6 August
A member of the LTTE’s Rural Force of Kovil Porathivu was killed when the LTTE confronted members of the elite Sri Lankan counter-insurgency forces, the Special Task Force (STF), attempting to infiltrate the LTTE’s Forward Defense Lines (FDL) in Paddiruppu, Batticaloa. The LTTE repulsed the attack by the STF. Sangarapillai Rajmohan, 18, died in the confrontation.
SLA soldiers at the 23-2 Brigade Headquarters in Valaichchenai Paper Factory launched artillery attacks on villages in LTTE controlled Vaharai area in Batticaloa district. The intense shelling which began at 7.00 p.m. continued till 9.00 p.m. Shells exploded in the paddy fields and in the jungle areas. Two civilians, including Rasa Saratha, a mother of five children, of Sallithivu, who lost her husband in the tsunami in December 2004, were injured in this attack.
Three persons from the same family in Koyilkudiyiruppu, between Panichchenkerny and Vakarai, were killed and four others were injured by artillery fire from the SLA.
One person was killed when an artillery shell fired by the SLA hit an ambulance bound for Trincomalee town from Muttur. The ambulance was badly damaged in the incident.
T. Partheepan, 24, an auto-rickshaw driver was shot dead by suspected Army-backed paramilitaries at Koolaavadi in Annaikoddai, Jaffna.
Kandiah Suthakaran, 33, a father of three and owner of a bicycle repair shop, was shot dead by motorbike riding armed persons at Kopay, Jaffna.
6 August
A newspaper distributor’s shop located in a High Security Zone (HSZ) in Batticaloa town was completely burnt down deliberately. Muruges and Son Stores, which is on the Batticaloa Central Road, was 75 meters from an STF camp. Batticaloa residents allege the shop was burnt by paramilitaries working in collaboration with the SLA. Earlier paramilitary cadres in Batticaloa had warned paper distributors to stop distributing two mainstream papers, Sudar Oli and Thinakkural, in SLA controlled areas. However, Batticaloa Police said an electrical short caused the fire.
The Sudar Oli and Thinakkural, Tamil dailies printed and published in Colombo, are taken to the Batticaloa distributor every day by a passenger carrying private bus that plies daily between Colombo and Batticaloa. Paramilitaries collaborating with the SLA have threatened the owner of the bus not to deliver Sudaroli and Thinakural newspapers to Muruges and Son Stores, alleging they are pro-LTTE.
S. Sriskandarajah, 35, and a father of three, abducted by suspected SLA soldiers Friday evening from his tailor shop located in front of the Kantalai police station was found dead Saturday morning in a paddy field with hands tied and gunshot wounds.
Five men who attempted to infiltrate from LTTE controlled area into Jaffna district through the SLA defence lines near Muhamalai were shot dead by the SLA. The Defense Ministry in Colombo said troops shot dead five LTTE cadres.
Thiagarajah Rathumilan, 30, from Uduvil Road, Manipay was shot dead at his house, located near the Uduvil SLA camp.
Arumugam Uthayasooriyan, 43, a driver attached to the local Pradeshya Sabah, from Thambachetti in Vadamaradchy was killed and his body discovered near Pandariyamman Temple in Thambachetti.
Gunmen riding a motorbike shot and killed Mr. T. Mayuran, 30, inside a business establishment on Sea View Road, Trincomalee. Two men whose faced were covered with black cloths and shot Mayuran in his head at the counter of the business establishment at point blank range before escaping. Mayuran is the son of Mr. K. Thurairajah, a leading businessman in Trincomalee town.
One SLA soldier was killed in a fight between the SLA and LTTE at Parapankandal, Mannar district. He was identified as Sergeant Serath Mudiansalage Sisira Premlal, 39, of Avissawella. Murunkan Police said the fight broke out when LTTE cadres attempted to enter SLA held territory through the SLA FDL.
4 August
A Tamil businessman in Kiliveddy, Muttur, was shot and killed, allegedly by the SLA, as he closed his business and approached the main road. The victim, Kaththamuthu Perinaparasa, 65, had been a leading businessmen in the village.
An SLA sergeant on guard duty at the Vavunativu SLA Camp, M. Jayantha, 35, was injured in a skirmish between the soldiers and LTTE cadres. The SLA claimed LTTE fighters had attacked the camp from a nearby LTTE FDL. P. Thayamohan, the LTTE Political Head for Batticaloa District, said that cadres manning the LTTE FDL retaliated against an SLA artillery attack and gunfire towards LTTE controlled area.
A well-known literary figure and General Manager of People’s Bank, KKS Branch, was shot at point blank range allegedly by the Intelligence operatives of the SLA at Thirunelvely, Jaffna. Pon. Ganeshamoorthy, 56, killed when he was getting ready to go to work from his residence. Most of the banks in Jaffna were closed and bank employees took to the roads in protest of the killing. They gathered in front of People’s Bank Jaffna Branch office and marched through the town centre, carrying placards and shouting slogans.
A sentry in Poonthoddam, Vavuniya was hit by gunfire. A police reinforcement team that arrived soon after was hit by a claymore blast, injuring four. The body of a youth was found along with a grenade and a claymore in a nearby paddy field when the police searched the area later in the morning.
3 August
S. Jayakumar, 40, and Thuraisingam Rameshkumar, 22, who were arrested following an attack against SLA soldiers in Chunnakam, Jaffna, on Wednesday, were in fact innocent civilians, their legal team claimed. The two men appeared before Mallakam Magistrates Court Thursday bearing serious wounds.
The magistrate, ordering a full medical report on their condition, remanded the two men in custody until 16 August. According to their legal representatives, Jeyakumar was a bystander who got hurt when he fell on the ground to take cover to avoid being hit by SLA fire. Rameshkumar, who was near the incident on his motorcycle, was asked by SLA soldiers to take Jeyakumar to his home in Ellalai.
Both civilians were later arrested at the Mallakam checkpoint as they travelled on KKS Road towards Mallakam. The men involved in the attack against the soldiers were in a white van, which had been hijacked from its civilian owner and was subsequently recovered abandoned in Sandilipay.
The entire student body of Hartley College, Point Pedro, Jaffna, boycotted classes protesting the abduction of a senior student. Jegatheswaran Gajendran, 18, a Grade-12 student of the school located inside a HSZ, was abducted the previous Sunday and has not been seen since. The students called for urgent action from the Sri Lanka Government to secure the immediate release of Gajendran, who is alleged to have been kidnapped by unidentified men in a white van.
Unidentified assailants lobbed explosives, suspected to be dynamite, at the house of Mr. Ignatius, a driver employed by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Mannar. Diluxan, son of Mr. Ignatius, was injured in the explosion and the rear portion of the house was damaged.
The SLA fired artillery from Thallady and Uyilankulam camps towards Parappankandal, southeast of Mannar town, after two SLA troopers were wounded in a claymore attack. SLA troopers exchanged gunfire with the ambushers and launched mortar and artillery fire, during which one civilian was wounded. More than 100 families from SLA controlled areas moved into LTTE controlled territories following the indiscriminate fire.
2 August
Sri Lankan troops in Seruvila opened fire on a Muttur hospital ambulance as it was transferring patients to Trincomalee general hospital. Two Tamil civilians were killed on the spot and the driver, who was critically wounded in the shooting, succumbed to injuries while being taken to Colombo. Sri Lankan Police on Thursday said the ambulance was caught up in “cross-fire.” The three civilians killed in the incident were identified as Mr. Ravi, Muttur magistrate’s clerk, Ms Amutha, a school teacher and Mr. Arjunan, the driver of the Ambulance and husband of Ms Amutha. The ambulance was transporting civilians injured in artillery fire that hit the Muttur St. Antony’s Church, Wednesday morning. In this incident an eight-year-old boy, Aravinthan, died in the church. (Muttur fighting reports p4, p8 and p9).
A young man was shot dead by motorbike riding gunmen in front of ‘Namthu Eelanadu’ news paper office at Navalar Road, Jaffna. The victim was identified as Pathmanathan Besmananthan, 29, a musician, of Perumal Kovilady in Jaffna.
A SLA soldier was killed and another injured in a claymore mine attack on troops engaged road clearing operation in Periyaneelansenai, Mannar. Following the explosion, unidentified men in lying ambush fired at the soldiers. The body of the dead soldier, Meegedera Pushpakumara Ariaysena, 23, of Matale, was handed to the hospital for post-mortem examination. The injured soldier, Dhamikka, 23, was first admitted to hospital.
Unidentified men shot and killed a police constable when he was returning from a shop to report for duty at a sentry point located in the heart of Pesalai, Mannar. The dead constable was identified as S. M. Mahinda, 41, of Minuwangoda. The Police fired back but no one was injured.
A Sri Lankan Police Sergeant Gunatilaka, 40, was seriously injured when unidentified men fired at a group of policemen at Semmantivu in Murunkan, Mannar.
1 August
A SLA soldier was injured when unidentified men fired at a group of soldiers engaged in road patrol in the area close Santhipuram Hundred Housing Scheme at South Bar in Mannar town. The soldiers returned fire but no one was injured. The injured soldier, Rohan Sri, 23, was first admitted to hospital.
Gunmen shot and killed an 18-year-old internally displaced Tamil boy, when he was driving a land master tractor along Akkaraipattu Sagamam Road. Gnanasegaram Mohathasan was a resident of Akkaraipattu and staying in a welfare centre for internally displaced located in Ramakrishna Mission School in the area.
31 July
The SLN launched heavy gunfire from gunboats off the northeastern coast in Vadamaradchi East and the SLA fired artillery shells towards the LTTE’s Nagarkovil FDL. An exchange of mortar fire between the SLA and the LTTE FDL forces was reported for 45 minutes following the artillery and SLN attack.
Siruppiddi petrol station owner, Visvalingam Kauroopan, 24, from Karanavai, missing since the previous day, was found slain with his throat cut and his headless body dumped in the disused Siruppiddi Kannaki Amman Temple festival pool. Kauroopan left his petrol station for lunch Sunday and went missing. His relatives registered complaints with the Jaffna Human Rights Commission (HRC) that SLA troopers were responsible for his killing. Relatives told HRC members that Kauroopan was last seen being detained at the nearby Siruppiddy Army sentry post. They told the HRC that Kauroopan had recently passed information to army higher officials on an incident of attempted rape of a young girl by SLA troopers, and that they believed that this was a revenge killing.
A SLA soldier was injured in a claymore blast between Irupalai and Kopay on the Pt. Pedro Road, Jaffna.
A youth riding a motorcycle along Kathirippai Road in Atchchuveli was shot dead by gunmen.
An SLA lieutenant and a soldier were injured in a claymore explosion at Vanchiankulam village, Mannar. The injured were members of a group of SLA soldiers engaged in road clearing operation in the area between Naruvalikulam and Nanattan. The claymore mine was hidden in a bush along the road.
A blast was reported at the SLA’s armoury in Kalutara, south of Colombo. SLA spokesman, Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said that the fire brigade has doused the fire.
Nineteen SLA soldiers were killed in a blast at Serunuwara, between Kantalai-Allai, in Trincomalee. Eighteen SLA troopers were killed on the spot and one later succumbed to injuries hospital. A bus carrying soldiers from the Kallaru SLA camp was ambushed by a mine placed along the road. (See Trincomalee fighting reports p1-3).
A Sinhalese man, Lakshman Susantha, 32, an owner of a three-wheeler and a resident of Palaiyootu was shot dead at Love Lane, Trincomalee, as he was standing in front of the office of Ceylon Electricity Board office. Susantha was married to a Tamil woman.
Another Sinhalese man, Liyanage, 22, was shot dead when he stopped his lorry near a church at Chelvanayagapuram, Trincomalee. His employer, a third Sinhalese, was also in the lorry when the incident took place.
Unidentified men shot dead a Tamil youth, Kaliyuganathan Geethansan, 22, at Abeyapura, Trincomalee. Men on motorbike called him out of the house and shot him in the head.
A Sri Lankan Policeman was shot and killed in Vavuniya by gunmen riding a three-wheeler while he was riding a bicycle.
30 July
Gunmen waiting in ambush shot dead a youth in Urumpirai, Jaffna. C. Kapilraj, 18, was walking along Sivakula Lane towards a friend’s house 200 meters from his residence when gunmen hiding behind overgrown shrubs fired and escaped.
A SLA trooper was seriously injured in a grenade attack by unknown assailants at the sentry in front of Vavuniya Madhya Maha Vidiyalayam. SLA soldiers cordoned off the area and conducted search following the attack.
29 July
A Sri Lankan Police Sergeant and two young men were injured in two separate grenade blasts in Vavuniya, Saturday evening, police in the northern town said. A Sri Lanka Police sergeant and a civilian passer-by were injured in a grenade attack at Kulumaddu junction, Vavuniya. Gunfire was heard in the are for nearly 20 minutes.
A young man was injured in a blast at Pandarikulam, Vavuniya.
An unknown gunman walked into a liquor bar located on Horawapatana Road in Vavuniya and shot dead an employee inside the bar. Immanuel Eugene Dias, 43, was seriously injured, and died while being transported to hospital. The gunman escaped the crime scene after the shooting.
Three SLA soldiers were seriously injured when unknown gunmen riding in a motorbike hurled hand grenades in a SLA sentry near Velayutham Maha Vidiyalayam in Point Pedro, Jaffna. Some civilians were injured when the SLA troops fired indiscriminately in retaliation after the attack.
A trader was cut to death at his home, 50 meters from a SLA sentry post, in Nachimarkovilady, Jaffna town. Sivasubramanium Vigneswaran, 36, from Paalaavodai in Karinagar and owner of a shop in Nachimarkovilady, was found on his bed with his throat cut.
Three SLA soldiers were injured in a grenade attack in Kodikamam town. Two other grenade attacks on SLA troops were reported in Urelu and Thirunelvely.
A SLA soldier was injured by sniper fire near the SLA’s FDL near Muhamalai.
A Sri Lankan police constable was injured when unidentified persons fired at a sentry post located between Valaichchenai bus terminal and the office of the Assistant Superintendent of Police in Batticaloa district. The injured policeman, Ratnayake, 35, was admitted to hospital. The attacker fled when the policemen opened up with retaliatory fire.
Two Sri Lankan Police Constables and a civilian were wounded in a grenade attack in Kaluwanchikudy, Batticaloa. Unidentified youth riding a bicycle lobbed a grenade at policemen who had come to a tailoring shop in the town. The wounded policemen, S. W. Jayaratne, 36, and M. Gunadasa, 33 and the shop owner S.Rasaratnam, 36 were rushed to hospital.
SLA soldiers on patrol recovered a claymore mine fixed to a tree along Siththandy Road in Eravur, Batticaloa district. The claymore was later defused by an SLA bomb disposal squad. The claymore mine had been placed targeting the truck transporting soldiers from Batticaloa to Pollonaruwa.
A 50-year old man was killed in Muttur east when SLA soldiers fired from Kaddaiparichchan camp. The soldiers in the main Kaddaiparichchan camp, located on the border of the LTTE and SLA controlled territories fired towards LTTE held Kaddaiparichchan village. Kanagasabai Navaratnam was in his compound in Amman Nagar, in the LTTE held Muttur east, when he was hit by a bullet and died on the spot.
28 July
Two persons travelling in a three-wheeler from SLA-controlled territory were killed when explosives in their vehicle exploded at the gateway to LTTE held Monkeykattu area in Vavunathivu, Batticaloa district. The three-wheeler was destroyed in the explosion. “It was a big explosion. We suspect it targeted our FDL position,” LTTE Batticaloa District Political Head Daya Mohan said. The three-wheeler exploded when it reached the first LTTE FDL in Monkeykattu. The victims were suspected to be persons who had been abducted by the Sri Lankan troopers and their paramilitaries. A man was seen leaving the three-wheeler and running towards the SLA FDL seconds before the three-wheeler exploded. However, LTTE sources did not rule out the possibility of the victims being members of a paramilitary group, who were carrying explosives into the LTTE controlled territory.
Jeyapalan Rajendran, 36, a Police Constable who was abducted from near Mandanai Refugee Camp, Batticaloa, Thursday afternoon, was found the following morning, shot. Rajendran, who lived in Vinayagapuram, was abducted by gunmen a short distance from a police station as he was going to work on his motorbike. The gunmen too him to a secluded area behind the Mandanai camp, shot him at short range and escaped after leaving his body near the camp. He died on his way to hospital.
The body of a young man was found with gun shot injuries at Thaandavanveli Junction, Batticaloa. The victim was identified as Vimalathasan Thevaroopan, 26, from School Road, Naipattymunai, Kalmunai.
A Savukadi resident, Subramaniyam Krishnamoorthy, 28, was abducted by armed men travelling in a white-van at a playground in Savukadi, a hamlet of Thalavi in Eravur. The abductors took his motorcycle with them. Mr, Krishnamoorthy was about to leave the playground after playing soccer when he was abducted. White-van abductions, widespread within the military controlled areas in the north and east, are carried out by SLA soldiers and collaborating paramilitaries, and the majority of the abductees are killed after torture and interrogation, residents allege.
In Sithandi, Batticaloa, unknown gunmen hijacked a car without passengers after forcing the driver to drive to a back street and tying him up to a tree.
Unidentified persons lobbed a grenade at the residence of Mr. Mohamed Sally Mohamed Subair, Divisional Education Officer. His house is located in Ottamavadi in Valaichchenai police division.
Three homeguards, riding a motorbike, were killed in a claymore ambush on Vavuniya Kebitigollawe Road. The men were returning home after duty in a single motorbike when they were hit by the explosion. They were identified as G. Sunil Gunawardena, Saman Kumara Dissanayake and Bandage Thillakartna. Home Guards are drawn mostly from Sinhala villages close to the Tamil border in the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka. Officially known as Home Guards Service, the unit was formed in 1984 as a supplementary force to assist Sri Lanka’s military and police forces. They are trained, armed and deployed under the direct supervision of the SLA.
A grenade exploded at the Vavuniya office of the paramilitary Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP). It was not confirmed if it was an attack or a bomb went off accidentally. No damage was caused to the office and o casualties were reported.
The body of Thiyagalingam Senthan, 16, a student from Karainagar who was reported missing by his parents since 24th July, was found with gunshot wounds near his residence in the Jaffna islet. A handgun, about 50 unused rounds, and a waist belt were found near his body. After detecting a foul odour, local residents discovered the body about 100 meters from Senthan’s residence in a desolate area behind an abandoned house. Recently a complaint had been filed with the Jaffna District Human Rights Commission that Senthan, brandishing a hand gun, had threatened to kill a local girl. The girl’s parents said in their complaint that although they had registered their complaint with Kayts Police and the SLN, no action was taken. As the area where the killing took place is within a HSZ, some speculate that the youth was collaborating with the SLN
Gunmen riding a motorbike shot dead a youth along Kasturiar Road in the centre of Jaffna town. Packiyarajah Visvakanthan, 32, was standing near the liquor store in front of Rajah Theater when he was shot. A large number of SLA soldiers, brought to the area soon after the killing, cordoned off the area around Jaffna town and conducted search, but no-one was arrested.
A SLA soldier and a civilian passer-by were injured in a grenade blast at Thaddatheru Junction, on KKS road in Jaffna. The wounded civilian was identified as K. Sivanandan, 49, of Arasady Road.
Two policemen were shot dead by unidentified men at Poompuhar in Palaiyootu, Trincomalee. They were identified as Sergeant Sarath and Constable Jesurajah. Both were rushed to Trincomalee general hospital immediately after the attack but later succumbed to injuries.
27 July
Dvora Fast Attack Crafts of the SLN attacked fishing vessels Thursday early morning off the LTTE controlled Mullaithivu coast. One fisherman, a tsunami survivor, narrowly escaped, but lost his Don Bosco gifted boat and nets. The fishermen, who had gone fishing in 10 boats at 3:30 a.m. were attacked by the SLN Fast Attack Crafts (FACs) around 6:30 a.m. The boats managed to reach the shore before the Dvora gunboats approached the site, according to fishermen who escaped from the attack. Soosaipillai Thevathas, 51, father of one from Manalkudiyiruppu, narrowly escaped from the attack that damaged his boat. Mullaithivu Fisheries Society representative Mariyathas said the fisherman’s boat was 120 000 rupees worth and the fishermen had lost fishing nets worth 300 000 rupees.
A policeman and a civilian passer-by were injured when unidentified men lobbed a grenade at the police party in front of the public library building in Mannar town centre. The injured police constable, R. M. Pushpakumara, 26, and the female civilian, J. Tharshini, 20, were admitted to hospital.
A SLA soldier was killed in a claymore explosion targeted at the SLA road clearing patrol along Jaffna-Kankesanthurai Road. Five civilians were injured when SLA troopers opened fire indiscriminately following the explosion. Two civilians, P. Balasubramanium, 55, and S. Krishnakumar, 50, were admitted to Jaffna Teaching Hospital with gun shot injuries. K. Thayaparan, 23, and S. Punniyamaniyam, 47, both of Kalapoomi, Karainagar, and R. Ravindran 24, of Ketpeli, Mirusuvil, were also injured.
Mariathas Manojanraj, 23, a distributor of Yarl Thinakural and Veerakesari, was killed in a claymore explosion on Rasa Road, on his way from Atchuvely to Jaffna town. Manojanraj was riding motorbike to collect issues of the papers from the Jaffna Thinakkural office for distribution in Atchuvely when the explosion occurred. The claymore mine was triggered by remote-control device and occurred in an isolated area in Navakeeri close to the Ellalan Community Centre. Manojanraj and a fellow worker had registered with the SLA sentry in Atchuvely prior to their journey to Jaffna. Relatives of Manojanraj said they suspect SLA complicity in the explosion.
Unidentified men riding a motorbike shot dead a former president of the Fisheries Society in Pt. Pedro at his home in Supparmadam, Jaffna. The incident occurred about 100 metres from Sri Lanka Army’s 52-4 Brigade Camp. Kandaiah Sithravadivel, 59, was an active contributor to development of Fisheries Societies in Pt. Pedro.
26 July
A Tamil civilian was shot dead by unidentified men at Chinabay, Trincomalee. M. Sivakumar, 34, father of two, was shot dead at his home.
A lorry belonging to Madhu Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society (MPCS) was attacked by a claymore mine, allegedly placed by a SLA DPU, inside the LTTE held Panichchankulam, Mannar district. The lorry was transporting huller and other related materials from Aandankulam to a rice mill under construction at Sinnavalayankaddu with the financial support of the UNDP at that time of incident. The driver of the lorry Sahayanathan Lambert, 44, father of four, and cleaner of the lorry, Annasamy Sebastiampillai, 48, sustained injuries.
Ramasamy Jeyakody,40, an employee at the Vavuniya Urban Council was shot dead at Vepankulam, Vavuniya, by unidentified men.
Another youth was shot and seriously injured at Katkuli, a suburb of Vavuniya town, and was admitted to Vavuniya Hospital.
A SLA soldier was killed and another was injured in an attack at Kokkuveli in Thandikkulam, Vavuniya.
Further west, a policeman, Constable, Joseph Fernando, 40, was injured in a grenade attack at a sentry post at Kattukaraikulam Reservoir along Mannar-Uyilankulam road.
25 July
Unidentified men riding a motorbike shot and killed a youth at Punnalaikadduvan South, Jaffna. Two others were seriously injured in the shooting, which occurred while the three were talking to each other at the Aayatkadai Hospital Road. Local residents blamed the paramilitary operatives collaborating with the SLA for the shooting. They said SLA soldiers had been searching for the three youths and that the three had been assaulted by SLA forces earlier. The young man killed in the incident was identified as Sriskandarajah Lavan, 24, of Punnalaikkadduvan. The injured were identified as Murukaiah Sivanandan, 31, and Kathriththamby Murukesan, 27.
The two civilians were killed when SLA troopers began firing indiscriminately for more than 5 minutes following a hand grenade attack on soldiers patrolling the Jaffna Palaly Road near Urumpirai. One soldier had been seriously wounded in the attack.
Contrary to claims by Sri Lanka Military sources that the SLA had shot two LTTE cadres, investigations conducted at the scene revealed that the two men killed were innocent civilians who had been riding in separate motorcycles in opposite directions. The men have been identified as Balasingam Sujendran, 34, of Mallakam and Kanesh Selvakumar, 27, of Alaveddi.
Two policemen were injured in a claymore blast at Aadiyapatham road in Nallur, Jaffna. The bomb was fixed to a parked bicycle. The police team from Kopay police station was on a regular route clearing mission from Kalviyankadu towards Thirunelvely when they were attacked.
Two Sri Lankan Policemen were injured in a grenade attack at a sentry post at Goodshed Road in Vavuniya.
A member of the LTTE’s Rural Force of Kovil Porathivu was killed when the LTTE confronted members of the elite Sri Lankan counter-insurgency forces, the Special Task Force (STF), attempting to infiltrate the LTTE’s Forward Defense Lines (FDL) in Paddiruppu, Batticaloa. The LTTE repulsed the attack by the STF. Sangarapillai Rajmohan, 18, died in the confrontation.
SLA soldiers at the 23-2 Brigade Headquarters in Valaichchenai Paper Factory launched artillery attacks on villages in LTTE controlled Vaharai area in Batticaloa district. The intense shelling which began at 7.00 p.m. continued till 9.00 p.m. Shells exploded in the paddy fields and in the jungle areas. Two civilians, including Rasa Saratha, a mother of five children, of Sallithivu, who lost her husband in the tsunami in December 2004, were injured in this attack.
Three persons from the same family in Koyilkudiyiruppu, between Panichchenkerny and Vakarai, were killed and four others were injured by artillery fire from the SLA.
One person was killed when an artillery shell fired by the SLA hit an ambulance bound for Trincomalee town from Muttur. The ambulance was badly damaged in the incident.
T. Partheepan, 24, an auto-rickshaw driver was shot dead by suspected Army-backed paramilitaries at Koolaavadi in Annaikoddai, Jaffna.
Kandiah Suthakaran, 33, a father of three and owner of a bicycle repair shop, was shot dead by motorbike riding armed persons at Kopay, Jaffna.
6 August
A newspaper distributor’s shop located in a High Security Zone (HSZ) in Batticaloa town was completely burnt down deliberately. Muruges and Son Stores, which is on the Batticaloa Central Road, was 75 meters from an STF camp. Batticaloa residents allege the shop was burnt by paramilitaries working in collaboration with the SLA. Earlier paramilitary cadres in Batticaloa had warned paper distributors to stop distributing two mainstream papers, Sudar Oli and Thinakkural, in SLA controlled areas. However, Batticaloa Police said an electrical short caused the fire.
The Sudar Oli and Thinakkural, Tamil dailies printed and published in Colombo, are taken to the Batticaloa distributor every day by a passenger carrying private bus that plies daily between Colombo and Batticaloa. Paramilitaries collaborating with the SLA have threatened the owner of the bus not to deliver Sudaroli and Thinakural newspapers to Muruges and Son Stores, alleging they are pro-LTTE.
S. Sriskandarajah, 35, and a father of three, abducted by suspected SLA soldiers Friday evening from his tailor shop located in front of the Kantalai police station was found dead Saturday morning in a paddy field with hands tied and gunshot wounds.
Five men who attempted to infiltrate from LTTE controlled area into Jaffna district through the SLA defence lines near Muhamalai were shot dead by the SLA. The Defense Ministry in Colombo said troops shot dead five LTTE cadres.
Thiagarajah Rathumilan, 30, from Uduvil Road, Manipay was shot dead at his house, located near the Uduvil SLA camp.
Arumugam Uthayasooriyan, 43, a driver attached to the local Pradeshya Sabah, from Thambachetti in Vadamaradchy was killed and his body discovered near Pandariyamman Temple in Thambachetti.
Gunmen riding a motorbike shot and killed Mr. T. Mayuran, 30, inside a business establishment on Sea View Road, Trincomalee. Two men whose faced were covered with black cloths and shot Mayuran in his head at the counter of the business establishment at point blank range before escaping. Mayuran is the son of Mr. K. Thurairajah, a leading businessman in Trincomalee town.
One SLA soldier was killed in a fight between the SLA and LTTE at Parapankandal, Mannar district. He was identified as Sergeant Serath Mudiansalage Sisira Premlal, 39, of Avissawella. Murunkan Police said the fight broke out when LTTE cadres attempted to enter SLA held territory through the SLA FDL.
4 August
A Tamil businessman in Kiliveddy, Muttur, was shot and killed, allegedly by the SLA, as he closed his business and approached the main road. The victim, Kaththamuthu Perinaparasa, 65, had been a leading businessmen in the village.
An SLA sergeant on guard duty at the Vavunativu SLA Camp, M. Jayantha, 35, was injured in a skirmish between the soldiers and LTTE cadres. The SLA claimed LTTE fighters had attacked the camp from a nearby LTTE FDL. P. Thayamohan, the LTTE Political Head for Batticaloa District, said that cadres manning the LTTE FDL retaliated against an SLA artillery attack and gunfire towards LTTE controlled area.
A well-known literary figure and General Manager of People’s Bank, KKS Branch, was shot at point blank range allegedly by the Intelligence operatives of the SLA at Thirunelvely, Jaffna. Pon. Ganeshamoorthy, 56, killed when he was getting ready to go to work from his residence. Most of the banks in Jaffna were closed and bank employees took to the roads in protest of the killing. They gathered in front of People’s Bank Jaffna Branch office and marched through the town centre, carrying placards and shouting slogans.
A sentry in Poonthoddam, Vavuniya was hit by gunfire. A police reinforcement team that arrived soon after was hit by a claymore blast, injuring four. The body of a youth was found along with a grenade and a claymore in a nearby paddy field when the police searched the area later in the morning.
3 August
S. Jayakumar, 40, and Thuraisingam Rameshkumar, 22, who were arrested following an attack against SLA soldiers in Chunnakam, Jaffna, on Wednesday, were in fact innocent civilians, their legal team claimed. The two men appeared before Mallakam Magistrates Court Thursday bearing serious wounds.
The magistrate, ordering a full medical report on their condition, remanded the two men in custody until 16 August. According to their legal representatives, Jeyakumar was a bystander who got hurt when he fell on the ground to take cover to avoid being hit by SLA fire. Rameshkumar, who was near the incident on his motorcycle, was asked by SLA soldiers to take Jeyakumar to his home in Ellalai.
Both civilians were later arrested at the Mallakam checkpoint as they travelled on KKS Road towards Mallakam. The men involved in the attack against the soldiers were in a white van, which had been hijacked from its civilian owner and was subsequently recovered abandoned in Sandilipay.
The entire student body of Hartley College, Point Pedro, Jaffna, boycotted classes protesting the abduction of a senior student. Jegatheswaran Gajendran, 18, a Grade-12 student of the school located inside a HSZ, was abducted the previous Sunday and has not been seen since. The students called for urgent action from the Sri Lanka Government to secure the immediate release of Gajendran, who is alleged to have been kidnapped by unidentified men in a white van.
Unidentified assailants lobbed explosives, suspected to be dynamite, at the house of Mr. Ignatius, a driver employed by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Mannar. Diluxan, son of Mr. Ignatius, was injured in the explosion and the rear portion of the house was damaged.
The SLA fired artillery from Thallady and Uyilankulam camps towards Parappankandal, southeast of Mannar town, after two SLA troopers were wounded in a claymore attack. SLA troopers exchanged gunfire with the ambushers and launched mortar and artillery fire, during which one civilian was wounded. More than 100 families from SLA controlled areas moved into LTTE controlled territories following the indiscriminate fire.
2 August
Sri Lankan troops in Seruvila opened fire on a Muttur hospital ambulance as it was transferring patients to Trincomalee general hospital. Two Tamil civilians were killed on the spot and the driver, who was critically wounded in the shooting, succumbed to injuries while being taken to Colombo. Sri Lankan Police on Thursday said the ambulance was caught up in “cross-fire.” The three civilians killed in the incident were identified as Mr. Ravi, Muttur magistrate’s clerk, Ms Amutha, a school teacher and Mr. Arjunan, the driver of the Ambulance and husband of Ms Amutha. The ambulance was transporting civilians injured in artillery fire that hit the Muttur St. Antony’s Church, Wednesday morning. In this incident an eight-year-old boy, Aravinthan, died in the church. (Muttur fighting reports p4, p8 and p9).
A young man was shot dead by motorbike riding gunmen in front of ‘Namthu Eelanadu’ news paper office at Navalar Road, Jaffna. The victim was identified as Pathmanathan Besmananthan, 29, a musician, of Perumal Kovilady in Jaffna.
A SLA soldier was killed and another injured in a claymore mine attack on troops engaged road clearing operation in Periyaneelansenai, Mannar. Following the explosion, unidentified men in lying ambush fired at the soldiers. The body of the dead soldier, Meegedera Pushpakumara Ariaysena, 23, of Matale, was handed to the hospital for post-mortem examination. The injured soldier, Dhamikka, 23, was first admitted to hospital.
Unidentified men shot and killed a police constable when he was returning from a shop to report for duty at a sentry point located in the heart of Pesalai, Mannar. The dead constable was identified as S. M. Mahinda, 41, of Minuwangoda. The Police fired back but no one was injured.
A Sri Lankan Police Sergeant Gunatilaka, 40, was seriously injured when unidentified men fired at a group of policemen at Semmantivu in Murunkan, Mannar.
1 August
A SLA soldier was injured when unidentified men fired at a group of soldiers engaged in road patrol in the area close Santhipuram Hundred Housing Scheme at South Bar in Mannar town. The soldiers returned fire but no one was injured. The injured soldier, Rohan Sri, 23, was first admitted to hospital.
Gunmen shot and killed an 18-year-old internally displaced Tamil boy, when he was driving a land master tractor along Akkaraipattu Sagamam Road. Gnanasegaram Mohathasan was a resident of Akkaraipattu and staying in a welfare centre for internally displaced located in Ramakrishna Mission School in the area.
31 July
The SLN launched heavy gunfire from gunboats off the northeastern coast in Vadamaradchi East and the SLA fired artillery shells towards the LTTE’s Nagarkovil FDL. An exchange of mortar fire between the SLA and the LTTE FDL forces was reported for 45 minutes following the artillery and SLN attack.
Siruppiddi petrol station owner, Visvalingam Kauroopan, 24, from Karanavai, missing since the previous day, was found slain with his throat cut and his headless body dumped in the disused Siruppiddi Kannaki Amman Temple festival pool. Kauroopan left his petrol station for lunch Sunday and went missing. His relatives registered complaints with the Jaffna Human Rights Commission (HRC) that SLA troopers were responsible for his killing. Relatives told HRC members that Kauroopan was last seen being detained at the nearby Siruppiddy Army sentry post. They told the HRC that Kauroopan had recently passed information to army higher officials on an incident of attempted rape of a young girl by SLA troopers, and that they believed that this was a revenge killing.
A SLA soldier was injured in a claymore blast between Irupalai and Kopay on the Pt. Pedro Road, Jaffna.
A youth riding a motorcycle along Kathirippai Road in Atchchuveli was shot dead by gunmen.
An SLA lieutenant and a soldier were injured in a claymore explosion at Vanchiankulam village, Mannar. The injured were members of a group of SLA soldiers engaged in road clearing operation in the area between Naruvalikulam and Nanattan. The claymore mine was hidden in a bush along the road.
A blast was reported at the SLA’s armoury in Kalutara, south of Colombo. SLA spokesman, Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said that the fire brigade has doused the fire.
Nineteen SLA soldiers were killed in a blast at Serunuwara, between Kantalai-Allai, in Trincomalee. Eighteen SLA troopers were killed on the spot and one later succumbed to injuries hospital. A bus carrying soldiers from the Kallaru SLA camp was ambushed by a mine placed along the road. (See Trincomalee fighting reports p1-3).
A Sinhalese man, Lakshman Susantha, 32, an owner of a three-wheeler and a resident of Palaiyootu was shot dead at Love Lane, Trincomalee, as he was standing in front of the office of Ceylon Electricity Board office. Susantha was married to a Tamil woman.
Another Sinhalese man, Liyanage, 22, was shot dead when he stopped his lorry near a church at Chelvanayagapuram, Trincomalee. His employer, a third Sinhalese, was also in the lorry when the incident took place.
Unidentified men shot dead a Tamil youth, Kaliyuganathan Geethansan, 22, at Abeyapura, Trincomalee. Men on motorbike called him out of the house and shot him in the head.
A Sri Lankan Policeman was shot and killed in Vavuniya by gunmen riding a three-wheeler while he was riding a bicycle.
30 July
Gunmen waiting in ambush shot dead a youth in Urumpirai, Jaffna. C. Kapilraj, 18, was walking along Sivakula Lane towards a friend’s house 200 meters from his residence when gunmen hiding behind overgrown shrubs fired and escaped.
A SLA trooper was seriously injured in a grenade attack by unknown assailants at the sentry in front of Vavuniya Madhya Maha Vidiyalayam. SLA soldiers cordoned off the area and conducted search following the attack.
29 July
A Sri Lankan Police Sergeant and two young men were injured in two separate grenade blasts in Vavuniya, Saturday evening, police in the northern town said. A Sri Lanka Police sergeant and a civilian passer-by were injured in a grenade attack at Kulumaddu junction, Vavuniya. Gunfire was heard in the are for nearly 20 minutes.
A young man was injured in a blast at Pandarikulam, Vavuniya.
An unknown gunman walked into a liquor bar located on Horawapatana Road in Vavuniya and shot dead an employee inside the bar. Immanuel Eugene Dias, 43, was seriously injured, and died while being transported to hospital. The gunman escaped the crime scene after the shooting.
Three SLA soldiers were seriously injured when unknown gunmen riding in a motorbike hurled hand grenades in a SLA sentry near Velayutham Maha Vidiyalayam in Point Pedro, Jaffna. Some civilians were injured when the SLA troops fired indiscriminately in retaliation after the attack.
A trader was cut to death at his home, 50 meters from a SLA sentry post, in Nachimarkovilady, Jaffna town. Sivasubramanium Vigneswaran, 36, from Paalaavodai in Karinagar and owner of a shop in Nachimarkovilady, was found on his bed with his throat cut.
Three SLA soldiers were injured in a grenade attack in Kodikamam town. Two other grenade attacks on SLA troops were reported in Urelu and Thirunelvely.
A SLA soldier was injured by sniper fire near the SLA’s FDL near Muhamalai.
A Sri Lankan police constable was injured when unidentified persons fired at a sentry post located between Valaichchenai bus terminal and the office of the Assistant Superintendent of Police in Batticaloa district. The injured policeman, Ratnayake, 35, was admitted to hospital. The attacker fled when the policemen opened up with retaliatory fire.
Two Sri Lankan Police Constables and a civilian were wounded in a grenade attack in Kaluwanchikudy, Batticaloa. Unidentified youth riding a bicycle lobbed a grenade at policemen who had come to a tailoring shop in the town. The wounded policemen, S. W. Jayaratne, 36, and M. Gunadasa, 33 and the shop owner S.Rasaratnam, 36 were rushed to hospital.
SLA soldiers on patrol recovered a claymore mine fixed to a tree along Siththandy Road in Eravur, Batticaloa district. The claymore was later defused by an SLA bomb disposal squad. The claymore mine had been placed targeting the truck transporting soldiers from Batticaloa to Pollonaruwa.
A 50-year old man was killed in Muttur east when SLA soldiers fired from Kaddaiparichchan camp. The soldiers in the main Kaddaiparichchan camp, located on the border of the LTTE and SLA controlled territories fired towards LTTE held Kaddaiparichchan village. Kanagasabai Navaratnam was in his compound in Amman Nagar, in the LTTE held Muttur east, when he was hit by a bullet and died on the spot.
28 July
Two persons travelling in a three-wheeler from SLA-controlled territory were killed when explosives in their vehicle exploded at the gateway to LTTE held Monkeykattu area in Vavunathivu, Batticaloa district. The three-wheeler was destroyed in the explosion. “It was a big explosion. We suspect it targeted our FDL position,” LTTE Batticaloa District Political Head Daya Mohan said. The three-wheeler exploded when it reached the first LTTE FDL in Monkeykattu. The victims were suspected to be persons who had been abducted by the Sri Lankan troopers and their paramilitaries. A man was seen leaving the three-wheeler and running towards the SLA FDL seconds before the three-wheeler exploded. However, LTTE sources did not rule out the possibility of the victims being members of a paramilitary group, who were carrying explosives into the LTTE controlled territory.
Jeyapalan Rajendran, 36, a Police Constable who was abducted from near Mandanai Refugee Camp, Batticaloa, Thursday afternoon, was found the following morning, shot. Rajendran, who lived in Vinayagapuram, was abducted by gunmen a short distance from a police station as he was going to work on his motorbike. The gunmen too him to a secluded area behind the Mandanai camp, shot him at short range and escaped after leaving his body near the camp. He died on his way to hospital.
The body of a young man was found with gun shot injuries at Thaandavanveli Junction, Batticaloa. The victim was identified as Vimalathasan Thevaroopan, 26, from School Road, Naipattymunai, Kalmunai.
A Savukadi resident, Subramaniyam Krishnamoorthy, 28, was abducted by armed men travelling in a white-van at a playground in Savukadi, a hamlet of Thalavi in Eravur. The abductors took his motorcycle with them. Mr, Krishnamoorthy was about to leave the playground after playing soccer when he was abducted. White-van abductions, widespread within the military controlled areas in the north and east, are carried out by SLA soldiers and collaborating paramilitaries, and the majority of the abductees are killed after torture and interrogation, residents allege.
In Sithandi, Batticaloa, unknown gunmen hijacked a car without passengers after forcing the driver to drive to a back street and tying him up to a tree.
Unidentified persons lobbed a grenade at the residence of Mr. Mohamed Sally Mohamed Subair, Divisional Education Officer. His house is located in Ottamavadi in Valaichchenai police division.
Three homeguards, riding a motorbike, were killed in a claymore ambush on Vavuniya Kebitigollawe Road. The men were returning home after duty in a single motorbike when they were hit by the explosion. They were identified as G. Sunil Gunawardena, Saman Kumara Dissanayake and Bandage Thillakartna. Home Guards are drawn mostly from Sinhala villages close to the Tamil border in the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka. Officially known as Home Guards Service, the unit was formed in 1984 as a supplementary force to assist Sri Lanka’s military and police forces. They are trained, armed and deployed under the direct supervision of the SLA.
A grenade exploded at the Vavuniya office of the paramilitary Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP). It was not confirmed if it was an attack or a bomb went off accidentally. No damage was caused to the office and o casualties were reported.
The body of Thiyagalingam Senthan, 16, a student from Karainagar who was reported missing by his parents since 24th July, was found with gunshot wounds near his residence in the Jaffna islet. A handgun, about 50 unused rounds, and a waist belt were found near his body. After detecting a foul odour, local residents discovered the body about 100 meters from Senthan’s residence in a desolate area behind an abandoned house. Recently a complaint had been filed with the Jaffna District Human Rights Commission that Senthan, brandishing a hand gun, had threatened to kill a local girl. The girl’s parents said in their complaint that although they had registered their complaint with Kayts Police and the SLN, no action was taken. As the area where the killing took place is within a HSZ, some speculate that the youth was collaborating with the SLN
Gunmen riding a motorbike shot dead a youth along Kasturiar Road in the centre of Jaffna town. Packiyarajah Visvakanthan, 32, was standing near the liquor store in front of Rajah Theater when he was shot. A large number of SLA soldiers, brought to the area soon after the killing, cordoned off the area around Jaffna town and conducted search, but no-one was arrested.
A SLA soldier and a civilian passer-by were injured in a grenade blast at Thaddatheru Junction, on KKS road in Jaffna. The wounded civilian was identified as K. Sivanandan, 49, of Arasady Road.
Two policemen were shot dead by unidentified men at Poompuhar in Palaiyootu, Trincomalee. They were identified as Sergeant Sarath and Constable Jesurajah. Both were rushed to Trincomalee general hospital immediately after the attack but later succumbed to injuries.
27 July
Dvora Fast Attack Crafts of the SLN attacked fishing vessels Thursday early morning off the LTTE controlled Mullaithivu coast. One fisherman, a tsunami survivor, narrowly escaped, but lost his Don Bosco gifted boat and nets. The fishermen, who had gone fishing in 10 boats at 3:30 a.m. were attacked by the SLN Fast Attack Crafts (FACs) around 6:30 a.m. The boats managed to reach the shore before the Dvora gunboats approached the site, according to fishermen who escaped from the attack. Soosaipillai Thevathas, 51, father of one from Manalkudiyiruppu, narrowly escaped from the attack that damaged his boat. Mullaithivu Fisheries Society representative Mariyathas said the fisherman’s boat was 120 000 rupees worth and the fishermen had lost fishing nets worth 300 000 rupees.
A policeman and a civilian passer-by were injured when unidentified men lobbed a grenade at the police party in front of the public library building in Mannar town centre. The injured police constable, R. M. Pushpakumara, 26, and the female civilian, J. Tharshini, 20, were admitted to hospital.
A SLA soldier was killed in a claymore explosion targeted at the SLA road clearing patrol along Jaffna-Kankesanthurai Road. Five civilians were injured when SLA troopers opened fire indiscriminately following the explosion. Two civilians, P. Balasubramanium, 55, and S. Krishnakumar, 50, were admitted to Jaffna Teaching Hospital with gun shot injuries. K. Thayaparan, 23, and S. Punniyamaniyam, 47, both of Kalapoomi, Karainagar, and R. Ravindran 24, of Ketpeli, Mirusuvil, were also injured.
Mariathas Manojanraj, 23, a distributor of Yarl Thinakural and Veerakesari, was killed in a claymore explosion on Rasa Road, on his way from Atchuvely to Jaffna town. Manojanraj was riding motorbike to collect issues of the papers from the Jaffna Thinakkural office for distribution in Atchuvely when the explosion occurred. The claymore mine was triggered by remote-control device and occurred in an isolated area in Navakeeri close to the Ellalan Community Centre. Manojanraj and a fellow worker had registered with the SLA sentry in Atchuvely prior to their journey to Jaffna. Relatives of Manojanraj said they suspect SLA complicity in the explosion.
Unidentified men riding a motorbike shot dead a former president of the Fisheries Society in Pt. Pedro at his home in Supparmadam, Jaffna. The incident occurred about 100 metres from Sri Lanka Army’s 52-4 Brigade Camp. Kandaiah Sithravadivel, 59, was an active contributor to development of Fisheries Societies in Pt. Pedro.
26 July
A Tamil civilian was shot dead by unidentified men at Chinabay, Trincomalee. M. Sivakumar, 34, father of two, was shot dead at his home.
A lorry belonging to Madhu Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society (MPCS) was attacked by a claymore mine, allegedly placed by a SLA DPU, inside the LTTE held Panichchankulam, Mannar district. The lorry was transporting huller and other related materials from Aandankulam to a rice mill under construction at Sinnavalayankaddu with the financial support of the UNDP at that time of incident. The driver of the lorry Sahayanathan Lambert, 44, father of four, and cleaner of the lorry, Annasamy Sebastiampillai, 48, sustained injuries.
Ramasamy Jeyakody,40, an employee at the Vavuniya Urban Council was shot dead at Vepankulam, Vavuniya, by unidentified men.
Another youth was shot and seriously injured at Katkuli, a suburb of Vavuniya town, and was admitted to Vavuniya Hospital.
A SLA soldier was killed and another was injured in an attack at Kokkuveli in Thandikkulam, Vavuniya.
Further west, a policeman, Constable, Joseph Fernando, 40, was injured in a grenade attack at a sentry post at Kattukaraikulam Reservoir along Mannar-Uyilankulam road.
25 July
Unidentified men riding a motorbike shot and killed a youth at Punnalaikadduvan South, Jaffna. Two others were seriously injured in the shooting, which occurred while the three were talking to each other at the Aayatkadai Hospital Road. Local residents blamed the paramilitary operatives collaborating with the SLA for the shooting. They said SLA soldiers had been searching for the three youths and that the three had been assaulted by SLA forces earlier. The young man killed in the incident was identified as Sriskandarajah Lavan, 24, of Punnalaikkadduvan. The injured were identified as Murukaiah Sivanandan, 31, and Kathriththamby Murukesan, 27.
The two civilians were killed when SLA troopers began firing indiscriminately for more than 5 minutes following a hand grenade attack on soldiers patrolling the Jaffna Palaly Road near Urumpirai. One soldier had been seriously wounded in the attack.
Contrary to claims by Sri Lanka Military sources that the SLA had shot two LTTE cadres, investigations conducted at the scene revealed that the two men killed were innocent civilians who had been riding in separate motorcycles in opposite directions. The men have been identified as Balasingam Sujendran, 34, of Mallakam and Kanesh Selvakumar, 27, of Alaveddi.
Two policemen were injured in a claymore blast at Aadiyapatham road in Nallur, Jaffna. The bomb was fixed to a parked bicycle. The police team from Kopay police station was on a regular route clearing mission from Kalviyankadu towards Thirunelvely when they were attacked.
Two Sri Lankan Policemen were injured in a grenade attack at a sentry post at Goodshed Road in Vavuniya.
