Amid the indefinite postponement of the Geneva talks, violence in the Northeast continued to escalate this week. Over 50 people, including Sri Lankan military personnel, LTTE cadres, aid workers and civilians have been killed and dozens wounded in numerous incidents over the past two weeks.
Anti-Tamil rioting in Trincomalee last week following the race riots that saw at least 22 dead and over 60 injured (see page 3).
At least 5 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and seven others were wounded in Vavuniya Monday when an improvised explosive device was detonated, military officials said. A civilian was also wounded.
The attack took place around 8:30 a.m. about a mile outside the northern town. The explosives were concealed in a rickshaw and exploded as military vehicles carrying commandos passed.
The soldiers at the site opened fire for more than 10 minutes and the road remained blocked for all traffic, TamilNet reported, adding that Sri Lankan forces allegedly arrested a security guard at Vavuniya hospital, Mr. Thayaroopan, for taking photographs.
This followed an earlier attack on Saturday, when a claymore anti-personnel mine exploded near the same town killing 5 soldiers and wounding 12 more. The claymore was fixed to a two-wheel tractor parked on the roadside, at Mundrumuirippu in Vavuniya.
On Tuesday, eleven Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) troopers were killed in a claymore attack that targeted their convoy in Thampalakamam near 9th Mile Post on Trincomalee - Habarana Road. Eight SLN personnel were seriously wounded in the attack and 2 British nationals were wounded when their vehicle was hit by the Navy bus after the explosion.
Five SLA soldiers travelling in a truck and two Tamil humanitarian workers belonging to Human Development Centre (HUDEC), who were riding in a vehicle that was overtaking the truck, were killed when a claymore mine fixed to a lamp post exploded last Monday afternoon on A9 Road at Mirusuvil, 9 km northeast of Chavakachcheri. Two SLA soldiers and two HUDEC staffers were also injured in the Claymore explosion.
The HUDEC staff killed in the explosion were identified as Mr. Pathmanathan Shanmugaratnam, 55, and Mr. Selvendra Pradeepkumar, 29. HUDEC is the social arm of the Catholic Church of Jaffna, which networks at Parish level across the Jaffna Peninsula and the Vanni working with the disadvantaged for the alleviation of poverty, ignorance and social oppression.
Local media in Jaffna received faxed messages Sunday from “Upsurging Peoples’ Force,” claiming responsibility for the claymore attack. The clandestine force operating in Sri Lanka Army controlled areas, also claimed responsibility for a claymore attack Sunday morning in Mattuvil where one SLA trooper was killed and another injured.
The following day, unidentified gunmen shot and wounded Mr. J. W. Dhanasri, a timekeeper employed at Vavuniya private bus services union. The incident took place in the heart of the town where security was beefed up following the claymore attack Saturday. Mr. Dhanasiri, a Sinhalese who was fluent in Tamil, had close links with Sri Lanka’s Military Intelligence in the town, ex-militant sources in Vavuniya told TamilNet.
Meanwhile, in an attack Sunday morning in Mattuvil, Thenmaradchi in Jaffna, 2 SLA soldiers were wounded, with later succumbing to his injuries. The attackers also fired gunshots after the explosion of a small type anti-personnel claymore mine.
In a separate claymore mine attack on a Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Jeep in Kappalthurai, located about 10 km from Trincomalee Saturday night, 3 airmen were killed.
A trader from Vadamaradchy, Point Pedro was shot dead Saturday by unknown gunmen who arrived in two motorbikes and fired at the local business establishment he owned. Thevarajah Mariyathas, 26, was killed and his father was seriously injured in the shooting. Relatives accuse SLA soldiers stationed in Munai of being responsible for the killing.
Also in Jaffna, a SLA soldier was injured Saturday in a grenade attack on a road post near Chavakachcheri Hindu College on the A-9 highway in the Thenmaradchi sector of the Jaffna peninsula. SLA troops opened fire following the grenade attack and assaulted civilian pedestrians, press reports said.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka armed forces and police stepped up security measures in Jaffna, with personnel stationed in key junctions of Jaffna town and Chavakachcheri conducting thorough searches of bicycles and motorbikes, frequently delaying the passengers several hours.
An LTTE cadre and a civilian were killed when the motorcycle in which they were riding was hit by a claymore blast in Thatchanamaruthamadu in LTTE controlled area near Mannar, Saturday. In a similar attack two days earlier, two civilians were killed in LTTE held Mullikulam, northwest of Vavuniya.
On Friday, people riding a motorcycle lobbed a grenade at an SLA sentry post on the KKS road in Jaffna town. No causalities were reported and though troops cordoned off the area and searched it, no arrests were made.
Earlier that day a Muslim trader had been shot dead by unidentified gunmen at Muneeswaram road in the centre of Jaffna town. Four civilians were killed in separate incidents in Thenmaradchi sector of the Jaffna peninsula, Thursday.
A reputed jewellery shop owner from Chavakachcheri, a mini-tractor owner from Sarasalai and a tailor shop owner from Usan, Mirusuvil, were shot and killed in three shooting incidents by suspected paramilitary cadres working with SLA intelligence. A retired Police officer, Thambiah Ratnasabapathy, 64, from Meesalai, was also shot dead Thursday by unknown gunmen riding a motorbike.
Two civilians were killed in a claymore mine blast in LTTE held village of Mullikulam, northwest of Vavuniya, Thursday. LTTE officials blamed Sri Lanka Army’s Deep Penetration Unit for the attack.
In a similar attack in January this year, LTTE’s Vavuniya West area political head, Major Jeyanthan and a civilian were killed. The LTTE blamed SLA’s deep penetration unit operating from the Iranai Illuppaikulam SLA base for that attack.
Meanwhile, 2 LTTE cadres were killed Thursday when paramilitary cadres launched an ambush with the support of the SLA soldiers inside the LTTE controlled Vakaneri, 40 km north of Batticaloa, LTTE officials in Batticaloa said. One of the cadres killed in the ambush was identified as Ithayaventhan.
LTTE officials said the paramilitary cadres were assisted by SLA soldiers who fired mortar shells when the Tigers launched a counter-attack on the retreating group of paramilitary men.
SLA sources, denying their involvement, claimed that two Tiger cadres were killed, and four LTTE cadres were wounded in the attack. The SLA source further claimed that the “Karuna Group” recovered a T-56 rifle.
On the same day, an auxiliary cadre of the Liberation Tigers was killed and another auxiliary cadre wounded in a claymore attack allegedly carried out by a SLA deep penetration group. The attack took place Thursday inside the LTTE controlled Semamadu village in Nedunkerni, Vavuniya North.
Unidentified gunmen shot and seriously wounded a senior SLA Military Intelligence officer, Kumara, 38, and his Muslim associate Gajan Ali in Mancholai, 5 kilometres from Miravodai SLA camp around last Wednesday. The officer was an experienced paramilitary handler, according to Muslim villagers.
A twenty six year old youth who worked as a minibus driver was found shot dead at his mother’s house in Kayts last Wednesday. Thambu Gopalasingham was alone in his house when the incident happened. Mr Gopalasingham’s mother, who was away visiting one of her relatives, found the body of her son, with hands tied behind his back, with injuries from severe beating and with gun shot wounds at her home in Paruthiyaddaippu in Kayts, when she returned home.
Two paramilitary cadres belonging to Karuna Group were shot by unknown gunmen while they were travelling through Karuvaakerni towards Valaichenai Sunday.
Meanwhile, SLN troopers cordoned and searched areas of Karainagar, Karungali and Madathadi area in Valigamam last Sunday between 12 noon and 2 p.m., but no one was arrested during the search. Residents were not allowed to enter or exit the cordoned area during the two hours of search. SLN sources told TamilNet the search was initiated on receiving information that armed persons were seen in the area.
A SLA soldier and a civilian were wounded in a claymore explosion targeted at an SLA truck in Neerveli in Jaffna Saturday last week. TamilNet reported an SLA soldier was killed in a direct clash that erupted at Selvanagar in Thoppur in Muttur Division of the Trincomalee district.
Earlier on that Saturday, a civilian was injured and several houses were damaged when SLA soldiers fired artillery shells from Kaddaiparichan army camp towards Ganeshapuram in Muttur east. The SLA soldiers had fired shells towards LTTE’s Forward Defence Line (FDL) in Ganeshapuram, entrance to the LTTE held Muttur east villages, but the shells had fallen about 25 meters away from the LTTE sentry.
Anti-Tamil rioting in Trincomalee last week following the race riots that saw at least 22 dead and over 60 injured (see page 3).
At least 5 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and seven others were wounded in Vavuniya Monday when an improvised explosive device was detonated, military officials said. A civilian was also wounded.
The attack took place around 8:30 a.m. about a mile outside the northern town. The explosives were concealed in a rickshaw and exploded as military vehicles carrying commandos passed.
The soldiers at the site opened fire for more than 10 minutes and the road remained blocked for all traffic, TamilNet reported, adding that Sri Lankan forces allegedly arrested a security guard at Vavuniya hospital, Mr. Thayaroopan, for taking photographs.
This followed an earlier attack on Saturday, when a claymore anti-personnel mine exploded near the same town killing 5 soldiers and wounding 12 more. The claymore was fixed to a two-wheel tractor parked on the roadside, at Mundrumuirippu in Vavuniya.
On Tuesday, eleven Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) troopers were killed in a claymore attack that targeted their convoy in Thampalakamam near 9th Mile Post on Trincomalee - Habarana Road. Eight SLN personnel were seriously wounded in the attack and 2 British nationals were wounded when their vehicle was hit by the Navy bus after the explosion.
Five SLA soldiers travelling in a truck and two Tamil humanitarian workers belonging to Human Development Centre (HUDEC), who were riding in a vehicle that was overtaking the truck, were killed when a claymore mine fixed to a lamp post exploded last Monday afternoon on A9 Road at Mirusuvil, 9 km northeast of Chavakachcheri. Two SLA soldiers and two HUDEC staffers were also injured in the Claymore explosion.
The HUDEC staff killed in the explosion were identified as Mr. Pathmanathan Shanmugaratnam, 55, and Mr. Selvendra Pradeepkumar, 29. HUDEC is the social arm of the Catholic Church of Jaffna, which networks at Parish level across the Jaffna Peninsula and the Vanni working with the disadvantaged for the alleviation of poverty, ignorance and social oppression.
Local media in Jaffna received faxed messages Sunday from “Upsurging Peoples’ Force,” claiming responsibility for the claymore attack. The clandestine force operating in Sri Lanka Army controlled areas, also claimed responsibility for a claymore attack Sunday morning in Mattuvil where one SLA trooper was killed and another injured.
The following day, unidentified gunmen shot and wounded Mr. J. W. Dhanasri, a timekeeper employed at Vavuniya private bus services union. The incident took place in the heart of the town where security was beefed up following the claymore attack Saturday. Mr. Dhanasiri, a Sinhalese who was fluent in Tamil, had close links with Sri Lanka’s Military Intelligence in the town, ex-militant sources in Vavuniya told TamilNet.
Meanwhile, in an attack Sunday morning in Mattuvil, Thenmaradchi in Jaffna, 2 SLA soldiers were wounded, with later succumbing to his injuries. The attackers also fired gunshots after the explosion of a small type anti-personnel claymore mine.
In a separate claymore mine attack on a Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Jeep in Kappalthurai, located about 10 km from Trincomalee Saturday night, 3 airmen were killed.
A trader from Vadamaradchy, Point Pedro was shot dead Saturday by unknown gunmen who arrived in two motorbikes and fired at the local business establishment he owned. Thevarajah Mariyathas, 26, was killed and his father was seriously injured in the shooting. Relatives accuse SLA soldiers stationed in Munai of being responsible for the killing.
Also in Jaffna, a SLA soldier was injured Saturday in a grenade attack on a road post near Chavakachcheri Hindu College on the A-9 highway in the Thenmaradchi sector of the Jaffna peninsula. SLA troops opened fire following the grenade attack and assaulted civilian pedestrians, press reports said.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka armed forces and police stepped up security measures in Jaffna, with personnel stationed in key junctions of Jaffna town and Chavakachcheri conducting thorough searches of bicycles and motorbikes, frequently delaying the passengers several hours.
An LTTE cadre and a civilian were killed when the motorcycle in which they were riding was hit by a claymore blast in Thatchanamaruthamadu in LTTE controlled area near Mannar, Saturday. In a similar attack two days earlier, two civilians were killed in LTTE held Mullikulam, northwest of Vavuniya.
On Friday, people riding a motorcycle lobbed a grenade at an SLA sentry post on the KKS road in Jaffna town. No causalities were reported and though troops cordoned off the area and searched it, no arrests were made.
Earlier that day a Muslim trader had been shot dead by unidentified gunmen at Muneeswaram road in the centre of Jaffna town. Four civilians were killed in separate incidents in Thenmaradchi sector of the Jaffna peninsula, Thursday.
A reputed jewellery shop owner from Chavakachcheri, a mini-tractor owner from Sarasalai and a tailor shop owner from Usan, Mirusuvil, were shot and killed in three shooting incidents by suspected paramilitary cadres working with SLA intelligence. A retired Police officer, Thambiah Ratnasabapathy, 64, from Meesalai, was also shot dead Thursday by unknown gunmen riding a motorbike.
Two civilians were killed in a claymore mine blast in LTTE held village of Mullikulam, northwest of Vavuniya, Thursday. LTTE officials blamed Sri Lanka Army’s Deep Penetration Unit for the attack.
In a similar attack in January this year, LTTE’s Vavuniya West area political head, Major Jeyanthan and a civilian were killed. The LTTE blamed SLA’s deep penetration unit operating from the Iranai Illuppaikulam SLA base for that attack.
Meanwhile, 2 LTTE cadres were killed Thursday when paramilitary cadres launched an ambush with the support of the SLA soldiers inside the LTTE controlled Vakaneri, 40 km north of Batticaloa, LTTE officials in Batticaloa said. One of the cadres killed in the ambush was identified as Ithayaventhan.
LTTE officials said the paramilitary cadres were assisted by SLA soldiers who fired mortar shells when the Tigers launched a counter-attack on the retreating group of paramilitary men.
SLA sources, denying their involvement, claimed that two Tiger cadres were killed, and four LTTE cadres were wounded in the attack. The SLA source further claimed that the “Karuna Group” recovered a T-56 rifle.
On the same day, an auxiliary cadre of the Liberation Tigers was killed and another auxiliary cadre wounded in a claymore attack allegedly carried out by a SLA deep penetration group. The attack took place Thursday inside the LTTE controlled Semamadu village in Nedunkerni, Vavuniya North.
Unidentified gunmen shot and seriously wounded a senior SLA Military Intelligence officer, Kumara, 38, and his Muslim associate Gajan Ali in Mancholai, 5 kilometres from Miravodai SLA camp around last Wednesday. The officer was an experienced paramilitary handler, according to Muslim villagers.
A twenty six year old youth who worked as a minibus driver was found shot dead at his mother’s house in Kayts last Wednesday. Thambu Gopalasingham was alone in his house when the incident happened. Mr Gopalasingham’s mother, who was away visiting one of her relatives, found the body of her son, with hands tied behind his back, with injuries from severe beating and with gun shot wounds at her home in Paruthiyaddaippu in Kayts, when she returned home.
Two paramilitary cadres belonging to Karuna Group were shot by unknown gunmen while they were travelling through Karuvaakerni towards Valaichenai Sunday.
Meanwhile, SLN troopers cordoned and searched areas of Karainagar, Karungali and Madathadi area in Valigamam last Sunday between 12 noon and 2 p.m., but no one was arrested during the search. Residents were not allowed to enter or exit the cordoned area during the two hours of search. SLN sources told TamilNet the search was initiated on receiving information that armed persons were seen in the area.
A SLA soldier and a civilian were wounded in a claymore explosion targeted at an SLA truck in Neerveli in Jaffna Saturday last week. TamilNet reported an SLA soldier was killed in a direct clash that erupted at Selvanagar in Thoppur in Muttur Division of the Trincomalee district.
Earlier on that Saturday, a civilian was injured and several houses were damaged when SLA soldiers fired artillery shells from Kaddaiparichan army camp towards Ganeshapuram in Muttur east. The SLA soldiers had fired shells towards LTTE’s Forward Defence Line (FDL) in Ganeshapuram, entrance to the LTTE held Muttur east villages, but the shells had fallen about 25 meters away from the LTTE sentry.
