Srilanka Timeline 2009

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Sri Lanka Timeline - Year 2009

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 Kilinochchitown 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 Adampanbefore capturing the town in the early hours. The military had crossed into Kilinochchi District onJuly 31, 2008 and has since been engaged in clashes with the LTTE. Acknowledging the loss, thepro-LTTE Tamil Net Website in a report said that the SLA "has entered a virtual ghost town as thewhole civilian infrastructure as well as the centre of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam had shiftedfurther 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 againstterrorism." 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 isconfined 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 pasttwo months in the north.

A LTTE suicide bomber blew himself up killing three persons, including two Airmen, and injuring 37others 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 unspecifiednumber 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 townOddusudan 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 80sustained injuries during heavy fighting that erupted when the SLA launched an offensive push

through 2nd Mile Post on the Paranthan-Mullaitivu Road on two fronts.

President Mahinda Rajapakse expressed satisfaction that his 'Zero Civilian Casualty Policy' wasimplemented perfectly by the Armed Forces during the operations to liberate Kilinochchi. During atelephonic interview with The Hindu, he also expressed concern over the LTTE not releasing thetens of thousands of Tamil civilians it holds "virtually as prisoners." He also said the Governmentwas doing its best to neutralise the LTTE's suicide bombers, possibly 15 to 20 of them, who arebelieved 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 andfurther 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 ElephantPass.

Heavy fighting erupted in the East of Paranthan and Elephant Pass South for the past two days asthe LTTE made their maximum effort to stop the advance of the troops towards Elephant Pass andMurusamudai, East of Paranthan. According to military sources, 10 soldiers were killed and 23others 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 historicdebacles, 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 thecontext 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 andfuture challenges.

http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/shrilanka/terroristoutfits/LTTE.HTMhttp://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/shrilanka/terroristoutfits/LTTE.HTM


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January 6 SFs in Jaffna captured the LTTE's FDLs in Kilali and Muhamalai, some 600 metres ahead of theSecurity Force's FDLs.

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

Major General N.A.J.C. Dias, General Officer Commanding of the 57th Division, told reporters, "asper our estimates as many as 4073 LTTE fighters have been killed in the past 14 months, while theLTTE 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 heavyattacks of Government forces. He added that the LTTE has less than 1,500 cadres presently. TheLTTE leader has tried to recruit 5000 new cadres, but he managed to recruit only 150 members inthe past few months, Karuna claimed.

Sri Lanka Army Commander Lt. General Sarath Fonseka said nearly 15,000 LTTE militants werekilled by the SFs during the last two and half years. In the same period nearly 2,000 SF personnelwere also killed. He said the LTTE had managed to strengthen their cadres as well as the militaryequipment 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 twoartillery guns captured from the Army before the cease-fire, but Machine guns, Dvora-like fast boatsand three fixed wing airplanes were added to their strength during the cease-fire, he added. Theyestablished banks, courts, police and customs to generate income, the Army Commander further said.

January 7 The Government said the Cabinet had taken a unanimous decision, in accordance with amemorandum submitted by President Mahinda Rajapakse, to proscribe the LTTE, which continuedto engage in blatant human rights violations. The Proclamation of the President proscribing theLTTE 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 amidstiff resistance from the LTTE.

January 8 SFs advancing from the Kilali and Muhamalai forward FDLs captured Pallai town, the main townshipsouth of Muhamalai and Kilali FDLs. The troops also captured Sorampattu, about five kilometressoutheast of Pallai.

Murasumoddai town, on the A-35 road and about 5.5 kilometres to the east of Paranthan town, wascaptured by troops of the 58th Division. An unspecified number of militants were killed duringclashes 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 explosionat Morawewa in the Trincomalee District. The explosion occurred when the SLAF personnel wereengaged in route-clearing for a tractor of the Irrigation Department which was taking civilian workersto 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 anunspecified number of them. During subsequent search operations, they recovered the dead bodiesof 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 heavycasualties upon the militants. During subsequent search operations, troops recovered the deadbodies of four militants.

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


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

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

January 9 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 terrorismmaking a bridge of peace between the South and North. The 53rd and 55th Division advancing fromMuhamalai 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 55th Divisionto move towards the south of Jaffna peninsula compelling the LTTE militants to vacate many of theareas 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-9road between Omanthai and Muhamalai after two years of military operations in Wanni and in thenorth. Military officials said this is the first time the A-9 road is open till Jaffna under military controlafter the SFs lost control of it after the departure of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in the late1980s. 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 PurposeMachine 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 atIranamadu and Wattakachchi in the Kilinochchi District. During subsequent search operations inWattakachchi, the troops recovered dead bodies of three militants.

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

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

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

January 10 Seven Tamil civilians, including two children, on their way to cleared areas (area under Governmentcontrol) seeking protection for their lives, were shot dead by the LTTE militants. However, 49 morecivilians, two of them injured in firing, of the same group managed to arrive at the SFs camp inParanthan.

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

A group of LTTE militants attacked the TMVP office at Killiveddi in Trincomalee District, killing oneTMVP member and injuring two others. In the ensuing exchange of fire between the LTTE cadresand 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 theincident site.

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

SFs captured a LTTE airstrip located five kilometres west of the Mullaitivu lagoon. The DefenceMinistry said the airstrip was about 2.5 kilometres long and 100 metres wide. This is the fourthLTTE airstrip captured by troops in the recent past, military spokesperson Brigadier UdayaNanayakkara said. Troops operating in the Mullaitivu area captured this airstrip together with twoempty 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,


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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 soughtprotection from the SFs. Similarly, four civilians, including a female, from Vettalaikerny areareached the troops in Mullaitivu.

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

January 11 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 bodiesof 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 andsought protection from the troops.

The Government said that around 3,000 soldiers have been killed in battle with the LTTE in the lastthree 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 bythe 2,000 cadres that the LTTE has left. It is a matter of time before its last bastion is alsooverrun."

The Sri Lankan Police held the second phase of a special census started earlier to register personswho 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 t o prevent any attempt byTiger chief Velupillai Prabhakaran or other senior LTTE leaders from fleeing the country… The navalblockade 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.

January 12 After a two day battle, troops of the 59th Division re-captured the Government hospital and itssurrounding area at Tanniyuttu town in the Mullaitivu District. The hospital has been used by themilitants as a key strategic point to attack the SFs and treat their injured cadres. The outfit haderected several bunkers within the hospital premises.

According to the Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services Ministry sources, 1168 persons havesought refuge with authorities and they have been housed in the Menik farm and Nelumkulamawelfare centre in Vavuniya. According to independent verifications, the number of displaced who arebeing 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, andVavuniya was being readied as a humanitarian assistance hub to cater to their needs. Authoritieshave also taken steps to clear an 80 acre land in Vavuniya to construct temporary shelters. RDRSSecretary A. C. M. Razik said the Government had already allocated SLR 30 million as an initialsum to expedite relief measures through the Government Agent in Vavuniya.

President Mahinda Rajapakse said the LTTE and its chief Velupillai Prabhakaran are presentlyconfined 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 squarekilometres, shrinking area under their control rapidly. Interacting with foreign journalists, Rajapaksesaid Mullaitivu town had all but fallen because it was being attacked from the west, south and thenorth giving the LTTE no chance to stem the assault. Asked when the war would be over, he saidhe hoped to end it in about two-and-a-half months. The President accused the LTTE of holdingTamil 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. Althoughthere were only about 1700 to 1900 LTTE cadres now, the outfit was guarding all the exit points toprevent civilians from fleeing, he said.

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

January 13 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 heavycasualties upon the militants. While the SFs recovered dead bodies of four militants, three other


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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 presentprogress 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 whereas a few years ago, we had just 116,000 people. We elevated ourselves not just with man power butwith well trained, sharp and skilled professionals," he stated.

The APRC Chairman Tissa Vitharana urged Sri Lanka's opposition parties, the UNP and JVP, torejoin the APRC process to reach a solution for power devolution. Vitharana said all APRCmembers 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 thehighest number of suicide attacks by a terrorist organisation during this period, said the Healthcareand Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva. "The LTTE carried out 346 attacks targeting innocentcivilians 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 theseattacks and have seriously injured 3,494 people including children, women and even pregnantmothers," 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 50political leaders, including President Ranasinghe Premadasa, United National Party Presidentialelection candidate, Gamini Dissanayake, Ministers D.M. Dassanayake and Jeyaraj Fernandopulleand veteran politician Lakshman Kadirgamar. They also tried to assassinate former PresidentChandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, he added.

January 13 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 theElephant Pass isthmus in Jaffna Peninsula. The Army also destroyed a LTTE boat with artillery firekilling 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 Jaffnapeninsula, captured five Sea Tiger bases in Manmunai, Thalai Adi, Vathurayan, Vettalaikerny andChundikulam. The troops also recovered of a fleet of 125 boats belonging to Sea Tigers and LTTEfrom Chundikulam along with several other items. With the fall of Chundikulam, the LTTE has beenforced to operate only in the seas surrounding Mullaitivu.

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

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

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

Civilians started converging into the cleared areas (area under Government control) in Kilinochchiand 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 Murusamoddaifrom the midnight of January 13, the Brigadier added.

January 15 SFs captured Dharmapuram, one of the LTTE's biggest townships on the A-35 road and about 15kilometres to the east of the A-9 highway, in the Mullaitivu. Troops reportedly inflicted heavycasualties 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 andother items.

The pro-LTTE Website Tamil Net claimed that the advance by the SLA from Dharmapuram on threefronts was repulsed by the LTTE cadres killing 51 SLA soldiers and wounding 150 others in theconfrontation which started in the morning of January 15. The website also claimed that the SLAartillery attack in the Kaiveali, Koampaavil and Vishvamadu areas killed five civilians, including a14-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 andMulliyaweli areas in which an unspecified number of militants were killed. SFs later recovered deadbodies of seven militants.

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


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

January 16 The 57th Division troops took full control of the entire perimeter of the Iranamadu tank bund coveringabout three kilometres in the Kilinochchi District.

SFs attacked LTTE camps at Udayarkattikkulam in the Mullaitivu District and subsequentlyrecovered 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 theChundikulam, Kokueliya, Ramanadhapuram, Omanthai, Puliyanpokkarai, Kulaweddidal and Kevilareas of the Jaffna, Vavuniya and Kilinochchi Districts.

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

January 17 SFs captured Ramanathpuram, a large township in the east of Kilinochchi District. After beingevicted from Iranamadu and Kilinochchi, LTTE militants withdrew to Ramanathpuram where theyhad already made a fortress constructing strong bunkers, training areas, command and logisticpoints and administrative bases. According to the military, Ramnathpuram is the second largestbuilt up other than the Kilinochchi town in the Kilinochchi District and the town area is located about6-10 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 theMuthuiyankaddukulam tank in Mullaitivu District. During subsequent search operations, the troopsrecovered the dead bodies of 19 militants.

Troops of the 59th Division clashed with militants at Puthukkudiyiruppu in the Mullaitivu District andsubsequently 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. Thetroops 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 travellingin 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 movingswiftly towards the outfit's final strongholds, Army chief General Sarath Fonseka said. He alsopredicted 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 dowith cyanide capsules worn around their necks, nor allow himself to be captured like former Iraqipresident Saddam Hussein. Fonseka also said the LTTE now hold an area of 30 kilometres by 15kilometres 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 insidea 35-meter deep bunker in Mullaitivu District, the State radio Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporationsaid.

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

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

SFs neutralised several LTTE hideouts in the areas north of Kalmadukulam tank, west andsoutheast of Udayarkattikkulam tank, northwest and east of Puthukkudiyiruppu, killing an


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unspecified number of militants. Three dead bodies of the militants were subsequently recovered bythe troops from Puthukkudiyiruppu and Udayarkattikkulam areas.

Officials said the morgue in Vavuniya hospital is packed with bodies of slain LTTE militants. Deadbodies of LTTE militants are also reportedly piling up in other hospitals in the region, includingTrincomalee, Mannar and Anuradhapura. More than 75 dead bodies of militants have so far beenburied with the mediation of the ICRC last week. The ICRC resumed its transport duties on January16 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 SriLanka, 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 peoplein Wanni.

January 19 The pro- LTTE Website Tamil Net quoted the outfit's sources as saying that 35 SLA soldiers werekilled and at least 60 others wounded when the outfit's defensive formations clashed with the SLAfor 24 hours in the North-western frontier of the LTTE-held territory till the SLA was pushed backfrom Neththaliyaattuppaalam.

President Mahinda Rajapakse said that military operations in the North are not only to capture theterritory held by the LTTE but also to free people in the areas under LTTE control and reinstatepeace, freedom and democracy to the Tamil people of the North. Addressing a workshop at thePresidential Secretariat, he said the LTTE is now facing a certain defeat and the Government forceswill 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 MullaitivuDistrict, claimed Tamil Net .

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

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

An unnamed senior military official said that speedy moves by the SFs from all fronts haveconfined 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 Visuamadusouth areas inflicting an unspecified number of casualties upon the militants. Several soldiers alsosustained 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 theMullaitivu 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) mainroad from Udayankattu junction to the Yellow Bridge on the south and extends northwards toIruthumadu 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, theGovernment said.

January 22 At least 100 persons were killed in artillery exchanges between military and the LTTE in the last oneweek, a Government official working in the area controlled by the LTTE said. "Around 30 peopledied 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 AgentEmelda Sukumar said.

The Tamil Net claimed that 66 civilians were killed and more than 200 wounded in SLA’s artillery firewithin the last three days in Mullaitivu District. While 16 civilians were killed on January 20, 20others died on January 21 and around 30 more were killed within the past 12 hours of January 22,


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according to the Regional Director of Health Service (under the LTTE administration) for MullaitivuDistrict Dr. Varatharajah.

The Intensive Care Unit and the surgical site of the Mullaitivu hospital, functioning as a makeshifthospital at Wallipuram school, were damaged in SLA’s artillery fire in the night of January 21 and ataround 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 haveseized weapons in the clearing mission that followed.

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

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

The SFs advancing towards Mullaitivu along the southernmost tiny islet of the Chundikulam stripconfronted a pocket of LTTE militants at the Jaffna-Mullaitivu District inflicting heavy casualtiesupon 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 inVavuniya 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 indetention 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 areasfrom the LTTE territory from January 1 to January 21.

Malaysia has sounded an alert for LTTE chief Prabhakaran after reports that he may have enteredthe 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 firedartillery shells targeted Safe Zone areas such as Iruddumadu, Udaiyaarkaddu and Wallipuram in theMullaitivu 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 intemporary settlements of Mullaitivu district killing three civilians and injuring 33 others, the Websiteadded.

The UNICEF called on the LTTE to release thousands of civilians including as many as 75,000children 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 theGovernment 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 -- whilebacking the ongoing humanitarian operations are in constant touch with the Government with thecommon 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 inthe Udaiyaarkaddu area of Mullaitivu District, Tamil Net reported.

January 25 SFs troops captured Mullaitivu Town, the LTTE’s most prestigious military stronghold in the Easterncoast. 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 thisvictory to the nation in the evening in a special message telecast live. "The Tiger stronghold of


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Mullaitivu fell under Security Forces control after 13 years with the 59 Division troops under thecommand of Brigadier Nandana Udawatta entering this strategic stronghold last afternoon", militaryofficials said. The Army last controlled this isolated Army camp located in Mullaitivu in 1996 and itwas overrun by the LTTE on July 18, 1996.

22 civilians were killed and 60 others wounded as SLA continued artillery shelling in variouslocalities, 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 threemilitants. 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 subsequentlyrecovered the dead bodies of three of them.

January 26 More than 300 people were killed and several hundreds injured when the SLA fired artillery shellsinside the Safety Zone declared by the Colombo Government within the last 24 hours, Tamil Netclaimed. The shells mostly exploded in the area three kilometers between VallipunamKaali templeand 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 HealthService Union, said there are nearly 100 health workers being held captive at various places inMullaitivu.

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

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

January 27 Commander of the 59th Division, Brigadier Nandana Udawatta, said that troops advancing from thenorth of Mullaitivu town succeeded in capturing a stretch of two kilometres amidst stiff resistanceby the LTTE. Troops operating in Mullaitivu town also recovered a LTTE defence line whichconsisted 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 theLTTE, Director General of the Media Center for the National Security, Lakshman Hulugalle. Aspecial gazette was issued on January 27, he said.

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

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

The ICRC said a major humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the North as civilians are caught in thecrossfire 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 tothe ICRC, an estimated 250000 people are trapped in a 250 square-kilometre area and they are inneed of protection, medical care and basic assistance.

President Mahinda Rajapakse told the visiting Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjeethat 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 laydown 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 conflictbetween the armed forces and the LTTE.

The LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran is still in Sri Lanka and leading his fighters on the battlefront


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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 beextradited to India but first tried in Sri Lanka on charges of crimes committed by him.

January 28 50 LTTE militants were killed and more than 150 injured during heavy fighting between the troopsand militants in the Udayankattu and Pallaikudiyirippu areas of Mullaitivu District. Four soldiers alsowent missing.

An unspecified number of LTTE militants were killed and several others injured when SFs operatingfrom 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, SFsrecovered 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 squarekilometres. The troops have also gained control of a stretch of 10 kilometers along the road leadingto Chundikkulama via Puliyampokkanai.

The chief of the LTTE unit in Britain helped supply military equipment to the outfit, a London courtheard. Prosecutors alleged that 52-year-old Arunachalam Chrishanthakumar alias A.C. Shanthan ledthe 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 Lankasince the operations to liberate the Northern region began in July 2006, the military said. Over 3700soldiers 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.

January 29 44 civilians were killed and 178 others sustained injuries during SLA's artillery firing targetingcivilians 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 LTTEchief Velupillai Prabhakaran or other senior LTTE leaders.

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

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

The political wing leader of the LTTE, Balasingham Nadesan, said that the outfit has been urgingthe UN, ICRC and other international actors through all available offices to facilitate transportationfor 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.

January 30 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 boatlaunched from Mullaitivu and directed heavy gunfire at it.

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

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

January 31 SFs captured a Black Tiger camp complex in the east of Visuamadu in Mullaitivu District. Ninemortar launchers of five different calibre of 120-mm, 81-mm, 82-mm, 80-mm and 60-mm, six MultiPurpose 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 radioset, thirty five gas masks, 48 helmets, 35 pouches, a large stock of new LTTE uniforms along withthe 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 moveinto safe areas expired in the night of January 31 but the LTTE continued to hold the people ignoring


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the ultimatum. "LTTE terrorists violating the objective of the safe area, moved heavy artillerybatteries and mortar guns over civilians endangering their safety also attempting to draw civiliancasualties in a military retaliation," the Defence Ministry said. Defence sources said the LTTE ismanning 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-controlledterritory. The United Nations estimates some 250,000 civilians are trapped in the battlefield nowlimited to an area of less than 300 square kilometers in the northeast jungles.

January 31-February 1 Tamil Net claimed that 56 civilians were killed between January 31 and February 1 when the SLAfired artillery shells targeting civilian refuges at Moongkilaaru in the Udaiyaarkaddu area within the'safety zone' announced by the Government of Sri Lanka.

February 1 150 SLA soldiers were killed and more than 350 others injured when the defensive formations of theLTTE 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, saidS. Puleedevan, Director of the LTTE Peace Secretariat.

35 LTTE militants were killed in separate clashes between the troops and militants in the MullaitivuDistrict. The day-long fighting erupted between the two sides in the area west of the Nanthikandallagoon and the Udayarkattikkulam near the declared civilian safe zone as troops came under heavyartillery attack from the militants.

The SFs clashed with LTTE militants in the area north of Visuamadu killing at least 11 militants andinjuring 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 anewly established Department of International Relations (DIR). Pathmanathan will be representingthe outfit in any future peace initiatives and will be the primary point of contact for engaging with theinternational 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 tothe letter. The outfit's political wing leader, B. Nadesan, confirmed to Tamil Net that Pathmanathanhas already begun corresponding with international actors.

President Mahinda Rajapakse renewing his call to the LTTE urged them to surrender or face thedanger 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 13th amendment of the constitution.

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

February 2 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 directionstargeting civilian refuges killing or injuring at least 100 civilians. More than 5,000 artillery shells andMulti 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 a25-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 freedomto all our people well within our reach," Rajapakse said in a message to mark the 61 st IndependenceDay that will be celebrated on February 4.

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

Three people were killed and 10 injured when the SLA for the third consecutive day shelled thePuthukkudiyiruppu 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 thefourth consecutive day, this time by a cluster bomb, forcing authorities to evacuate patients from


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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 withauthorities had increased to over 5,000. Ministry sources said 1,000 acres of land had been clearedin Vavuniya to cater to an expected exodus in the coming weeks in addition to the existingfacilities. 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 basicactivities 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 61st Independence Day celebrations, President Mahinda Rajapaksedeclared 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 LankanGovernment 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 thephysical subjugation of the Tamil people by the Sri Lankan state that led to the "advent of Tamilarmed 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 toPuthumalan, 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 comeout of bunkers throughout the day in the Chuthanthirapuram and Iruddumadu areas of MullaitivuDistrict killing 16 people, claimed Tamil Net . Two of the 16 dead bodies of civilians brought tohospital 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 daysof 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 beenable to reduce the coastal area under LTTE control to less than 15 kilometres.

Troops attached to the 57th Division took full control of Visuamadu by capturing the southern part

while the 58th Division captured the northern part. With the capture of Visuamadu and Chalai, theSFs have been able to confine the LTTE to an area less than 200 square kilometres. "In actualterms they have been confined to 16 by 6 kilometres area in the Mullaitivu district," an unnamedmilitary 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 leastseven civilians while injuring 27 others, reported Tamil Net . Two ambulances and the medical storeof 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 2,000wounded within the last three weeks, Tamil Net claimed.

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

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

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,


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Iruddumadu, Udaiyaarkaddu and Theavipuram areas of Mullaitivu, reported Tamil Net .

Troops overran the LTTE’s ‘Radha Regiment’ headquarters at Visuamadu. Military spokesmanBrigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said the ‘Radha Regiment’ was in Theravilkulam, along the A-35 mainroad 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 andThuvarankulam areas. The SFs also captured a LTTE camp in the Thuvarankulam area. Duringsubsequent 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 targetingsoldiers in the Keappaapulavu area, according to February 4 edition of Eezha Naatham, the onlynewspaper printed in LTTE-controlled territory. The Black Tigers rammed an explosives-ladenvehicle 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 remainin the outfit’s force now. He denied that 200,000 civilians are trapped in the LTTE territory which hasnow shrunk to about 160 square kilometres.

The Sri Lanka Army said that the LTTE is now restricted to only 172 square kilometres of land inthe 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 FDLin the south of Puthukkudiyiruppu.

The SLAF said its fighter jets destroyed a hideout of the Sea Tigers chief Soosai located onekilometre northeast of Puthukuduiruppu junction in the Mullaitivu District and claimed that he couldeither have been killed or wounded in the attack. The SLAF spokesperson Janaka Nanayakkarasaid 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 than80 civilians and injuring 200. Most of the casualties were reported along the roads. Further, a shellexploded inside a bunker in Vallipuan, killing three persons and injuring four others. More than 500houses 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 fewminutes 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 boatskilling 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 killingthree of them while injuring three others.

The Sri Lankan military claimed that over 10,000 civilians trapped in the war zone have crossedover 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-clearedareas blew herself up at Sugandirapuram in the Mullaitivu District, killing 28 people and injuringmore than 60 others. Among the dead were 20 SF personnel and eight civilians. 24 soldiers wereamong the 60 injured persons. The bomber, who had come with around 1,000 displaced civiliansfrom un-cleared areas of Mullaitivu, blew herself up when a woman soldier tried to body check her ata 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 LTTEmaintains a hostile approach towards the exodus of civilians from the Wanni region and thecasualties caused by it is under-reported. "The surge of civilians leaving the conflict zone,


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numbering in excess of 20,000, is encouraging even though the LTTE regrettably maintains ahostile 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 aspecial statement to the media, Karuna said that he will obtain the SLFP membership within thenext three weeks and could convert all offices of his political party in the Trincomalee, Batticaloaand Ampara Districts as SLFP offices.

The LTTE militants triggered a pressure mine explosion targeting a team of STF members travellingon 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 womenand 28 children, were wounded as the LTTE militants opened fire on a group of civilians fleeing theoutfit-held areas of Puthukkudiyiruppu in the Mullaitivu District.

SFs captured the Western part of Kuruwilkulam in the Mullaitivu District following clashes thatcommenced 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 to96 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 completedeliberations 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 theGovernment.

February 11 The SFs killed eight LTTE militants in the Thuvarankulam and surrounding areas of MullaitivuDistrict.

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

The Government said that over 32,500 civilians out of the total population of 113, 832 in theMullaitivu 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 50million 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 andSouth 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, theDefence ministry said. "Snipers deployed in the forward areas confirmed shooting down 23 terroristsat 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 theSFs 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 thewestern boundary of the Mullaitivu lagoon on humanitarian grounds to rescue civilians trapped bythe LTTE in Mullaitivu.

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

The Eastern Province Chief Minister and TMVP leader Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan said


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civilians who fled the East due to the conflict are being resettled in a two stage process. He alsosaid 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 MullaitivuDistrict, 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 atTheavipuram and Valipunam areas of Mullaitivu District.

The Government has cancelled with immediate effect the radio transmission licence issued (onNovember 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 adecade. The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mahinda Balasooriya, who visited the arearecently, said the Kilinochchi Police station is the first of 20 Police stations scheduled to beestablished in Wanni.

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

February 14 16 civilians, most of them belonging to three families, were killed in an artillery attack by the SLA atIranaippaalai, located between the new and old safety zones, in the Mullaitivu District, reportedTamil 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 killedmore than 12 STF commandos, including an officer, at a site where preparations were being madeto lay the foundation stone for a Buddhist Vihara.

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

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

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

The ruling United People's Freedom Alliance secured a majority in the Central Provincial Councilelections 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 innocentcivilians until the military captures him, revealed two Black Tigers to the Army. In an interview withSunday Observer , they said that Prabhakaran’s son Charles Anthony was commanding their forceswith other prominent LTTE leaders like Banu and Lakshman.

February 16 Three workers attached to Karaithuraippattu Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society were killed insidethe Theavipuram area of Mullaitivu District.

Tamil Net claimed that about 275 civilians are feared dead since February 14 and the roads remaincontinuously 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 hishardcore followers at a beach in Mullaitivu District if the Sri Lankan armed forces close in on hislast 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 weregreasing their weapons, wrapping them up in polythene and burying them deep in jungles, as theydid in the East in 2006-7 and after the India-Sri Lankan Accord in 1987.

February 17 The SLA launched indiscriminate artillery attack into the newly announced safety zone killing atleast 108 civilians and injuring more than 200, claimed Tamil Net . The artillery attack targetedMaaththalan, Pokkanai and Mullivaaykkaal areas.


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

The SFs entered the Puthukuduiruppu West area of Mullaitivu District confining the LTTE to lessthan 80 square kilometres area. The SFs have reportedly taken complete control of the previous 'NoFire Zone' declared by the Army after thousands of civilians moved out of the area once the Armydeclared the new safe areas in the coastal belt in the north of Mullaitivu. The SFs also recoveredthe 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 ashuman 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 andMember of Parliament, R. Sampanthan, claimed that nearly 350,000 civilians are still trapped in theoutfit held areas of Mullaitivu. He also claimed that nearly 2,000 innocent civilians have been killedand another 4,500 injured since December 2008.

Minister Dinesh Gunawardene told Parliament that 60,088 families have been displaced in theEastern 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 TMVPand 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 internationalNGOs in the country involved in humanitarian assistance and human rights promotion.

February 18 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 12:50pm, 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 searchoperation 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 thatcould have been experimented by the LTTE, apparently for their clandestine aerial operations, wererecovered from the newly captured areas of Vaddakkachchi.

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

February 19 24 civilians were killed in the SLA artillery attack in the Puthukkudiyiruppu area of MullaitivuDistrict, reports Tamil Net .

10 civilians were killed and 70 injured in the Iranaippaalai, Aananthapuram and Valaignarmadamvillages 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 afternoonand by evening the troops entered the Ampalavanpokkanai town. During a search operationfollowing clashes between the two sides, the SFs recovered the dead bodies of three LTTEmilitants along with seven T-56 weapons and three I-com sets from the Puthukkudiyiruppu westarea.

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

February 20 70 civilians were injured when the SLA launched artillery attack targeting civilians within the 'safezone' and the adjoining areas in Wanni, claims Tamil Net . 13 of the 70 wounded civilians died later.


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

Troops captured Ampalavanpokkanai village in the Mullaitivu District after a fierce battle with theLTTE. 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 Katunayakefollowing an attempt by the outfit to bomb Colombo city. However, one of the aircrafts managed todrop 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.

February 21 33 civilians were killed and 73 wounded when the SLA fired artillery shells towards the Safety Zoneat Valaignarmadam, Mullivaaykkaal and Pokkaani in the Mullaitivu District.

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

The LTTE said that the February 20 air strikes carried out by it over capital Colombo were suicideattacks 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.

February 21-22 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 onFebruary 22.

February 22 20 civilians were killed and 60 others wounded in the Iranaippaalai, Aananthapuram andPuthukkudiyiruppu 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 thecleared areas during the past few weeks and surrendered to the military. Army SpokesmanBrigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said that 20 out of these 250 identified as hardcore fighters werereferred 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-chairscountries saying that "when a permanent political solution is reached for the Tamil people, with thesupport and the guarantee of the international community, the situation will arise where there will beno need for the arms of the LTTE".

Member of Parliament Vinayagamoorthy Muraleetharan alias 'Colonel' Karuna Amman has putforward three main conditions, including the halt of government-sponsored colonization programmesin 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'saircraft, 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 havethree aircrafts. The defence authorities had claimed that the SLAF destroyed the first aircraft onSeptember 9, 2008 when the LTTE carried out an air and ground attack on the air force base inVavuniya.

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

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

February 23 SFs reached closer to Puthukkudiyiruppu town, the outfit's last stronghold, and regained a sectionof the earth bund in the Kombavil area of Mullaitivu District. Following a fierce battle, troopsrecovered 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, officialssaid. Sugeeswara Senadheera, Minister Counsellor at the Sri Lankan embassy in Paris, said that allof them were LTTE members.


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

February 24 SFs entered Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullaitivu District, the last town under LTTE's control, followingfierce 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 atPuthumaaththalan, 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-clearedareas (areas not under Government control) managed to escape and reached the naval troops in thePalamoddai area of Vavuniya District.

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

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

February 25 45 civilians were killed and several others wounded in continued military offensive in the MullaitivuDistrict, 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 theRecruitment of Children for Use in Armed Conflict". The Presidential Secretariat said as per reportsbefore 2003, nearly 60 per cent or 8,500 of the 14,000 LTTE fighting cadre were children under 18years. "These were often referred to as the LTTE's 'Baby Brigade'. There was more reliableinformation 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 recruited3,809 boys and 2,478 girls. There are claims that 2059 such children, or those recruited as children,

have been released, which requires verification.

February 26 30 civilians were killed and several others wounded in continued military offensive in the MullaitivuDistrict, Tamil Net reported. Two of the victims were killed within the 'safety zone' in artilleryshelling.

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

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 February20. The Media and Information Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said that he is alleged to havehelped the LTTE in its suicide air mission. Police said Vidyatharan's telephone had been used tomake 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.

February 27 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 weeksas the Army closes in on the LTTE-held territory, the UNHCR said. Aid agencies estimate 200,000people are trapped in a narrow 12-kilometres (7.5-mile) war zone on the north-eastern coast, wherethe military has cornered the LTTE.


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February 27-28 20 LTTE militants were killed as fierce fighting erupted between the troops and the militants inMullaitivu District in the night of February 27 and morning of February 28. The troops on February28 stormed the LTTE earth bund in Palamattalan following heavy fighting in the area since February27. Troops also captured the two kilometres long earth bund and a bunker line across the land stripand engaged a fleet of 20 Sea Tiger boats on reinforcement destroying all of them with the militantsonboard. A suicide boat was also destroyed by the ground troops as it came towards the troopsoperating in the lagoon front. The ground troops foiled more than 15 counter attacks by the LTTEkilling more than 20 militants.

February 28 Around 40 people are reported to have died in SLA artillery attack and SLAF bombardment in theMullaitivu 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 theground as fighting continued in Puthukkudiyiruppu.

March 1 Around 37 civilians were reportedly killed in SLA artillery attack and SLAF bombardment in theMullaitivu District.

20 militants were killed as the SFs foiled a LTTE sea attack by destroying three boats in thePuthukkudiyiruppu 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 'nofire zone' in the region. Intercepted LTTE communication confirmed heavy damages to the outfitand the ministry added that senior LTTE leaders, including Soosai and Lawrence, had commandedthe 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 abductchildren from the No Fire Zone.

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

The A-9 main highway was re-opened by the SFs after almost 23 years. The MCNS said thatfollowing 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 civilianmovement since the SFs and few Non-Government Organizations are currently de-mining someareas surrounding the highway. The A-9 highway had been closed for the last two decades for civilians as some s

Srilanka Timeline 2009

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