Colombo this afternoon by demonstrators who were demanding his resignation over the bomb blast in Kandy.
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MIA demonstration turns unruly

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A demonstration this morning in front of the ICRC head office in Colombo by a crowd said to be the kith and kin of Sri Lankan army soldiers who have gone missing in action in Mullaithivu and other battles with the Liberation Tigers turned unruly as some demonstrators began pelting stones at the delegation buildings.
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Communal violence in Kandy

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Communal violence broke out in Kandy, about 110 km from Colombo, this after noon when Sinhalese mobs went on rampage damaging several Tamil shops and burning one completely. Kattukalai Hindu temple was also attacked by the mob. The large Hindu cultural hall in Kandy was also attacked by the mobs which beat up Tamils gathered there for weddings.
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SLA imposes travel restrictions on teenagers

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The SLA has placed further restrictions on Tamil boys and girls from travelling to Colombo. Earlier, boys and girls between the age of 14 and 21 could travel to Colombo on the basis of priority letters recommended by the Grama Sevakas (village officers) in their respective areas of residence.
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