SLAF bombs eastern villages

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 August 2001, 14:53 GMT]
Seven houses were destroyed and at least ten cattle were killed due to heavy aerial bombing by two Sri Lanka Airforce Kifir jets on residential areas in the villages of Pendukalchenai and Thoppigala, about 34 km north-west of Batticaloa town around 10.30 a.m. Tuesday morning, residents said.
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SLMC power struggle before Elections Commissioner

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 August 2001, 16:17 GMT]
The leadership crisis in the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress is to be taken to the Commissioner of Elections for a final decision. This is sequel to the power struggle as Mr.Rauff Hakeem and Mr.M.L.A.M.Hisbullah are claiming the leadership of the SLMC.
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TELO-EPRLF clashes lead to SLA's search of camps

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 August 2001, 16:15 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers Sunday searched eight camps of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) in Vavuniya town and its suburbs, said Suthan, local leader of TELO in Vavuniya. He said that no reason was given for the search. The troops also searched two camps of the Eelam People's Revolutionary Front (Perumal's faction) (EPRLF).
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"Stop arms, promote peace", MP tells US officials

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 August 2001, 23:09 GMT]
"The war in Sri Lanka is escalating because countries that say that there should be a political solution to the island's ethnic conflict are providing arms and money to the government here. Some are even training the Sri Lankan army troops. These governments should stop giving military aid to Sri Lanka and exert pressure on it to seek a negotiated settlement to the problem", said Selvam Adaikalanathan, MP for the Vanni and the leader of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation, speaking to US embassy officials who called on him Friday at his official in Colombo.
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Three civilians hospitalized after assault

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 August 2001, 22:55 GMT]
Three civilians severely injured in an indiscriminate attack by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers in Navanthurai, Jaffna, on Thursday were admitted to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital. The victims were Anthonithas Pedropillai (37), Sebastian Ivan (22), and Saminathan Gunaseelan (32), hospital sources said.
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PA in fix over ally's demands

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 August 2001, 17:30 GMT]
The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), a major constituent party of the Peoples' Alliance, told Tamilnet Friday it is awaiting the President's response to its two demands that "that Sri Lankan citizenship be granted to four hundred thousand Tamils in the island's plantation sector and that sixteen electorates should be carved out for them". The party's leader Mr. Arumugam Thondaman said that the CWC would not support the referendum if the PA does not meet its demands.
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Sihala Urumaya brokers 'truce' between PA-UNP

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 August 2001, 06:58 GMT]
The Sihala Urumaya (SU), the hardline Sinhala Buddhist nationalist party has appealed to the main opposition, United National Party to drop the no-confidence and impeachment motions against the People's Alliance government to end the present political crisis. The General Secretary of the SU Mr.Tilak Karunaratne made this request to the leader of the UNP when he met the latter Thursday.
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Four SLA soldiers killed

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 August 2001, 19:18 GMT]
Three Sri Lanka Army soldiers were killed and three others were wounded in a claymore mine attack in the Omanthai area, about 14 km. north of Vavuniya Thursday morning, military sources said. They said the claymore was placed on a tree near a sentry post.
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Five home guards, policeman killed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 July 2001, 10:21 GMT]
Five home guards were killed in an ambush by the Liberation Tigers at Nugathenna in the Welikanda police area, about 65 km. north west of Batticaloa on the Valaichenai-Colombo trunk road around 9 a.m. Tuesday, police sources said.
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Tamil Congress to oppose Chandrika, TULF divided

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 July 2001, 20:50 GMT]
The All Ceylon Tamil Congress Monday rejected the invitation by the Sri Lankan President to discuss the political situation and said that it would categorically oppose the referendum for a new constitution scheduled to be held on 21 August. In a letter to the Sri Lankan President, the party leader Mr. Appappillai Vinyagamoorthy said that changing the constitution is futile when the Parliament has been suspended and democracy has been suppressed.
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S.L President briefs diplomats

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 July 2001, 20:18 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga met diplomats in Colombo Monday to brief them about the referendum for a new constitution and the security situation following the attack on the island's only international airport by the Liberation Tigers. More than 30 ambassadors took part in the briefing Monday evening in Colombo, Sri Lankan government sources said.
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SLA shelling kills two, injures eight

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 July 2001, 07:37 GMT]
Two civilians were killed and 8 others were wounded when a shell fired by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers hit Kinnaiyadi, a hamlet in Valaichenai, 30 km. north of Batticaloa around 7.30 a.m. Saturday, civilian and hospital sources said. Villagers said the shell was fired by troops stationed at the nearby camp at Kumburumoolai.
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Tigers attack Weli Oya FDL -radio

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 July 2001, 17:36 GMT]
The Voice of Tigers said in its night news broadcast that the Liberation Tigers attacked and destroyed the Forward Defence Lines of the Sri Lanka army between Mankindi Malai and Akkarai Weli in the Weli Oya region in the early hours of Friday morning around 2.30 a.m. The radio said ten bunkers on the FDL were overrun by Tiger troops and that four SLA soldiers were killed.
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Opposition slams government over attack

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 July 2001, 22:35 GMT]
Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party (UNP) and the Marxist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) have appealed to President Chandrika Kumaratunge to reconvene the prorogued parliament immediately. Both parties made this appeal in the wake of Liberation Tigers’ dawn attack on Katunayake airbase in the early hours of Tuesday morning. " The government is in breach of its duty to protect Katunayake international airport," said the UNP leader, Ranil Wickremasinghe, addressing a press conference Tuesday evening.
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Army's Intimidation of Tamil journalists condemned

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 July 2001, 22:50 GMT]
Aiyathurai Nadesan, a prize winning Tamil journalist in the eastern Town of Batticaloa, was threatened by the coordinating officer of the Sri Lanka Army's 23-3 brigade last week. The Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA) and the Eastern Lanka Journalists' Association (ELJA) issued statements Friday condemning the intimidation.
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Massive opposition protest in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 July 2001, 06:57 GMT]

A Sri Lankan policeman swings his baton at a protester in Colombo, Thursday. Sri Lankan police fired teargas and rubber bullets on Thursday to try to enforce a ban on rallies and force back thousands pouring into the capital for a huge opposition protest against the suspension of parliament.(Photo: Reuters)

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Army suspect assaults journalist

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 July 2001, 20:48 GMT]
A journalist was assaulted in court premises by a suspect in the Mirusuvil massacre case Wednesday morning. The suspect is one of fourteen soldiers accused of massacring civilians in Mirusuvil. The incident took place when the accused were brought to the court in Point Pedro, where the Chavakachcheri Magistrate's Court is sitting under heavy security.
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Two soldiers wounded in LTTE ambush

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 July 2001, 20:33 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were wounded, one of them seriously in an ambush by the Liberation Tigers at Vaarikuddiyoor, 16 km. northwest of Vavuniya, around 5.15 p.m. Wednesday, army sources in the northern town said.
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Two SLA soldiers wounded

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 July 2001, 16:02 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army soldiers were wounded and another was reported missing when the Liberation Tigers attacked an army detachment at Mahindapura, at about 10.30 a.m. Wednesday morning, local army sources said.
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APC damaged in claymore blast

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 July 2001, 12:27 GMT]
A Special Task Force (STF) elite soldier was seriously wounded when an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) was hit by a claymore mine blast at Thetraathivu, about 20 km. south of Batticaloa. The attack took place around 10 a.m. Wednesday, police sources said.
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