July 11
One Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier was killed and two injured in a claymore mine blast on the Kodikamam - Pt.Pedro road in the Jaffna peninsula. The blast, 500 metres from the Kodikamam junction, targeted SLA troops on a road clearing operation.
The body of a young man was found with gunshot injuries at Gurunathar Shop Road in Alaiyadivembu, Ampara District. The victim was identified as Veluppillai Mohanarasa, 25, from Kolavil.
Two Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) crafts and a Sea Tiger boat exchanged fire in Kilali seas for more than 15 minutes Tuesday. The SLN said a Sea Tiger dinghy with 4 crew was destroyed and no SLN vessel was damaged. The LTTE has not commented.
The LTTE’s Amparai District political head complained to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that Special Task Force (STF) troopers based at Kanchirankuda camp fired barrages of 81 mm mortar shells on residential areas of Kanchikudichaaru in LTTE controlled Amparai District.
July 10
A member of the paramilitary People’s Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) was shot dead at a cycle park operated by the group in front of the Jaffna Hospital. Sources in Jaffna told TamilNet the man was a Sri Lankan army informant.
A group of SLA soldiers on patrol in Sooriyakaddaiakadu in Nanattan, Mannar, fired at an unidentified person placing a claymore mine on their route, but he escaped. Thereafter SLA soldiers had launched a cordon and search operation in the area. During the search operation the soldiers were attacked with a grenade and gunfire. Later the Police claimed they found the body in a paddy field two hundred yards away from the Nanattan PS office building. Police said they also recovered a T 56 rifle, a micro-pistol and a grenade near the body.
SLA troopers came under gunfire for the second time around 12:30 p.m. when they continued their search operation. They retaliated and later found a person with gunshot injuries on his head at Rasool Puthuveli located about one and half km off Nanattan. The troopers told police that they had recovered a micro-pistol and a grenade, also from this youth.
In the wake of international pressure over extra-judicial killings by the military, local residents say weapons are being planted on innocent Tamil youth murdered by Sri Lankan troops.
July 9
Jaffna Additional Magistrate Srinithi Nandasegaran’s official car, with her 10-year-old son and a police guard on board, was threatened by armed Sri Lankan troops on Palaly road, Jaffna. The SLA troopers followed the Magistrate’s familiar official vehicle in an auto-rickshaw, but gave up when they did not find Mrs Nandasegaran in the car, which was transporting her son to a tuition centre near Parameswara junction from her residence on Rakka Road. The driver of Ms Nandasegaran’s vehicle said that recently he has been harassed by SLA men who had sought details of Nandasegaran’s routines.
M. I. M. Nizar, 31, body guard of Digamadulla District Member of Parliament and Deputy Minister, Anver Ismail, of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Front (UPFA) was shot dead by two unidentified men riding a motor bike near the MP’s house in Amparai. Nizar was shot after an evening meeting at the MP’s home by gunmen who escaped.
Seenithamby Sellan, 32, involved in liquor business, was abducted near Mankerny SLA Camp, by Army-backed paramilitaries. Sellan, father of 3 children was travelling in a bus to his home in Vammyvedduvan, Vakarai, when he was abducted.
July 8
A former member of paramilitary PLOTE was shot and seriously injured by unknown gunmen in front of the Jaffna Teaching Hospital. Rasa Premkumar, 32, is the third ex-militant who has been attacked near the same area in the past two months – the other two died in the attacks. The latest shooting occurred inside an SLA High Security Zone (HSZ), with SLA sentry points located to the east and west, and a Sri Lanka Police station located 200 meters away. SLA’s 51-2 brigade head quarters is located behind the nearby Hospital.
The body of a mason working in a housing development for tsunami victims was found with severe assault injuries in Polikandy, Vadamaradchy. Rasiah Muraleeswaran, 42, from Meesalai East was a resident mason at the Nilavan Kudiyiruppu Housing scheme funded by FORUT. Another mason, Mr Rajani, 26, from Jaffna Islet of Punguduthivu, working on the same Housing Project, has mysteriously disappeared. The Housing project is located inside a HSZ under 24-hour surveillance by the SLA.
Two SLA troops were injured when unknown gunmen attacked soldiers on street patrol near Methaikadai Junction, south of Point Pedro town.
Another soldier was injured in a firefight lasting five minutes between gunmen and SLA troops in Kachchai, Thenmaradchy.
A decomposed body washed ashore near Allaipiddy Kovilady beach in the Jaffna islets, but it was not possible to immediately establish the identity and sex of the deceased due to its decayed state.
The LTTE arrested a cadre of the Army-backed paramilitary Karuna Group inside the LTTE held Eachchilampathu division in Trincomalee district. The man, identified as Jeya of Puthur, Kathiraveli in Batticaloa district, was in possession of a claymore mine, a roll of wire and detonator at that time of his arrest. Under interrogation, he said that he had been sent to penetrate into LTTE held Eachchilampathu in a clandestine mission to target LTTE senior leaders in the area. The cadre was later questioned by SLMM representatives.
July 7
Unidentified gunmen shot dead a Muslim civilian, Mohamed Wahid Ali, 41, at Ganesh Lane in Palaiyootu, a suburb off Trincomalee. The victim was taking his son to a pre-school located close to his residence when two persons on a motorbike shot him.
Dozens of underage youths were abducted Army-backed paramilitary cadres from the villages of Thivuchenai, Karuppalai, Sorivil and Sevanapitty in Batticaloa district (see story page 13).
A building worker was shot and wounded by unidentified gunmen with a 9mm pistol in Karuwakerny. Mr. Muththulingam Parameshwaran, 21, was shot while returning from work in bicycle.
July 6
A feared SLN Chief Petty Officer succumbed to his wounds after being shot in Jaffna. Unidentified men, waiting in ambush, fired at the officer and his bodyguard attached to the Thurayoor camp in the Jaffna islet of Velanai. Residents who allege the officer was one of the key personalities involved in extra-judicial killings in Jaffna islets. Tension prevailed in the area and the SLN conducted a search operation in and around the area where the official was attacked.
Kasdeen Amir, of Thoppur in Muttur, was shot dead by unidentified men when he was at Selvanagar. He was admitted to the Muttur district hospital immediately but he succumbed to injuries.
July 5
Four Sri Lanka Police constables deployed on security duty at the paramilitary Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) office-cum-camp in Chunnakam, Jaffna, were seriously injured when unknown assailants hurled several hand grenades inside the building, which is located adjoining the Chunnakam Police Station and the Chunnakam SLA camp.
A SLA soldier was seriously injured by a grenade thrown at his road patrol on Jaffna-KKS Road near Chunnakam junction.
SLA troops and gunmen exchanged gunfire for more than five minutes near Udupiddy junction SLA sentry point in Vadamaradchy. There were no injuries among local residents who now don’t leave their homes after dark.
Also, unknown assailants hurled a hand grenade at the SLA troops on security duty near Jaffna Hindu College, but it did not explode.
A SLA soldier was killed in a claymore explosion in Pirappamadu area in Vavuniya. The soldier was engaged in a street patrol when the explosion occurred. The seriously injured soldier died on his way to hospital.
July 4
Ambalavanar Punithavathy, 43, from Uduvil, Jaffna, was shot dead reportedly after being raped. Assailants who forcibly entered the unmarried woman’s home told the occupants that they had come to search the house and attacked her elderly mother before raping the woman, residents said.
Local residents said that after dark only SLA soldiers patrol the streets surrounding the camp and the area where the victim’s house is located. No civilians venture out in the area, the residents added. The SLA camp that houses the Intelligence Wing is located close to the house. The Uduvil SLA camp has been accused of several previous human rights violations and harassment.
After being fired on, SLA troops on street patrol near Nelliyadi, the SLA cordoned off the area and arrested three youths. The youths were released later that afternoon with severe assault wounds, relatives said. The SLA troopers earlier had assaulted the three youths in front of local residents before taking them to the SLA camp in Nelliady for further interrogation. Nelliady residents said the youths were innocent school children and were not involved in any militant activities. No one was injured in the firefight that triggered the search operation.
More that 500 SLA troops cordoned off and searched central and southern Grama Sevaka areas of Ariyalai, Jaffna. Soldiers checked the identity cards of residents and took away photographs which were shown to a masked paramilitary spotter waiting inside a temporary SLA sentry point, local residents said. No one was arrested during the operations.
Mr. Ramiah Vinayagamoorthy, a fisherman, was shot and injured by masked men in the Salli Sea off Trincomalee. Vinayagamoorthy was fishing in a boat with two other fishermen when three masked men who came in another boat ordered him to stay in the boat and the other two to get out. They then fired at Vinayagamoorthy, hitting his waist and hands.
July 3
Policemen in Kaluwanchikudy, Batticaloa district, shot and killed a civilian at point blank range and placed a T-56 automatic rifle beside the dead body, according to residents in the village. An Education Official, Mrs. S. Baskaran, 40, was wounded in the gunfire. Police claimed that the man was a gunman who had fired on a police checkpost.
Two elite counter-insurgency Special Task Force (STF) troopers in a road clearing patrol were wounded in a claymore attack at Puthukudiyiruppu, Batticaloa. M. Sarath, 36, and W.P. Rajapakse, 28, wounded in the attack.
An unidentified man was killed by SLA soldiers inside Thandikulam High Security Zone near Vavuniya. The SLA said the dead man is a member of the LTTE and that they had recovered a AK-47 rifle and a new brand of bullet magazine from near the dead body. Civil society sources in Vavuniya, however, said that suspicious circumstances surround the killing, and that the dead body was a civilian arrested by the SLA.
SLA soldiers at the sentry point in Veppankulam, Vavuniya, arrested two Tamil women on suspicion of having links with the LTTE, Vanni parliamentarian Sivanathan Kishor said. The two women were arrested when returning from Chettikulam after attending to registration issues regarding their housing in Maharambaikulam. The SLA claimed that Parameswary Jeyashankar, 32, had the telephone number of the LTTE in her cell-phone, and therefore alleged that she has links with the LTTE. Indrani Selvam, 40, was arrested for having accompanied Ms Jeyashankar.
One SLA soldier was killed and two wounded in a claymore attack in Thikkam, Vadamaradchi North, Jaffna. The soldiers were on a road clearing foot patrol from Thikkam Junction towards Vathiri when the mine exploded 600 meters from Thikkam SLA camp.
Two SLA soldiers were seriously injured in a claymore mine explosion on Jaffna-Palaly road near Urelu junction. The claymore was targeted on a SLA truck, but hit the SLA troopers following behind the truck on bicycle patrol in the area. The explosion took place inside the Palay High Security Zone, 300 meters from the SLA camp that houses the SLA Intelligence wing. The notorious SLA motorbike brigade, whose members customarily wear black face masks and terrorize the Jaffna population, also operates from this SLA camp, Urelu residents said.
A former member of the paramilitary Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF-Varathar faction) was shot dead in Jaffna. Mr Thirumani Ariyaratnam Lingan, 34, was drinking liquor with his friends when two gunmen riding in a motorbike shot him dead at close range. Ariyaratnam Lingan had left the EPRLF-Varathar group in 2000.
June 2
One SLA soldier, a female home guard, two police constables, a police sergeant and a civilian were killed when a claymore mine exploded at Anuradhapura junction, Trincomalee. At least fourteen others were injured. Another female police constable, seriously injured in the explosion, died on her way to the hospital. The claymore mine, fixed in an abandoned three-wheeler near the army sentry, was detonated by remote control when a group of soldiers and police tried to search the three-wheeler.
An SLA soldier who was deployed for security duty near Kokuvil junction, north of Jaffna town, was seriously injured when unknown gunmen opened fire at the troops.
In another attack, assailants hurled hand grenades at SLA troopers stationed near Kondavil junction along Jaffna-Palaly road seriously injuring a soldier.
No one was injured during a firefight lasting nearly five minutes between SLA troops and gunmen at a location along the Jaffna- Point Pedro road.
SLA soldiers carried out cordon and search operations in many areas of Vadamaradchy Sunday. Residents of Alvai, Vathiri, Mali Santhi and other areas were searched and the SLA took away Identity Cards of many residents. The IDs were returned after the residents reported to the SLA camps for further interrogation.
A shooting incident is reported to have occurred in Nelliady town near the Luxmi Cinema along the Nelliady-Kodikamam road. The targeted civilian escaped with minor wounds and the gunmen escaped.
Members of Jaffna district transport workers union held a peninsula-wide work boycott protesting against the SLA attack on a bus driver, conductor and passengers along the KKS-Jaffna road. The assaults took place following a grenade attack on SLA soldiers by unknown gunmen at Kokuvil junction. The passenger bus from Tellipalai was detained for more than four hours near the Kokuvil junction, affected passengers said. The driver was admitted to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital with serious injuries. The Transport workers agreed to suspend the strike after the SLA officials agreed to respond within a short period. They also warned that the protest strike would resume if no satisfactory answers were received.
An unidentified person shot and killed Lakmal Sampath, a former defence correspondent at the Sinhala newspaper Sathdina, in Dehiwela, Colombo. Sampath was a popular columnist who revealed details about the Sri Lankan Military Intelligence, corruption at various levels of the Sri Lankan defence establishment, and underworld activities in Colombo. He had been earlier warned not to reveal details about the Sri Lanka intelligence community in his articles and had gone out with a person to discuss matters about a story, relatives said. He was found dead on Vijaya Road in Dehiwale, 10 km away from his residence, sometime after he left home.
Krishnapillai Kamalanathan, an official of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), was abducted by members of the Karuna paramilitary group at Valaichchenai, Batticaloa. Krishnapillai has been working as a child protection officer of the TRO, Vakarai division. Krishnapillai was riding motorbike in Valaichchenai while he was abducted by the Karuna group paramilitaries, the TRO said.
A SLA sergeant, M. Asoka Sriwardene, 32, was wounded in his hand when a suspicious cylinder exploded at the bus stop in Karuvakerny, Batticaloa.
Gunmen hijacked a three-wheeler near Valaichenai Railway station. The driver of the vehicle, Krishnapillai Karunaharan, 28, was shot and wounded by the gunmen and rushed to hospital. A carpenter by profession, Karunaharan rides the auto-rickshaw as a part time job.
A textile seller, Sangaravel Meyyappan, 35, who had come from Tamil Nadu state, India to Batticaloa district, has been reported missing since 27th of June. Meyyappan has been moving around in the district, selling clothes, according to his brother Sangaravel Rajkumar who has filed a complaint with Batticaloa Police.
July 1
SLN troopers who set out in 3 Dvora Fast Attack Crafts from their Talaimannar base, captured two fishermen in the seas off Karisal, a Muslim coastal village in Mannar, and allegedly forcibly drowned one of the fishermen. The SLN threw both fishermen overboard, even though one pleaded that he could not swim, the fisherman who survived reported.
The fishermen who showed the Fishing Pass provided by the SLN, were beaten up by the troopers in the Dvora FACs. One of the fishermen, Ibrahim Azeeq, 34, a father of four, begged for his life saying he could not swim. However, the navy troopers threw him off board, according to the fisherman Mohammed Fahim, 27, who was set free by the troopers. Azeeq managed to reach his hand and was holding the stem of the boat. However, the troopers attacked the fisherman blocking his grip on the boat and Azeeq drowned, Faim said. Fahim, who could swim, said he jumped off board, unable to tolerate the beating. He was later forced to locate the body of Azeeq and was set free by the navy men.
A few minutes later, the navy men arrested two other Muslim fishermen and handed them over to the SLN officials at Vankalaipaadu. The fishermen were set free by the SLN officials in Vankalaipaadu.
Unidentified men attacked a group of SLA soldiers in Sirukandal village, Mannar district. Markandu Parathanathan from Thumpalai, Point-Pedro was killed when the SLA retaliated, security sources said. Parathanathan was identified by his National Identity Card found in his clothing, sources. SLA soldiers said they recovered a hand grenade and remote control equipment in the possession of the dead man.
SLA soldiers on street patrol duty in Panankatikotu in Mannar district arrested Anthony Jeuthadasan, 24, and handed him to Mannar Police. The youth was talking in his cell phone in front of his house at the time of arrest.
The SLA and SLN Saturday launched artillery fire on villages in the Liberation Tigers’ controlled Muttur east. Several civilian houses were damaged due to the indiscriminate shelling from land and sea surrounding the coastal areas of Muttur east, the LTTE in Muttur said. More than fifty artillery shells were fired in the morning for about an hour starting around 1:00 a.m. The shelling then continued in the evening from 5.30 p.m. for about two hours. The LTTE also said residents have been fleeing to safer areas.
A twenty five year old Tamil youth Mr. Raju was abducted by unidentified persons from Navalady in the heart of Muttur town when he was on his way to Muttur jetty. He is a resident of Ralkuli, an area controlled by the LTTE and had been working as a labourer on a ferry plying between Navalady and Ralkuli. When he was dragged into a vehicle by unidentified persons, his wife immediately complained to police personnel who were at the site, but they allegedly ignored her plea. He was later found dead with gunshot injuries in a playground in Muttur town
June 30
A sea fight was reported in the seas east of Kankesanthuari SLN base in Jaffna. The clash, which started in an area between Valalai and Thondamanaru, went on for 30 minutes, paused for a short period, and re-started again, residents along the coastal areas in Vadamaradchi said. At least two boats were seen burning. SLA soldiers were firing towards the sea from their sentry points located in the coastal stretch from Mayiliyathanai in Thondamanaru to Valvettithurai.
Two fishermen from Valvettithurai were reported missing in the northern waters off Thondamanaru, Jaffna. Their boat caught fire when SLN troopers shot at the boat. Millions of rupees worth of fishing nets and equipment were lost when fishermen in 400 boats were chased away by the SLN boats Friday night, Vadamaradchy North Fisheries Consortium has complained to Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and the Sri Lankan Human Rights Commission (SLHRC) in Jaffna. Thevamani Arul, 30, and Krishnapillai Chandramohan, 28, are the missing fishermen.
Fishermen in more than 400 boats had to leave their boats when SLN troopers began firing at the civilian boats Friday night. On Saturday, SLN and SLA troopers barred civilians from accessing the coastal belt starting from Thondamanaru to Valvetithurai, fishermen in the area said. Additional troops were deployed along the coastal areas.
Two SLA troopers were seriously injured when they came under fire from unknown gunmen in front of the Soosaiyappar Church in Alaveddy, Jaffna district. The troopers were carrying food parcels in bicycles for other soldiers engaged in security duty when they were attacked. The troopers returned fire and the firefight lasted for more than 10 minutes before the attackers escaped. SLA soldiers mounted a large-scale cordon and search operation around the location of the shooting.
SLA soldiers shot dead a Tamil civilian in Chenkalady, Batticaloa, near the Bank of Ceylon building area. Witnesses said the SLA soldiers first shot Gnanasekaram Santhiran, 30, in his head, and after he fell to the ground, shot him again at close range. SLA soldiers said the man attempted to throw a hand grenade, and after they fired at him, found one hand grenade in his possession. However, local witnesses allege that the soldiers placed the hand-grenade by the side of the dead man to fake an attempted attack on the soldiers.
A former member of the Liberation Tigers was shot and killed by gunmen belonging to a paramilitary group in Karaitheevu Kalmunai. Four gunmen came to the house in motorbikes, talked to Kanthasamy Jeyanthakumar, 28, before shooting him at close range with a 9mm pistol.
A Tamil civilian, Selvarajah Vasanthan, 30, was shot dead by SLA soldiers manning a checkpoint at Sambaltivu junction, north of Trincomalee town. According to police sources the civilian was shot by the SLA when he failed to stop his motorbike at checkpoint after soldiers signalled him to stop.
A SLN Intelligence officer was shot and killed when he was shopping at the bazaar in Mannar. Sri Lankan troopers who surrounded the area shot the gunman who gunned down the intelligence officer. Dissande de Gostha, 28, the SLN intelligence officer was gunned down by the “Pistol Unit” of LTTE Intelligence. A 9 mm pistol was found in possession of the gunman, who had identity papers in the name of Arulappu Rajeevkumar, 24.
Unidentified men lobbed a grenade at an army sentry located near the office of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) in Mannar. A soldier, M. Surasena, 46, was injured in the attack.
June 29
Suspected SLA soldiers and EPDP paramilitaries shot and killed Jaffna resident Ms Sathasivam Mathuri, 32, and seriously injured her father Kasipillai Sathasivam, 75, at their home in Athiyadi, 2 km northeast of Jaffna Town. The victims are the father and sister of senior LTTE commander Archuna, who died in mid 80’s in Mannar. The assailants first opened fire at the victims’ relative house next door and shot Mathuri and Sathasivam as they emerged from their own house to enquire.
Kanesan Sivanesan, 36, the proprietor of a well-known jewellery store in Inuvil, Jaffna, disappeared following interrogation by the SLA on 28 May. Relatives say an anonymous caller informed the family that they were holding Sivanesan and demanded Rs.500,000 for his release, but paying the money did not result in his release. Sivanesan was last seen in the Inuvil area on Kankesanthurai Road, detained for questioning by the SLA. Local residents say Sivanesan has not returned home since that day.
Gunmen shot and seriously injured a civilian in Navaly North, Aanaikottai in Jaffna district. The gunmen requested Ilayathamby Vanniyasingam, 46, to come out of his house and fired at him at close range. The shooting incident took place close to the SLA camp in Aaniakottai, amidst increased SLA harassment of residents in the area.
Tharmalingam Vijayarajah, 53, from Araly North near Vaddukoddai, Jaffna, alleged to be an SLA informant, was shot dead by gunmen close to the Mawaththai playgrounds in Araly. Mr Vijayarajah lived at Iyanar Veethy in Araly, and was involved in several robberies, local residents said. He turned an army informant after SLA officers obtained his release from police arrest following those robberies. Mr Vijayarajah is a father of six children.
June 28
5 SLN sailors and 1 LTTE cadre were killed in a clash in the northwestern seas. Sea Tiger vessels counter-attacked and sank a SLN water-jet vessel and destroyed another SLN vessel, according to a news release issued by the media unit of the LTTE. Five SLN troopers were in the boat that was sunk by the Sea Tigers and one LTTE cadre was killed in the clash, the press statement said. Sri Lankan Police claimed that the clash had taken place between Kuthiraimalai and Kalpitty in the Puttalam district. Two LTTE cadres were wounded in the clash. The confrontation, according to the LTTE, was defensive and originated Wednesday around 11:25 a.m. in LTTE territorial waters, when SLN vessels interrupted a Sea Tiger convoy. The clash went on for 55 minutes in the sea till the SLN troopers withdrew, the news release said.
Three Tamil civilians were killed in a claymore explosion while transporting sand in a tractor from Kallaru located in the Liberation Tigers controlled Musali division in Mannar district. Saminathan Jacob, 58, Simion Regin, 22, and Simion Antony Gnanapragasam, 17 of Kokupadaiyan area in Musali DS division were returning with their loaded tractor to Kokupadaiyan when their tractor hit a claymore mine buried along the road by a SLA DPU. The tractor was destroyed in the explosion and all three occupants died on the spot.
Murunkan circuit court proceedings came to an abrupt end when gunmen fired at the building, from their hiding places behind densely grown shrub area at the rear of Murunkan post office building. Mannar Magistrate Mr.N.M.M.Abdullah who was hearing a case, four attorney-at-laws, and litigants fell to the ground for safety.
Several towns and villages arounf Point Pedro in Jaffna were cordoned off and searched between 5:00 a.m. and noon. Manthikai, Yaakaru, and Thunnalai up to Mulli were affected by the search operation. Vehicular traffic was blocked from these areas throughout the morning. Many residents were taken to the SLA camp in Vallipuram and were paraded before masked men, before all detained during the search were released.
SLA soldiers arrested three young women during a check of a passenger bus in Mulli. The women were taken by the SLA for further questioning.
Unidentified gunmen shot and injured a SLA soldier, Lance Corporal M. Karunarathna, 29, in Saththukondan, Batticaloa, near the Saththurukundan SLA camp. The gunmen came in a motor bike and opened fire with a pistol.
Gunman shot and killed Thayanithy Ketheeswaran, 29, a father of one, with a 9mm pistol at his home in Pandiruppu, Kalmunai, south of Batticaloa. He was with his young family in his house when the assailant who came in a vehicle, struck him and escaped.
June 27
Nine Tamil students from Jaffna, following undergraduate course in engineering at the Moratuwa campus, were arrested by Moratuwa Police, and are being detained at the Police station. Police officers did not disclose the reason for the arrests. The students were boarded together in a house owned by a Sinhalese family. Mortuwa Police officers refused to accept the University identity card and ignored pleas by the students. United National Party (UNP) parliamentarian, Mr Maheswaran, contacted senior police officials in Mt Lavania attesting to the bona fides of the students but did not succeed in obtaining their release. The MP said that he has sent an urgent message to the Inspector General of Police, Mr Chandra Fernando informing him of the arrests and urging him to take action to release the students.
Gunmen on motorbikes shot and killed 3 men using military-type 9mm pistols, as they were on their way home in Mylambaveli, Batticaloa. The killings took place 250 meters from the SLA camp at Mylambaveli on the Batticaloa-Trincomalee road. After killing the young men, the gunmen poured gasoline and set the bodies alight. The victims – Sinnaiyah Mahesh Vasanthakumar, 26, from Puvaththegawittiya, Kegalle, Navaratnam Arunasiri, 22, from Vipulananthapuram, Mylambaveli, and Muththukaruparan Krishnakumar, 21, also from Vipulananthapuram – were masons by profession.
Three businessmen who had gone to Vakarai, Batticaloa, in a lorry with a consignment of soft drinks were reported missing three days after they were last seen. Segu Lebbe Ibrahim, 32, from Otamavadi, Indika, 24, from Minneriya, Polannaruwa, and Prasanna, 27, from Polannaruwa did not return after travelling to Vaharai in a lorry with registration number 48-1272, relatives said in the complaint.
One of four missing civilians from Trincomalee who had been reported missing, was found dead Tuesday at Periyakulam in Kuchchaveli Police division. Mr. Anthony Joseph, reported missing on June 25, was found dead with gunshot and cut injuries. The whereabouts of three other Tamil civilians of Bharathipuram in Serunuwara police division are not still known. Nallathamby Gnaneswaran, Paththakutty Thiraviyaraja and Ampalavanapillai Sathasivam were reported missing after they went to Aathiamankerni in search of the cattle they left before being displaced from their village due to violence.
Mr. Selliah Varnakulasingham, 51, a watcher of the Muttur Pradesiya Sabha, was abducted by unidentified men in the heart of government controlled Muttur town as he was travelling in a three wheeler to his home in a LTTE held village in Muttur east.
One Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier was killed and two injured in a claymore mine blast on the Kodikamam - Pt.Pedro road in the Jaffna peninsula. The blast, 500 metres from the Kodikamam junction, targeted SLA troops on a road clearing operation.
The body of a young man was found with gunshot injuries at Gurunathar Shop Road in Alaiyadivembu, Ampara District. The victim was identified as Veluppillai Mohanarasa, 25, from Kolavil.
Two Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) crafts and a Sea Tiger boat exchanged fire in Kilali seas for more than 15 minutes Tuesday. The SLN said a Sea Tiger dinghy with 4 crew was destroyed and no SLN vessel was damaged. The LTTE has not commented.
The LTTE’s Amparai District political head complained to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that Special Task Force (STF) troopers based at Kanchirankuda camp fired barrages of 81 mm mortar shells on residential areas of Kanchikudichaaru in LTTE controlled Amparai District.
July 10
A member of the paramilitary People’s Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) was shot dead at a cycle park operated by the group in front of the Jaffna Hospital. Sources in Jaffna told TamilNet the man was a Sri Lankan army informant.
A group of SLA soldiers on patrol in Sooriyakaddaiakadu in Nanattan, Mannar, fired at an unidentified person placing a claymore mine on their route, but he escaped. Thereafter SLA soldiers had launched a cordon and search operation in the area. During the search operation the soldiers were attacked with a grenade and gunfire. Later the Police claimed they found the body in a paddy field two hundred yards away from the Nanattan PS office building. Police said they also recovered a T 56 rifle, a micro-pistol and a grenade near the body.
SLA troopers came under gunfire for the second time around 12:30 p.m. when they continued their search operation. They retaliated and later found a person with gunshot injuries on his head at Rasool Puthuveli located about one and half km off Nanattan. The troopers told police that they had recovered a micro-pistol and a grenade, also from this youth.
In the wake of international pressure over extra-judicial killings by the military, local residents say weapons are being planted on innocent Tamil youth murdered by Sri Lankan troops.
July 9
Jaffna Additional Magistrate Srinithi Nandasegaran’s official car, with her 10-year-old son and a police guard on board, was threatened by armed Sri Lankan troops on Palaly road, Jaffna. The SLA troopers followed the Magistrate’s familiar official vehicle in an auto-rickshaw, but gave up when they did not find Mrs Nandasegaran in the car, which was transporting her son to a tuition centre near Parameswara junction from her residence on Rakka Road. The driver of Ms Nandasegaran’s vehicle said that recently he has been harassed by SLA men who had sought details of Nandasegaran’s routines.
M. I. M. Nizar, 31, body guard of Digamadulla District Member of Parliament and Deputy Minister, Anver Ismail, of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Front (UPFA) was shot dead by two unidentified men riding a motor bike near the MP’s house in Amparai. Nizar was shot after an evening meeting at the MP’s home by gunmen who escaped.
Seenithamby Sellan, 32, involved in liquor business, was abducted near Mankerny SLA Camp, by Army-backed paramilitaries. Sellan, father of 3 children was travelling in a bus to his home in Vammyvedduvan, Vakarai, when he was abducted.
July 8
A former member of paramilitary PLOTE was shot and seriously injured by unknown gunmen in front of the Jaffna Teaching Hospital. Rasa Premkumar, 32, is the third ex-militant who has been attacked near the same area in the past two months – the other two died in the attacks. The latest shooting occurred inside an SLA High Security Zone (HSZ), with SLA sentry points located to the east and west, and a Sri Lanka Police station located 200 meters away. SLA’s 51-2 brigade head quarters is located behind the nearby Hospital.
The body of a mason working in a housing development for tsunami victims was found with severe assault injuries in Polikandy, Vadamaradchy. Rasiah Muraleeswaran, 42, from Meesalai East was a resident mason at the Nilavan Kudiyiruppu Housing scheme funded by FORUT. Another mason, Mr Rajani, 26, from Jaffna Islet of Punguduthivu, working on the same Housing Project, has mysteriously disappeared. The Housing project is located inside a HSZ under 24-hour surveillance by the SLA.
Two SLA troops were injured when unknown gunmen attacked soldiers on street patrol near Methaikadai Junction, south of Point Pedro town.
Another soldier was injured in a firefight lasting five minutes between gunmen and SLA troops in Kachchai, Thenmaradchy.
A decomposed body washed ashore near Allaipiddy Kovilady beach in the Jaffna islets, but it was not possible to immediately establish the identity and sex of the deceased due to its decayed state.
The LTTE arrested a cadre of the Army-backed paramilitary Karuna Group inside the LTTE held Eachchilampathu division in Trincomalee district. The man, identified as Jeya of Puthur, Kathiraveli in Batticaloa district, was in possession of a claymore mine, a roll of wire and detonator at that time of his arrest. Under interrogation, he said that he had been sent to penetrate into LTTE held Eachchilampathu in a clandestine mission to target LTTE senior leaders in the area. The cadre was later questioned by SLMM representatives.
July 7
Unidentified gunmen shot dead a Muslim civilian, Mohamed Wahid Ali, 41, at Ganesh Lane in Palaiyootu, a suburb off Trincomalee. The victim was taking his son to a pre-school located close to his residence when two persons on a motorbike shot him.
Dozens of underage youths were abducted Army-backed paramilitary cadres from the villages of Thivuchenai, Karuppalai, Sorivil and Sevanapitty in Batticaloa district (see story page 13).
A building worker was shot and wounded by unidentified gunmen with a 9mm pistol in Karuwakerny. Mr. Muththulingam Parameshwaran, 21, was shot while returning from work in bicycle.
July 6
A feared SLN Chief Petty Officer succumbed to his wounds after being shot in Jaffna. Unidentified men, waiting in ambush, fired at the officer and his bodyguard attached to the Thurayoor camp in the Jaffna islet of Velanai. Residents who allege the officer was one of the key personalities involved in extra-judicial killings in Jaffna islets. Tension prevailed in the area and the SLN conducted a search operation in and around the area where the official was attacked.
Kasdeen Amir, of Thoppur in Muttur, was shot dead by unidentified men when he was at Selvanagar. He was admitted to the Muttur district hospital immediately but he succumbed to injuries.
July 5
Four Sri Lanka Police constables deployed on security duty at the paramilitary Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) office-cum-camp in Chunnakam, Jaffna, were seriously injured when unknown assailants hurled several hand grenades inside the building, which is located adjoining the Chunnakam Police Station and the Chunnakam SLA camp.
A SLA soldier was seriously injured by a grenade thrown at his road patrol on Jaffna-KKS Road near Chunnakam junction.
SLA troops and gunmen exchanged gunfire for more than five minutes near Udupiddy junction SLA sentry point in Vadamaradchy. There were no injuries among local residents who now don’t leave their homes after dark.
Also, unknown assailants hurled a hand grenade at the SLA troops on security duty near Jaffna Hindu College, but it did not explode.
A SLA soldier was killed in a claymore explosion in Pirappamadu area in Vavuniya. The soldier was engaged in a street patrol when the explosion occurred. The seriously injured soldier died on his way to hospital.
July 4
Ambalavanar Punithavathy, 43, from Uduvil, Jaffna, was shot dead reportedly after being raped. Assailants who forcibly entered the unmarried woman’s home told the occupants that they had come to search the house and attacked her elderly mother before raping the woman, residents said.
Local residents said that after dark only SLA soldiers patrol the streets surrounding the camp and the area where the victim’s house is located. No civilians venture out in the area, the residents added. The SLA camp that houses the Intelligence Wing is located close to the house. The Uduvil SLA camp has been accused of several previous human rights violations and harassment.
After being fired on, SLA troops on street patrol near Nelliyadi, the SLA cordoned off the area and arrested three youths. The youths were released later that afternoon with severe assault wounds, relatives said. The SLA troopers earlier had assaulted the three youths in front of local residents before taking them to the SLA camp in Nelliady for further interrogation. Nelliady residents said the youths were innocent school children and were not involved in any militant activities. No one was injured in the firefight that triggered the search operation.
More that 500 SLA troops cordoned off and searched central and southern Grama Sevaka areas of Ariyalai, Jaffna. Soldiers checked the identity cards of residents and took away photographs which were shown to a masked paramilitary spotter waiting inside a temporary SLA sentry point, local residents said. No one was arrested during the operations.
Mr. Ramiah Vinayagamoorthy, a fisherman, was shot and injured by masked men in the Salli Sea off Trincomalee. Vinayagamoorthy was fishing in a boat with two other fishermen when three masked men who came in another boat ordered him to stay in the boat and the other two to get out. They then fired at Vinayagamoorthy, hitting his waist and hands.
July 3
Policemen in Kaluwanchikudy, Batticaloa district, shot and killed a civilian at point blank range and placed a T-56 automatic rifle beside the dead body, according to residents in the village. An Education Official, Mrs. S. Baskaran, 40, was wounded in the gunfire. Police claimed that the man was a gunman who had fired on a police checkpost.
Two elite counter-insurgency Special Task Force (STF) troopers in a road clearing patrol were wounded in a claymore attack at Puthukudiyiruppu, Batticaloa. M. Sarath, 36, and W.P. Rajapakse, 28, wounded in the attack.
An unidentified man was killed by SLA soldiers inside Thandikulam High Security Zone near Vavuniya. The SLA said the dead man is a member of the LTTE and that they had recovered a AK-47 rifle and a new brand of bullet magazine from near the dead body. Civil society sources in Vavuniya, however, said that suspicious circumstances surround the killing, and that the dead body was a civilian arrested by the SLA.
SLA soldiers at the sentry point in Veppankulam, Vavuniya, arrested two Tamil women on suspicion of having links with the LTTE, Vanni parliamentarian Sivanathan Kishor said. The two women were arrested when returning from Chettikulam after attending to registration issues regarding their housing in Maharambaikulam. The SLA claimed that Parameswary Jeyashankar, 32, had the telephone number of the LTTE in her cell-phone, and therefore alleged that she has links with the LTTE. Indrani Selvam, 40, was arrested for having accompanied Ms Jeyashankar.
One SLA soldier was killed and two wounded in a claymore attack in Thikkam, Vadamaradchi North, Jaffna. The soldiers were on a road clearing foot patrol from Thikkam Junction towards Vathiri when the mine exploded 600 meters from Thikkam SLA camp.
Two SLA soldiers were seriously injured in a claymore mine explosion on Jaffna-Palaly road near Urelu junction. The claymore was targeted on a SLA truck, but hit the SLA troopers following behind the truck on bicycle patrol in the area. The explosion took place inside the Palay High Security Zone, 300 meters from the SLA camp that houses the SLA Intelligence wing. The notorious SLA motorbike brigade, whose members customarily wear black face masks and terrorize the Jaffna population, also operates from this SLA camp, Urelu residents said.
A former member of the paramilitary Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF-Varathar faction) was shot dead in Jaffna. Mr Thirumani Ariyaratnam Lingan, 34, was drinking liquor with his friends when two gunmen riding in a motorbike shot him dead at close range. Ariyaratnam Lingan had left the EPRLF-Varathar group in 2000.
June 2
One SLA soldier, a female home guard, two police constables, a police sergeant and a civilian were killed when a claymore mine exploded at Anuradhapura junction, Trincomalee. At least fourteen others were injured. Another female police constable, seriously injured in the explosion, died on her way to the hospital. The claymore mine, fixed in an abandoned three-wheeler near the army sentry, was detonated by remote control when a group of soldiers and police tried to search the three-wheeler.
An SLA soldier who was deployed for security duty near Kokuvil junction, north of Jaffna town, was seriously injured when unknown gunmen opened fire at the troops.
In another attack, assailants hurled hand grenades at SLA troopers stationed near Kondavil junction along Jaffna-Palaly road seriously injuring a soldier.
No one was injured during a firefight lasting nearly five minutes between SLA troops and gunmen at a location along the Jaffna- Point Pedro road.
SLA soldiers carried out cordon and search operations in many areas of Vadamaradchy Sunday. Residents of Alvai, Vathiri, Mali Santhi and other areas were searched and the SLA took away Identity Cards of many residents. The IDs were returned after the residents reported to the SLA camps for further interrogation.
A shooting incident is reported to have occurred in Nelliady town near the Luxmi Cinema along the Nelliady-Kodikamam road. The targeted civilian escaped with minor wounds and the gunmen escaped.
Members of Jaffna district transport workers union held a peninsula-wide work boycott protesting against the SLA attack on a bus driver, conductor and passengers along the KKS-Jaffna road. The assaults took place following a grenade attack on SLA soldiers by unknown gunmen at Kokuvil junction. The passenger bus from Tellipalai was detained for more than four hours near the Kokuvil junction, affected passengers said. The driver was admitted to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital with serious injuries. The Transport workers agreed to suspend the strike after the SLA officials agreed to respond within a short period. They also warned that the protest strike would resume if no satisfactory answers were received.
An unidentified person shot and killed Lakmal Sampath, a former defence correspondent at the Sinhala newspaper Sathdina, in Dehiwela, Colombo. Sampath was a popular columnist who revealed details about the Sri Lankan Military Intelligence, corruption at various levels of the Sri Lankan defence establishment, and underworld activities in Colombo. He had been earlier warned not to reveal details about the Sri Lanka intelligence community in his articles and had gone out with a person to discuss matters about a story, relatives said. He was found dead on Vijaya Road in Dehiwale, 10 km away from his residence, sometime after he left home.
Krishnapillai Kamalanathan, an official of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), was abducted by members of the Karuna paramilitary group at Valaichchenai, Batticaloa. Krishnapillai has been working as a child protection officer of the TRO, Vakarai division. Krishnapillai was riding motorbike in Valaichchenai while he was abducted by the Karuna group paramilitaries, the TRO said.
A SLA sergeant, M. Asoka Sriwardene, 32, was wounded in his hand when a suspicious cylinder exploded at the bus stop in Karuvakerny, Batticaloa.
Gunmen hijacked a three-wheeler near Valaichenai Railway station. The driver of the vehicle, Krishnapillai Karunaharan, 28, was shot and wounded by the gunmen and rushed to hospital. A carpenter by profession, Karunaharan rides the auto-rickshaw as a part time job.
A textile seller, Sangaravel Meyyappan, 35, who had come from Tamil Nadu state, India to Batticaloa district, has been reported missing since 27th of June. Meyyappan has been moving around in the district, selling clothes, according to his brother Sangaravel Rajkumar who has filed a complaint with Batticaloa Police.
July 1
SLN troopers who set out in 3 Dvora Fast Attack Crafts from their Talaimannar base, captured two fishermen in the seas off Karisal, a Muslim coastal village in Mannar, and allegedly forcibly drowned one of the fishermen. The SLN threw both fishermen overboard, even though one pleaded that he could not swim, the fisherman who survived reported.
The fishermen who showed the Fishing Pass provided by the SLN, were beaten up by the troopers in the Dvora FACs. One of the fishermen, Ibrahim Azeeq, 34, a father of four, begged for his life saying he could not swim. However, the navy troopers threw him off board, according to the fisherman Mohammed Fahim, 27, who was set free by the troopers. Azeeq managed to reach his hand and was holding the stem of the boat. However, the troopers attacked the fisherman blocking his grip on the boat and Azeeq drowned, Faim said. Fahim, who could swim, said he jumped off board, unable to tolerate the beating. He was later forced to locate the body of Azeeq and was set free by the navy men.
A few minutes later, the navy men arrested two other Muslim fishermen and handed them over to the SLN officials at Vankalaipaadu. The fishermen were set free by the SLN officials in Vankalaipaadu.
Unidentified men attacked a group of SLA soldiers in Sirukandal village, Mannar district. Markandu Parathanathan from Thumpalai, Point-Pedro was killed when the SLA retaliated, security sources said. Parathanathan was identified by his National Identity Card found in his clothing, sources. SLA soldiers said they recovered a hand grenade and remote control equipment in the possession of the dead man.
SLA soldiers on street patrol duty in Panankatikotu in Mannar district arrested Anthony Jeuthadasan, 24, and handed him to Mannar Police. The youth was talking in his cell phone in front of his house at the time of arrest.
The SLA and SLN Saturday launched artillery fire on villages in the Liberation Tigers’ controlled Muttur east. Several civilian houses were damaged due to the indiscriminate shelling from land and sea surrounding the coastal areas of Muttur east, the LTTE in Muttur said. More than fifty artillery shells were fired in the morning for about an hour starting around 1:00 a.m. The shelling then continued in the evening from 5.30 p.m. for about two hours. The LTTE also said residents have been fleeing to safer areas.
A twenty five year old Tamil youth Mr. Raju was abducted by unidentified persons from Navalady in the heart of Muttur town when he was on his way to Muttur jetty. He is a resident of Ralkuli, an area controlled by the LTTE and had been working as a labourer on a ferry plying between Navalady and Ralkuli. When he was dragged into a vehicle by unidentified persons, his wife immediately complained to police personnel who were at the site, but they allegedly ignored her plea. He was later found dead with gunshot injuries in a playground in Muttur town
June 30
A sea fight was reported in the seas east of Kankesanthuari SLN base in Jaffna. The clash, which started in an area between Valalai and Thondamanaru, went on for 30 minutes, paused for a short period, and re-started again, residents along the coastal areas in Vadamaradchi said. At least two boats were seen burning. SLA soldiers were firing towards the sea from their sentry points located in the coastal stretch from Mayiliyathanai in Thondamanaru to Valvettithurai.
Two fishermen from Valvettithurai were reported missing in the northern waters off Thondamanaru, Jaffna. Their boat caught fire when SLN troopers shot at the boat. Millions of rupees worth of fishing nets and equipment were lost when fishermen in 400 boats were chased away by the SLN boats Friday night, Vadamaradchy North Fisheries Consortium has complained to Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and the Sri Lankan Human Rights Commission (SLHRC) in Jaffna. Thevamani Arul, 30, and Krishnapillai Chandramohan, 28, are the missing fishermen.
Fishermen in more than 400 boats had to leave their boats when SLN troopers began firing at the civilian boats Friday night. On Saturday, SLN and SLA troopers barred civilians from accessing the coastal belt starting from Thondamanaru to Valvetithurai, fishermen in the area said. Additional troops were deployed along the coastal areas.
Two SLA troopers were seriously injured when they came under fire from unknown gunmen in front of the Soosaiyappar Church in Alaveddy, Jaffna district. The troopers were carrying food parcels in bicycles for other soldiers engaged in security duty when they were attacked. The troopers returned fire and the firefight lasted for more than 10 minutes before the attackers escaped. SLA soldiers mounted a large-scale cordon and search operation around the location of the shooting.
SLA soldiers shot dead a Tamil civilian in Chenkalady, Batticaloa, near the Bank of Ceylon building area. Witnesses said the SLA soldiers first shot Gnanasekaram Santhiran, 30, in his head, and after he fell to the ground, shot him again at close range. SLA soldiers said the man attempted to throw a hand grenade, and after they fired at him, found one hand grenade in his possession. However, local witnesses allege that the soldiers placed the hand-grenade by the side of the dead man to fake an attempted attack on the soldiers.
A former member of the Liberation Tigers was shot and killed by gunmen belonging to a paramilitary group in Karaitheevu Kalmunai. Four gunmen came to the house in motorbikes, talked to Kanthasamy Jeyanthakumar, 28, before shooting him at close range with a 9mm pistol.
A Tamil civilian, Selvarajah Vasanthan, 30, was shot dead by SLA soldiers manning a checkpoint at Sambaltivu junction, north of Trincomalee town. According to police sources the civilian was shot by the SLA when he failed to stop his motorbike at checkpoint after soldiers signalled him to stop.
A SLN Intelligence officer was shot and killed when he was shopping at the bazaar in Mannar. Sri Lankan troopers who surrounded the area shot the gunman who gunned down the intelligence officer. Dissande de Gostha, 28, the SLN intelligence officer was gunned down by the “Pistol Unit” of LTTE Intelligence. A 9 mm pistol was found in possession of the gunman, who had identity papers in the name of Arulappu Rajeevkumar, 24.
Unidentified men lobbed a grenade at an army sentry located near the office of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) in Mannar. A soldier, M. Surasena, 46, was injured in the attack.
June 29
Suspected SLA soldiers and EPDP paramilitaries shot and killed Jaffna resident Ms Sathasivam Mathuri, 32, and seriously injured her father Kasipillai Sathasivam, 75, at their home in Athiyadi, 2 km northeast of Jaffna Town. The victims are the father and sister of senior LTTE commander Archuna, who died in mid 80’s in Mannar. The assailants first opened fire at the victims’ relative house next door and shot Mathuri and Sathasivam as they emerged from their own house to enquire.
Kanesan Sivanesan, 36, the proprietor of a well-known jewellery store in Inuvil, Jaffna, disappeared following interrogation by the SLA on 28 May. Relatives say an anonymous caller informed the family that they were holding Sivanesan and demanded Rs.500,000 for his release, but paying the money did not result in his release. Sivanesan was last seen in the Inuvil area on Kankesanthurai Road, detained for questioning by the SLA. Local residents say Sivanesan has not returned home since that day.
Gunmen shot and seriously injured a civilian in Navaly North, Aanaikottai in Jaffna district. The gunmen requested Ilayathamby Vanniyasingam, 46, to come out of his house and fired at him at close range. The shooting incident took place close to the SLA camp in Aaniakottai, amidst increased SLA harassment of residents in the area.
Tharmalingam Vijayarajah, 53, from Araly North near Vaddukoddai, Jaffna, alleged to be an SLA informant, was shot dead by gunmen close to the Mawaththai playgrounds in Araly. Mr Vijayarajah lived at Iyanar Veethy in Araly, and was involved in several robberies, local residents said. He turned an army informant after SLA officers obtained his release from police arrest following those robberies. Mr Vijayarajah is a father of six children.
June 28
5 SLN sailors and 1 LTTE cadre were killed in a clash in the northwestern seas. Sea Tiger vessels counter-attacked and sank a SLN water-jet vessel and destroyed another SLN vessel, according to a news release issued by the media unit of the LTTE. Five SLN troopers were in the boat that was sunk by the Sea Tigers and one LTTE cadre was killed in the clash, the press statement said. Sri Lankan Police claimed that the clash had taken place between Kuthiraimalai and Kalpitty in the Puttalam district. Two LTTE cadres were wounded in the clash. The confrontation, according to the LTTE, was defensive and originated Wednesday around 11:25 a.m. in LTTE territorial waters, when SLN vessels interrupted a Sea Tiger convoy. The clash went on for 55 minutes in the sea till the SLN troopers withdrew, the news release said.
Three Tamil civilians were killed in a claymore explosion while transporting sand in a tractor from Kallaru located in the Liberation Tigers controlled Musali division in Mannar district. Saminathan Jacob, 58, Simion Regin, 22, and Simion Antony Gnanapragasam, 17 of Kokupadaiyan area in Musali DS division were returning with their loaded tractor to Kokupadaiyan when their tractor hit a claymore mine buried along the road by a SLA DPU. The tractor was destroyed in the explosion and all three occupants died on the spot.
Murunkan circuit court proceedings came to an abrupt end when gunmen fired at the building, from their hiding places behind densely grown shrub area at the rear of Murunkan post office building. Mannar Magistrate Mr.N.M.M.Abdullah who was hearing a case, four attorney-at-laws, and litigants fell to the ground for safety.
Several towns and villages arounf Point Pedro in Jaffna were cordoned off and searched between 5:00 a.m. and noon. Manthikai, Yaakaru, and Thunnalai up to Mulli were affected by the search operation. Vehicular traffic was blocked from these areas throughout the morning. Many residents were taken to the SLA camp in Vallipuram and were paraded before masked men, before all detained during the search were released.
SLA soldiers arrested three young women during a check of a passenger bus in Mulli. The women were taken by the SLA for further questioning.
Unidentified gunmen shot and injured a SLA soldier, Lance Corporal M. Karunarathna, 29, in Saththukondan, Batticaloa, near the Saththurukundan SLA camp. The gunmen came in a motor bike and opened fire with a pistol.
Gunman shot and killed Thayanithy Ketheeswaran, 29, a father of one, with a 9mm pistol at his home in Pandiruppu, Kalmunai, south of Batticaloa. He was with his young family in his house when the assailant who came in a vehicle, struck him and escaped.
June 27
Nine Tamil students from Jaffna, following undergraduate course in engineering at the Moratuwa campus, were arrested by Moratuwa Police, and are being detained at the Police station. Police officers did not disclose the reason for the arrests. The students were boarded together in a house owned by a Sinhalese family. Mortuwa Police officers refused to accept the University identity card and ignored pleas by the students. United National Party (UNP) parliamentarian, Mr Maheswaran, contacted senior police officials in Mt Lavania attesting to the bona fides of the students but did not succeed in obtaining their release. The MP said that he has sent an urgent message to the Inspector General of Police, Mr Chandra Fernando informing him of the arrests and urging him to take action to release the students.
Gunmen on motorbikes shot and killed 3 men using military-type 9mm pistols, as they were on their way home in Mylambaveli, Batticaloa. The killings took place 250 meters from the SLA camp at Mylambaveli on the Batticaloa-Trincomalee road. After killing the young men, the gunmen poured gasoline and set the bodies alight. The victims – Sinnaiyah Mahesh Vasanthakumar, 26, from Puvaththegawittiya, Kegalle, Navaratnam Arunasiri, 22, from Vipulananthapuram, Mylambaveli, and Muththukaruparan Krishnakumar, 21, also from Vipulananthapuram – were masons by profession.
Three businessmen who had gone to Vakarai, Batticaloa, in a lorry with a consignment of soft drinks were reported missing three days after they were last seen. Segu Lebbe Ibrahim, 32, from Otamavadi, Indika, 24, from Minneriya, Polannaruwa, and Prasanna, 27, from Polannaruwa did not return after travelling to Vaharai in a lorry with registration number 48-1272, relatives said in the complaint.
One of four missing civilians from Trincomalee who had been reported missing, was found dead Tuesday at Periyakulam in Kuchchaveli Police division. Mr. Anthony Joseph, reported missing on June 25, was found dead with gunshot and cut injuries. The whereabouts of three other Tamil civilians of Bharathipuram in Serunuwara police division are not still known. Nallathamby Gnaneswaran, Paththakutty Thiraviyaraja and Ampalavanapillai Sathasivam were reported missing after they went to Aathiamankerni in search of the cattle they left before being displaced from their village due to violence.
Mr. Selliah Varnakulasingham, 51, a watcher of the Muttur Pradesiya Sabha, was abducted by unidentified men in the heart of government controlled Muttur town as he was travelling in a three wheeler to his home in a LTTE held village in Muttur east.
