Shell kills one

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 May 2000, 17:42 GMT]
A civilian was killed and another wounded when the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shelled Madduvil South, a village northwest of Chavakachcheri, this evening around 6.30 p.m., according to the Voice of Tigers radio.
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Search operation in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 May 2000, 17:24 GMT]
At least 25 persons were arrested during a search operation by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers in the Thaandavanveli area in the Batticaloa town around 6 p.m. this evening, residents said. Security sources said the arrested are being interrogated at the Batticaloa police station.
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Radio says civilians killed in bombing

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 May 2000, 16:05 GMT]
Two civilians identified as Viswalingam and Ariyanayagam were killed and eighteen wounded in heavy bombing by Kfirs this morning on the village of Maravanpulavu, southwest of Chavakachcheri, this morning around 11 a.m. according to night news broadcast of the Voice of Tigers Friday. A young mother, Sivanesan Annaimary, and her infant son were killed when shells fired by the Sri Lanka army hit their house in Madduvil Sivankovilady this morning the VoT said.
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ICRC ship aborts Jaffna trip

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 May 2000, 09:23 GMT]
'Java Gulf', the vessel operated by the International Committee of the Red Cross to the embattled Jaffna peninsula will be returning to Trincomalee port later Friday afternoon because the ICRC was "unable, at the final moment, to secure agreement with the Sri Lankan security forces and the Liberation Tigers regarding the port of disembarkation" a spokesman for the organisation said.
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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.
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Shelling claim victims

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 May 2000, 06:44 GMT]
Police sources in Batticaloa said that six civilians living close to the Sri Lanka army camp in a Batticaloa suburb were killed last night around 9.45 p.m. when a shell hit their garden.
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SLAF helicopter shot down

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 May 2000, 15:25 GMT]
A Sri Lankan Air Force helicopter gunship was shot downed by the Liberation Tigers this evening near Sarasalai in the Thenmaradchi Division security sources said.
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Hartal in Batticaloa to protest killings

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 May 2000, 13:00 GMT]
Shops and schools were closed, few reported for work in government offices and roads were generally deserted Wednesday in Batticaloa, Valaichenai and other towns in the eastern district. This hartal was in response to a call by a student organisation to protest against the indiscriminate shooting by Sri Lankan security forces on May 17 in which scores of civilians were killed and wounded. The Police failed in the morning to compel shops in Batticaloa town to open up for business.
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Fighting erupts near Batticaloa town

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 May 2000, 21:50 GMT]
Heavy fighting erupted close to the Batticaloa this evening when the Liberation Tigers shelled the Sri Lanka army camp on the approach to the Sri Lanka Air Force base southwest of the town. Mi 24 Helicopter gunships were sent in to strafe the positions of the Tiger troops ahead of the Vavunathivu camp late in the evening today. The Tigers returned fire and continued to shell and fire on the camp sources in batticaloa said.
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Civilians urged to build bomb shelters

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 May 2000, 09:01 GMT]
The Voice of Tigers radio repeatedly urged civilians in Thenmaradchi division since Sunday to construct bunkers to protect themselves from heavy bombing by Sri Lanka Air Force jets. The radio said that four civilians were killed and eight were wounded when the Sri Lanka army yesterday shelled the Madduvil sector that was captured by the Liberation Tigers Saturday.
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Tigers train guns beyond harbour

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 May 2000, 18:06 GMT]
Artillery shells fired by the Liberation Tigers hit coastal areas to the west of Kankesanthurai (KKS), Sri Lanka army's only harbour in Jaffna, yesterday sources contacted by phone in the northern peninsula said Sunday. The shelling indicates that the LTTE has moved its field guns closer to the sprawling military base complex in Palaly and Kankesanthurai the sources said.
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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.
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Chavakachcheri captured - LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 May 2000, 14:41 GMT]
Chavakachcheri, the second largest town on the Jaffna peninsula, fell to the Liberation Tigers Saturday, after 12 hours of heavy fighting, the LTTE said in a press release from its London offices. The troops of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) were fleeing towards Kodigamam, the last SLA-held position in the Thenmarachchi sector, the Tigers said.
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Tigers advance further in Jaffna - VoT

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 May 2000, 11:15 GMT]
The advancing troops of the Liberation Tigers captured the Sri Lanka army positions defending the approaches to Chavakachcheri, Jaffna peninsula's second largest town, the Voice of Tigers said in its noon special news broadcast today. The special forces of the Tigers had advanced on multiple fronts to interdict the third supply route from Palaly to the government troops in the Thenmaradchi division in Jaffna's southern sector since midnight the radio said.
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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.
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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".
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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.
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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.
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Kaithady SLA base captured - LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 May 2000, 16:07 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said Wednesday they had overrun the strategically important Sri Lanka Army (SLA) base at Kaithady, killing one hundred soldiers and wounding hundreds more and cutting off thousands of SLA troops in the Thenmaradchchi sector.
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Tigers advance on twin fronts

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 May 2000, 21:41 GMT]
In a twin fronted assault, the Liberation Tigers have advanced deep into Sri Lanka Army (SLA) held territory in the Jaffna peninsula, the LTTE said Tuesday. Tiger forces have advanced from earlier captured positions into the Chavakachcheri sector and are attacking the SLA base at Kaithady having overrun SLA defences at Navatkuli, the LTTE said in a statement from its London offices. LTTE forces have also smashed SLA defences at Pasaiyur and Kurunagar in the outskirts of Jaffna city, the statement said further.
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