Tamil Bishop Thomas Savundaranayagam has visited the civil war’s final battlefield for the first time since the fighting ended, and said rebuilding lives and churches in the area was an “unbearable burden” on the people there. The bishop is the first to be allowed to visit the war zone after fighting ended last May. The government still prohibits civilians, UN agencies, NGOs and the media from visiting the area. Bishop Savundaranayagam, visibly shaken by his unpublicized visit to the war zone on Jan. 29, described the chaos he found there, particularly in the Catholic fishing village of Mathalan on the east coast. “Devastation is everywhere” and threatens our people’s future, he said. [ Full Report ]

    The Government Agent of Mullaiththeevu, Imelda Sukumar, on Sunday reportedly told a section of the uprooted Tamils of Vanni sheltered at the internment camp situated at "Sahanagama" in Pulmoaddai that the town of Mullaiththeevu has been declared High Security Zone by the Sri Lankan military, dashing any hope of resettlement in the coastal township of Vanni. Hundreds of Tamils captured by the Sri Lankan military are kept in the centre. Ms. Imelda Sukumar spoke to the IDPs and recorded their grievances and urgent needs. "We cannot resettle IDPs of Mullaiththeevu in their original places. The District Secretariat office is also to be relocated in Maangku'lam," media reports quoted the GA as saying. [ Full Report ]

    Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on Saturday attacked the makeshift hospital twice killing 64 patients and their relatives and causing injuries to 87. Two artillery shells fired by the SLA hit the hospital at Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal around 9:00 a.m. killing 23 and maiming 34 and later at 10:30 a.m. killing 41 and maiming 53. The attack has come after the Sri Lankan military was provided with exact coordinates of the hospital premises through the ICRC three days ago when the hospital was attacked last time, a medical staff who coordinates with the ICRC told TamilNet. [ Full Report ]

    Sri Lanka’s army said it captured more territory from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam as the government’s deadline passed for the rebels to surrender. Soldiers took control of areas near the northeastern port of Mullaitivu after opening a safe route yesterday that allowed about 49,000 civilians to leave, the government said today. “No rebels have surrendered,” Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, a military spokesman, said in a telephone interview from the capital, Colombo, today. “The army has captured more territory and the humanitarian operation to rescue civilians is on and we will not stop it.” [ Full Report ]

    Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tiger rebels traded blame on Tuesday over combat during a two-day holiday fighting pause, which the separatist rebels said fell short of the full ceasefire they are demanding. The LTTE Peace Secretariat, in an e-mailed statement, said Rajapaksa's call was "merely an act of hoodwinking". "We consider this ceasefire announcement of (the) Sri Lanka government as a two-day holiday opportunity availed to its servicemen," it said. "The Sinhala Forces are continuing to target the civilian population with their bombs and guns." [ Full Report ]

    A partner NGO supported by Christian Aid UK-Ireland has gathered stories from people living in the "welfare centres" in northern Sri Lanka. Here are their accounts: "There are many sad stories in the camp - so many people have been separated and everyone is longing to see the faces of their family members." "My neighbour, who is mother of seven children and eight month pregnant, had been running along with us. In the second hideout where some of our village people were hiding, she lost three children from bombing. We do not know who was responsible. It was so horrid to hear her pain of losing her three children. She was telling us that she did not even cry that much when her ailing husband died." [ Full Report ]

    Sri Lanka's military on Thursday said it has one kilometer left to go before trapping the Tamil Tigers separatists in a no-fire zone, along with thousands of civilians at grave risk in the 25-year war's final act. President Rajapaksa invited members of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to talks this week. But the LTTE-allied TNA on Thursday told a press conference they would not talk with Rajapaksa until the civilian crisis was resolved. "Any political discussions, to be purposeful and meaningful, must follow such resolution," TNA leader R. Sampanthan said. He said 40-50 civilians were being killed daily by artillery and air attacks. The government denies attacking civilians. [ Full Report ]

    Prabhakaran is alive and leading the war in Sri Lanka – the LTTE's political wing chief Nadesan tells CNN-IBN in an exclusive e-mail interview. He also says the LTTE doesn’t consider India its enemy. The source of strength and security for India's southern flank is intertwined with the political stability and security of Eelam Tamils said Nadesan. Eelam Tamils sincerely appreciate the solidarity of all the people of Tamil Nadu. The strength of Eelam Tamils today is the support of the people of Tamil Nadu and the entire Tamil diaspora he said. [ Full Report ]

    All surgeries have stopped at a makeshift hospital in Sri Lanka's war zone due to a lack of basic supplies such as anesthetic and blood bags, according to a government health official. Dr Thurairaja Varatharajah said on Sunday that four civilians died in the hospital the previous day from injuries, while 48 others were awaiting treatment. He said he had sent a report to the government pleading for supplies. "We don't have bandages or gauze, we tear up bed sheets to bind the wounds and use palm sticks to support fractures. We are in need of a quick supply," Varatharajah said. [ Full Report ]

    Early Monday, the rebels' small naval wing sent 15 vessels — including four suicide craft — into the water under cover of heavy mortar fire to attack Sri Lankan forces, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. Government troops destroyed two boats and damaged a third, the statement said. It did not elaborate on what happened to the rest of the vessels. The report could not be verified because independent journalists are barred from the war zone. The rebels could not be contacted for comment. [ Full Report ]

    A ferry flying the flag of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is currently evacuating about 240 patients from Putumattalan to Trincomalee. They had fled Puthukkudiyiruppu Hospital in the northern Vanni region on 4 February after it sustained repeated shelling. The patients are expected to arrive in Trincomalee this evening and receive medical treatment. The operation started after both parties had granted safe passage. Civil authorities, medical staff, the fishermen's union and church representatives are also actively supporting the evacuation. An additional 160 patients still in Putumattalan should be evacuated on 11 February. [ Full Report ]

    The conflict in northern Sri Lanka has affected some 200,000 civilians in the Vanni. The majority have fled their homes, while others are at risk of displacement in this volatile situation. Many have not been able to talk to their families in recent days and weeks. Monica Zanarelli, the ICRC’s deputy head of operations for South Asia, explains the organization's efforts to re-establish family links in an extremely volatile situation. [ Full Report ]

    The streets of Mullaittivu -- patrolled by rebels last week -- were empty yesterday except for stray dogs, abandoned cows and a few government soldiers. The Tamil Tigers deserted the last major town under their control as Sri Lankan soldiers swept into the area pushing the insurgents and thousands of residents into the nearby jungle and villages -- the only remnants of the separatists' once substantial shadow state. But even with the rebels on the brink of defeat in the 25-year-old civil war, fighting still rages. Health officials said that many civilians have been killed or wounded in recent fighting and hundreds of thousands of displaced residents are at risk. [ Full Report ]

    The official/legal representatives of the government the Government Agents of Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi have left the area and these areas are in anarchy. There were no veracious sources for news of the situation. AP also indicated that independent accounts of the fighting were not available because journalists were barred from the war zone by Gothabaya Rajapakse the Government of SriLanka (GSL) defence secretary and a US green Card holder. Press Gag indeed in order to keep this violation of Human Rights reaching the conscientious community of the world at large. [ Full Report ]

    While the Sri Lankan army has announced the capture of Mullaitivu, the last bastion of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the plight of more than 250,000 civilians caught in the fighting continues to be as grim as that of civilians in Gaza, say those involved in humanitarian work. Peter Balleis, international director of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS),... "Around 300,000 people, that is two-thirds of the civilian population, have been forced out of their homes and are living in camps in areas controlled by the LTTE. They are trapped in (an area) not more than 50 sq km, the size of Gaza,’’ Balleis said. [ Full Report ]

    Tamil Tiger rebels used explosives to blast through the walls of a reservoir on Saturday in an attempt to stall advancing Sri Lankan government troops, the military said. On Saturday, Tamil guerrillas used explosives to destroy the walls of Kalmadukulam reservoir ``in a desperate attempt'' to stall a military advance on rebel-held Visuamdu, located in Mullaittivu district, the military said. Two villages were flooded as a result. Details of damage caused by flooding were not immediately available and it was not possible to independently verify the military's claims, as journalists have been banned from the war zone. [ Full Report ]

    Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Sea Tigers attacked a convoy of Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) off the coast of Mullaiththeevu, sinking a Super Dvora Fast Attack Craft Monday around 11:30 p.m., LTTE officials told media. A flotilla of Sea Tigers intercepted a convoy of SLN Dvora FACs. Fierce sea battle ensued. One Super Dvora FAC was sunk by Black Sea Tigers, according to the LTTE. [ Full Report ]

    Tens of thousands of people are on the run because of fighting between troops and Tamil rebels in northern Sri Lanka where civilians have no safe passage, the Red Cross said Friday. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was "extremely concerned" that the warring parties had not agreed on a safe route for civilians since January 9. "This has put at risk the lives of patients who cannot receive suitable treatment on the spot and therefore need to be transferred to Vavuniya Hospital, in government-controlled territory," the ICRC said in a statement. It said there had been a "massive displacement" of civilians -- many of them having already been forced to move numerous times -- who were increasingly seeking the safety of government-controlled areas. [ Full Report ]

    Heavy fighting is reported around the sole remaining Tamil Tiger stronghold of Mullaitivu in Sri Lanka as the army presses ahead with its offensive. The defence ministry said troops had captured one "administration base" with jets bombing jungle hideouts. Rebel sources have not commented on the claim, but say civilians have been wounded by artillery fire. The army is pressing ahead after capturing the rebel HQ of Kilinochchi and the strategic Elephant Pass. [ Full Report ]

    Many civilians were wounded Tuesday morning when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery guns targeted civilian settlements on all fronts of Vanni. A 38-year-old woman was killed and six wounded around 10:00 a.m., when Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital premises and its environs came under artillery fire. Meanwhile, four civilians, including 2 children of the same family, were killed in Visuvamadu. 2 more civilians were reported killed on Monday in Vaddakkachchi. More than 20 civilians have been wounded so far on Tuesday in the indiscriminate bombardment. [ Full Report ]

    Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells killed four displaced civilians, including the parents and the daughter of a family, residing in the settlement located behind the hospital of Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullaiththeevu district Saturday night, according to medical sources. Two of the killed victims were 17-year-old students. Four civilians, including a 5-year-old child were wounded in the indiscriminate artillery attack. Meanwhile, artillery barrage on Vaddakkachchi and Pu'liyampokka'nai in Ki'linochchi district continued, disrupting the access roads for civilians to move away from the areas that have come under artillery barrage. [ Full Report ]

    The Sri Lanka Army fired artillery shells targeting Tharmapuram Junction, the remaining centre of displaced civilians in Vanni killing at least four and causing injuries to many around 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, after artillery shelling killed three, including a child in Vaddakkachchi. The attack has targeted Tharmapuram Junction, which is located 75 meters from the hospital. Tension and chaos prevailed in the hospital, which was full of the wounded civilians, as they were forced to seek shelter from the artillery barrage. [ Full Report ]

    Battle tanks rumbled north, attack helicopters flew overheard and artillery fire roared through the jungles as Sri Lankan forces pushed ahead Sunday with an offensive aimed at capturing the Tamil Tigers' last strongholds and crushing the rebel group. Two days after the military seized the rebels' administrative capital of Kilinochchi, the government led a victory tour of the newly seized areas in the north, providing journalists a rare glimpse of the war zone and the damage left behind. [ Full Report ]

    Mullaivalai in the Mullaithivu district is the latest target of the SLA tactic of deliberate shelling into civilian areas to force them to displace. On 6 December at 3.30pm, artillery fire hit the Mulliavalai Vidhyananda College, one of the larger schools in Mullaithivu with an enrollment in excess of 1000 students. The largest building in the school sustained damages and three more houses next to it were also totally destroyed. The school is in end of year recess and thus there were no one at the school. The school was to be major center for the GCE OL examination that started today but was shifted due to the shelling. [ Full Report ]

    Sri Lankan Metrological Department said possible cyclone to East part of Sri Lanka within next few hours. At the moment it is 600 Km away from Batticaloa. The depression which was in the Central Bay of Bengal has intensified in to a Tropical Cyclone. Fairly strong winds and thunder showers expected areas of Northern, North Central and Eastern areas. Showers or thunder showers can be expected at times elsewhere too. Rough seas are also expected in the sea areas off Eastern and Northeastern coasts. [ Full Report ]