SLA penetratiom group strikes again in east

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 September 2001, 15:38 GMT]
A member of the communications wing of the Liberation Tigers was killed in a claymore blast set off by a deep penetration team of the Sri Lanka army in the hinterland west of the Batticaloa town Monday around 4.30 p.m. paramilitary sources in the eastern town said. Since June this year, SLA deep penetration teams have killed two members of the Liberation Tigers inside the western hinterland of the Batticaloa district. The LTTE controls 90 percent of the district’s western sector. The Liberation Tigers in Batticaloa say that they have recovered 37 claymore mines set up by the SLA inside areas under their control since 15 June.
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Several killed, missing in naval clash

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 September 2001, 16:07 GMT]
At least 47 Sri Lanka army soldiers aboard the troop carrier vessel bound for Jaffna were wounded and 18 sailors were reported missing in the mid sea battle early morning Sunday off the coast of Pt Pedro Sunday. A Sri Lanka Navy attack craft that was guarding the ship carrying more than 1200 SLA troops was very badly damaged; and at least 13 sailors were killed in the fighting sources said.
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Sea battle off Pt. Pedro

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 September 2001, 06:09 GMT]
Sri Lanka Military sources in Jaffna said that a mid sea battle to save the troop carrier ship MV was raging from early hours of the morning Sunday off the coast of Pt. Pedro in the northern peninsula. “The exact picture is not yet clear. Casualties have been reported,” one of them said. Earlier, the SLA said that an attack by 20 Sea Tigers boats on ‘MV Pride’ carrying 1200 troops to Jaffna was repulsed in the early hours of the morning Sunday. Meanwhile, the Pt. Pedro jetty where MV Komari and MV Sajintha were unloading was closed by 9.30 a.m. and 300 workers there were sent out “for emergency reasons,” .
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Four SLA wounded in claymore attack

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 September 2001, 17:39 GMT]
Four Sri Lanka army soldiers were injured when their 'Unicorn' armoured vehicle was hit by a claymore mine Saturday around 2.45 p.m. in Eravur, 15 kilometres north of Batticaloa. Five soldiers from the Mylambaavali SLA camp, 4 kilometres south of Eravur were in the vehicle sources said.
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More bones, saree found in hospital grave

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 September 2001, 19:41 GMT]
Construction workers digging in the premises of the Jaffna hospital came upon more human bones and a red colour saree on Tuesday, sources in the northern town said. The skeletal remains were found a few feet below the surface in the rear section of the Jaffna hospital that was occupied the Sri Lanka army until two months ago. Neither Police nor judicial officials in Jaffna town have visited the site so far despite being informed of the discovery of the human skulls, bones and saree, hospital sources said.
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Dialogue with LTTE vital for humanitarian ops. -ICRC

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 September 2001, 16:51 GMT]
"The LTTE is a major party to the conflict. As such the present dialogue with the LTTE is vital for the continuance of the ICRC's humanitarian services to the people in Vanni and the rest of the country," said Mr.Harasha Gunawardene, the ICRC's press officer, addressing a press conference held Wednesday morning at Trincomalee Seven Islands Hotel.
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Tigers counter attack SLA ambush

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 September 2001, 13:20 GMT]
A Sri Lanka army soldier was killed and another was seriously wounded when a group of Liberation Tigers counter attacked a SLA ambush party at Adampan junction, eight kilometres south east of Mannar, Wednesday morning. A firefight erupted as the LTTE group walked into an ambush by three teams from the nearby SLA camp in Maanthai around 9 a.m. sources said. The Tigers had then taken up position to counter attack the SLA ambush teams, killing one and seriously injuring another.
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Human skulls found in Jaffna hospital premises

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 September 2001, 05:15 GMT]
Construction workers digging a ditch in the rear of the Jaffna General hospital compound Monday came upon human skeletal remains, including two skulls. Hospital sources said that work was stopped immediately and the matter has been brought to the notice of the Police. The rear section of the hospital premises where the human skeletal remains were discovered was occupied by the Sri Lanka army from 1995, Jaffna hospital sources said Tuesday . The army vacated the rear section of the hospital two months ago, according to them.
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Mannar Methodist Church farm youth killed

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 September 2001, 16:44 GMT]
The body of a youth shot by the Sri Lanka army on 8 September in Murunkan in Mannar was identified by his father Monday. The SLA claimed that the youth was a member of the Liberation Tigers and that some banned items such as matchboxes and bicycle spare parts were found near his body. However, the boy’s father, Mr. Peduduru Velichchore told the Mannar Hospital authorities that his son, Vincent Roy, 19, had gone to guard their field in the Jeevothayam farm late that night. Mr. Velichchore said he had heard about the shooting over a foreign Tamil radio broadcast.
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Fear said stifling Batticaloa massacre memory

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 September 2001, 15:51 GMT]
The brutal massacre of 184 Tamil villagers, including 42 children below the age of ten and several pregnant women, on 9 September 1990 in the Sri Lanka army camp in Saththurukondaan, on the outskirts of the Batticaloa town was commemorated Sunday in Valaichenai. A public meeting was organised by the Koralaipattu Human Rights Organisation (KHRO) in Valaichenai town to mark the eleventh anniversary of the massacre.
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Kilinochchi rising from rubble

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 September 2001, 13:53 GMT]
The Kilinochchi St. Theresa’s Girls’ School will start functioning in its former premises in the northern town after a gap of four years when the third term begins next week, education officials in Vavuniya said. St. Theresa’s is one of the two schools in the town that escaped complete destruction during Sri Lankan security forces operations and bombing five years ago. Kilinochchi was abandoned when the Sri Lanka army captured this once bustling town in August 1996. The Tigers overran the base and recaptured Kilinochchi in September 1998. A program to gradually rebuild and resettle the destroyed town began early this year. A project to remove thousands of anti personnel mines and mine fields left behind by the SLA was launched by the White Dove Movement (WDM) after the garrison fell. More than 50000 APLM’s and explosive booby traps have been recovered by the WDM in the Kilinochchi town and its environs so far, western aid agency sources in the Vanni said.
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Two killed in Vavuniya FDL skirmishes

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 September 2001, 10:08 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka army soldiers were killed and three were wounded in attacks by the Liberation Tigers in the Forward Defence Localities north of Vavuniya Thursday and Friday, military sources in Vavuniya said. The SLA shelled a forward defence locality in Pampaimadu Thursday morning, having observed a group of Tigers in the area. Three soldiers were wounded when the Tigers ambushed an SLA unit that was sent to clear the locality subsequently.
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Marxists look for gains from bailout

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 September 2001, 11:38 GMT]
The Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna Tuesday announced it would defeat the no-confidence motion against the PA government when it is tabled in parliament.
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Bills for idependent commissions by 18 Sept.

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 September 2001, 10:39 GMT]
The ruling People's Alliance announced Tuesday it would table the draft bills in parliament for establishing independent commissions on September 18. "The debate on these draft bills would commence on the same day. These draft bills would be submitted before the Supreme Court to determine their legality," said Minister Richard Pathirana, the leader of the house for the PA in the Parliament.
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PA to sign agreement with Marxists

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 September 2001, 07:18 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government said Saturday that it intends to sign an agreement with the Marxist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna to form an interim coalition to run the country for an year. The signing of the agreement, however, will be subject to approval by the parliamentary group of the People's Alliance, according to Prime Minister, Ratnasiri Wickremanayaka. The JVP's General Secretary, Mr. Tilvin Silva, said that his party will sit in the opposition and extend conditional support to the PA to run the government during the 'probation period'. The JVP is against peace talks with the Liberation Tigers to end the island¹s conflict. The party is also strongly opposed to economic reforms recommended by the IMF and the World Bank.
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Five SLA soldiers killed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 August 2001, 06:09 GMT]
Five Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed when the tractor in which they were travelling was hit by a powerful claymore mine blast in the Kalmadhu area, about 25 km. west of Vavuniya, around 8.30 a.m Tuesday morning, army sources in the northern town said.
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LTTE denies warning to Tamil MPs

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 August 2001, 18:09 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Monday denied issuing a note circulating in the Jaffna peninsula warning Tamil MPs to quit the Sri Lankan Parliament and purported to originate from an organisation which the government says is a front of the LTTE. A notice issued by the ‘Sangiliyan Padai’ (Sangiliyan Army) on Saturday said those who refused “would not have an opportunity to regret their action.”
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Fighting in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 August 2001, 00:46 GMT]
Heavy fighting erupted in the Muhamalai area, in the southern sector of the Jaffna peninsula when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops backed by tanks, artillery and air cover launched an operation along A-9 main road. The SLA offensive that began at around 5.30 a.m. Sunday was repulsed, the Voice of Tigers radio said.
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Tigers attack SLA at Kokkuthoduvaai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 August 2001, 06:32 GMT]
Thirteen Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and 24 wounded when the Liberation Tigers attacked forward defence lines of the Kokkuthoduvaai camp south of Mullaithivu, in the north-eastern coast, around 3 a.m Thursday. Ten SLA soldiers have been reported 'missing' in the attack, army sources said. Six LTTE members were killed in the fighting, the sources added.
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Supreme Court orders student examined

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 August 2001, 21:46 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court Wednesday ordered that Jaffna University Student Krishnasamy Thiviyan should be subjected to medical examination by the Colombo Judicial Medical Officer (JMO). A three member bench presided by Chief Justice Sarath N.Silva and comprising Justice Shiranee A.Bandaranaike and Justice P.Edussuriya issued the order when a fundamental rights application filed on behalf of Thiviyan was taken up for inquiry. Sri Lanka’s Attorney General and the General Officer Commanding of the Sri Lanka Army, Jaffna district have been cited as the respondents in the application.
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