It all ends in tears

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 September 1998, 15:14 GMT]
Allegations of murder and kidnapping that had led to tensions between the Muslim and Tamil communities in Batticaloa finally fizzled out today.
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Para-military shot dead

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 September 1998, 18:19 GMT]
Suspected members of the Liberation Tigers shot dead a member of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation, a Tamil para-military group operating with the Sri Lankan army. The incident occurred last night in Chenkalady,16 kilometers north of Batticaloa, while the TELO cadre was on patrol duty.
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Eighteen killed in Jaffna blast

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 September 1998, 06:49 GMT]
Sources in Jaffna said that a massive explosion this morning at the Jaffna Municipal council office had killed 18 people including senior members of the Sri Lankan security forces. The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) confirmed that Jaffna town commander, Brigadier Susantha Mendis and his Principal Staff Officer (PSO), Captain Ramanayaka, were killed in the blast.
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Conditional negotiations only - Ratwatte

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 September 1998, 22:00 GMT]
While maintaining that a settlement in Sri Lanka's war in could only be reached through a political process involving the Liberation Tigers, Deputy Minister of Defence, Anuruddha Ratwatte , said that this could be only be achieved by negotiating on the conditions put forward by the Peoples' Alliance (PA) Government and not unconditionally as the opposition United National Party (UNP) was proposing.
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Three killed in clashes

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 September 1998, 18:34 GMT]
Two SLA soldiers were killed when the Liberation Tigers attacked a road clearing patrol this afternoon around 3 p.m at Sithandy, 19 miles north of Batticaloa.
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Four arrested in Vadamaradchi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 September 1998, 08:59 GMT]
The SLA arrested four persons in the coastal villages of Vadamaradchi east during operations yesterday.
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30 killed near Mankulam -SLA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 September 1998, 23:05 GMT]
Six SLA soldiers were killed and 31 were wounded in a battle with the Liberation Tigers in the last 24 hours in an area southeast of Mankulam said army spokesman Brig.Sunil Tennekon while presenting a fortnightly review of the war front in the northeast of the island this morning at the weekly Cabinet press briefing.
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Legislation to shape sexual morality

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 September 1998, 22:10 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government sought the views of the public today to formulate legislation to safeguard the country's morals.
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Deserter shot dead

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 September 1998, 13:44 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Police at Raagama, on the outskirts of Colombo, shot dead an Air Force deserter at around 1.00 a.m this morning.
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Two brothers shot dead in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 September 1998, 10:02 GMT]
Two brothers were shot dead near an SLA camp, at around 5.00 a.m this morning, said sources. The brothers had gone to the beach off Santhiveli, 24 kilometres north of Batticaloa, to pull in fishing nets.
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Harvests slip in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 September 1998, 06:40 GMT]
Paddy-harvest in Batticaloa has been sharply lower than expected, sources there said. It was believed that during the year, "small-scale" cultivation would be carried out in 15. 600 hectares, but this was done only in 9.334 hectares. "Large-scale" cultivation was planned for 12.325 hectares but only 6.792 hectares were used.
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Hindu idols recovered from soldiers

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 September 1998, 19:41 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Police at Paliyagoda, a suburb of Colombo north, arrested four SLA personnel yesterday who were attempting to sell ancient Tamil religious idols to an antique dealer.
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President extends Emergency Regulations

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 September 1998, 11:17 GMT]
The Sri Lankan President has extended the island wide Emergency Regulations (ER) for another month from September 4, the Speaker of the Sri Lankan parliament announced this in the legislature this morning.
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Use video to identify Chemmani mass grave - MSI

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 September 1998, 19:43 GMT]
The Makkal Sakthi Iyakkam (MSI-people's power movement) of Jaffna sent the Sri Lankan President a letter today suggesting that Corporal R.D Somaratna Rajapaksha of the SL Army who was sentenced to death in the Krishanthy Kumarasamy rape and murder case, should be made to identify on video tape the location of the mass grave in Chemmani.
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Contention over Trincomalee market

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 September 1998, 20:35 GMT]
The Chairman of the Trincomalee Urban Council, Mr.P.Sooriyamoorthy, announced today that September 13 should be observed as a black day by the people of the eastern port town.
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Dutch fund Jaffna hospital renovation

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 September 1998, 19:39 GMT]
The Government of Netherlands has agreed this week to spend Rs. 30 million (Sri Lankan) to renovate the Jaffna hospital, said medical sources in Jaffna today.
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Military build-up seen threatening festival

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 September 1998, 18:06 GMT]
Tension mounted in the Kokkaddicholai area today as rumours spread thatthe SLA and the commandos of the Special Task Force (STF) have movedinto Valakaalai, about 9 kilometers west of this large strategically locatedvillage in Batticaloa's western hinterland.
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Roundup in Mannar

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 September 1998, 15:27 GMT]
The SLA cordoned off the heart of Mannar town from 10 a.m. this morning, detaining more than 5000 people for screening and questioning. Sources in Mannar said that no one was arrested during the operation which lasted till about 3 p.m. this afternoon.
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Fresh bread after 3 years

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 September 1998, 13:30 GMT]
Freshly baked bread will be available in Vadamaradchi today for the first time in three years, though there will not be sufficient loaves to meet demand.
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Militant Islamic group emerges

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 September 1998, 10:59 GMT]
A Muslim militant organisation calling itself the PLO is attempting to foment violence against Tamils in Akkaraipattu, on the south eastern coast of the Amparai district said sources there.
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