Northern Province (NA): Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2022

Captain Pandithar, who was a senior member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), was commemorated on the 37th anniversary of his passing at his residence in Jaffna District on January 9, reports Tamil Guardian. Pandithar served in the Political Wing of the LTTE and lost his life during a clash with the Sri Lankan army in 1985 near Avarangal, Jaffna District. Pandithar was a native of Valvettithurai and joined the liberation movement in 1981. He was reportedly also a childhood friend of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. His commemoration was attended by notables including Jaffna Mayor V. Manivannan and former Northern Provincial Council member M K Shivajilingam. Read less...

Police officers have pushed back protesting Tamil mothers in Vavuniya District on January 26 as they demanded justice for their forcibly disappeared loved ones outside a Justice Ministry meeting Vavuniya city, reports Tamil Guardian. The relatives had gathered outside the Vavuniya District Secretariat as the Sri Lankan Justice Ministry’s mobile service visited. A mobile service called 'Access to Justice' covering the entire Northern Province was launched on January 25 to educate the public about the services provided by the Ministry of Justice and its agencies to the people of the Northern Province. Read less...

The Justice Ministry, during a mobile programme in the Northern Province on January 29, distributed SLR 100 million to the families of missing persons who were affected by the war against Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) terrorism, reports Colombo Page. ‘Access to Justice Mobile Service Program’ was launched in the Jaffna District under the patronage of Foreign Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris, Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda and Justice Minister Ali Sabry at a ceremony held at Jaffna Central College on January 29. The main objective of this mobile service is to educate the people in the Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar and Vavuniya Districts of the Northern Province about the roles played by the institutions under the Ministry of Justice and expeditiously provide the services of those institutions. Read less...

In a massive rally on January 30, thousands of Tamils in Jaffna District have come out to protest against the 13th Amendment and have demanded recognition of Tamil nationhood and sovereignty through a federal structure, reports Tamil Guardian. In a public statement, the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) said “Even after a genocide in 2009, Tamils have handed consistent and unanimous mandates via democratic elections, rejecting a Unitary state, and demanding that their nationhood be recognized. Any solution that is imposed on us within the Unitary state i.e., 13th Amendment or any other structure instead of a federal structure that recognizes Tamil nationhood, its sovereignty, the Tamil homeland, and the right to self-determination betrays the mandates of the Tamil people." Read less...

Journalists a held a protest in Jaffna District on January 31 to mark 'Black January' and to demand investigations into the numerous assassinations and disappearances of media workers on the island, reports Tamil Guardian. Protesters hoisted black flags as they drew attention to the lack of impartial investigations into the murders and attacks on journalists. “All the murdered journalists in Sri Lanka were assassinated for the sole reason that they were trying to uncover the truth and defend Sri Lanka's democracy. But so far no one has been able to bring justice to the families of any of these murdered journalists” their joint statement read. Read less...