Tamils protest over "humiliation"

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 June 1999, 10:10 GMT]
"Tamil passengers on the Kalmunai-Colombo trunk road, are being separated from others at three check points and asked to give their names and addresses to security forces stationed there. This is a humiliating for the Tamil people. This should be stopped forthwith," states a memorandum submitted to the Kalmunai Unit of the government funded Human Rights Commission (HRC) of Sri Lanka by the passengers.
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GA visits villages north of Mannar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 June 1999, 02:12 GMT]
The Mannar Government Agent, S.M.Crooz, with the approval of the Sri Lankan Army (SLA), travelled up to Paappamoddai, located 12 km. south of Vidathaltheevu and 8 km north of Mannar, on the Mannar-Pooneryn road yesterday. The GA said that 175 persons belonging to 45 families are currently living there.
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News in Brief:

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 June 1999, 11:26 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Deputy Defence Minister Ratwatte visits forward areas of Operation Ranagosa, a time bomb explodes at a Valaichennai checkpoint and Amnesty International's officials to arrive in Jaffna today.
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358 sq.km area captured - MoD

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 June 1999, 21:16 GMT]
The Operational Head Quarters of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a communiqué issued this evening that the areas up to Vidathalthivu in the Mannar district have been captured by the SLA in two days operation which concluded this morning.
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Third Red Cross employee arrested

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 June 1999, 21:04 GMT]
Ronald Ramesh, an employee of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRC), who works as an office assistant in Vavuniya branch office, has been arrested last night by the Counter Subversive Unit (CSU) of Vavuniya Police, his relatives said.
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SLA operation to take Vidaththaltheevu

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 June 1999, 18:53 GMT]
The SLA started an operation this morning in the direction of Vidaththaltheevu, on the coast northeast of Mannar, said sources in the north. Troops moved from SLA positions in Thallaady, Uyilankulam and Madhu towards Vidaththaltheevu junction on the coastal road from Mannar to Jaffna. Sources said that today's operation appears to be aimed at gaining a strategic hold on the Mannar - Jaffna highway.
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Youth released after evidence of torture

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 June 1999, 21:57 GMT]
A Tamil youth, Thangarajah Pramanantharajah of Aariampathi, was discharged by the Batticaloa High Court Judge on Thursday when the state counsel withdrew the charges made against him under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
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Clear majority eludes PA

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 June 1999, 11:34 GMT]
The ruling People's Alliance (PA) failed to secure a clear victory in the elections to the southern provincial council . The party won 25 seats in the 55 member provincial legislature according to results which were announced this morning. The PA was given two bonus seats under Sri Lanka's election system. The main opposition United National Party (UNP), won 21 seats and the radical Marxist party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), secured 7.
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SLA Pooneryn thrust repulsed -VoT

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 June 1999, 07:47 GMT]
At least 25 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and several others wounded when the Liberation Tigers attacked advancing SLA troops in the Pooneryn area with heavy weapons yesterday, forcing them to retreat to their original positions, the Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio said today.
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Teachers Union to launch campaign

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 June 1999, 06:54 GMT]
The twenty thousand-strong Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union is to launch a trade union type campaign to achieve nine objectives, including the withdrawal of two text books being distributed to Tamil medium students in Sri Lanka, which it says are distorting the islandís history said sources.
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Three Jaffna civilians missing

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 June 1999, 06:51 GMT]
Three Tamil persons have "disappeared" in the Jaffna peninsula on June 9 and 10,according to complaints made to the Human Rights Commission, Jaffna Unit. Relatives of the disappeared persons have made these complaints, Commission sources said.
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Heavy fighting on Paranthan-Pooneryn road

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 June 1999, 16:53 GMT]
Sixteen SLA personnel, including two officers, were killed and 29 wounded in fighting that erupted east of Pooneryn today when the Liberation Tigers attacked troops advancing from the Elephant Pass-Paranthan Base complex today. The SLA said that 45 Tigers were killed in the confrontation and that it has captured 2.5 kilometres on the Paranthan Pooneryn road.
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Protest over woman's killing

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 June 1999, 15:40 GMT]
A human rights group in Batticaloa has appealed to the Defense Ministry Secretary and the Anti-Harassment Committee appointed by the President, to take immediate steps to remove the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camps from populated areas in the district.
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News In Brief:

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 June 1999, 15:38 GMT]
A policeman is killed in Mannar and Batticaloa Special Investigation Unit take a teenager into custody.
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SLA interrogates reporter

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 June 1999, 15:32 GMT]
A reporter for the Tamil dailies, Veerakesai and Thinakkural, working in the Vadamaradchi sector of the Jaffna peninsula was interrogated by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) at its Manthikai camp yesterday.
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SLA operation in Moondrumurippu

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 June 1999, 10:21 GMT]
Areas from Madhu Road junction up to Madhu Church have been brought under the guard of military trained Police from today, said sources. Earlier, the forward defence lines (FDL's) to guard the road to Madhu Church were manned by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA).
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Roundup in Vavuniya town

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 June 1999, 10:15 GMT]
About three hundred civilians in Vavuniya town area were rounded up and taken to the public grounds of the Vavuniya Urban Council this morning by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) for security checks, said sources.
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SLA operation towards Pooneryn

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 June 1999, 09:59 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) authorities in Jaffna today confirmed that a military operation has begun in Pooneryn area, in the northwest of the island. SLA troops air lifted from Palaly Air Force (SLAF) base in seven helicopters landed in Kattunallur-Kalmunai and started moving towards Pooneryn area Thursday morning, sources in Jaffna said.
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Two civilians shot dead

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 June 1999, 03:15 GMT]
Two Sinhalese villagers who had gone hunting in the Suriyawewa jungles which lie along the border between the Batticaloa and Polannaruwa districts, were shot dead by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers yesterday morning.
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Army weapons said used in robberies

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 June 1999, 03:14 GMT]
The Sri Lankan police produced a Muslim youth in the Batticaloa District Court yesterday, charged with the illegal possession of arms. The police told the court that the youth was working as soldier at the Welikande SLA base. He had been found loitering suspiciously in Eravur, they said.
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