21 January
● Kandy Police arrested three Tamil youths, natives of Jaffna, as they were travelling in a three-wheeler. The Police took the youths and the three-wheeler into custody. The youths were identified as Vivekanandan Athavan, 25, and Sivalingam Sutharshan, 21, from Neerveli in Jaffna district, and Nadarajah Selvarajah, 28, from Sithamparapuram in Vavuniya. The youths had told the Police during investigation that they had come to Kandy from Colombo to lay pipelines in Harispattuwa Pradeshya Sabha area.
● Three civilians were abducted by Karuna group paramilitary personnel driving in white vans in two separate incidents in Kaluwanchikudy in Batticaloa district, and in Thirukovil area in Ampara district.
● S. Mugunthan, 27, employed in a private insurance corporation, and his assistant were abducted in the Kaluwanchikudy police division, Batticaloa, while on their official work. Their abductors were suspected to belong to the Karuna Group.
● SLA troopers started firing artillery air-shots into Point Pedro sea as a number of Sea Tiger boats were observed in the harbour. A cargo ship, ‘City of Liverpool’, which carries supplies to government troops and civilians in the Jaffna peninsula, was leaving Pt. Pedro harbour when the firing began. About 10 SLN personnel and 15 civilian workers were on board the ship.
● Gracian Panumathy, 34, a mother, was killed on the spot and her two children were wounded in indiscriminate artillery shelling from SLA camps in Palaly and Pallappai towards Vadmaradchi north in the wake of the clash between Sea Tigers and SLN in Point Pedro harbour. Fragments of shells that hit the ground near Alvai Sri Lanka School killed the mother.
● A Tamil civilian who was shot and seriously injured by armed men succumbed to injuries at the Trincomalee hospital. He was identified as S. Uthayasooriyan, 40, a resident of Alex Garden in Trincomalee. He was shot at Jamaliya in Uppuveli division.
● Residents of Kathankudy protested in front of the Regional Secretariat demanding the immediate release of a supporter of Raub Mowlavi, a leader of the Sufi sect, who was abducted – allegedly by one of the Muslim armed groups – at Methaipalli roadankudy. Hiyathu Mohamed Nasar, 35, a father of two, had gone out with two people who had gone to see him about buying a motorcycle, and had not returned. Nasar is an owner of a video shop and a part-time trader dealing in motor vehicles and hand phones.
20 January
● More than eight armed robbers shot dead the owner of a house in Poothavarayar temple in Thirunelveli east, Jaffna, during SLA imposed curfew hours. The armed men opened fire when the neighbours rushed to apprehend the robbers on hearing shouts from house owners. Mahalingam Vigneswaran, 40, a teacher at Puthur Somaskanda College and the owner of the house, died from gunshot wounds. Cash, jewellery and properties costing many millions of rupees have been robbed in the last two weeks, mainly from houses in Jaffna town, Nallur and Chunnakam which are within the direct surveillance of the SLA, and during curfew hours. The armed robbers, in white vans and on foot, move about with ease despite the presence of SLA troopers in these areas. Armed men using similar white vans have abducted many youths during curfew hours in the Jaffna peninsula. The SLA says these robberies are carried out to tarnish their reputation. But no one has been arrested by the SLA or the police in connection with the escalating number of robberies, abductions and killings in the peninsula.
● Twenty-four Tamil refugees, including men, women and children, who were arrested by the SLN as they were returning from Tamil Nadu were produced in Mannar magistrate's court and released.
● Kandiah Selvarasa, 47, a father of three, a resident of Alaiyadi road in Thambiluvil, Amparai, was abducted by Karuna Group paramilitary personnel. Selvarasa was abducted from his home while he was with his family members.
● Four SLA soldiers were killed and three wounded in LTTE artillery fire at Panichchankerni, Trincomalee.
● Gunmen shot dead a farmer, Packiyasothy Jeevankumar, 24, of Kumpurupitty, at Irakkandy in Trincomalee.
● Two boys, displaced from Vaharai to Kannankiramam village in Valaichenai, were abducted by armed paramilitary men. Sivanandan Sivaneswaran, 15, from Ilankaithurai in Vaharai was one of the two young boys abducted. The other was not identified.
19 January
● The SLA claimed to have entered Vaharai hospital without facing any resistance from the LTTE. Liberation Tigers Military Spokesman, verifying that the Tigers had relocated their positions in Panichchankerni where the SLA had obstructed the land route to Vaharai village, said LTTE had no combatants in Vaharai village where the hospital is located.
● An elite guerrilla unit of the Liberation Tigers in Amparai district carried out an ambush on an STF convoy, killing at least 11 Sri Lankan commandos and wounding more than 11 at Bakmitiyawa, Amparai. The STF said the Tigers carried out a combined attack, triggering a claymore and deploying gunners armed with light machine guns into a booby trapped area in the predominant Sinhala area.
● Four SLA soldiers were killed and 3 injured in a mortar attack launched by the LTTE at Eachchilampathu, Trincomalee.
● The bodies of three young men were found near Gnanavairavar temple along Mathakuvaithakulam road in Thavasikkulam, Vavuniya. The police said the victims seemed to have been tortured and killed. All of them had been strangled and there were gun shot injuries on two of them.
● The body of a man shot by armed men was found at Maharambaikulam, Vavuniya.
● Armed men shot dead a youth with pistols at Thekawatte, Vavuniya.
● Armed men fired at soldiers in the Navindil SLA camp in Vadamaradchi, Jaffna. Residents fled the area following the clash that lasted for 15 minutes during which 6 SLA soldiers were allegedly wounded.
● Two civilians transporting goods in a tractor were abducted at Pallakkadu junction in Anaicottai near Jaffna municipal area. The abduction was carried out in the presence of witnesses by men in a white van. One abducted was identified as a married man, Nagendram Thayalan, 32, whose relatives lodged a complaint with the SLHRC. The identity of the other was not established.
● Sivasubramaniam Regan, father of two, was abducted from his home in Kalviyankadu in Ariyapathy, Jaffna, during curfew hours. Armed men who arrived at his residence in a white van stormed into house after smashing the front door before abducting him, Regan's wife said.
● A cordon and search operation by the SLA and Police in Wattala, Colombo, resulted in 40 civilians, majority of them Tamils, being taken in for questioning. Many of detained allegedly failed to prove their identity and the purpose of staying in Wattala.
● 145 persons were arrested during a combined cordon and search operation by the SLA and Police in Puttalam, Anamaduwa and Vannathivillu in the North Western Province. Majority of arrested were Tamils. 124 were arrested in Puttalam alone and the rest in Anamaduwa and Vannathivillu divisions.
● A Tamil man was arrested during a cordon and search operation covering Teldeniya, Rajawella and Aluthwatte in Kandy. Velu Thiyagarajah, a resident of Hendala in Colombo, was taken in for questioning as he failed to provide his identity and reason for his presence in Kandy.
18 January
● SLA soldiers at Mankerny and Kajuwatta camps continuously pounded the besieged Vaharai area with artillery shells and shells targeting Vaharai hospital resulted in 5 people being wounded. Despite an urgent message to ICRC about an attack in the morning, the hospital was again targeted in the evening. Thousands of IDPs have taken refuge around the hospital. Eight shells fell around the hospital in the morning and injured one person slightly. In the evening, six more shells fell and injured four people seriously. The continuous shelling forced the civilian population to flee the area.
● SLA troopers and police personnel threatened Tamil civilians at Mathavadikulam, Vavuniya, after a gang shot and killed a Sinhala civilian the previous night. SLA soldiers warned Tamil residents that they would be chased away from the area.
● Gunmen fired on the SLA camp near Udupiddy American Mission School at Udupitty junction and SLA troopers retaliated. Heavy exchange of fire took place for nearly five.
● Unconfirmed media reports in Jaffna said that a SLA trooper at Nagarkovil SLA FDL was killed in a LTTE artillery attack while SLA reports said one trooper was killed in Tiger sniper fire. It is not known whether both reports referred to the same trooper.
● Armed men attacked David Camp in Navindil, Vadamaradchi, just one km from the Udupiddy camp. Unconfirmed reports said that three SLA troopers were seriously injured and later two of the injured died, but the SLA claimed two troopers were injured.
● Unidentified persons activated a claymore device hidden on Kankesanthurai road at Inuvil targeting an SLA road patrol unit but no one was injured.
● Three youths belonging to IDP families were abducted by paramilitary cadres. They were living in a temporary refugee camp at Pethalai after having been displaced from Vadamunai, Uthuchenai and Punanai. One was a married man, abducted near the Valaichenai Police office, while the other two were teenagers. Paramilitary personnel who visit the IDP camps during the day, return at night to abduct the youths, residents said. Families are reluctant to complain to the police about the abductions, which occurs almost on a daily basis, following threats from paramilitaries.
● Unidentified persons set fire to a book shop belonging to a Muslim trader in Kathankudy town, completely destroying the building. The police suspect that the arson was the result of the intra-Muslim religious conflicts prevailing within in Kathankudy.
● Arayampathy STF arrested M. L. M. Makeer of Kathankudy under suspicion of instigating ethnic violence in the border area between Arayampathy and Kathankudy.
17 January
● The National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) said that the SLA had shot and killed Nallathamby Gnanaseelan, the head of Tamil Mission Church in Jaffna on 13 January. After shooting the pastor, the soldiers had removed his identification documents and Bible, and charged that he was an unidentified attacker. The SLA soldiers also took away his motorcycle and claimed that he was carrying explosives.
● Two youths surrendered to the Jaffna office of the SLHRC, adding to the 39 civilians who have already sought protection from the SLA and paramilitaries. The youths complained of serious threats and intimidation by SLA soldiers. Apart from an elderly couple from Udupiddy and their 15-year old daughter, thirty six other youths have surrendered at the SLHRC office in Jaffna, within the past few months. All 41 civilians are being kept in protective custody in Jaffna prison under the Jaffna Court's order.
Arumugam Mayuran, 21, a mason, was abducted on Kondavil Road, Irupalai, Jaffna, during curfew hours by men in a white van. His relatives reported the abduction to the Jaffna office of SLRHC.
● A Sinhalese civilian, Mr. P.M. Nissanka, was shot and killed by an unknown gang in Mathavadikulam, Vavuniya.
16 January
● Heavy casualties were reported in fresh fighting as SLA forces launched a three pronged ground offensive towards Panichchankerni, south of Vaharai, towards Eachilampattu and Uppooral in the north. 12 LTTE fighters were killed and 7 wounded according to LTTE Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan who also claimed more than 40 SLA troopers were killed. Sri Lankan military authorities claimed to have inflicted a heavier casualty with more than 30 Tigers killed. They said 4 SLA troopers were killed, including an officer and 20 wounded. The next day the SLA handed over the bodies of 7 LTTE cadres to the ICRC.
● An elite STF commando unit that penetrated into LTTE controlled territory in Vellavely, Batticaloa, were repulsed in a counter-attack by the Tigers. During their retreat, the STF commandos left behind the body of a paramilitary cadre with his arms and ammunition. The STF commandos had launched the operation from Mandoor camp through Kakkachchiveddai.
● Two Sri Lanka Policemen were killed in a claymore attack inside the Vavuniya Kachcheri premises. The claymore was fixed to vehicle reported stolen a few days earlier. More SLA soldiers and STF elite troops rushed to the blast site and conducted a search. It is not known if any arrests were made. The policemen killed in the attack were identified as Janake and Geethsri.
● The decapitated body of a youth with cut wounds was recovered by Kathankudy police in Manchanthoduvai area along old Kalmunai road in Kathankudy, Batticaloa..
The victim was identified as Piragasanathan Suthrasan, 23, a resident of Navakudah Pillayar road. He had been abducted on Saturday on Vanniyar road in Batticaloa by a group of armed men in a white van.
● Five SLA soldiers were killed and three wounded in a claymore attack on Mannar road, Vavuniya.
● An elderly couple from 15th mile post in Udupiddy, aged 56 and 54, together with their 15-year old daughter surrendered at the Jaffna office of the SLHRC seeking protection from SLA troops. The woman had previously been attacked at her home by unidentified men and received treatment at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital. In a recent search operation by SLA near the family’s residence a cache of arms was discovered. Consequently, the army had visited their home and assaulted the husband and ordered the wife to report at the nearby military camp for questioning. The SLHRC obtained a court order to place the family in protective custody at the Jaffna prison.
● Officials of the Jaffna SLHRC have requested the head office in Colombo to arrange for the establishment a special detention camp for the 36 youths who surrendered at the Jaffna office in the recent months. The official also requested the head office to take steps to provide job opportunities for these youths, some of whom are school students, and to provide plans for their future.
● Students of Point Pedro Velayutham Boys’ School boycotted classes demanding the release of a student who went on missing while on his way to attend tuition classes last Friday. Paranjothy Thananjeyan, 19, who set out on a bicycle from home in Manthihai to a private tuition center in Point Pedro, 4 km away, has not been seen since. Student leaders at his school said they believe that SLA soldiers are responsible for the disappearance.
● Armed persons shot dead the owner of a private tuition center in Chavakachcheri, Jaffna. Arumugam Markandu, 60, was at his home when two armed persons came on a motorbike, shot him dead and escaped.
● A gunfight between SLA soldiers and gunmen took place in Manambi area in Thikkam, Vadamaradchi. The exchange of gunfire lasted for more than 15 minutes. No casualties were reported.
● Six persons, including a woman and a driver attached to Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) were shot and killed, and two young men riding in a three-wheeler were killed, in two separate incidents in Vavuniya, Tuesday night.
● Mr. Anton Rupaseelan, 26, Mr. Clive Rohan Rajadurai, 44, a driver attached to Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Ms. Anthonypillai Ponmani, 57, and Mr. Yoganathan Jeyanthan, 28, were shot and killed at Kurumankadu, Vavuniya. Ms. Jasmin Sivakumar, 25, who was wounded, was the only survivor at the house where the shooting occurred.
● Mr. Perumal Chandrasekaran, 25, and Mr. Tharatharan Ramesh, 30, were killed while they were riding in a three-wheeler on Rice Mill Road in Vavuniya. One of the victims was the driver of the auto-richskaw and one of the men was burnt inside the three-wheeler.
● Armed men in a white van abducted a disabled man at Thettkiyalady in Chunnakam, Jaffna, as he was riding his bicycle along Kankesanthurai road where SLA troopers were present. The footwear and prosthetic leg of Mr. Daniel Shantharoopan, 30, a family man from Mylankadu in Elalai, were found where he was abducted. Shantharoopan had been earlier summoned several times by SLA troopers at the Atchelu SLA camp where he was beaten and then released, his wife said. She added that the Chunnakam police and SLA said they will conduct investigation when she complained about her husband's abduction.
● Mr. Markandu Jeyarajan, 30, and Mr. Danushkodi Sivakanthan, 26, travelling in an auto-rickshaw were abducted by armed men at Maraambaikkulam, Vavuniya. The abductors had come in two motorbikes and a three-wheeler.
● The highly decomposed body of Anthonipillai Sagayanathan, a father of two, was located at Kallikaddaikadu, Mannar. The mason had been missing since he left for work on Friday. He was last seen by eyewitnesses being stopped and interrogated by SLA soldiers. When found, his hands and legs were bound.
15 January
● A former officer in-charge of the Trincomalee Harbour Police was arrested with a suspect, allegedly belonging to Liberation Tigers, in possession of 4.5 million rupees inside a hotel in Matara in the southern province. Mr. Indika Perera, the arrested officer, had returned after a two-year leave in a foreign country. According to initial reports the suspected LTTE member is from Chelvanayakapuram, Trincomalee.
● Armed men shot dead Thambipillai Ramanan, 30, in the heart of Trincomalee town. He had been waylaid as he was returning home from work. The men entered a house in Huskison Road where Ramanan ran for safety and shot him dead.
● Batticaloa Police recovered the mutilated body of a petty trader with several stab wounds and tied with a big stone in Batticaloa lagoon. Sivalingam Rajendran, 28, of Mandapaththady, Kannankudah in LTTE controlled Batticaloa district had gone missing last Saturday. Rajendran regularly visited Batticaloa town to conduct business through Seththukkudah area, which lies between the town and Vavunathivu, one of the gateways to the LTTE controlled area.
● Gunmen shot dead a teacher in Thuraineeelavanai, Kaluwanchikkudy, Batticaloa. Saththiyamoorthy Keerththivarman, 31, of Seenaikkudiyiruppu in Amparai district, was shot at point blank range as he was visiting his mother for Thai-pongal festival.
● Two youths were taken into custody by the Police on a complaint that they had used a telescope to monitor the Dimbulagala residence of Minister Arumugan Thondaman.
● An advanced level student at Hartley College, Point Pedro went missing amidst an escalating number of disappearances in Jaffna. Murugananthan Paramananthan, 19, from Viyaparimoolai, was on his way to Nelliyadi, Jaffna, to attend to personal errands when he disappeared. His parents said they suspect the SLA of being behind the disappearance in a complaint filed with the SLHRC.
