January 1

Troops advancing towards Kilinochchi captured the key Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) garrison of Paranthan following hours of fighting that killed over 50 militants.

The Security Forces (SFs) captured Iranamadu junction, about six kilometres south of Kilinochchi town centre opening route to the Iranamadu town.

January 2

The Sri Lanka Army captured Kilinochchi, the LTTE’s political and administrative headquarters. The SFs launched simultaneous attacks from three directions in Paranthan, Iranamadu and Adampan before capturing the town in the early hours. The military had crossed into Kilinochchi District on July 31, 2008 and has since been engaged in clashes with the LTTE. Acknowledging the loss, the pro-LTTE Tamil Net Website in a report said that the SLA "has entered a virtual ghost town as the whole civilian infrastructure as well as the centre of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam had shifted further northeast."

In a special address to the nation on state television hours after the troops captured Kilinochchi, President Mahinda Rajapakse described the action as a "major victory in the world’s battle against terrorism." He said his Government would continue the fight against the LTTE until the "final act of this false Eelam struggle is played to its finish" in the small territory of jungle in Mullaithivu it is confined to today.

Speaking at a special function in Colombo to announce the military success in Kilinochchi, Army Commander Lt. General Sarath Fonseka said over 1500 LTTE militants were killed during the past two months in the north.

A LTTE suicide bomber blew himself up killing three persons, including two Airmen, and injuring 37 others at the entrance to the Air Force camp in Slave Island in Colombo at around 5.15pm (SLST). An accomplice of the suicide bomber was arrested.

January 3

SFs advancing towards Mullaitivu confronted LTTE militants in the Thanniutthu, Thottam, Kachchilamadu, north of Mudaliyankulam and Kumulamunai areas and inflicted an unspecified number of casualties upon the outfit. Troops also expanded their Forward Defence Line (FDL) further in the Kumulamunai area and recovered the dead body of a militant from the area.

January 4

SFs attached to Task Force IV operating in the East of the A-9 road captured the key junction town Oddusudan on the A-34 road taking full control of the Oddusudan- Nedunkerni-Puliyankulam road. "Security Forces killed at least 10 Tiger cadres as they attacked a tractor transporting Tiger cadres and several other vehicles," a military official said.

The pro-LTTE Website Tamil Net claimed that at least 53 SLA soldiers were killed and more than 80 sustained injuries during heavy fighting that erupted when the SLA launched an offensive push through 2^nd Mile Post on the Paranthan-Mullaitivu Road on two fronts.

President Mahinda Rajapakse expressed satisfaction that his 'Zero Civilian Casualty Policy' was implemented perfectly by the Armed Forces during the operations to liberate Kilinochchi. During a telephonic interview with The Hindu, he also expressed concern over the LTTE not releasing the tens of thousands of Tamil civilians it holds "virtually as prisoners." He also said the Government was doing its best to neutralise the LTTE's suicide bombers, possibly 15 to 20 of them, who are believed to have infiltrated into Colombo and its environs.

January 5

SFs reached Elephant Pass with the 58 Division troops capturing the entire southern part of it and further advancing towards the North to capture it entirely, Army Commander Lt. General Sarath Fonseka said. The troops captured Thamilamadam, the causeway to the south of the Elephant Pass.

Heavy fighting erupted in the East of Paranthan and Elephant Pass South for the past two days as the LTTE made their maximum effort to stop the advance of the troops towards Elephant Pass and Murusamudai, East of Paranthan. According to military sources, 10 soldiers were killed and 23 others injured in the fierce battle in the Elephant Pass and Murusamudai areas.

While indicating that Kilinochchi was where the Sri Lanka military has suffered previous historic debacles, the political wing leader of the LTTE, Balasingham Nadesan, in an interview with the pro-LTTE Website Tamil Net dismissed the occupation of the town as an insignificant setback in the context of a liberation struggle, and said, Tamil people's support has always been LTTE's strength, and with the moral backing of the global Tamil community the movement will surmount current and future challenges.

SFs in Jaffna captured the LTTE's FDLs in Kilali and Muhamalai, some 600 metres ahead of the Security Force's FDLs.

Task Force-III troops operating in the East of Olumaduwai and Task Force-IV troops operating in the Oddusudan area took control of the A-34 road.

Major General N.A.J.C. Dias, General Officer Commanding of the 57^th Division, told reporters, "as per our estimates as many as 4073 LTTE fighters have been killed in the past 14 months, while the LTTE intercepts admit they have lost 3447 cadres with injuries to another 2197 of their fighters."

The Police said more than 29,000 people from the northern, eastern and the central provinces - living in the western province for employment and business activities - registered themselves under a programme initiated by the Civil Community Police.

The Government declared in Parliament that the LTTE has links with al Qaeda and used their 'freedom struggle' to dabble in the narcotics trade.

The Parliament voted to extend the Emergency Law for another month with a majority of 106 votes.

Member of Parliament and leader of the TMVK, Vinayagamoorthy Muraleetharan alias Karuna Amman, said Prabhakaran is now running everywhere as they have lost strength to face the heavy attacks of Government forces. He added that the LTTE has less than 1,500 cadres presently. The LTTE leader has tried to recruit 5000 new cadres, but he managed to recruit only 150 members in the past few months, Karuna claimed.

Sri Lanka Army Commander Lt. General Sarath Fonseka said nearly 15,000 LTTE militants were killed by the SFs during the last two and half years. In the same period nearly 2,000 SF personnel were also killed. He said the LTTE had managed to strengthen their cadres as well as the military equipment during the cease-fire from 2002 until its abrogation in 2007. He added the number of LTTE militants increased to 15,000 as a result of the truce. The militants only possessed two artillery guns captured from the Army before the cease-fire, but Machine guns, Dvora-like fast boats and three fixed wing airplanes were added to their strength during the cease-fire, he added. They established banks, courts, police and customs to generate income, the Army Commander further said.

The Government said the Cabinet had taken a unanimous decision, in accordance with a memorandum submitted by President Mahinda Rajapakse, to proscribe the LTTE, which continued to engage in blatant human rights violations. The Proclamation of the President proscribing the LTTE under Chapter 40 of the Public Security Ordinance gave several reasons for the proscription.

The Sri Lankan military claimed to have captured Murasumoddai town on the way to Mullaitivu amid stiff resistance from the LTTE.

SFs advancing from the Kilali and Muhamalai forward FDLs captured Pallai town, the main township south of Muhamalai and Kilali FDLs. The troops also captured Sorampattu, about five kilometres southeast of Pallai.

Murasumoddai town, on the A-35 road and about 5.5 kilometres to the east of Paranthan town, was captured by troops of the 58th Division. An unspecified number of militants were killed during clashes that erupted in the area since the evening of January 7.

Four civilians and three SLAF personnel were killed in an LTTE-triggered claymore mine explosion at Morawewa in the Trincomalee District. The explosion occurred when the SLAF personnel were engaged in route-clearing for a tractor of the Irrigation Department which was taking civilian workers to the Neluwa irrigational worksite, killing four civilians aboard the tractor and three accompanying SLAF personnel on the spot. Six more sustained injuries in the blast.

SFs in Mannar confronted a group of LTTE militants in the Pampaimadu area and killed an unspecified number of them. During subsequent search operations, they recovered the dead bodies of five militants.

SFs attacked LTTE camps in the Urani, Murusumoddai, Mulliyaweli, west of Mankulam, Thaddumalai, Thaddalaimadu, north of Ampakamam and north of Alankulam and inflicted heavy casualties upon the militants. During subsequent search operations, troops recovered the dead bodies of four militants.

SFs continued their advance amidst heavy LTTE mortar fire in the Kilinochchi east, Vattaikachchi and Iranamadu. An unspecified number of militants were killed in these clashes. Troops also recovered the dead bodies of three militants.

Editor of the Sunday Leader, Lasantha Wickramatunga, was shot dead by unidentified assailants on a motorcycle at Attidiya near Mt. Lavinia in Colombo. Wickramatunga was driving to office when the assailants targeted him near the Bakery junction in Attidiya.

Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama reiterated that the Government does not believe in a military solution to address the genuine grievances of the minority communities and is firmly committed to a political solution to the ethnic conflict.

SFs captured the A-9 highway connecting the south with the Jaffna peninsula after 23 years. Troops of the 53rd, 55th, and 58th Divisions captured the strategically important Elephant Pass, President Mahinda Rajapakse announced. The President said the SFs are now able to connect people in Dondra Head with people in Point Pedro after 23 years in an environment sans terrorism making a bridge of peace between the South and North. The 53rd and 55th Division advancing from Muhamalai and Kilali linked up with troops of the 58th Division who had taken control of the Elephant Pass south by January 6. The 58th Division cleared the path for the 53rd and 55^th Division to move towards the south of Jaffna peninsula compelling the LTTE militants to vacate many of the areas they held in the southern part of the Jaffna peninsula.

With the capture of Elephant Pass, the troops were able to clear a 96 kilometre stretch of the A-9 road between Omanthai and Muhamalai after two years of military operations in Wanni and in the north. Military officials said this is the first time the A-9 road is open till Jaffna under military control after the SFs lost control of it after the departure of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in the late 1980s. The SFs lost control of Elephant Pass in April 2000 when 353 soldiers were killed and over 2,500 injured. "It is after nine years troops are taking control of Elephant Pass from the clutches of the LTTE," the President stated.

SFs recovered the dead bodies of 12 militants along with five T-56 weapons, one General Purpose Machine Gun and two I-com radio sets from the Murusamoddai area of Mullaitivu District.

An unspecified number of militants were killed and some solders wounded during clashes at Iranamadu and Wattakachchi in the Kilinochchi District. During subsequent search operations in Wattakachchi, the troops recovered dead bodies of three militants.

The UNHCR expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in eastern Sri Lanka with increased number of killings. It said the UN recorded 24 civilian deaths in the Batticaloa district in November 2008 alone.

The Highways Minister, A. L. M. Athaulla, called on the Government to resettle all those Muslims who were evicted from Jaffna in July 1991 and are now living in refugee camps in Puttalam or with their relations in the South.

Foreign Minister Rohita Bogollagama said Sri Lanka would positively consider handing over LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran to India alive if the Indian Government made a request to do so.

Seven Tamil civilians, including two children, on their way to cleared areas (area under Government control) seeking protection for their lives, were shot dead by the LTTE militants. However, 49 more civilians, two of them injured in firing, of the same group managed to arrive at the SFs camp in Paranthan.

An unspecified number of militants were killed during fighting in the Vaddakkachchi and Kandavalai areas. Troops later recovered the dead bodies of five militants

A group of LTTE militants attacked the TMVP office at Killiveddi in Trincomalee District, killing one TMVP member and injuring two others. In the ensuing exchange of fire between the LTTE cadres and TMVP members, two militants were killed. Dead bodies of two LTTE militants along with one T-56 weapon, three hand grenades, one cyanide capsule, and mobile phone were recovered from the incident site.

An unidentified assailant killed a prominent Tamil businessman, identified as Thambirasa Ravindran, at Nawakkadu in the Batticaloa District.

SFs captured a LTTE airstrip located five kilometres west of the Mullaitivu lagoon. The Defence Ministry said the airstrip was about 2.5 kilometres long and 100 metres wide. This is the fourth LTTE airstrip captured by troops in the recent past, military spokesperson Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said. Troops operating in the Mullaitivu area captured this airstrip together with two empty hangars, he added.

SFs captured a LTTE base in the Aiyamperumal area of Mullaitivu District. The militant camp, protected with a 12 feet tall barbwire fence and one 60 mm motor gun, consisted of one lecture hall, 12 temporary huts, one medical room, one store building and a kitchen.

More than 100 civilians leaving their homes in LTTE-held areas came to Omanthai, Vaddakkachchi, Pandimoddai and Thadduwankoddy areas of Vavuniya and Kilinochchi Districts and sought protection from the SFs. Similarly, four civilians, including a female, from Vettalaikerny area reached the troops in Mullaitivu.

The LTTE has asked India to "stop providing military assistance" to the Sri Lankan Government and vowed to take back it de facto political headquarters Kilinochchi.

SFs opened fire towards LTTE militants in the Periyakulam, Vaddakkachchi and the east of Iranamadu areas and killed an unspecified number of them. Troops later recovered the dead bodies of eight militants, including the decomposed body of a female cadre.

107 civilians who escaped from LTTE-held areas reached the SFs-held area of Kandalkadu and sought protection from the troops.

The Government said that around 3,000 soldiers have been killed in battle with the LTTE in the last three months and not 15,000, as alleged by the Opposition. Asked where he thought LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran might be hiding, Rambukwella said, "he is in Mullaitivu and being guarded by the 2,000 cadres that the LTTE has left. It is a matter of time before its last bastion is also overrun."

The Sri Lankan Police held the second phase of a special census started earlier to register persons who have come to capital Colombo from the North, East and Central Provinces since January 1, 2003.

A senior defence official said, "the Sri Lankan Navy has been put on alert to prevent any attempt by Tiger chief Velupillai Prabhakaran or other senior LTTE leaders from fleeing the country… The naval blockade has been imposed in northern Mullaitivu, the only remaining stronghold of the LTTE after the fall of their de facto capital of Kilinochchi and the strategic Elephant Pass.

After a two day battle, troops of the 59th Division re-captured the Government hospital and its surrounding area at Tanniyuttu town in the Mullaitivu District. The hospital has been used by the militants as a key strategic point to attack the SFs and treat their injured cadres. The outfit had erected several bunkers within the hospital premises.

According to the Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services Ministry sources, 1168 persons have sought refuge with authorities and they have been housed in the Menik farm and Nelumkulama welfare centre in Vavuniya. According to independent verifications, the number of displaced who are being forcibly kept in Wanni by the LTTE ranges between 150,000 to 250,000. The Government reiterated that it was fully prepared to handle the mass exodus of civilians from Wanni, and Vavuniya was being readied as a humanitarian assistance hub to cater to their needs. Authorities have also taken steps to clear an 80 acre land in Vavuniya to construct temporary shelters. RDRS Secretary A. C. M. Razik said the Government had already allocated SLR 30 million as an initial sum to expedite relief measures through the Government Agent in Vavuniya.

President Mahinda Rajapakse said the LTTE and its chief Velupillai Prabhakaran are presently confined to a minuscule area of 30 kilometres in length and 20 kilometres in breadth in the north-eastern district of Mullaitivu. Over the last few days, the LTTE, he said, lost about 1,000 square kilometres, shrinking area under their control rapidly. Interacting with foreign journalists, Rajapakse said Mullaitivu town had all but fallen because it was being attacked from the west, south and the north giving the LTTE no chance to stem the assault. Asked when the war would be over, he said he hoped to end it in about two-and-a-half months. The President accused the LTTE of holding Tamil civilians in Mullaitivu District as hostage to be used as a human shield. He claimed that civilians had to pay SLR 100,000 to the LTTE to migrate to the Government-held areas. Although there were only about 1700 to 1900 LTTE cadres now, the outfit was guarding all the exit points to prevent civilians from fleeing, he said.

The military is reported to have stated that it has killed at least 14,000 militants and estimates there are fewer than 2000 LTTE cadres now left cornered into a triangular area of about 45 sq km.

LTTE militants withdrawing towards Mullaitivu were fired upon by troops in the Ramanadhapuram, Thanniuttu, east of Puthukudirippu, Muthiyandankulam, west of Puthukudirippu, north of Ampakamam and Kanakarandankulam areas killing an unspecified number of militants. SFs later recovered the dead bodies of six militants.

SFs attacked LTTE camps in the Murusamoddai area of Mullaitivu District inflicting heavy casualties upon the militants. While the SFs recovered dead bodies of four militants, three other LTTE cadres who were hiding in the area surrendered to the troops.

The Army has successfully cornered the LTTE to a 600 square kilometres area with the present progress in operations killing almost 15,000 militants within the past three years, Army Commander Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka said. "Today the Army is strong with 180,000 personnel where as a few years ago, we had just 116,000 people. We elevated ourselves not just with man power but with well trained, sharp and skilled professionals," he stated.

The APRC Chairman Tissa Vitharana urged Sri Lanka's opposition parties, the UNP and JVP, to rejoin the APRC process to reach a solution for power devolution. Vitharana said all APRC members have agreed that the province as the unit of devolution and it would be offered to the Tamil National Alliance as a solution to the ethnic issue.

The LTTE is reported to have carried out 168 suicide attacks between 1984 and 2006. This is the highest number of suicide attacks by a terrorist organisation during this period, said the Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva. "The LTTE carried out 346 attacks targeting innocent civilians in many parts of the country and they assassinated 3,262 civilians during 1984 to 2006. They have killed 2,252 Sinhala civilians, 309 Tamil civilians and 701 Muslim civilians in these attacks and have seriously injured 3,494 people including children, women and even pregnant mothers," de Silva said while addressing an election meeting at the United People's Freedom Alliance party office in Kurunegala Town on January 10. The Minister also said the LTTE killed 50 political leaders, including President Ranasinghe Premadasa, United National Party Presidential election candidate, Gamini Dissanayake, Ministers D.M. Dassanayake and Jeyaraj Fernandopulle and veteran politician Lakshman Kadirgamar. They also tried to assassinate former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, he added.

Troops captured the entire Jaffna peninsula by capturing the last remaining LTTE stronghold of Chundikulam. The military said SFs captured Chundikulam which lies parallel to the east of the Elephant Pass isthmus in Jaffna Peninsula. The Army also destroyed a LTTE boat with artillery fire killing several militants, including a senior Sea Tiger leader, identified as "Lieutenant Colonel' Thiru.

SFs advanced 40 kilometres from the Nagarkovil defence line in the Eastern edge of the Jaffna peninsula, captured five Sea Tiger bases in Manmunai, Thalai Adi, Vathurayan, Vettalaikerny and Chundikulam. The troops also recovered of a fleet of 125 boats belonging to Sea Tigers and LTTE from Chundikulam along with several other items. With the fall of Chundikulam, the LTTE has been forced to operate only in the seas surrounding Mullaitivu.

The troops clashed with militants in the Dharmapuram, Puliyansekkarai, Ramanadhapuram and Murusamoddai areas of Mullaitivu District and killed an unspecified number of them. At least six dead bodies of the militants were later recovered from Dharmapuram and Puliyansekkarai.

SFs captured another LTTE airstrip located east of Iranamadu tank running through Olumaduwai in the Mullaitivu District.

Following Court approval, the Sri Lanka Government buried 42 unclaimed dead bodies of LTTE militants which were lying at the Vavuniya hospital for some time.

Civilians started converging into the cleared areas (area under Government control) in Kilinochchi and Jaffna as troops took full control of the Jaffna peninsula, said Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara. 655 civilians reached the SFs controlled areas of Kevil and Murusamoddai from the midnight of January 13, the Brigadier added.

SFs captured Dharmapuram, one of the LTTE's biggest townships on the A-35 road and about 15 kilometres to the east of the A-9 highway, in the Mullaitivu. Troops reportedly inflicted heavy casualties upon the outfit and subsequently recovered the dead bodies of six militants along with four T-56 assault rifles, an MPMG weapon, two LTTE dog tags, an I-com set, a motorcycle and other items.

The pro-LTTE Website Tamil Net claimed that the advance by the SLA from Dharmapuram on three fronts was repulsed by the LTTE cadres killing 51 SLA soldiers and wounding 150 others in the confrontation which started in the morning of January 15. The website also claimed that the SLA artillery attack in the Kaiveali, Koampaavil and Vishvamadu areas killed five civilians, including a 14-year-old girl, and injured six others, including an eight-year-old boy.

Heavy fighting erupted between the troops and militants in the Vishvamadu, Kulaweddidal and Mulliyaweli areas in which an unspecified number of militants were killed. SFs later recovered dead bodies of seven militants.

An airstrip around 1,100 metres long and 40 metres wide inside the dense Iranamadu jungle was captured by the SFs following intensive fighting.

The courageous political leadership given by President Mahinda Rajapakse and the correct military leadership given to the Security Forces were the principal reasons behind the historic victories achieved in the struggle to defeat terrorism, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said.

The 57^th Division troops took full control of the entire perimeter of the Iranamadu tank bund covering about three kilometres in the Kilinochchi District.

SFs attacked LTTE camps at Udayarkattikkulam in the Mullaitivu District and subsequently recovered the dead bodies of three militants along with three T-56 weapons and one tractor.

The troops captured the LTTE's sixth airstrip located at the eastern edge of Iranamadu tank in Mullaitivu jungles.

744 entrapped civilians in the Mullaitivu District and other areas reported to the troops in the Chundikulam, Kokueliya, Ramanadhapuram, Omanthai, Puliyanpokkarai, Kulaweddidal and Kevil areas of the Jaffna, Vavuniya and Kilinochchi Districts.

Ruling out a general amnesty for the LTTE, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said that the outfit's chief Velupillai Prabhakaran and his chief lieutenants would be tried for crimes they had committed, both in Sri Lanka and abroad. Even if they surrendered to the army, the Government would go ahead with legal proceedings, he told The Island. Rajapakse said that although ordinary LTTE cadres would be rehabilitated to facilitate their return to civilian life, the top LTTE leadership shouldn't expect clemency. He also said Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman couldn't be handed over to India as they had to first face charges in Sri Lanka.

SFs captured Ramanathpuram, a large township in the east of Kilinochchi District. After being evicted from Iranamadu and Kilinochchi, LTTE militants withdrew to Ramanathpuram where they had already made a fortress constructing strong bunkers, training areas, command and logistic points and administrative bases. According to the military, Ramnathpuram is the second largest built up other than the Kilinochchi town in the Kilinochchi District and the town area is located about 6-10 kilometres east of the A-9 road from Iranamadu.

SFs killed an unspecified number of LTTE militants in the area about seven kilometres north of the Muthuiyankaddukulam tank in Mullaitivu District. During subsequent search operations, the troops recovered the dead bodies of 19 militants.

Troops of the 59^th Division clashed with militants at Puthukkudiyiruppu in the Mullaitivu District and subsequently recovered the dead bodies of eight militants.

SFs confronted LTTE militants in the Puliyanpokkarai, east of Dharmapuram, Kandavalai and Udayarkattikkulam areas inflicting an unspecified number of casualties upon the militants. The troops later recovered dead bodies of four militants.

Unidentified assailants shot dead three persons, including a civil defence force soldier, in the Muttur area of Trincomalee District. Police said the assailants killed the victims while they were travelling in a tractor. Two of the victims are believed to be farmers from the Muttur area.

The LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran may have already fled Sri Lanka with the army moving swiftly towards the outfit's final strongholds, Army chief General Sarath Fonseka said. He also predicted victory in a matter of months as the LTTE resistance was weaker than expected. Fonseka also said that Prabhakaran would neither commit suicide as he exhorts his followers to do with cyanide capsules worn around their necks, nor allow himself to be captured like former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. Fonseka also said the LTTE now hold an area of 30 kilometres by 15 kilometres and said troops had marched 17 kilometres toward Mullaitivu in as many days.

Sri Lankan troops launched a search to arrest LTTE chief Prabhakaran, believed to be hiding inside a 35-meter deep bunker in Mullaitivu District, the State radio Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation said.

18 civilians have been confirmed killed in troop's artillery fire within the last 24 hours till 3:00pm in several villages of Mullaitivu District and the outer suburbs of Kilinochchi District to the east of A-9 highway, claims pro- LTTE Website Tamil Net. At least 42 civilians were wounded on January 18 alone, according to the report.

Three civilians were shot dead and three others injured by a group of unidentified assailants at the Sadatissagama jungle patch in the Buttala area of Moneragala District.

SFs neutralised several LTTE hideouts in the areas north of Kalmadukulam tank, west and southeast of Udayarkattikkulam tank, northwest and east of Puthukkudiyiruppu, killing an unspecified number of militants. Three dead bodies of the militants were subsequently recovered by the troops from Puthukkudiyiruppu and Udayarkattikkulam areas.

Officials said the morgue in Vavuniya hospital is packed with bodies of slain LTTE militants. Dead bodies of LTTE militants are also reportedly piling up in other hospitals in the region, including Trincomalee, Mannar and Anuradhapura. More than 75 dead bodies of militants have so far been buried with the mediation of the ICRC last week. The ICRC resumed its transport duties on January 16 after a brief interruption due to the unavailability of security guarantee from both sides.

The Japanese Embassy in Colombo announced that the Japanese Special Peace Envoy for Sri Lanka, Yasushi Akashi, will arrive in the country on January 21 to discuss, among other issues, the current situation, including the human rights and problems faced by the internally displaced people in Wanni.

The pro- LTTE Website Tamil Net quoted the outfit's sources as saying that 35 SLA soldiers were killed and at least 60 others wounded when the outfit's defensive formations clashed with the SLA for 24 hours in the North-western frontier of the LTTE-held territory till the SLA was pushed back from Neththaliyaattuppaalam.

President Mahinda Rajapakse said that military operations in the North are not only to capture the territory held by the LTTE but also to free people in the areas under LTTE control and reinstate peace, freedom and democracy to the Tamil people of the North. Addressing a workshop at the Presidential Secretariat, he said the LTTE is now facing a certain defeat and the Government forces will capture the final rebel bastion, Mullaitivu soon.

January 20

15 civilians, including five children, were killed and 29 others injured during artillery fire by the troops in the Vishvamadu, Udaiyaarkaddu, Chuthanthirapuram and Maanikapuram areas of Mullaitivu District, claimed Tamil Net.

Troops of the 59^th Division and Task Force–IV attacked LTTE camps in the areas east of Puthukkudiyiruppu and northeast and southeast of Mulliyaweli inflicting heavy casualties upon the militants. Several soldiers also sustained injuries during these attacks. The SFs later recovered the dead bodies of nine militants.

Dead bodies of 38 LTTE militants, including 21 female cadres, which had not been accepted by the outfit were buried in the Vavuniya cemetery in the afternoon, following a court order received by the Police a day earlier.

An unnamed senior military official said that speedy moves by the SFs from all fronts have confined the LTTE into an area North of A-35 road between Dharmapuram and Mullaitivu, further shrinking the areas under the outfit’s control to less than 400 square kilometres.

January 21

The SFs continued attacking LTTE camps in the Dharmapuram, Ramanathapuram and Visuamadu south areas inflicting an unspecified number of casualties upon the militants. Several soldiers also sustained injuries in these clashes. The SFs later recovered the dead body of six militants, including three female cadres.

The Sri Lanka Army assigned new un-cleared area (area not under Government Control) in the Mullaitivu District as a Safe Zone and urged civilians to move into the area as soon as possible. The Safe Zone borders a four kilometers stretch of the Puthukkudiyiruppu–Paranthan (A-35) main road from Udayankattu junction to the Yellow Bridge on the south and extends northwards to Iruthumadu and Thevipuram. The military had announced a 32 square kilometers Safe Zone near Mullaitivu and dropped leaflets urging civilians to go there.

The Government is reportedly planning to establish three new villages to settle the IDPs from Wanni who cannot go back to their own villages due to the LTTE activities.

Nine journalists were killed and 27 others were assaulted in Sri Lanka since January 2006, the Government said.

January 22

At least 100 persons were killed in artillery exchanges between military and the LTTE in the last one week, a Government official working in the area controlled by the LTTE said. "Around 30 people died in the morning today. Personally I saw that nearly 100 people have died from Saturday [January 17] up to today. More than 300 have been injured," Mullaitivu District Government Agent Emelda Sukumar said.

The Tamil Net claimed that 66 civilians were killed and more than 200 wounded in SLA’s artillery fire within the last three days in Mullaitivu District. While 16 civilians were killed on January 20, 20 others died on January 21 and around 30 more were killed within the past 12 hours of January 22, according to the Regional Director of Health Service (under the LTTE administration) for Mullaitivu District Dr. Varatharajah.

The Intensive Care Unit and the surgical site of the Mullaitivu hospital, functioning as a makeshift hospital at Wallipuram school, were damaged in SLA’s artillery fire in the night of January 21 and at around 12:20 pm on January 22 in which five civilians were killed within the hospital premises.

40 SLA soldiers were killed and 70 others injured as the LTTE’s defensive formations put up stiff resistance against the SLA that attempted to advance through Kallaaru in the North-western front, the LTTE sources said. The militants did not issue details on their casualties but claimed to have seized weapons in the clearing mission that followed.

The 58^th Division troops clashed with LTTE militants in the Visuamadu area of Mullaitivu District and killed an unspecified number of them. During subsequent search operations, the SFs recovered the dead bodies of four militants.

Troops clashed with the LTTE militants in the areas south of Mullaitivu and Puthukkudiyiruppu and captured one LTTE bunker and earth bund on. During subsequent search operations, the SFs recovered dead bodies of five militants.

The SFs advancing towards Mullaitivu along the southernmost tiny islet of the Chundikulam strip confronted a pocket of LTTE militants at the Jaffna-Mullaitivu District inflicting heavy casualties upon the militants. Troops later recovered the dead bodies of three militants.

11 dead bodies of the LTTE militants were handed over to the representatives of the ICRC in Vavuniya and they were taken to un-cleared areas (areas not under Government control) to be delivered to the LTTE by the ICRC.

The ICRC secured the release of an Army Lance Corporal, A.D.M.S. Pushpa Kumara, kept in detention by the LTTE, from the Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital in Mullaitivu District.

The UN said that the LTTE had violated international law for refusing to allow local staff and their families to leave Sri Lanka's war zone.

Military spokesman Brigadier Nanayakkara said that 2,959 civilians had arrived in the cleared areas from the LTTE territory from January 1 to January 21.

Malaysia has sounded an alert for LTTE chief Prabhakaran after reports that he may have entered the country as Sri Lankan troops were closing in on the remaining LTTE stronghold of Mullaitivu.

The LTTE media spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan has been placed under arrest by the outfit, according to Army intelligence.

January 23

Five civilians, including a 10-year-old girl and a 56-year-old priest, were killed when the SLA fired artillery shells targeted Safe Zone areas such as Iruddumadu, Udaiyaarkaddu and Wallipuram in the Mullaitivu district at least four times, according to medical sources in the region, Tamil Net reported.

The SLA fired artillery and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher shells targeting Tamil refugees in temporary settlements of Mullaitivu district killing three civilians and injuring 33 others, the Website added.

The UNICEF called on the LTTE to release thousands of civilians including as many as 75,000 children entrapped in the war zone along with nearly 100 child soldiers recruited by the outfit.

The TMVP leader and a Member of Parliament, Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, said the Government would put an end to the child soldiers’ issue in the Eastern Province within the next three months under a joint agreement signed by the Government, UNICEF and the TMVP.

Sri Lanka’s donor group Co-chairs – the United States, European Union, Norway and Japan -- while backing the ongoing humanitarian operations are in constant touch with the Government with the common objective of bringing a speedy solution to the ethnic conflict, the Foreign Affairs Minister said.

January 24

12 civilians killed were killed and 87 wounded as SLA continues artillery attack on Safety Zone in the Udaiyaarkaddu area of Mullaitivu District, Tamil Net reported.

January 25

SFs troops captured Mullaitivu Town, the LTTE’s most prestigious military stronghold in the Eastern coast. The troops entered Mullaitivu by 1 pm (SLST). Earlier, on January 23, the SFs made a major breakthrough in their battle to capture Mullaitivu with the capture of the earth bund located four kilometres south of Mullaitivu centre. Army Commander Lt. General Sarath Fonseka announced this victory to the nation in the evening in a special message telecast live. "The Tiger stronghold of Mullaitivu fell under Security Forces control after 13 years with the 59 Division troops under the command of Brigadier Nandana Udawatta entering this strategic stronghold last afternoon", military officials said. The Army last controlled this isolated Army camp located in Mullaitivu in 1996 and it was overrun by the LTTE on July 18, 1996.

22 civilians were killed and 60 others wounded as SLA continued artillery shelling in various localities, including Chuthanthirapuram, Udaiyaarkaddu and Thearaavil in Vishvamadu, inside the 'safety zone', Tami Net claimed.

Troops clashed with LTTE militants in the Visuamadukulam, south of Puliyanpokkarai, east of Dharmapuram and southeast of Puliyanpokkarai areas and killed an unspecified number of them. During subsequent search operations, the troops recovered the dead bodies of seven militants.

The SFs clashed with militants in the Visuamadukulam and south of Puthukkudiyiruppu areas of Mullaitivu District. During subsequent search operations, troops recovered dead bodies of three militants. Another dead body of a LTTE militant was recovered from the Puthukkudiyiruppu area.

SFs in the northeast of Udayarkattikkulam tank clashed with the LTTE militants and subsequently recovered the dead bodies of three of them.

January 26

More than 300 people were killed and several hundreds injured when the SLA fired artillery shells inside the Safety Zone declared by the Colombo Government within the last 24 hours, Tamil Net claimed. The shells mostly exploded in the area three kilometers between VallipunamKaali temple and Moongkilaaru towards Paranthan road.

Sri Lanka health unions urged the Government and ICRC to intervene to get the health workers who are currently in LTTE custody released. Saman Rathnapriya, chairman of the All Ceylon Health Service Union, said there are nearly 100 health workers being held captive at various places in Mullaitivu.

The Government informed the Appeal Courts that it has decided to cancel the radio license given to the LTTE.

The Colombo High Court reissued an arrest warrant for the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, head of LTTE intelligence wing Pottu Amman and two senior members of the outfit, Charles Master and Komadee Manimekala, in connection with the assassination of former foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, who was killed by a LTTE sniper at his residence in Colombo on August 12, 2005.

Commander of the 59^th Division, Brigadier Nandana Udawatta, said that troops advancing from the north of Mullaitivu town succeeded in capturing a stretch of two kilometres amidst stiff resistance by the LTTE. Troops operating in Mullaitivu town also recovered a LTTE defence line which consisted of a massive earth bund and a ditch.

The Government, on January 26, banned the Voice of Tigers (VoT), the so-called official radio of the LTTE, Director General of the Media Center for the National Security, Lakshman Hulugalle. A special gazette was issued on January 27, he said.

The ICRC and UN officials who went to Puthukkudiyiruppu area to fetch some 300 patients to be transferred to the Vavuniya Hospital for further treatment were refused and turned away by the LTTE while holding all those patients captive as 'human shields'.

Disaster Management and Human Rights Ministry Secretary Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha said over 6000 civilians have arrived at the No War Zone declared by the Government since January 22. The Government declared a no war zone to facilitate civilians in the uncleared areas to enter cleared areas.

The ICRC said a major humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the North as civilians are caught in the crossfire between the Army and LTTE. It said hundreds of people have been killed and scores of wounded are crowded in ill-equipped and understaffed medical facilities in the North. According to the ICRC, an estimated 250000 people are trapped in a 250 square-kilometre area and they are in need of protection, medical care and basic assistance.

President Mahinda Rajapakse told the visiting Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee that he was extending a personal invitation to the Tamil Nadu (Southern Indian State) Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and the AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa to visit Sri Lanka to persuade the LTTE to lay down arms and join the democratic mainstream. Mukherjee said that India has no sympathy for terrorist organisations, but wants Sri Lanka to ensure that civilians are not victimised in the conflict between the armed forces and the LTTE.

The LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran is still in Sri Lanka and leading his fighters on the battlefront in Mullaitivu, B. Nadesan, political head of the outfit, told BBC.

The Government said that a manhunt was on for Prabhakaran and if captured alive he would not be extradited to India but first tried in Sri Lanka on charges of crimes committed by him.

50 LTTE militants were killed and more than 150 injured during heavy fighting between the troops and militants in the Udayankattu and Pallaikudiyirippu areas of Mullaitivu District. Four soldiers also went missing.

An unspecified number of LTTE militants were killed and several others injured when SFs operating from the south of Paranthan-Mullaitivu (A-35) road reached Vishvamadu junction amidst stiff resistance from the outfit. The village, near Kalmadukulam tank, was completely under water and their houses and properties were largely damaged, when the tank bund was breeched by the LTTE, Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said. During subsequent search operations, SFs recovered the dead bodies of five militants. According to Nanayakkara, the capture of Vishvamadu junction dealt a severe blow to the LTTE who are now confined to a territory of 300 square kilometres. The troops have also gained control of a stretch of 10 kilometers along the road leading to Chundikkulama via Puliyampokkanai.

The chief of the LTTE unit in Britain helped supply military equipment to the outfit, a London court heard. Prosecutors alleged that 52-year-old Arunachalam Chrishanthakumar alias A.C. Shanthan led the acquisition of funding and materials bound for the LTTE.

Nearly 13,000 LTTE militants have been killed during the past two years of conflict in Sri Lanka since the operations to liberate the Northern region began in July 2006, the military said. Over 3700 soldiers have died in the ongoing battles, during the same period, Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said. Over 1500 LTTE cadres have been killed during the clashes in the past two months alone. Nearly 150 Government soldiers have also been killed in the same period, the spokesman added.

44 civilians were killed and 178 others sustained injuries during SLA's artillery firing targeting civilians in safety zones in Wanni, claimed Tamil Net.

A LTTE armour plated underwater craft and three other partially assembled submarine type smaller crafts (midgets) were recovered by the SFs from the Udayarkattikkulam area of Mullaitivu District. The SFs also found a damaged bullet-proof car that could have been used here by either LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran or other senior LTTE leaders.

The LTTE released the two UN expatriates they were holding and allowed to return the Government controlled areas but detained the 13 local staff further.

President Mahinda Rajapakse urged the LTTE to release the civilians within 48 hours and allow them to move to safety in the Government-controlled areas.

The political wing leader of the LTTE, Balasingham Nadesan, said that the outfit has been urging the UN, ICRC and other international actors through all available offices to facilitate transportation for the wounded civilians in need of medical treatment to the Vavuniya Hospital.

The United States and Japan have offered a SLR 3.2 billion grant to Sri Lanka Government for de-mining in the Mannar District, one of the recently liberated districts in the North.

In a pre-dawn attack, the SLN destroyed an explosive laden LTTE suicide boat in the seas off Mullaitivu coast. Naval craft on patrol in the Mullaitivu seas had earlier intercepted the suicide boat launched from Mullaitivu and directed heavy gunfire at it.

The Government rejected calls for a cease-fire with the LTTE and vowed to continue the military operations until the North is completely liberated.

The APRC has finalized its report recommending a power devolution formula to solve the ethnic conflict, the Government announced.

SFs captured a Black Tiger camp complex in the east of Visuamadu in Mullaitivu District. Nine mortar launchers of five different calibre of 120-mm, 81-mm, 82-mm, 80-mm and 60-mm, six Multi Purpose Machine Guns, two thermo baric launchers, 20 pistols, three Rocket Propeller Guns (RPG), seven claymore mines, one improvised claymore mine, 18 T-56 weapons, one sniper gun, eight RPG rounds, 59 hand grenades, one tripod, 35 Arul-type bombs, 100 detonators, one radio set, thirty five gas masks, 48 helmets, 35 pouches, a large stock of new LTTE uniforms along with the dead bodies of 12 militants were recovered from the complex.

The 48-hour truce period the President had offered to the LTTE to allow stranded civilians to move into safe areas expired in the night of January 31 but the LTTE continued to hold the people ignoring the ultimatum. "LTTE terrorists violating the objective of the safe area, moved heavy artillery batteries and mortar guns over civilians endangering their safety also attempting to draw civilian casualties in a military retaliation," the Defence Ministry said. Defence sources said the LTTE is manning a forward defence line in the outer perimeters of the Safe Zone and they have also "cluttered" the area with land mines to prevent civilians from reaching the Government-controlled territory. The United Nations estimates some 250,000 civilians are trapped in the battlefield now limited to an area of less than 300 square kilometers in the northeast jungles.

150 SLA soldiers were killed and more than 350 others injured when the defensive formations of the LTTE foiled an SLA attempt to capture Puthukkudiyiruppu in the Mullaitivu District, claimed Tamil Net. Three battle tanks, two troop carriers, a military bus and two tractors were fully destroyed, said S. Puleedevan, Director of the LTTE Peace Secretariat.

35 LTTE militants were killed in separate clashes between the troops and militants in the Mullaitivu District. The day-long fighting erupted between the two sides in the area west of the Nanthikandal lagoon and the Udayarkattikkulam near the declared civilian safe zone as troops came under heavy artillery attack from the militants.

The SFs clashed with LTTE militants in the area north of Visuamadu killing at least 11 militants and injuring eight others.

Following several rounds of clashes with the LTTE militants in the Udayarkattikkulam and Udayankattu areas, troops recovered dead bodies of five militants. An unspecified number of soldiers were injured in the fighting while five others went missing.

The LTTE recently named a senior leader, identified as Selvarasa Pathmanathan, as the chief of a newly established Department of International Relations (DIR). Pathmanathan will be representing the outfit in any future peace initiatives and will be the primary point of contact for engaging with the international community, according to a letter sent to various international actors by the DIR. Pathmanathan will be working abroad with required mandate from the LTTE leadership, according to the letter. The outfit's political wing leader, B. Nadesan, confirmed to Tamil Net that Pathmanathan has already begun corresponding with international actors.

President Mahinda Rajapakse renewing his call to the LTTE urged them to surrender or face the danger of being captured by the Armed Forces.

The Sri Lanka Government said that it couldn't go for a power sharing solution for the country's ethnic issue vanquishing the 13^th amendment of the constitution.

The committee appointed to formulate a solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka has proposed a Higher Appointments Council in place of the present Constitutional Council.

Nine civilians were killed and 20 others injured when a hospital in the LTTE-controlled area of Puthukkudiyiruppu in the Mullaitivu District came under artillery attack three times.

Tamil Net claimed that the SLA fired artillery shells throughout February 2 from all directions targeting civilian refuges killing or injuring at least 100 civilians. More than 5,000 artillery shells and Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher rockets were fired by the SLA, it added.

President Mahinda Rajapakse declared that the Army is on the verge of crushing the LTTE after a 25-year war. "The strongholds of terror once believed to be invincible ... have fallen in rapid succession, bringing the final elimination of terror from our motherland and the dawn of true freedom to all our people well within our reach," Rajapakse said in a message to mark the 61^st Independence Day that will be celebrated on February 4.

The SFs recovered the dead bodies of 12 LTTE militants following clashes in the Murusamoddai and Ettakokkavilkulam north areas of Mullaitivu District.

Three people were killed and 10 injured when the SLA for the third consecutive day shelled the Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital in Mullaitivu District, reported Tamil Net.

The Government asked all civilians to enter the demarcated 'safety zone' as soon as possible, cautioning that otherwise their security could not be guaranteed.

February 3

52 civilians were killed when the Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital in Mullaitivu District was shelled for the fourth consecutive day, this time by a cluster bomb, forcing authorities to evacuate patients from one of the last functioning medical facilities in the war zone, said the UN.

The Sri Lankan military accused the LTTE of arming civilians to fight the SFs.

The Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services Ministry said the IDPs who had sought refuge with authorities had increased to over 5,000. Ministry sources said 1,000 acres of land had been cleared in Vavuniya to cater to an expected exodus in the coming weeks in addition to the existing facilities. They said these centres were equipped with all facilities including health, sanitary, schooling for children, banking, food etc.

The Government took measures to establish four more welfare villages in Vavuniya and Adampan areas for the IDPs coming from Wanni and Mannar. The Government has already commenced basic activities of the four villages. According to Government statistics, 113,731 civilians are still under LTTE control in Mullaitivu District although aid agencies claim a higher number.

February 4

A 13-year-old LTTE suicide bomber blew herself up after reaching the troops in a location north of Chalai injuring one soldier.

In his speech during the 61^st Independence Day celebrations, President Mahinda Rajapakse declared that the LTTE would be decisively defeated in the next few days.

The Norwegian Government said that it had urged the LTTE to negotiate with the Sri Lankan Government for a cease-fire.

The Sri Lanka Co-Chairs appealed for a "temporary no-fire period" in Sri Lanka.

Responding to the Co-Chairs statement, the pro-LTTE party TNA said it was the need to resist the physical subjugation of the Tamil people by the Sri Lankan state that led to the "advent of Tamil armed resistance and it is only the LTTE that is resisting the aforementioned genocidal designs of the Sri Lanka State".

The Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital which was closed due to shelling has been relocated to Puthumalan, a location closer to the coastal area in Mullaitivu District, the ICRC said.

February 5

The SLA fired more than 6,000 artillery shells inside the safety zone not allowing people to come out of bunkers throughout the day in the Chuthanthirapuram and Iruddumadu areas of Mullaitivu District killing 16 people, claimed Tamil Net. Two of the 16 dead bodies of civilians brought to hospital had gunfire injuries, according to medical sources.

The SFs captured the LTTE’s last Sea Tiger base of Chalai in the north of Mullaitivu after five days of fighting killing at least 12 Sea Tigers cadres, including top leaders. Among those killed was a deputy leader known as Vinayagam. With the capture of the Chalai Sea Tiger Base, SFs have been able to reduce the coastal area under LTTE control to less than 15 kilometres.

Troops attached to the 57^th Division took full control of Visuamadu by capturing the southern part while the 58^th Division captured the northern part. With the capture of Visuamadu and Chalai, the SFs have been able to confine the LTTE to an area less than 200 square kilometres. "In actual terms they have been confined to 16 by 6 kilometres area in the Mullaitivu district," an unnamed military official said. The LTTE is now left with only areas in the North, East and West of Puthukuduiruppu.

A hospital in the Udaiyaarkaddu area within the safe zone was shelled by the SLA killing at least seven civilians while injuring 27 others, reported Tamil Net. Two ambulances and the medical store of the hospital were also destroyed.

Three militants were killed during clashes between the LTTE and troops in the areas west of Kuravikulam and Kuravikulam.

Medical authorities said at least 500 civilians, including children and elderly, were killed and 2,000 wounded within the last three weeks, Tamil Net claimed.

Nearly 1,000 civilians arrived in Tharmapuram and Visuamadu after fleeing from the LTTE in Mullaitivu during the past 48 hours.

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake told Parliament that under no circumstance will the Government suspend the ongoing military operations against the LTTE until they are completely neutralised.

February 6

The SLAF bombed Ponnampalam hospital in Puthukkudiyiruppu killing 61 patients.

59 civilians were killed in shelling by the SLA inside the safety zone in the Chuthanthirapuram, Iruddumadu, Udaiyaarkaddu and Theavipuram areas of Mullaitivu, reported Tamil Net.

Troops overran the LTTE’s ‘Radha Regiment’ headquarters at Visuamadu. Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said the ‘Radha Regiment’ was in Theravilkulam, along the A-35 main road and is led by a senior LTTE cadre identified as Ratnam.

An unspecified number of militants were killed in clashes with troops in the Kuppilankulam and Thuvarankulam areas. The SFs also captured a LTTE camp in the Thuvarankulam area. During subsequent search operations, SFs recovered the dead bodies of six militants.

SFs continued operations in the LTTE-held areas south and west of Puthukkudiyiruppu and Kuppilankulam killing at least three militants.

Tamil Net reported that more than 100 SLA soldiers were killed in a Black Tigers attack targeting soldiers in the Keappaapulavu area, according to February 4 edition of Eezha Naatham, the only newspaper printed in LTTE-controlled territory. The Black Tigers rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the SLA installation and the militants stormed the 'box' and brought it under their control.

5100 civilians escaped from the LTTE control and reached the army controlled areas of Darmapuram, Visuamadu and Kuppilankulam.

Defence spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that only about 700 LTTE militants remain in the outfit’s force now. He denied that 200,000 civilians are trapped in the LTTE territory which has now shrunk to about 160 square kilometres.

The Sri Lanka Army said that the LTTE is now restricted to only 172 square kilometres of land in the Mullaitivu District.

February 7

62 civilians were killed in shelling by the SLA inside the safety zone in the Chuthanthirapuram, Iruddumadu, Udaiyaarkaddu and Theavipuram areas of Mullaitivu, reports Tamil Net.

34 LTTE militants were killed when the SFs foiled an LTTE infiltration attempt through the SFs FDL in the south of Puthukkudiyiruppu.

The SLAF said its fighter jets destroyed a hideout of the Sea Tigers chief Soosai located one kilometre northeast of Puthukuduiruppu junction in the Mullaitivu District and claimed that he could either have been killed or wounded in the attack. The SLAF spokesperson Janaka Nanayakkara said 11 LTTE militants, including a very senior militant, were killed in the attack.

5600 civilians, including children and women, reached the troops in Puthukkudiyiruppu.

February 8

The SLA continued indiscriminate barrage of artillery shelling on the safety zone killing more than 80 civilians and injuring 200. Most of the casualties were reported along the roads. Further, a shell exploded inside a bunker in Vallipuan, killing three persons and injuring four others. More than 500 houses and huts were damaged in the shelling.

Troops killed seven LTTE militants in fierce clashes at a strategic township near Mullaitivu.

Naval craft patrolling the sea off Mullaitivu in a predawn attack destroyed two LTTE boats just a few minutes after it was detected on the radar screen. According to Navy spokesman Captain D.K.P. Dassanayake, Dovra high speed naval craft had given chase and fired at the fleeing LTTE boats killing at least six militants. Two dead bodies of the militants were recovered, he added.

The SLA reported that LTTE militants fired at civilians who were fleeing the outfit-held areas killing three of them while injuring three others.

The Sri Lankan military claimed that over 10,000 civilians trapped in the war zone have crossed over to the safe zone in the first week of February. As per Government estimates of February 1, there were 1.2 lakh civilians held up in the LTTE-held territory in the Mullaitivu District.

February 9

A LTTE woman suicide bomber mingling with a group of displaced civilians coming from un-cleared areas blew herself up at Sugandirapuram in the Mullaitivu District, killing 28 people and injuring more than 60 others. Among the dead were 20 SF personnel and eight civilians. 24 soldiers were among the 60 injured persons. The bomber, who had come with around 1,000 displaced civilians from un-cleared areas of Mullaitivu, blew herself up when a woman soldier tried to body check her at a checkpoint prior to being taken to a transit welfare centre.

The Sri Lankan Government told a high-level United Nations delegation in Colombo that the LTTE maintains a hostile approach towards the exodus of civilians from the Wanni region and the casualties caused by it is under-reported. "The surge of civilians leaving the conflict zone, numbering in excess of 20,000, is encouraging even though the LTTE regrettably maintains a hostile approach on the exodus of civilians," Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said.

The founder of the TMVP and Member of Parliament, Vinayagamoorthy Muraleetharan alias ‘Colonel’ Karuna Amman, has said that he will join the ruling SLFP in the near future. Making a special statement to the media, Karuna said that he will obtain the SLFP membership within the next three weeks and could convert all offices of his political party in the Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara Districts as SLFP offices.

The LTTE militants triggered a pressure mine explosion targeting a team of STF members travelling on a tractor in the Onkanda area of Batticaloa District, killing two STF personnel.

February 10

19 civilians, including five women and two children, were killed and 75 others, including 30 women and 28 children, were wounded as the LTTE militants opened fire on a group of civilians fleeing the outfit-held areas of Puthukkudiyiruppu in the Mullaitivu District.

SFs captured the Western part of Kuruwilkulam in the Mullaitivu District following clashes that commenced from February 9-night. Kuruwilkulam is located East of Vishvamadu and North of Udayanarkattukulam along the south of the A-9 Road. The LTTE territory is reportedly confined to 96 square kilometres.

The SFs killed three armed LTTE militants in the Surantharanpuram area and also recovered their weapons, two radio sets and two motorbikes.

The pro-LTTE party TNA is to be invited to the APRC which is expected to soon complete deliberations towards a future power sharing mechanism for Sri Lanka, the APRC Chairman Tissa Vitharana said.

The Government has asked all parties, including the United Nations aid agencies, providing relief supplies to refugees in Wanni to ensure that they operate within the framework approved by the Government.

February 11

The SFs killed eight LTTE militants in the Thuvarankulam and surrounding areas of Mullaitivu District.

The US Department of Treasury designated the Maryland-based Tamil Foundation as a front organization of the LTTE under Executive Order 13224 which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism.

The Government said that over 32,500 civilians out of the total population of 113, 832 in the Mullaitivu District have fled the un-cleared areas (area not under Government control) and sought protection with the Security Forces. Meanwhile, the Government has allocated another SLR 50 million to provide necessary facilities to fleeing civilians in the Northern part of the country.

The LTTE, which has been disappointed with the way the exodus of civilians fleeing from the LTTE-held area, have reportedly forced the civilians to go further North East of Puthukuduiruppu and South of Chalai in their bid to keep them under their control for a long period, military sources said. "The LTTE had pushed the civilians towards the Putumatalan area North East of Puthukuduyiruppu", military officials said.

President Mahinda Rajapakse said that the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran will soon have to "pay" for attacking various religious places in the island nation in the past 25 years.

February 12

The SFs clashed with the LTTE militants in the Mullaitivu District killing at least 28 militants, the Defence ministry said. "Snipers deployed in the forward areas confirmed shooting down 23 terrorists at various locations during daytime," the ministry said, adding, five militants were killed in separate clashes.

12 LTTE militants were killed and an equal number of them injured as clashes erupted between the SFs and militants in the area south of Puthukudirippu in Mullaitivu District.

Security Forces in Wanni declared a new Safe Zone demarcating 12 kilometers along on the western boundary of the Mullaitivu lagoon on humanitarian grounds to rescue civilians trapped by the LTTE in Mullaitivu.

In a response to the ICRC appealing to the Government and the LTTE to meet their obligations under international humanitarian law to spare the wounded, the sick, medical personnel, and medical facilities at all times, the Defence Affairs spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said the Government is fully respecting and adhering to the international humanitarian law.

The Eastern Province Chief Minister and TMVP leader Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan said civilians who fled the East due to the conflict are being resettled in a two stage process. He also said that TMVP has begun to disarm its cadres in line with its recent policy.

February 13

Subsequent to heavy clashes between the two sides in the Kuppilankulam area of Mullaitivu District, the SFs recovered the dead bodies of five militants along with five T-56 weapons and one I-com radio set.

Tamil Net claimed that more than 50 civilians were feared killed in an artillery attack by the SLA at Theavipuram and Valipunam areas of Mullaitivu District.

The Government has cancelled with immediate effect the radio transmission licence issued (on November 11, 2002) to the LTTE peace secretariat during the tenure of the cease-fire agreement.

The Government has taken measures to re-establish the Police station in Kilinochchi after almost a decade. The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mahinda Balasooriya, who visited the area recently, said the Kilinochchi Police station is the first of 20 Police stations scheduled to be established in Wanni.

Foreign Affairs Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said that all front organizations of the LTTE should be banned internationally to combat terrorism.

February 14

16 civilians, most of them belonging to three families, were killed in an artillery attack by the SLA at Iranaippaalai, located between the new and old safety zones, in the Mullaitivu District, reported Tamil Net.

February 15

Eight civilians were killed within the new safety-zone in the at Pokkanai area of Mullaitivu District.

Tamil Net claimed that a bomb blast in the Kanchikudichchaanaaru area of Ampara District killed more than 12 STF commandos, including an officer, at a site where preparations were being made to lay the foundation stone for a Buddhist Vihara.

The Government claimed that only about 65,000 civilians remain in Mullaitivu and not 450,000 as stated by the LTTE.

President Mahinda Rajapakse said his Government guarantees the safety of the civilians fleeing the LTTE held areas and reaching the SFs or the ICRC.

According to the Ministry Human Rights and Disaster Management, over 35,000 civilians have safely reached the Government controlled areas in February 2009.

The ruling United People's Freedom Alliance secured a majority in the Central Provincial Council elections held on February 14 to select councillors for another four-year term. The final outcome of the North Western Provincial Council election is yet to be determined.

The LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran is still in Wanni and will continue to hold the innocent civilians until the military captures him, revealed two Black Tigers to the Army. In an interview with Sunday Observer, they said that Prabhakaran’s son Charles Anthony was commanding their forces with other prominent LTTE leaders like Banu and Lakshman.

February 16

Three workers attached to Karaithuraippattu Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society were killed inside the Theavipuram area of Mullaitivu District.

Tamil Net claimed that about 275 civilians are feared dead since February 14 and the roads remain continuously under heavy artillery attack by the SLA in the Theavipuram-Vallipunam safety zone.

The UN called on the LTTE to release the UN worker held hostage by them, to desist from further recruitment of civilians and to permit passage of tens of thousands of civilians remaining in the ‘Wanni Pocket’, including children.

The LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran is planning to commit suicide along with hundreds of his hardcore followers at a beach in Mullaitivu District if the Sri Lankan armed forces close in on his last hideout, said Basil Rajapakse, Senior Advisor to the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse.

The LTTE is reportedly burying their weapons in order to use them later when the armed struggle for an independent Tamil Eelam could be revived. UAV surveillance had revealed that militants were greasing their weapons, wrapping them up in polythene and burying them deep in jungles, as they did in the East in 2006-7 and after the India-Sri Lankan Accord in 1987.

The SLA launched indiscriminate artillery attack into the newly announced safety zone killing at least 108 civilians and injuring more than 200, claimed Tamil Net. The artillery attack targeted Maaththalan, Pokkanai and Mullivaaykkaal areas.

The Sri Lanka Air Force fighter jets bombed Iranaippaalai, the new centre for humanitarian and basic facilities located between the new and old safety zones, killing at least 15 people fleeing from the old 'safety zone' towards Maaththalan, claimed Tamil Net.

The SFs entered the Puthukuduiruppu West area of Mullaitivu District confining the LTTE to less than 80 square kilometres area. The SFs have reportedly taken complete control of the previous 'No Fire Zone' declared by the Army after thousands of civilians moved out of the area once the Army declared the new safe areas in the coastal belt in the north of Mullaitivu. The SFs also recovered the dead bodies of 23 militants from the area (14 on February 16 and nine on February 17.

The UNICEF expressed grave concern for children being recruited by the LTTE and said it was extremely alarmed at the high number of children being killed or injured in the fighting in the north.

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said LTTE leaders are using civilians in the North as human shields as they cannot face the heavy attacks by the Security Forces in the final stage of the war.

The TNA said that the Government should go for a cease-fire with the LTTE. TNA leader and Member of Parliament, R. Sampanthan, claimed that nearly 350,000 civilians are still trapped in the outfit held areas of Mullaitivu. He also claimed that nearly 2,000 innocent civilians have been killed and another 4,500 injured since December 2008.

Minister Dinesh Gunawardene told Parliament that 60,088 families have been displaced in the Eastern Province due to the LTTE.

The founder of the TMVP and Member of Parliament, Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias 'Colonel' Karuna Amman, has quit the party. Karuna said that he and some senior leaders had quit the TMVP and would hold talks with President Mahinda Rajapakse next week to join the ruling SLFP.

The Government appointed a committee to evaluate activities of the national and international NGOs in the country involved in humanitarian assistance and human rights promotion.

50 civilians were killed and more than 70 others wounded when four SLAF bombers dropped cluster bombs on internally displaced civilians at Aananthapuram in the Mullaitivu District at around 12:50 pm, claimed Tamil Net.

Troops killed nine militants in the west and south of Puthukkudiyiruppu and in south Oddusudan.

SFs recovered six dead bodies of the LTTE militants along with five T-56 weapons during a search operation in the area west of Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullaitivu District.

The skeletal parts and 70 partly-burnt pieces of a fuselage and a rotor blade of a helicopter that could have been experimented by the LTTE, apparently for their clandestine aerial operations, were recovered from the newly captured areas of Vaddakkachchi.

The Sri Lanka Government reiterated its stance of no cease-fire with the LTTE rejecting the fresh calls for a truce. Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that the Government has taken a policy decision to completely neutralise terrorism. Describing the truce demand as "laughable," he said, "There will be no ceasefire with the LTTE."

24 civilians were killed in the SLA artillery attack in the Puthukkudiyiruppu area of Mullaitivu District, reports Tamil Net.

10 civilians were killed and 70 injured in the Iranaippaalai, Aananthapuram and Valaignarmadam villages of the Mullaitivu District.

Three members of a family were killed in the Valaignarmadam area of Mullaitivu District.

SFs captured the entire Puthukkudiyiruppu west area in Mullaitivu District by February 19 afternoon and by evening the troops entered the Ampalavanpokkanai town. During a search operation following clashes between the two sides, the SFs recovered the dead bodies of three LTTE militants along with seven T-56 weapons and three I-com sets from the Puthukkudiyiruppu west area.

Addressing a press briefing following a meeting with the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Sir John Holmes, urged the LTTE to allow free movement of civilians caught in the crossfire between the Government troops and the LTTE in the north.

70 civilians were injured when the SLA launched artillery attack targeting civilians within the 'safe zone' and the adjoining areas in Wanni, claims Tamil Net. 13 of the 70 wounded civilians died later.

Troops clashed with the LTTE militants in the Puthukkudiyiruppu, Puthukkudiyiruppu west, Chalai, Mulliyaweli and Ampalavanpokkanai areas of Mullaitivu District inflicting heavy casualties among the militants. During subsequent search operations, the troops recovered the dead bodies of 10 militants from the Puthukkudiyiruppu west and Ampalavanpokkanai areas.

Troops captured Ampalavanpokkanai village in the Mullaitivu District after a fierce battle with the LTTE. Troops later recovered seven LTTE bodies and five T56 assault rifles.

Two LTTE light aircrafts were shot down by the Security Forces in Colombo and Katunayake following an attempt by the outfit to bomb Colombo city. However, one of the aircrafts managed to drop a bomb on the Inland Revenue Department injuring at least 50 persons and destroying the building. Two of the wounded persons later succumbed to their injuries.

33 civilians were killed and 73 wounded when the SLA fired artillery shells towards the Safety Zone at Valaignarmadam, Mullivaaykkaal and Pokkaani in the Mullaitivu District.

Troops advancing towards Puthukkudiyiruppu town attacked more LTTE camps in the west and south of Puthukkudiyiruppu inflicting heavy casualties among the militants. During subsequent search operations, the SFs recovered dead bodies of 11 militants from the Puthukkudiyiruppu west and Ampalavanpokkanai areas.

The LTTE said that the February 20 air strikes carried out by it over capital Colombo were suicide attacks by its elite Black Air Tiger squad. The outfit said that two men from the Black Air Tiger suicide squad piloted the two light aircraft that carried out the attack. In addition, the military, quoting initial investigations, said the pilot, whose body was found intact, had a large quantity of explosives and bombs inside the aircraft.

12 civilians, including two children, were shot dead by the LTTE militants at Karawetiyagama in the Ampara District. The death toll increased to 21, the Media Centre for National Security said on February 22.

20 civilians were killed and 60 others wounded in the Iranaippaalai, Aananthapuram and Puthukkudiyiruppu areas of Mullaitivu District.

The SFs killed four LTTE militants in the Vattappalai area.

Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said that around 250 LTTE cadres have so far arrived in the cleared areas during the past few weeks and surrendered to the military. Army Spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said that 20 out of these 250 identified as hardcore fighters were referred to the rehabilitation centres after a screening process.

The Political Head of the LTTE, B. Nadesan, made an appeal to the heads of the Tokyo Co-chairs countries saying that "when a permanent political solution is reached for the Tamil people, with the support and the guarantee of the international community, the situation will arise where there will be no need for the arms of the LTTE".

Member of Parliament Vinayagamoorthy Muraleetharan alias 'Colonel' Karuna Amman has put forward three main conditions, including the halt of government-sponsored colonization programmes in the Eastern Province, before he joins the ruling SLFP.

Government officials said that the LTTE's air power has almost collapsed after two of the outfit's aircraft, which entered the Colombo sky to carry out a suicide mission, were destroyed by the SFs. Military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said defence authorities had estimated the LTTE to have three aircrafts. The defence authorities had claimed that the SLAF destroyed the first aircraft on September 9, 2008 when the LTTE carried out an air and ground attack on the air force base in Vavuniya.

LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran's wife and two children have left Sri Lanka as the Government troops zero in on the last pockets of the LTTE, a report said.

Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said the number of civilians remaining in the clutches of the LTTE is only 70,000.

SFs reached closer to Puthukkudiyiruppu town, the outfit's last stronghold, and regained a section of the earth bund in the Kombavil area of Mullaitivu District. Following a fierce battle, troops recovered three bodies of militants and two T-56 assault rifles from the incident site.

Police in France arrested six Sri Lankan Tamils accused of killing a Police officer in Paris, officials said. Sugeeswara Senadheera, Minister Counsellor at the Sri Lankan embassy in Paris, said that all of them were LTTE members.

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for a halt to fighting between Sri Lankan Government forces and the LTTE to allow civilians to flee and for political talks to try and end the 25-year conflict.

SFs entered Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullaitivu District, the last town under LTTE's control, following fierce fighting in which eight militants were killed.

19 militants were killed when they attempted to infiltrate the SF's defence line in the north of Mullaitivu.

Three Sri Lanka Air Force fighter jets bombed Iranaippaalai thrice, killing seven civilians, claimed Tamil Net. At least four of the victims belonged to a single family, according to the report.

Six civilians were killed when the SLA fired artillery shell near the makeshift hospital at Puthumaaththalan, claimed Tamil Net.

SFs killed six militants in the area north of Puthukkudiyiruppu.

37 civilians, including 12 United Nations local staff, who were detained by the LTTE in un-cleared areas (areas not under Government control) managed to escape and reached the naval troops in the Palamoddai area of Vavuniya District.

LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran is not expected to surrender despite losing his de facto State and may instead try to flee by boat, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said. He said that Prabhakaran could use a human smuggling ring to escape by boat.

Foreign Affairs Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said that contrary to certain reports in the international media, no cease-fire call has been made by the UN. The Minister also reiterated that the stand taken by the Government on the cease-fire issue had not changed, and the LTTE had to lay down their arms.

45 civilians were killed and several others wounded in continued military offensive in the Mullaitivu District, Tamil Net reported. 18 of the victims were killed within the 'safety zone' in artillery shelling.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse is to launch a "National Campaign against the Recruitment of Children for Use in Armed Conflict". The Presidential Secretariat said as per reports before 2003, nearly 60 per cent or 8,500 of the 14,000 LTTE fighting cadre were children under 18 years. "These were often referred to as the LTTE's 'Baby Brigade'. There was more reliable information after this, when parents began reporting to UNICEF offices of the forcible recruitment of children for combat," it said. According to the latest figures - in December 2008 - the LTTE recruited 3,809 boys and 2,478 girls. There are claims that 2059 such children, or those recruited as children, have been released, which requires verification.

30 civilians were killed and several others wounded in continued military offensive in the Mullaitivu District, Tamil Net reported. Two of the victims were killed within the 'safety zone' in artillery shelling.

The troops clashed with LTTE militants in the Puthukkudiyiruppu area of Mullaitivu District killing 14 of them, including a 'ground commander' identified as Shankar who led the confrontation in Puthukkudiyiruppu.

Editor of the Colombo-based Tamil newspaper Sudar Oli, N. Vidyatharan, was arrested by Police for questioning over a telephone conversation with regard to the LTTE air raid on Colombo on February 20. The Media and Information Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said that he is alleged to have helped the LTTE in its suicide air mission. Police said Vidyatharan's telephone had been used to make a call to the LTTE in connection with the attack. If he has committed any offence, legal action will be taken against him and if not he would be released, the Minister added.

60 civilians were killed and several others wounded in military operations in the Mullaitivu District, Tamil Net reported.

At least five LTTE militants were killed in fighting with the troops at Kombavil in Mullaitivu District.

Tamil Net claimed that a Sri Lanka Air Force fighter jet engaged in bombing civilian pockets at Aananthapuram and Chempankundu exploded on February 27.

Up to 85,000 civilians trapped in north-eastern Sri Lanka could flee the war zone in coming weeks as the Army closes in on the LTTE-held territory, the UNHCR said. Aid agencies estimate 200,000 people are trapped in a narrow 12-kilometres (7.5-mile) war zone on the north-eastern coast, where the military has cornered the LTTE.

20 LTTE militants were killed as fierce fighting erupted between the troops and the militants in Mullaitivu District in the night of February 27 and morning of February 28. The troops on February 28 stormed the LTTE earth bund in Palamattalan following heavy fighting in the area since February 27. Troops also captured the two kilometres long earth bund and a bunker line across the land strip and engaged a fleet of 20 Sea Tiger boats on reinforcement destroying all of them with the militants onboard. A suicide boat was also destroyed by the ground troops as it came towards the troops operating in the lagoon front. The ground troops foiled more than 15 counter attacks by the LTTE killing more than 20 militants.

Around 40 people are reported to have died in SLA artillery attack and SLAF bombardment in the Mullaitivu District.

The SFs killed nine LTTE militants in the Puthukkudiyiruppu area.

Reports indicate that the LTTE's Intelligence Chief Pottu Amman is believed to be active on the ground as fighting continued in Puthukkudiyiruppu.

Around 37 civilians were reportedly killed in SLA artillery attack and SLAF bombardment in the Mullaitivu District.

20 militants were killed as the SFs foiled a LTTE sea attack by destroying three boats in the Puthukkudiyiruppu area. The Defence Ministry said the LTTE launched 15 boats, including four suicide craft, assisted with simultaneous heavy mortar fire at the SFs directed from the declared 'no fire zone' in the region. Intercepted LTTE communication confirmed heavy damages to the outfit and the ministry added that senior LTTE leaders, including Soosai and Lawrence, had commanded the attack. One female cadre of the outfit, in the wake of Army operations, committed suicide by detonating a suicide jacket while others went into hiding.

10 civilians were killed and dozens more wounded when artillery shells fell inside a Government-designated "safe zone" in the Mullaitivu District, said Dr. Thurairaja Varatharajah, a health official.

Three LTTE militants and a civilian were killed when he prevented a attempt by the former to abduct children from the No Fire Zone.

The Voice of Tigers, 'official radio' of the LTTE, said on March 1 that the Sri Lankan armed forces have killed 2,018 Tamil civilians in January and February in Wanni and that 700 of the victims were children.

The A-9 main highway was re-opened by the SFs after almost 23 years. The MCNS said that following the re-opening the first batch of Army soldiers commenced a journey on this road from Anuradhapura to Jaffna. This is the first time the A-9 highway re-opened completely under the full control of Government. Although the road has been re-opened for SFs, there is no civilian movement since the SFs and few Non-Government Organizations are currently de-mining some areas surrounding the highway. The A-9 highway had been closed for the last two decades for civilians as some segments on the road, from Omanthai in Vavuniya to Muhamalai in Jaffna, were under the LTTE control.

A LTTE woman-suicide bomber blew herself up in the Vannakulam area, to the east of Elephant Pass and to the south of Vettalaikerny, when troops of the 55^th Division attempted to go closer to her on suspicion.

73 civilians were killed and more than 160 others wounded inside the 'Safety Zone' in the Maaththalan, Pokkani, Iranaippaalai and Muliivaaykkaal areas of Mullaitivu District as Sri Lanka Army fired artillery shells and the Sri Lanka Air Force dropped bombs, claimed Tamil Net.

SFs captured the LTTE's last stronghold and strategic Puthukuduiruppu town in Mullaitivu District following clashes in which an unspecified number of militants were reportedly killed. With the fall of Puthukkudiyiruppu, the LTTE is now confined to some jungle pockets in Mullaitivu and as per military estimates, the area under LTTE control is now below 50 square kilometres.

Troops conducting search and clear operations in the Vishvamadu, Puthukkudiyiruppu south, Kattikulam, Mudaliyarkulam and Malawi areas recovered the dead bodies of seven militants along with a large cache of arms and ammunitions.

Troops clashed with militants in the Kevil area and subsequently recovered the dead bodies of three of them.

The SFs arrested a female Sea Tiger cadre who reached the Government controlled area along with 31 other civilians who had crossed to Palamoddai over the sea in two boats. Police spokesman Senior Superintendent of Police Ranjith Gunasekara said the SFs found a tube filled with cyanide capsules in her possession. The arrested cadre had disclosed that she had been a member of the Sea Tiger wing since 1985.

68 civilians, including 21 children, were killed and 126 others sustained injuries as the SLA continued artillery shelling inside the 'Safety Zone', claimed Tamil Net. An ICRC member was reportedly among the victims. Maaththalan, Pokkani and Iranaippaalai were reportedly the areas which came under military attack.

Troops recovered the dead bodies of seven militants along with a cache of arms and ammunition, from the Puthukudirippu junction and surrounding areas.

The Government has no intention to go for a cease-fire with the LTTE, reiterated Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake.

Army Chief Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka said that the LTTE militants are mingling with civilians to try to carry out attacks, adding, "Their ability for frontal fighting as before has drastically diminished and the terror outfit has been badly affected due to lack of manpower and replenishments."

The LTTE denied any link to the terrorist attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in the Pakistani city of Lahore on March 3, saying the outfit has no links with those terrorists. "We don't have any connections with those people (Lahore attackers)," LTTE's spokesman Thileepan said.

Troops foiled the LTTE's attempt with human shield by killing around 50 militants at Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullaitivu. 50 other militants and several soldiers were wounded in the counter-insurgency operation. Troops later recovered dead bodies of 33 LTTE cadres from the incident site.

The militants opened fire and killed three IDPs and injured two others when they were escaping to cleared areas in boats.

Three civilians were killed and another sustained injuries at Chalai in the Mullaitivu District, when the LTTE militants opened fire on them.

In a search operation followed by clashes with the LTTE militants in Puthukkudiyiruppu, the troops recovered dead bodies of 19 militants.

Troops engaged in search and clear operations in Vishvamadu area were attacked by a group of LTTE militants. While the attack was repulsed by the SFs, dead bodies of eight militants were recovered by the troops during subsequent search operations. Ten 60-mm mortar bombs, 29 60-mm mortar cartridges, three Arul bombs, one T-56 weapon, 32 magazines, and 54 hand grenades were also recovered from the area.

Following a clash between the troops and LTTE militants in the Puthumathalan and Pallaimatahalan areas, the troops recovered dead bodies of seven militants.

The TMVP symbolically handed over the arms that had been provided to its cadres for self-defence and security in the wake of the LTTE atrocities during a brief ceremony at the Weber stadium in Batticaloa. The Chief Minister of Eastern Province and leader of the TMVP, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, Batticaloa Mayor Sivageetha Prabaharan, senior Army and Police Officers and cadres of the TMVP were present on the occasion.

Subarathnam Selvatureiy alias Thamilendi, the LTTE's chief of financial division, was confirmed killed in the weekend fighting in the northeast of Puthukkudiyiruppu where over 150 dead bodies of militants were recovered after the clashes.

14 people were killed and 46 others, including the Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mahinda Wijesekara, were wounded when a suspected LTTE suicide bomber blew himself up, targeting a procession celebrating Eid-e-Milad (Prophet Mohammed's birthday) in the southern town of Akuressa in Matara district. This is the first suicide attack in Matara, the southernmost region and populated overwhelmingly by the majority Sinhala community. The defence ministry said the suicide bomber "had arrived at the place on a push-bike and exploded himself among the Islamic devotees going to the mosque in a procession… Among the deceased and injured were several local government representatives."

The first consignment of food and other essential items for civilians in Jaffna was dispatched along the A-9 Main Supply Route after the route was brought under full control of the Security Forces.

12 LTTE militants were killed and 24 others injured in clashes with troops in the Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mulliyaweli, Kuppulankulam, Puthumatalan and areas near Mullaitivu town.

Troops recovered a stock of aircraft spare parts, including aircraft tyres, batteries, engine parts and several other accessories, kept buried by the LTTE in oil barrels in Puthukkudiyiruppu.

16 LTTE militants were killed when troops captured a hospital at Puthukkudiyiruppu. The peripheral hospital mostly used hitherto by the LTTE for treatment of its cadres was reportedly without patients at the time of its capture. Troops subsequently recovered dead bodies of seven LTTE militants from Puthukkudiyiruppu.

13 top and middle-rung LTTE leaders were confirmed killed in the week-long clashes in Puthukkudiyiruppu. They included 'lieutenant colonel' Saleem, the fourth in the LTTE hierarchy, 'lieutenant colonel' Ambalanan and 'lieutenant colonel' Eleel Chelvan, sent by the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran himself for ground battles against troops, 'lieutenant colonel' Maran, 'major' Tamil Maran, 'captain' Kathier Nilavan, 'major' Malar Shamal, 'captain' Elavilan, 'captain' Kalai Kadiravan and 'captain' Kala Enivan.

The continuing clashes between troops and LTTE resulted in the death of a number of militants in the east of Puthukkudiyiruppu. Troops in a subsequent search operation recovered dead bodies of 18 militants.

Four pregnant mothers were killed in the SLA shelling inside the 'Safe Zone', claimed Tamil Net.

69 civilians, including 19 children, were killed and several others wounded within the 'Safe Zone' in SLA shelling and SLAF bombardments in Mullaitivu District, claimed Tamil Net.

437 IDPs, including 18 minors, trapped in uncleared areas of Puthumathalan in Mullaitivu were rescued by the Navy with assistance of the ICRC. Meanwhile, 592 IDPs reached the Security Forces-held areas in Puthukkudiyiruppu.

58 civilians were killed in SLA shelling in Mullaitivu District, claimed Tamil Net.

SFs entered the outskirts of Iranapalai in Mullaitivu District, the last operational centre of the top rung LTTE leaders, including Intelligence Wing leader Pottu Amman and Sea Tiger Wing leader Soosai, with the troops clearing the last section of the build-up area in Puthukuduiruppu East by March 15-evening. Military sources told Daily News that the troops were in the process of clearing the last section of buildings in Puthukuduiruppu East with the capture of LTTE's last court complex. The troops also captured a LTTE 'Police Station' in the same area.

During a clash between the two sides in Puthukkudiyiruppu, the SFs killed seven militants and injured an unspecified number of them. Several soldiers also sustained injuries in the incident.

The Government has commenced its resettlement process in the recently liberated areas of the Northern region, P. S. M. Charles, District Secretary of Vavuniya, said.

The exodus of civilians into military controlled areas both from the North and South of Puthukkudiyiruppu has reportedly begun. The troops have also reached some 400 metres closer to the 'Safe Zone' in Puthumattalan where thousands of civilians had taken refuge.

Police authorities are to register all individuals from the Northern and the Eastern provinces staying in Colombo by March 17.

The Army reiterated that the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran is still very much in the last remaining outfit held areas in Puthukkudiyiruppu area of the Mullaitivu District. Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said Prabhakaran has not fled the country, but he is leading LTTE activities from his hideout. The spokesman also said that the LTTE chief could be in an underground bunker, similar to bunkers discovered by the troops earlier.

29 LTTE militants were killed and an equal number of them injured following clashes between the SFs and militants at Irunapalai in the Puthukkudiyiruppu region of Mullaitivu District. During subsequent search operations, SFs recovered the dead bodies of 14 militants. Troops also captured a one kilometre long LTTE built earth bund in the area south east of Puthukkudiyiruppu following the clashes.

The UN said the LTTE had forcibly recruited another of its local staff members and three dependents of his, including a 16-year-old girl.

A special investigation has been launched into an incident in which high technology equipment and weapons, reportedly for the use of the LTTE had been smuggled through the BIA by passing all inspection procedures, during 2002-2003 (Cease-Fire Agreement period).

The Government said that as of today an estimated total of 42,855 civilians have fled the LTTE-controlled areas and are housed in 22 Government welfare centres. The figure also includes the civilians who are receiving treatment in the hospitals.

29 more civilians were killed in shelling and six others in the gunfire by the SLA. 73 others civilians were reported wounded on the same day.

The Army captured a one kilometre long LTTE-built earth bund in the area southeast of Puthukkudiyiruppu following clashes that killed as many as 29 militants, the army said. A similar number of militants were reportedly injured.

A LTTE suicide bomber, clad in Army-type uniforms as a Sergeant, blew himself up while trying to infiltrate the SFs held areas in the area west of Puthukkudiyiruppu. However, the troops escaped unhurt. The SFs later recovered the dead body of the bomber along with his T-56 weapon.

The total number of civilians in the Government declared 'Safe Zone' in the North is around 70,000 to 100,000 according to the statistics compiled by the Security Operations Information Centre, said Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha. Prof. Wijesinha said these figures are compiled through an analysis of satellite imaging and other information.

Voice of Tigers, the radio broadcast of the LTTE, claimed in its evening broadcast that 604 SLA soldiers were killed during three days of heavy fighting in the Puthukkudiyiruppu area of Mullaitivu District. Several hundred soldiers were also wounded in the fighting. However, this has not been confirmed either by official or independent sources.

84 civilians were killed and over 182 injured as the SLAF dropped around 50 massive bunker buster bombs and the SLA continued shelling on the fringes of the 'Safe Zone', reported Tamil Net. The SLAF and the SLA that targeted Pachchaippulmoaddai and Valaignardam areas within the 'Safety Zone' killed 52 civilians and injured 182 others, according to initial reports by the VoT evening broadcast. In the same morning, 32 civilians were killed during shelling in other areas of the 'safe zone', according to independent sources.

Troops clashed with the LTTE militants in the Puthukkudiyiruppu area of Mullaitivu District and destroyed a few hideouts of the militants on March 17. The SFs later recovered dead bodies of 18 militants from the area.

After days of heavy fighting, the troops captured the strategically important Iranapalai junction in the remaining LTTE-controlled territory of Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullaitivu District. The LTTE is now cornered into an area of 30 square kilometres, including the 22 square kilometres of demarcated safe zone by the Government.

Dozens of civilians detained by the LTTE in the "No Fire Zone" in the Puthumatalan area of Puthukkudiyiruppu were either killed or seriously wounded after one densely concentrated civilian gathering area in the Zone was indiscriminately fired upon by the militants over an argument that ensued following a shoot-out at two fleeing civilians within the Zone earlier in the day. In the melee, 1565 displaced civilians, including some who were subjected to LTTE atrocities and gunfire, managed to escape and reached the Government-controlled areas.

45519 persons have so far reportedly crossed over to the Government-controlled areas since March 1.

The UNICEF expressed grave concern over the children trapped in the LTTE-held war zone in northern Sri Lanka. UNICEF Executive Director, Ann M. Veneman, said hundreds of children have been killed and many more injured as a result of the conflict in Sri Lanka and thousands are now at risk because of a critical lack of food, water and medicines.

23 militants were killed and an equal number of then injured during clashes with SFs in the northeast of Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullaitivu District.

17 civilians were killed inside the safety zone in SLA's shelling. The shelling and bombing incidents were reported from Mullivaaykkaal, Iraddaivaaykkaal, Valaignarmadam, Pokkanai and Maaththalan areas within the 'Safety Zone', Tamil Net reported.

The Eastern Chief Minister and TMVP leader, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan said the child soldiers issue related to the TMVP would be concluded in another three months.

The SFs have won 99 per cent of the battle against the LTTE which is now in its death throes confined to a mere 28 square kilometres in the Mullaitivu jungles. He also said the LTTE, through its global network, is carrying out a propaganda campaign to gain sympathy from the international community.

The Government reiterated its proposal to the LTTE leadership to lay down arms and surrender for the sake of the trapped civilians. The Minister of Mass Media and Information, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, also informed the media that 45,519 civilians have already safely reached the Government-controlled areas while 25,000 to 30,000 civilians are currently living in the un-cleared areas.

39 civilians, including 11 children, were killed inside the safety zone in SLA's shelling. The shelling and bombing incidents were reported from Mullivaaykkaal, Iraddaivaaykkaal, Valaignarmadam, Pokkanai and Maaththalan areas within the 'Safety Zone', Tamil Net reported.

An unspecified number of LTTE militants were killed by the troops as clashes erupted between the two sides in the Ampalavanpokkanai, Puthukkudiyiruppu east and Mullaitivu north areas. During subsequent search operations, the SFs recovered dead bodies of 11 militants from Puthukkudiyiruppu.

The number of civilians who have so far crossed over to the Government-controlled area was 47,241, said the Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe. He said civilians have escaped from the LTTE facing shootings and numerous difficulties. The Minister also said the name of the Mullaitivu Regional Director of Health Services and forged letter heads are being used to mislead the international community and the media for false propaganda on the present situation in the North.

Sri Lanka Government will lodge strong protests with countries where there have been demonstrations in favour of the LTTE, said the Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe.

The SLA artillery shelling killed 46 civilians inside the safety zone in the Mullaitivu District, Tamil Net reported.

SLA soldiers attempted to advance in Iranapalai following heavy artillery firing and air attacks, but were forced to withdraw leaving behind dead bodies and military hardware, the LTTE said, claiming that at least 20 SLA soldiers were killed and 120 others sustained injuries in the clash.

A senior Sea Tiger leader was killed and his body was recovered by the troops along with another four bodies following heavy confrontations between the SFs and the militants in the area south of Patikkarai in the Mullaitivu District. Citing intercepted LTTE communication, the military sources said the LTTE have fled the area in total disarray, leaving behind the dead bodies, including that of the Sea Tiger leader Sindu.

The SFs recovered dead bodies of four militants following clashes with the LTTE in the Puthukkudiyiruppu and Udayarukattukulam areas.

The military claimed it had encircled the "last standoff" of the LTTE west of the "No Fire Zone" in Puthukkudiyiruppu.

The SLA fired artillery shells into the 'Safety Zone' killing 42 civilians and injuring around 80 others, including a Village officer, in the Mullaitivu District, reported Tamil Net.

The SLA and SLAF used heavy explosives in their clashes with the LTTE in the Puthukkudiyiruppu area, Tamil Net reported, adding, at least seven civilians who ventured into Iranapalai to collect coconuts were killed in the SLAF air strike.

Military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said 10 militants were killed by the SFs in the Puthukkudiyiruppu area.

Troops clashed with the LTTE militants in the Puthukkudiyiruppu, Patikkarai and Sarwaruthoddam areas and inflicted some casualties upon the militants. Troops later recovered dead bodies of 10 militants from the Puthukkudiyiruppu, Visuamadukulam, Vishuamadu and Killinochchi areas.

Five Sea Tigers were killed as the SLN foiled an attempt by LTTE suicide cadres to attack the SFs as they tried to mix with the fleeing civilians in boats and reach the Government-controlled areas.

SFs gained total control over a 1.5 kilometre stretch of the A-35 main road amid stiff LTTE resistance. During subsequent search operations, the troops recovered dead bodies of five militants from the area.

Iranapalai, a junction in the east of Puthukkudiyiruppu, and its central area was completely brought under the control of the Army.

The total number of civilians who have so far crossed over to the Government-controlled areas have risen to 50,000 with the arrival of a group consisting of 1,164 persons in the Puthukkudiyiruppu area on March. According to Government estimates, there are nearly 65,000 more civilians living in the un-cleared areas (area not under Government control) forcibly used as human shields by the LTTE.

The Sri Lanka Government rejected a fresh LTTE demand for a cease-fire. The rejection comes in response to LTTE political chief B. Nadeshan's claims that the outfit would enter negotiations with the Government "without pre-conditions".

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said that the LTTE had aspired to carve out a big Tamil Eelam State extending from near Colombo to the southern part of Sri Lanka. He also claimed that LTTE chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran may try to flee through the sea by using a human ring.

32 civilians, including seven children, were killed in SLA's short-range mortar shelling, RPG attacks and gunfire within the 'Safety Zone' in the Puthumaaththalan area of Mullaitivu District.

SFs captured the LTTE's last operational centre, Iranapalai in the Mullaitivu District. According to military sources, with the fall of Iranapalai, the LTTE has now been confined to a 25 square kilometres land patch, which also includes the 'Safe Zone' designed for the displaced civilians.

Military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said 28 militants were killed by the SFs in the Puthukkudiyiruppu area.

Troops clashed with militants in the area east of Puthukkudiyiruppu and killed nine of them.

Total number of civilians who have reached the Government-controlled areas from the un-cleared areas (area not under Government control) had risen to 52,000 by Mach 22. The LTTE, meanwhile, is now cornered in a mere 21 square kilometres of land and continues to target those fleeing from its captivity, the military added.

The military said the LTTE has restricted the movement of civilians who are currently trapped in the battle zone. Tamil civilians are given 15-day forcible military training by the LTTE in addition to holding them as human shields in the battle against Government troops, civilians have claimed. The LTTE, on occasions, has also fired at civilians who attempted to leave their areas.

The SLA's short-range mortar shelling, RPG attacks and gunfire killed 96 civilians, including 19 children, and injured 160 others within the 'Safety Zone' in the Puthumaaththalan area of Mullaitivu District, according to local aid workers and medical authorities, Tamil Net reported.

The Colombo Crimes Division recovered 280 kilograms of C4 high explosives and a large amount of weapons hidden by the LTTE in the Mattakkuliya area to launch a major attack by targeting Colombo city.

The National Integration and Reconciliation Minister (Non-Cabinet) Minister Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman's senior leaders are to be appointed as SLFP's electoral organizers in the Eastern Province.

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse invited the pro-LTTE TNA MPs for a special discussion on March 26 over the current situation in the North. However, the TNA MPs have not decided yet whether to accept the President's invitation.

March 24

62 civilians were killed and several others injured as the military continued shelling and bombing into the ‘Safety Zone’ in the Mullaitivu District, reported Tamil Net. Valaignarmadam, Pachchaippulmoaddai junction, Puthumaaththalan, Pokkanai, Ampalavanpokkanai, Mullivaaykkaal and Maaththalan were the areas targeted, the report added.

Suspected LTTE militants shot dead five farmers and injured two others at Neelapola in the Kantale area of Trincomalee District.

Troops advancing towards Puthukkudiyiruppu attacked the LTTE defensive bund in the area west of the lagoon on the A-35 road and completely captured the area. An unspecified number of militants were reportedly killed during the operation, while several soldiers sustained injuries.

Troops recovered dead bodies of eight militants from the Puthukkudiyiruppu area.

Troops confronted LTTE militants in the areas around Puthukkudiyiruppu on several occasions and killed three of them.

Over a dozen militants were feared killed and a similar number of them injured during clashes between the two sides in the Mullaitivu and Puthukkudiyiruppu areas.

The Colombo Chief Magistrate Court ordered to prevent eight directors of the LTTE front TRO from leaving the country. While hearing the case charging TRO of raising funds for the LTTE, the Chief Magistrate, Nishantha Hapuarachchi, also issued arrest warrants against seven of the directors, who were absent in the Court. These directors are presently believed to be in the un-cleared areas (area not under Government control). According to sources, two of them are said to be a 'lieutenant' and a ‘colonel' of the LTTE. Meanwhile, the Chief Magistrate released Sinnaiah Ramalingam, the only director who appeared in the Court, on a SLR 500,000 surety bail.

March 25

Troops repelled an attempt by the LTTE to breach the Army forward defence lines north of Iranapalai in Mullaitivu District, killing an unspecified number of militants. Defence sources said over a dozen dead bodies of the militants were seen at the incident site following heavy fighting that ensued since 5:30am (SLST). Citing intercepted LTTE communication, military officials said four senior militants, identified as Kadal, Vardhan Anna, Sooriyan and Eelavan, were among those killed. An unspecified number of soldiers are reported to have sustained injuries in the fighting.

Troops clashed with militants in south of Puthukkudiyiruppu, killing at least five of them, including two women cadres.

A group of armed LTTE militants attacked a group of farmers at Mankdeniya in the Welikanda area of Polonnaruwa District and shot dead at least four of them and injured four others.

The Minster of National Integration and Reconciliation, Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman, has ruled out Police powers to the EPC. Speaking at the Parliament, Karuna described giving Police powers to the EPC as another unnecessary problem.

The UN said the humanitarian and security situation of an estimated 100,000 civilians is unstable as the access to food and medical assistance remain limited while shelling still continues in the no-fire zone and the LTTE keeps forcibly recruiting civilians.

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Neil Buhne, has admitted that he is unable to confirm the veracity of the figures of civilian casualties since January 20, 2009 in the Mullaitivu District, issued by his office recently.

March 25-26

Reuters quoted the military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara as saying on March 26 that at least 30 militants were killed by the SFs during a counterattack in Mullaitivu District on March 25.

March 26

131 civilians, including 32 children, were killed and more than 252 others, including 49 children, sustained injuries in military operations inside the ‘Safety Zone’ in the Mullaitivu District during the past 48 hours according to data collected from various NGO workers and medical authorities within the civilian pocket ‘besieged’ by the SLA, Tamil Net reported. The SLA fired RPG shells, mortar shells and engaged in long-range gunfire, using Multi Barrel Rocket Fire, in the Puthumaaththalan, Valaignarmadam, Maaththalan, Pokkanai, Pachchaippulmoaddai and Mullivaaykkaal areas. The SLAF also bombed some of these areas, the report said.

59 civilians were killed and several others sustained injuries in SLA attacks inside the ‘Safety Zone’ in Mullaitivu District, reported Tamil Net. Pokkanai and Maaththalan were the areas targeted in SLA shelling.

Troops continued their attacks on LTTE camps around Puthukkudiyiruppu area in the Mullaitivu District and killed more than 24 militants while injuring similar number of them.

The UN, backed by Britain and the United States, pressed for a "humanitarian pause" in Sri Lanka and blamed the LTTE for the plight of trapped civilians.

The Government said the LTTE has now been restricted to an area of one square kilometre excluding the NFZ. Speaking at the weekly press briefing, Brigadier Nanayakkara said the SFs have to liberate another 21 square kilometres in Mullaitivu. However, 20 square kilometres of this consists of ‘Safe Zone’, lagoon and wetlands. He also said the LTTE cadres are hiding among the civilians in the ‘Safe Zone’.

The TNA refused to take part in discussions called by the President Mahinda Rajapakse over the situation in the north. The TNA leader and MP, R. Sampanthan, told the media that they will not attend any kind of talks until the ongoing military operations in the north are suspended.

March 27

63 civilians were killed and several others sustained injuries in SLA attacks inside the ‘Safety Zone’ in Mullaitivu District, reported Tamil Net. Pokkanai and Maaththalan were the areas targeted in SLA selling.

Sri Lanka’s "roadmap" for defeating the LTTE "is [being] handled very professionally and with responsibility." Asserting this, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told The Hindu in Singapore on March 27 that "Humanitarian concerns" were "getting addressed;" and Colombo would "not … rush through for the euphoria of a military victory" over the LTTE.

March 28

57 civilians were killed and several others sustained injuries in SLA attacks inside the ‘Safety Zone’ in Mullaitivu District, reported Tamil Net. Pokkanai and Maaththalan were the areas targeted in SLA shelling.

31 LTTE militants were killed and more than 30 others injured in fierce fighting with SFs in Mullaitivu District as the troops repulsed a series of LTTE attempts to breach the SF’s FDL.

During search operations conducted in the Puthukkudiyiruppu, Dharmapuram, Oddankaddukulam, Muthiyankulam, Ampakamam and Olumadu areas the SFs recovered dead bodies of six militants.

Ground sources, quoting intercepted LTTE communication and civilian escapees from the 'No Fire Zone', said the LTTE had conducted funerals for a few of its senior cadres killed in recent fighting. The Ministry said sporadic fighting and small-scale door-to-door operations are continuing in the area targeting LTTE pockets and resistance positions.

President Mahinda Rajapakse appealed to the LTTE to lay down their arms, saying it would ensure the safety of tens of thousands of trapped civilians.

The President met with Tamil and Muslim party leaders in Colombo. During the meeting, he said local Government elections for the Jaffna District will be held soon. However, the President did not mention a specific timeframe for the polls, sources said. The last local Government election was held in Jaffna in 1998. The parties present at the meeting, include the Democratic Tamil National Alliance, the EPDP and the SLMC.

March 28-29

Troops captured the last supply route and gained control of a LTTE-built earth bund in the Mullaitivu District on March 28 following hours of intense fighting that killed nine militants and wounded 11, the military said on March 29. The SFs advancing further East from Puthukkudiyiruppu captured the LTTE supply line stretching towards Iranapalai, the Defence Ministry said. The capture of the last LTTE supply route will further thwart the LTTE’s movement and logistic supply, according to the defence officials.

SFs on March 28 gained control of a LTTE-built earth bund constructed north of Palamattalam killing at least eight militants and injuring another 17 in a fierce battle, the military reported on March 29. The military said the LTTE now cornered in an area of just 21 square kilometres that includes the Government declared 20 square kilometres NFZ is continuously mounting heavy artillery and mortar attacks from the NFZ.

March 29

Heavy fighting erupted between the two sides in the Puthukkudiyiruppu East, Iranapalai East and Palamattalam areas as SFs closed in on the ‘Safe Zone’ from three directions. "The Safe Zone has now been surrounded from all three directions and troops are poised to liberate the civilians trapped inside the Safe Zone clearing paths for them to reach Security Forces controlled areas," a senior military official told Daily News. The LTTE is now fighting within a one square kilometre stretch in the Iranapalai East, the last build up area under LTTE control at present, he said.

The SLAF rejected a news report published by some international media outlets saying that there is another light aircraft of LTTE. The SLAF spokesman Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara said four light aircraft of the LTTE were already destroyed by the Government forces during the past two years. Seven air strips of the LTTE have also been captured by the troops during the ongoing operations in the North. A media report said on March 27 had said that the LTTE may still have an aircraft left in their arsenal and this has triggered a high alert over the capital Colombo.

March 29-30

Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said that heavy ground battles between the Army troops and LTTE on March 29 left 29 militants dead, Associated Press reported on March 30. A military statement said a senior Sea Tiger leader, known as Uththaman, who commanded the ground battle, was also killed. Following clashes with the militants in the area north of Palamattalam and Puthukkudiyiruppu region on March 29, SFs recovered dead bodies of 15 militants along with 20 T-56 weapons and one MPMG on March 30.

March 30

SLA continued artillery, mortar and long-distance gunfire throughout March 29 killing at least 53 civilians and causing injuries to around 119, claimed Tamil Net. 17 civilians were killed in Maaththalan, 18 in Pokkanai, 15 in Valaignarmadam and three in Pachchaippulmoaddai, the report added.

Naval troops following a pre-dawn sea encounter off the seas at Chalai in the Mullaitivu District killed 26 Sea Tigers, including one of its top leaders identified as Maran, and submerged four Sea Tiger boats. A huge stock of LTTE armaments also perished with the boats, the Navy said. An unidentified navy spokesman said that a sailor was also killed in the battle.

The SFs captured a LTTE truck mounted with 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun from the Iranapalai area in the east of Puthukkudiyiruppu. Sources said that the SFs repulsed the outfit’s attempt to breach the SF’s FDL killing five militants.

The Government is planning to open a second Police station on the recently liberated A-9 highway in the coming days. The Police said they would open the second station at Puliyankulam in the Vavuniya District while the office of the Senior Superintendent of Police is to be opened at Kanagarayamkulam.

The Government rejected some media reports that it has called for a 'humanitarian ceasefire' in order to evacuate trapped civilians. A senior Government official said that the troops are not observing any kind of cease-fire with the LTTE.

Some 600 suspected LTTE militants have reportedly been arrested at the Omanthai check point in the Vavuniya District during the last three months.

Quoting military sources, Relief Web reported that more than 59,773 civilians have fled from the LTTE-held areas since January. 332 civilians crossed over to the Government-controlled area on March 29.

The SLA shelling claimed the lives of 70 civilians. In addition, gunfire from the SLA positions across the lagoon killed 18 civilians on the road which links the makeshift hospital with Internally Displaced Person settlements. 21 of the slain victims and 31 of 156 wounded civilians were children.

An unspecified number of LTTE militants were killed by the SFs during several clashes in the Puthukkudiyiruppu area of Mullaitivu District. During subsequent search operations, the SFs recovered dead bodies of five militants.

A tactical meeting on the front organizations of LTTE was hosted by Eurojust [the EU institution responsible for co-ordination of investigations and prosecutions between competent authorities in the Member States], on March 30-31, 2009 in the Hague, Netherlands. The Meeting was attended by representatives of the Intelligence and Criminal Justice communities of EU member States, non-EU countries, including Sri Lanka and the Europol, said a press release issued by the Sri Lanka Embassy in Brussels. Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and EU, Ravinatha Aryasinha, said that notwithstanding its proscription as a terrorist entity within the EU since May 2006, the LTTE, through front organizations such as the TRO and Tamil Coordination Committee, has continued to circumvent the impositions placed on them.

SLA shelling killed 45 civilians and injured 120 others within the 'Safety Zone' in Mullaitivu District, reported Tamil Net. 13 civilians, including nine members of two families, were killed in Ampalavanpokkanai and Valaignarmadam in the morning while 32 more were killed in attacks elsewhere within the 'Safety Zone'.

Two top LTTE leaders, Amirthap alias Amuthab and Kobith alias Gobith, were killed during clashes with the troops in Puthukkudiyiruppu. Prabhakaran's son, Charles Anthony, was also confirmed injured during these clashes. Amirthap was the leader of the LTTE's "Charles Anthony Regiment". He became the leader in 2008 after serving as the special leader for the "Imran Pandiyan Regiment" in 2006. Kobith, who led LTTE operations against the Army, was formally the special leader of the "Charles Anthony Regiment" in 2007.

Charles Anthony, eldest son of the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, was injured during a military operation in Puthukkudiyiruppu, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told the media. However, neither LTTE nor any of its front organizations has responded to the claim.

The Government rejected the LTTE's offer for a cease-fire saying the Government will not go for a truce under any circumstances.

The outfit's new head of International Diplomatic Relations, S. Pathmanathan, said in an interview with the pro-LTTE website Tamil Net that the outfit did not believe war was the only means to achieve their aspirations and urged the global community to exert pressure on the Sri Lankan Government to enter into a cease-fire with them.

The Government said it has withdrawn its troops from the Internally Displaced Persons centers in Vavuniya.

Indonesia has assured the Sri Lankan Government that it will not allow its territory to be used to promote separatism or terrorism in the island nation.

33 civilians were killed and 78 wounded as the SLA continued artillery and mortar shelling in addition to firing RPG shells and Fifty Calibre rounds inside the NFZ, according to medical and humanitarian workers within the NFZ, Tamil Net reported

19 LTTE militants were killed and more than 200 others encircled as the entire Puthukkudiyiruppu town and Iranapalai area in Mullaitivu District came under SFs control. The SFs have surrounded the last LTTE terrain in north-east Puthukkudiyiruppu after capturing Pachchaippulmoaddai junction, the last supply route connected to the NFZ from the mainland. During the search operations conducted in the area, the SFs recovered dead bodies of 32 militants.

The SFs clashed with militants in east Puthukkudiyiruppu and killed three of them.

Defence sources citing intercepted LTTE communication said the LTTE's technical wing chief S. Kirupakaran alias Madivalahan was killed during clashes in Mullaitivu recently. Madivalahan was the mastermind and chief coordinator of the LTTE's satellite cum radio communication network. Further, 'Lieutenant Colonel' Thirubaharan alias Mathiyalagan, an LTTE announcer and a reporter attached to the outfit's Voice of Tigers, was also killed recently by the SFs in Puthukkudiyiruppu.

The Government is ready for a pause in firing if the LTTE frees the civilians trapped inside the NFZ but it is not ready for a cease-fire with the outfit at any moment, Defence Affairs spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said.

Prime Minister, Ratnasiri Wickremanayake claimed that the troops can "finish" the LTTE in "half-an-hour", but was concerned for the safety of the innocent civilians trapped in the last LTTE-held area. "The Government can finish off terrorism completely within half an hour if it acted in an inhuman manner. Driving out terrorists (LTTE) from a very small bastion in the north has been time consuming because the Government is acting most humanely considering the safety of civilians held by the LTTE as a human shield," the Prime Minister said.

President Mahinda Rajapakse said troops have now entered the final phase of the battle against the LTTE who at present have been trapped in a small area. The President also instructed his ministers to be vigilant of LTTE suicide bombers as intelligence sources have warned that there are 16 suicide bombers in capital Colombo already. The President also instructed his ministers not to attend elections rallies for the upcoming Western Provincial Council polls because of this new threat.

Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said 62,157 civilians have reached the cleared areas as of April 1.

31 civilians were killed and 70 wounded as the SLA continued artillery and mortar shelling in addition to firing RPG shells and Fifty Calibre rounds inside the NFZ, according to medical and humanitarian workers within the NFZ, Tamil Net reported.

31 LTTE militants were killed by the SFs during clashes between the two sides in the Puthukkudiyiruppu area of Mullaitivu District.

During a search operation following an encounter with the militants, the SFs in Vishuamadu area recovered dead bodies of three militants.

45 militants were killed when heavy fighting erupted between the SFs and the LTTE militants in the north east of Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullaitivu District. The SFs later recovered dead bodies of all the slain 45 militants. Earlier, the SFs had recovered 21 dead bodies of the militants.

40 senior militants were killed by the SFs during clashes in the Analankulam area of Mullaitivu District. The SFs also recovered 60 T-56 weapons, four RPG, two I-com sets, 10 claymore mines, 60 mortars, 15 anti-personnel mines, 28 packs and several LTTE uniforms.

26 civilians were killed and 40 wounded as the SLA continued artillery and mortar shelling in addition to firing RPG shells and Fifty Calibre rounds inside the NFZ, according to medical and humanitarian workers within the NFZ, Tamil Net reported.

18 Sea Tigers were killed when the SLN engaged a flotilla of 10 LTTE boats in the north-eastern sea off the coast of Alampil destroying three of the boats, the MCNS said. The military said three naval craft received minor damages and two sailors suffered injuries in the incident.

13 LTTE militants, including an explosive expert, were killed when Police commandos of the STF ambushed them at Kongahahela in the Lahugala area of Ampara District.

SFs killed five more militants in the north of Puthukkudiyiruppu.

93 LTTE militants were killed in fierce clashes with the SFs in the Puthukkudiyiruppu east area of Mullaitivu District.

71 civilians were killed and 143 sustained injuries in Sri Lanka Army shelling targeting Maaththalan, Pokkanai, Valaignarmadam and Iraddaivaaykkaal areas inside the No Fire Zone in Mullaitivu District, Tamil Net reported.

The Sri Lanka Air Force helicopter fired a rocket killing eight civilians near the Pokkanai Pillaiyaar temple.

At least 420 LTTE militants, including several top leaders, were killed as the troops captured the outfit's final stronghold in Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullaitivu District and ended the long siege on the last square kilometre held by the LTTE following three days of fighting. This is the first time the SFs have taken full control of Puthukkudiyiruppu during the three decade long conflict. The slain leaders included Northern area leader Theepan, female wing leader Vidusha and her deputy Durga, Batticaloa leader Nagulesh and Gadafi. Military wing leader Bhanu was reportedly critically injured in the fighting. Five more senior leaders, identified as Seelambarasan, leader of the LTTE's Radha Regiment, his deputy Anbu, the militant in charge of mortar section Gopal, Asmi, in charge of mines section and a leader of LTTE's Sodia Regiment Mohana were among the other top leaders killed. In search operations conducted in the area troops recovered more than 250 dead bodies of militants bringing the total number of dead bodies recovered during last three days up to 420.

According to military sources, LTTE chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran has taken refuge in the NFZ mingling with the civilians along with remaining top rung leaders, including intelligence wing leader Pottu Amman, Sea Tigers leader Soosai and Velavan and another top Sea Tiger leader.

The SFs clashed with LTTE militants in the Vishuamadu and Mullaitivu areas killing 14 of them, including six females.

2093 civilians who had reached the Government-controlled areas in Puthukkudiyiruppu were brought to Kilinochchi by the troops before they were directed to the Internally Displaced Person centres.

President Mahinda Rajapakse said "the mythical belief that the LTTE is unconquerable" was shattered. He said that many past leaders were suspicious of the strength of the military in defeating terrorism and believed a war with the LTTE was un-winnable. His Government will not permit terrorism to raise its head again, the President asserted. He pointed out that to appease some foreign interests and to obtain monetary assistance the past regimes had offered land on a platter to the militants. On April 5, he called on the LTTE chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran to surrender to the military with his remaining cadres as soon as possible. "You have no option but to put down your arms and surrender with your brain washed remaining cadres. It is now time for you to release all Tamil civilians and let them live in peace and harmony," reports said quoting the President. The President also said the LTTE was fighting against the armed forces while keeping the innocent civilians as a cover in the NFZ.

Troops conducting search and clear operations in the Puthukkudiyiruppu area of Mullaitivu District recovered 72 more dead bodies of the LTTE militants raising the total number of recovered bodies from the area to 525 since April 1.

The military said that 500 leaders and cadres of the LTTE, including chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, have fled into the No-Fire Zone and have taken shelter among an estimated 50000 to 100000 stranded citizens, reports Daily News.

With the capture of the entire Puthukkudiyiruppu area by the SFs, the TNA reiterated its call for a cease-fire saying this was needed now much more than ever before. The TNA Jaffna District parliamentarian N. Srikantha said that according to latest media reports, the Government had now captured the entire landmass that remained under LTTE control. Srikantha said only the NFZ meant for civilians remained now, and therefore there was no justification for the Government to continue its military operations. He said it was nothing but logical and sensible to have a cease-fire at this time.

A woman suicide bomber of the LTTE blew herself in the Ramanathapuram area of Mullaitivu District immediately after she spotted the presence of Army troops ahead of her, reports Sri Lanka Army. The impact of the explosion injured one of the officers on duty in the area.

The SFs are in no hurry to storm the NFZ to pursue the LTTE in the north-east, said Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse in an interview.

Walter Kaelin, representative of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, called for a pause in the fighting to allow the trapped civilians to leave the area. "If the Sri Lankan army would try to go into there, if the LTTE would not be ready to let these civilians go, then we''ll end up with a bloodbath, and this must by all means be avoided," he stated.

April 7

The Government rejected a call by the UN for a cease-fire in its military campaign against the LTTE, insisting it would not be trapped into letting the group''s leaders escape. The military also acknowledged that it faced an "extremely difficult task" in separating the militants from the civilians in the NFZ.

April 8

129 civilians were killed and 282 others sustained injuries in SLA artillery shelling inside the NFZ in Mullaitivu District, reported Tamil Net.  

50 civilians were killed and 296 others injured in military operations inside the NFZ, Tamil Net reported.

Troops of Army's 53^rd Division advancing ahead of the eastern limits of Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullaitivu District clashed with the LTTE militants amid heavy resistance killing 12 militants and injuring 20 others. Troops later recovered dead bodies of seven slain militants.  

Troops conducting search and clearing operations in Puthukkudiyiruppu found five dead bodies of LTTE militants. 

The total number of civilians fleeing from the LTTE-held areas to the Government-controlled areas increased to 64,147.

The LTTE intelligence chief Pottu Amman has taken overall command of the outfit amidst the "fast deteriorating mental health condition" of its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry said. The Ministry also said the Government-designated NFZ, meant for the civilians held hostage by the LTTE in Wanni, has now become a sanctuary for top LTTE leaders, including Prabhakaran. The Defence Ministry said Pottu Amman, having no battlefield experience, appointed Velawan, the last of LTTE’s battle-hardened cadre, as the outfit’s new military chief.

President Mahinda Rajapakse asked the militants to surrender, promising to "rehabilitate" them as "good citizens". "Ninety nine per cent of the LTTE, its leaders, cadres and infrastructure have been destroyed. There is no way the LTTE can raise its head again," Rajapakse stated.

April 8-9

The Sri Lankan military blamed the LTTE Police of firing at civilians in order to deter them from leaving the NFZ. LTTE deputy leader Pottu Amman had reportedly ordered the outfit’s Police to fire at civilians who wanted to leave the NFZ. This followed the final notice given by the Government to LTTE leaders to surrender and let the civilians leave NFZ at Puttumatalan. Further, Amman has ordered his Police chief Ilango to move all his forces to the frontline.

Defence officials suspect a rebellion against the LTTE by the civilians trapped in the NFZ had taken place, as troops heard loud explosions and sounds of gunfire from the NFZ.

April 9

52 civilians were killed and 315 others injured in military operations inside the NFZ, the pro- LTTE Website Tamil Net reported

The SFs conducting search and clear operations in the Munnai, Chalai, Patikkarai, east of Puthukkudiyiruppu and Vishuamadu areas, recovered four decomposed dead bodies of the militants. A few soldiers also sustained injuries in explosions in the area.

The brother-in-law of Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna is reported to have escaped from the LTTE in Puthukkudiyiruppu.

The TNA Parliamentarian for the Wanni District, S. Kanagaratnam, is reportedly trapped in the NFZ.

Political head of the LTTE, B. Nadesan, denied reports in a section of the English media in India that there was a LTTE threat to top Indian politicians, including Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi and her family, reports Tamil Net.

President Mahinda Rajapakse told the United Nations Secretary-General Ban-Ki-Moon that the Security Forces in their final military operations are capable of neutralising the remaining LTTE cadres without launching military operations

April 9-10

The SFs brought the remaining area west of Puttumatalan in Mullaitivu District under their control, by killing at least seven militants on April 9. The SFs also recovered nine T-56 weapons, one I com set and a damaged tractor with its trailer. During extended search operations on April 10, the SFs recovered three more dead bodies of the militants along with 12 T-56 weapons and one MPMG. After the capture of this area there is no land left for the troops to clear from the LTTE except the NFZ. 

April 10

12 civilians were killed and 50 others injured in military operations inside the NFZ, the pro- LTTE Website Tamil Net reported

Troops clashed with the LTTE militants in the outer perimeter of the NFZ and subsequently recovered nine dead bodies of the militants. 

The Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital records have registered 599 civilians killed and 3,350 injured inside the NFZ, since the last UN statement on casualties on March 13, the Website claimed further. But the actual number of civilians killed could exceed 1,500 as many of the bodies were not brought to the hospital to be counted and buried, said medical officials in Wanni. The SLA is stationed 800 meters away from the hospital. Even in the other parts of the NFZ, the Army is barely 1-1.5 kilometres away, the medical sources said. 3,944 injured persons have been taken to Trincomalee through ICRC ship during March 2009.  

The Government has established four new villages in the Pulmoddai area of Trincomalee to settle the civilians fleeing from LTTE-held areas. Speaking to the media, the Minister of Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services, Risath Bathiyutheen, said these villages can accommodate nearly 100,000 persons. The Minister also said the Government is ready to establish more villages in Pulmoddai area if needed. Over 62,000 internally displaced persons have already been settled in camps in Vavuniya, Jaffna, and Mannar.

April 11

17 civilians were reported killed and 48 others injured in SLA attacks, reported Tamil Net.

Military claimed killing eight LTTE militants and injuring 12 others as sporadic fighting was reported between troops and the militants at the fringes of Ampalavanpokkanai in Mullaitivu District. According to military, the SFs engaged the militants who were attempting to breach the forward defenses at around 10:00am (SLST).  

Five more militants were killed by the SFs in the east Puthukkudiyiruppu. In a separate incident in the same area, 53^rd Division troops clashed with a group of LTTE militants and reportedly killed three of them.  

With arrival of 270 IDPs from the LTTE held Putumatalan area, total number of IDPs who reached the cleared areas increased to 67280.

April 12

31 civilians were killed in SLA shelling and gunfire inside the NFZ on April 12, claimed Tamil Net.

A one kilometer long earth bund built by the LTTE in the north of Nanthikandal lagoon was captured by troops. Later, troops recovered 18 T-56 weapons, one mortar, one I-com set and one vehicle from the area.

The Government declared a 48-hour cease-fire during the traditional Sinhala and Tamil New Year festive season on April 13 and 14 in order to allow trapped civilians to move from the NFZ in the northeast.

The LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran has ''agreed to a rescue mission by a western country''. "Diplomatic sources indicate that Tiger leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran has apparently agreed to a rescue mission by a Western country. He has agreed to this offer after he lost all his top level leaders in the Puthukkudiyiruppu battle as there is no point for him to operate there in the NFZ without the ability to give leadership to the remaining cadres," it said.

April 12-13

Tamil Net claimed that at least 23 civilians were killed within 12 hours in SLA shelling and gunfire inside the NFZ. Most of the killings occurred within Valaignarmadam and Mullivaaykkaal areas, when SLA stepped up a fresh ground push to advance into the NFZ, the report added.  

Five villagers, including two children, were hacked to death and two injured by suspected LTTE militants, while they were returning from their paddy fields at Mahagodayaya in the Buttala area of Moneragala District. At least two others were injured in the attack, Senior Superintendent of Police Ranjith Gunasekara said.

The death toll of the suspected LTTE attack on villagers at Mahagodayaya along the Buttala-Moneragala road in Moneragala District in the evening of April 12 increased to nine, Police said on April 13. Police spokesman Senior Superintendent of Police Ranjith Gunasekara said that another four persons who were wounded severely succumbed to their injuries later in the same night. Police confirmed that three men, three women, and three children were among the dead.

The LTTE, disregarding the Government's pause in fighting, attacked the troops and killed a soldier by sniper fire at Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullaitivu District. Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said the LTTE also fired mortars in the direction of the SFs wounding a soldier in the same area. Apart from these two, there were no other incidents in the war zone, the spokesman confirmed.

April 13

The LTTE political division released a statement calling the Sri Lankan announcement of restricting military operations for two days as eyewash to create an impression of engagement on false premises, the pro-LTTE Website Tamil Net reported. Condemning the move as a "political drama" aimed at "deceiving the International Community and the Tamil people", the LTTE said the Sri Lanka Army was continuing indiscriminate shelling and gunfire on civilians. The outfit also called for a politically and militarily meaningful truce with humanitarian considerations.  

The Royal Norwegian Government apologized to Sri Lanka following an attack on the Sri Lankan Embassy in Oslo a day earlier. Condemning the unauthorized entry into the Sri Lankan Embassy by protesters, Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said the attack is a violation of Norwegian law and an action that is totally unacceptable. "The Police have been ordered to provide better protection for the Embassy," the Statement added.

518 civilians from the NFZ arrived in the Army controlled area of Puthukkudiyiruppu.

In response to the recent demands by Western leaders for Sri Lanka to stop the war against the militants and go for a cease-fire, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said that the war will continue despite any international pressure until the LTTE terrorism is completely wiped out from the country.

April 13-14

Suspected militants attacked the residents of Galvetiyamandiya village in Moneragala District in the evening of April 13 and shot dead at least three civilians, the military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said on April 14. The victims included two elderly women and one male. Police also found one more woman with severe cut injuries. Police suspect that the same group of militants who massacred nine civilians in Mahagodayaya is involved in this attack.

April 14

Two three-year-old boys who sustained injuries during LTTE shelling in the un-cleared areas (area not under Government control) died at the Pulmoddai hospital.

Rejecting a call by the LTTE for a permanent cease-fire, the Government said there will be no such truce until the LTTE lay down arms.

The Foreign Secretary, Palitha Kohona, accused the LTTE of using civilians caught in the conflict to build a bund during the two day cease-fire period.

The Army Chief Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka vowed to wipe out terrorism from the country and crush the LTTE 'dream of a separate state'. The Commander said the military have destroyed LTTE's weaponry, planes, and sea craft acquired with the help of various organizations and the LTTE have lost about 18,000 cadres in the fighting with security forces over the years.

The Norwegian Government said it has not been able to play a mediation role in the conflict since the peace process broke down in 2003.

April 15

Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said that following the conclusion of the temporary truce the SFs commenced their humanitarian operations in the Northeast.

The Government accused the LTTE of "taking away" large amount of food supplies from the consignment meant for displaced Tamil civilians in the north.

Canada has done its best to end the long-running conflict in Sri Lanka, but will not bow to pressure to remove the LTTE from the list of banned terrorist groups, the Immigration Minister Jason Kenney told reporters in Calgary.

April 15-16

13 LTTE militants were killed and 15 others injured as cashes erupted between SFs and militants in east Puthukkudiyiruppu in the Mullaitivu District.

April 16

57 civilians were killed and more than 300 wounded when the SLA fired shells and cannons inside the NFZ at Mullivaaykkaal, Pokkanai and Iraddaivaaykkaal in Mullaitivu District the Tamil Net reported.

The SFs gained complete control over a LTTE built earth bund cum ditch in the outskirts of the No Fire Zone killing six militants.

Responding to international claims that the 48-hour humanitarian pause was inadequate, the Government said that what prevails in the NFZ was a hostage situation which needed strategic military manoeuvre to save the trapped civilians and not a normal evacuation process.

The foreign ministers of UK and France issued a joint statement criticising the use of civilians as a human shield by the LTTE and said that the outfit had clearly been "forcefully preventing civilians from leaving the safe zone" during the 48-hour cease-fire.

Over 101 civilians fleeing from the LTTE captivity sought protection with the Security Forces in Puttumatalan and Chalai. Around 69,000 displaced civilians crossing LTTE lines have reportedly reached cleared areas.

April 17

A London court convicted a man described as the head of the LTTE in Britain on two terror-linked charges, including supplying bomb-making equipment to the outfit. Arunachalam Chrishanthakumar (52) was found guilty of coordinating supplies of material to the LTTE and was also convicted of receiving documents for the purpose of terrorism after a trial at Kingston Crown Court. The Court is to take a decision next week on whether to hold a re-trial.

The Government is not prepared to give into international and domestic pressures and abandon the on going operations to free thousands of innocent civilians taken hostage by the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, said defence spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella.

April 17-18

SLA continued indiscriminate shelling inside the NFZ in Mullaitivu District on April 17 and April 18 killing at least 60 civilians, according to local NGO workers, claimed Tamil Net. The SLA shelling targeted Iraddaivaaykkaal and Mullivaaykkaal areas of the NFZ.

April 18

Over 2,800 civilians arrived in the Government-controlled area of Puttumatalan, the military said. According to defence sources, the group of civilians included 1,253 children, 832 women, and 772 men.

The Government rejected calls to extend the unilaterally declared 48 hour 'humanitarian pause' as the LTTE had not honored it and had actively prevented civilians from leaving the NFZ during the said period.

April 19

The SLA shelling targeting Iraddaivaaykkaal and Mullivaaykkaal areas inside the NFZ in Mullaitivu District killed at least 30 civilians, reported Tamil Net.

The SFs killed 17 LTTE militants and injured 22 others during clashes while the troops attempted to clear a road that would give the military access to remaining territory in Mullaitivu District held by the outfit.

Three militants who had infiltrated the area west of Omanthai in Vavuniya District were shot dead by the SFs.

The total number of civilians fleeing from LTTE-held areas to the Government-controlled areas has increased to 72,000. Speaking to the media, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said with the arrival of 3,218 civilians on April 18, the total number rose to 72,000.

Reports indicated that the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran has ordered for bunkers to be constructed expeditiously around the 17 square kilometres outfit-held territory of Puthukkudiyiruppu, an unnamed top official said.

April 20

The SFs rescued 39081 civilians held hostage by the LTTE inside the NFZ in Mullaitivu District. Earlier, the 58th Division entered the NFZ in the early hours of April 20 with the capture of a three kilometres long LTTE-built earth bund in the Puttumatalan and Ampalavanpokkanai areas and opened the gates of the NFZ.

17 civilians were killed and over 200 injured when three LTTE suicide bombers rammed into civilian gatherings and blew themselves up inside the NFZ in the Puttumatalan area between 9.00a.-1.00pm (SLST). The Defence Ministry said the militants initially fired at civilians on the causeway using heavy machine guns.

The political wing leader of the LTTE, B. Nadesan, has denied reports that human bombs blew themselves up to prevent civilians fleeing the NFZ. He accused the SFs of using three types of internationally banned weapons such as cluster shells, napalm bombs and phosphorus bombs against civilians killing nearly 1000 of them.

Following the exodus of civilians from the No Fire Zone in Mullaitivu District, the defence ministry has set a 24-hour deadline for the LTTE to surrender.

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said that the SFs will continue their military operations until it rescues the last civilian held hostage by the LTTE and the last LTTE leader is killed or surrenders to the SFs.

President Mahinda Rajapakse called upon the international community to exert pressure on the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran to let him grant freedom of movement for just half an hour.

The LTTE has said that a military solution will never lay this problem to rest as Sri Lanka will never be able to live in peace, as it imagines a military victory will bring.

April 21

22 dead bodies of the LTTE militants were recovered as troops moving past the Puttumatalan junction in the NFZ further extended their defence line to the eastern edge of the beach virtually breaking the NFZ into two major portions.

The Defence Ministry said that at least four LTTE militants, including local area leader Ramanan, were killed and an armour plated vehicle was destroyed "when troops raided an LTTE gathering position east of Puttumatalan".

Two LTTE leaders, identified as Kalandan and Vijayan, were killed in the attack mounted by the troops on two LTTE cabs proceeding ahead of the Army’s new defence line inside the Puttumatalan NFZ. During subsequent search operations, troops recovered two micro pistols along with the dead bodies of the slain militants.

21,534 more trapped civilians in the NFZ entered the cleared areas held by the Army in Puttumatalan, thereby increasing the total number of escapees to 62,609 during April 20-22. This brings the total number of civilians who fled from the LTTE so far to over 122,000.

The SFs are engaged in the evacuation of innocent Tamil civilians being trapped by the LTTE militants in the NFZ and the Government will not halt this mission under any circumstances until the civilians are fully liberated from the clutches of terrorists, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake said. He said the international community and various international agencies are exerting enormous pressure on the Government to go for a cease-fire and the Government is not ready to give into to such pressure and stop the evacuation of innocent Tamil civilians.

The request by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown for a pause in military action was deemed as unnecessary by President Mahinda Rajapakse considering the unexpected exodus of 35,000 civilians to the cleared areas from the NFZ. This was said by President Rajapakse during a telephone conversation initiated by the British Prime Minister.

A 24-hour period given by the Government to the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran and his group to surrender concluded with no response from the outfit. "The LTTE terrorists have not surrendered during the ultimatum. But the people who were held hostage by the LTTE in a small strip of coastal land in the Mullaitivu district continue to arrive in the government-held areas in large numbers since Monday," military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told.

April 21-22

Tamil Net claimed that the SLA stepped up artillery and mortar barrage on Valaignarmadam killing and injuring civilians who have sought refuge at several locations. Rev. Father James Pathinathar, a prominent Catholic priest, was reportedly injured in SLA shelling that hit the Church in Valaignarmadam. The Website also alleged that the SLA shelling on April 21 killed a doctor and seven persons at a makeshift medical centre in the same area.

The Army Commander Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka said that with the arrival of a large civilian group on April 21 the total number now stands at 150,232. He said the total number of IDPs who have reached the cleared areas north of Puttumatalan rose to 77,793. According to the Army chief, only 10,000 to 15,000 civilians are currently trapped in the LTTE-held areas.

April 22

The SFs killed 14 LTTE militants and injured 21 others during clashes in the Puthukkudiyiruppu east area of Mullaitivu District.

The SFs killed four militants in the Puttumatalan area and also recovered one 12.7 gun and seven Multi Purpose Machine Guns from the incident site.

The Government said that the LTTE is now restricted to only eight square kilometers in the NFZ at Puttumatalan in Mullaitivu District. Defence spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said the SFs captured six square kilometers of the northern part of NFZ in the morning of April 22. With this, the SFs have captured one-third of the NFZ.

The former LTTE spokesman, Daya Master, and an interpreter to the slain political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan, George, surrendered to the troops at Puttumatalan in Mullaitivu District. Daya Master reportedly has disclosed that there are only 10,000 to 15,000 civilians trapped in the NFZ at the moment. Nanayakkara also said over 3000 LTTE militants have so far surrendered since January 2009.

Addressing the media at the MCNS, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said troops on rescue mission are using small arms to confront pockets of LTTE militants using heavy weapons targeting the SFs.

President Mahinda Rajapakse reportedly said that the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran should now face the consequences of his act to reject surrendering to the Government.

The UNSC demanded the LTTE to immediately lay down arms, renounce terrorism, allow evacuation of remaining civilians and join the political process to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. It also called on the Sri Lankan Government to abide by its obligations on the international humanitarian law and also to allow international humanitarian access to the area.

The civilian exodus from the NFZ in Puttumatalan in Mullaitivu District into Government-held areas crossed the figure 100,000, the Army headquarters declared. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health said the number of IDPs so far hospitalized for medical treatment outside Wanni has gone up to 3668 as of April 21-midnight. They are being treated for injuries due to LTTE firing, explosions or otherwise when fleeing.

April 22-23

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was sending a humanitarian team to the NFZ to assess the humanitarian situation and do whatever it can to protect the thousands of civilians held hostage by the LTTE as human shield. "It is critical that this team be allowed into the Zone as soon as possible and I am asking for strong support and speedy assistance of the Sri Lankan government," he urged.

April 23

Rev. Father T. R. Vasanthaseelan, the director of Human Development Centre of Caritas Jaffna, the social arm of the Catholic Church in the Jaffna Diocese, was wounded, when the SLA fired shells on the Our Lady of Roses Church in Valaignarmadam inside the NFZ of Mullaitivu District for the second consecutive day, claimed the Tamil Net. 14 civilians who had taken refuge at the church were killed in the shelling.

Troops engaged in rescue operations at Puthumattalan NFZ in Mullaitivu advanced further towards the southern sector close to Ampelvanpokkanai and Velayanmadam areas killing over 10 militants.

The ICRC said that conditions have deteriorated in the conflict zone in the recent days. "The fighting is too close to civilians who are too often killed or wounded", the ICRC spokesman Simon Schorno, adding, "There have been hundreds of dead and wounded in recent days." Of the 400 people the ICRC managed to evacuate on April 22, the majority were seriously wounded.

The Army chief Lt. General Sarath Fonseka is reported to have said that the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran continued to take shelter behind the remaining estimated 15,000-20,000 trapped civilians. "Prabhakaran is in the south of the NFZ, taking cover among the civilians. My troops, the Special Forces, commandos and infantrymen are advancing towards the area to rescue the rest of the civilians. Prabhakaran can’t escape over the land route as my troops are effectively manning the defence lines. Prabhakaran’s only escape route is by sea," said the Army chief.

Commander Mahesh Karunaratne reportedly said Prabhakaran or other LTTE leader will not grab an opportunity to leave the Island via sea as the naval troops are on surveillance to track the LTTE movements round the clock.

The civilian exodus from the NFZ at Puttumatalan in Mullaitivu District into Government-held areas reached 103,143. With the 72,571 civilians who have exited and re-located elsewhere in cleared areas before April 20, the total as of April 23 mid-noon reached 175,714. According to the Army chief Lt. General Sarath Fonseka, only 10,000 to 15,000 civilians are currently trapped in the LTTEheld areas.

April 24

The 58th Division Commander Brigadier Shavendra Silva said in Kilinochchi that troops have already captured six kilometres of the NFZ in Mullaitivu District and added that the LTTE was still putting up resistance, firing away 122 mm artillery. "At least 15 soldiers were killed and about 75 injured during the past four or five days due to LTTE artillery fire. The military operation will end when we fully rescue the remaining civilians from the LTTE. And that will be the end of the LTTE," Brig. Silva said.

2603 more civilians reached Government controlled areas increasing the number of civilians released by the Army since April 20 to 109,320.

April 25

Suspected LTTE militants carried out two attacks at Nochchikulam in the Morawewa area of Trincomalee District and Panama in the Pothuvil village of Ampara District, killing nine civilians.

April 26

At least 40 LTTE militants were killed and 35 others wounded as the troops captured Valayarmadam area of NFZ in Mullaitivu District. The SFs have now commenced advancing further south of the NFZ amidst stiff resistance from the LTTE, said a senior military official.

The number of civilians rescued by the Army since April 20 from LTTE grip in Puttumatalan NFZ by the evening of April 26 rose to 111512.

The SLN on duty in the seas off Mullaitivu confronted a cluster of LTTE attack boats and sank three of them with militants on board. At least 12 militants were killed and several others injured in clashes that lasted for a few hours.

The LTTE announced a unilateral cease-fire. However in response, the Government of Sri Lanka rejected it saying there is no need for a truce at the moment.

Britain urged the Sri Lankan Government to respond positively to the LTTE’s unilateral cease-fire and call an immediate halt to its own military operations so that the people trapped in the conflict zone could move to safety.

UN humanitarian chief John Holmes asked the Government to halt its military offensive against the LTTE in order to allow aid workers to help civilians trapped in the NFZ.

April 27

Troops continued their push towards the last LTTE hideout in the NFZ in Mullaitivu District killing 12 militants while injuring 27 others, the Defense Ministry said. The ministry said that the LTTE has intensified violence against civilians with a renewed hope of survival.

Four Sea Tigers were killed in an attack carried out by the Sri Lanka Navy Fast attack crafts and the Special Boat Squadron boats.

Over 180,000 civilians who were held hostage by the LTTE have been rescued since January. Of them nearly 115,000 were freed since the beginning of the rescue mission that begun on April 20.

The Government announced that the combat operations against the LTTE have reached their conclusion and that the troops were instructed to end the use of heavy weapons, which could harm civilian population. However, the rescue missions to free the remaining estimated 20,000 civilians will continue. The statement followed a meeting of the National Security Council presided over by President Mahinda Rajapakse. Director-General of the MCNS Lakshman Hullagulle said, "There is no ceasefire. The government will go ahead with their operation to get the civilians out of the 'No Fire Zone' who are being held hostage by the LTTE," Hullagulle said.

The LTTE described the Government statement as an "attempt by Sri Lanka to deceive" the world. Director of Peace Secretariat, S. Puleedevan said the LTTE will "never surrender" and will fight on until their "legitimate demands" are met. "We made our position very clear to the international community. We will never surrender till our legitimate demands are met," Puleethevan added.

April 27

Troops continued their push towards the last LTTE hideout in the NFZ in Mullaitivu District killing 12 militants while injuring 27 others, the Defence Ministry said.

Four militants were killed in an attack carried out by the SLN Fast attack crafts and the Special Boat Squadron boats.

Over 180,000 civilians who were held hostage by the LTTE have been rescued since January. Of them nearly 115,000 were freed since the beginning of the rescue mission that begun on April 20. Civilians have told the soldiers that the terrorists are now forcibly pushing the rest of the hostages to the Vellamullivaikkal area, where their leaders

The Government announced that combat operations against the LTTE have reached their conclusion and that troops were instructed to end the use of heavy weapons which could harm the civilian population. However, the rescue missions to free the remaining estimated 20,000 civilians will continue.

Director-General of the Media Center for National Security, Lakshman Hullagulle, said the Government has not declared a cease-fire with the LTTE, but has only announced that heavy caliber weapons will not used while rescuing thousands of civilians trapped in the northern war zone.

The LTTE described the Government statement as an "attempt by Sri Lanka to deceive" the world. The outfit’s Director of Peace Secretariat, S. Puleedevan said that the LTTE will "never surrender" and will fight on until their "legitimate demands" are met. "We made our position very clear to the international community. We will never surrender till our legitimate demands are met," Puleethevan said.

April 27-28

More than 200 civilians were killed as the SLA fired at least 2,600 MBRL rockets, more than 1,000 artillery shells and at least 2,000 heavy mortar shells from 6:00pm on April 27 till 11:00am on April 28, LTTE leaders in Wanni told Tamil Net. Most of the shells fired by the SLA hit civilian shelters in Mullivaaykkaal, Thaazhampan, Ottaippanaiyadi and Iraddaivaaykkaal areas. In addition, the Sri Lanka Air Force bombers attacked Ottaippanaiyadi and Iraddaivaaykkaal areas by deploying cluster bombs, LTTE leaders further said.

April 28

35 militants were killed as clashes ensued between the SFs and LTTE militants in south of Rektavaikkal in Mullaitivu District.

Troops conducting operations in the NFZ in Mullaitivu District captured a 700 meter long LTTE-built earth bund built across Rektavaikkal area in the south of Valayarmadam. Subsequently, the militants drove an explosive laden truck into the troops who retaliated blowing up the vehicle using gunfire, defence sources said. Troops also suffered casualties but managed to avoid a major disaster by destroying the explosive laden vehicle, before it reached the earth bund. Troops later recovered the dead bodies of seven militants from the area. Troops also foiled numerous counter attacks which came in the form of explosive laden vehicles, sea borne attacks and armoured tanks to recapture the earth bund which was 10 to 12 feet in height and 700 meters in length defending the southern part of the NFZ.

Despite claims that LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran might attempt to use a submarine to escape from the country, the Sri Lanka Navy claimed that the outfit did not possess any submarine capable of ferrying anyone, including Prabhakaran, to another location by sea.

April 29

At least 350 soldiers were killed and over 700 injured as heavy fighting erupted between the troops and the LTTE in the area north of Mullivaaykkaal in the NFZ in Mullaitivu District according to Tamil Net. The fighting erupted after two days of heavy attacks by the Sri Lanka Army that has attempted to advance towards Mullivaaykkaal, the report added.

The military continued its operation inside the NFZ in Mullaitivu District killing several civilians, claimed Tamil Net. Rescue workers recovered 160 dead bodies of civilians from the area north of Mullivaaykkaal. Around 150 civilians were feared killed after 4pm on the same day, the rescue workers further said.

Naval troops patrolling the North Eastern seas foiled a LTTE attempt to breach its first defence line killing 28 Sea Tigers, including three female Sea Tiger leaders, identified as Manparithi, Ariyu and Manmadhi, in the sea off Mullaitivu, Navy spokesman Captain D.K.P. Dassanayake told. The Navy Special Boat Squadron confronted with six boats, including four suicide craft, launched from Vellamullivaikkal in the southern part of the NFZ. All the boats were destroyed in the operation.

Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said troops are continuing their mission of rescuing the remaining civilians after capturing the 700 metre long and 10 feet high ditch cum earth bund in Rektavaikkal. "The LTTE had made seven suicide attempts to recapture the earth bund using three human bombs, one explosive laden truck, three motorbikes and a double cab during 24 hours ending Wednesday morning," the Brigadier said, adding, "Our troops also suffered casualties but managed to foil those suicide attempts."

The LTTE has six large boats equipped with anti-aircraft weapons, high fidelity communication equipment, GPSs and other sophisticated instruments at their disposal for any eventual escape as the last resort. Similarly, five more LTTE boats packed with food items and dry rations have been reportedly kept stand-by to be used for an emergency mission by the outfit in the remaining patch of land adjacent to the seas.

Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said militants trapped inside the remaining part of the NFZ have ordered people to burn all fishing boats in Vellamullivaikkal to prevent the remaining civilians trapped inside the NFZ from fleeing the area.

The LTTE said they would never surrender to the advancing Sri Lankan forces and appealed to the international community to work harder for a cease-fire.

The surrendered former media coordinator of the LTTE, Daya Master, and LTTE leader George Master in an interview said that they witnessed the deaths of several civilians as the LTTE cadres fired indiscriminately after the military breached the three square kilometre earth wall-cum-bund on the NFZ’s western front border.

The United Nations said conditions were "far from satisfactory" in the camps for displaced Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka and its top priority is to get an estimated 50,000 civilians still trapped in the war zone to safety.

April 30

The pro- LTTE Tamil National Alliance (TNA) party’s Trincomalee District Member of Parliament, R. Sampanthan, and parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran told the visiting British Foreign Secretary David Miliband that 7000 Tamils in Wanni have been killed and 14000 injured in the last three months, according to Tamil Net. The TNA parliamentarians also told Miliband that more than 300 Tamil youths in the Vavuniya detention centre have been arrested by the SLA and that the SLA has not revealed the whereabouts of those arrested to their parents.

President Mahinda Rajapakse said that although there are many requests to go for a cease-fire there was no time and need for it at this stage and the Government’s aim was to liberate the remaining civilians in the NFZ within the next five or six days.

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said the war would not end until the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran is captured or killed.

The Information and Media Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said that there were no discussions held with any party about a cease-fire and that the SFs are on the verge of rescuing the remaining civilians in the NFZ, adding, though the NFZ was originally around 12 kilometres in length it has now been reduced to three to four kilometres.

April 30-May 1

At least 66 civilians were killed as the SLA stepped up artillery, mortar and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher fire on Mullivaaykkaal village during the past 48 hours, reported the Tamil Net. While 39 of the 200 injured civilians admitted at Mullivaaykkaal hospital died on April 30, 27 more civilians among the 110 injured admitted at the hospital died on May 1.

May 1

The Sri Lanka Navy destroyed three Sea Tiger boats, including two suicide boats and an attack craft, killing at least 23 militants in a pre-down attack in the seas off Mullaitivu.

The advance of the troops towards the remaining areas under LTTE control is set to be expedited with the 58 Division troops capturing another earth bund paving the way for the 53^rd Division advancing along the A-35 road to join with the 58^th Division and advance further southwards in the NFZ, military officials told. As troops advanced further southward to capture the remaining areas under LTTE control, two more huge blasts believed to be accidental explosions of two suicide vehicles which were being prepared to be sent towards the advancing troops, were observed by the ground troops in the early hours of the same day. The military officials stated that at least few dozens of civilians would have been killed and injured due to these explosions as it took place deeper inside the NFZ in Vellamullivaikkal.

The Sri Lanka Army’s official news wing www.army.lk was illegally hacked and technically ‘assassinated’ by suspected LTTE militants or their proxies, inserting some gruesome images. Similarly, the Government news portal www.Lankapuvath.lk was hacked by suspected LTTE militants on the same day, the Government Information Department said.

President Mahinda Rajapakse urged the remaining civilians trapped in the NFZ in Mullaitivu District to escape from the area and come to the cleared areas (area under Government control).

May 2

64 civilians were killed and 87 others injured as the SLA twice attacked the only remaining makeshift hospital at Mullivaaykkaal in the NFZ of Mullaitivu District reported Tamil Net. Two artillery shells fired by the SLA hit the hospital at around 9:00am killing 23 and injuring 34 others while several shells that were fired later at 10:30am killed 41 civilians and wounded 53 others.

The STF personnel ambushed a group of LTTE militants at Kanchikudiary in the Ampara District killing four militants and recovering a large haul of arms, ammunition and explosive devices. The STF later identified the LTTE intelligence wing members as Vedanayagam, Elevandran, Kaleiwendran and Sathyapavan.

The 58^th and the 53^rd Division’s troops captured the key junction that links the Putumattalan-Mullaitivu and Paranthan-Mullaitivu roads north of Vellamullivaikkal.

May 3

The 58^th and the 53^rd Divisions cleared their paths towards the remaining five kilometres stretch of the NFZ after the latter stormed another heavily fortified LTTE-built earth-bund across the A-35 road after fighting, said military officials. "The LTTE suffered heavily during this battle that ended with the troops capturing this heavily fortified earthbund by the early hours of yesterday braving the heavy mine fields of the LTTE," an unnamed official said. It has also been reported that senior LTTE leader Thamilendi, who was in charge of the heavy weapons of the outfit, was killed during the fighting. "The LTTE is now trapped in a five km stretch of land along with the civilians and the troops are slowly but steadily advancing to that terrain amidst all obstacles posed by the LTTE," military officials added.

Although the Government of Sri Lanka is rehabilitating the surrendered LTTE militants, it is not ready to grant this opportunity to any leader of the outfit, said the Minister of Human Rights and Disaster Management Mahinda Samarasinghe. He, however, said the Government is to offer an amnesty without trial for all militants who lay down their arms and surrender. However, the amnesty will not be granted to those who have already been charged or convicted in courts.

The LTTE appealed to Britain and France to immediately intervene and broker a cease-fire with the Government.

Tamil Net accused that the Army during the weekend had deployed its troops for a major onslaught. "All kinds of heavy weapons, including prohibited ones, are ready for deployment on the NFZ," it said. The military, meanwhile, denied the charge and said that as per policy the troops do not use heavy weapons in taking on the LTTE inside the NFZ.

May 4

STF personnel in the Komari and Pothuvil areas of Ampara District foiled a LTTE infiltration bid, killing four militants.

25-30 LTTE militants were either killed or severely injured during intermittent clashes with the troops in the area west of Vellamullivaikkal inside the NFZ in Mullaitivu District during the past 36 hours. A few soldiers also sustained injuries in the fighting. The report said that the SFs continued to consolidate their positions and countered heavy LTTE resistance during their advance further inside the NFZ. The LTTE has been confided to an area less than five square kilometers on the coast of Mullaitivu District.

Troops that stormed a section of LTTE-built earth bund in the stretch of land between the A-35 road and the Nanthikandal lagoon on May 3 expanded their advance by another 250 metres, while closing in on Karaiyamullivaikal area.

The UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka said that they have not released any casualty figures publicly and circulated to the diplomatic community in Colombo as Associated Press reports said.

The TULF leader V. Anandasangaree, in a letter addressed to President Mahinda Rajapakse has suggested that an international agency acceptable to the Government be selected to visit Wanni and persuade the LTTE to allow innocent people to go free, with an offer of general amnesty to LTTE cadres who surrender with arms.

The Government said the second phase of resettling the displaced would commence on May 11 with 2100 people belonging to 520 families in the Mannar District. The Ministry of Disaster Relief Services and Resettlement said steps were being taken to resettle more displaced in the Arippu area of Mannar District.

Sri Lanka urged the international community to provide US $ 50 million in order to meet urgent humanitarian needs of the displaced in the North.

Militants launched indiscriminate small arms fire attacks at hostages who were fleeing from the LTTE-held area of Vellamullivaikkal in the NFZ in Mullaitivu District aboard 15 fishing boats. A LTTE second rung leader, identified as Seelambu, is reported to have ordered the assault targeting the civilians. According to intercepted LTTE transmission, a few civilians are reported to have died in the incident.

The LTTE, currently confined to a mere land stretch of about 5 kilometres in the NFZ with the intention of blocking troop movements, continued firing on the troops inside the NFZ.

A video camera recovered by the soldiers from a slain LTTE militant provides rare proof that the outfit is forcibly recruiting civilians to fight their last battle.

The Sri Lankan Government estimates that it has captured LTTE armaments worth almost $20-million so far from the Northern Province. Cambodia has been a significant source of the LTTE weapons. The rest have come from places such as North Korea, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Turkey and Ukraine. The arms broker behind the purchases is alleged to be Kumaran Pathmanadan alias K.P.

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake told the Parliament that intelligence reports revealed the LTTE chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran remained trapped within a four square kilometre area in NFZ on which SFs have now laid siege.

The pro-LTTE TNA party has once again decided to reject President Mahinda Rajapakse's invitation for a special discussion.

The LTTE has demanded direct foreign aid for people in their shrinking patch of land after accusing the Government of blocking essential supplies.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged Sri Lanka Government to stop using heavy weapons that risk civilian lives and to suspend its offensive against ethnic Tamil rebels so that as many as 250,000 civilians desperately needed aid can be sent to the war zone.

Clashes continued in the Vellamullivaikkal area, when advancing troops met LTTE resistance. During subsequent search operations, troops recovered dead bodies of three LTTE terrorists, two T-56 weapons and one communication set from the area.

The Sri Lanka Army said the LTTE cadre strength have been reduced to only 300 fighters in Northeast coast as the Army advances to end a 26-year civil war. Troops captured two more LTTE strongholds in the strip of land the LTTE is occupying near the port of Mullaitivu, the Army said on May 5. The LTTE are currently operating in about 5 square kilometre area in a Government- declared safe zone for civilians, Army sources said.

The UN humanitarian wing said that over 192, 000 civilians have fled the conflict zone in northern Sri Lanka, where clashes continue between Government forces and the LTTE terrorists. Although the number of registered IDPs has increased, it is not due to new arrivals, and there are still no reports of more people in transit for days, the OCHA noted. OCHA estimates that around 50,000 more civilians remain trapped in the conflict zone, a shrinking pocket of land on the north-east coastline, and that they are in dire need of food aid and medical supplies.

An unspecified number of dead bodies of militants were found scattered along with their weapons, when troops captured the last LTTE built earth bund in the south of Karaiyamullivaikal. Several soldiers also sustained injuries in the string of pitched battles in the remaining strip of land in the NFZ.

During heavy fighting between troops and LTTE, the deputy leader of the Sea Tigers, Chelliyan, is reported to have been killed.

A military spokesman said that the troops had breached the last earthen fortification, bringing them to 800 metres of the LTTE leadership. Though estimates are not available, military sources said that between 500 to 1,000 hardcore Black Tigers has formed a last wall of defence around the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran and others. The spokesman also added that the LTTE is deploying suicide bombers in large numbers to slow down the Army's advance.

Some 150 LTTE sympathisers carrying flags and chanting slogans attacked the Chinese Embassy in London. Supporters of the banned LTTE attacked the embassy and damaged many windows of the office while trying to enter inside the building, Police said. Three protesters were arrested but later released on bail.

45 civilians were killed and more than 197 injured as the SLA continued heavy shelling with cluster-munitions on civilian targets in the Mullivaaykkaal area of the NFZ in the Mullaitivu District, claims Tamil Net.

Troops in the Karaiyamullivaikal, Vellamullivaikkal, Udayarukattukulam and Vavunavillu areas of Mullaitivu District recovered dead bodies of 31 LTTE militants.

31 more dead bodies of LTTE militants were recovered by the troops along with a cache of arms ammunition from the Puthukkudiyiruppu west, Puthukkudiyiruppu east, Verakulam, Vellamullivaikkal, Vavunavillu and Allaiwewa areas..

The Sri Lankan military demarcated a new NFZ to match the current situation. Announcing its decision, the military said that it is now in full control of more than 2/3rd of the existing Putumattalan NFZ. The new NFZ is restricted to an area of two kilometres in length and 1.5 kilometres in width south of Karaiyamullivaikal, including Vellamullivaikkal in the narrow strip along the north-eastern coast of Mullaitivu. "This has been modified to match with the present situation and after considering the concentration of civilians in the area," the Army source said. The re-demarcation of the new NFZ followed the complete capture of possibly the last LTTE-built earth bund in the Karaiyamullivaikal amid fierce fighting between the troops of 58th Division troops and the LTTE.

35 LTTE militants were killed on May 8, as the advancing troops took full control of the last outfit's defensive earth bund in the Mullaitivu District. The troops have completely cleared the Karyamullvaikkal area, Defence officials said on May 9. Currently the LTTE is limited to an area of just three square kilometres, added the official.

Nine civilians died and 19 others sustained injuries when the LTTE terrorists opened fire on them at NFZ. The Sri Lanka Army report adds that estimated 303 escapees were trying to enter troop-held areas across causeway in Mullaitivu when the LTTE terrorists stormed them and went on a shooting-spree to prevent them from deserting the LTTE.

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse while denying LTTE reports of the military killing a large number of civilians said "the LTTE had timed the latest propaganda lie on the eve of an informal session of the UN Security Council scheduled for May 11." He told a local newspaper that "the LTTE was making a desperate attempt to force the international community to stop the offensive. We are in the final stage of our offensive and there is absolutely no way the Tigers can get out of this trap." He also blamed the LTTE for opening fire on about 1,000 civilians attempting to reach the Army, deployed south of the NFZ.

Tamil Net claimed that indiscriminate shelling by the SLA inside the NFZ starting from the night of May 9 to the morning of May 10 killed more than 2,000 civilians, including women and children.

A health official in the region, Dr. V. Shanmugarajah, told foreign media that the initial artillery attack - which lasted from the evening of May 9 to the morning of May 10 - killed at least 378 civilians and wounded more than a thousand more.

The Government rejected the LTTE's latest claims that the military had shelled the NFZ in Mullaitivu killing 2,000 civilians in 24 hours and accused the militants of firing mortars at the new NFZ from the positions in the old NFZ. The Army said the LTTE has positioned their mortars in previously declared NFZ and fired mortars towards the new NFZ.

Asked about accounts provided by the Government health officials on the deaths inside the NFZ, an unnamed senior official reminded reporters of the circular issued by the Health Ministry urging the media not to given credence to the versions of its officials stranded in the LTTE-occupied zone. "We have no reason to doubt the integrity of the doctors. But the reality is that these officials, like the rest of the civilians, are being held hostage by the LTTE and have no option but to take orders from the Tigers," he said.

Over 1500 civilians who were forcibly held by the LTTE crossed over to the cleared areas (area under Government control) amidst heavy resistance by the LTTE. Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said, "Troops have detected that the LTTE is using heavy weapons to target civilians living in the newly declared No Fire Zone. LTTE cadres started firing mortars to the newly declared No Fire Zone from 9.00 a.m. yesterday from time to time. Our radar system has effectively detected that the LTTE has positioned heavy weapons including mortars in the area."

The Government is to launch an investigation into the LTTE-run Eelam Bank, where thousands of people had reportedly deposited their money.

More than 3200 civilians were reported killed inside the NFZ in Mullaitivu District, reported the Tamil Net on May 11. Lawrence Christy, chief of the TRO field office, on May 11 put the death toll of civilians in SLA shelling at more than 3,200 killed since the evening of May 10 up to the morning of May 11. The SLA offensive formations were firing using cannons, 50 calibre machine guns, artilleries, mortar and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher guns.

A Sri Lanka Government doctor V. Shanmugarajah, who works at a makeshift hospital in the war zone, said 393 people were either brought to the hospital for burial or had died at the facility on May 10, while another 37 bodies were brought in the morning of May 11. More than 1,300 injured came to the hospital, he added. In addition, a senior UN official in Colombo said on May 11 that reports of large-scale killings in the war zone in Sri Lanka appear to show that fears of bloodbath had become a reality. "We’ve been consistently warning against a bloodbath, and the large-scale killing of civilians including more than 100 children this weekend appears to show that the bloodbath has become a reality," said UN spokesman Gordon Weiss. The Government, however, in a statement issued on May 11 denied allegations by the LTTE that its Security Forces shelled the recently re-demarcated new NFZ causing thousands civilian casualties. It said that it denies the reports "attributable to sources aligned with or under duress from the LTTE" and said "the Government's view is that to treat the doctor's statement as evidence of irrefutable and incontrovertible fact, is unwise."

A Sri Lanka Government doctor V. Shanmugarajah, who works at a makeshift hospital in the war zone, said 393 people were either brought to the hospital for burial or had died at the facility on May 10, while another 37 bodies were brought in the morning of May 11. More than 1,300 injured came to the hospital, he added.

The military has indicated it is hopeful of neutralising the military capabilities of the LTTE inside the new NFZ in the next 48 hours. "On the basis of reports from the military commanders I can say that the troops are poised for a major breakthrough in the next 48 hours. The LTTE would soon lose its wherewithal to offer organised resistance and the troops expect to repeat a feat like on April 20 when the military succeeded in breaching the three-kilometre Tiger earth wall-cum-band and facilitated the escape of 1.16 lakh civilians from the LTTE clutches," Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse told Doordarshan in an interview in Colombo. The Defence Secretary denied reports of shelling on the NFZ by the military and dismissed them as propaganda by the LTTE to coincide with UN Security Council meeting on May 11. He accused the LTTE with indiscriminate firing at a group of 1,000 fleeing civilians. The military said 250 of them were either killed or injured in LTTE firing and released purported transcripts of intercepted communication among the militants forcibly stopping civilians. It said the LTTE suffered heavy casualties as the troops pushed deeper into the NFZ. Military spokesperson of the LTTE, Rasiah Ilanthriyan, was among those killed.

A senior UN official in Colombo said that reports of large-scale killings in the war zone in Sri Lanka appear to show that fears of bloodbath had become a reality. "We've been consistently warning against a bloodbath, and the large-scale killing of civilians including more than 100 children this weekend appears to show that the bloodbath has become a reality," said UN spokesman Gordon Weiss.

A new transit camp for the IDPs has been set up in the Pulmoddai area of Vavuniya District in order to increase facilities to those people arriving from the un-cleared areas (area not under Government control).

LTTE militants were reportedly directing fire towards fleeing civilians from NFZ in Mullaitivu District. Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara reiterated that militants were firing towards civilians on the instructions from their ground commanders or when they cannot control fleeing civilians. He said latest attack by the militants was revealed through intercepts of LTTE communication among ground commanders.

The military has indicated it is hopeful of neutralising the military capabilities of the LTTE inside the new NFZ in the next 48 hours and paving the way for the release of civilians being held hostage. Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse told Doordarshan in an interview in Colombo. The Defence Secretary denied reports of shelling on the NFZ by the military and dismissed them as propaganda by the LTTE to coincide with U.N. Security Council meeting. He accused the LTTE with indiscriminate firing at a group of 1,000 fleeing civilians. The military said 250 of them were either killed or injured in LTTE firing and released purported transcripts of intercepted communication among the militants forcibly stopping civilians. It said the LTTE suffered heavy casualties as the troops pushed deeper into the NFZ. Military spokesperson of the LTTE, Rasiah Ilanthriyan, was among those killed.

Expressing deep concern over the civilian deaths in Sri Lanka, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned the LTTE for their reckless disrespect for the safety of thousands of civilians trapped in the NFZ and said the LTTE must immediately allow the remaining civilians in the conflict zone to leave.

The Government is to rehabilitate another group of LTTE child soldiers who surrendered to the SFs recently. According to sources, 61 child soldiers have surrendered to the SFs during the past few days. Currently there are four centres in Sri Lanka to rehabilitate surrendered child soldiers.

May 12

The SLA fired artillery shells on the makeshift hospital which was functioning at Mullivaaykkaal junior school inside the NFZ in Mullaitivu district killing at least 47 civilians, reported Tamil Net. At least 55 patients sustained serious injuries in the attack.

Troops in the Karaiyamullivaikal area of Mullaitivu District recovered 43 dead bodies of LTTE militants along with 65 T-56 weapons, two body-armours, one pouch, three helmets, 13 explosive cans and one Outboard Motor.

Troops of the 58^th Division moving from the north entered the new NFZ in the Mullaitivu District countering the LTTE attacks. Addressing the press at the Media Centre for National Security, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said, "Three LTTE suicide bombers hiding inside underground bunkers have blown themselves as advancing 58 division troops closed-in on them. In a subsequent search operation, troops recovered 25 bodies of Tiger cadres, 20 T56 assault rifles and other warlike items."

The 59^th Division troops after crossing the LTTE constructed earth bund and ditch in the north of the Vadduvakal causeway advanced 300 metres further north. The SFs advanced further by crossing the Nanthikandal lagoon. The troops have formed an extended defence line around the southern end of the new NFZ covering the entire Nanthikandal lagoon and the surrounding sea beach and linked with the 53^rd Division troops who are deployed along the western boundary of the NFZ. The troops of 58^th Division have gained control of the northern boundary of the NFZ and are now consolidating their positions. The eastern border of the new NFZ is guarded by the Sri Lankan Navy. 

The pro-LTTE party TNA has pointed out that 3000 Tamils have been killed and more than 1000 have been wounded in the last three days in Wanni region, according to Tamil Net. In a press conference held in Colombo, TNA parliamentarians also said more than 10,000 Tamil civilians have been killed while more than 20,000 wounded within the last three months.

Over 100 Sea Tigers [cadres of the sea wing of the Liberation LTTE] were killed and 17 LTTE boats, including several suicide boats, destroyed in the seas off Mullaitivu by naval troops during the last few weeks, said Navy spokesman Commander Mahesh Karunaratne told. Two boats were reportedly captured.

May 12-13

The 59^th Division troops who reached the south of the new NFZ in the night of May 12 foiled a major sea and ground attack by the LTTE to recapture the newly liberated areas destroying a number of LTTE suicide boats and killing an unspecified number of militants, military officials said on May 13. The fighting broke out at around 9.30pm (SLST) on May 12 as the troops were consolidating their positions along the earth bund they captured after crossing the lagoon in Waddawakkal. "Initially there were huge Tiger suicide boats fitted with high powered engines and two of them rammed into the bunkers held by the troops in the ground. The engines of these suicide boats were so powerful that they can reach the bunkers in the ground once they landed in the beach," an unnamed military official told Daily News. Another suicide boat that reached the shore after the initial attack was damaged by the troops preventing it reaching the shore. Amid the seaborne attack, more than 100 to 150 militants attempted to breach the newly captured earth bund south of the NFZ but that attempt was also foiled by the SFs killing unspecified number of militants. "Fierce fighting continued till 1 am on Wednesday as the LTTE deployed some of their suicide cadres to breach the Security Forces’ defences," the official added.

May 13

More than 100 civilians, including many children, patients and an International Committee of the Rd Cross (ICRC) worker, were killed in a SLA artillery attack that targeted a makeshift hospital and the surrounding areas which comprises of many tarpaulin huts in the Mullivaaykkaal area of Mullaitivu District inside the NFZ, reports Tamil Net.

Troops in the Karaiyamullivaikal area of Mullaitivu District recovered dead bodies of 19 LTTE militants, including a senior cadre identified as Kannikkaran.

Troops unearthed a stock of LTTE light aircraft accessories buried in a coconut grove at Theravikulam in the Puthukkudiyiruppu area.

The SFs captured a 55 feet long LTTE boat filled with 1,500 kilograms of explosives from the Vellamullivaikkal area in the NFZ. The suicide boat plastered with claymore mines around its hull was hidden under bushes by the side of the beach.

The UN called on Colombo to expedite the screening of thousands of internally displaced persons now staying at dozens of Government camps in the North.

The UN said that heavy fighting in the conflict zone prevented the ICRC aid ship reaching its destination, for the second day.

General Officer in-charge of the 58^th Division, Brigadier Shavendra de Silva, told that the Sri Lankan troops were exercising maximum restraint to avoid civilian casualties.

President Mahinda Rajapakse, by virtue of powers vested in him by Article 33 (f) of the Constitution, has appointed a 19-member Presidential Task Force for Resettlement, Development and Security in the Northern Province. It is mandated to prepare strategic plans, programs and projects to resettle internally displaced persons, rehabilitate and develop economic and social infrastructure of the Northern Province.

The Colombo High Court reissued an open warrant to LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran and its intelligence leader Pottu Amman in connection with the assassination of former Foreign Minister Lakshman Khadirgamar. This is the second arrest warrant issued to the duo in 2009. Earlier, the Colombo High Court had issued an arrest warrant on January 26.

May 14

At least 1,700 civilians were killed and over 3,000 wounded within the last 48 hours as SLA continued its indiscriminate shelling inside the new NFZ, according a statement released by the LTTE Peace Secretariat, reported Tamil Net. The catastrophic situation has been made worse by the acute shortage of food and medicine, the statement said, adding, "Local doctors who are trying to work in these hospitals have decided to hand the hospitals over to the ICRC in the hope that under ICRC management the hospitals may be spared from bombardment."

The SLA launched shells fell and exploded in a boat in which 12 persons from Wanni were fleeing to Point Pedro, killing four persons, reported Tamil Net.

The 59^th Division troops captured Vadduvakal Bridge that link the Paranthan- Mullaitivu (A-35) road into the Mullaitivu town through Nanthikandal lagoon.

Troops engaged in their final push against LTTE are poised to completely seal off the Eastern coast within the next 24 hours as 58^th Division troops advancing towards Mullaitivu from the northern direction reached closer to Mullaitivu front after capturing the grounded Jordanian ship Farah III in the Mullaitivu seas, military officials said.

The Sri Lanka Defence Ministry said that the LTTE is preparing for the worst slaughter of civilians with the systematic use of hostages as a weapon of mass destruction.

Recognizing the legitimate right of the Sri Lankan Government to fight terrorism, the UNSC demanded the LTTE to lay down arms and allow civilians, still trapped in the war zone, to leave.

Sri Lanka rejected international calls to halt its final offensive against LTTE, hours after the UNSC called for civilian lives to be spared.

May 15

During their advance into the Mullaitivu front, troops of the 58^th Division recovered dead bodies of 40 LTTE militants and arrested three female Sea Tigers. Ground troops launched a massive attack on the LTTE militants who tried to stop the troops’ advance into the area inflicting heavy damages to them. "The Security Forces once again lay siege on the LTTE terrain surrounding the remaining Tiger leaders inside as the 58 Division and the 59 Division were poised to marry up in the Mullaitivu sea front by yesterday evening," a military official said. Troops also recovered the biggest ever arms and ammunition stock they have within a 24 hour period, he added. The recoveries included seventy two 60-mm mortars, 36 Indian made Rocket Launchers, two anti-aircraft pedal guns, one 12.7-mm machine gun, a Marine Radar, 12 suicide boats. "Thousands of sea mines and huge stocks of arms and ammunitions which were being counted by the troops for hours were recovered on Friday", the official added.

Army troops continued their advance further into the LTTE-held areas inside the new NFZ and attacked groups of militants causing extensive damages to the militants. During subsequent search and clear operations in the Palamattalan area the troops recovered 35 dead bodies of the militants.

An explosion in the Vellamullivaikkal area targeting the 58^th Division troops at the frontal defence positions failed to inflict damages to upon the SFs as the red-coloured LTTE double cab prematurely exploded and went up in flames as it was nearing the troops in the opposite direction. At least 4-5 LTTE suicide bombers inside the double cab were reported killed in the huge explosion. In addition, four LTTE militants aboard to motorbikes along the beach sped at a high speed and tried to attack troops on the other side of the beach. However, they failed in their attempt and were shot dead by the SFs. Further, a LTTE tractor with explosives attempted to ram against troops in the opposite direction. However, troops managed to blow up the tractor.

Two top leaders of the outfit, Swarnam and Sashi Master, were killed by the SFs in a confrontation in Mullaitivu. Swarnam and Sashi Master were very senior cadres in the outfit and they remained the top confidants of outfit’s chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran, sources added.

The SLN captured 11 family members of the Sea Tiger leader Soosai, including his wife, son, daughter and his brother’s wife, daughter, while they were attempting to escape by sea in Mullaitivu area.

A huge influx of civilians once again started to flow into the military controlled areas as Security Forces were ready laying siege on the remaining LTTE-controlled areas military officials told. During the whole day, more than 15,000 civilians have arrived in military controlled areas.

President Mahinda Rajapakse has all civilians held by the LTTE as a human shield in the outfit-held area in north-eastern Sri Lanka will be rescued in the next 48 hours and the Tamils would be saved from the LTTE terrorism.

The LTTE air capabilities have been completely neutralised, the Sri Lankan Army claimed after recovering a stock of accessories and engines of the "sky Tigers" from the embattled north.

May 16

The Army which is in the final phase of the rescue operation took control of the entire eastern coastal area when the 58^th and 59^th Division troops linked up together depriving the LTTE of the coastal belt. The 58^th Division marching from the north linked up with 59^th Division troops who were forging ahead northbound in the new NFZ. Accordingly, troops of the 11 Gemunu Watch in the 59^th Division and 11^th Sri Lanka Light Infantry in the 58^th Division have taken control of the entire Mullaitivu costal belt.

Over 10,000 civilians, made use of the newly opened ‘escape route’ via the Nanthikandal lagoon in the past 24 hours amidst LTTE’s indiscriminate firing in the Vadduvakal area. Also, 241 LTTE cadres surrendered to the SFs during the past two days.

Army troops attacked LTTE positions in the Karaiyamullivaikal and Vellamullivaikkal areas causing heavy damages to the militants. During subsequent search and clear operations troops recovered four dead bodies of the militants.

During a clash between the two sides in the Sarwaruthoddam area troops killed three militants and also recovered their bodies during clearing operations along the A-35 in the Karaiyamullivaikal area.

May 17

The humanitarian mission launched to liberate civilians taken hostage by the LTTE for months reached an end in Mullaitivu with the last batch of civilians arriving in Government controlled areas through the Vadduvakal causeway towards Mullaitivu by 2.30pm whilst troops surrounded the last batch of militants inside a less than half square kilometre stretch in the NFZ. According to Military officials, more than 52,000 civilians have arrived in the Government-controlled areas and nearly 30,000 were due to be screened by the troops before being dispatched to welfare centres in Vavuniya. "An estimated figure exceeding 82,000 civilians have so far arrived in the military controlled areas since May 14," military officials in Mullaitivu added. As the last batches of civilians were fleeing from the NFZ, many explosions were heard inside the NFZ as troops were fighting with the last batch of militants trapped inside.

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, however, said that the war is not over yet. "We have rescued all the civilians from the area, now we are searching for any more civilians. In the meantime, we have restricted the LTTE to one square kilometre-like area, so we will mop up and seize the rest of the LTTE cadres and the leadership."

The LTTE international relations head K. Pathmanathan said, in a statement issued from outside Sri Lanka, the war had reached its bitter end and the outfit had decided to silence their guns in the interest of saving the lives of innocent Tamil citizens. "This battle has reached its bitter end. Against all odds, we have held back the advancing Sinhalese forces without help or support, except for the unending support of our people. It is our people who are dying now from bombs, shells, illness and hunger. We cannot permit any more harm to befall them. We remain with one last choice — to remove the last weak excuse of the enemy for killing our people. We have decided to silence our guns. Our only regrets are for the lives lost and that we could not hold out for longer. We can no longer bear to see the innocent blood of our people being spilled," he said.

At least 150 LTTE militants were killed during fierce fighting with the troops inside the No NFZ in Mullaitivu District. Troops operating in the western edge of the Nanthikandal lagoon foiled an attempt by the LTTE militants to escape towards the jungles in Mullaitivu and Puthukkudiyiruppu south killing more than 80 militants, including nine female cadres, who tried to breach the SF defences. "More than 80 well trained Tiger cadres were killed and their bodies were recovered collected from the Nanthikandal lagoon as troops foiled the Tigers’ attempt to breach the Security Forces defence around 2.30 am yesterday," said military officials in Mullaitivu.

May 18

The LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed, the Sri Lankan military has said. The announcement on State television came shortly after the military said it had surrounded Prabhakaran in a tiny patch of jungle in the north-east. The head of the Sri Lankan army Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka said the military had defeated the rebels and "liberated the entire country". "Today we finished the work handed to us by the president to liberate the country from the LTTE," Gen Fonseka said in the broadcast. The broadcast quoted military officials as saying Prabhakaran was killed along with two of his deputies. It said Prabhakaran, his intelligence chief Pottu Amman and Soosai, the head of the LTTE naval wing, were shot dead in an ambush in the Mullivaaykkaal area while trying to escape the war zone in an ambulance.

The SFs found a dead body suspected to be of Charles Anthony, the elder son of LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, from the Karaiyamullivaikal area. The Sri Lanka Army, however, confirmed that Anthony, known to be the head of Information and Technology department of the LTTE, was killed. In addition, the SFs also recovered dead bodies of three key LTTE leaders, identified as political wing leader of the outfit Nadeshan, head of the outfit’s peace secretariat Pulidevan and senior special military leader of the outfit Ramesh.

The death of senior LTTE militants, including Suventhiran Balaguru alias Jeyam, Rathnam Master and Madavan Master, were confirmed by the troops after their dead bodies were scientifically identified, the Army Headquarters declared.

Troops also confirmed the death of 11 more senior LTTE militants who attempted to escape being captured by the troops in Wellamullivaikkal area. These senior cadres include LTTE Police chief Ilango, aide to LTTE chief's son Sudharman, senior intelligence leader Thomas, LTTE military leader Luxman, senior Sea Tiger (Sea wing of the LTTE) cadre Sri Ram, LTTE female military leader Isei Aravi, LTTE deputy intelligence leader Kapil Amman, in charge of LTTE female training Ajanthi, in charge of LTTE mortar section Wardha, Secretary to LTTE chief Pudiyawan and Special military leader Jenarthan were among them.

Army elites are continuing the final mop-up operations at the last 100m x100m LTTE foothold in the north of Vellamullivaikkal. Self-ignited LTTE explosions were also heard and witnessed in close vicinity.

The SLA announced that the entire Puthumattalan area has now been brought under Army control bringing the entire country free from LTTE’s terrorism. Over 250 corpses of LTTE militants scattered in the entire area have been so far recovered and subjected to identification, claimed the Army. It is believed all the remaining terrorist leaders including top LTTE cadres were among those feared killed, said the Army.

Troops recovered 43 dead bodies of LTTE militants, including that of eight female cadres, during search and clear operations in Karaymullivaikkal area.

Troops in Vellamullivaikkal and Wadduvakkal areas recovered dead bodies of 35 LTTE militants.

May 19

The pro-LTTE website Tamil Net claimed that the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran is still alive and safe; a day after SLA announced that it has killed him. The Website quoted the LTTE's International Relations chief S. Pathmanathan as stating, "I wish to inform the Global Tamil community distressed witnessing the final events of the war that our beloved leader Velupillai Prabhakaran is alive and safe….He (Prabhakaran) will continue to lead the quest for dignity and freedom for the Tamil people." The Website, however, did not give details of Prabhakaran’s location. Pathmanathan also said the Sri Lankan Army and the Government deliberately came up with the story detailing the demise of the LTTE chief. "We categorically reject this and wish to inform the Tamil community to be vigilant and to exercise maximum restraint whilst grieving for the loss of Tamil civilian lives," he said.

Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka confirmed that the dead body of the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran was found. His body was found by the 53^rd Division troops led by Major General Kamal Gunaratne near the Nanthikandal lagoon. Military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said Prabhakaran had died due to a gun shot injury to his head. The Army is reported to have found his identity card issued by the LTTE and the armlet with the number one indicating his position in the outfit. According to defence sources, Prabhakaran had tried to save his life until the last moment. Although the LTTE International Relations Head K. Pathmanathan denied the Government's claim, saying on a pro-LTTE website Tamil Net that Prabhakaran is "alive and safe", the DNA tests have proved that the body recovered belongs to Prabhakaran, the Army said. Fonseka confirmed that Prabhakaran's body was found among the 150 or so bodies the army recovered.

The announcement by the Army Chief on behalf of President Mahinda Rajapakse and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said, "A few hours ago ground troops confirmed that they have recovered the dead body of the world's most ruthless terrorist leader. I make this disclosure with responsibility and pleasure as millions of Sri Lankans as well as the Army would be the most delighted at this news. It further said LTTE's Daya Master, who is in Government custody, and LTTE's former eastern military leader and Nation Building Minister in the Rajapakse Government, Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna in the afternoon of May 19 flew to Puthukkudiyiruppu where Prabakaran's body is being kept. Both of them identified the body as that of the LTTE chief. The Defence Ministry said in the evening that Sea Tiger (sea wing of the LTTE) leader Soosai's bullet-ridden dead body was found by Army commandos in the marshy land in Karaiyamullivaikal."

Two hours before the announcement of the recovery of the dead body of the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, President Mahinda Rajapakse addressing the ceremonial opening of Parliament said the victory gained by defeating the LTTE is the victory of the nation, and the victory of all people living in the country. "The defeat of the LTTE and the breakdown of their armed strength will never be the defeat of the Tamil people of this country," he added. "It is necessary for us to state with great responsibility, that we do not accept a military solution as the final solution... It is necessary that we find a solution that is our very own, of our own nation. It should be a solution acceptable to all sections of the people," he said. The President said he hopes to provide a 'home grown' solution to the conflict and does not hope to be experimenting solutions.

38 dead bodies of the LTTE militants, including those of seven females, were recovered by the troops during a search operation in the Vellamullivaikkal area of Mullaitivu District. The bodies recovered and identified included that of Sea Tiger (sea wing of the LTTE) leader "Brigadier" Soosai, senior intelligence leader "Lieutenant Colonel" Verti, an intelligence leader "Lieutenant Colonel" Ram Kumar, a senior female intelligence leader "Lieutenant Colonel" Manimekala alias Komali, political head in Batticaloa "Lieutenant Colonel" Anna Thurai, a senior Sea Tiger leader "Colonel" Rangan, "Lieutenant Colonel" Vinodan and a senior intelligence leader.

The Sri Lankan military ceremonially ended the war with the LTTE at Mullaitivu beach area. Defence sources said the Army formally silenced their guns in the afternoon in a military ceremony, headed by Major General Jagath Jayasuriya and in the presence of commanders of all units. Forces fired MBT and MBRL guns towards the Mullaitivu Sea marking the end of the war.

The slain LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran's wife Mathivathani, daughter and 13-year old younger son Balachandran were reportedly found shot dead. Their bodies, having gunshot wounds in the head, were found in the Nanthikandal lagoon area barely 600 metres from where Prabhakaran's body was recovered by the Army. Contrary to earlier media reports, Prabhakaran's family were not in Europe. The family was shot dead by the SFs as it tried to break out of the NFZ. Another 150 bodies were found in the lagoon area.

SFs shot dead five LTTE militants in the Periyapillumalai area of Batticaloa District.

Army troops on patrol in the Kanchikudichchiaru area of Ampara District shot dead three militants.

Police have set up 37 Police stations in the Eastern Province and seven in the Northern Province, including in Madhu and Omanthai, the Inspector General of Police Jayantha Wickramaratne said.

The naval spokesman D. K. Dasanayake said that Prabhakaran made two last-minute attempts to escape to India or Malaysia, but these came too late as the Sri Lankan Navy had put up a effective naval blockade by then. These failures left no option for Prabhakaran, who had earlier outmanoeuvred the Sri Lankan security apparatus, to stay put in the northern war zone and fight to the last. Prabhakaran made these attempts as Sri Lankan forces made major advances into the LTTE-held territory in 2009, Dasanayake added.

10 LTTE militants were killed by the Army troops in the Kadawana jungle area of Trincomalee District. Three senior militants, identified as Sathyan Master, Kanthan and Oviyan were among the killed.

Army troops recovered dead bodies of six LTTE militants during search and clear operations in the Vellamullivaikkal area of Mullaitivu District.

The dead body of LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran and other leaders will be buried in Wanni, Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said. The bodies would be buried as soon as possible after the initial investigations are over, he said. The military has collected over 350 bodies of militants after the final battle in Mullaitivu. Most of the bodies of the outfit's leaders, including that of Prabhakaran, his son Charles Anthony and Sea Tiger leader Soosai, were already identified by the military.

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse assured the visiting Indian envoys - National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon - that his Government is committed to a political solution to address the grievance of the Tamil people in the country. The President assured the Indian envoys a long-term political settlement based on the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution that provides for devolution of powers to the provinces within a united country. He also said that his Government had drawn up a plan for resettlement of 280000war-displaced people in their original places of habitation in the north within the next six months. He also promised to give a copy of the death certificate of the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran to enable India close the 18-year-old case of assassination of the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. During the discussions, Sri Lanka told the Indian delegation that it plans to dismantle the relief camps at and resettle at least 80 percent of the displaced in their original homes by the end of the year. During the meeting with the President, India pledged to provide all possible assistance in the implementation of such a plan in areas such as de-mining, provision of civil infrastructure and re-construction of houses. The two Indian leaders, who arrived in the country on May 20 on a two-day visit, pledged India's fullest support to reconstruct the war affected areas and offered a INR 5 billion relief package to assist the internally displaced persons.

The Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India, C.R. Jaisinghe, said in New Delhi that the Rajapakse Government is planning to hold provincial elections in the Tamil-dominated areas freed from LTTE control, a step which India has been repeatedly underlining. "Our country is now free of terror. The President [Mahinda Rajapakse] has already made it clear that the concerns of the Tamil Diaspora will be addressed. We will hold provincial council elections in the northern region."

The UNHCR expressed concern over conditions in the camps set up for people displaced by the recent fighting in Sri Lanka.

More than 6000 Sri Lankan SF personnel were killed and nearly 30,000 personnel were wounded during the last three years due to the fighting against the LTTE. In an interview with the state-owned television Rupavahini , Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said 6261 SF personnel, Policemen and paramilitary guards were killed and 29551 were wounded in the offensive which commenced in August 2006 and concluded on May 17. He also said that since 1981 a total of 23,790 SF personnel, Policemen and women and paramilitary guards have been killed in the war.Though he did not give casualty figures for the LTTE, Reuters quoted military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara as saying that troops killed 22,000 LTTE fighters during Eelam War IV. The LTTE in November 2008 had said that they had lost more than 22,000 cadres since the first guerrilla death in November 1982.The United Nations this week said the conflict had killed between 80,000-100,000 people since it erupted into full-scale civil war in 1983 - including unofficial and unverified tallies showing 7,000 civilian deaths since January.

Troops found five decomposed dead bodies of the LTTE militants along with three I-com sets, two pistols and two magazines from the Mullaitivu area.

About 280,000 ethnic Tamils have fled the fighting and are in camps. This includes the world's most populated refugee camp at Manik Farm, which now houses almost 200,000 people. The Government has revealed there are thousands of former LTTE militants mingling with regular civilians in the closely guarded camps. Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona told that about 4000 former militants had "sneaked in" to the general refugee population. This group was under close surveillance. "We will need to see how they will integrate and leave their past behind, or whether they will still harbour thoughts of going back into the jungle," Kohona said. "We are just watching them." Many may have been forced to support the Tigers and had not been serious combatants. "We would like to give them a chance to quietly reintegrate into society and not rake up their past and make a mess of their lives," he added. Another 2000 Tiger cadres who surrendered or were captured were being "rehabilitated" in special facilities, Kohona added further.

Head of international secretariat of the intelligence wing of the LTTE, Arivazhakan, denied the reports that the outfit's chief Velupillai Prabhakaran has been killed, according to the pro-LTTE Website Tamil Net. He urged the global Tamil community not to trust the "engineered rumours," being spread by the Government of Sri Lanka and its military establishment. "Our beloved leader is alive," he said and added that the LTTE leadership will make contact with its people at a suitable time in future. "These rumours have been set afloat to confuse the global Tamil community which has been voicing support for the liberation of Tamil Eelam," he further said. Arivazhakan, who verified his identity through a senior reporter in Sri Lanka, did not reveal his location due to security reasons.

SFs cremated the body of LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, Army chief Sarath Fonseka said in an interview. General Fonseka told Sunday Rivira, "We cremated the body in the same area and threw the ashes into the (Indian) ocean." He said, "Even before Prabhakaran was killed, I knew we had won the war, but I was overjoyed when I had confirmation of his death.

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon following his visit to the Manik Farm camp, one of the major IDP camps in Vavuniya, and conflict zone in Palamattalan met Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse at Kandy. During the press conference following the meeting, he said the Sri Lankan Government is doing its utmost, though it lacks resources. He urged the Sri Lankan Government to give UN and other international humanitarian agencies need immediate and unimpeded access to the camps to help the Government meet urgent humanitarian needs. He warned that if issues of reconciliation and social inclusion are not dealt with, history could repeat itself.

Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said the Sri Lankan SFs carried out the war against terrorism without leaving room for any human rights violations. He also said the Government expects to conclude resettlements in the region within these 180 days. According to him, the Government has already started the process in Mannar District.

The Sri Lankan Government pledged to investigate claims of human rights violations committed during the conflict with the LTTE. However, it rejected UN calls to allow aid agencies immediate unhindered access to Tamil refugee camps. President Rajapakse said the authorities first had to identify any remaining LTTE militants in the camps. Reports indicated that President Rajapakse has assured the UN chief that the LTTE child soldiers would be brought to the mainstream as "productive citizens" and the civilians displaced due to the war would be resettled within 180 days under globally-accepted norms.

Defence Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said that Government has retained samples of body-parts of Prabhakaran for DNA tests before he was cremated on May 20 in Mullaitivu. He said that the Government was prepared to conduct a DNA test should the necessity arise. "The defence establishment, however, has no doubts that he is dead," he said. Minister Rambukwella said the fate of Prabhakaran's wife and two younger children remained a mystery. "It is not clear if they were caught up in the battle or residing overseas," he said. It was earlier reported that they have also been killed.

The pro-TNA, which till now insisted on recognising the outfit as the sole representative of the Tamil people, will now take some crucial decisions on their future stand in the coming days, party sources said. The other major decision before them is whether to go along with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, brought in under the Indo-Lanka Accord signed in 1987. Earlier, the TNA rejected the 13th Amendment as being totally inadequate. The Sri Lankan Government is to implement the 13^th Amendment as a means of resolving the conflict.

The LTTE admitted for the first time that their chief Velupillai Prabhakaran is dead.

According to top military officials, over 10,000 LTTE militants have surrendered to the military. The officials said over 2,379 of them were identified by the military. While over 7,237 these militants, including 1,601 females, who had surrendered to the military, are now being rehabilitated at various rehabilitation centres, another batch of 202 militants, including 80 males, are living in Internally Displaced Persons camps. According to officials, these 202 militants were identified by the military and separated from the refugees in the welfare camps. "They surrendered to the troops when the military offensives got tough. The 202 terrorists including females are well trained LTTE terrorists", they said. Over 2,065 of these cadres said that they surrendered to the troops at the Forward Defence Lines as they were disillusioned with their leadership. They had sensed the defeat and realised that the LTTE cadres had to fight to protect the life of their chief Velupillai Prabhakaran and not for Eelam.

Vavuniya District Secretary P.M.S. Charles said that although the international community wants to increase the facilities for IDPs the Sri Lanka Government is providing for their needs at the moment. According to the statistics, there are 262,000 IDPs living in welfare centers at Vavuniya. Of them, 220,000 are living at the Menik Farm Welfare Center and others are living at selected schools and temples in the area, she further added. The IDPs are being facilitated in Government welfare centres in 29 locations, including Government schools in the districts of Vavuniya, Mannar and Jaffna.

Nominations for the Jaffna and Vavuniya local Government elections are to be called for shortly after the gazette notification to that effect was issued, Minister for Local Government Janaka Bandara Tennakoon announced at a media briefing in Colombo. Nominations for Jaffna Municipal Council and Vavuniya Urban Council are to be filed between June 14-28 and election dates are to be fixed afterwards, the Minister announced. Elections in both these councils could not be held in the past 20 years or more as a result of violence and disruption caused by the LTTE.

The SLAF is to use two of the captured LTTE air strips for their activities, SLAF spokesman Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara said. According to the spokesman, they would convert the captured Iranamadu runway east of the Jaffna-Kandy (A9) road in Kilinochchi into a small air base. The larger airstrip taken from the LTTE close to Mullaitivu would be developed for the use of SLAF in the near future. During the two and half years of military operations in the North, Sri Lanka Army has captured seven air strips used by the LTTE.

Sri Lankan military said it wants to boost up its manpower by more than 100,000 troops to prevent resurgence of the LTTE or any other such group. The troop build up, which will increase the number of Sri Lankan forces from 200,000 to 300,000, was announced by the Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka amidst fears in Colombo that the LTTE militants living abroad may try to resurrect the group under a new leadership. "There may be people abroad trying to promote a new leader and stage a comeback," Fonseka told. But, "it will not be easy for them to build up a terror group as they did before", the army chief asserted. More than 22,000 LTTE militants were killed in the offensive and another 9,000 surrendered to the Government forces, Fonseka added. He also indicated that fresh operations might be carried out to flush out small LTTE units still in hiding in the jungles.

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said that even though some pro-LTTE groups bring up various opinions, the LTTE has totally been destroyed by the Security Forces and there is no room for the LTTE to revive in the country.

Four decomposed dead bodies of LTTE militants along with huge cache of arms and ammunition were recovered by the troops from the Vaddakachchi, Visuamadukulam, Puthukkudiyiruppu, Ampakamam and Vellamullivaikkal areas of Mullaitivu District.

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse has rejected the LTTE offer to take the democratic route in their struggle. Speaking to BBC, he said the LTTE, defeated recently by the Sri Lankan military, cannot be trusted to give up terrorism.

More than 9,000 LTTE militants have been questioned by judges and the majority will undergo rehabilitation, Sri Lanka's military said. Many of the remaining 2,000 who have "self-confessed" are likely to face trial. Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said, "Since the start of fighting in different locations, 9,100 LTTE cadres have self-confessed. We have sent 7,000 of them to welfare camps for rehabilitation after legal proceedings, while others are facing court proceedings," he added.

The Government said in Parliament that the State of Emergency will not be relaxed immediately despite the end of the LTTE. Speaking in the Parliament, Leader of the House, Minister Nimal Siripala Silva, said the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and State of Emergency will be continued as it is too premature to lift the emergency regulations yet.

The Government of Japan has decided to provide additional aid worth US$ 1.4 million for de-mining in northern Sri Lanka.

The Government through the Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Development Ministry has allocated SLR 1,270 million to provide opportunities for social and economic empowerment by focusing on balanced and sustainable development in the Eastern Province.

The Sri Lankan Government sought international police (Interpol) assistance to locate and arrest the LTTE arms procurement chief Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP who is believed to be hiding somewhere in South East Asia.

11 LTTE militants were killed by the troops in the Kalavanchikudi area of Batticaloa District. Subsequently the troops recovered dead bodies of all the 11 slain militants.

The political wing leader of the LTTE women force, Subramaniam Shivathai alias Thamilini, was arrested by Police at a welfare village in Vavuniya, Senior Superintendent of Police Ranjith Gunasekara said. She was with her mother and sister when she was arrested, he added. Subramaniam Shivathai reached the Government-controlled areas with other civilians during the last civilian rescue operations in the No-Fire Zone at Mullaitivu. She reportedly threw away her cyanide capsule and revolver before reaching the Government-controlled areas with other civilians. One of her sisters, Santhilan, was killed in a clash with the SFs at Paranthan a few months ago.

The UN Human Rights Council dropped a Swiss-EU draft resolution calling for an investigation into possible war crimes during Sri Lanka's recently-concluded war on terrorism and adopted Sri Lanka's counter resolution with some of the proposals in the Swiss-EU document incorporated into it.

The Government has relaxed restrictions on motor vehicles in centres for the IDPs in Vavuniya, where the country's largest IDP centre, Manik Farm, is located.

Sri Lanka Army medical experts have reportedly confirmed that the DNA from the body of the slain LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran matches the DNA from his slain son, Charles Anthony.

The SLA announced that Veraswami Thiruwengadam Velupillai (79) and Velupillai Parvathi Pillai, father and mother of Prabhakaran, are in one of the Government temporary welfare camps at Manik Farm in Vavuniya District.

SLA Chief General Sarath Fonseka said the remaining LTTE militants may carry out hit-and-run attacks. However, he assured that the LTTE cannot regroup militarily, saying, "We have destroyed the LTTE leadership's first, second and third rungs. The LTTE is over… They may do a bit of hit-and-run tactics, but they are militarily over. We expanded our troop strength and took a practical approach to finish the war...within two years and 10 months." The Army Chief also said the Army lost 190 officers and 5200 men during the latest fighting while 27,000 soldiers were also injured. Troops have also killed 22,000 militants and arrested 9000 others during the same period, he added.

Sri Lanka Foreign Affairs Minister Rohitha Bogollagama has requested the Government of Malaysia to consider proscribing the LTTE. He pointed out that the LTTE is already banned in over 30 countries including the USA, UK, Canada, India and many of the EU nations. Bogollagama expressed his deep concern regarding certain illicit overseas activities of the LTTE such as fund raising, arms trading and human trafficking.

An investigation by The Times (London) published has revealed that more than 20,000 Tamil civilians were killed by Sri Lankan armed forces in the final stages of the war against the LTTE. This number is thrice the number of casualties announced by the Sri Lankan Government. Although Government authorities state that their Army stopped using heavy artillery on April 27 and observed the NFZ where some 10,000 civilians were trapped in the fighting between the two sides, the London-based newspaper has relied on aerial photographs, official documents, witness accounts and expert testimony to conclude that innocent civilians paid the price in the battle. A Sri Lankan High Commission spokesperson, however, told the newspaper, "We reject all these allegations. Civilians have not been killed by government shelling at all. If civilians have been killed, then that is because of the actions of the LTTE who were shooting and killing people when they tried to escape."

The top aide to the UN Secretary-General, Vijay Nambiar, was told more than a week ago that at least 20,000 Tamil civilians were killed in the Sri Lankan Government's final offensive against the LTTE in May. UN officials told Vijay Nambiar, Ban Ki Moon's chief of staff, that their figures indicated a likely final death toll of more than 20,000, during a briefing in preparation for Ban's visit to the region on May 23. Two staff present at the meeting confirmed the exchange to The Times but Ban never mentioned the death toll during his tour of the battleground, which he described as the "most appalling scene" he had witnessed in his long international career. The figure of 20,000 casualties was given to The Times by UN sources, who explained in detail how they arrived at that calculation.

Lakshman Hulugalle, a Sri Lankan Defence Ministry spokesman, denied the allegation that 20,000 people were killed. He said, "These figures are way out . . . What we think is that these images are also fake. We totally deny the allegation that 20,000 people were killed."

Implementing its troop deployment plan for the fully liberated Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu Districts, the Sri Lanka Army has established two SFs Headquarters in Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi to oversee the overall security plan of the two Districts, Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka said. These two SFs Headquarters will be established in addition to the SFs Headquarters in Wanni.

Unable to retrieve the body of LTTE intelligence chief Pottu Amman from the war zone, the Sri Lankan Army is reportedly still investigating the possibility that he may be alive despite several claims to the contrary. Amman was believed to have died along with most of the other leaders and an LTTE spokesperson had recently confirmed his death. The Army, however, did not find his body.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said that killing former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was the biggest mistake of the LTTE which cost them the sympathy of India.

Reports indicated that as many as 300-400 LTTE militants may have infiltrated into India in the guise of refugees fleeing Sri Lanka. Sources said intelligence agencies had received reports that lower level LTTE cadres may have infiltrated into India and could be among those currently being held in high security camps for screening.

The SLAF chief, Air Chief Marshal Roshan Goonetilike, told The Island that during Eelam war IV the SLAF conducted over 3,000 missions against some 1,900 targets in the north and east over the past three years. He said three jet squadrons comprising Kfirs, MiG 27s and F7s and the No. 9 "Attack Helicopter" squadron of Mi 24s had played a critical role in the war. Denying Pakistani media reports that some of the missions against the LTTE had been carried out by Pakistan Air Force pilots, he said, "There is absolutely no truth in this claim." Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told The Island that there was no truth in reports that Sri Lanka had acquired 22 Al Khalid main battle tanks built in Pakistan.

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reiterated his concern over the "unacceptably high" civilian casualties in the conflict between the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE, while rejecting in the strongest terms any figure attributed to the UN. Briefing the General Assembly on his recent visit to Sri Lanka and other travels, Ban Ki-moon said media reports alleging that some 20,000 civilians may have been killed during the last phase of the conflict "do not emanate from the UN and most are not consistent with the information at our disposal." "I categorically reject - repeat, categorically - any suggestion that the United Nations has deliberately under-estimated any figures," the Secretary-General underscored.

The Sri Lankan Government is to establish a fifth relief village for the people displaced in the north due to the conflict at Manik Farm camp in Vavuniya District.

The PLOTE, a minority Tamil party engaged in political activities in Northern Province, urged the Government to unarm all the parties except Security Forces before the upcoming elections in the North.

The TNA, the pro- LTTE party, said the surrendered LTTE militants should be granted amnesty. TNA leader R. Sampanthan said during a visit to India that the militants should be provided with opportunities "so that they can lead normal life in the mainstream of society."

The CPA, an independent Colombo-based think-tank critical of the Government on Eelam War IV, said it had received an anonymous letter threatening the worst if the organisation did not mend its ways. The CPA posted a copy of the letter, written in Sinhala, online.

The Sri Lanka Working Journalist Association secretary, Poddala Jayantha, has been hospitalised with leg injuries after being abducted, assaulted and dumped on a road in Colombo.

June 2

The Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights, Mahinda Samarasinghe, said that the Government is keeping a close eye for signs of separatism among the hundreds of thousands of people rendered homeless by the civil war. "The Government of Sri Lanka will continue with its efforts to weed out terrorists who have infiltrated the ranks of IDPs (internally displaced persons) and the civilian population," Samarasinghe told the UN Human Rights Council.

The Government plans to implement the 13^th Amendment to Constitution speedily in the North after the Local Council elections in Jaffna and Vavuniya, the Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardana said. "We took this decision at a correct time and it was not taken in a hurry as the JVP said. This is mainly due to protecting the democratic rights of the people in the North enabling them to elect their representatives to the local bodies according to their wishes," he said. The Minister also said there are no Internally Displaced People in Jaffna and Vavuniya now. He also said the resettlement process has already begun in Silavathura in the North.

ddressing the 11^th Regular Session of the United Nation Human Rights Council in Geneva the Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe said that Sri Lanka is committed to find a home-grown solution through the political process for the ethnic issue and is already in the process while addressing more immediate problems at hand.

June 3

The military has found SLR 13 million in the possession of the manager of ‘Eelam Bank’ run by the LTTE in Kilinochchi  and is now looking for the depositors to hand over these monies to them.

The Colombo Additional Magistrate, G. Punarsha S. Ranasinghe, detained a LTTE intelligence unit head, Gunasundaram Jayasundaram, till June 9 in the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) for allegedly supplying firearms and ammunition on a large scale to the LTTE.

President Mahinda Rajapakse declared that now was the time to "win over the hearts of the Tamil people. At a ceremony at Galle Face Green to mark the end of Eelam War IV, Rajapakse said, "The Tamil speaking people should be protected.

June 4

The SLN seized a LTTE cargo vessel, "Captain Ali", 160 nautical miles off the Colombo seas. According to the SLN, the Syrian vessel had set sail from the United Kingdom on April 20 as a "mercy mission" towards Puttumatalan to provide logistic supplies. The Navy said the crew of "Captain Ali" had not obtained permission to enter Sri Lankan territorial waters. The vessel is now being towed to Colombo harbour with a crew of 15 — including its captain Christia Goomesta, an Icelander and a former Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission member. The vessel is carrying 884 tonnes of cargo which is yet to be cleared. 

Inspector General of Police Jayantha Wickramaratne has claimed that several journalists, mostly Sinhalese, were on the payroll of the LTTE and were fully involved in the insurgency. In an interview with the State owned, he said, "Although the Police know more details of this treason I do not like to reveal all of them since it might obstruct further investigations.

A senior Sri Lankan official estimated the civilian death toll in the last stages of the war with the LTTE as 3,000 to 5,000 and defended the use of mortars in a Government-designated NFZ. Rajiva Wijesinha, permanent secretary in the ministry of disaster management and human rights, rejected reports that 20,000 civilians were killed in the final phase. He also rejected an unpublished UN report that 7,000 people had been killed by the end of April 2009.

The Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said a group of medical doctors are being detained at the Criminal Investigation Department on ‘reasonable suspicion of collaboration with the LTTE’. "I don't know what the investigations would reveal but maybe they were even part of that whole conspiracy to put forward this notion that Government forces were shelling and targeting hospitals and indiscriminately targeting civilians as a result of the shelling," he said.

The Japanese Government signed two grant contracts totaling US$ 1.4 million for humanitarian de-mining activities in the North. Japan has contributed a total of US$ 2.1 million in 2009, including an earlier grant to the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action for de-mining in Mannar.

June 5

Unidentified gunmen shot dead a senior member of the TMVP party at Ariyampathy in Batticaloa District. The gunmen shot him at his residence at Pudur. Police confirmed that the victim, identified as Ramalingam Jeayakumar, is a leader of TMVP in the Ariyampathy area.

June 6

SFs arrested six foreigners, who reportedly supported the LTTE, at several welfare centres in Vavuniya, military sources said. Out of the six, three are Australians and other three are from Norway, Great Britain and Netherlands, the Ministry added.

Nearly 176,000 APMs buried by the LTTE had so far been detected and removed between 2002 and March 31, 2009, Senior Advisor to the Nation Building Ministry, M. S. Jayasinghe, said. In the Eastern Province about 98 per cent of mines have been removed and de-mining groups are now concentrating on the Thoppigala area. Between 2002 and 2009, 455 civilians were either seriously injured or killed due to these APMs, statistics revealed.

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said the Government would release the detained MV Captain Ali, which entered Sri Lankan territorial waters with a shipment of humanitarian aid meant for the displaced people in the north. In an interview with a local newspaper, Rajapakse said that "the ship and its crew would most likely be asked to leave once investigators were convinced that the shipment did not include any subversive material but had only humanitarian items."   

The Government is reportedly "100 per cent" sure that its forces killed the LTTE intelligence chief Pottu Amman during the last phase of the army offensive against the outfit, but admitted that his body could not be identified as the troops were busy with search and destroy operations. "We found the body of LTTE sea tiger chief Soosai. We have identified the bodies of all the leaders except Pottu Amman.

The Sri Lankan Government is beginning the third step of its resettlement process in Mannar next week. The Ministry of Disaster Relief Services and Resettlement says they have scheduled the third step of the resettlement process to begin on June 9 at Silawathura area in Mannar District, where they hope to resettle 2120 displaced persons from 591 families.

The Government is to rehabilitate another batch of Liberation LTTE child soldiers who lived at several welfare centres in Vavuniya. The chairman of the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), Jagath Wellawaththa said that they have found nearly 400 child soldiers from those welfare centres in Vavuniya.

The Government is planning to create foreign employment opportunities for the IDPs living in welfare centres in the North. Kingsley Ranawaka, chairman of the Foreign Employment Bureau, said they will launch a special programme for this in the near future.

June 9

Six LTTE cadres, hailing from Kilinochchi and Jaffna, surrendered to the STF Police post at Varikuttur in Vavuniya west.

Two new Security Forces Headquarters in Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi, established by Sri Lanka Army on the instructions of Commander of the Army General Sarath Fonseka, came into operation with effect from June 5, 2009, the Army Headquarters declared.

Four persons pleaded guilty in the federal court at Brooklyn in US for conspiring to provide support to the LTTE outfit. The United States Attorney in Brooklyn, Benton J. Campbell, said the four defendants had raised millions of dollars and obtained weapons and technology for the LTTE.

The Canadian Member of Parliament, Bob Ray, who supported LTTE and their supporters in Canada, was deported shortly after he was not allowed into Sri Lanka across the Colombo International Airport. He was reportedly held by the Immigration and Emigration authorities at the airport on charges of aiding and abetting terrorism while working against the interests of Sri Lanka.    

The resettlement of over 2120 people belonging to 551 families in their original homes will begin in the Musali division in Mannar under the resettlement of IDPs Phase II in the Northern Province.  According to the Resettlement and Relief Services Minister Rishad Bathiudeen, these families from seven Grama Niladhari Divisions in the Musali DS division will be provided dry rations and kitchen utensils by the Government.

The Police Department would set up 21 Police Stations in the North and a Tamil language training centre for Police personnel in Kilinochchi. A Tamil Language Training Centre (TLTC) will be established in Kilinochchi District in addition to the existing one in Kalladi. IGP Jayantha Wickramaratne said that around 2995 Police and STF personnel were killed and 3571 injured by the LTTE attacks since 1974. Around 500 Police and STF personnel were killed and 485 injured in LTTE attacks after the Mavilaru operation to the last leg of humanitarian operation. 

June 10

More than 12 youngsters who were subjected to the LTTE extortion and death threats in Norway were to seek an urgent meeting with Norway’s Director of Police, since the Norwegian Police have so far failed to take the LTTE threats with deserving seriousness. The disclosure on Norwegian National Television (NRK) came in the wake of an interview given by the Oslo-based Tamil journalist, Nadaraja Sethurupan, who had been assaulted and threatened with death by Norway-Oslo based LTTE cadres more than ten times in the past two years.

June 12

Troops shot dead a LTTE infiltrator when he was moving in the general area of Vannivillu. One T-56 weapon and four hand grenades were recovered from the possession of the slain terrorist.

A leading British Tamil leader, identified as Arunachalam Chrishanthakumar (52) of the British Tamil Association, was imprisoned for two years for helping the LTTE. He was earlier convicted of illegally procuring equipment for the LTTE.

June 13

Sri Lankan Police arrested five doctors who worked at the LTTE medical department. The Terrorist Investigations Department arrested the suspected doctors who were hiding among the IDPs in Vavuniya Welfare camps. The arrest was made following information given by civilians at the IDP centre. Action has reportedly been taken to detain these persons under the Emergency Act for further investigations.

June 15

The Election Secretariat of Sri Lanka has decided to establish several polling stations for the IDPs in the upcoming elections for the Jaffna and Vavuniya Municipal Councils.

The Terrorist Investigation Division arrested a director of a leading pharmaceutical company at Wellawatte near capital Colombo for having links with the LTTE, and recovered a stock of medical items valued at around SNR 2.5 million which were prepared to be sent to the LTTE. The suspect had maintained close links with the LTTE including the outfit’s medical wing chief Selvanayagam Kugarajan alias Manoj.

June 16

Army troops manning the Hatmuna roadblock in Polonnaruwa District arrested a youth carrying two detonators with him.

The Government released a complete report on the IDPs, including the total number of the displaced who are living in welfare canters. According to the report, the total number of IDPs is 262632, including 134464 women. The most number of displaced persons are reported from Mullaitivu District with 235386 IDPs. Another 21079 from Kilinochchi, 2778 from Jaffna, 1864 from Vavuniya, 1054 from Trincomalee and 471 from Mannar Districts have been displaced due to the conflict. The report adds that there are 350 children of less than 10 years old who lost their parents due to the war. The total number of students living in those welfare canters are 58000 and out of them 250 are undergraduates. The Government commenced a special educational programme for 700 displaced students in the welfare camps in Vavuniya who are sitting for the advanced level examination for the General Certificate of Education in 2009 and distributed reading material, uniforms and stationery.

The Government said that they have already completed demining activities in 90 percent of the liberated areas in the North. The Minister of Nation Building, S. M. Chandrasena, told that the Government expects to complete the resettlement programme in the North by 2010. The Government has already commenced its resettlement process at recently demined areas in Mannar District.

June 17

The head of ‘international secretariat of the intelligence wing’ of the LTTE, Kathirkamathamby Arivazhakan, who had earlier disputed claims that the outfit’s chief Velupillai Prabhakaran was dead, has now confirmed before the media that he was killed. Arivazhakan had in May 2009 dismissed the report of Prabakaran's death as "engineered rumours spread by the Government of Sri Lanka and its military establishment" and had asked the global Tamil community not to trust the report. His e-mail, however, does not provide any details on the date and time of Prabhakaran’s death. It said the "leader’s martyrdom" had been confirmed through sources including intelligence cadres in the know on the final incidents "concerning attempts to move the National Leader to a safer location who have now reached safety, fighters of other departments and our informants with links to the High Command of the Sri Lankan armed forces". "We confirm emphatically that the National Leader did not surrender and was not arrested but fought attaining Martyrdom. At this critical juncture we have to carry forward our liberation struggle with the same steadfastness, discipline and coordination as done by our Great Leader. The task before is to get together for the ‘Provisional Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam’ that is to be formed as the next phase of our struggle," it said.

June 18

Three suspected LTTE militants were shot dead by the Police in a clearing operation in the former LTTE-hideout in northern areas of Vavuniya District. According to Police, suspected LTTE cadres attacked the Vavuniya special Police unit when they attempted to search a vehicle during combing operations at Nelukulam. Three militants were killed in the encounter that ensued after Police opened fire in retaliation to the militants’ firing.

June 19

Police arrested three suspected LTTE militants who had allegedly plotted to assassinate President Mahinda Rajapakse. According to Police spokesman Ranjith Gunasekara, two suspects were arrested near the Ayurveda Hospital in Rajagiriya area and on information provided by them the third suspect was arrested at Valachchenai area in the Eastern Province. The three suspected LTTE cadres are aged between 15-16 years, the Police said.

The completion of the de-mining process and the strengthening of the Army to hold the entire North and East to avoid any type of terror raising its head are pre-requisites for the resettlement of displaced civilians in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu Districts, said Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka. The Commander said the strength of the Army has to be increased to hold the entire area captured by the Army during the past three years.

A person identified as Arunachal Chrishanthakumar aka A.C. Shanthan, who bought electronic and computer equipment for the banned LTTE that could have been used to make a bomb, was jailed for two years. The 52-year-old from Norbury was found guilty of charges relating to conspiracy to receive and receiving property that could be used for terrorism at Kingston Crown Court on April 17.  A judge at the Old Bailey jailed him for two years for the conspiracy count and one year for receiving property; the sentences will run concurrently. Deputy Assistant Commissioner John McDowall, head of the Metropolitan Police’s counter terrorism command and senior national co-ordinator counter terrorism, said: "Shanthan bought component parts which have been used in the past by the LTTE to make improvised explosive devices. He purchased electrical equipment including circuit boards, GPS and antenna equipment and sent it to Sri Lanka for terrorists to use.  He spent more than £13,000 in just 14 months on military publications, manuals and guides to be used as reference for military attack planning, yet denied he was involved in any terrorist activity".

June 26

The National Integration Minister, Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman, is reported to have said that efforts by the remaining LTTE leaders overseas to create a provisional transnational Government would not succeed. "What Kumaran Pathmanadan and the other leaders are trying to do will only be a dream. We will not allow them to do so and neither will the international community," he added.

June 28

The parents of the late LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, who were taken into custody from an IDP camp in Vavuniya a few weeks ago, were transferred to capital Colombo for further investigation. "The two of them were being detained at a safer location and will be taken for legal action accordingly," an unnamed Police official said.

Colombo Page quoting Sri Lankan Sunday weekly reports that two foreign nationals along with three drivers attached to international aid agencies along with two Sri Lankan politicians have reportedly been involved in a suicide plot to assassinate the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse. According to Nation, Police have commenced investigations to arrest the two politicians. The weekly said that investigations have uncovered plans for a suicide bomber to explode himself with the help of the politicians while the three drivers attached to the UNOPS, UNHCR and ‘Save the Children’ offices in Vavuniya have transported the explosives to be used for the attack. Investigations have revealed that 40 kilograms of C4 explosives have been brought to Colombo from Kilinochchi in petrol tanks of the vehicles of aid agencies. The United Nations said on June 20 that two of its local staff members, one from UNHCR and one from UNOPS, have been arrested but they were not aware of any charges or details of any accusations.

June 29

A LTTTE leader, Keenan, and his deputy, Kannawan, were arrested by the Anti-Terrorist Unit of the Vavuniya Police at Pesalai in Mannar District. Two claymore mines, two T-56 weapons, five magazines and 142 rounds of ammunition were recovered from their possession. According to Police, there were two girls along with the militants. In their statement to Police, both girls said they were abducted and forcibly kept by the two LTTE cadres.

July 1

Sri Lanka’s Defence Ministry extended the deadline given to Muslim militant outfits in the East to surrender their weapons to the SFs, by two more days on July 4. The deadline issued earlier was to expire on July 2. The deadline has been extended following requests made by the concerned parties, Police sources said. Police said a special committee has been formed to accept firearms and other weapons from these Muslim armed groups within the stipulated period. These groups could surrender their weapons to this committee through Mosque Federations in the area before 3 p.m. (SST) on July 4, the Eastern Regional Deputy Inspector General of Police, Edison Gunatilake, said in Batticaloa. According to a Police report, there are 18 Muslim militant outfits in Kaaththankudi area alone, in Batticaloa District.

July 2

Another large stock of jewellery deposited by civilians at the LTTE’s "Eelam Bank" was recovered by troops in the Puthukudirippu area of Mullaitivu District, the military said.

July 4

One soldier was killed when he attempted to arrest a former LTTE leader for Batticaloa District, identified as Nallarathnam Mohan, overboard a boat in the Kirankulam seas. The death of the soldier is the first military loss of life since troops on May 19 announced the killing of the top leadership of the LTTE, including its chief Velupillai Prabhakaran.

In response to the Government’s appeal, Islamic militants surrendered their weapons to the Police in the evening of July 4 at a ceremony held at Meera Jumma Mosque in the Kattankudi area of Batticaloa District. The former militants surrendered their weapons through the Association of Muslim Mosques. The period granted for armed groups in the Eastern Province to hand over their weapons ended at 3:00pm on July 4. Receiving the weapons, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Eastern Province) Edison Gunatilake described the event as "historic" and called for the surrender of all such weapons. Quoting Gunathilake, the English weekly Lakbima said a joint military operation would be launched to track down arms and ammunition in the hands of the "jihadist groups in the East, after the extended deadline given for the hand over of the weapons lapsed". It quoted Gunathilake as saying the response from the Muslim armed groups to the Government’s call to hand over weapons was poor. The weekly further quoted him as saying that intelligence reports reveal Islamist militants possess 250 T-56 assault rifles, a fraction of which had been handed over on July 4. 18 armed groups have been identified in the Eastern Province and these groups are reported to be holding more than 400 firearms.

July 5

As a measure to return normalcy to the war-affected North, Sri Lanka Government has eased several security restrictions in the Vavuniya city limits. As a first step in this process, the Security Forces have allowed parking of vehicles in the city and reopened all the sub-roads that had been closed for several years. The Government recently also lifted all restrictions on fishing in the country. With the lifting of fishing restrictions and opening of Kandy-Jaffna (A-9) highway for commercial traffic, the Government expects to stimulate the economy in the North and considerably reduce prices of fish and other seafood in the South.

July 6

New Indian Express reported on July 6 that only a few of the armed Muslim groups in Eastern Sri Lanka are jihadis. Most of the armed Muslim men are reportedly political henchmen or persons enjoying the protection of mainstream Muslim political leaders, informed sources in the Eastern town of Batticaloa told the newspaper. "The jihadis among the Muslim armed men may be just about 30 or so," one source said.

President Mahinda Rajapakse has said that a political solution to the ethnic conflict will come after the presidential elections. Asked about the political solution - the "13th Amendment Plus" - he had in mind, President Rajapakse in an interview with The Hindu said "even tomorrow I can give that - but I want to get that from the people." "I am waiting but it will be after my [re] election [as President]," he said. He insisted that all parties and especially the Tamil National Alliance representatives should participate in the discussions on the political solution.

July 7

Security has been intensified in the Moneragala District to arrest two hardcore LTTE militants, Ram and Nagulan, along with several other cadres who are believed to be roaming in Moneragala. The Moneragala Division Senior Superintended of Police, Amarasiri Senaratne, said intelligence reports have revealed that Ram and his team have gone to the East. Security sources said Ram led the LTTE unit in the Eastern Part a few years ago and is believed that he and his deputy Nagulan are roaming in the area without surrendering to Security Forces.

July 8

Five doctors who were serving in the NFZ during the last few days of the final battle in Mullaivaikkal admitted that the figures they were dispatching to certain media groups about civilian casualties were false and exaggerated, due to pressure exerted by the LTTE and regretted their errors. The doctors revealed that the number of civilians deaths were between 300-350 from January to May 2009 and the estimated civilian casualties may be around 600 to 650.

The Sri Lanka Parliament extended the State of Emergency for another month. The Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians voted against it while the main opposition United National Party abstained.

July 9

The ICRC in Sri Lanka decided to scale down its operations in the country following a Government request based on the cessation of active hostilities between the military and the LTTE. Earlier in the day, the Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights, Mahinda Samarasinghe, told Reuters that the Government has asked aid agencies to scale down operations as the country’s "challenges are now different" with the end of a 25-year war.

July 10

The Government said that no date had been fixed for the re-opening of the Kandy to Jaffna stretch of the A-9 Road for civilian traffic as de-mining was continuing. "The A-9 Road will be opened to the public soon but it will only be done once de-mining is complete and special security measures are in place," Media Centre for National Security Director General Laxman Hulugalle said adding that from June 17 convoys carrying relief supplies to the refugee camps were traveling along the A-9 Road after a lapse of several years.

July 12

Minister Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan alias ‘Colonel’ Karuna Amman told BBC Sandeshaya that two senior LTTE leaders, Daya Mohan and Colonel Ram, who had lived in the Ampara jungles, had escaped. He added that Daya Mohan, the most senior LTTE leader to survive the military onslaught has left Sri Lanka and "escaped to Malaysia".

Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka said that the deaths reported within the Sri Lanka Army is much lower during its victorious march to eliminate terrorism from the country compared to the number of deaths reported during 2000 when the Sri Lanka Army was losing ground to the LTTE. "Therefore, the victory achieved by the Sri Lanka Army sacrificing 5,200 lives is a great victory as it could achieve it minimising the number of deaths and casualties and could completely eliminate the LTTE without leaving any trace of it," the Army Commander said. He also said that about 26,000 Army personnel sustained injuries during the operation. The Commander also praised the political leadership of the country and said he was able to conduct the war successfully because of President Mahinda Rajapakse’s leadership. "I did my part militarily and President Mahinda Rajapakse played his role as the political leader," he said.

July 14

A presidential probe into the massacre of 17 local aid workers of the French aid agency Action against Hunger or Action Contre la Faim (ACF) exonerated the Sri Lanka military saying that the military was not operating in the area when the crime took place in August 2006. The chairman of the presidential Commission of Inquiry (COI), former Supreme Court Judge Nissanka Udalagama, has said in a report that the deaths occurred on the morning of the August 4, 2006 and until the night of that day the town of Mutur and the surrounding areas were under the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The Transport Minister Dullas Allahapperuma reportedly said that Sinhalese will not be settled in the earlier Tamil dominated areas when displaced persons are resettled in the North. Addressing a press briefing at the Mahaweli Centre in Colombo on July 14, the Minister emphasised that no Sinhala colonies will be established in the areas where only Tamil people were living during the resettlement process. Denying a Parliamentarian’s comment to Times UK Online that the Government is trying to settle Sinhalese in Tamil villages under the cover of resettling displaced in the north, the Minister said not a single family other than original dwellers were resettled in the villages in the Musali Division in Mannar.

July 15

The Island reports that the Security Forces have commenced dismantling protective measures like bunkers and fences built around border villages since the defeat of the LTTE. On the instructions of the Ministry of Defence, such security measures that were in place in Tekkawatte, Muntrumurippu, Vairavapuliyankulam, Katkuli and Thavasikulam are being dismantled. Several roads in the vicinity of Vavuniya were kept permanently closed with barriers built across and deep trenches dug during the last eight years to prevent LTTE militants having free access to places of strategic importance. On the completion of the demolition of these barriers, public will be allowed free access along these roads. Furthermore, the Vavuniya-Kebitigollewa road that was closed for traffic, too, would be reopened soon, security sources said.

Malaysia has pledged to cooperate with the Sri Lankan Government in preventing LTTE remnants from carrying out operations from countries in the region. Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama was given this assurance when his Malaysian counterpart Anifah Aman called on him on the sidelines of the 15th Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial Meeting in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt.

President Mahinda Rajapakse has rejected the idea of ethnicity-based separate provinces in an interview to the latest edition of the American magazine Time. Asked if he believed in some kind of self-governance for the Tamils, Rajapakse said, "Don’t say Tamils. In this country you can’t give separate areas on an ethnic basis, you can’t have this." But provinces could certainly have powers, to enable them to handle local matters, he stated. While rejecting the idea of changing the demography of Tamil-majority areas, the President pointed out that demographic changes were happening in the Sinhalese-majority Colombo. Ruling out any special devolution for the wholly Tamil-speaking Northern Province, Rajapakse said the North could not have a model of its own. He noted that there were differences among the Tamils as to what they should ask for, now that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has been defeated and its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran is dead.

Sri Lanka cancelled plans to purchase weapons and ammunition worth $ 200 million from China and Pakistan after the war against the LTTE ended, the newly appointed Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), former Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka said. Addressing the media after assuming duties as the new CDS, Fonseka said the Government cancelled the orders for weapons since the LTTE is completely defeated and its leader was dead.

July 16

President Mahinda Rajapakse has told the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that his Government remains committed to the resettling and rehabilitating the nearly 300000 war displaced in the north of the country in the shortest possible time. The issue of the war displaced, conditions in the relief centres and the need for reconciliation among all communities were discussed at the bilateral meeting between Rajapakse and Ban on the sidelines of the 15th Non-Aligned Movement Summit at Sharm-El-Sheikh in Egypt.

July 17

Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation reported that the Army has expanded de-mining activities in the north. Chief of Defence Staff, General Sarath Fonseka, said all Army teams with experience in de-mining have been deployed in this regard. With the coordination of the army engineers’ corps, de-mining in the area to the north of Vavuniya is now being conducted. General Fonseka said a team of 500 personnel from the Indian army will arrive in Sri Lanka in the coming days to assist in the de-mining activities in the north.

Sri Lanka’s Defence budget is to reach SLR 200 billion (USD 1.74 billion) in 2009. This is about 17 per cent of overall Government spending for the year. In 2008, the defence spending stood at SLR 166 billion (USD 1.4 billion). Earlier in 2009, the Defence Ministry had requested a raise to SLR 177 billion rupees (USD 1.54 billion) to pay for the war against the LTTE.

Sri Lanka has requested a USD 1.9 billion International Monetary Fund loan to bolster foreign exchange reserves and solve a balance-of-payments problem.

July 18

President Mahinda Rajapakse re-assured the country that his Government will resettle the Tamil civilians displaced due to the war with the LTTE in the North as soon as possible. He said that he will not let the IDPs to remain in the welfare centers for long.

The Government has said that child soldiers recruited by the LTTE would not be prosecuted and instead made to go to schools. The decision was announced by President Mahinda Rajapakse who said, "Our hearts are not vicious. We will not prosecute children who are 12, 13 and 14 years of age and were forced to take up arms. We need to integrate them into society after rehabilitation." The President also said his Government has released all people above 60-years from the temporary camps for the war-displaced while 40000 children are being given education, adds The Hindu. Nearly 15000 people above 60 had reported in the camps. Rajapakse said at least 80 per cent of the internally displaced persons would be resettled prior to the December-end deadline. He said his Government had given a new life to child soldiers by rehabilitating them in vocations of their choice at the rehabilitation camps.

July 19

Sunday Times reported that personal files belonging to the slain LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran – with details about arms deals and arms shipments, intended targets, suicide cadres and other key information – were unearthed last week. Equipment to monitor the movements of Air Force jets and UAVs, as well as weapons and weapon parts, were among the assorted items found. The items were found at the end of a six-day search operation conducted by a Police team led by Colombo Crime Division (CCD) Director, Superintendent of Police Vass Gunawardena. Anura Senanayaka, the Deputy Inspector General of Police in CCD, said files with more than 270 personal documents belonging to Prabhakaran were found in three large plastic containers. According to Gunawardena, the search party also found communication equipment used by the LTTE to monitor the movements of Sri Lanka Air Force jets and transmissions from UAVs. Satellite phones, laptops, fax machines, antennas, cables and other items were also recovered. In separate searches in the vicinity, Police found anti-aircraft missiles, parts of 120 mm, 130-mm and 152 mm artillery guns, chemicals and 33 LTTE suicide kits, as well as photographs of LTTE suicide cadres.

July 20

The Sri Lankan Police arrested the mastermind of an attack by the LTTE on the Sri Lanka Air Force base in Anuradhapura on October 22, 2007. Senior Superintendent of Police Ranjith Gunasekara confirmed that the suspect, identified as Thabo Ruban, has been arrested from a welfare center in Vavuniya a few days ago. The suspect has revealed that the light aircraft of the LTTE reached the area based on the information given by him to attack the Air Force Base. Police believe Thabo Ruban, from Kilinochchi area, reached the welfare centers in Vavuniya after the Government declared victory over the LTTE on May 18.

The ICRC in Sri Lanka closed down its offices in the Eastern province.

The Government has decided to conduct elections in other local Government institutes in the North soon after the conclusion of Jaffna Municipal Council polls.

Canada was one of the top sources of funding for the LTTE, providing up to $12-million a year, said a secret intelligence report obtained by the National Post.

The Sri Lanka Police arrested the chief of the LTTE "Eelam Bank", Colin Ruban, in capital Colombo. Colombo Page reported that Colin was arrested from a lodge on information revealed by intelligence units. According to sources, he was a resident of Puthukuddiyiruppu and had reached the welfare centers in Vavuniya during the last stages of the war. However, he later arrived in Colombo by paying SLR 250000 to a person who helped him to reach the capital.

During search and clear operations in the Puthukuddiyiruppu area of Mullaitivu District, the Task Force-VIII troops uncovered a large stock of jewelry left hidden by the LTTE militants in Wanni, according to a Sri Lanka Army report. The latest recovery of gold jewelry to the weight of 37.5 kilograms confirmed speculation that the LTTE had collected jewelry of civilians who could have been in dire need of money due to maladministration of the LTTE before they were expelled from their fortresses by the SFs. The jewelry had been placed in tin containers and buried under the soil. According to reports, the LTTE was in the practice of exploiting the wealth of civilians in those areas in various ways, by way of ransom, "tax' and transactions through the "Eelam Banks".

Addressed as originating from the headquarters of the LTTE, an Executive Committee announced restructure of the organization and the leadership of Selvarasa Pathmanathan in taking up the future course of the movement, reports pro-LTTE Website Tamil Net. "We have set up a head office for our liberation movement and formulated various sector-based working groups and an executive committee," a press release on behalf of the Executive Committee said adding that the details will be shared in due course. The press release claimed the announcement is a collective decision arrived at after consultations "among our members, including our cadres who bravely fought their way out of the battlefield and our representatives abroad and in the Diaspora." "The Eelam Tamil people are in the midst of a critical and sorrowful period in the history of the struggle for freedom of our nation, Tamil Eelam. No one can deny the fact that we have experienced massive and irreparable losses, losses we would not accept even in our worst dreams," the LTTE's statement said, adds Express Buzz. It was the Tamils' 'historic duty' to rise up and fight for their `legitimate' rights, it said. But like all liberation struggles, the LTTE had decided to `modify' the form and strategies of the struggle according to the times and the exigencies of the situation. However, the 'Honorable Mr Veluppillai Prabhakaran shall remain forever, the leader of Tamil Nation hood', the statement added further.

The statement said the LTTE had set up a headquarters, but did not disclose the location. It had also set up sector-based working groups and an executive committee to take the struggle forward `vigorously'. The LTTE, it stated, was also looking for `wise counsel' from the general Tamil public. In conclusion, the statement said, "If the Sinhala nation and those countries which support it consider that the Tamil peoples' freedom struggle has been defeated through the capture of the historical homeland areas of the Tamil people and the massacre of thousands of Tamil civilians, we shall consider that an illusion. Let us demonstrate to the world through our actions, that the fire of freedom awakened by our great leader V Pirabakaran continues to burn in the hearts of all Tamils, and only a free Tamil nation has the power to extinguish it."

Although the amnesty period announced by the Sri Lankan Government to hand over illegal weapons expired a few weeks ago, more armed factions handed over their weapons to authorities on July 21. An armed Muslim group in Eravur in the Batticaloa District is reported to have handed over their illegal weapons to the chief priest of the mosque at Michchinagar in the morning. The weapons were subsequently handed over to the Deputy Inspector General of Police in the area by the chief priest. Seven guns and several hand grenades were among the weapons that had been surrendered, the Police said. An amnesty period to hand over the illegal weapons in the Eastern Province announced by the Sri Lankan Government ended on July 4. There are reportedly 18 armed groups in the Eastern Province with nearly 400 firearms in their possession.

The SFs have opened the Vavuniya-Horowpathana (A-29) road for civil traffic after a lapse of three years. Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said, "The A29 road was opened after three years which was closed due to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) threat." He noted that the LTTE had carried out a series of attacks on this important road, adding, "Therefore, people had to make a detour to Trincomalee after reaching Medawachchiya which was a long way for them."

The Sri Lanka Government announced that they have taken steps to resettle more IDPs, sheltered in the welfare villages in Wanni at the beginning of next month under the Government's 180-day resettlement program. Addressing a special meeting at Vavuniya District Secretariat, the senior advisor to the President, parliamentarian Basil Rajapakse said that all the arrangements are now in place to resettle the displaced persons. According to Rajapakse, the Government plans to resettle 3,000 persons in 35 cleared villages in Wanni region beginning August 7. The Government has completed the de-mining activities of these villages with the assistance of international de-mining groups and the United Nations.

President Mahinda Rajapakse said that he is prepared to face any court to defend Sri Lankan military commanders on charges of human rights violations during the recently concluded war with the LTTE, reports Hindustan Times. "The President emphatically stated that he was prepared to appear before any court on behalf of the military leaders," an official release said.

The Jaffna-Kandy (A-9) main highway was reopened for passenger transport in the morning of July 22 after a gap of three years. The nearly 200 mile- long A-9 Road was closed for passenger transportation in August 2006 after the army camp in Muhamalai in Jaffna came under attack from the LTTE. The road was open during the cease-fire period of 2003- 2006 but was under the control of the LTTE who imposed heavy taxes on the passengers. With the liberation of Kilinochchi and Elephant Pass, the Sri Lankan Army brought the entire highway under its control on January 9, 2009. The LTTE had mined the highway heavily to prevent the Sri Lankan Army offensive against them. The A-9 is the only land route which connects Sri Lanka's capital Colombo and the northernmost point of the country in the Jaffna peninsula. During the time it was closed the passengers had to travel between Colombo and Jaffna taking either the sea route or the air route. The Government opened the A-9 for military traffic in March and earlier this month for commercial traffic.

The Government has set a six-month timeline for rehabilitating Tamils displaced by the recently ended conflict with the LTTE. Asked when the time limit for resettling the internally displaced persons began, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Rohitha Bogollagama said, "a month has gone" and wanted the global community to appreciate that the war had ended less than two months back.

The Government is scheduled to start resettlement process in the Vavuniya District on August 7. According to Resettlement and Relief Services Minister Rishad Bathiudeen, the resettlement of people in 35 Grama Niladhari (village-level official) divisions in the Vavuniya District is expected to begin on August 7. The Minister said these villages are being cleared of mines and all infrastructure facilities are provided to these villages before the displaced people are resettled in their original houses. "The Government has decided to set up examinations centres for the students who are sitting for the G.C.E. (A\L) examination within the welfare camps", he added. The Minister refuted recent media reports that over 100 people die in the welfare centers a week. He said one or two persons die in camps per week due to natural causes.

July 27

The mastermind behind the attack on the Anuradhapura Air Force Base in 2007 was arrested on an unspecified date by the officers of the Central Province Intelligence Unit (CPIU) on information given by the LTTE suspects in custody. Rasalingam Thaboruban, 26, of Kankasanthurai was among the displaced civilians in the Mannar District when the arrest was made by a special team of officials attached to the CPIU. Rasalingam in his confession to the Security Forces said a team of 25 LTTE cadres was assigned to launch an attack on the Anuradhapura Air Base and they had to gather information on how to access the Air Base for days.

July 30

The newly appointed LTTE chief Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP claimed that the outfit’s decision to give up armed struggle and take recourse to "political and diplomatic moves" was taken by its former chief Velupillai Prabhakaran along with other commanders at Mullivaikkal in the Mullaitivu District days before his death during Eelam War IV. In a statement posted on his website, KP, supposedly operating out of South-East Asia and wanted by the Interpol, dealt at length on his earlier statement about the LTTE’s decision to achieve the goal of Tamil Eelam.

The Government said 9,797 former LTTE members were now detained at rehabilitation centers in island wide. Speaking to the media, the newly appointed Commissioner General of Rehabilitation, Major General Daya Ratnayake, said the number would increase up to 20,000 in the near future. He said that those former LTTE cadres need to be categorized and several of them should be produced in Courts as they had deeply been involved in terrorist activities. According to Major General Ratnayake, there are LTTE cadres in the rehabilitation centers who have surrendered to the Security Forces as well as who were arrested. He also said the former LTTE cadres will be directed to employment opportunities after they are rehabilitated completely. The Government is to review the rehabilitation process after a year.

July 31

A top LTTE militant, who is believed to have fixed the bomb in a vehicle that exploded at Digampathana in October 16, 2006 killing more than 100 naval ratings, was arrested in Vavuniya on an unspecified date. Police said a special team from the Central Province had arrested the yet to be named militant when he was getting ready to escape from the area.

The Sri Lanka Police announced that except the Security Forces and Police, no other party will be allowed to carry weapons in the Eastern Province. The Deputy Inspector General of Police in the East, Edison Gunathilaka, said several main Tamil political parties who bore weapons in the past are also not allowed to carry weapons any more. According to the new rule, the political parties Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal, Ealam People's Democratic Party, People's Liberation Organization of Tamil, Ealam People's Revolution Liberation Front are also not allowed to hold weapons. Following the conclusion of the earlier announced amnesty period the Police have reportedly commenced raids to arrest people who continue to possess weapons.

The Government closed its SCOPP according to the instructions of the Presidential Secretariat. Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary-General of the SCOPP, confirmed that the Government has taken this decision after conducting extensive discussions on the necessity of a peace secretariat following the military victory over the LTTE. The SCOPP had commenced its activities on February 6, 2002 when the United National Party Government led by the former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe had attempted to resolve the ethnic conflict in North through peace talks with the LTTE. The Secretariat was headed by Bernard Goonetilleke (2002-2004), Jayantha Dhanapala (2004-2005) and Dr. Palitha Kohona (2006 - 2007) previously.

August 1

The Government established its sixth Police station in Wanni in the Kanagarayankulam area. The Inspector General of Police Jayantha Wickramarathna on August 1 opened the Police station and the new office of the Superintendent of Police. The Government opened Police stations in Madhu, Veditaletivu, Vakarai, Silawatura, and Omanthai in Wanni following the LTTE defeat in the region.

August 1-2

Two persons were killed and a woman injured in a bomb blast at Baduraliya in the Kalutara District in the night of August 1, Police said on August 2. The explosion occurred in a jungle patch in the rural part of Baduraliya.

August 2

A senior civil administration official was arrested for alleged links with the LTTE, Police said on August 2. Nagalingam Vethanayagam, the Government agent of Kilinochchi District, was arrested on July 31 following information from an arrested LTTE cadre. Vethanayagam held the post in the former LTTE political headquarters until January 2009 when Kilinochchi was recaptured by the Government troops. The Government agent is the senior most civil service administrative officer of a District in Sri Lanka.

Police arrested the wife and a daughter of a former LTTE leader who attempted to leave the country. Police confirmed that the two suspects from Kilinochchi had attempted to leave for Budapest in Hungary. During questioning at the Katunayake International airport in Colombo, both failed to provide their identification, Police said.

August 3

The LTTE could be attempting to revive the organisation amid efforts by the outfit to rescue hardcore cadres housed in Government-run refugees camps for Tamil civilians in the Vavuniya District, said Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse. In an interview with Sunday Island, he said an organised campaign had been launched to free terrorists from refugee camps before Army and Police investigators, now engaged in a systematic screening process, closed in on them. Gotabhaya stated that the Government would not allow the LTTE to reverse the military victory achieved at a huge cost to the nation. He pointed out that ordinary civilians would never make an attempt to flee refugee camps as the Government, with the support of some international agencies, had provided adequate facilities for them.

A TNA Member of Parliament (MP), Sivanathan Kishore, has said that the IDPs in the northern part of Sri Lanka are being smuggled out from their camps by organised groups. He stated that "smuggling of people from these camps is going on for some time." People in the camps have been paying huge money to get themselves out of the camps and some of them have even been escorted till the airport and have gone abroad, according to the MP.

The Vavuniya District Secretary P.S.M. Charles said that the Government’s 180 day resettlement programme is in progress with another batch of 1,500 civilians from the Manik Farm relief village being re-settled in the Omanthai, Nochchimotai, Piramanalamkulam, Pirappumadu areas on August 5.

TMVP members who had weapons in their possession before they entered into mainstream politics handed over a stock of arms and ammunition to the Army troops at Kudumbimalai in the Thoppigala area of Batticaloa District. The stock handed over included one Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) weapon, four RPG bombs, one Light Machine Gun (LMG) weapon, one LMG drum, one T-81 weapon, four T-81 magazines, two T-56 MK II weapons, 10 T-56 magazines, one T-56 MK I weapon and 220 rounds of T-56 ammunition.

August 4

Police arrested a multi millionaire businessman engaged in fishing industry and another LTTE militant along with a vehicle used for transporting LTTE weapons and explosives to the South. Police confirmed the duo was arrested at Parayanakulam in Mannar and the truck, which was specially made with several secret compartments to transport weapons and explosives, was seized. According to disclosed details, the two suspects have transported LTTE weapons and explosives for nearly five years.

August 5

The Government resettled another batch of IDPs who lived in welfare camps in Vavuniya. The Government Information Department said that 1,094 IDPs belonging to 439 families were transported to their own villages in Trincomalee, Jaffna, Batticaloa, Ampara and Kanthale. This is the first phase of the resettlement scheme of the displaced who were temporarily housed in welfare villages of Vavuniya. In addition, the Government took steps to resettle 3,112 persons of 1,051 families, who were originally residents of Jaffna and occupied various places in Vavuniya temporarily, back in their homes in the peninsula.

August 6

The newly appointed LTTE chief, Kumaran Pathmanathan alias Shanmugam Kumaran Tharmalingam alias Selvarajah Pathmanathan alias KP, was arrested from Bangkok in Thailand. "He has been arrested in Bangkok. That is all we know at the moment," military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said. Kumaran Pathmanathan was brought to Colombo and is now being interrogated, The Island reported. Kumaran Pathmanathan, who had been the LTTE’s international relations chief till he claimed the LTTE leadership after the Army killed Velupillai Prabhakaran in May 2009, previously functioned as the group’s main arms procurer.

The Parliament passed the State of Emergency for another month.

August 7

The newly appointed LTTE chief Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP, who was arrested from Bangkok in the night of August 6, was brought to Colombo the next morning, said Defence Affairs spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella. Addressing the media in Colombo, the Minister disclosed that Kumaran Pathmanathan is in the custody of defence authorities and will be dealt with according to the law of the land following investigations. "KP who was posing as a national of several countries and carrying out multi- faceted activities was capable of convincing some of them even though the LTTE was defeated. This led some people to believe the LTTE might re-emerge again," he remarked. The Minister observed that the arrest sends a strong message that the Government has the support of the International Community in combating LTTE operations in foreign countries. Replying to a question whether Kumaran Pathmanathan will be extradited to India to face charges in connection with the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Rambukwella said there has been no such request so far and if such a request is made, the Government will deal with it according to International norms, treaties and conventions.

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said that the victory against the LTTE was now complete with the arrest of Kumaran Pathmanathan.

August 8

The ruling UPFA party secured a comfortable victory in the elections for the Uva Provincial Council (PC) held on August 8, 2009 winning both the Badulla and Moneragala Districts. The UPFA received over 80% of votes in the Moneragala District and over 60% in Badulla which was a traditional stronghold for the main opposition United National Party (UNP). The UNP received the highest number of votes in Badulla polling division securing 34.40 percent. Around 80% of postal votes were cast in favour of the ruling party.

Voters in Jaffna elected the ruling party to govern the Jaffna Municipal Council (MC). The UPFA secured 13 seats of the 23-member MC and the Tamil National Alliance-affiliated Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchchi (ITAK) secured eight seats. An independent group and Tamil United Liberation Front led by V. Anandasangaree won one seat each.

In Vavuniya, the ITAK won a majority of five seats in the 11-member Urban Council (UC) while the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam-affiliated Democratic People's Liberation Front secured three seats. The UPFA came in third with two seats while the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress won one seat.

In both the Northern elections, the main opposition UNP was defeated and failed to secure more than two percent of the votes. Colombo Page, August 9, 2009.

August 9

The LTTE asked the international community to intervene and investigate how their new leader Kumaran Pathmanathan alias Selvarasa Pathmanathan alias KP was detained in Malaysia and later flown to Sri Lanka for questioning, and ensure his safety and security. If the Government of Malaysia from where Kumaran Pathamathan was reportedly arrested does not have any information on the matter, we demand an inquiry into the whole episode, a statement from the LTTE said. If he has been brought to Colombo as claimed by the Government of Sri Lanka, we call upon the international community to become involved in this matter in order to assure the safety and security of Kumaran Pathmanathan according to international standards and to facilitate access to legal representation, it added.

The Government is exploring the possibility of arranging for LTTE cadres, taking refuge in Colombo and suburbs, to surrender to the authorities, Defence sources said. A senior officer of the Defence Ministry said intelligence sources were well aware that key LTTE cadres and others who infiltrated Colombo and other areas on suicide missions targeting VIPs and top military personnel are now mingling with the public pretending to be ordinary citizens. "The security forces have launched an operation to apprehend them but the Government may provide them an opportunity to surrender to the security forces or the Police," he said.

The Government has said displaced people living in the relief camps in the country's north would be allowed to leave only when the LTTE cadres hiding in these centres are identified. The Attorney General, in a written submission to the Supreme Court, said on August 10 that officials are in the process of identifying the LTTE militants. His submission came in response to a complaint filed by the Centre for Policy Alternatives, a rights group, urging the release of displaced people from the relief camps run by the Government in the northern Districts of Jaffna and Vavuniya.

August 11

Unidentified assailants shot dead a Muslim armed group leader, identified as Abdul Samath, in the Eravur area of Batticaloa District. According to Senior Superintendent of Police Ranjith Gunasekara, the victim, who was also the chairman of the fisheries association in the area, was shot dead at his residence at about 10:30pm (SLST). It was reported that he had handed over several illegal weapons to the Police few weeks ago during the special amnesty granted by the Sri Lanka Government.

President Mahinda Rajapakse urged the international community to help the nation crackdown the international financing arm of the LTTE. He said the LTTE was still active in some countries, especially in South-East Asia and Europe. In an interview to an Indian television channel, Rajapakse said the arrest of Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP last week was very important because he claimed to be the new LTTE chief after the death of Vellupilai Prabhakaran.

A plot to carry out a suicide attack on President Mahinda Rajapakse in his hometown Madamulana with the involvement of a suspect arrested in connection with the killing of Southern Provincial Councillor, Danny Hiththetiyage, came to light at the Mount Lavinia Magistrates court on August 12.

The TNA has nominated S. N. G. Nathan for the post of Chairman of the Vavuniya Urban Council. General Secretary of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchchi (ITAK) and TNA parliamentarian Maavai Senathirajah said that he would inform the Elections Commissioner the decision in writing on August 13. The ITAK, a constituent of the TNA, got five seats in the recently held election to the Vavuniya Urban Council. Nathan obtained 1099 preferential votes at the election. Though he was nominated as the leading candidate of the TNA, he came third in the preferential votes list. Meanwhile, the party has also decided to appoint N. S. Muguntharathan who topped the list with 2551 votes as the deputy chairman. Other members representing the ITAK in the council are E. Sivakumar (1105), S. Surenthiran (858) and I .Kanagiah (791).

Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardne revealed that LTTE chief Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP was trying to build up connections with the US State Department. He told a news conference that KP had got involved with the group 'Tamils for Obama' in USA for this reason.

The Government of Sri Lanka is planning to resettle 75,000 IDPs to their original areas of residence, according to a recent report released by the USAID. Sri Lankan Government authorities plan to return 75,000 IDPs in four phases during the month of August, including 15,000 IDPs to villages in the Vavuniya District, and 25,000 IDPs to locations in the Kilinochchi District, the USAID report on current situation released on August 10 said. The Government plans to provide the returnees with care packages consisting of shelter materials, cash grants equivalent to $220 with additional subsidies for farmers, and a six-month food supply, including USAID/FFP commodities distributed by the UN World Food Program (WFP). However, according to the USAID fact sheet, the Government has not provided a comprehensive framework to date, for the implementation of the proposed returns plan and enhanced coordination with humanitarian agencies.

According to the International Organization for Migration, the Office of the President National Data Center which continues to register IDPs in Manik Farms camp had registered 125,260 IDPs and issued 90,000 IDP identity cards by the end of July. The registration process represents ongoing Government efforts to record the number of IDPs in a national database in order to improve IDP services.

Detained LTTE chief Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP has reportedly revealed the presence of a large cache of arms and ammunition hidden by the outfit in capital Colombo for carrying out attacks, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake said.

Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardne said Sri Lanka had not violated any international laws by arresting Kumaran Pathmanathan and had proved that it had the capacity to neutralize the international network of the LTTE.

The Government is reportedly in the process of establishing the authenticity of various details that the detained LTTE chief Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP has revealed to the Sri Lankan authorities about several local individuals and organisations that have reportedly supported the LTTE and their terrorist movement, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said.

The Commissioner General of Rehabilitation, Major General Daya Ratnayake, has said measures have been taken to rehabilitate over 10,000 ex-LTTE cadres in the North by the Government. In an interview with Sunday Observer, he said, "The process to classify the ex-cadres into different groups considering their age, gender and involvement in the outfit has already been completed and the ground work to move them into new rehabilitation centres is nearing completion." Informing that over 80 percent of these ex-cadres are now temporarily sheltered in Government schools, he stated, "We want to hand over these government schools and five new centres are under construction at the moment. They will be moved to the new centres before the end of this month." The children between the ages of 12 to 18 years have already been separated from the group. There are over 455 children, the majority of whom the LTTE had forcefully recruited at its last stage of the battle. Former female LTTE cadres numbering 1,700 have also been separated and housed separately. The authorities have taken steps to separate male ex-LTTE cadres over 45 years of age and they will be given training according to their professions, skills, and their liking to undergo a vocational training.

The Government said that over 15,000 Internally Displaced Families (IDFs) from the Jaffna District will be resettled in their original homes soon. According to the Resettlement and Relief Services Minister Rishad Badiudeen, authorities have already identified over 15,000 IDFs who claim to be residents of Jaffna and their details have been forwarded to authorities in the Jaffna District. The Minister stressed that they would be resettled in their original homes in Jaffna District after the Government officials gave an assurance that they are permanent residents of the Jaffna. These families are now living in welfare centres in the Vavuniya and Mannar Districts. The Minister added that the Presidential Task Force on Northern Development is committed to resettle as many displaced civilians as possible within the time frame of 180 days.

Chief of Defence Staff General Sarath Fonseka said that displaced persons in welfare centres cannot be haphazardly resettled in their former villages on outside pressures or compulsions because terrorist remnants hiding behind displaced civilians may take the opportunity to resort to terrorism once again. He said five to six LTTE cadres were falling into Security Forces custody every week from welfare camps and those pressuring the Government to expedite re-settlement process should understand this reality. He also said that de-mining had not been fully completed for the re-settlement process to begin.

August 19

The APRC Chairman Minister Tissa Vitharana said he handed over to President Mahinda Rajapakse on August 14 a document which was a summarised report of the recommendations of more than three years of deliberations of the APRC. "We expect a feed back from President Rajapakse before our next move. He will go through the summary before he gives instructions to the APRC on the next step," Vitharana told Daily Mirror. The APRC, during the last three years or so, had come to a consensus on a number of key proposals expected to be incorporated in a new Constitution which is aimed at resolving the ethnic problem. They included a new Constitution, reverting to the Westminster System pruning of Executive Presidential powers, a Constitutional Court, a second chamber of Parliament, a national Land and Water Commission and reviving the Village Committee system. The APRC was appointed by President Rajapakse on July 20, 2006 and has held 178 sessions so far. However, only 13 political parties took part in the APRC deliberations. The main opposition United National Party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, Tamil National Alliance and Jathika Hela Urumaya abstained from taking part in the deliberations.

The United States announced that it is contributing an additional USD six million for de-mining activities in northern Sri Lanka to help expedite the resettlement of the Internally Displaced persons in their original homes.

August 20

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse has reportedly called on foreign countries to hand over to Sri Lanka the LTTE cadres and their assets worth millions of dollars. "He (KP) is a seasoned man, so he's coming out with information very slowly during interrogation. He was the person who ran a massive network to purchase arms and ammunition for the LTTE for nearly 30 years," Rajapakse told BBC. The estimates about the LTTE's assets and investments range from USD 300 million (£182m) to USD 1 billion. "Once it is proved that these assets belong to the LTTE, then concerned countries should hand over the assets as well as the remaining LTTE members to Sri Lanka," added Rajapakse.

The Re-settlement and Disaster Relief Services Minister Rishad Bathiudeen told Parliament on August 20 that the Government has re-settled 59,608 displaced families in Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Mannar, Ampara and Jaffna Divisional Secretariat (DS) divisions during the past few months. According to figures, 35766 families have been re-settled in Batticaloa DS division while 22068 families have been re-settled in Trincomalee DS division. The Government has re-settled 669 families in Mannar, 51 families in Ampara and 1,054 families in Jaffna DS divisions. The Minister also said the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in 2009 is 288938.

August 21

A Sri Lankan minister has said that the LTTE had funded the production of Tamil films as part of its international business ventures. The Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services Minister, Abdul Risath Bathiyutheen, reportedly said films thus tainted by 'LTTE blood money' included those of Rajnikanth, a popular Tamil actor in Tamil Nadu in southern India. Bathiyutheen made this charge in an interview to www.asiantribune.com, which quoted him as saying, "Millions and millions of US dollars were given to a London-based Tamilian. He was asked to produce Tamil films in Chennai [capital of Tamil Nadu] with top stars like Rajnikanth." The interview also reportedly had a mention of pro-LTTE Tamil Nadu politicians like S Ramadoss, V. Gopalsamy a.k.a. Vaiko, Thol Thirumavalavan and P Nedumaran as the other alleged beneficiaries. When contacted, Rajnikanth's office, however, said the actor refused to comment on the issue. An unnamed police official said such charges had been heard of in terms of logistical support or hospitality extended to film units abroad, but he had not come across a single case to prove it. "Rajnikanth is busy shooting for his film Endiran (Robot) and cannot be reached till late tonight," sources at the actor's residence in Chennai told Hindustan Times. Vaiko denied the allegation saying, "This is sheer nonsense and political mischief."

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Sarath Fonseka said that the secret behind the success of the Sri Lankan military in its war against the LTTE was its transformation from a conventional to a guerrilla force. "From our side, we changed our tactics and started acting like guerrillas, making incursions into their territories in small groups and carrying out daring attacks when the LTTE challenged us in the jungles," said General Fonseka. He added that the decision to wage a war was political and the Army together with the other forces fought the war according to the political will.

August 23

The arrested LTTE chief Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP has told investigators that the outfit had tried to acquire nuclear weapons and know-how to be used against the Sri Lankan army. A media report stated that Pathmanathan, who was arrested in a South East Asian country on August 6, has told interrogators that the LTTE had tried to acquire nuclear weapons and technology from western countries. "KP has revealed that the arms purchased with the money collected were shipped to the LTTE. How he purchased anti-aircraft missiles from arms dealers in the USA has been disclosed", The Nation stated.

August 24

The NIB uncovered a plan to assassinate Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse with the recovery of a suicide kit, arms and ammunition from a house in Mutwal, a suburb in the capital Colombo. According to the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Nimal Mediwaka, the NIB officials found a cache of arms and ammunition, including a suicide kit weighing over five kilograms, a machine gun and 13 Cyanide capsules, concealed in a cupboard in a housing unit at Mutwal under the directive of a LTTE leader in Colombo. The unnamed LTTE leader had reportedly planned to launch a well coordinated attack on the Defence Secretary. "It is believed that they had planned to hurl hand grenades at Rajapakse’s motorcade as a part of the massive assassination bid. The terrorists had planned to launch this attack using a explosive laden motor bike. Officials are combing the island to trace the explosive laden bike and the suicide cadre who were directed to crash into the motorcade of the Defence Secretary," Mediwaka said. The Defence Secretary had earlier in 2006 survived a LTTE suicide attempt in Colombo escaping with minor injuries although eight of his security guards were killed.

Police personnel serving at Thirimunai in the Kalmunai area of Ampara District encountered an isolated group of LTTE militants and killed two of them. During subsequent search in the lagoon area where the incident occurred, Police found the dead bodies of the slain militants along with one T - 56 weapon, one magazine and 25 rounds of ammunition.

President Mahinda Rajapakse said that the displaced people in the North will be resettled in their original homes soon after the mines were cleared in the respective areas to integrate them into the national development process.

The Federal Appeals Court in San Francisco in US has ruled against an appeal to de-list the LTTE by the Humanitarian Law Project, which had challenged an executive order issued by the then US President George W. Bush in 2001, Sri Lanka Presidential Secretariat website reported on August 25. Under the order, the LTTE remains listed as a terrorist organisation by the US.

A LTTE militant disguised as trooper committed suicide in Police custody on an unspecified date. Trooper Siddiqui with the voluntary armoured corp was cooking for the CDS General Sarath Fonseka since 2002 in Jaffna and was his main chef at his official residence in Colombo where he moved in 2004. According to the report he was a LTTE cadre given the job of ensuring access for LTTE suicide cadres to enter the Army headquarters and target Fonseka.

The Sri Lankan Supreme Court said that war-displaced persons in Government-run camps should be allowed to go if they are non-combatants and have a place to go.

Sri Lanka Muslim Congress chief Rauf Hakeem, at a news conference in Colombo, charged that 70 Muslim families re-settled in Verugal in the East had been chased away while 450 Muslim persons in Musali in the North had not been allowed to get on with their livelihood. "The Government is carrying out showpieces just to show the world that it is re-settling the displaced people but the essential thing should be a proper programme of re-settlement," he said.

The Government announced that it is making arrangements to re-settle at least another 50,000 IDPs now housed in relief camps at Vavuniya, in the next two weeks.

The Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights, Mahinda Samarasinghe, revealed that the Government has reliable information that the LTTE cadres have infiltrated the welfare camps in the North for the IDPs.

The Supreme Court in Sri Lanka has ordered authorities to file charges or release the LTTE suspects in custody.

The JVP has reportedly opposed giving land, Police and finance powers to Provincial Councils.

Intelligence sources have reportedly told the Defence Ministry that LTTE militants, including women cadres, masquerading as civilians are making an attempt to control civilians held at welfare camps in the Vavuniya region, especially the Manik camp, and have suggested that the internally displaced persons of the camp should be re-located to smaller camps.

A survey conducted by the Government Agent (GA) of Vavuniya District has revealed that at least 10,000 refugees have escaped from the camps located there.

Reports indicated that it was the LTTE that attempted to assassinate Bashir Wali Mohmand when he was Pakistan's High Commissioner in Sri Lanka three years ago. Interrogation of an arrested LTTE militant in recent weeks revealed that the outfit had set off the blast at Kolpitty junction in capital Colombo on August 14, 2006, and that Mohmand was not a deliberately chosen target, Police said. The LTTE's plan had been to attack any VVIP convoy taking that route at that time. The LTTE cadre came to know that the VVIP he had struck was the Pakistani envoy only after the blast, which killed seven Sri Lankan Security Force personnel. On return to Pakistan after completing his term, Mohmand, however, charged that India's external intelligence agency, RAW, was behind the attempt on his life in Colombo. In Sri Lanka, however, Defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella had said that the Pakistani envoy was attacked because the LTTE was angry that Pakistan was arming the Sri Lankan Security Forces, when most other major powers, including India, had refused to sell arms to the island nation.

At least one child was killed and two more were wounded during an explosion in the Achchaweli area of Jaffna District. Jaffna Police said the three children found the explosive device while they were playing in the area.

The JVP said there would be no free and fair election without the implementation of the 17th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution. Speaking at a function in Matara on September 1, JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe said the Government should take action to implement the 17th amendment right now. He pointed out that the country needs an independent Elections Commissio and an independent Police Commission urgently as the presidential election will follow the upcoming Southern Provincial Council elections. The 17th Amendment requires establishment of independent commissions to administer the Police, Judiciary, Public Service and Elections.

President Mahinda Rajapakse said he wants to achieve reconciliation with Tamil communities in the north and east since the civil war is over and the LTTE was defeated. "I don't want to just be the liberator, I want to be the leader who brings permanent peace and development to this country and reconciliation with Tamil communities in the North and the East," Rajapakse said in an interview with Forbes. "The war is over. Now we have no excuses. We have to start working and develop this country," he added.

A racket carried out in the IDPs camps in Vavuniya to help the LTTE militants still hiding there to escape using false NICs had come to light recently, Police sources said. These false NICs had been produced by some persons within the IDP camps with the help of several outsiders as well and had been sold at very high prices to yet to be detected LTTE militants in the IDPs camps. The Police source said that the racket came to light after the arrest of a suspect, identified as 46-year-old Subramanium Rachchandran, who had tried to escape following treatment at the Vavuniya hospital.

The SLA said that the report published by The Island on September 4 has no whatever proof or any other evidence to affirm any involvement of Japanese experts for clandestine LTTE operations, said to have occurred during and after the Tsunami disaster in 2004. The Army categorically denied having any knowledge on such Japanese involvement in the said report titled "Japanese experts helped LTTE launch submersibles". Neither the 58 Division has had found any evidence to ascertain launch of such submersibles with Japanese help, the SLA said.

The TNA stressing the importance of jointly working for the wellbeing of the country and it's people emphasised that they are ready to cooperate with the Government to restore peace and prosperity in the country. The TNA made this assurance following a meeting with President Mahinda Rajapakse held at Temple Tress. A media communique issued by the President's Media Unit stated that the Government has given its priority to re-settle the people displaced due to terrorism and expedite de-mining activities. President Rajapakse said, "The re-settlement activities will be completed very soon under the program implemented by the Government. This would provide an opportunity for the TNA and other political parties to engage in their political activities freely and democratically. The Government will not allow any room for the LTTE or any other terrorist organization to hold the people to ransom and take them in to a trap again."

September 8

A former employee of a Sri Lankan NGO has reportedly brought to the notice of the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse the alleged involvement of the group in smuggling LTTE operatives to Colombo over a period of time. According to him, the LTTE suspects held at welfare centres in the Vavuniya District, too, have reached Colombo with the help of the NGO.

September 10

The Ministry of Defence said that 30,000 people are expected to be resettled in newly cleared areas under the Uthuru Wasanthaya' (Northern Spring) 180-day development programme.

The Parliament passed the State of Emergency for another month with a majority of 87 votes. The bill received 100 votes for it and 13 against it. For the first time, Sri Lanka's Marxist party, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, which supported the bill since August 2005, abstained from voting and walked out of the Parliament.

September 11

A Colombo Court released two LTTE leaders, former media spokesman Velayudan Dayanidhi alias Daya Master and interpreter Velayudan Kumaru Pancharatnam alias George Master, following several months of remand custody.

The Government re-settled another group of IDPs in their own villages in the country's North and East. According to current statistics, the Government has resettled nearly 29,280 IDPs after the conclusion of war between Government forces and the LTTE.

September 12

Police raided an establishment in the Sea Street area of Colombo, said to be involved in sending escapees from the Vavuniya Welfare Centres abroad, and arrested six persons along with a number of forged passports, visas and other documents.

September 13

Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani is reported to have said that the Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapakse, had told him in Libya recently, that elements in Sri Lanka were linked with terrorist events in Pakistan, including the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore on March 3, 2009.

The Sri Lankan Government is planning to re-settle as many of the remaining nearly 250000 war displaced as possible in the area west of the Jaffna-Kandy (A9) road before tackling resettlement in the Wanni east.

September 18

The New York-based LTTE leader Vishuanadan Rudrakumaran announced that the LTTE proposed Provisional Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (PTGTE) will function as an organization of the Tamil Diaspora. Rudrakumaran made this announcement in www.puthinam.com. The PTGTE will continue to lobby with Governments for the establishment of separate State in the North and East, the Website said. In the United States, United Kingdom and Canada where there are large communities of Sri Lankan Tamils and where the LTTE as well as some of its front organizations is banned as a terrorist organization, the PTGTE will function as a front of the old LTTE carrying on activities aimed at separatism in Sri Lanka. The PTGTE is a new front introduced after the killing of LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, by Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP, before he was arrested on August 6.

September 20

An engineer of a private ship owned by the arrested LTTE leader Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP, who arrived through the Bandaranaike International Airport, was arrested by the State Intelligence Services.

Sri Lanka in cooperation with the IOM will launch a US$ 23 million programme to rehabilitate former LTTE militants with the help from the international community.

Sri Lankan authorities released another batch of over 5,000 IDPs from the welfare centres in Vavuniya in a ceremony held at the Vavuniya Urban Council.

Arrangements are in place to resettle another 3,000 IDPs in 32 villages in Vavuniya in the next few days as de-mining looked completed in their resettlement areas, the Government announced.

September 22

A female LTTE cadre committed suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule, while being taken to the Police following her arrest at Ukkulamkulam in the Vavuniya District, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said.

September 23

The Minister of Export Development and International Trade, G.L. Peiris, at a press briefing in Colombo said that although the Sri Lankan Government is able to control all international activities of the LTTE, the outfit’s communication system is still functioning and continuing acts against the country. The Minister said the general public is always ready to support the Government in its war against terror but some political parties try to let down war heroes who crushed the LTTE terrorism in the country. "Pro-LTTE people still try to summon leaders of the humanitarian mission against the LTTE to the International Criminal Court," Peiris noted. Recently a proposal to bring war crime inquiries against Sri Lanka has been submitted to the United States Congress, the Minister informed.

September 24

The LTTE were reportedly set to get 10 new aircraft through an Eritrea-based arms smuggling network when the Government's military offensive reached its climax. According to Hindustan Times, the aircraft had been dismantled and were to be shipped to the north-eastern coast of Sri Lanka when the war reached a decisive stage. "The LTTE calculated that the war would stretch but it didn’t happen; the aircraft could not be delivered," the daily quoted an unnamed senior Sri Lankan military officer as saying. According to the army officer, the LTTE while waiting for the aircraft to arrive got the pilots trained from training schools in Malaysia and Indonesia. Trained instructors were also present in Sri Lanka. The Army has recovered pilot training simulator from the jungles of Mullaitivu. "At least a dozen pilots had been trained. Two among them have been arrested. The rest could be hiding among the internally displaced persons (in refugee camps)," the officer told the daily.

September 25

Four civilians who were collecting sand in the Mulli area of Jaffna District sustained injuries when a buried landmine exploded.

September 27

The Government has completed the profiles of over 10,000 former LTTE combatants who are now under Government custody in the welfare camps waiting to be either tried or rehabilitated. The authorities have prepared profiles for each suspected LTTE cadre with details including, personal information, nature of the involvement with the LTTE, education standard and the skills they would like to pursue. The former militants will face charges in a court if they had been involved in grave crimes such as murders and abductions. However, the Government is yet to finalize the legal procedures to process the arrested and surrendered militants. The militants who were either involved in minor crimes or forcibly recruited by the LTTE leadership in the later stage of the war and the militants who surrendered to the Security Forces will be rehabilitated to integrate them back in to the society, the authorities said.

September 28

At least 20,000 of the nearly 300,000 IDPs in the Vavuniya camps had escaped, said Senior SSP, Ranjith Kasturiratna, at the Kandy District coordinating committee meeting chaired by Central Province Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayake. Kasturiratna said special Police teams from Kandy had been dispatched to the IDP camps in the North to conduct investigations. Police investigations had revealed that about 20,000 had escaped from the camps. They were believed to be LTTE cadres.

The Norwegian Government helped the LTTE to establish relations with Eritrea in a move to procure arms, ammunition, and equipment from China using Eritrean end-user certificates and other documents needed to legally buy weapons, a media report said.

The Government plans to set up a Special Tribunal to try over 10,000 LTTE suspects who have been involved in various crimes and has even sought help from the US and UK in dealing with the former rebels.

September 29

The EPRLF-Pathmanabha group, an anti LTTE Tamil political party, said that Tamil political parties should arrive at some consensus when it came to issues such as power devolution and the resettlement of displaced civilians. The EPRLF leader R. Sritharan said it was time for the Tamil political parties, including the TNA and the EPDP, to come under one umbrella while maintaining their individual identities.

Authorities have sent a special prison representative to Anuradhapura prison to discuss with the LTTE detainees the issue of their hunger strike which is continuing for several days. Prison Commissioner General Major General V. R. Silva confirmed that 40 LTTE suspects, being held in Anuradhapura prison, are continuing with their hunger strike.

October 1

Balraj Naidu, who was a influential committee member of the Singapore Reform Party, has been arrested and produced in court for an extradition hearing over an alleged arms deal with the LTTE, Daily News reported. Naidu was arrested on a warrant and produced in courts, said Singapore Strait Times. The man was arrested at his home last week and brought to court on September 29 for a brief court appearance. The businessman is wanted by the United States (US) Government on two terrorism related charges. He is also wanted by the US for allegedly brokering arms deals with the LTTE. No formal charges have been laid against him so far.

October 2

An unidentified assailant killed two army soldiers who were on duty at Paranthakadathan in the Mannar District. Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police, Nimal Mediwaka, said the assailant had fired at a group of soldiers who were on duty in the area. Two of the soldiers had succumbed to their injuries following the attack and another one sustained injuries. The suspect, believed to be a member of an armed group in the area, is reported to have escaped after the incident.

October 3

Police arrested three Sinhala nationals who have allegedly supported former LTTE cadres to leave the country through sea routes illegally. Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police Nimal Mediwaka said that the three suspects were arrested from a hotel at Vaikkala area in Negombo. These three suspects have reportedly supported former LTTE militants who fled the welfare camps in Vavuniya to leave for Australia by boats.

October 4

A political solution to the ethnic issue will not be found until a new Parliament is convened after a likely General Election in March 2010 as the President Mahinda Rajapakse Government expects a clear 2/3rd majority to pass a new Constitution based on the APRC proposals, the APRC chairman and Minister Tissa Vitarana said.

The Defence Ministry said that intelligence agencies are now searching for several high-profile LTTE front agents-cum-arms dealers. "The agencies have tracked the LTTE terrorist agents who are alleged to have links with many militia and terrorist organisations. These agents had worked clandestinely, based in foreign shores supporting and abetting LTTE's perpetrated crimes against humanity," said a report on the Defence Ministry Website. "According to reports, Sivarasa Pirundaban alias Achchudan alias Suresh, Ravi Shanker Kanagarajah alias Shangili, Bahitharan alias Bhavi, Narendran Rathnasabapathi alias Naren, Ganeshruban alias Ruban, Ponnaiah Anandarajah alias Aiyya alias Rajah alias Aiyyanna are alleged to be under intense scrutiny," said the Ministry.

Palitha Kohona, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, said that Sri Lanka had fallen victim to dangerous forms of maritime terrorism. Speaking at the UN general debate of the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) on crime prevention, criminal justice and international drug control he stated that following the recent defeat of a terrorist group [LTTE], it had been discovered that their networks were being transferred to arms smuggling and drug trafficking on the international arena. He noted that terrorist groups with their transnational linkages and multi-faceted criminal networks generated a vast and complex mix of criminal activities, ranging from fund-raising, using overseas bases, terrorist financing, money laundering, arms procurement and other organized criminal activities, all of which were interrelated.

At a meeting with a visiting delegation of Indian Parliamentarians from the southern Indian State of Tamil Nadu at India House in Colombo, the TNA alleged that the Sri Lankan Government wants to change Wanni's demography by settling at least 30 percent Sinhalese in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu Districts. The TNA delegation also charged that Buddhist stupas are being built in Wanni with an intention to change the predominantly Tamil region's culture and ethnicity.

22 suspected LTTE cadres went on trial on October 12 for running an extortion racket among ethnic Tamil Diaspora in Paris (France) to fund their separatist struggle in Sri Lanka.

October 13

Sri Lanka will hold Presidential and General elections before April 2010, the Government said adding that a declaration in this regard will be made at the session of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party on November 15. The Media Minister, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, made the announcement at a press conference in capital Colombo confirming that President Mahinda Rajapakse would seek re-election before his term expires in 2011. A re-election bid after completing four years of his term is in line with Sri Lanka's Constitution. According to the Constitution, the President, at any time after the expiration of four years from the commencement of his first term of office, can declare his intention of a re-election, for another term. President Rajapakse will be completing four years of his presidency on November 19, 2009. He was elected as the fifth President of the country in 2005 for a six-year term that is to end in 2011.

October 16

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse revealed that the Government has made arrangements with the assistance of its ambassadors to obtain the assets accumulated by the LTTE to Sri Lanka. He said the people should be vigilant since separatist forces are still active though terrorism has been defeated fully in the country. "Separatist forces who could not achieve their objectives through the LTTE have not stopped their attempts although terrorism has been fully defeated in the country," he added.

October 16-17

A US-based hedge-fund billionaire charged as part of an insider-trading case was investigated by US authorities for allegedly raising funds for the LTTE, The Wall Street Journal reported. The newspaper said federal agents had uncovered documents showing that Raj Rajaratnam, founder of the Galleon Group, was among several wealthy Sri Lankans in the US whose donations to a Maryland-based charity made their way to the LTTE. Rajaratnam, 52, was among six people arrested on October 16. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said this is the largest-ever hedge-fund insider-trading case, the paper noted. Prosecutors allege Rajaratnam and his ring of alleged co-conspirators earned US$ 20 million in improper gains, the report said. Rajaratnam’s New York-based Galleon fund firm manages $ 3.7 billion in investments.

As part of a separate terrorism probe, which was led by the FBI in Brooklyn, New York, eight other people have pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to the LTTE, designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Wall Street Journal stated. Documents in a federal criminal complaint filed in US District Court in New York’s Eastern District include allegations by federal agents that money donated to a US charity called TRO USA, of Cumberland, Maryland, was funnelled to the LTTE, the paper noted. The case was brought against Karunakaran Kandasamy, described by prosecutors as the head of the US branch of the LTTE, the paper said. In the same case, an FBI agent cites documents uncovered in court-authorized searches as showing donations to TRO USA made by a person identified only as "individual B."

October 18

President Mahinda Rajapakse said Sri Lanka is still threatened by separatist forces five months after the defeat of the LTTE. He stressed that the Sri Lankans will defeat separatists and "build a new country", adding, "We shall not fear to take the necessary decisions in the face of dangers we may face."

October 19

A civilian was injured in an APM explosion in the Puresanthivu area of Jaffna District.

October 20

Under the Government's process of re-establishing peace and harmony in the country, 45 new police stations have been established in Northern and Eastern provinces after the two provinces were liberated from the LTTE, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Jayantha Wickramarathna said. He said new police stations will be set up to cover the entire two provinces within the next few months. According to the IGP, the police department has established 37 new police stations in the East and eight stations in the North after the regions were liberated from the LTTE. Another four police stations are to be established in Kilinochchi District, he added.

October 22

The resettlement of the largest number of IDPs of the North took place with 41,685 IDPs resettled in 108 Grama Niladhari (village-level office) Divisions of Vavuniya, Mannar, Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi Districts. Senior Presidential Advisor and Member of Parliament (MP), Basil Rajapakse, said though Sri Lanka is a small country, they have been able to resettle a large number of IDPs in a short time though some countries were still not able to resettle displaced persons for years.

October 26

The Government has made remarkable progress in resettling the people displaced by the war between Government forces and the LTTE, the Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights, Mahinda Samarasinghe said. Addressing a media briefing in Colombo at the Presidential Secretariat, Minister Samarasinghe said the number of IDPs has been reduced from 288,000 to 196,088. The IDPs have been resettled in their original homes in a secure environment with all the assistance given to restore their livelihood, the Minister said. However, the IDPs have been given a choice of a location to resettle and they are not forced to choose the location, the Minister added. The resettlement was due to the successful de-mining process, said the Minister adding that the Government has purchased 24 de-mining machines and 1,000 trained soldiers are assisting the de-mining operations. In coming weeks more IDPs will be resettled as the de-mining process continues the Minister told reporters.

Around 300 senior LTTE cadres have been arrested by the Security Forces in September 2009 following information gathered by the Army Intelligence Unit. These cadres were detained while being housed in certain welfare villages, including Menik Farm in Vavuniya, mingling with ordinary civilians who had escaped the then LTTE-held area from North, Army sources said.

An indictment has been filed before the Colombo High Court against four suspects, including a Sri Lanka Customs' Additional Director and a Wharf Executive, for aiding and abetting two persons to provide a GPS unit to the LTTE on July 30, 2007, according to Daily News. The Attorney General filed indictment against the Sri Lanka Customs Additional Director Indra Sarath Balasooriya and Wharf Executive Rajendran Yogarajah for aiding and abetting Roy Manoj Kumar Samadanam and his wife Ridma Roshani Selamban to provide a GPS unit to the LTTE. According to the statement made by Samadanam, a Sri Lankan expatriate in Canada when he came to Sri Lanka he was introduced to the LTTE by a friend. Then he was asked by the LTTE to help them to bring telecommunication equipment from Singapore and Malaysia. He further stated that later Muhundan and Sinawan in Singapore sent goods from Singapore. He got them released and sent them to the LTTE. The indictment includes productions of three boxes, four radar sets, four radar antennas, 150 VHF mobile phones.

The Government hopes to resettle majority of the war displaced Tamils by January 2010, assured the Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights, Mahinda Samarasinghe, amidst rising pressure from the US and other western nations to send the Tamils home. "The Government has consistently maintained that Internally Displaced Persons will be screened and released in a structured and well managed manner," he Minister said. "We are hopeful of achieving our target of resettling a majority of IDPs by 31 January next year," he added.

The Resettlement and Disaster Relief Minister, Rishad Bathiudeen, said of the total number of IDPs in the north numbering 2.85 lakh, nearly one lakh people have been sent back home. He also said one of main constraints in resettling the IDPs in their hometowns or villages was the time taken to clear the landmines in those areas.

The Government is seeking access to a group of Sri Lankan Tamils detained in Canada following intelligence reports that some of them are LTTE cadres. The suspected LTTE cadres, including some of those believed to be involved in the group's clandestine shipping operations, were arrested recently while approaching the Canadian coast in a LTTE-operated ship. An unnamed senior Government spokesman told The Sunday Island that representations had been made to the Canadian High Commission in Colombo in this regard. He said that the Sri Lankan mission in Canada, too, called for access to the detainees as this would help Sri Lankan intelligence services to track down remaining LTTE operatives based abroad. An intelligence official said the Canadians have been fully briefed of the presence of LTTE cadres on board the seized vessel.

November 4

A Singaporean opposition party member will be extradited to the United States (US) and tried for allegedly trying to supply arms to the LTTE, officials in Singapore said.

The defeat of the LTTE had ended the insurgency but they remained a terrorist group that "could potentially have a significant impact on Canada," said the RCMP Commissioner William Elliott. The Cambodian-registered Ocean Lady arrived in Canadian waters on October 17 and the Canadian Police and its immigration officials have been investigating the identities and backgrounds of its human cargo.

Chinese arms consignments for the LTTE had been moved overland to North Korea across the China-North Korea border before being transferred to the outfit’s ‘floating’ warehouses on the high seas close to Indonesia, for about a decade, The Island reported. Sources also said that Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP had established the Chinese-North Korean route though the slain LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran replaced him with another person subsequently identified as ‘Castro’. The Japanese Government, too, investigated the North Korean link. Japanese investigators had visited Colombo and met with senior Defence Ministry and intelligence services officials in connection with their investigation, sources said. Sources further said that the LTTE had obtained a considerable amount of weapons of East European origin, too, and smuggled them to north-eastern Sri Lanka.

A high profile US investigation had revealed that the LTTE had capacity to carry out mid-sea transfer about 200 nautical miles off Sri Lanka. Top LTTE representatives, including foreign nationals, who had negotiated with undercover US agents posing off as arms agents said that what they paid for, should be delivered to LTTE ships about 200 nautical miles off Sri Lanka. Millions worth of arms, ammunition and equipment captured by Sri Lanka consisted mainly of Chinese weapons, including a range of artillery pieces, sources added.

The Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services Minister Rishard Bathiudeen announced that the resettlement of 50 percent of the IDPs who were in the welfare villages in the Northern Province to their former homes was a major success for the Government. The number of IDPs had now been reduced to 150,000 from the original total of 280,000.

November 5

Rajeeva Wijesingha, secretary in the ministry of disaster management and human rights, said that the LTTE may have had links with the CPI-Maoist in India.

Lawyers for the Federal Government in Canada revealed that at least two of the 76 men who came to Canada illegally on October 17 are cadres of the LTTE.

President Mahinda Rajapakse said that the LTTE deprived the freedom of Muslim community who co-exist peacefully with other communities in Jaffna, Vavuniya and Mannar Districts.

November 6

The Prime Minister (PM) Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka told the Parliament that the SFs had been able to remove land-mines in an area extending to four million square metres in the Northern Province (NP).

The Government reiterated its commitment to complete the ongoing resettlement of the conflict-displaced civilians in the North by the end of January 2010. According to the Government has already resettled 119,687 IDPs in their own villages during the last few months. The exact figure of internally displaced persons to be resettled now is 143,534. Minister Samarasinghe stressed that they will complete this resettlement process on or before the 31st of January 2010.

Andrej Mahecic, spokesman for the office of the UNHCR said that the resettlement of IDPs is continuing at a rapid pace and about a third of those displaced during the conflict in Sri Lanka have returned home over the past three months. "Some 90,000 internally displaced people have returned to their villages in Sri Lanka’s north and east over the past three months, under the ongoing return plan of the Sri Lankan government," he informed, adding, these include 39,000 people who have headed home in the last two weeks "as part of the government’s efforts to accelerate the process".

November 8

Sri Lanka Government snubbed moves by the LTTE remnants to hold a ‘poll’ in April 2010 to elect members to its so-called transitional Government, saying this was another futile attempt to revive the terror organisation. The Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told Sunday Observer that their (LTTE) declared Government-in-exile was a myth and so is the move to hold a poll as announced on November 5 by the US based LTTE proxy Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran. Earlier, Rudrakumaran said the poll will be conducted among the Diaspora community to elect members for what they called the Provisional Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (PTGTE).

November 9

The LTTE’s Eastern Province leader Ram, who had escaped from the Army, was re-arrested.

The LTTE in a press statement issued welcomed all the current democratic moves in the Diaspora, such as referendum on Vaddukkoaddai Resolution, Country Councils and Transnational Government and said that even if one of the efforts is at shortfall, it will affect all the others. "These are democratic efforts for which people have taken over the leadership to gain their political aspirations and while welcoming them the LTTE requests that they should be accomplished with full participation of people," said the statement addressed LTTE headquarters. "It is now a historical duty of all Tamils to firmly tell the whole world that what they desire is independent and sovereign Tamil Eelam and they have their homeland, nationalism and the right to self-determination to claim it," the statement further said.

November 10

The Government has taken measures to expand facilities at existing rehabilitation centres and set up another seven centres to speed up the rehabilitation process, Government sources said. 14 rehabilitation centres are in operation currently and with the new additions the number will increase to 21. According to the Government, 11,000 child soldiers of the LTTE are under the protection of the troops. The ex-combatants receive education and vocational training at the rehabilitation centres. Justice Minister Milinda Moragoda visited the rehabilitation centre at Thampamaduwa in Vavuniya and said the Government intends to make the former combatants skilled professionals in various fields and utilize their support for the development of the country.

November 12

Sri Lanka’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Sarath Fonseka, who as Army Chief led the war against the LTTE, sent in his resignation letter to President Mahinda Rajapakse, possibly to join politics. Sources in the Presidential Secretariat said Rajapakse would accept the resignation with effect from December 1.

November 14

Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse said in capital Colombo that it was important to develop good relations with India to defeat the LTTE politically in the international arena and prevent its recrudescence. He said that though the LTTE had been defeated militarily, it was politically active overseas. Some military cadres who had escaped were also active, he added. "Their vast international networks of sympathisers and criminal associates who funded and facilitated their separatist ambitions are still operating outside Lanka," Gotabaya said. In this context, it was important to develop ties with other countries, especially India, he said. "The relationship developed over the past four years with our closest ally, India, helped us in our war against terrorism. Having their support helped reduce the pressure by other nations, allowing us to proceed with our humanitarian operations. It is important that we strengthen this relationship further in the years to come," Rajapakse further said.

November 16

The Sri Lanka Government released 20 LTTE suspects who had been arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. The Prison Commissioner General, Major General V. R. De Silva, told the media that 20 LTTE suspects have been released on the advice of the Attorney General's Department after dismissing their cases due to lack of evidence. This was the second occasion that the Government has released LTTE suspects due to a lack of evidence. The Government released another group of 26 LTTE suspects in October 2009. According to the prison chief, nearly 600 LTTE suspects are still in custody,

The two LTTE cadres who were arrested by Police in Vavuniya were found to have links with the abduction of a youth and demanding SLR .500000 as ransom, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), I. M. Karunaratne said. A 17-year old was abducted by unidentified suspects in Vavuniya on September 21 and the abductors demanded SLR 500000 ransom from the family. "It was reported that the family members have paid Rs. 100,000 as an initial payment to the abductors. The suspects have spent all the money", the SSP added. As reported earlier, Police arrested two LTTE suspects in Vavuniya on November 11.

November 18

Ensuring the free movement of civilians from North to South, the Government announced that security clearance is no longer a requirement for Jaffna civilians to reach Colombo via land routes.

November 20

The new LTTE leadership’s plan to form a PTGTE came a cropper when about 90 percent of the Tamil Diaspora members showed their contempt by abstaining from voting for the proposed outfit. Nediyavan, who succeeded Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP as the new LTTE leader, was in for total disappointment when Tamils in Norway rejected his leadership on November 15. The Norway based LTTE leader decided to hold the first phase of PTGTE election in Norway itself hoping for a resounding victory to force Oslo to recognise the separatist outfit. But only 2,667 out of a total of 27,000 Tamils in Norway voted. The LTTE candidate lost and Vijaya Shankar, an Indian Tamil from Chennai - capital of southern Indian State of Tamil nadu - came first with 1,864 votes.

The Police uncovered a fresh plot by the Tamil Diaspora to carry out a massive bomb attack in the capital city of Colombo. The recent arrest of Ananda Varnan, a top LTTE militant, in Vavuniya by a special Police team has revealed the planned attack. The Police had also recovered a powerful bomb which was to be used in the attack, a senior Police official told The Island, adding, that Varnan had received SLR 30,000 from his masters based in Malaysia to carry out the operation. According to him, the Police had swooped down on the suspect after receiving information regarding a person looking for several detonators. Under interrogation, the suspect had led investigators to a seven kilograms claymore mine and a remote controller in an LTTE hideout.

The Police said that the suspect had planned to trigger a claymore attack in the city in the next few days. The suspect had admitted that he had obtained the remote controller from a shop in Vavuniya. The suspect had escaped from an internally displaced person (IDP) facility in the Vavuniya area after he was brought to the Vavuniya Hospital to receive medical treatment. Investigators said that Varnan had been involved in a series of bomb attacks in the city and its suburbs over a period of time.

November 23

President Mahinda Rajapakse ordered a fresh Presidential election, possibly in the second half of January 2010, two years ahead of his tenure. "President Mahinda Rajapakse proclaimed that he will seek a fresh mandate as per constitutional provision and this has been duly gazetted (Gazette Notification No. 1629/8/20091123)," Secretary to the President told www.news.lk after midnight on November 23. Under the Constitution, the President can call a Presidential election once the incumbent completes four years of the six-year term.

A court in France sentenced 20 out of 21 LTTE militants who were accused of extorting millions of Euros from the Tamil community in France to prison terms, reports Colombo Page. An AFP report said the leader of the group Nadaraja Matinthiran has been sentenced to seven years in prison for extorting USD 7.4 million (5 million Euros) as taxes from the Tamil community living in Paris and other surrounding areas to finance the LTTE terrorist activities in Sri Lanka. The other 19 defendants were sentenced to six year or less while one was acquitted. The court also ordered that the Coordinating Committee of Tamils-France be dismantled after ruling that it was a front for the LTTE, AFP reported.

According to the report most of the suspects were arrested in April 2007 and charged with criminal conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism, financing of terrorism or racketeering to finance terrorism. French prosecutors said the Tigers imposed a "revolutionary tax" on the Tamil immigrants to France most of whom were political refugees living in Paris and neighbouring areas.

November 23

A court in France sentenced 20 out of 21 LTTE militants who were accused of extorting millions of Euros from the Tamil community in France to prison terms, reports Colombo Page. An AFP report said the leader of the group Nadaraja Matinthiran has been sentenced to seven years in prison for extorting USD 7.4 million (5 million Euros) as taxes from the Tamil community living in Paris and other surrounding areas to finance the LTTE terrorist activities in Sri Lanka. The other 19 defendants were sentenced to six year or less while one was acquitted. The court also ordered that the Coordinating Committee of Tamils-France be dismantled after ruling that it was a front for the LTTE.

According to the report most of the suspects were arrested in April 2007 and charged with criminal conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism, financing of terrorism or racketeering to finance terrorism. French prosecutors said the Tigers imposed a "revolutionary tax" on the Tamil immigrants to France most of whom were political refugees living in Paris and neighbouring areas.

A Jane's Intelligence Review report in August 2007 said the LTTE's profit margin was some USD 200 to 300 million per year.

November 25

The Canadian officials have found more traces of explosives on Princess Easwary which brought 76 Sri Lankan Tamils to Canada in October, Canada Border Services Agency revealed. The traces of RDX, which is used to make plastic explosives, especially for military has been found in three separate compartments of the ship, sources further added. Residues of another two types of explosives have also been discovered on clothing of two migrants and they have been taken in to the custody by Canadian immigration officials. The Canadian terrorist experts have alleged that at least two of them belong to the LTTE.

According to the Sri Lanka's Defense Ministry sources the Princess Easwary belongs to Ravi Shankar Kanagarajah alias Shangili, a most wanted transnational terrorist cum kingpin of overseas based human trafficking and illegal arms smuggling activist. The ship is an LTTE floating warehouse extensively used in human smuggling and gunrunning activities, the report added.

November 26

The Government said that all the displaced civilians from Jaffna who were in the camps have returned to their original homes and there will be no more Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Jaffna in the Manik farm welfare village in Vavuniya. According to the Ministry of Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Refugees a total of 59,475 IDPs have been removed from welfare centers in Vavuniya, Mannar, Trincomalee (Pulmoddai) for their resettlement in Jaffna. "As a result the number of IDPs in Vavuniya District had come down to 121,617 as at 25 November," the Secretary to the Ministry of Rehabilitation and Resettlement, U.L.M. Haldeen said. The Ministry Secretary said all the displaced from Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Ampara have been completely resettled now and they are returning to normalcy with their lives. The Government has taken measures to allow the remaining IDPs more freedom of movement from December 1, and the welfare villages would be open villages, Haldeen noted.

November 27

A senior Police officer said that around 350 LTTE cadres, who had taken refuge among ordinary IDPs in camps, have been arrested by the Police, among which were around 50 female cadres. He said that among those arrested were those who had been trained in handling explosives, guerrilla warfare and in handling heavy weapons. In order to detain terror suspects, a special camp has been set up at Pampemadu in Vavuniya District to accommodate the increased numbers, the security sources said.

The Presidential Election will be held on January 26, 2010, announced Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake. Nominations will be accepted from 9.00am (SLST) to 11.00am on December 17. This will be the country’s fifth Presidential poll to elect the sixth Executive President. The 2008 electoral register will be used for the election with a total number of 14,088,500 persons eligible to vote. President Mahinda Rajapakse, who is the incumbent in office, decided to go for a Presidential election though his term of office expires only two years later in November 2011.

December 1

The Government of Sri Lanka seized three LTTE ships overseas and is in the process of bringing them to the country, a news report revealed. The ships are expected to arrive in Colombo soon, The Island said in a report on December 2. All information with regard to the ships had been disclosed to the SFs by the recently arrested LTTE's chief arms procurer Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP. Interpol has helped the SFs to act on information provided by KP, sources said. The ships were known to have been utilized for transportation of arms, ammunition, and human smuggling in the past by the overseas LTTE outfit.

Sri Lanka Navy has taken charge of the three vessels and they are expected to reach Sri Lankan waters under tight security during the next couple of weeks, the report said, quoting highly placed Government officials. Sources have refused to divulge further information. Information about local contacts of the LTTE, provided by KP, was being verified, sources added. The seizure is considered as the first step in the Government's endeavour to confiscate LTTE's overseas assets. Sri Lanka Navy managed to destroy 10 LTTE vessels during war time which had been engaged in arms smuggling.

December 2

The Government will take over all the LTTE property and assets in the possession of individuals and groups in Sri Lanka and abroad. The LTTE has 14 ships, five of them belonging to the self-appointed LTTE chief Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP now in custody. Addressing the media at the Media Centre for National Security, Defence Affairs spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said the Government Intelligence has identified properties of the LTTE in various parts of the world. Action has been taken to confiscate these LTTE properties held by individuals and groups. "The Government has sought the Attorney General’s advice to take action to take ownership of the LTTE properties," he added. It is known that the LTTE possesses 14 ships and five of them belonged to KP. The Government had taken steps to bring three ships belonging to KP. "More than 600 accounts of KP were frozen by the Government and it is in the process of probing LTTE financing channels," the Minister added.

December 4

Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said that a total of 169,938 IDPs have been resettled in their native places within a short period providing them along with the provision of health, shelter, sanitary, education co-operative, water, electricity and other facilities in their villages, reports Daily News. "As a result of the speedy resettlement program the number of IDPs in welfare villages has come down to 112,062 from 282,000," the Minister told a media briefing on December 4. Most probably by December 31 the Government will resettle a large number of IDPs out of the remaining or else complete resettlement activities, Minister Samarasinghe added. At present 105,664 IDPs are in Vavuniya, 1,738 IDPs in Jaffna, 2, 298 IDPs in Trincomalee. Approximately 2,360 IDPs are receiving treatment in several hospitals. A total number of 112,062 IDPs are yet to be resettled.

December 6

A Marxist group of Tamil militants with connections to the Palestinian Liberation Organisation and Cuba is preparing to mount a new insurgency in Sri Lanka. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was founded in eastern Sri Lanka in August and has vowed to launch attacks against Government and military targets unless its demands for a separate Tamil homeland are met. "This war isn’t over yet," Commander Kones, head of the PLA’s Eastern District military command, told The Times during a night meeting in a safe house in the east of the country last week. "There has been no solution for Tamils since the destruction of the LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] in May. So we have built and organised the PLA and are ready to act soon. Our aim is a democratic socialist liberation of the northeast for a Tamil Eelam [the desired Tamil state]."

Kones said that he had no intention of trying to emulate the LTTE’s style of warfare, but suggested a more asymmetric strategy involving attacks by widely dispersed PLA cells. However, he added that his targets would include economic and administrative centres, as well as military forces. Other PLA insiders said that one of their likely first fights would be with groups of former LTTE cadres led by ‘Colonel’ Karuna [Karuna split from the LTTE ranks in 2004 and later joined the Government, but still holds influence in eastern Sri Lanka.] "We are getting stronger by the day, much stronger than any other group," Kones said, adding, "The day of action is close."

December 7

The Palestinian Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Anwar Al- Agha, denied reports that a link exists between the People’s Liberation Organization (PLO) in Palestine and a new Tamil armed group called the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the East of Sri Lanka, according to Daily Mirror. Agha said that he was not even aware of the existence of such a group, and that it is not possible for such ties to exist. His observations follow a report which appeared in The Times hinting that an organization called the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) in the East of Sri Lanka had the support of the well known PLO, who are active in Palestine, as well as another country. "We have had strong ties with the legitimate Government of Sri Lanka and have supported the Government in defeating terrorism and still support the Government in their efforts," he emphasized.

Sri Lanka Government spokesman for National Security and Defence Minister Keheliya Rambukwella speaking to Daily Mirror said that the country was on a reconciliation course and as such it was likely that groups of this nature would exist and added that the matter would be dealt with "politically and administratively". Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara stated that a matter of this nature needed to be backed by substantial evidence.

December 8

Sri Lanka Parliament extended State of Emergency for another month with a majority of 74 votes.

The Sri Lanka Navy brought three LTTE ships to the Sri Lankan waters. Sources told The Island that the Government had taken custody of the vessels following negotiations with foreign officials subsequent to information provided by the new LTTE leader Kumaran Pathmanthan alias KP, who had been in charge of the LTTE arms procurement network.

The TNA said that a political solution based on federalism was foremost among their conditions for supporting either of the two main candidates at the presidential election. The TNA leader R. Sampanthan has already held negotiations with President Mahinda Rajapakse and General Sarath Fonseka, but the party has not yet to decided on its final stand. Besides, the party, which has 22 Member of Parliaments (MPs) , has also asked for the speedy resettlement of the displaced civilians, the scaling down of troops stationed in the Jaffna peninsula, the removal of High Security Zones and the withdrawal of plans to set up military camps in the Wanni area.

Suresh Premachandran, the party’s MP for the Jaffna District told Daily Mirror that his party was awaiting responses from the two main presidential hopefuls on their stands regarding a political solution to the ‘Tamil national question’. Premachandran said that neither of them appeared to be clear about his position in this respect. "Troops continue to occupy certain public places in Jaffna and some hotels. They have to be removed immediately so that the people can live normal lives. We do not mind these troops being there if they are confined to barracks. Demilitarisation should take place in the post war era. Today, we see the IDPs being resettled in an ad hoc manner. The government does not have a proper road map for the resettlement," he added. Asked for his comments on the progress of the negotiations between the TNA and the main presidential candidates, Premachandran said that there had been some positive responses.

December 9

Authoritative sources said that the three ships were believed to be among the LTTE fleet that was targeted by the SLN during September 2006 – October 2007 period. The SLN destroyed eight vessels in four separate operations on the high seas.

The Government said that most of the people associated with the LTTE now held in detention will be released, ABC News reported on December 9. The secretary of the Ministry for Disaster Management and Human Rights, Rajiva Wijesinha, said of the 11,000 LTTE cadres, only 200 are being charged, adding, the rest are in rehabilitation for eventual return to society. "The vast majority we believe, even if they were involved in actual combat, were more people who were conscripted and forced to do so," he added. "And then there are girls who I think were just forced into a rather horrid life for a few months. I think that in the long run we believe very much that what you would call real hardcore Tigers are extremely few," he further added, saying, most of the LTTE cadres handed themselves in.

The Government said the process of returning people displaced by the conflict to their homes is well under way and will be completed by the end of January 2010. It also claimed the 130,000 people remaining in refugee camps enjoy complete freedom of movement and can leave at any time.

December 11

Authorities in Thailand arrested five people, including a LTTE cadre, for producing and smuggling more than 300 fake EU passports and other official European documents, officials said. They said Police seized from the group more than 300 bogus passports, produced in Thailand but made to look like official documentation from 14 EU countries including Britain, France and Belgium. The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) said the suspects, all arrested since August 21, were 32-year-old Pakistani man Azad Said Giyani and a 35-year-old Sri Lankan man, known to be a LTTE cadre. A 43-year-old Thai woman was arrested for assisting them. A 38-year-old man from Myanmar was arrested on suspicion of producing the passports and a 28-year-old Thai woman is also being held for helping him.

In a statement the DSI said Thai authorities had also picked up a British national, Ahoor Rambarak Fathi, at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on September 27, 2009, carrying 104 stolen genuine passports. Fathi, travelling under fake Swedish documents, had passports from Britain, Spain, France, Sweden and Russia, that had been smuggled into Thailand. "He (Fathi) confessed that he had trafficked stolen passports into Thailand more than 20 times," the statement said. The DSI said Thailand is a known hub for the trafficking of fake and stolen passports.

December 12

The leader of PLOTE said in a press meet held in the PLOTE office in Jaffna, "We are not preparing ourselves to launch another armed struggle. The accusations that we had abducted minors from Vavuniya camps are baseless." He further said that after the talks held with President Mahinda Rajapakse his party has decided to support him in the forthcoming presidential election, sources in Jaffna said.

December 13

31,148 eligible Eezham Tamil Diaspora voters over 18 in France participated this weekend in the referendum to say yes or no to independent and sovereign Tamil Eelam and 30,936 of them said yes, reports LTTE Website Tamil Net. The postal votes permitted to interior areas of France are yet to be counted and is expected to be between 2,000 and 3,000. In the absence of any official statistics, Police estimates earlier placed the number of adult Eezham Tamils in France between 25,000 and 35,000. The referendum was organised by the formation committee of the country council of Eezham Tamils called "The House of Tamil Eelam," supported by 61 Eezham Tamil organisations in France and two NGOs, Mouvement de la Paix (Movement for Peace) and Mouvement contre le racisme et pour l'amitié entre les peuples (Movement Against Racism and for Friendship between Peoples).

Financial Times, on a follow-up article to October coverage on young Tamils, said that while the western crackdown on the LTTE’s financiers among the Diaspora, has created despondency among this often wealthy migrant community, the "clued-up second-generation migrants were turning to political lobbying," and that, "these young activists said the fight for Eelam, an independent Tamil homeland, was far from over."

The CID arrested the Finance Division head of the TRO, a LTTE front organization, in Jaffna. He was arrested by a special team of officers in Chunnakam where he lived with his wife. Prior to his arrest he had lived in a welfare camp in Vavuniya for a few months and moved to Chunnakam a few weeks ago claiming his wife was pregnant. She had worked as a Samurdhi animator in Kilinochchi. The suspect has admitted to his interrogators that he transferred millions of rupees to the LTTE accounts from the TRO funds. He is alleged to have provided millions of rupees to the terrorist organization for its war effort. Investigations have revealed that he provided TRO funds to slain LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, its Political Head S. Thamilselvan, Bhanu and several key members. Military intelligence had earlier said there were at least 10,000 LTTE combatants and activists in the IDP centres. They had crossed over to the army held terrain during the final stages of the war on terror. Among them were family members of top LTTE leaders, including Prabhakaran’s mother and father.

December 14

A parliamentarian from the TNA is to contest the presidential polls to be held in January 2010. The Election Secretariat sources said TNA Jaffna parliamentarian M. K. Sivajilingam paid his deposit to contest the polls as an independent candidate. Sivajilingam earlier said that he will contest as an independent candidate if the TNA does not a field a presidential candidate. The Jaffna Member of Parliament opposes both candidates, incumbent President Mahinda Rajapakse and the former Chief of Defence Staff General Sarath Fonseka. The TNA, however, was divided on its decision whether to support the two main candidates, or to field a contender from the party. Sivajilingam a leading member of the TELO, was an ardent supporter of the vanquished terrorist outfit of LTTE. During the height of the war, he was in Chennai (India), after taking leave of absence from the Sri Lanka Parliament in October 2008.

December 18

Sri Lanka Transport Board recommenced the commuter transportation between Kandy and Jaffna after a lapse of 26 years, Colombo Page reported. The first bus bound for Jaffna after the A-9 highway was opened left the Kandy bus stand at 3am (SLST), the Chief Minister of the Central Province Sarath Ekanayaka said. The commuter service between the two cities had been suspended for 26 years due to the LTTE terrorism in the North. Early reservations of seats in the Kandy-Jaffna buses are available for the commuters.

December 19

99.82 percent of 48,583 voters mandated independent and sovereign Tamil Eelam in the poll conducted in 31 centres across Canada.

December 21

Princess Chrisanta, a cargo vessel formerly belonging to the LTTE was acquired by the Navy. It was held in a foreign country and was acquired through information gained through the state intelligence service, on a directive by President Mahinda Rajapakse and Defence Secretary Gothabaya Rajapakse. The vessel was escorted into the Colombo harbor on December 21. It was brought to the harbor by Navy tug boats Nandimitra and Vijayabahu. Six Navy personnel, led by former Media Secretary to the Navy, K.P.K. Dassanayake took part in the exercise.

It is believed that the vessel was to be used to aid the escape of LTTE leaders following heavy losses in the war. It has the capacity to carry one light helicopter. This is the largest of the eight LTTE vessels discovered or acquired by the Navy so far. The vessel, 90 meters in length and 16 meters in depth has an enormous cargo capacity of 5,000 metric tons.

The vessel which is now a property of the Sri Lankan Navy will be used in the future by the Navy as well as in the country’s development process. It is currently fully operational, needing only a few minor adjustments. Navy Commander Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe emphasized that the LTTE had a strong international shipping network and received much support from foreign countries. However following the battle over terrorism, an increasing number of countries have decided to join forces with Sri Lanka and this situation would continue in the future, he said.

The interview given by Sarath Fonseka to the Sunday Leader on December 13, 2009 wherein he alleges that three LTTE leaders who came to surrender with white flags during the final stages of the battle were shot dead by ground troops has opened an United Nations (UN) probe into possible war crimes charges against the Heroic Forces. The UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions Philip Alston in a letter to President Mahinda Rajapakse has demanded an explanation regarding the allegations made by Fonseka that the Defense Secretary has instructed the Commander of the 58th Brigade of the Sri Lanka Army to shoot those surrendering.

The UN is inquiring particularly "the circumstances of the death of three representatives of the LTTE Balasingham Nadeshan, Seevaratnam Pulidevan and Ramesh, as well as members of their families, in the night of 17 to 18 May, 2009." In his letter, Alston says that the information that he has received are based on the allegations made by Sarath Fonseka in the above mentioned interview. He also says "accounts of journalists embedded with the SLA 58th Brigade confirm some of the alleged circumstances of the deaths of Nadeshan, Pulidevan and Ramesh and their families." Referring to "fundamental legal rules applicable to all armed conflicts under international humanitarian law and human rights law", particularly Article 5 of the Geneva Conventions of 1949, the Special Rapporteur has inquired about the accuracy of the allegations and demanded information and documentary proof in the event that the accusations are inaccurate. The letter also seeks information on the family members of Nadeshan, Pulidevan and Ramesh.

The Presidential Secretariat in a release said the Government is making a careful study of the UN Rapporteur’s letter, prior to a formal response, and any action that may be necessary. The Presidential Secretariat in a release said the Government is making a careful study of the UN Rapporteur’s letter, prior to a formal response, and any action that may be necessary.

Three Sri Lankan Tamils in Melbourne in Australia are to plead guilty to charges of providing money to the LTTE. Aruran Vinayagamoorthy, 35, Sivarajah Yathavan, 38, and Arumugam Rajeevan, 43, of New South Walse, are to plead guilty to a single charge of providing money to the LTTE, their lawyers informed the Australian Supreme Court on December 21.

The Sri Lankan Government said that it has identified up to three former LTTE militants seeking asylum in Australia on a boat intercepted after a personal request from Kevin Rudd to Indonesia's President.

In October, a boat carrying 255 Tamil asylum-seekers to Australia was stopped by the Indonesian navy.

December 23-24

The authority at Poonthotam detention camps in Vavuniya, Major Weerasekera, on December 23 said that more than 35 former LTTE cadres detained in the camp were to be released on December 24. They told the reporters in Poonthotam that there are 209 detainees and 35 among them will be released on December 24.Some of the detainees who are in the camp have been with the LTTE for just three days while others have been for few months. However in other rehabilitation camps there are former LTTE combatants who have been with the LTTE for even for 24 years. Some of them have been ‘lieutenant colonels’ of the LTTE, according to the army. The detainees whom the journalists visited on December 23 are trained vocational activities such as beauty culture, tailoring, Masonry and sewing.

December 25

A Singapore opposition party member has been extradited to the US where he stands accused of trying to supply arms to the LTTE. Balldev Naidu, 47, a businessman and co-founder of the Reform Party, was extradited on December 18, the Straits Times newspaper said quoting the Home Affairs Ministry.

A LTTE vessel recently seized and brought to Colombo by the Sri Lanka Navy had been among five ships acquired by the group during the Eelam War IV though they could not be used at least once to smuggle in weapons.

December 27

The Government is planning to close down Menik Farm welfare camp in Vavuniya as soon as possible, Human Rights and Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said, adding, that all IDPs in the Northern region will be back in their homes by January 31. "We are working hard to resettle all the IDPs by January 31 to meet our 180- day deadline. At the moment, there are only about 80,000 IDPs in welfare camps," he added. Speaking to The Nation, Minister Samarasinghe said about 120,000 IDPs had availed themselves of the freedom of movement by December 17. Of them, some 80,000 have returned to the welfare camps. According to the minister, the numbers had further come down by the evening of December 26 with only 80,000 persons remaining in the camps of which 72,000 had returned after visiting their relatives. "We are expediting the resettlement process to ensure the closure of the welfare camps ahead of the deadline. At the same time, the de-mining process is going ahead," he said. Referring to IDPs willingly returning to the camps, he said, "This shows that the IDPs are satisfied with the conditions in the camps giving lie to the media reports to the contrary. We do not propose to encourage those taking advantage of the freedom of movement to return from December 1. They may come back the same day. They are not required either to return on the date of return they indicate in their application forms which they have to submit prior to leaving the camp. They may stay wherever they like," he added.

December 29

President Mahinda Rajapakse said when he came into power he introduced a people friendly manifesto Mahinda Chinthana and told the public if it could be successfully implemented, the benefits would be for the whole country, Daily News reported. "People accepted it and rallied round us with new vigor. We never forgot our election promises. Today I have come forward for re-election after completing 98 percent of my promises," he added.

Government said that it has resettled over 173,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) within five months in their native places. Addressing a media briefing at the Wanni Security Forces (SFs) headquarters Wanni SFs commander and competent authority for IDPs Major general Kamal Gunarathne said as of December 23rd only 108,573 IDPs are remaining at the welfare villages out of over 280,000 displaced civilians received by the security forces. The Commander said the resettlement is not an easy task. The Government resettles 1,000 IDPs in their own villages on a daily basis immediately after the areas are cleared of mines.  He said the dangerous inmates have been separated and sent for rehabilitation away from the regular IDPs according to UN regulations.

De-mining officials, meanwhile, say the de-mining process is difficult in the northern region as the LTTE have mined the areas in an unpredictable pattern which is hindering the resettlement of the IDPs by the deadline at the end of January. "There is no set pattern of landmines laid by the LTTE landmines and we confront with various challenges," Major K. Raju, an expert of the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) told Indian reporters recently. According to Major Raju whose team is involved in de-mining activities in north-western Mannar District, the unpredictable landmines pattern, poor visibility because of thick jungles in the terrain was slowing the de-mining progress.

The Government despite having given a pledge to resettle all the displaced people by the end of January 2010 said that there was no deadline for the resettlement of the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) who were in the camps in Vavuniya. Disaster Management and Resettlement Minister Samarasinghe told Daily Mirror Online that no such assurances were given earlier. "We did not promise to complete the resettling process on a particular date. However, the Government is working hard towards completing the process as soon as possible," he said. He said around 100,000 IDPs still remain in the camps whilst 20,000 have been granted freedom of movement from the camps. The Minister said the Government had organized ‘go and see visits’ for the IDPs to enable them to visit their homes and allow them to decide if they wished to remain in their home towns or otherwise. "If they want to return to their homes, then they may. However, if they wish otherwise we will make other arrangement for them," he added. Minister Samarasinghe said that he could not comment on what would happen to the camps once all the IDPs were resettled, but said that the permanent structures once vacant would most likely be utilised.

December 31

Sri Lankan authorities have decided to lift the night time curfew imposed in Jaffna from. Governor of the Northern Province Major General G. A. Chandrasiri said that the curfew will be lifted from Jaffna as the normalcy has returned to the peoples' lives and the traveling on A-9 is permitted. The curfew will be lifted on the advice of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse and Chairman of the Uthuru Wasanthaya Task Force, Senior Presidential Advisor and Parliamentarian Basil Rajapakse.