Troops assault civilians after complaints

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 August 1999, 22:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops Monday assaulted civilians who had recorded statements with the Chairman of the government-funded Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Jaffna Mr. Shanmuganathan Sreetharan, about their harassment by the SLA in Varani in the Thenmaradchi Division of the Jaffna Peninsula.
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SLA says ready to open route to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 August 1999, 17:13 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has informed the Liberation Tigers that it is prepared to open a safe passage between Jaffna and the Vanni through the Paranthan-Elephant Pass base complex.
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Navy extorting by proxy allege villagers

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 August 1999, 17:08 GMT]
The district judge of Mannar, M.Ilancheliyan, wrote to the commander of the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) base at Talaimannar pier, T.E.C Jayakody, today asking him to help the court uphold law and order in that area in view of reports that a middleman has been extorting money from fisherman allegedly on behalf of two naval officers attached to his camp.
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Nine SLA soldiers killed in Omanthai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 August 1999, 11:35 GMT]
Nine Sri Lanka Army soldiers were killed in an claymore mine attack by the Liberation Tigers this noon around 1.30 p.m. in Navvi in the interior, west of Omanthai in the Vavuniya district. The soldiers had been travelling in a tractor.
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Fighting in Vadamaradchi East

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 August 1999, 10:44 GMT]
Fighting has been reported between the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and the Liberation Tigers in the mangroves of Nelliyaan, Chempiyanpattu south and Maamunai in the Vadamaradchi East division of the Jaffna Peninsula.
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Recruitment drive in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 August 1999, 20:19 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has called on the youth of Valaichenai, Ottamaavadi and Vaakarai divisions of the Batticaloa District join its ranks. The SLA called for youths who have passed grade eight at school to attend walk in interviews to be held at its 23-2 Brigade Head Quarters in Valaichenai Paper factory.
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"Posting unfair" - Courts told

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 August 1999, 15:52 GMT]
A fundamental rights case filed by five recently qualified medical officers objecting to being posted in the north-eastern parts of the island was taken up for hearing before Sri Lanka's supreme court today.
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News In Brief

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 August 1999, 22:23 GMT]
A civilian was killed and a SLA soldier was wounded in clashes, a Vavuniya youth goes missing, a bulldozer is blasted and cash shortage hits Vanni health officials.
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Madhu Feast proceeds peacefully

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 August 1999, 14:21 GMT]
Over fifty thousand devotees participated in the Madhu Feast which took place today, said church sources. The Bishop of the Ratnapura diocese conducted the festival mass in Tamil and Sinhala at 6.30 a.m. this morning, along with Rev.Fr. A. Xavier Croos, the Vicar General of Mannar and Rev.Fr.D.B.Derarajah.
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SLA operation towards Paduvankarai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 August 1999, 07:59 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) stationed at the Vavunathivu camp, 5 km. south west of Batticaloa town, began an operation to recapture areas under the control of the Liberation Tigers in the western hinterland of the district last night around 8 p.m.
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Civilian forced to work by Police wounded

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 August 1999, 16:06 GMT]
A civilian who was engaged in forced labour by Sri Lankan military trained Police near the Paddirippu bridge, about 24 kilometers south of Batticaloa was wounded when sentries at this entry point to the western hinterland of the district opened fire indiscriminately among civilians here today.
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Youth arrested in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 August 1999, 10:19 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army (SLA) arrested twenty two youth in the Batticaloa town on suspicion today.
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Inquest into death of SLAF personnel

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 August 1999, 09:20 GMT]
The inquest into the death of Flight Lt. Mahinda Rajapakse took place at the Vavuniya district court yesterday.
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Bishop wants demilitarized zone for feast

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 August 1999, 05:53 GMT]
The Bishop of Mannar Dr. Rev. Rayappu Joseph called on the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and the Liberation Tigers to declare Madhu church and its precincts as a demilitarized zone for holding the annual feast.
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Five refugees arrested

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 August 1999, 19:48 GMT]
Five people were arrested from the Pesaalai refugee camp in Mannar this morning around 10 a.m., during a combined cordon and search operation by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and military trained Police.
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Batticaloa SLA continue crackdown

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 August 1999, 17:03 GMT]
Several youths were arrested by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Batticaloa town area today. Residents said an SLA troops in a truck went round the town picking up the detainees at random off the street.
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Two women arrested

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 August 1999, 17:01 GMT]
Mrs. Selvarani Parameswaran,42, was arrested by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) at Kaithady on Tuesday, August 10, and Mrs. Prof. Kulasegaram, 37, was arrested on the following day at Chavakachcheri.
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Government team visits Chemmani

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 August 1999, 16:59 GMT]
A team of government investigators arrived in Jaffna today to examine the sites of the alleged mass graves of civilians killed by the Sri Lankan security forces at Chemmani and Ariyalai.
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Two held by SLA intelligence

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 August 1999, 13:18 GMT]
Krishnapillai Pavalakesan, 26, an employee of a local NGO and Thambinayakam Sribalu, 27, a journalist were detained by the Sri Lanka Army's (SLA) Intelligence Unit in Batticaloa yesterday evening.
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Batticaloa SLA, paramilitaries on edge

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 August 1999, 14:30 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army cordoned off the area around Loyds Avenue on the Batticaloa-Trincomalee road where the SLA convoy was attacked yesterday, and conducted a search operation from 11 a.m. this morning. The SLA searched the area for more than four hours.
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