June 27
A youth from Singainagar in Vallipuram, Vadamaradchy, Jaffna, alleged to be an Army informant, was shot dead when he was on his way towards Manthikai along Jaffna - Point Pedro road. Mr. Jeya, a driver by occupation, was followed by unidentified gunmen, after he came out of the SLA camp in Point Pedro town and was shot as he tried to run into Vallipura Pariyariayar lane.
A Sri Lanka police constable, Mr. Vithanavasa, was injured when a grenade was thrown at the police sentry point at the telecommunications station in the heart of Mannar town. In police retaliatory fire, two Tamil civilians were injured. S.Thiruchelvam, 52, and his wife Mariyanayagi, 46, have been running a grocery store in front of telecom station.
One LTTE cadre was killed when his unit confronted a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) deep penetration unit (DPU) in Vakarai, Batticaloa (see box story, p4).
June 26
A senior Sri Lanka Army officer, Major General Parami Kulatunga, the third most senior Army commander, was killed just outside Colombo by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle on Monday (see story p3).
The body of one of three Tamil youths arrested by the SLA during a cordon and search operation in Trincomalee on Sunday was recovered with cut and gunshot injuries Monday in Bharathipuram. The body has been identified as that of Baskaran, a mason by profession, from Kanniya Road, Anpuvallipuram. The whereabouts of the other two civilians arrested by the SLA are not known.
Three Tamil farmers of Bharathipuram, Trincomalee district, have been reported missing since Monday after they went to Aathiamankerni area in search of their cattle. Another Tamil civilian was reported missing in Periyakulam since June 25 after he went to the nearby jungle to bring firewood.
The owner of a welding plant in Vankalavadi, Velanai in Jaffna islets was shot dead by two gunmen who arrived on a motorbike. C. Yogeswaran, 55, who is alleged to be a supporter of the Army-backed paramilitary group, the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP), is from Nayanmarkattu area in Nallur.
Another senior EPDP cadre, who served as Jaffna Municipal Council member of several years, was shot and seriously injured by unknown gunmen. Manickam Kanagaratnam, 70, was shot outside his house near Aariyakulam junction along the Jaffna-Point Pedro road.
June 25
A senior member of the paramilitary Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) was shot dead in front of Jaffna Teaching Hospital Sunday. Mohammed Bazeer, 42, with nom de guerre "Simon," was originally from White Sand area of Trincomalee joined PLOTE ten years ago and has been working in Jaffna district.
An expatriate Tamil from Switzerland, who was in Valaichenai, Batticaloa district, visiting his family on a 2-week holiday, was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen Sunday. The victim, Vadivel Puvendran, a father of five, was visiting a relative''s birthday function when three men came to the house and took him away.
An unidentified assailant, using a 9mm pistol, shot and killed Batticaloa resident Mr Thurairajah Jogaraja, 34, at his home in Onthachchimadam, Kalawanchchikudi.
One police constable was seriously injured when unidentified persons fired at the combined SLA and police sentry located in the Mannar public playground. One of two Tamil civilians in a three-wheeler were injured in the retaliatory fire by the security forces and the other was arrested by the Police.
June 24
Two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were shot and seriously injured by unidentified gunmen on a motorbike, at Vepankulam, Vavuniya. Both succumbed to their injuries at Vavuniya hospital. They were part of a road clearing patrol on the Vavuniya-Mannar main road when they were attacked.
Two gunmen wounded a Police officer in Mandur, Batticaloa, near the Vellavely SLA camp. Separately, Kalmunai police said an SLA road clearing patrol recovered a claymore mine in Pandiruppu, Naippattimunai.
SLA soldiers entered Jaffna University campus premises by scaling the perimeter walls and threatened the students inside at gunpoint. Jaffna Campus Student Union and the International Federation of Students in Jaffna issued memoranda condemning the forced entry of the SLA soldiers as violation of student rights. “None of the other campuses in Sri Lanka are subjected to such military thuggery, and the Jaffna High Command should provide the reason for its soldiers'' entering the Jaffna Campus premises,” the memoranda said.
June 23
Sri Lanka Police, Special Task Force (STF) and SLA troopers cordoned off and searched Batticaloa town market area, near Batticaloa Police station. Tamil paramilitary cadres accompanied the security forces. No arrests were made.
Gunmen hurled a hand grenade at the Sri Lanka Police sentry point in Iruthayapuram, along the Batticaloa-Trincomalee road. Four police officers at the checkpoint fired indiscriminately after the attack. No one was injured in the incident.
Mr. K Kumarathas, 35, a news editor at Jaffna based Tamil daily Uthayan, was arrested by Sri Lanka Police in Moratuwa and held at the Mt. Lavania police station in Colombo for more than 10 hours before being released. Mr Kumarathas''s wife, two children, and the driver of the van he was travelling in, were also held in custody. The family had travelled to Colombo to attend to some personal matters. The Police officers refused to accept the Press Identity card issued by the Sri Lanka Government Information Department, Mr Kumarathas said after his release. The Police had confiscated his cell phone and barred him from calling anyone including his lawyer while he was in custody, he said.
June 22
SLA soldiers on a road clearing patrol discovered a claymore mine concealed in the shrub jungle along the Chenkaladi main road near Sellam Theater in Batticaloa. An SLA convoy that was to depart Batticaloa towards Polannaruwa later on Thursday may have been the intended target. Earlier, SLA patrols found two claymore mines in Aarumuhathan Kudiyiruppu and Mayilambaveli areas.
Rice mill worker Kanthasamy Thavarajah, 20, a resident of Palaiyadithorna in Santhiveli, and a father of a 16 day-old-baby, was shot dead by gunmen a few hundred meters from the Jeevapuram railway station. He had been abducted at a bus stop, while waiting to catch a bus to take him to work in a rice mill in Akkaraipattu.
Shanmugam Jeyaratnam, 39, a cow-herder, was shot in the head and killed near the local Vinayakapuram school in Kalmadu Road, Vinayagapuram.
Unidentified persons lobbed a grenade at the house of Mr. Ilayathamby Indrakumar located in Ellai Veethi Kanapathipillai village at Chenkalady, Batticaloa. The house was severely damaged but the occupants escaped unhurt. Mr. Indrakumar, the owner of a jewellery store, his wife and his two children were staying in the house at that time.
STF soldiers cordoned off and searched Akkaraipattu, Aalaiyadi Vembu, Vaachikuda, Naavatkuda and Kolavil areas of Amparai district. Soldiers had a target list of names and registration numbers of motorbikes, local residents said. Ten civilians were taken to the Akkaraipattu STF camp for further interrogation. Tamil paramilitaries accompanied the STF during the search operation, according to residents.
Gunmen attacked an SLA sentry post located near the Sebamalaimatha Catholic church in Columbuththurai, a suburb of Jaffna, hurling grenades and firing. SLA soldiers counter attacked but the gunmen escaped.
In Manipay, Jaffna, Sri Lanka military forces recovered two claymore mines each weighing 5kg and a T-56 rifle.
June 21
Three Muslim fish traders lodged a complaint at Eravur police station that they were robbed of Rs.83,900 and cell phones by armed men at the Punnaikuda Thalavai Road in the Batticaloa. The traders, Ibrahim Rahim, Mohamad Haniffa and Mohamad Sharif, were on their way towards Punnaikuda coast to buy the early morning catch when they were robbed.
Increasing number of robberies have been reported in June in Batticaloa and Eravur, police say. On 8 June, a jewellery shop in Eravur owned by Ramanathan Shanmugalingam, was broken into and an undisclosed amount of jewellery was stolen. On 10 June, the “Sannitha” jewellery shop owned by Ulahasekaran Sasikaran was broken into and jewellery worth Rs.10,45,000 was stolen.
Armed men, carrying T56 assault rifles shot and killed, Milred Roy Weld, 39, and seriously wounded his father Milred Weld, 64, at their home on Semakkalai Road in Jeyanthipuram, Batticaloa. Local residents blamed SLA soldiers from Jeyanthipuram camp. Residents said that the two were attacked by SLA soldiers after they came out of their house to inquire into the sound of gunfire from the army camp.
Three SLA soldiers, including a corporal, were seriously injured when an SLA road patrol came under gun and grenade attack along the Point Pedro - Chavakachcheri Road between Manthikai junction and Kalikai junction in Vadamaradchy, Jaffna. Two of them later succumbed to their wounds.
Two SLA soldiers were injured when their road patrol and unknown gunmen clashed about 100 meters from Vaddukoddai Hindu College in Vaddukoddai, Jaffna. The gunmen escaped. Residents and children at Vaddukoddai Hindu college fled the area in panic.
Arsonists, alleged to be SLA soldiers and collaborating paramilitaries, set fire to the office in the Liberation Tigers'' Kopay Heroes Cemetery, in Jaffna. The attackers forced open the main entrance, ransacked the office building, heaped the furniture and other photographs in the building, and set them on fire. The roof of the building sustained serious fire damage. However, memorial stones were left undamaged, residents said.
Two unidentified gunmen riding motor bikes shot and killed Sivarathnam Sasikumar, a businessman, in Negombo, just north of Colombo. Sasikumar was going home with a friend when he was shot in the head and chest police said. The killers are believed to be paramilitary cadres. The businessman, a father of one, was born in Jaffna and had been resident in Negombo for many years.
June 20
The body of an SLA soldier who disappeared from the Thatchanthoppu SLA camp Tuesday was found with gunshot wounds in shrub jungles in a non-residential area of Kaithady in Thenmaradchy, Jaffna, close to the SLA camp. Soldiers from the Thatchanthoppu camp found the body after a searching the area.
SLA soldiers found two claymore mines fixed in Eravur, Batticaloa district, targeting an SLA convoy. One mine was recovered near the Murugan temple at Mailambaveli and another at Arumugathankudiyiruppu.
Two armed men who arrived on a motorbike entered a crowded liquor restaurant in Kommathurai, Batticaloa, and shot the owner, Iyathurai Nirmalakumaran, 55. The killers were Karuna Group paramilitary cadres, who had been demanding money from the businessman, according to civilians in Kommathurai. Mr. Nirmalakumaran, born in Kopay, Jaffna, had been a resident of Kalkudah Road for 30 years. The father of four had been running the liquor restaurant in Kommathurai, near the Eastern University in Vantharumoolai, for several years.
A group of men driving a white van abducted Thayaparan Subaraj, 18, of Thalankuda in Puthukudiyiruppu, Batticaloa. Local witnesses said the abductors were paramilitaries belonging to the Karuna Group. In a trend that has terrified parents, more than 150 youths have been abducted in the last two weeks in Valaichenai, Mangkerni, Santhivelli, Kiran, Murakkotanchenai, Vandarumulai, Batticaloa and Iruthayapuram in the Batticaloa district, (see ‘Abductions’ p3).
Unidentified gunmen riding a motorbike shot and killed Jeyaraj Suthaharan, 24, at Urani within the Batticaloa police division. Suthaharan was cycling from Batticaloa to his home in Thiraimadu when he was shot close to the Urani SLA camp eyewitnesses said.
June 19
Two gunmen fired at the joint SLA and Sri Lanka Police sentry point near the Somawathiya, a historic Buddhist temple in Polonnnaruwa. The troops returned fire but the gunmen escaped. No one was injured in the incident. In a statement on their Peace Secretariat website, the Liberation Tigers denied any involvement in the attack and added they believed the attack is by “government of Sri Lanka operated forces aimed at creating ethnic tensions.”
The website further said that the Somwathiya temple attack follows the same pattern as the attack in Omadiyamadu, on 29 May, claymore attack on a bus in Welisara, on 6 June, and the claymore attack on a bus on June 15 in Kebitigollawe that are aimed at discrediting the LTTE. “LTTE denies involvement in all four of these attacks,” the statement said.
Thirteen fishermen reported missing while fishing in Mannar Sea with their boats on Saturday during a firefight between the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and LTTE returned to Vankalaipadu shore Monday evening. The fishermen, unable to return to the Vankalaipadu shore due to heavy fighting between the LTTE and SLN, had sought refuge in Vidathaltivu.
Two SLA soldiers were wounded in Nagarkovil, Jaffna, in a clash between the SLA and the LTTE. The Tigers said they counter-attacked after LTTE FDLs were targeted by SLA artillery fire. Civilian sources in Thenmaradchi, Jaffna, said artillery fire was initiated from SLA 52 Brigade headquarters camp located in Varani. SLA artillery fire initially targeted LTTE cadres doing maintenance work on their FDL positions in Nagarkovil. The clash lasted for 30 minutes.
Kathiravelu Subramaniam, from 7th division in Punguduthivu, an islet off the coast of Jaffna, was found with severe slashes in his home. The lower parts of his body, including his genitals were severely dismembered, according to local residents. Neighbours, who discovered the body of the 85-year-old man who lived alone, alerted Kayts Police.
A man, aged between 45-50, was shot dead by gunmen riding a motorbike between Lloyds Avenue and Arunagiri Road in Batticaloa. The killing took place 25 meters from a SLA sentry point. Reports said that the attire of the man indicated that he could be a beggar or a man with mental illness
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir jets flew over remote suburbs of Vanni at high altitude. Civilians reported hearing sounds of explosion and a Sri Lankan reconnaissance plane was also observed. The LTTE had earlier warned Colombo that they would be forced to retaliate if SLAF bombers continued to bomb Vanni. Sources in Vanni said the munitions dropped by SLAF are of the unguided variety and have fortunately not caused civilian casualties during the recent bombing campaign by Colombo.
STF troopers arrested three Tamil youths in Akkaraipattu town in the Amparai district and handed them over to the Police. The police said they apprehended another youth after interrogating the three youths. The youths were in possession of a T-56 automatic rifle, Akkaraipattu police claimed.
June 18
A volunteer of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), engaged in providing assistance to injured civilians warded in the Mannar district base hospital, was arrested by Mannar Police on Sunday evening. S. Antony of Alankulam in Mannar district and a father of two children, was providing help to the civilians who were injured in the attack on Pesalai church.
The LTTE said two soldiers were killed and their bodies captured by the Tigers when a group of SLA troopers launched an attack on the Tigers’ FDL in the remote jungles of Manal Aru, south of Mullaithivu. Two T-56 automatic rifles, four grenades, ten magazines and three magazine holsters were captured by the Tigers.
An attack was launched on the LTTE political office in Pavatta, in the interior west of Thirukkovil in Amparai district by STF forces and paramilitary cadres, reports said. The Tigers repulsed the STF and paramilitary cadres, according to Amparai District LTTE Political Head, Mr. Jeya.
More than a hundred military and paramilitary personnel participated in the penetration attack which was repulsed by the Tigers. The STF troopers also fired shells during the attack towards LTTE positions from Kanjirankuda STF camp.
Paramilitary cadres brought in 2 Army lorries continued to move around in STF controlled area for over a day after the attack, according to the residents. Around 30 paramilitary cadres were moving around Sunday morning in Vinayagapuram, Kanjirankuda and Thirukkovil areas. The STF personnel were remaining inside their camp while the paramilitary cadres were moving around, reports said.
Three paramilitary operatives were identified as ‘Parani’ from Komari, Johnsen Jeyakanthan alias ‘Pradeepan’ from Periyakallar and ‘Seelan’ from Thirukkovil. EPDP and new Muslim members of Karuna group were also observed in Kanjirankuda.
The LTTE counter-attack lasted for 35 minutes till the STF troopers with their paramilitaries withdrew from Pavatta, 2 km from Kanjirankuda where a STF camp is located.
13 farmers who were in their paddy fields were held by the STF men during the attack. They were released later. All traffic on Akkaraipattu Pottuvil road remained blocked till 10.00 a.m. in the morning.
Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission officials were asked three times to come and inspect the Pavatta office, Mr. Jeya said.
June 17
The SLN and SLAF conducted a combined live fire exercise along the Karainagar-Kankesanthurai seas, off the coast of Jaffna, for nearly 20 minutes Saturday morning. SLN ships fired shells from the sea while the Kfir fast attack aircrafts provided air cover, residents witnessing the training said. Families from coastal areas stayed indoors.
Fishermen from Valvettiturai to the east of Kankesanthurai and from Mathakal, Senthankulam to the west of the Kankesanthurai stayed away from going out to sea, a fisheries union spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, the SLA conducted a cordon and search operation in several areas in Valigamam including Kokuvil, Kondavil and Inuvil areas. SLA soldiers arrived in a number of heavy vehicles, blocked key roads and conducted house-to-house search. More than three hundred residents were taken to the Thavady camp and were released after their photographs were taken by the SLA.
Three Sri Lanka Police officers including a sergeant was killed in a claymore attack in Thuttuwewa, a Sinhala settlement in Vavuniya. The mine was fitted to a tractor with a water bowser in tow.
SLA soldiers killed a mentally-ill man riding a bicycle when he reportedly ignored their warning to stop in Santhiveli area in Eravur Police division, Batticaloa. But witnesses said the SLA soldiers first shot Kathamuthu Rajanayagam, 43, a father of three, in his leg, and after he fell to the ground, shot him dead at close range. The soldiers placed a hand-grenade by the side of the dead man to fake an attempted attack on the soldiers by the body, residents further said. Local witnesses gave written statement at the Eravur Police that the SLA soldiers shot dead the unarmed man. Tension prevails in the area as residents fear reprisals from the soldiers.
The Karuna paramilitary group abducted 11 Muslim dairy farm workers out of a group of 18, going out to work from the Muslim village of Thambalai, on Pollonaruwa-Sunkavil road, east of Pollonaruwa. The abductees were being held in the nearby jungles of Sinnavil, with ransom demands of 1 million rupees, relatives of the farm workers said. Thambalai villagers have managed to collect 100,000 rupees, and paid the abductors who then released 5 workers, and demanded 500,000 rupees for the release of four others - the paramilitaries released two of the workers, a father and his son, to communicate the 1 million rupees ransom demand on Saturday.
The abductees are detained and guarded by six armed paramilitaries in SLA uniform and one in casual dress, Thambalai villagers said. Local police, though aware of the incident, are not taking any action saying no complaints were made, villagers told reporters.
Three SLN troopers drowned in Modera Sea in Colombo when their patrol craft capsized Saturday early morning. One of the sailors body was recovered Saturday. When boat capsized six sailors were on board and three of the sailors were rescued unhurt. The craft was engaged in harbour security when it capsized.
SLA officials in Colombo said a suspected LTTE boat exploded near the shore 17 km north of Colombo town. State armed forces and the police also tightened security measures along the coastline and the commercial hub of the Colombo city following the arrest of the three persons by the Wattala Police in Panagamuwa area that Saturday morning.
Three suspects were arrested by the Wattala Police on receipt of information from Panagamuwa residents about sighting of a boat along the shore of the village. Two of them had swallowed cyanide capsules soon after the arrest, reports said. Later the boat had exploded, but some of the occupants of boat had escaped in the meantime.
Meanwhile, a bomb disposing squad of the SLA rushed to the coastal area in Wennapuwa in the Negombo district Saturday morning on receipt of information that two unaccompanied bags were seen along the sea beach.
An old woman was injured and over 40 civilians wounded when SLN troopers fired into a church where the villagers of Pesalai, Mannar district, had sought refuge. Four fishermen were also killed on the shores of Pesalai when SLN troopers attacked civilians after a naval battle with the Sea Tigers near Pesalai. Around 25 huts belonging to fishermen were also burnt down by the SLN troopers. (see report p9)
LTTE officials in Mannar said Sea Tiger boats moving in LTTE-controlled seas was attacked by SLN boats, and the Sea Tigers drove them back. Meanwhile, shells were fired towards Iluppaikkadavai in LTTE-controlled territory in Mannar from the Thallaiady SLA camp.
Twelve SLN personnel were killed and three “Blue Star” boats of the SLN were sunk in LTTE controlled seas in Mannar districts when SLN boats interrupted a Sea Tiger movement, LTTE media unit said in a press note.
Two Sea Tiger cadres sustained minor injuries in the defensive act, the Tigers said. Three of the four SLN boats involved in the offensive act were sunk and the fourth boat was damaged, the LTTE said. However, SLN officials said they estimated thirty Tigers had been killed.
The Sea Tigers recovered two PKLMG guns, 3 AK 47 automatic rifles, one MP5, two communications equipments and ammunitions from the SLN boats in the clashes.
Three fishermen from Pallimunai returning late Saturday after fishing in Mannar seas were severely assaulted by SLN soldiers and were taken to Mannar Hospital in critical condition.
June 16
Three Tamil civilians were shot dead, allegedly by SLA soldiers, at Periyakulam, Trincomalee. The youths supply sand to construction sites in Trincomalee town. They had left home Friday morning, but at around 2.30 in the afternoon they were found dead with gunshot injuries. The driver of the tractor was found lying on the steering wheel head down with bleeding injuries. He was identified as Babu of Varothiayanagar. Other two youths are said to be from Anpuvallipuram and Uppuveli, suburbs of Trincomalee town. A large SLA camp is located in the Periyakulam area.
A young girl was seriously wounded in Stanley Road, at a location between the Eelam People Democratic Party (EPDP) office at Srithar theatre and SLA 512 Brigade camp at Wellington theatre junction, in Jaffna town when an explosive device fitted cell phone detonated as the girl tried to use the phone. Investigations have not determined if the girl was an innocent user of the device or the carrier of the device with the intention of causing bodily harm to a designated target, reports said.
Meanwhile, SLA soldiers completely blocked off Stanley road and armed soldiers took up position at both ends between Ariyakulam junction and Wellington theatre junction in Jaffna, to facilitate visit of Douglas Devananda, the EPDP General secretary and government minister, to his EPDP office at Srithar theatre, in Jaffna town.
Sri Lankan military authorities in Colombo asked the foreign nationals working in International Non Governmental Organisations (INGOs) and journalists residing in Vanni to remain inside UN and INGO offices, NGO officials in Kilinochchi said Friday. Accordingly, foreign journalists visiting Vanni sought refuge in UNICEF and ICRC offices in Kilinochchi, reports said.
June 15
A claymore explosion struck a packed passenger bus killed 64 and injured more than 90 passengers, mainly Sinhalese civilians, near Kebitigollawe, Vavuniya. The Sri Lankan government retaliated by launching airstrikes against pre-selected LTTE positions and civilian targets (see story p5).
Unknown gunmen attacked a group of three SLA soldiers on a road clearing patrol along Kankesanthurai (KKS) road in Inuvil, Jaffna, severely injuring one. He later succumbed to his wounds on the way to hospital.
Another SLA soldier was shot dead during a road patrol by a gunman waiting in ambush in Neerveli, Valigamam east.
A Police officer in civilian clothes was shot dead in Jaffna town along Kasturiar Road near Kannathiddi junction by an unidentified gunman. Businesses closed and streets were deserted after the shooting.
The Liberation Tigers shot one DPU soldier and captured another on Batticaloa Lagoon, after chasing another two into the Pankudaveli jungle (see story p4).
Three policemen were wounded when unidentified men lobbed a grenade at the police sentry located in Pesalai, Mannar district. The injured were identified as Bandara, 44, Wijewickrema, 41 and Abeyaratne, 32. Police thereafter fired at random for about fifteen minutes. Fearing reprisals from Sri Lanka security forces, Pesalai families fled from their houses and sought refuge in Pesalai Our Lady of Victory Church.
June 14
Two Police constables attached to Ilavalai Police were injured when the pickup vehicle they were travelling in came under claymore attack. A SLA trooper on security duty at the Jaffna-Palaly road near Urumpirai junction seriously injured in a grenade attack. An SLA soldier on guard duty was shot dead by gunmen near Sattanathar temple Kalviyankadu junction along Jaffna-Point Pedro road.
Gunmen shot dead Philip Mariyanayagam, 56, near Kottady junction in the center of Jaffna town. Mariyanayagam, alleged to be a supporter of the EPDP, was riding a bicycle towards Jaffna town when the gunmen struck from behind and escaped.
Two SLA troopers were injured when the SLA sentry point located at the Nallur Temple Road and Jaffna Hospital Road junction came under grenade attack.
The body of a youth was recovered from the no-mans zone in Muhamalai with gunshot wounds. His mother identified the body a few days later as belonging to a 16 year-old youth from Point-Pedro. Sri Ravindrarajah Thineswaran disappeared from his Point-Pedro home two weeks earlier and complaints about his disappearance had been filed with the SLMM and the Jaffna Human Rights Commission by his mother.
Troops from the Sri Lanka Police, STF and SLAF cordoned off and searched Puthur, Thimilaithivu and Sethukkuda, suburbs of Batticaloa town. Batticaloa Police said they cordoned this area following information of the presence of gunmen in the area. But no one was arrested and no weapons were found during the house-to-house search and prolonged questioning of the villagers.
Unidentified persons shot and killed a homeguard, Vasantha Chandana Seneviratne, 22, in Mamaduwa, Vavuniya, and stole his T56 assault rifle. Seneviratne had been with the home guard forces for only 4 days.
June 13
Unidentified persons lobbed a grenade at furniture shop at Emil Nagar located in Mannar Hospital Road junction, damaging the furniture shop, but injuring no one. SLA soldiers manning the checkpoint at Hospital Road Junction fired indiscriminately after the attack, but again, no one was injured.
The driver of a truck was taken into custody on the accusation that he was transporting 72,000 empty fertilizer bags for the LTTE. Mr. Marimuthu Nallamuthu, 63, was arrested with a consignment of empty bags at Manatkulam, Mannar. Mannar Seed Paddy Association sells seed paddy to farmers and normally these empty bags are used to carry the seed paddy.
Two SLA soldiers were injured in three gun and grenade attack by unknown gunmen in Jaffna. One trooper on security duty at the junction of Jaffna-Palaly road and Amman road near Kantharmadam, Jaffna was seriously injured when gunmen fired at him. Another SLA soldier was injured by gunmen 1 km from the first incident along the Kachcheri-Nallur road in front of the Holy St. Benedict''s church. Reports also said there were two incidents of grenade attack on the Kopay police station in Jaffna, though no one was injured.
Members of Tamil auxiliary brigade on a road clearing patrol on Nedunkerni road, between Nainamadu and Puliyankulam, inside the LTTE controlled area intercepted a SLA Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) as they were fixing 3 claymore mines. Two Tamil auxiliaries and an SLA soldier were killed when both exchanged gunfire (see story p4).
A civilian was shot and killed in front of his wife at Natrapaalathadi, Batticaloa, allegedly by SLA soldiers. The couple were cycling from the LTTE controlled area in Vahaneri to Oddamaavedi when the attack took place. A sentry post of Sri Lankan homeguards and the army is located in Natrapaalathadi, between Ottamaavedi and LTTE controlled area in Vahaneri.
SLA soldiers cordoned off and searched Kiran, Korakalmadu and Santhiveli, villages surrounding the Santhiveli-Kirimuddi Pannai SLA camp, northwest of Batticaloa. The army arrested 9 people and after investigation released 4, holding 5 for further inquires. The soldiers conducted a house-to-house search and searched surrounding scrub jungle. Roadblocks were set and all vehicles and pedestrians were thoroughly searched.
Unidentified armed men lobbed hand grenades at Arumuhaththan Kudiyiruppu police sentry post, north of Batticaloa, in the Tamil-Muslim border area of Eravur, seriously injuring two police officers. The injured officers, M Vilanthalava, 35, and R Ranjith, 40, were admitted to Eravur hospital, and later were rushed to Batticaloa hospital for treatment. Following the incident, the Sri Lanka police indiscriminately fired at residential homes.
LTTE officials from Batticaloa said that heavy mortar fire was directed towards their controlled area from the Vavunathivu SLA Camp. Public transport from the LTTE controlled area to the Batticaloa town through Vavunathivu came to a standstill.
Two SLA soldiers were injured when unidentified men lobbed a grenade at a sentry post at Bharathipuram, Trincomalee. SLA soldiers fired randomly after the grenade attack and conducted a cordon and search operation in the surrounding area. Soldiers assaulted Tamils residing near the site and those travelling through Bharathipuram. Bharathipuram is a Tamil settlement along the Trincomalee-Anuradhapuram road, bordering Mihindupura, a Sinhalese settlement.
Work at a branch of the National Savings Bank in Colpetty, Colombo was suspended following a bomb threat issued by an anonymous caller, who issued the threat to the receptionist at the bank. Police and a SLA bomb disposal squad rushed to the location but found no explosive devices inside the building. Traffic along Galle Road was blocked temporarily while the Police and the bomb squad inspected the building.
A youth from Singainagar in Vallipuram, Vadamaradchy, Jaffna, alleged to be an Army informant, was shot dead when he was on his way towards Manthikai along Jaffna - Point Pedro road. Mr. Jeya, a driver by occupation, was followed by unidentified gunmen, after he came out of the SLA camp in Point Pedro town and was shot as he tried to run into Vallipura Pariyariayar lane.
A Sri Lanka police constable, Mr. Vithanavasa, was injured when a grenade was thrown at the police sentry point at the telecommunications station in the heart of Mannar town. In police retaliatory fire, two Tamil civilians were injured. S.Thiruchelvam, 52, and his wife Mariyanayagi, 46, have been running a grocery store in front of telecom station.
One LTTE cadre was killed when his unit confronted a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) deep penetration unit (DPU) in Vakarai, Batticaloa (see box story, p4).
June 26
A senior Sri Lanka Army officer, Major General Parami Kulatunga, the third most senior Army commander, was killed just outside Colombo by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle on Monday (see story p3).
The body of one of three Tamil youths arrested by the SLA during a cordon and search operation in Trincomalee on Sunday was recovered with cut and gunshot injuries Monday in Bharathipuram. The body has been identified as that of Baskaran, a mason by profession, from Kanniya Road, Anpuvallipuram. The whereabouts of the other two civilians arrested by the SLA are not known.
Three Tamil farmers of Bharathipuram, Trincomalee district, have been reported missing since Monday after they went to Aathiamankerni area in search of their cattle. Another Tamil civilian was reported missing in Periyakulam since June 25 after he went to the nearby jungle to bring firewood.
The owner of a welding plant in Vankalavadi, Velanai in Jaffna islets was shot dead by two gunmen who arrived on a motorbike. C. Yogeswaran, 55, who is alleged to be a supporter of the Army-backed paramilitary group, the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP), is from Nayanmarkattu area in Nallur.
Another senior EPDP cadre, who served as Jaffna Municipal Council member of several years, was shot and seriously injured by unknown gunmen. Manickam Kanagaratnam, 70, was shot outside his house near Aariyakulam junction along the Jaffna-Point Pedro road.
June 25
A senior member of the paramilitary Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) was shot dead in front of Jaffna Teaching Hospital Sunday. Mohammed Bazeer, 42, with nom de guerre "Simon," was originally from White Sand area of Trincomalee joined PLOTE ten years ago and has been working in Jaffna district.
An expatriate Tamil from Switzerland, who was in Valaichenai, Batticaloa district, visiting his family on a 2-week holiday, was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen Sunday. The victim, Vadivel Puvendran, a father of five, was visiting a relative''s birthday function when three men came to the house and took him away.
An unidentified assailant, using a 9mm pistol, shot and killed Batticaloa resident Mr Thurairajah Jogaraja, 34, at his home in Onthachchimadam, Kalawanchchikudi.
One police constable was seriously injured when unidentified persons fired at the combined SLA and police sentry located in the Mannar public playground. One of two Tamil civilians in a three-wheeler were injured in the retaliatory fire by the security forces and the other was arrested by the Police.
June 24
Two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were shot and seriously injured by unidentified gunmen on a motorbike, at Vepankulam, Vavuniya. Both succumbed to their injuries at Vavuniya hospital. They were part of a road clearing patrol on the Vavuniya-Mannar main road when they were attacked.
Two gunmen wounded a Police officer in Mandur, Batticaloa, near the Vellavely SLA camp. Separately, Kalmunai police said an SLA road clearing patrol recovered a claymore mine in Pandiruppu, Naippattimunai.
SLA soldiers entered Jaffna University campus premises by scaling the perimeter walls and threatened the students inside at gunpoint. Jaffna Campus Student Union and the International Federation of Students in Jaffna issued memoranda condemning the forced entry of the SLA soldiers as violation of student rights. “None of the other campuses in Sri Lanka are subjected to such military thuggery, and the Jaffna High Command should provide the reason for its soldiers'' entering the Jaffna Campus premises,” the memoranda said.
June 23
Sri Lanka Police, Special Task Force (STF) and SLA troopers cordoned off and searched Batticaloa town market area, near Batticaloa Police station. Tamil paramilitary cadres accompanied the security forces. No arrests were made.
Gunmen hurled a hand grenade at the Sri Lanka Police sentry point in Iruthayapuram, along the Batticaloa-Trincomalee road. Four police officers at the checkpoint fired indiscriminately after the attack. No one was injured in the incident.
Mr. K Kumarathas, 35, a news editor at Jaffna based Tamil daily Uthayan, was arrested by Sri Lanka Police in Moratuwa and held at the Mt. Lavania police station in Colombo for more than 10 hours before being released. Mr Kumarathas''s wife, two children, and the driver of the van he was travelling in, were also held in custody. The family had travelled to Colombo to attend to some personal matters. The Police officers refused to accept the Press Identity card issued by the Sri Lanka Government Information Department, Mr Kumarathas said after his release. The Police had confiscated his cell phone and barred him from calling anyone including his lawyer while he was in custody, he said.
June 22
SLA soldiers on a road clearing patrol discovered a claymore mine concealed in the shrub jungle along the Chenkaladi main road near Sellam Theater in Batticaloa. An SLA convoy that was to depart Batticaloa towards Polannaruwa later on Thursday may have been the intended target. Earlier, SLA patrols found two claymore mines in Aarumuhathan Kudiyiruppu and Mayilambaveli areas.
Rice mill worker Kanthasamy Thavarajah, 20, a resident of Palaiyadithorna in Santhiveli, and a father of a 16 day-old-baby, was shot dead by gunmen a few hundred meters from the Jeevapuram railway station. He had been abducted at a bus stop, while waiting to catch a bus to take him to work in a rice mill in Akkaraipattu.
Shanmugam Jeyaratnam, 39, a cow-herder, was shot in the head and killed near the local Vinayakapuram school in Kalmadu Road, Vinayagapuram.
Unidentified persons lobbed a grenade at the house of Mr. Ilayathamby Indrakumar located in Ellai Veethi Kanapathipillai village at Chenkalady, Batticaloa. The house was severely damaged but the occupants escaped unhurt. Mr. Indrakumar, the owner of a jewellery store, his wife and his two children were staying in the house at that time.
STF soldiers cordoned off and searched Akkaraipattu, Aalaiyadi Vembu, Vaachikuda, Naavatkuda and Kolavil areas of Amparai district. Soldiers had a target list of names and registration numbers of motorbikes, local residents said. Ten civilians were taken to the Akkaraipattu STF camp for further interrogation. Tamil paramilitaries accompanied the STF during the search operation, according to residents.
Gunmen attacked an SLA sentry post located near the Sebamalaimatha Catholic church in Columbuththurai, a suburb of Jaffna, hurling grenades and firing. SLA soldiers counter attacked but the gunmen escaped.
In Manipay, Jaffna, Sri Lanka military forces recovered two claymore mines each weighing 5kg and a T-56 rifle.
June 21
Three Muslim fish traders lodged a complaint at Eravur police station that they were robbed of Rs.83,900 and cell phones by armed men at the Punnaikuda Thalavai Road in the Batticaloa. The traders, Ibrahim Rahim, Mohamad Haniffa and Mohamad Sharif, were on their way towards Punnaikuda coast to buy the early morning catch when they were robbed.
Increasing number of robberies have been reported in June in Batticaloa and Eravur, police say. On 8 June, a jewellery shop in Eravur owned by Ramanathan Shanmugalingam, was broken into and an undisclosed amount of jewellery was stolen. On 10 June, the “Sannitha” jewellery shop owned by Ulahasekaran Sasikaran was broken into and jewellery worth Rs.10,45,000 was stolen.
Armed men, carrying T56 assault rifles shot and killed, Milred Roy Weld, 39, and seriously wounded his father Milred Weld, 64, at their home on Semakkalai Road in Jeyanthipuram, Batticaloa. Local residents blamed SLA soldiers from Jeyanthipuram camp. Residents said that the two were attacked by SLA soldiers after they came out of their house to inquire into the sound of gunfire from the army camp.
Three SLA soldiers, including a corporal, were seriously injured when an SLA road patrol came under gun and grenade attack along the Point Pedro - Chavakachcheri Road between Manthikai junction and Kalikai junction in Vadamaradchy, Jaffna. Two of them later succumbed to their wounds.
Two SLA soldiers were injured when their road patrol and unknown gunmen clashed about 100 meters from Vaddukoddai Hindu College in Vaddukoddai, Jaffna. The gunmen escaped. Residents and children at Vaddukoddai Hindu college fled the area in panic.
Arsonists, alleged to be SLA soldiers and collaborating paramilitaries, set fire to the office in the Liberation Tigers'' Kopay Heroes Cemetery, in Jaffna. The attackers forced open the main entrance, ransacked the office building, heaped the furniture and other photographs in the building, and set them on fire. The roof of the building sustained serious fire damage. However, memorial stones were left undamaged, residents said.
Two unidentified gunmen riding motor bikes shot and killed Sivarathnam Sasikumar, a businessman, in Negombo, just north of Colombo. Sasikumar was going home with a friend when he was shot in the head and chest police said. The killers are believed to be paramilitary cadres. The businessman, a father of one, was born in Jaffna and had been resident in Negombo for many years.
June 20
The body of an SLA soldier who disappeared from the Thatchanthoppu SLA camp Tuesday was found with gunshot wounds in shrub jungles in a non-residential area of Kaithady in Thenmaradchy, Jaffna, close to the SLA camp. Soldiers from the Thatchanthoppu camp found the body after a searching the area.
SLA soldiers found two claymore mines fixed in Eravur, Batticaloa district, targeting an SLA convoy. One mine was recovered near the Murugan temple at Mailambaveli and another at Arumugathankudiyiruppu.
Two armed men who arrived on a motorbike entered a crowded liquor restaurant in Kommathurai, Batticaloa, and shot the owner, Iyathurai Nirmalakumaran, 55. The killers were Karuna Group paramilitary cadres, who had been demanding money from the businessman, according to civilians in Kommathurai. Mr. Nirmalakumaran, born in Kopay, Jaffna, had been a resident of Kalkudah Road for 30 years. The father of four had been running the liquor restaurant in Kommathurai, near the Eastern University in Vantharumoolai, for several years.
A group of men driving a white van abducted Thayaparan Subaraj, 18, of Thalankuda in Puthukudiyiruppu, Batticaloa. Local witnesses said the abductors were paramilitaries belonging to the Karuna Group. In a trend that has terrified parents, more than 150 youths have been abducted in the last two weeks in Valaichenai, Mangkerni, Santhivelli, Kiran, Murakkotanchenai, Vandarumulai, Batticaloa and Iruthayapuram in the Batticaloa district, (see ‘Abductions’ p3).
Unidentified gunmen riding a motorbike shot and killed Jeyaraj Suthaharan, 24, at Urani within the Batticaloa police division. Suthaharan was cycling from Batticaloa to his home in Thiraimadu when he was shot close to the Urani SLA camp eyewitnesses said.
June 19
Two gunmen fired at the joint SLA and Sri Lanka Police sentry point near the Somawathiya, a historic Buddhist temple in Polonnnaruwa. The troops returned fire but the gunmen escaped. No one was injured in the incident. In a statement on their Peace Secretariat website, the Liberation Tigers denied any involvement in the attack and added they believed the attack is by “government of Sri Lanka operated forces aimed at creating ethnic tensions.”
The website further said that the Somwathiya temple attack follows the same pattern as the attack in Omadiyamadu, on 29 May, claymore attack on a bus in Welisara, on 6 June, and the claymore attack on a bus on June 15 in Kebitigollawe that are aimed at discrediting the LTTE. “LTTE denies involvement in all four of these attacks,” the statement said.
Thirteen fishermen reported missing while fishing in Mannar Sea with their boats on Saturday during a firefight between the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and LTTE returned to Vankalaipadu shore Monday evening. The fishermen, unable to return to the Vankalaipadu shore due to heavy fighting between the LTTE and SLN, had sought refuge in Vidathaltivu.
Two SLA soldiers were wounded in Nagarkovil, Jaffna, in a clash between the SLA and the LTTE. The Tigers said they counter-attacked after LTTE FDLs were targeted by SLA artillery fire. Civilian sources in Thenmaradchi, Jaffna, said artillery fire was initiated from SLA 52 Brigade headquarters camp located in Varani. SLA artillery fire initially targeted LTTE cadres doing maintenance work on their FDL positions in Nagarkovil. The clash lasted for 30 minutes.
Kathiravelu Subramaniam, from 7th division in Punguduthivu, an islet off the coast of Jaffna, was found with severe slashes in his home. The lower parts of his body, including his genitals were severely dismembered, according to local residents. Neighbours, who discovered the body of the 85-year-old man who lived alone, alerted Kayts Police.
A man, aged between 45-50, was shot dead by gunmen riding a motorbike between Lloyds Avenue and Arunagiri Road in Batticaloa. The killing took place 25 meters from a SLA sentry point. Reports said that the attire of the man indicated that he could be a beggar or a man with mental illness
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir jets flew over remote suburbs of Vanni at high altitude. Civilians reported hearing sounds of explosion and a Sri Lankan reconnaissance plane was also observed. The LTTE had earlier warned Colombo that they would be forced to retaliate if SLAF bombers continued to bomb Vanni. Sources in Vanni said the munitions dropped by SLAF are of the unguided variety and have fortunately not caused civilian casualties during the recent bombing campaign by Colombo.
STF troopers arrested three Tamil youths in Akkaraipattu town in the Amparai district and handed them over to the Police. The police said they apprehended another youth after interrogating the three youths. The youths were in possession of a T-56 automatic rifle, Akkaraipattu police claimed.
June 18
A volunteer of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), engaged in providing assistance to injured civilians warded in the Mannar district base hospital, was arrested by Mannar Police on Sunday evening. S. Antony of Alankulam in Mannar district and a father of two children, was providing help to the civilians who were injured in the attack on Pesalai church.
The LTTE said two soldiers were killed and their bodies captured by the Tigers when a group of SLA troopers launched an attack on the Tigers’ FDL in the remote jungles of Manal Aru, south of Mullaithivu. Two T-56 automatic rifles, four grenades, ten magazines and three magazine holsters were captured by the Tigers.
An attack was launched on the LTTE political office in Pavatta, in the interior west of Thirukkovil in Amparai district by STF forces and paramilitary cadres, reports said. The Tigers repulsed the STF and paramilitary cadres, according to Amparai District LTTE Political Head, Mr. Jeya.
More than a hundred military and paramilitary personnel participated in the penetration attack which was repulsed by the Tigers. The STF troopers also fired shells during the attack towards LTTE positions from Kanjirankuda STF camp.
Paramilitary cadres brought in 2 Army lorries continued to move around in STF controlled area for over a day after the attack, according to the residents. Around 30 paramilitary cadres were moving around Sunday morning in Vinayagapuram, Kanjirankuda and Thirukkovil areas. The STF personnel were remaining inside their camp while the paramilitary cadres were moving around, reports said.
Three paramilitary operatives were identified as ‘Parani’ from Komari, Johnsen Jeyakanthan alias ‘Pradeepan’ from Periyakallar and ‘Seelan’ from Thirukkovil. EPDP and new Muslim members of Karuna group were also observed in Kanjirankuda.
The LTTE counter-attack lasted for 35 minutes till the STF troopers with their paramilitaries withdrew from Pavatta, 2 km from Kanjirankuda where a STF camp is located.
13 farmers who were in their paddy fields were held by the STF men during the attack. They were released later. All traffic on Akkaraipattu Pottuvil road remained blocked till 10.00 a.m. in the morning.
Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission officials were asked three times to come and inspect the Pavatta office, Mr. Jeya said.
June 17
The SLN and SLAF conducted a combined live fire exercise along the Karainagar-Kankesanthurai seas, off the coast of Jaffna, for nearly 20 minutes Saturday morning. SLN ships fired shells from the sea while the Kfir fast attack aircrafts provided air cover, residents witnessing the training said. Families from coastal areas stayed indoors.
Fishermen from Valvettiturai to the east of Kankesanthurai and from Mathakal, Senthankulam to the west of the Kankesanthurai stayed away from going out to sea, a fisheries union spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, the SLA conducted a cordon and search operation in several areas in Valigamam including Kokuvil, Kondavil and Inuvil areas. SLA soldiers arrived in a number of heavy vehicles, blocked key roads and conducted house-to-house search. More than three hundred residents were taken to the Thavady camp and were released after their photographs were taken by the SLA.
Three Sri Lanka Police officers including a sergeant was killed in a claymore attack in Thuttuwewa, a Sinhala settlement in Vavuniya. The mine was fitted to a tractor with a water bowser in tow.
SLA soldiers killed a mentally-ill man riding a bicycle when he reportedly ignored their warning to stop in Santhiveli area in Eravur Police division, Batticaloa. But witnesses said the SLA soldiers first shot Kathamuthu Rajanayagam, 43, a father of three, in his leg, and after he fell to the ground, shot him dead at close range. The soldiers placed a hand-grenade by the side of the dead man to fake an attempted attack on the soldiers by the body, residents further said. Local witnesses gave written statement at the Eravur Police that the SLA soldiers shot dead the unarmed man. Tension prevails in the area as residents fear reprisals from the soldiers.
The Karuna paramilitary group abducted 11 Muslim dairy farm workers out of a group of 18, going out to work from the Muslim village of Thambalai, on Pollonaruwa-Sunkavil road, east of Pollonaruwa. The abductees were being held in the nearby jungles of Sinnavil, with ransom demands of 1 million rupees, relatives of the farm workers said. Thambalai villagers have managed to collect 100,000 rupees, and paid the abductors who then released 5 workers, and demanded 500,000 rupees for the release of four others - the paramilitaries released two of the workers, a father and his son, to communicate the 1 million rupees ransom demand on Saturday.
The abductees are detained and guarded by six armed paramilitaries in SLA uniform and one in casual dress, Thambalai villagers said. Local police, though aware of the incident, are not taking any action saying no complaints were made, villagers told reporters.
Three SLN troopers drowned in Modera Sea in Colombo when their patrol craft capsized Saturday early morning. One of the sailors body was recovered Saturday. When boat capsized six sailors were on board and three of the sailors were rescued unhurt. The craft was engaged in harbour security when it capsized.
SLA officials in Colombo said a suspected LTTE boat exploded near the shore 17 km north of Colombo town. State armed forces and the police also tightened security measures along the coastline and the commercial hub of the Colombo city following the arrest of the three persons by the Wattala Police in Panagamuwa area that Saturday morning.
Three suspects were arrested by the Wattala Police on receipt of information from Panagamuwa residents about sighting of a boat along the shore of the village. Two of them had swallowed cyanide capsules soon after the arrest, reports said. Later the boat had exploded, but some of the occupants of boat had escaped in the meantime.
Meanwhile, a bomb disposing squad of the SLA rushed to the coastal area in Wennapuwa in the Negombo district Saturday morning on receipt of information that two unaccompanied bags were seen along the sea beach.
An old woman was injured and over 40 civilians wounded when SLN troopers fired into a church where the villagers of Pesalai, Mannar district, had sought refuge. Four fishermen were also killed on the shores of Pesalai when SLN troopers attacked civilians after a naval battle with the Sea Tigers near Pesalai. Around 25 huts belonging to fishermen were also burnt down by the SLN troopers. (see report p9)
LTTE officials in Mannar said Sea Tiger boats moving in LTTE-controlled seas was attacked by SLN boats, and the Sea Tigers drove them back. Meanwhile, shells were fired towards Iluppaikkadavai in LTTE-controlled territory in Mannar from the Thallaiady SLA camp.
Twelve SLN personnel were killed and three “Blue Star” boats of the SLN were sunk in LTTE controlled seas in Mannar districts when SLN boats interrupted a Sea Tiger movement, LTTE media unit said in a press note.
Two Sea Tiger cadres sustained minor injuries in the defensive act, the Tigers said. Three of the four SLN boats involved in the offensive act were sunk and the fourth boat was damaged, the LTTE said. However, SLN officials said they estimated thirty Tigers had been killed.
The Sea Tigers recovered two PKLMG guns, 3 AK 47 automatic rifles, one MP5, two communications equipments and ammunitions from the SLN boats in the clashes.
Three fishermen from Pallimunai returning late Saturday after fishing in Mannar seas were severely assaulted by SLN soldiers and were taken to Mannar Hospital in critical condition.
June 16
Three Tamil civilians were shot dead, allegedly by SLA soldiers, at Periyakulam, Trincomalee. The youths supply sand to construction sites in Trincomalee town. They had left home Friday morning, but at around 2.30 in the afternoon they were found dead with gunshot injuries. The driver of the tractor was found lying on the steering wheel head down with bleeding injuries. He was identified as Babu of Varothiayanagar. Other two youths are said to be from Anpuvallipuram and Uppuveli, suburbs of Trincomalee town. A large SLA camp is located in the Periyakulam area.
A young girl was seriously wounded in Stanley Road, at a location between the Eelam People Democratic Party (EPDP) office at Srithar theatre and SLA 512 Brigade camp at Wellington theatre junction, in Jaffna town when an explosive device fitted cell phone detonated as the girl tried to use the phone. Investigations have not determined if the girl was an innocent user of the device or the carrier of the device with the intention of causing bodily harm to a designated target, reports said.
Meanwhile, SLA soldiers completely blocked off Stanley road and armed soldiers took up position at both ends between Ariyakulam junction and Wellington theatre junction in Jaffna, to facilitate visit of Douglas Devananda, the EPDP General secretary and government minister, to his EPDP office at Srithar theatre, in Jaffna town.
Sri Lankan military authorities in Colombo asked the foreign nationals working in International Non Governmental Organisations (INGOs) and journalists residing in Vanni to remain inside UN and INGO offices, NGO officials in Kilinochchi said Friday. Accordingly, foreign journalists visiting Vanni sought refuge in UNICEF and ICRC offices in Kilinochchi, reports said.
June 15
A claymore explosion struck a packed passenger bus killed 64 and injured more than 90 passengers, mainly Sinhalese civilians, near Kebitigollawe, Vavuniya. The Sri Lankan government retaliated by launching airstrikes against pre-selected LTTE positions and civilian targets (see story p5).
Unknown gunmen attacked a group of three SLA soldiers on a road clearing patrol along Kankesanthurai (KKS) road in Inuvil, Jaffna, severely injuring one. He later succumbed to his wounds on the way to hospital.
Another SLA soldier was shot dead during a road patrol by a gunman waiting in ambush in Neerveli, Valigamam east.
A Police officer in civilian clothes was shot dead in Jaffna town along Kasturiar Road near Kannathiddi junction by an unidentified gunman. Businesses closed and streets were deserted after the shooting.
The Liberation Tigers shot one DPU soldier and captured another on Batticaloa Lagoon, after chasing another two into the Pankudaveli jungle (see story p4).
Three policemen were wounded when unidentified men lobbed a grenade at the police sentry located in Pesalai, Mannar district. The injured were identified as Bandara, 44, Wijewickrema, 41 and Abeyaratne, 32. Police thereafter fired at random for about fifteen minutes. Fearing reprisals from Sri Lanka security forces, Pesalai families fled from their houses and sought refuge in Pesalai Our Lady of Victory Church.
June 14
Two Police constables attached to Ilavalai Police were injured when the pickup vehicle they were travelling in came under claymore attack. A SLA trooper on security duty at the Jaffna-Palaly road near Urumpirai junction seriously injured in a grenade attack. An SLA soldier on guard duty was shot dead by gunmen near Sattanathar temple Kalviyankadu junction along Jaffna-Point Pedro road.
Gunmen shot dead Philip Mariyanayagam, 56, near Kottady junction in the center of Jaffna town. Mariyanayagam, alleged to be a supporter of the EPDP, was riding a bicycle towards Jaffna town when the gunmen struck from behind and escaped.
Two SLA troopers were injured when the SLA sentry point located at the Nallur Temple Road and Jaffna Hospital Road junction came under grenade attack.
The body of a youth was recovered from the no-mans zone in Muhamalai with gunshot wounds. His mother identified the body a few days later as belonging to a 16 year-old youth from Point-Pedro. Sri Ravindrarajah Thineswaran disappeared from his Point-Pedro home two weeks earlier and complaints about his disappearance had been filed with the SLMM and the Jaffna Human Rights Commission by his mother.
Troops from the Sri Lanka Police, STF and SLAF cordoned off and searched Puthur, Thimilaithivu and Sethukkuda, suburbs of Batticaloa town. Batticaloa Police said they cordoned this area following information of the presence of gunmen in the area. But no one was arrested and no weapons were found during the house-to-house search and prolonged questioning of the villagers.
Unidentified persons shot and killed a homeguard, Vasantha Chandana Seneviratne, 22, in Mamaduwa, Vavuniya, and stole his T56 assault rifle. Seneviratne had been with the home guard forces for only 4 days.
June 13
Unidentified persons lobbed a grenade at furniture shop at Emil Nagar located in Mannar Hospital Road junction, damaging the furniture shop, but injuring no one. SLA soldiers manning the checkpoint at Hospital Road Junction fired indiscriminately after the attack, but again, no one was injured.
The driver of a truck was taken into custody on the accusation that he was transporting 72,000 empty fertilizer bags for the LTTE. Mr. Marimuthu Nallamuthu, 63, was arrested with a consignment of empty bags at Manatkulam, Mannar. Mannar Seed Paddy Association sells seed paddy to farmers and normally these empty bags are used to carry the seed paddy.
Two SLA soldiers were injured in three gun and grenade attack by unknown gunmen in Jaffna. One trooper on security duty at the junction of Jaffna-Palaly road and Amman road near Kantharmadam, Jaffna was seriously injured when gunmen fired at him. Another SLA soldier was injured by gunmen 1 km from the first incident along the Kachcheri-Nallur road in front of the Holy St. Benedict''s church. Reports also said there were two incidents of grenade attack on the Kopay police station in Jaffna, though no one was injured.
Members of Tamil auxiliary brigade on a road clearing patrol on Nedunkerni road, between Nainamadu and Puliyankulam, inside the LTTE controlled area intercepted a SLA Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) as they were fixing 3 claymore mines. Two Tamil auxiliaries and an SLA soldier were killed when both exchanged gunfire (see story p4).
A civilian was shot and killed in front of his wife at Natrapaalathadi, Batticaloa, allegedly by SLA soldiers. The couple were cycling from the LTTE controlled area in Vahaneri to Oddamaavedi when the attack took place. A sentry post of Sri Lankan homeguards and the army is located in Natrapaalathadi, between Ottamaavedi and LTTE controlled area in Vahaneri.
SLA soldiers cordoned off and searched Kiran, Korakalmadu and Santhiveli, villages surrounding the Santhiveli-Kirimuddi Pannai SLA camp, northwest of Batticaloa. The army arrested 9 people and after investigation released 4, holding 5 for further inquires. The soldiers conducted a house-to-house search and searched surrounding scrub jungle. Roadblocks were set and all vehicles and pedestrians were thoroughly searched.
Unidentified armed men lobbed hand grenades at Arumuhaththan Kudiyiruppu police sentry post, north of Batticaloa, in the Tamil-Muslim border area of Eravur, seriously injuring two police officers. The injured officers, M Vilanthalava, 35, and R Ranjith, 40, were admitted to Eravur hospital, and later were rushed to Batticaloa hospital for treatment. Following the incident, the Sri Lanka police indiscriminately fired at residential homes.
LTTE officials from Batticaloa said that heavy mortar fire was directed towards their controlled area from the Vavunathivu SLA Camp. Public transport from the LTTE controlled area to the Batticaloa town through Vavunathivu came to a standstill.
Two SLA soldiers were injured when unidentified men lobbed a grenade at a sentry post at Bharathipuram, Trincomalee. SLA soldiers fired randomly after the grenade attack and conducted a cordon and search operation in the surrounding area. Soldiers assaulted Tamils residing near the site and those travelling through Bharathipuram. Bharathipuram is a Tamil settlement along the Trincomalee-Anuradhapuram road, bordering Mihindupura, a Sinhalese settlement.
Work at a branch of the National Savings Bank in Colpetty, Colombo was suspended following a bomb threat issued by an anonymous caller, who issued the threat to the receptionist at the bank. Police and a SLA bomb disposal squad rushed to the location but found no explosive devices inside the building. Traffic along Galle Road was blocked temporarily while the Police and the bomb squad inspected the building.
