In brief
Defeat
The government was defeated in Parliament on 5 April on a resolution tabled by Lands minister DM Jayaratne to dissolve the Paddy Marketing Board, set-up in 1971 to assist farmers.
Strike
Fishermen in the coastal town of Nagapatanam in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu began a strike on 30 April after the Sri Lankan Navy shot dead three Tamil Nadu fishermen in the Palk Strait a day earlier.
Commuted
In April, Tamil Nadu Governor Fatima Bibi commuted the death sentence of Nalini, the only woman among the four people given the death penalty in the Rajiv Gandhi murder case, to life imprisonment. On 2 May, the Madras High Court released five Sri Lankans and Indians charged with the bombing of Meenambakkam airport in 1984 killing 30 civilians. Life sentences were overturned for lack of evidence.
Release
The LTTE released sailor Jayaratne Banda on 10 April in Mullaitivu. Mr Banda was one of eight crew members of the passenger ferry Iris Moana hijacked by Tigers on 28 August 1995 with 144 people on board.
Postponed
The Sri Lanka Paris Aid Group meeting scheduled for 29 May was postponed indefinitely, following the fall of Elephant Pass.
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