A9 MSR remains cut - radio

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 April 2000, 20:57 GMT]
The fighting units of the Liberation Tigers remained in control of a major section of the A-9 highway in the Thenmaradchi Division on the Jaffna peninsula despite determined efforts by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to recapture the road, the Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio said in its night transmission Wednesday. Four SLA tanks were destroyed and five damaged in heavy fighting during the past two days, the radio said.
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SLA claims advantage on MSR

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 April 2000, 15:14 GMT]
A senior commander of the Sri Lanka army (SLA) in Jaffna claimed today that his troops have recaptured the segment of the MSR that was controlled by the Liberation Tigers from March 27. Residents in Mirusuvil, however, said this evening that heavy fighting continues to rage on the A9. About 200 SLA soldiers were wounded and three tanks were damaged in fierce engagements near Muhamaalai today, according to SLA sources in Kodikamam.
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Protestors blockade Jaffna Kachcheri

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 April 2000, 13:18 GMT]
Hundreds of people blocked the entrance of the Jaffna Kachcheri from this morning demanding that the civilians in the war zone in Jaffna's southern sector be allowed by the Sri Lanka Army to move out of their villages forthwith to safer areas in other parts of the peninsula. An urgent note to the Sri Lanka army's 52-2 brigade in Kodikamam was sent by the Government Agent for Jaffna following the blockade urging the officers there to do the needful for the civilians' release. There was no reply to his note until 5 p.m. today, Kachcheri officials said. The blockade of the Jaffna District Secretariat continues.
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A9 - SLA tries again

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 April 2000, 09:06 GMT]
Heavy fighting broke out between the Sri Lanka army (SLA) and the Liberation Tigers on the A9 highway between Eluthumadduval and Muhamaalai from the early hours of the morning today as the army made yet another attempt to recapture more than six kilometers of this road to the Elephant Pass garrison.
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SLA seeks Special Forces recruits

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 April 2000, 20:15 GMT]
The commando regiment of the Sri Lankan army which is part of the SLA's elite 53 division called for new recruits today. The call for new recruits comes amidst reports that a large number of the 53 division's commandos have been put out of action due to constant deployment in special operations against the Liberation Tigers. The US Special Forces trained brigades of the 53 division have taken the brunt of the LTTE's Unceasing Waves III offensive since 2, November 1999.
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Profit plans stymie passage to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 April 2000, 09:08 GMT]
The private operators of the passenger ship service to the north are quoting more than four thousand rupees (58 USD) for a return ticket to Jaffna from Trincomalee said a Jaffna Kachcheri official when contacted this morning by TamilNet over the continuing delay in obtaining the consent of the ICRC to escort such vessels. The official said "this ticket price structure is unfair". He added it could further compound the problem because the ICRC has no mandate, as far as he was aware, to escort a profit making passenger ship service.
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Fighting on Nagar Kovil interior road

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 April 2000, 21:38 GMT]
Heavy fighting broke out between the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lanka army (SLA) on the road between Eluthumadduval and Nagar Kovil in Jaffna's southeastern sector last night from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. A SLA officer in Vadamaradchi east said that the fighting had broke out when the Liberation Tigers had attempted to advance on the interior road from their positions near Eluthumadduval towards Nagar Kovil.
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Bishop asked to mediate POW release

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 April 2000, 21:34 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Minister for Ethnic Affairs, Mr.Jeyaraj Fernandopulle wrote to the Bishop of Mannar today requesting him to mediate the release of the Sri Lanka army soldiers held by the Liberation Tigers in the Vanni. Church sources in Mannar said that the Bishop is expected to leave shortly, once he obtains clearance to visit the Vanni.
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Two Dvoras sunk -LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 April 2000, 17:00 GMT]
Two Dvora Fast Attack Crafts (FACs) were destroyed when the Liberation Tigers attacked a flotilla of Sri Lankan navy vessels off the coast of Vadamaradchi East in the north of the island this evening, the LTTE said in a press release.
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(Photos) Journalists condemn attacks

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 April 2000, 09:01 GMT]
The Vanni Journalists Association has condemned recent attacks on journalists, a news statement said. On Sunday a grenade was thrown at the house of a senior journalist in Batticaloa Mr Aiyathurai Nadesan, and yesterday, BBC's Sinhala Service correspondent Elmo Fernando was assaulted in Colombo. The association has urged the government to take immediate steps to prevent violence acts on media personnel.
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Jaffna refugees cross the bar

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 April 2000, 12:22 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army (SLA) allowed 1643 civilians to leave Kilali in Jaffna where they were blocked from proceeding to safer parts of the peninsula by the security forces since Sunday, April 2, amidst protests by human rights organisations and Tamil politicians. The released refugees began leaving the Kilali military encampment in the off monsoon shower from about 11 a.m. this morning.
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'Let them go' say Jaffna protestors

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 April 2000, 09:14 GMT]
More than eight hundred people staged a sit in protest today in front of the district secretariat of Jaffna town, urging the Sri Lankan government and the international community to guarantee the safety of civilians trapped in the battle zones of the peninsula's southern sector and to let them move out to safer areas.
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SLA battles to inch on MSR

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 April 2000, 05:37 GMT]
Two attempts by the Sri Lanka army (SLA) yesterday to assault the positions of the Liberation Tigers on the A9 highway between Eluthumadduval and Pallai, south east of Jaffna, were counter-attacked and repulsed said the Voice of Tigers (VoT) in its morning broadcast today. The SLA in Jaffna, however, claimed that Operation Walikathara was on course but progress was quite slow due to stiff resistance and the high volume of artillery and mortar fire from the Tigers. The VoT said that Tiger troops damaged a SLA main battle tank in the fighting yesterday.
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Four civilians killed in shelling

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 April 2000, 13:52 GMT]
Four civilians were killed and 11 injured when the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) based in Naagar Kovil opened up a heavy barrage of shelling on a group of refugees taking shelter in a catholic church in the village of Chempiyanpattu in the Vadamaradchi East division, today, LTTE sources in London said.
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Heavy fighting again in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 April 2000, 06:35 GMT]
Heavy fighting broke out this morning in Jaffna's southern sector between the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lanka army (SLA). Residents in Mirusuvil, a village by the A9 highway southeast of Chavakachcheri, said that both sides are bombarding each other's positions with heavy volumes of mortar and artillery fire since morning.
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'Let us go' say Jaffna refugees

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 April 2000, 20:55 GMT]
"Do you intend to give us 2000 rupees to buy our coffins?" "Are you going to let us be used as human shields?" asked angry refugees from the war zones in the southern sector of Jaffna when senior government officials went to distribute dry rations among them this morning. More than three thousand civilians who fled the war have been blocked at Kilali by the Sri Lanka Army since Sunday. The irate refugees were reacting to reports in the media that the government had promised to give 2000 rupees (28 USD) as relief to each family displaced from the war zone near Jaffna's gateway garrison following representations made by Tamil Parliamentarians about their plight yesterday.
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(Photos) 10,000 Tamils demonstate at UN

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 April 2000, 18:07 GMT]
Thousands of Tamils marched to the United Nation in Geneva Monday and held a rally to protest human rights violations by the Sri Lankan government and calling for the island's conflict to be de-escalated. The organisers, the International Federation of Tamils, said over 10,000 people attended the event, which was addressed by several speakers, including Y.Gopalaswamy, leader of Tamil Nadu's MDMK party.
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SLA armoured thrust repulsed - LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 April 2000, 15:38 GMT]
Over one hundred Sri Lankan soldiers were killed and more than three hundred injured in the fierce fighting that erupted at Muhamalai yesterday the Liberation Tigers said in a press release issued from its London offices. The Tigers said they have destroyed 2 Tanks and damaged five others.
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SLA goes for Muhamaalai again

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 April 2000, 13:36 GMT]
Fierce fighting erupted again on the Main Supply Route to Jaffna's gateway garrison today when the Sri Lanka Army made another attempt from this morning to capture the segment of the A9 highway held by the Liberation Tigers.
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Tamil journalist's home attacked

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 April 2000, 05:42 GMT]
A grenade was lobbed at the house of senior Tamil journalist 'Nellai' G. Nadesan in the early hours of the morning today around 1 a.m. in the high security zone of Batticaloa town. Mr.Nadesan is a senior correspondent in the eastern town for several electronic media and political columnist for the Sunday edition of the Tamil daily, Virakesari . His home is in the high security zone of the Sri Lanka army's 233 brigade headquarters and is in the vicinity of the well defended camps of four Tamil para-military groups and the military intelligence in the heart of Batticaloa town.
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