21 April
● The SLA launched artillery barrage on the villages of Paalamoaddai, Kunchukulam, Navvi, Puliankulam and Semamadu, in the Vavuniya district. No civilian casualties were reported.
20 April
● A SLAF Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was reported missing while on a reconnaissance mission over Kokkilai, Mullaitheevu. The UAV made a forced landing between Pulmoaddai and Kokkilai, but the SLAF failed to identify the location.
● Relatives of Gopalasamy Kosalan, 20, a fisherman from Swamiyar Veethy in Columbuthurai, Jaffna, who went missing on 13 April after being abducted by four unidentified men on motor cycles, say they saw him detained inside a SLA sentry post on Kandy road in Chundukuli, clad in army fatigues. The SLA's 51-2 brigade headquarters in Jaffna town, however, told the SLHRC that they had not detained any such person.
● The SLAF has stepped up bombardment on LTTE territory in Mullaitheevu and Kilinochchi districts. Ilankeswaran Pavusnila, 32, a female civilian, was wounded when SLAF bombers bombed Puthukkudiyiruppu 9th Division.
● Gunmen waiting in ambush after penetrating into SLA territory in Welikanda, on the Batticaloa Polonnaruwa border, triggered a claymore mine and killed two SLA troopers and wounded five. A SLA tractor transporting sand to fortify bunkers was damaged in the ambush. The SLA soldiers were returning with sand from Mahaweli River bed to fortify their positions.
● Armed men abducted a Tamil youth from his residence, took him to Valaichenai, Batticaloa, and shot him dead. Thangarasa Vinoth, 27, a carpenter by profession, was abducted from his home at in School Road, Peththalai, about 2 km from Valaichenai. Police alleged that the man was a member of the LTTE’s intelligence unit.
19 April
18 March
● Following a fire fight between SLN and Sea Tigers in the lagoons south of the Jaffna Peninsula the previous afternoon, the SLN imposed a fishing ban on fishermen from coastal areas of Pashaiyoor, Gurunagar, and Navanthurai. More than 3000 fishermen are affected by the ban. They were blocked from entering sea at the sentry points along the shores of the littoral villages at the southern shores. The SLN has informed that the ban will be in effect until further notice.
● Unidentified persons lobbed three hand grenades on SLA troopers posted near a fuel station at Iratperiyakulam, Vavuniya, killing a SLA trooper, injuring two troopers and a home guard.
● A Tamil youth allegedly killed himself taking cyanide after being arrested by the SLA in Mannar. He was identified by his National Identity Card as Vaithilingam Roshan, 27, of Muttur in Trincomalee. SLA soldiers took the youth into custody when he was travelling in a three-wheeler along Vankalai-Nanattan road. Later he was admitted by the SLA to the Mannar general hospital on a report that he had consumed cyanide when being interrogated. He died while undergoing treatment.
● Armed men shot dead a Muslim civilian at Poovarasanthivu in Kinniya, Trincomalee. A group of unidentified persons entered the house of Abdul Hassan, 48, a cattle trader, called him out and shot at him, killing him on the spot.
● A SLA soldier, S. Samankumara, 29, attached to 51-4 Brigade, shot himself at the Ariyalai FDL. A [perceived threat of imminent attack by the LTTE on targets in Jaffna has prompted SLA command to impose severe restrictions on soldiers visiting their families in the south and extended the stays of many. The suspension of vacation time for SLA soldiers and the resulting psychological impact is said to have resulted in an escalating number of deaths due to suicide among junior officers and soldiers.
17 April
● Four armed men shot dead a woman and a young man in a house at Kovilkudirruppu, Vaharai, Batticaloa. The men, who had come to abduct the young man, had shot dead the two when the victims had argued with them. The victims were identified as Ms. Muthaia Sivamany, 58, and Muthaia Baskaran, 27, a farmer by profession.
● Gunmen waylaid and shot dead a Samurthi Development Officer on duty at Urani in Pothuvil, Amparai, while he was riding his motor bike. K. Suthakaran, 27, attached to Pothuvil Regional Secretariat, was originally from Kalmunai, and was married in Komari.
● Kalmunai police arrested a Muslim youth who had in his possession a T-56 rifle that had gone missing when a police constable was shot dead at Kalmunai by unidentified persons late last year. M. M. Sarban, 27, of Division 4, Kalmunai, was arrested at his home.
● The parents and two younger brothers of Suntharampillai Ravikumar, 28, who was arrested last Friday and is detained at Kankesanthurai Special Police detention camp, sought protection with SLHRC in Jaffna, but the SLHRC took steps to place only the 16 year old brother in protective custody. Their parents and another brother had to return home to Kachai. Ravikumar's parents, farmers by profession, said they were subjected to continuous intimidation and death threats at their home by the SLA troopers following the arrest of their son.
● A Batticaloa man, who married and was living in Pokadi, Jaffna, has sought protection with the Jaffna SLHRC, fearing for his life at the hands of the SLA.
● Gunmen shot dead a motor mechanic near his house at Arumgathan Kudirrupu in Eravur, Batticaloa, while armed men shot, injured and abducted his brother-in-law at another place in the same village. Kanapathipillai Vasanthakumar, 25, a father of one and a motor mechanic employed at a motor repair shop on Eravur Main street, was shot dead about 50 meters from his house while he was returning from work on bicycle. He fled up to his house with gunshot wounds where he fell dead. His brother-in-law, Amshath, 27, a father of one, was shot injured and abducted. Originally from Kalmunai, he was married to Vasanthakumar's sister and living in Armugathan Kudirruppu.
● Armed men in a white van abducted Visuvalingam Mahendran, 27, of Mavadivembu area, a father of two and a labourer, between Mavadivembu and Kommanthurai in Eravur, Batticaloa, according to a complaint lodged with Eravur police.
● The parents of two men complained to Eravur police that their sons had gone missing after going to Eravur market last week. Armed men on a motor cycle abducted friends Subramaniam Sasikumar, 18, and Thanikasalam Mathurathurai, 19, of Vipulanandapuram, Mylambaveli, labourers by profession, as they were making their way to purchase goods at Eravur public market.
● SLA troopers at a sentry post in Allaipitti, Jaffna, shot dead a fellow trooper who was approaching their sentry post. They claimed they mistook him for a Tiger fighter on a recon mission who failed to respond to their queries. The troopers manning the sentry post were suspicious of the victim advancing towards them and had called for identification. The victim had continued to approach silently and the fellow troopers had opened rapid fire, killing him on the spot.
● Five civilians, including a school girl, died when the boat in which they were travelling capsized due to heavy wind in Valaichchenai lagoon near Santhively, Eravur, Batticaloa. The bodies of Ms. Maheswary Rasarathinam, 38, and Mrs. Puspharani Ailesapillai, 42, and school girl Ropathy Ganeshamoorthy, 13, were recovered. The incident happened when the victims, all from Santhively, were travelling in a fishing boat to visit relatives in the village of Thihiliveddai across the lagoon.
16 April
● An unidentified aircraft flew over parts of government-controlled Jaffna just after dusk. The aircraft passed low over Jaffna city centre and parts of Vadaramadchchi North and Valikamam. Sri Lankan troops in some areas doused the lights of their camps as the aircraft approached, fuelling suspicions it was one of those operated by the LTTE. Residents said the aircraft was different to those customarily operated by the SLAF and others said its flight route was one not usually flown by SLAF craft.
● Thirteen Tamil fishermen who went fishing in Mannar Sea are missing. Of the 13, eleven are from Vidaththalthivu and two are from Pallimunai. Relatives lodged complaints at Konthaththivu Police in Pallimunai that they went for fishing in the morning as usual but failed to return.
● The SLA in Valikamam west, Jaffna, conducted an intensive search, blocking all the roads in the villages of Pandaththarippu, Sillalai, Ilavalai, Vadaliyadaippu, Mareesankoodal, Saanthai and Piranpathai. No-one was allowed to move out of their house and all young men and women from the villages were taken to a public ground and paraded before masked men who identified them by nodding their heads.
● The SLA blocked all the key roads in Jaffna, including Palaly road, Kankesanthurai road, Kandy road and Point Pedro road, for nearly two hours and moved heavy military equipments and personnel to its FDLs.
● An appeal has been lodged with Sri Lanka's Attorney General to release Selvarajah Paheerathan, 26, an undergrad who was arrested by the SLA eight months ago in a cordon and search operation in the premises of the Jaffna University and later handed over to the Jaffna Police. He has been detained since October last year under the PTA. He has not been charged in courts.
● A pedestrian was killed, knocked down by a speeding SLA vehicle along Batticaloa Valiachenai Road at Maavadivaembu, Eravur. S. Kanthalingam, 66, of Uma Mill road, Kommanthurai was killed when a speeding SLA vehicle hit him. In a separate incident, a cyclist identified as Iqbal Sugumar, 28, a father of two, from Vishnukovil road in Kiran, died on the same spot when a motorbike collided with him. Another cyclist, Nagalingam Sureshkumar, 28, was injured.
● Four armed men, conversing in Sinhala and Tamil, entered the house of Chandrabose Suthahar, 32, a former editor of a Tamil magazine in Thirunavatkulam, Vavuniya, and shot and killed the father of one.
