An unconvincing charade - and a plan?

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 July 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The Sri Lankan police claim to have arrested 3 men suspected of assassinating the TULF MP, Mr. A. Thangathurai at a Trincomalee school. The Sri Lankan government claims the trio are Tamil Tigers. However, the government's zealous claims are being viewed with increasing skepticism by friends and foes alike.
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UN flag draws Sri Lankan fire

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 July 1997, 23:59 GMT]
Last week, Tamil residents of Puthur (Puthuvilankulam), in the Vanni region, were surprised to see a new flag flapping above them. The pale blue and white colours of the United Nations had been raised over the parched scrub of the area. The residents were even more surprised when they heard that they were now living in a UN "safe haven." And it wasn't long before the Sri Lankan army found out as intense artillery fire soon slammed into the area.
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Morang Bong's Crewmen Released

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 July 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The 37 North Korean crewmen of the Sri Lankan supply vessel, Morang Bong, captured by the LTTE have been released, according to the Red Cross (ICRC). The crew were detained last Monday night. The captain is said to have been surprised on seeing the other side of the island's ethnic conflict.
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Tigers target sea bridge

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 July 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The LTTE confirmed yesterday that they had detained a Sri Lankan supply ship off the Jaffna peninsula on Monday and had taken it to Mullaitivu. The Tigers also said that one of the 38 North Korean crewmen was killed when the ship ignored orders to stop and was fired on. This second attack on a Sri Lankan supply ship within a week could indicate that having drastically reduced Sri Lankans' aerial supply capability, the Tigers are now turning their attention to the sea lines.
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Public anger breaks out over food siege

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 July 1997, 23:59 GMT]
As the Sri Lankan government's restriction on food and medicine into the Vanni causes untold suffering in the Vanni, frustration is building within the Tamil populace. A series of mass demonstrations are taking place in the area. Aid workers are also condemning the deliberate starvation of a people and government interference in their work.
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Tamils mark Black Tigers' Day

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 July 1997, 23:59 GMT]
Across the Vanni, Tamil people marked Black Tigers' day by with traditional religious ceremonies, lighting oil lamps in prayer. Black Tigers are one of the LTTE's elite fighting units, whose members execute missions which carry a high degree of risk and in some cases certain death.
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Trincomalee TULF MP assassinated

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 July 1997, 23:59 GMT]
Mr. A. Thangathurai, MP and four other people died when a grenade was thrown at them yesterday, as they were leaving a meeting held at a school in Trincomalee. The Sri Lankan government, as always, has immediately blamed the Tamil Tigers. However, there are other parties who may benefit significantly from the MP's death, including the local organised crime and political rivals.
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Sri Lanka disbands irksome human rights group

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 July 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government created the Human Rights Task Force (HRTF) to appease international alarm over widespread violations. Toothless and under-funded, the organisation was meant to be a charade for the world. However, following its recent critical reports on the deterioration of human rights situation in Jaffna, the Sri Lankan government has swiftly disbanded it, and replaced it with an even weaker organisation, the Human Rights Commission (HRC).
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Sinhalese reporters aid war effort

[TamilNet, Friday, 04 July 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The predominantly Sinhalese Sri Lankan government is manipulating information about the war in the Tamil homelands by banning reporters from the area and issuing false reports about events occurring there. The government is assisted by the fact that most agency reporters are Colombo based, Sinhalese and on its side.
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Sri Lanka spreads rumours

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 July 1997, 23:59 GMT]
With the Sri Lankan military's Operation 'Jaya Sikuru' bogged down amid fierce Tamil resistance, morale amongst the ranks is slipping. As in previous military crisis,' the Sri Lankan government is fabricating rumours in an effort to shore up morale. The latest claim is that the Tamil national leader, Mr. V. Pirabakaran is about to flee the island.
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Sri Lankan police desert combat posts

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 July 1997, 23:59 GMT]
Sri Lankan policemen, pressed into combat duty in the island's north are deserting their posts en-masse, according to local newspapers and travelers from the area. The desperate shortage of troops is forcing the Sri Lankan military to use unwilling policemen to protect the operation's rear.
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Mass arrests of Tamils increase in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 June 1997, 23:59 GMT]
As the Sri Lankan offensive in the Vanni stumbles, Tamil people are being arrested in large numbers in Colombo. This long standing practice of mass arrest has been condemned by human rights organisations, but is part of the Sri Lankan government's strategy of harassing the Tamil populace into withdrawing their support for a separate Tamil state and for the Tamil Tigers.
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LTTE ranks swelling: Sri Lankan Military Intelligence

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 June 1997, 23:59 GMT]
Sources close to the Sri Lankan Directorate of Military Intelligence told Asia Week magazine that not only has the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence (MoD) woefully underestimated LTTE troop numbers, but that the LTTE is continuing to attract large numbers of fresh volunteers. The MoD is also claiming fictitious military successes according to the Sri Lankan sources.
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Sri Lanka continues to disrupt education in Tamil areas

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 June 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government's embargo on the Tamil homelands has starved Tamil schools of books and equipment for many years. Recently UNICEF attempted to alleviate the situation by supplying 3,000 floor mats for the Tamil school children to sit on during lessons. According to reports from Vavuniya, the Sri Lankan government has also stopped these from being delivered, continuing the systematic disruption of Tamil youngsters' education.
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119 killed and 190 soldiers wounded say Military officials

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 June 1997, 23:59 GMT]
Reports coming from Vavuniya say that Wednesday's Tiger attack has left more than 150 Sri Lankan soldiers dead and another hundred wounded. A Sri Lankan defense ministry official has however said that they lost only 119 of their soldiers in the attack including a colonel and three other officers. The official also said that some 190 soldiers were also wounded. According to the LTTE, in the five hours offensive, 85 of their cadres were killed.
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Tigers Mount Massive Counter Offensive

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 June 1997, 23:59 GMT]
Reports coming from the town of Omanthai in Northern Wanni region suggest that hundreds of Sri Lankan military personnel were killed or wounded and a number of artillery guns were captured or destroyed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The attack came just a day after, the Sri Lankan military resumed its push against the Tigers in two flanks from Periyamadu and Nedunkerni towards the small village town of Puliyankulam.
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Will War bring Peace?

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 June 1997, 23:59 GMT]
Sri Lankan troops backed by heavy artillery, tanks and air cover, resumed their march from the towns of Periyamadu and Nedunkerni towards the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held town of Puliyankulam in northern part of the island. Military reports say that 13 Sri Lankan soldiers and an officer were killed while more than 60 were seriously wounded in the battle on Monday.
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Conscription on the cards?

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 June 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The Sri Lankan army has extended it's recruitment program, announced two weeks ago, to all sections of the army. However, as usual, only Sinhalese need apply. In the meantime it is understood that conscription is also being considered.
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Tigers step up activity in the East

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 June 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The Tamil Tigers have stepped up their operations in the East of the Tamil homelands. In the past 2 days, a Sri Lankan police station has been attacked and police and army patrols ambushed. The attacks come after a comparative lull, indicating that the LTTE may be refocusing on the region.
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Colombo journalists challenge government claims

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 June 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The LTTE said in a statement last week that during their assault on the Sri Lankan army base at Thandikulum, they had occupied the camp, killed hundreds of soldiers and destroyed vast quantities of equipment. This was promptly denied by the Sri Lankan government. However, a Colombo based newspaper with close ties to the military has revealed that the LTTE claim is not false.
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