Britain has a moral obligation towards Tamils – as much as Kosovans or the people of Darfur.

Despite its track record on human rights and contempt for international laws and practices, Sri Lanka received USD 1.05 billion in the first five months of the year in foreign aid according to a fiscal report published by Sri Lanka’s treasury.

The report classed USD 959 millions as projects and USD 90 million as grants.

Although western donors have been threatening to cut aid to Sri Lanka because of worsening human rights abuses and escalating violence in the civil war, the report shows Sri Lanka had no problem attracting funds.

Iran has emerged as Sri Lanka’s biggest donor this year, knocking Japan from the position of being the war-torn island's main benefactor.

The treasury said foreign aid would have almost halved if Iran had not chipped in with USD 450 million to build a hydro power project and upgrade the island's sole oil refinery.

The Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project (UOMDP), to be funded by Iran, will provide 100-150 MW of hydro power and irrigate around 4,000-5,000 hectares of dry land near central Sri Lanka.

Other key donors included Denmark (USD 155.2 million), India (USD 109.2 million), the Asian Development Bank (USD 90 million), World Bank (USD 43.1 million) and Japan (USD 42.2 million).

Government of Denmark committed US$ 155 million for Kelani Right Bank Water Treatment Plant Project and Oluvil Port Development Project. Kelani Right Bank Water Treatment Project will improve the water supply around 350,000 people who are presently experience an unsatisfactory supply and provide new water supply connections around 100,000 people.

Danish assistance will be utilised to construct Oluvil Port as a transport and fishery harbour and thereby promoting the development in the Eastern region.

Government of India committed US $ 109 million. Of which US$ 100 million is to finance imports from India and US$ 8.5 million for the construction of a district hospital in Dickoya, Hatton consisting of 150 beds.

The balance US $ 0.5 million is for the improvement of facilities at Rural Vocational Training Centre at Nagawillu, Puttalam.

Asian Center for Human Rights (ACHR), a New Delhi-based human rights watchdog, in a rights report covering the South Asian Association for Regional Cooporation (SAARC), released Friday, said "Sri Lanka ranks South Asia’s No.1 human rights violator," adding, "Sri Lanka’s human rights indicators must be considered within a context of very high levels of impunity which tend to suggest a worsening over the human rights picture over the long term."

ACHR determination of ranking "is based on comparative assessment of records of the governments in 2007 on nine thematic issues crucial for enjoyment of human rights: political freedom, right to life, judiciary and administration of justice, status or effectiveness of National Human Rights Institutions, press freedom, violence against women, violations of the rights of the child, violations of the rights of the minorities and indigenous/tribal peoples and repression on human rights defenders," the report said.

In ACHR's analysis, "Sri Lanka scored the highest negative points for the right to life, the rights of the child, attacks on human rights defenders and violations of the rights of the minorities."

On press freedom, it [Sri Lanka] ranked No.2 violator only after Bhutan – which has no independent press – because of the systematic attacks on the freedom of expression and journalists, the report said.

"Discrimination lies at the heart of the problem and the introduction of restrictions on Tamils travelling to Colombo are a powerful symbol of government intent. The political ramifications of the exclusion - not least in terms of prospects for a peaceful settlement of the conflict - of an entire ethnic group from the nation’s capital are of deep concern," the report added.

Documenting that "540 persons disappeared across Sri Lanka from January to August 2007," the report pointed out that, "Tamils again suffered disproportionately from disappearances."

Criticizing the judiciary and the endemic lawlessness, the report said, "[t]he rule of law had weakened since the appointment of Justice Sarath Nanda Silva, former Attorney General and Legal Advisor of former President Chandrika Kumaratunga as the Chief Justice. Justice Silva has a long legacy of political, rather than legal, judgements and has regularly interfered with political processes in Sri Lanka."

Commenting generally on the worst rights violators that included, in the order of decreasing rank, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan, Maldives, Nepal, and India, the report said, "[d]iscrimination is endemic, institutionalised and in many cases legalised. Human rights violations are integral to counterinsurgency operations conducted by the military in the sub-region. Human rights are routinely violated in police detention including the routine use of torture. National security laws tend to be poorly framed, routinely abused and used as blanket cover to silence legitimate dissent rather than tackle security. These are not the assertions of one organisation but repeatedly confirmed by national and regional and international NGOs and the various UN bodies established to monitor human rights."

Asian Centre for Human Rights is dedicated to promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the Asian region, according ACHR's website. 

Iran is willing to share nuclear technology for peaceful purposes with Sri Lanka, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told The Island newspaper.

Mottaki, who was in Colombo to attend the 15th SAARC Summit told The Island, that Iran and Sri Lanka are long standing friends and Tehran was willing to assist Colombo in all fields, including uranium enrichment for peaceful purposes. He also called for the establishment of an Asia parliament on the lines of the European Parliament as a first step towards regional integration.

Around Hundred Tamils were arrested by the Sri Lankan security forces in cordon and search operations around Colombo and the south of the country in the space of 5 days. The arrests comes as a Supreme Court filing showed that about 1200 Tamils are languishing in Welikade prison without being charged.

On Monday August 4, 61 Tamil civilians were taken into custody in overnight cordon and search operations conducted by the police and the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in several parts of Negombo, 40 kilometers north of Colombo.

Although the police sources claimed that the arrested had been residents of North, East and upcountry in the central province, relatives of the arrestees told civil rights groups and activists that police had taken into custody several residents who had been residing in Negombo and its suburbs for several years and who possess national identity cards and valid documents to prove their identity.

Five days earlier, on Wednesday, July 30,  11 Tamil civilians were arrested in a cordon and search operation conducted from 6:00 a.m. till 10:00 a.m. in Mt.Lavinia area in Colombo division by the Police with the assistance of about one hundred members of the Civil Volunteer Force (CVF).

Police used sniffer dogs and metal detectors to trace explosives in vehicles and in public places, sources said.

Over five hundred vehicles entering into the Colombo city were subjected to thorough search during the operation. The search operation covered several areas including Ratmalana bus and railway stations and bus stations at Kattubedda and Mt.Lavinia, police sources said.

Police said most of the arrested had failed to prove their identity and provide valid reason for their stay in the location.

On the same day, 11 civilians including two Tamils and a Muslim were taken into custody in a cordon and search operation conducted by the SLA in the Gampaha town.

A day earlier, on Tuesday, July 29, 17 Tamils including three women were taken in to custody in a cordon and search operation conducted in Wellawatte area in Colombo by the police with the assistance of the SLA.

All of the detainees were natives of north and east provinces and had been working in shops and staying with their relatives, friends and some in lodges in Wellawatte to go abroad, human rights sources said.

Prior to these arrests, on Monday July 28, Sri Lanka's Supreme Court was told when the Fundamental Rights violation petition filed the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) was taken up for further inquiry that about one thousand two hundred Tamil civilians are still being detained in Welikada prison without any inquiry.

The counsel for the petitioner begged the court to take steps to release these Tamils, legal sources said.

The Chief Justice Sarath Silva, presiding over a three-member bench directed the Attorney General to appoint a special committee comprising a State Counsel and a police officer to expedite the inquiry against them, legal sources said.

The CWC has filed the FR petition against the indiscriminate arrest of Tamil residents of Colombo and suburbs without any reason.

The petitioner has cited the Defense Secretary, Inspector General of Police and several police officers as respondents.

The target of the artillery attack of the Sri Lanka Army in the early hours of Friday, August 9, in Mullaiththeevu was a residential enclave located within 500 meters radius of the Mullaiththeevu General Hospital, housing the Mullaiththeevu Government Agent (GA), the Medical Superintendent (MS) and many other government officials, who coordinate the essential services of the district. The attack was timed before a token protest scheduled for Friday by the government servants to voice against the killing of the Deputy Planning Director, Poonakari, in a claymore attack two weeks ago. TamilNet’s Vanni correspondent talked to the GA and the MS on Friday noon.

Both the GA and the MS, the apex officials coordinating administration, humanitarian assistance and essential services of the district narrowly escaped the artillery barrage.

The Government agent Ms. Imelda Sukumar and the wife and son of the Medical Superintendent Dr. V. Shanmugaraja sustained minor injuries in the attack that claimed the life of an 18-month-old child and injured many others.

The residence of the GA was just 25 meters from the hospital premises. The residences of the District Medical Officer, District Secretariat officials, the office of the Veterinary Surgeon and several residences of government officials were located in the enclave that was targeted by artillery barrage.

Ms. Imelda Sukumar said she was blown out of her bed around 1:00 a.m. when an artillery shell hit her residence. She was alone inside the residence at the time of the attack and chose to stay inside with injury till the shelling ceased, hoping that somebody would come to her assistance.

Until 8:00 p.m. Thursday night she was discussing with officials the token strike planned for the following day to protest the killing of the Deputy Planning Officer of the Ki’linochchi district.

She had instructed them that their protest should not disrupt the basic services in the district. Amid the insistence by her officials, who argued that they needed to express solidarity with the protesting government officials of the neighbouring Ki'linochchi district as the government officials in Ki'linochchi had earlier extended solidarity by protesting against the Claymore attack that claimed the life of a Mullaiththeevu District Secretary Nanthakumar, she had no other option than urging them to keep their protest as short as possible saying that their concerns had already been conveyed to the secretaries of all ministries in Colombo with English translations of their appeals.

Describing the artillery barrage, Ms. Sukumar told TamilNet that around 25 shells hit the area within 300 meters radius of the hospital. At least 6 of the shells exploded inside the residences. Scores would have died, had the area been densely populated, she explained. At least one shell continued to explode every 2 minutes and nobody dared to move out.

One of the last shells had hit the residence of the Medical Superintend Dr. V. Shanmugarajah. Yet, it was the MS, who came to her residence, just a few minutes after he himself along with his wife and 3 children, narrowly escaped from a shell that hit their bedroom, wounding his wife and a son.

The MS, after attending his family rushed to the residences of his fellow medical staff and the residences of the government officials located in the close proximity of the hospital.

The GA finally realised that she had an injury in her hand. While at the hospital, she witnessed a boy being brought dead to the hospital. His mother was stricken by shock. There were more than 15 wounded civilians, most of them women and elderly besides a child.

She also suffered from blood pressure after the attack and was taken to a peaceful location later.

Dr. Shanmugarajah gave exact figures on the casualties. One child was brought dead. There were 18 wounded. There was a pregnant mother among the wounded. Three elderly had fractions, one of them had to have a hand amputated by him. A child was among the wounded. He also had to attend the pregnant woman who was wounded in her stomach. Luckily, the womb of the mother had narrowly escaped from injuries, he said.

It was a miracle that many had narrowly escaped the barrage, he said.

Six of the patients had to be transferred from the hospital.

The GA also witnessed many patients evacuating the hospital area.

At that time there were around 100 patients warded in the hospital, which was upgraded to General Hospital status in November 2006.

This hospital is deprived of enough doctors and nurses. There are around 150,000 civilians depend upon the services of the hospital. Four MBBS doctors and one RMO serve nearly13,000 - 15,000 patients in the district.

The exact coordinates of the hospital were provided to the Health Ministry and forwarded to the Defence Ministry. The ICRC also has confirmed the coordinates, according to the MS.

Friday noon, when TamilNet correspondent talked to the MS, he was still waiting for the ICRC to come to the hospital to take an account of the episode. "The ICRC, which says it should serve the victims of war under any circumstance, is yet to come," he complains.

The GA admits that several humanitarian organisations were concerned of the security of their staff. The GTZ and the UNDP have refused to continue services due to security concerns, she says and adds that the ICRC, Solidar, OXFAM, CARE and several others were continuing amid security threats caused by the Claymore attacks.

"Everybody including the forces knows the location of the hospital. The facilities also carry necessary symbols marking the service places. Our DS vehicles are also stationed inside our premises." The GA relocated her residence along with those of her fellow officials to the present location after her residence was destroyed in 2004 Tsunami.

"I considered this place a secure location, I never expected such an attack" the GA said.

She also confirmed that the [Sri Lankan] 'security establishment' had the coordinates of her residence.

Under these circumstances, how far we can serve the people in the district becomes a question, she says. It is now that the people of the district need her services the most.

The government officials in the district already suffer from shortage of fuel and even batteries needed for torchlight.

There are 11,000 displaced families, including many who were already displaced from Maanthai East into Thu'nukkaay and Paa'ndiyanku'lam. Only one village exists in Maanthai East with around 500 families. All other families have displaced. 3,800 families had gone into Ki'linochchi, others to Oddisuddaan and Thu'nukkaay divisions. They altogether were forced to reside within five GS areas. Now they are again displaced and many of them don't have accommodation except under trees, the GS says. Most of them were heading towards towns (Ki'linochchi, Mullaiththeevu and Puthukkudiyiruppu) from villages.

The cultivation lands of six big irrigation schemes have been abandoned by the IDPs. 4,000 acres of paddy and dry land crops have been abandoned due to the displacement.

She had invited the NGOs and sought the assistance of WFP and the Sri Lankan ministry for resettlement to supply with food stock. Ms. Sukumar says she had secured food supplies till 15th of August. She was appreciative of the response by the ministry.

Dr. Shanmugaraja says that his humble request was that the Government should instruct military to keep 300 meters around the hospital as attack-free zone. "We seek re-assurance from all parties. The Government should cooperate with the continued safe functioning of the hospital," he said.

At least five civilians, including an eighteen-month of baby, were killed and more than 25 wounded in artillery and air-strikes on Friday and Saturday last week as Sri Lankan security forces stepped attacks on civilian population centers in Vanni, including 2 hospitals, in their ongoing military campaign.

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched an indiscriminate artillery barrage in the early hours of Friday, August 8 targeting the Mullaitheevu hospital. The artillery barrage killed an 18-month-old baby and caused injuries to 16 civilians, including the Mullaiththeevu District Secretary (Government Agent), Ms. Imelda Sukumar, who was at her official residence and Medical Superintendent Dr. V. Shanmugarajah's wife.

The Director of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Peace Secretariat, S. Puleedevan, blamed the Sri Lankan government for repeatedly violating the Geneva Conventions during its offensive.

Puleedevan condemned the Sri Lankan government for violating the Conventions by 'deliberate and direct targeting' of civilian hospital premises and the residences of its own officials who were also responsible for the humanitarian assistance and monitoring in the district.

According to medical officials in the area, one child and four females wounded in SLA shelling were transferred to Vavuniyaa hospital and the injured government agent and others were admitted to Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital.

Many civilians were seen moving from the area after the SLA barrage, which was launched from Manalaaru (Weli Oya) area.

On the same day, SLA also targeted another hospital in LTTE administered Vanni by launching an artillery attack targeting the area near Akkaraayan hospital, killing a 49-year-old internally displaced person from Mannaar, who was residing in Vanneari.

Sinnaththamby Arulanantham, 49, was killed on the spot at Vannearikkulam where three artillery shells hit the location of an IDP settlement. Two artillery shells hit the grounds 400 meters near the Akkaraayan hospital. Two more shells exploded at Aaanaivizhunthaan.

The attack in Vanneari and Aanaivizhunthaan in the Karaichchi division of Kilinochchi district caused the IDPs temporarily residing in the area to flee the area again.

A day after the attack on Mullaitheevu hospital, Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked a populated village, known as 'Redd Barna' settlement, in Visuvamadu around 10:20 a.m. on Saturday killing three civilians and wounding six.

A teacher and a mother were killed in Iranaippaalai located along the Puthukkudiyiruppu - Maaththalan Road in Mullaiththeevu district.

Amidst intense fighting and spiraling casualties Sri Lankan government in its latest attempts to beef up its security forces numbers announced another amnesty to deserters and warned that this would the last amnesty offered.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the powerful Defence Secretary and brother of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa appealed to over 10,000 soldiers who had left the military for various reasons during the past four to five years to return to fight "for their motherland", the Sunday Island Newspaper reported.

"This is a very decisive juncture when the security forces have got the upper hand and need all the help they can get," Rajapaksa, was quoted as saying.

"I request the soldiers who left the military to return without delay to assist the ongoing operations in the North," he said.

"We have spent a lot of money and time on training these soldiers professionally and they had subsequently left for personal reasons. We can expedite the process for them to return and all that they need to do is to come back," he added.

"The Tigers are in disarray - they are falling apart like a pack of cards and fleeing for safety leaving behind heavy guns and artillery as never seen before," Rajapaksa told the newspaper.

President Mahinda Rajapakse also made a similar public appeal for deserters to return to their ranks.

“We are in the last lap of a decisive war. Therefore, I am appealing to the security forces personnel who have not returned after their vacation to report immediately to strengthen the hands of the troops who are already in the battle field,” President Rajapaksa told a public meeting in Anurahdapura on July 26.

The Sri Lankan military has one of the highest desertion rates in the world and similar appeals in the past have not delivered expected results. According to military sources an estimated seventeen thousand have deserted soldiers are at large.

In their latest drive to persuade the deserters to return to ranks, the military also warned some 12,000 deserters that they will be arrested and court-martialled if they do not return.

Military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said the move was aimed at preventing more desertions and getting deserters back to the battle front. He said the government hoped the decision not to offer amnesty in future would reduce desertions and help bring the deserters back to service.

The military is looking at getting back some 12,000 soldiers who have deserted their ranks in the past two years, the brigadier said.

“All these years, we offered amnesty for deserters, because we thought it was better to have trained soldiers than training new recruits. Training is a costly exercise and it takes 16 weeks to train a new recruit,” Brig Nanayakkara said.

He said Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kandy and Kurunegala and certain areas in the south had been identified as areas where there were high numbers of deserters.

Access to thousands of civilians who have fled fighting between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the northwestern Mannar District between June and July was critical to prevent further hardship, according to UN officials.

As the conflict intensifies in Sri Lanka's north, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) called for urgent steps to ensure the protection of thousands of displaced families and unhindered passage for humanitarian aid.

The raging fighting in Vanni is driving civilians out of northern parts of Manthai West in Mannar and Kilinochchi's Mulankavil area. They are travelling further north into Poonagary and central Karachchi, also in Kilinochchi district. This follows population movements within Kilinochchi district earlier in July, with people moving from Manthai East and Thunukkai further north into areas like Karachchi and Oddusudan.

The UNHCR estimates that more than 12,000 families -- 60,000 people in total -- were displaced in July alone as a result of shifting frontlines.

"Although exact figures are still sketchy, more than 12,000 families are reported to have been displaced in July alone," said UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond, expressing deep concern at a press briefing in Geneva Friday, 8 August.

"Movements, including multiple displacements, are continuing as people move ahead of the shifting frontlines to avoid the cross fire and stay out of shelling range."

He added that UN access to the majority of 10,000 internally displaced families in Karachchi has been cut off south and west of Akkaryan due to relief workers' security concerns.

Sri Lankan security forces are blamed for the killing numerous aid workers including 17 working for French NGO agency, Action Contra Farm, in an execution style killing in August 2006.

Need for new sites

The displaced families are being accommodated in several areas in the Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts. A majority are staying out in the open. Some areas have reportedly exhausted their absorption capacity and four sites that were earlier designated and cleared in case of an emergency, could not be used as military operations moved closer.

UNHCR, local authorities and other agencies are distributing emergency shelter kits and tarpaulins to those in need and are looking into identifying additional sites to accommodate the newly displaced.

"We call on both parties to take immediate steps to ensure the protection of those affected; to allow freedom of movement for those seeking safety from the ongoing operations; and to ensure that the internally displaced are neither targeted nor located near military targets," said Redmond.

The call comes amidst Sri Lankan security forces step attacks against civilians. Sri Lankan Army and Air Force targeted hospitals and populous settlements killing 5 civilians and injuring at least 22, last week.

Supplies ‘Dangerously low’

Thousands of families displaced by warfare in Sri Lanka's northern region are in danger because of dwindling emergency aid stocks, Redmond said and appealed to the Sri Lankan authorities to allow unhindered passage for essential supplies as soon as possible, noting that strict restrictions on the transportation of goods into the region have prevented humanitarian agencies from replenishing dangerously low supplies of food, shelter materials, water and sanitation equipment, and fuel for the transportation of civilians.

The UNHCR spokesman appealed, "UNHCR is urging all parties to allow humanitarian access to the affected population, so that those affected can be provided with much-needed assistance in a timely manner and in line with international humanitarian law and practices."

Sri Lanka must act to prevent human rights abuses including abductions, the intimidation of media personnel and the recruitment of child soldiers as it fights a 25-year civil war against Tamil Tigers, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher told reporters in Colombo last week.

"We have been concerned about the continuing reports of abductions, disappearances, the detention of some people and reports of intimidation against the media," Boucher said.

"All these things need to be stopped. The government needs to take action against the perpetrators," he said.

Boucher was in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo as an observer at the 15th summit of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC), from July 27 to August 3.

Asked if the US was disappointed as the peace process between the government and the Tigers now seemed to have hit a roadblock, Boucher said, "We’ve had these periods before. It has not always been positive and with great momentum. We've had periods when it looked frozen, we've had periods when they were fighting and killing -- I hate to see it, I mean these bus bombings are horrible and the things that are happening to ordinary Sri Lankans and what they have to put up with..." reported Sunday Times newspaper in Sri Lanka.

However, he added, "Whatever is going on in the peace talks, the democratic government has a responsibility to all of its citizens. As military gains are made, as the areas are opened up and come under government control, all citizens in the area need to benefit from democratic government and respect for their human rights -- Tamil community, Muslim community."

"The government needs to reach out to them", Boucher said and argued, "It is pushing forward in military areas. It needs to push forward in political areas as well, in the end the political arrangements in the island need to have a place for all citizens", the paper quoted.

Sri Lanka was ranked the world's third deadliest place for journalists last year, after Iraq and Somalia, by the World Association of Newspapers (WAN), a Paris-based organisation promoting media freedom worldwide.

This year alone, 12 journalists have been attacked, with one hacked to death. Media groups say the government has failed to apprehend any of the attackers.

"We have made it clear we are concerned about the human rights situation here," Boucher said, saying reports of abuses should be fully investigated and legal action taken.

Boucher also urged Sri Lanka to demobilise its paramilitary forces and stop the recruitment of child soldiers.

THE Sri Lankan government claims its security forces are making gains in the military campaign against the LTTE in the north of the island, but the soldiers are suffering a loss of morale as a large number have been reports killed.

In recent weeks the Sri Lankan military claimed to have captured number of towns in Mannar district and killed scores of LTTE fighters in the battle field.

Last week the military said it had entered the northern district of Kilinochchi where the LTTE's administrative offices, including the peace secretariat are located.

Sri Lanka's army commander, Sanath Fonseka, said last month the LTTE would lose all its territory in less than a year.

According to latest claims by the Sri Lankan defence ministry 5,625 LTTE fighters have been killed by security forces since January, while 512 soldiers have died in combat within the same period.

Recent weeks have seen pitched battles despite the LTTE offering a unilateral ceasefire between July 24 and August 4 during the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit held in Colombo as goodwill gesture for the success of the conference.

Defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella rejected any possibility of a ceasefire or peace talks at this stage, saying this could only happen if the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were to lay down arms unconditionally.

"Surely, definitely, positively we are moving forward and we will not turn at any point," said Rambukwella, who is also minister for foreign employment and welfare. "Nor we will accept any ceasefire, nor any peace negotiations unless they accept preconditions that have been laid down by the government," he told a weekly defence briefing.

Analysts say the military had an advantage in the latest phase of the war given its superior air power, strength of numbers and swathes of terrain captured in the island's east. But they still see no clear winner on the horizon and predict the war getting bloodier in coming weeks and months.

This was evident in the high casualties the military suffered from in recent battles.

At least 30 SLA soldiers were killed and more than 60 troopers sustained injuries on Friday August 1, when LTTE defensive formations at Mallaavi thwarted a three-pronged offensive launched from Vavunikkulam and Paalaiyadi targeting Mallaavi.

The bodies of 3 SLA soldiers were recovered by the Tigers. An SLA vehicle, one AK-LMG with rounds, one RPG launcher with shells, a mortar, eleven T-56 assault rifles were also seized.

The SLA admitted 11 SLA soldiers were killed in the fighting and that 20 wounded in the clashes that took place on Friday.

Again on August 5, SLA suffered heavy losses when it tried to break through LTTE defences at Vellaangkulam and  Paalamoaaddai front in Vavuniyaa with at least 10 SLA soldiers killed in Paalamoaddai alone.

The LTTE recovered two bodies of Sri Lanka Army soldiers, including one of an 18-year-old soldier, following intense fighting on Sunday in Vellaangkulam and seized a RPG Launcher, a T-56 assault rifle, ammunitions and accessories.

According to Sri Lankan media reports LTTE have deployed around 700 elite troops from the Charles Antony and Imran-Pandiyan brigades around Mallavi, signalling more fighting in this area in coming days.

An independent Tamil Eelam is the solution to the Sri Lankan crisis, decided a majority of voters in a Tamil Nadu poll last week.

54.25% of the respondents said that they have always supported the Tigers and their goal of a separate Tamil homeland in Sri Lanka, in the results of a survey published in last week's Ananda Vikadan, which tops the circulation among weeklies in Tamil Nadu, said that

Although it is known that support for the Tigers is rising in Tamil Nadu, as seen from the large attendance of people, especially youths in meetings addressed by pro-Tiger leaders like Vaiko, the amount of support for the banned outfit, revealed in a survey conducted by a media group, which is considered respected for its neutrality is quiet stunning, reported The Statesman.

The fact that the magazine chose to publish the results showing support for a banned organisation is itself surprising, the Indian published Statesman publication noted. The outcome of the poll and its appearance in an influential media, foretell shifting paradigms in Tamil Nadu scenario, assessed TamilNet.

Out of 12 issues raised by the weekly, 4 gained absolute majority opinions: India to retrieve Kachchatheevu from Sri Lanka (65.76%), urging India to involve in Sri Lankan crisis (62.9%), independent Tamil Eelam as correct solution (55.44%) and support to LTTE (54.25%).

To a question on continuing the ban on the LTTE, 47.65% respondents wanted the ban to be lifted, while 27.43% were for continuing it. The rest of the respondents said that the Centre should wait for some time before thinking of lifting the ban.

83 percent of the respondents held LTTE chief Velupillai Pirapaharan responsible for the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. However, about 50% of those convinced of LTTE's hand in the assassination felt that Pirapaharan should be condoned, the survey claimed.

To a query on the growth of LTTE as an organisation with air capabilities, 46.24% of the people felt that it was a matter of pride for Tamils, while only 18.59% said that it was dangerous for India's security. The rest did not have any opinion.

While 55.44% favoured a separate Tamil homeland for Sri Lankan Tamils as the only solution for the conflict in the island, 34.63% of respondents said that an autonomous state for Tamils within a federal structure would solve the problem.

Only 13.61% of the respondents said that the pro-LTTE stand of Tamil Nadu leaders like Vaiko and Nedumaran was dangerous, while 49.36% of them felt that it was correct. About the stand of Tamil Nadu’s leading DMK on the Sri Lankan issue, 47.48% said the ruling party should support the Tigers without worrying about losing its government, while 22.71% of the people said that the DMK should oppose the Tigers.

A considerable number of voters (43.14%) disagreed with LTTE's assassinations of dissenting Tamil politicians, while the remaining either felt that it was inevitable or that they were not in a position to pass a judgment.

Most of the respondents, 62.59%, favoured India's intervention in the conflict. An overwhelming majority of 79.28% favoured release of Nalini, convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

The survey taken at a time when resentment against the Sri Lankan government was high due to the killing of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy, found that a large number of people, 65.76%, supported the retrieval of Katchatheevu island, ceded to Sri Lanka, and 29.65% said the Indian navy should attack the Sri Lankan navy if Tamil Nadu fishermen were fired at.

On the fishermen issue, 34.89% of people favoured a dialogue with the Sri Lankan government, while 35.44% said that India should raise the issue at the international forum.

The weekly said that it approached 4195 people, selecting them from various areas and sections and asserted that it is a true reflection of the people's mood in Tamil Nadu about issues concerning Sri Lankan Tamils.

Tamils across the world gathered to commemorate the 25^th anniversary of Black July, the week in 1983 that saw a state sponsored pogrom kill over 3,000 of them killed in Sri Lanka.

Events were held in the US, UK, Canada, South Africa, Netherlands, Australia, and New Zealand, among other countries.

Over 2,000 British Tamils gathered in front of the parliament last Wednesday to commemorate the deaths during that week of violence in Sri Lanka in July 1983. Age, religion, and gender were no barrier as the whole spectrum of Tamils, from grandparents to babies in push chairs, attended the candlelight vigil between 8pm and 10pm.

Although the British parliament was in recess, a few parliamentarians turned up to show their support. Leaflets were handed out during rush hour at various points to raise awareness among the British Public of the continuous human rights violations carried out by the Sri Lankan government.  

In Canada approximately 350 people filled the Nepean City Hall, Ben Franklin Place, Ottawa, to capacity last Wednesday. The event was marked by a minute of silence for the victims who lost their lives in the pogrom and was followed by the Canadian national anthem sung by children.

Thanks were given to the people and the countries that helped the victims of Black July and those displaced by the pogrom. Canada was thanked by many speakers for opening its doors to over 250,000 Tamils fleeing Sri Lanka after July 1983.

Prayers were held by multi-faith religious leaders for those who lost their lives during the pogrom.

An audio visual presentation on the Black July pogrom was made, in which the recorded footage of the actual events and testimonials from some of the victims were presented.

Victim Testimonials were also presented by prominent community members on their personal harrowing experiences during those fateful days in July.

Members of the Tamil community overwhelmingly signed up for blood donation under the "partner for life" national campaign in gratitude for the kindness offered by Canada in providing a safe haven for Tamils

Also on Wednesday, Tamils in Netherlands gathered in Amsterdam to commemorate Black July. The event, jointly organised by the Tamil Women’s Organisation and the Tamil Youth Organisation, included a photo exhibition showing the suffering of Tamils at the hands of successive Sri Lankan governments and a street drama by the youth to provide further explanation to the locals who were observing.

People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL), a US-based advocacy group, held a rally at Russell Senate Park, Washington, last Thursday and the rally was attended by over 600 participants from several U.S States.

Two U.S. Congress members, through letters of support read at the rally, recognized the American Tamils' effort highlighting the human rights crisis in Sri Lanka.

The rally was held in partnership with the U.S. Campaign for Burma (USCB), which commemorated the “8.8.88 Uprising” in Burma, in which thousands of peaceful protestors calling for the restoration of democracy were killed by that country’s armed forces.

Participants called for the U.S. government’s help in ending the human rights crisis in Sri Lanka by advocating for U.N. human rights monitors on the ground.

The rally concluded with a vigil to commemorate the victims of Black July, in which survivors of the pogrom shared their experiences.

Others read the testimonials of survivors, performed commemorative songs and recited poems in honour of the victims.

More than 600 South African Tamils assembled at the Kharwastan Temple Hall in Chatsworth,South Africa to observe the 25th anniversary of Black July on Friday, 25 July.

African National Congress (ANC) Member of Parliament, Sisa Njikelana from Gauteng Province, delivered the key note speech, comparing developing situation in Sri Lanka to those in Rwanda and Brundi.

An audio visual presentation of events that unfolded in July 1983, and clippings illustrating the human rights violations against the Tamil people were shown to the audience. South African Tamil youths gave dance and music programs that included Tamil Eelam songs.

Asserting that South Africans are prepared to express their opinions publicly, Mr Sisa said: "[t]he looming tragedy of global inertia in situations such as Sri Lankan conflict is a matter of grave concern. The same occurred in Rwanda and Burundi – the world was just watching and dilly-dallying whilst humans were butchering each other. There are times whereby my observation leads to one conclusion i.e. the conflict in Sri Lanka is not a priority to some of the key global players and therefore may just have to be “shelved” for the time being."

Australian Tamils held three events, beginning with a rally at the heart of Sydney Friday morning, followed by a protest meeting, and on Saturday afternoon a photographic exhibition in Melbourne at the State Library Forecourt, opposite the Melbourne Central Railway Station.

More than 200 Australians assembled in Sydney City on Friday to protest the Sri Lankan State sponsored genocide towards Sri Lanka's Tamils.

Police cordoned off main roads in the city as the demonstrators made their way beating drums at 10:30 a.m. Covering their mouths with black cloths to symbolise the oppressed cries of the Tamils' and participants finished the demonstration with the cries of "The charge is genocide; the struggle is for freedom!"

The rally shut down several key transport arteries as it moved from State Parliament House towards Sydney Town Hall.

The rally commenced with a testimony from Mrs Nalayini Santhra who shared her experience of Black July, where rioters supported by the government threw burning tyres upon her father and brother, burning them alive. She was 17 years old at the time.

After the rally, participants moved to the Sydney suburb of Burwood, and assembled at Burwood Park, where many Tamil organisations of Sydney, under the leadership of the Australasian Federation of Tamil Associations, held a peaceful protest meeting held from 12 – 2 pm.

Speaking at the event representing the Eelam Tamil Association, Dr. Victor Rajakulendran said, “Eelam Tamil association believes, a political solution, recognising the Tamils of Sri Lanka as a Nation, their entitlement to claim the territory they have historically occupied as their homeland and their right to self-determination can only, put an end to this, 60 years long suffering of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka. Therefore on this important day for the Tamils, I appeal to the Australian government and all the peace loving Australians, to make every effort to find that political solution and save the Tamils in Sri Lanka from State sponsored Terrorism.”

On Saturday afternoon Tamils in Melbourne gathered at the State Library Four Court, in front of the Melbourne Central Railway Station to commemorate Black July and draw the attention of the Australian public to the plight of Tamil people in Sri Lanka.

A photographic and video exhibition organised at the steps of the Library Four Court attracted the attention of the Australian public. A Tamil youth band provided the entertainment at the exhibition site.

In New Zealand also the New Zealand Tamil Medical Association (NZTMA) and the Tamil Youth Organistion (TYO-New Zealand) organised a blood donation drive, and on Friday held a vigil marking the event.