SL military sends back officials inspecting illegal encroachment of pasturelands

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 September 2013, 23:29 GMT]
A team of civil officials and affected Tamil farmers, who went to witness illegal encroachment of pasturelands were blocked and sent back by the occupying Sri Lankan military in Koara’laip-pattu South and Ma’nmunai West divisions last week, news reports in Batticaloa said. The SL police was accompanying the visiting officials when the team was blocked by the SL military.
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Muslim village seized for Sinhalicisation in Ki’n’niyaa, Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 September 2013, 06:23 GMT]
After keeping the Muslim residents of K'andal-kaadu village in Ki'n'niyaa division of Trincomalee district as uprooted people since 1990 and sabotaging their resettlement efforts after the war, the occupying SL military and Police are now blocking the villagers even from entering their village. The entire village and its paddy fields overgrown with bushes, is now being appropriated to construct a Sinhala settlement, complain the Muslim villagers who possess legal documents provided to them under the British rule. The Eastern Province Chief Minister, who is a Muslim from Ki'n'niyaa, has also failed to secure their village back to them, they say.
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Colombo deploys ‘military land-surveyors’ to seize more lands in Pulmoaddai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 September 2013, 23:41 GMT]
The occupying Sri Lankan military is seizing more lands in Pulmoaddai, a traditional Muslim village in the coast along the border of the Northern and Eastern provinces. In its latest move, the SL military has surveyed 60 acres of lands situated in front of an army camp at 14th Mile Post. Openly claiming that the lands are being taken over for the families of Sri Lankan soldiers under the so-called ‘Ranaviru Gammanaya’ project, the SL military has deployed its own surveyors without the knowledge of the Department of Civil Survey and the Divisional Secretary of the division, civil sources in Trincomalee told TamilNet.
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‘Tamils vote in NPC not a legitimation of unitary Sri Lanka’: Tamil Nadu activist

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 September 2013, 23:43 GMT]
Arguing that the Northern Provincial Council elections was not conducted for the interests of the Eezham Tamil nation but rather was coordinated by the US-Indian establishments for diverting the attention of the world from the genocide taking place, Umar, activist with the May 17 Movement, stated that the vote of the Eezham Tamils for the TNA was cast against the genocidal Sri Lankan state. Without considering this, some are interpreting the vote as being against the demand of Tamil Eelam and a legitimation of unitary Sri Lanka. In an interview to TamilNet, he further said a political solution can be arrived at only through a referendum amongst the Eezham Tamils in the island, in Tamil Nadu and the diaspora, referring to the overwhelming mandate for the Vaddukkoaddai resolution given by the diaspora in 2010.
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Navi Pillay's oral update, a gross betrayal of Tamils: Prof Ramasamy

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 September 2013, 09:24 GMT]
The United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner Navanetham Pillay, in her latest oral update to the UN Human Rights Council is more concerned with whitewashing the Sri Lankan government than looking at the tragic situation of Tamils, writes Malaysia’s Penang State Deputy Chief Minister Professor P. Ramasamy, in an article sent to TamilNet on Thursday. “I think that the report should be more appropriately entitled ‘Strengthening Democracy in Sri Lanka’. In essence, close reading of the report in its entirety will reveal that she picked her words carefully to drive home the point that her main interest in Sri Lanka is not about inquiring into gross violation of human rights against Tamils, but to strengthen democracy and human rights in Sri Lanka. Tamils are not given prominence in the report. In fact, Tamils are treated just like another minority in the country, he further writes.
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Chidambaram harps on PC while Colombo’s SC rules against land powers

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 September 2013, 15:26 GMT]
While the New Delhi Establishment’s Finance Minister and one in the coterie that steered the course of the genocidal war in the island, Mr P. Chidambaram on Monday was harping on working for a ‘permanent solution’ based on the 13th Amendment and ‘improving’ upon it, genocidal Colombo’s Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against the land powers of the Provincial Councils. The bench included Colombo’s current Chief Justice Mohan Peiris. Earlier, another Chief Justice Sarath Silva ruled against the unification of the North and East, effected through the Indo-Lanka Accord and the 13A.
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Ex Indian health minister tells UN to investigate Tamil genocide

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 September 2013, 14:03 GMT]
New Delhi’s former Health Minister, Dr. Anpumani Ramadoss revealed to the UNHRC on Tuesday about a serious genocidal crime, demographic genocide through forced sterilisation and abortions that is being carried by the Sri Lankan State on Eezham Tamils. He was citing recent reports of local human rights groups and a 2007 Wikileaks document of the US State Department. Saying that as a physician and former health minister of India he was outraged, he called upon the UNHRC to establish an independent, international commission of inquiry to investigate Sri Lanka’s past and present war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide against Tamils.
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New Delhi mission in Jaffna launches war crimes defender’s poetry projection

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 September 2013, 13:14 GMT]
New Delhi’s Deputy High Commission in Jaffna will be launching on Monday an anthology of poetry, “Mirrored Images”, compiled by Prof Rajiva Wijesinha, said a press note from the diplomatic mission on Wednesday. Prof Rajiva Wijesinha has gone on record on several occasions in internationally defending the Rajapaksa regime from war crimes accusations. He was often seen coming out with blatant denials of the war crimes committed by the Sri Lankan State. The National Book Trust of India entrusted the editorship of the book to Prof Wijesinha and according to him, the anthology “contributes to the development of a common Sri Lankan identity.” The anthology was first released by New Delhi’s External affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, followed by Colombo’s missions in Canada.
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Pillay ‘balances’ crimes of genocide with crimes of bad governance

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 September 2013, 16:30 GMT]
“Four years since the end of the war, the military presence in the north remains considerable,” said UN Human Rights High Commissioner Navanetham Pillay in her update to the UN Human Rights Commission on Wednesday. Stating that she is convinced that the continued attention of the Human Rights Council to the human rights situation in Sri Lanka remains critically important and will be making recommendations in March on appropriate ways it could continue that engagement, Ms Pillay in her oral update following her visit to North and East, gave equal importance to Colombo's bad governance issues in the South, demanding results on both fronts. In the meantime, Tamil Human Rights activists in the island commented that the High Commissioner was shielding the crimes of genocide by ‘balancing’ these crimes against humanity with the crimes of ‘bad governance’ in the South.
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TID summons TNPF General Secretary Kajendren for investigations

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 September 2013, 00:50 GMT]
The General Secretary of the Tamil National Peoples' Front (TNPF) and former Tamil parliamentarian from Jaffna, Mr Selvarajah Kajendren, has been instructed over the phone by Sri Lanka's Terrorist Investigation Department (TID) to come for an inquiry on Wednesday at the TID office situated on Naavalar Road in Jaffna city, informed sources said adding that many human rights activists, journalists and student leaders have been ‘invited’ over the phone for such investigations in recent times. Mr Kajendren said he is being asked to come for such investigations for the 5th time in recent times.
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UXO claims life of 30-year-old man in Jaffna, 2 boys wounded

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 September 2013, 23:48 GMT]
A 30-year-old man was killed and two 17-year-old boys were seriously wounded on Tuesday around 10:30 a.m., at former Forward Defence Line in Mukamaalai in Jaffna. Mr Suthaharan Atputharasa, who was driving the tractor, was killed on the spot. The tragic blast comes after the UN office for humanitarian de-mining coordination in Jaffna has been closed down and the remaining humanitarian agencies involved in de-mining are under pressure to wind up their activities before the end of this year. The occupying SL military, which is converting the former High Security Zones (HSZ) into Sinhala Military Zones (SMZ), is in control of the entire process of de-mining.
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SL operatives step up psy-ops war on Tamil political activists in North

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 September 2013, 20:27 GMT]
Following the defeat of Colombo's UPFA in the Northern Provincial Council election, Sri Lankan military intelligence and paramilitary operatives have stepped up a systematic campaign of harassments through threatening telephone calls, diverted and intercepted phone calls and various other forms of harassments on the supporters of Tamil National Alliance, news sources in Jaffna and Vanni said. Reports of similar threats were also on the rise in the Jaffna peninsula on Monday and Tuesday.
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SLFP, EPDP operatives threaten TNA candidates, voters

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 September 2013, 23:41 GMT]
A group of operatives affiliated with a Sri Lankan minister, attempted to assault Doctor G Gunaseelan, who is an elected member of the new Northern Provincial Council, representing Tamil National Alliance in Mannaar. The attack took place on Sunday evening around 5:00 p.m. A clash ensued between his supporters and Colombo’s UPFA ‘supporters’ while they crossed the main road to reach their village of Thoaddave’li after visiting Thaazhvup-paadu villagers. Meanwhile, there were widespread reports in the islets off Jaffna that EPDP operatives, visiting village to village, were harassing the TNA supporters.
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Preferential votes for Jaffna district released

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 September 2013, 12:10 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) chief minister candidate Mr CV Wigneswaran polled 132,255 preferential votes. Ms Ananthi Sasitharan topped among the other candidates polling 87,870 preferential votes. Next to them were Mr Tharmalingam Sitharthan (39,715 votes), Mr Arnold Emmanuel (26,780) and Mr CVK Sivagnanam (26,747). TNA's Parliamentary Group leader R. Sampanthan told media in Jaffna that the provincial government, which would be convened under the leadership of Mr Wigneswaran would soon announce its future plans. On UPFA side, EPDPs Jaffna district organiser Kamalendran Kandasami has polled 13,632 and SLFP district organiser Ankayan Ramanathan received 10,034 votes.
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North decisively rejects Colombo rule

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 September 2013, 21:41 GMT]
More than 67% of the voters, who have cast their votes in the NPC elections on Saturday were overwhelmingly (78%) in favour of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and have categorically rejected Colombo’s political parties. Despite all manipulations, the TNA has secured 84% of polled votes in Jaffna, 81% of votes in Ki’linochchi, 78% in Mullaith-theevu, 66% in Vavuniyaa and 62% in Mannaar polling divisions, according to the official results released Sunday noon. The TNA has secured 30 seats, including 2 bonus seats, of the 38-seat NPC. Colombo's UPFA, mainly represented by Douglas Devananda's EPDP, secured 7 seats and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress received 1 seat. Despite demographic manipulations, threats, intimidations and the psy-ops war waged by the occupying SL military, the people have been firm in passing their message, political observers in Jaffna said.
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Voters’ attendance in Jaffna reached 50% at 2:00 p.m.

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 September 2013, 10:38 GMT]
Despite the psy-ops manipulations and various harassments by the occupying SL military in at several places of Jaffna peninsula, the participation of people in the provincial council election in Jaffna peninsula has reached almost 50% by 2:00 p.m., independent election monitors told media. A Tamil National Alliance politician and deputy chairman of Chaavakachcheari Pirathesa Chapai (PS), was almost abducted and tortured by the intelligence operatives of the SL military near a voting booth in Thenmaraadchi and when fellow TNA supporters came in a vehicle to his rescue, those who had abducted the TNA politician escaped into the SLA 52-4 Brigade command base at Vara’ni in Jaffna. Following this, a group of SL soldiers who came from the camp opened fire. The vehicle of TNA supporters has sustained heavy damage in the firing.
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Uthayan faked, SL forces focus on targeting Ananthi on election day

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 September 2013, 07:18 GMT]
While the Indian media, The Hindu and The Times of India, highlight NPC chief minister candidate Mr CV Wigneswaran condemning the call for Tamil Eelam and the call for boycotting the CHOGM meet, the focus of genocidal Colombo seems to be on targeting Ms Ananthi Sasitharan, the Tamil homeland-based candidate, who has become popular among the people. On the morning of Saturday, which is election day, the popular daily in the North, Uthayan, was faked and in its name, a newspaper was circulated saying that Ms Ananthi has joined the Colombo government. The fake paper cited Mavai Senathirajah. Meanwhile, news reports from several parts of the North said that the occupying SL forces are intimidating and preventing Tamils from voting. In Mullaiththeevu, a voting booth captured by Sinhalese prevented local Tamils from voting. Despite the odds, people are seen actively engaged in voting.
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Washington film fest features Sri Lanka massacre, No Fire Zone

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 September 2013, 11:59 GMT]
"Please join us for our Pulitzer Center film festival featuring the beautifully crafted and heart-wrenching film, “No Fire Zone.” Carefully evidenced and powerfully measured, "No Fire Zone" is a feature length film about the final months of the 26 year long Sri Lankan civil war told by the people who lived through it. It is a meticulous and chilling expose of some of the worst war crimes and crimes against humanity of recent times - told through the extraordinary personal stories of a small group of characters and also through some of the most dramatic and disturbing video evidence of the conflict ever recorded," a publicity note ussed by the Pulitzer Center Film festival organizers said.
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TNA, CaFFE urge people to vote amid attacks, false propaganda

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 September 2013, 11:00 GMT]
The National organizer for Campaign for Free and Fair Election (CaFFE), condemned the widespread involvement of the Sri Lanka military in the Provincial Council elections in Jaffna, and urged the voters the urgent necessity to attend the polling booths without fail to cast their votes. The CaFFE official said that the Elections are a civil activity and only the Police and not the military has the authority to maintain peace and the rule of law. The official also condemned the attack by the military on eight supporters of the TNA candidates and an election monitor on the eve of the election to create a fear psychosis in an attempt to interfere with the election outcome.
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SL military attacks Ananthi's residence in Jaffna, 8 wounded

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 September 2013, 19:35 GMT]
Eight persons, including an election monitor, Lawyer Sugas of PAFFREL, were brutally attacked by the occupying SL military in Jaffna, which besieged the residence of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) woman candidate Ms Ananthi Sasistharan at Araali in Jaffna in the early hours of Friday. Ms Ananthi narrowly escaped from the assault as her supporters had managed to send her away over the wall of the residence as the military rounded up her residence. The Sri Lankan soldiers were searching for her with the intention of physically harming her, those who were present at the residence told media and the election monitors. An independent election monitoring group, CaFFE, has openly stated that the SL military was behind the attack. The public, TNA members and election monitors of various groups are visiting the house of Ms Ananthi on Friday, witnessing the shocking attack.
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Rajapaksa-allied squad brutally attacks two independent candidates in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 September 2013, 19:17 GMT]
Two candidates of an independent group, contesting the provincial council elections in Jaffna district under Padlock symbol, were brutally attacked in the early hours of Thursday allegedly by EPDP operatives with the facilitation of the occupying Sri Lankan military at Ma'ndaitheevu junction while they were returning from the islets towards Jaffna city. The driver of the three-wheeler in which they were travelling, escaped by jumping into the sea, while the candidates were brutally attacked. The three-wheeler was set on fire by the attackers. The attack has taken place while Indian election monitors and international media personnel were present in the city. The two candidates were attacked as they were dividing the vote bank of the UPFA in Vadduk-koaddai and the vote bank of the EPDP in the islets.
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Politicization of war-crimes: Bashir and Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 September 2013, 10:58 GMT]
While Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who bears command responsibility for the killing of nearly UN-estimated 100,000 Tamil civilians by the Sri Lanka military, is attending the 62nd United Nations General Assembly, commencing on September 25, the White House is not commenting on if the US would be issuing an entry visa to alleged war-criminal and Sudan's long time leader Hassan al-Bashir to attend the UN annual meeting. Recently, the US State Department, using its discretionary powers, intervened to save Rajapakse from war-crimes charges in Court cases filed by affected Tamils.
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Malaysia charges HR worker for screening Channel-4 documentary

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 September 2013, 23:36 GMT]
Lena Hendry, Programme coordinator for Malaysia-based human rights group Pusat Komas, is expected to be charged under the Film Censorship Act 2002 Thursday at the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate's Court for organizing the screening of Channel-4 documentary "No Fire Zone," a film on the massacre of Tamils by the Sri Lanka state, Malaysian media reported. Pusat Komas director Tan Jo Hann, in a statement said, "This is the utmost form of harassment and direct violation of freedom of speech, assembly and association by the Malaysian authorities guaranteed for under Article 10 of the Malaysian Constitution," according to Malaysia's The Star.
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Civil Society censures wrong politics of TNA but urges people to vote for it

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 September 2013, 09:13 GMT]
The Tamil civil society in the North, comprising of religious dignitaries, including the Mannaar Bishop, academics, doctors, student leaders and trade union activists, on Wednesday came with an open appeal urging the Tamil people to use the forthcoming Northern Provincial Council (NPC) elections to reject those who have been opposed to Tamil national aspirations and to vote for the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). Reminding that it is also essential to be selective on casting the preferential votes to those TNA candidates who have a real attachment and commitment to the Tamil national politics, the civil society appeal also rejected the crucial sections of TNA's election manifesto as sending a wrong message of guidance to the Tamil people and to the international community.
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House of TNA politician in Kaarainakar stoned

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 September 2013, 23:25 GMT]
Attackers believed to be operated by the intelligence outfit of the occupying Sri Lankan military in Jaffna stoned the house of the head of the civic council (Piratheasa Chapai) of Kaarainakar, Mr Anaimukan Velayutham, a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) politician, in the early hours of Tuesday. In the meantime, Colombo-based Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV), in its communiqué said a 6 member squad was observed at his house on the previous day when Mr Anaimukan returned home from a TNA election meeting. The CMEV noted that the SL police had registered a complaint on the attack the following day, but the police was not aware that the attack was an election related violence. Anaimukan's house has been targeted at least twice, in 2011 and 2012, during the Tamil Heroes Day observations.
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Senior Jesuit priest in East harassed after meeting Navi Pillay

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 September 2013, 23:07 GMT]
60-year-old Jesuit Priest Fr Veeresan Yogeswaran, who is one of the leading human rights activists in the East, is at the receiving end of the SL government's ire after his meeting with UN Human Rights High Commissioner Navanetham Pillay during her recent visit to the island. Pamphlets decrying Fr Yogeswaran, printed in Sinhala and in erroneous Tamil – evidently not written by a Tamil – have been published in Trincomalee, some of which have been left outside his residence. Abusing Fr Yogeswaran S.J., as anti-Sri Lankan and someone who ‘betrayed his country’, the pamphlets also claim that he is living in a palatial house from where he was indulging in ‘conspiracy activities’ against the SL government.
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TNA activist killed in Mullaiththeevu

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 September 2013, 19:25 GMT]
A 35-year-old Tamil National Alliance (TNA) activist, Mr Rasiah Kavithan, also known as Suresh, was beaten to death by a criminal squad associated with the ruling UPFA of the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Mullaiththeevu on Monday around 6:00 p.m., initial reports from Vanni said. The killing has taken place while the sons of the SL President, Namal Rajapaksa MP and Yoshitha Rajapaksa (SL Navy), have been spearheading the election campaign in Mullaiththeevu district for the ruling UPFA. A UPFA supporter and an operative of the SL military intelligence, Mr Raja Karuna, is contesting the elections in Ma'nal-aa'ru. The election campaign undertaken by Rasiah Kavithan on behalf of the TNA was challenging the UPFA in Mullaiththeevu.
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TNA MP calls for international investigations on prisoners of war

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 September 2013, 23:51 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran has called for an international investigation on the state of Prisoners of War (POW) according to international law on the conduct of war. Addressing a press conference in Jaffna on Friday, Mr Premachandran said the latest witness declaration by the SL military at Vavuniyaa High Courts that there are no former LTTE surrendees in their custody any more, while there are still hundreds of family members looking for their kith and kin, who had been handed over personally by them to the SL military, clearly indicated that the international community should now take the initiative to bring about international investigations on both war crimes and on the state of the Prisoners of War (POW).
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Genocidal Colombo appropriates 500 acres at NE border for Sinhala Buddhism

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 September 2013, 09:53 GMT]
Under the so-called "Buddha Pooja Boomi" project, the Colombo government has decided to appropriate about five hundred acres of land in Chuvaami-malai area in the traditional Tamil village of Thennai-maravadi that is in the narrow corridor linking the North and East provinces of the country of Eezham Tamils, informed sources in Trincomalee said. Of the five hundred acres, four hundred acres are to be allocated for the construction of a Buddha Vihara and one hundred acres to the Department of Archaeology of the genocidal State. Interestingly, this brand of Buddhism finds patronage from both the Congress as well as the BJP of New Delhi. In the meantime, one of the ‘Singapore principles’ proposed by the South African ‘initiative’ is to provide foremost place to Buddhism, informed circles said.
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Mannaar villagers protest against SL Navy occupying church lands

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 September 2013, 15:35 GMT]
Tamil villagers of Chi’ruth-thoappu on Thursday staged a peaceful protest against the Sri Lanka Navy occupation of 17 acres of land belonging to their church. The villagers demanded the Sri Lanka Navy base Gajaba to vacate the land. The protest comes as the SL State has recently taken a move to legally appropriate the lands after having it occupied for 10 years. The SL military occupying the land has also exploited the natural resources of the church the villagers complained. The church is situated along Mannaar – Thalaimannaar Road.
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Youth conference in Chennai condemns staging CHOGM in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 September 2013, 10:12 GMT]
A day long international conference of youth held last Saturday in Chennai raised its voice against the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM) scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka in November this year. The conference decried Colombo government as a fascist, genocidal force that killed over 150,000 Eezham Tamils in the last phase of the 2009 war. Over 700 participants took part in the conference expressing concerns over holding the Commonwealth meeting in Sri Lanka.
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Resettled Tamils disturbed by renewed SL militarisation of Saiva site in Ampaa'rai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 September 2013, 09:45 GMT]
In another military high-handedness, a military camp has been set up at the site of a Saiva temple in Ka'n'naki-ipuram, four years after the end of the war. The temple management and villagers of Ka'n'naki-ipuram have protested the unwarranted setting up of an SL military camp at the Murukan temple in Akkaraip-pattu. The devotees and their representatives have demanded that the camp be removed and temple be handed over to the village.
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Colombo plans forced ‘militarisation’ of ex-LTTE members

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 September 2013, 09:09 GMT]
In a shocking revelation, it is reported that former LTTE members – both men and women – are being intimidated to join the SL military in the East. The paramilitary operatives of Karuna and Pillaiyan groups are being used by the SL military intelligence for this purpose. The former Tiger fighters are threatened that their parents would be in danger if they refuse to join the military. The intelligence operatives have been conducting door-to-door campaign in areas including Vaakarai, Vellaave'li, Kudumpi-malai and Veappa-vedduvaan in Batticoala district intimidating the former Tiger fighters in order to enlist them for the occupying SL military.
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SL military harasses Tamil activists engaged in election campaign: TNA MP

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 September 2013, 19:58 GMT]
Violating the election rules, and intervening into the civil affairs, the occupying Sri Lankan military is threatening the Tamil activists campaigning for the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in the North, said TNA parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran at a press conference held in Jaffna on Friday. Further, the SL military, that doesn't even understand what is written in the leaflets, is levelling false allegations against the TNA activists that they are distributing leaflets to start ‘another war’. Following that, 40 TNA supporters were detained by the SL Police. At least four people are still under police detention, Mr Premachandran said demanding their immediate release.
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‘Yaazh Theavi’ claims life of 78-year-old man in Ki'linochchi

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 September 2013, 18:56 GMT]
A 78-year-old Tamil man, who survived the genocidal onslaught on Vanni, was killed Friday in Ki'linochchi where ‘Yaazh Theavi’ train, which was under a trial run, knocked him down at a crossing without an operational barrier. The accident comes two days ahead of SL president Mahinda Rajapaksa is scheduled to declare the train service extended to Ki'linochchi from Vavuniyaa in a hasty election propaganda move on Sunday.
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23 years later, memories of Chaththurukko'ndaan refuses to die

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 September 2013, 06:44 GMT]
23 years after the cold-blooded massacre of 184 Tamil civilians including infants, children and women by SL Army at Chaththurukko'ndaan village in the Batticaloa district, the kith and kin of the victims held a remembrance meeting on 09 September and offered their respects to the victims.
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Tamil hamlet Sinhalicised in Vavuniyaa: Sivasakthi Ananthan

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 September 2013, 05:48 GMT]
The colonial governor of North, Major General (retd) G.A. Chandrasri, together with a SL military officer in Vavuniyaa and a Buddhist monk, has appropriated the lands of ancient Tamil village, I’rampai-veddik-ku’lam in Vavuniyaa and carved out a Sinhala colony with a Sinhala name ‘Agbo-pura’. The ceremonious declaration of Agbopura has taken place on August 30, Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian from Vavuniyaa Sivasakthi Ananthan told media on Thursday.
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Basil Rajapaksa deploys government employees for UPFA campaign in North

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 September 2013, 04:59 GMT]
While the Sri Lankan presidential sibling Basil Rajapaksa is spearheading the election campaign for the occupying UPFA regime in Jaffna, all the government workers under his ministry, including ‘Samurdhi’ officials, who have access to the grassroots and unemployed graduates, who have been provided trainee appointments on a 10,000 rupee monthly salary, are instructed to work for Rajapaksa’s ruling UPFA, carrying out election campaign among the masses for the coming 7 days starting from Friday till 20th September in violation of the rules for a free and fair election. At least 40 Sinhala ‘Samurdhi’ officials from the South have been brought to Jaffna to supervise the poverty alleviation Tamil workers in Jaffna deployed in the election campaign, civil sources in Jaffna told TamilNet.
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Genocidal military gets pampered as ‘development’ partner of Switzerland

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 September 2013, 00:05 GMT]
The genocidal Sinhala military that is occupying the country of Eezham Tamils has to be ‘accepted’ and ‘honoured’ as a mandatory partner of any ‘development’ the West is conceiving and providing to Eezham Tamils, was the message coming from a recently held function of the Swiss Development Corporation (SDC) in the Jaffna peninsula, local people commented. An occupying SL military official was one of the ‘garlanded dignitaries’, who presided over the opening of a school renovated by the SDC at Uduththu’rai in Jaffna on September 05. One of the diktats of the occupying Sinhala military to Eezham Tamils is that no school function could take place without its presence and without its members being garlanded.
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TNA candidate Ananthi narrowly escapes attack in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 September 2013, 10:21 GMT]
The only woman candidate of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in Jaffna district in the forthcoming provincial council elections, Ms Ananthi Sasitharan, narrowly escaped from an attack by alleged Sri Lankan military operatives, who followed her van in a motorbike and a military-like vehicle on KKS Road from Chunnaakam to Ainthu-chanthi, a five-road junction in the suburb of Jaffna on Tuesday. The alleged military operatives got off at the junction and threw a large stone targeting Ms Ananthi, but she ducked as her driver took a turn away from the attackers. The attack comes on the same day as Navi Pillay at Geneva expressed concern for the protection of human rights defenders, journalists and communities she met during her visit from any reprisal, intimidation or attack. Meanwhile, the TNA has demanded confinement of the occupying SL military before the elections.
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Intelligence operatives harass freelance journalist in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 September 2013, 06:37 GMT]
Two unidentified operatives claiming to be Sri Lankan intelligence officers interrogated Senior Journalist P.A. Antony Mar in Mannaar at his residence on Tuesday, the freelance journalist has complained to SL Police Tuesday evening. The investigation was carried out in a threatening manner, the journalist told Police in his complaint.
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Self-immolated Senthilkumaran called for mass struggle to achieve Tamil Eelam

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 September 2013, 10:41 GMT]
35-year-old Senthilkumaran Ratnasingam, who immolated himself in front of the UN office at Geneva on Thursday had recorded a video message in the cell phone which was in his possession. The message has come out on Monday after the Switzerland police handed over the phone to the family. In his message Senthilkumaran called for a mass people's struggle to achieve an independent Tamil Eelam. "That is why I am sacrificing my life," the message said.
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Corruption of Tamil gets into genocidal Colombo’s ‘Hindu’ outfit as well

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 September 2013, 23:40 GMT]
Corruption of Tamil language by the various ministries and departments of genocidal Colombo is a decades-long routine affair. But, it has now come into the Hindu Religious Affairs Department as well, commented a TamilNet reader sending a web page of the department, updated in January this year, with gross errors in language. This shows that even the Hindu affairs department is not in Tamil hands, the reader said, adding that he is sending it to the perusal of the New Delhi Establishment’s former president and Thirukku’ra’l expert Mr APJ Abdul Kalam, who inaugurated the ‘Trilingual’ programme in January 2012, to uphold the unity and integrity of the genocidal State.
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Navi Pillay, a big disappointment: Prof Ramasamy

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 September 2013, 13:06 GMT]
Despite the publicity surrounding her visit, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navanetham Pillay “was a big disappointment for Tamils in Sri Lanka and elsewhere. At the end of her visit, she basically revealed her true character of serving the interests of the UN and the larger interests of the Anglo-Saxon world,” writes Malaysia’s Penang State Deputy Chief Minister Professor P. Ramasamy, in an article sent to TamilNet on Monday. Accusing the UN for being an arm of the “arch imperialist power in the world, the United States of America,” Prof Ramasamy said that Ms Pillay’s visit had especially disappointed the sections of Tamils in the US and Europe that had thought that she would make a difference.
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SL colonial governor chooses to ‘boycott’ Swiss ‘development’ function in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 September 2013, 21:06 GMT]
A move by the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) inviting the occupying Sri Lanka's colonial Governor in North, Major General (retd) GA Chandrasiri, as chief guest to the opening ceremony of two reconstructed schools in the Jaffna Peninsula on Thursday has ended up in the SL governor ‘boycotting’ the event, news sources in Uduththu'rai said. The controversial move by the SDC had received media attention prior to the event. Tamil politicians also protested against Chandrasiri using the occasion to wage election propaganda in favour of the UPFA government. However, the occupying SL military deployed its soldiers at the venue to demonstrate their occupation of the country of Eezham Tamils and to distribute leaflets canvassing among the public to support SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa's UPFA in the forthcoming PC elections in the North.
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Mysterious death amidst increasing reports on torture in SL prisons

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 September 2013, 23:49 GMT]
52-year-old Francis Nelson, a father of one, from Karunaadduk-kea'ni in Kokkuth-thoduvaay in Mullaiththeevu, died in Sri Lankan custody at Kalutara prison on September 02. His wife, a Sinhalese, who has been living in Vanni with the parents of Nelson, has alleged that her husband's death was caused by continuous and systematic torture at the prison. Nelson had managed to phone his wife on September 01 and the news of his death the following day was a shocking news to the family, news sources in Vanni said. The mysterious death of the Tamil prisoner comes amidst increasing complaints of routine torture at the prisons in the South.
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Sarath Fonseka denies Elilan's surrender

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 September 2013, 23:07 GMT]
“Elilan was never handed over to the army,” claimed Sarath Fonseka, the former military commander of the occupying SL military, at a press conference held in Jaffna on Saturday. “Elilan was an important man and if he was handed over to the army, as the commander of the army, I will know. He was never handed over to the army,” Mr Fonseksa said, once again whitewashing the genocidal SL military from serious war crimes committed under his command during the final days of the war in Vanni. Fonseka, who visited Jaffna on election campaign for his ‘Democratic Party’ went further with a humiliating comment that some families of war-dead LTTE cadres were claiming them as ‘missing’ in order to claim compensation. Sarath Fonseka also went on record blaming the current SL military commander in Jaffna as a very corrupt officer at the press conference held in Jaffna.
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Lands seized for Buddhist vihara in Trincomalee Muslim village

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 September 2013, 21:14 GMT]
Sinhala Buddhist extremist elements have seized 50 acres of land to construct a Buddhist vihara in Chelvaa-nakar GS division at Thoappoor Akkarai village, known as Neena village, which is a Muslim village, according to former parliamentarian M Mouroof.
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SL military, police disturb reubuilding Saiva temple in Ampaa'rai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 September 2013, 23:50 GMT]
The occupying military of Sri Lanka and the SL police Changkaman-ka'ndi have threatened the administration of the ancient temple to stop the reconstruction of the temple on Saturday. After the SL military and police banned the administration from re-building the ancient temple, the archeology department of the occupying Colombo has installed stones at the premises of the temple claiming the area as its property.
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Eezham Tamil man self-immolates in front of Geneva UN office

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 September 2013, 18:22 GMT]
An Eezham Tamil diaspora Tamil man, 35-year-old Senthilkumaran Ratnasingam, has immolated himself in front of the UN office in Geneva on Thursday around 1:10 a.m. The authorities in Switzerland were initially reluctant to confirm or release the details of the incident. However, Tamil circles at Geneva told TamilNet that the Swiss police together with a group of Iranian activists, who were engaged in protests at the time of the incident, attempted to save his life and rushed him to Chuv hospital in Lausanne, where he succumbed to his injuries on Thursday around 4:15 p.m. Meanwhile, Iranian persons present at the site of the incident said they found a photo of LTTE leader V. Pirapaharan at the site. The latest self-immolation comes amidst disappointment prevailing among Eezham Tamils following the recent visit of UN Human Rights High Commissioner Navanetham Pillay to the island.
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British PM, Foreign Secretary to attend CHOGM

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 September 2013, 06:42 GMT]
Responding to question at the British House of Commons session on Tuesday, William Hague, the British Foreign Secretary, confirmed that he and the British Prime Minister will be attending the CHOGM meeting to be held in Sri Lanka in November. He explained that though concerned “about human rights in Sri Lanka, including media freedom” he also thought that “the Commonwealth and its future matter so much that we must do that, no matter what the location”, and that UK would press Sri Lanka on these issues. When asked to clarify, he said “All parties in this House seek progress in Sri Lanka on a wide range of issues, including implementing the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission”, listing a few other issues of ‘reconstruction’ and ‘democracy’. Tamils in UK have demonstrated for well over a year pleading Britain not to participate in the CHOGM.
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Swiss agency brings in genocidal governor to open schools in Jaffna Peninsula

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 September 2013, 07:24 GMT]
The Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), a Switzerland government ‘development’ outfit operating in the country of Eezham Tamils, shows its ‘cooperation’ with the genocidal Sinhala State and sends a humiliating development message to Tamils by bringing in the military governor occupying North, Maj. Gen. (retd) G. A. Chandrasri to open two schools at Thadduvaan-koddi and Uduth-thu’rai in the Jaffna Peninsula on Thursday, commented local people who provided a copy of the invitation to TamilNet. The SDC has made an impressive image among the people by the quality of the work it has done, but a ‘development’ that comes with impunity culture and justification of occupation is not development but spiritual and psychological subjugation and degradation, they further said.
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Sinhala contractor scoops 500 acres of prehistoric gravel in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 September 2013, 04:36 GMT]
While a section of 400 Tamil families, who had sought refuge in Tamil Nadu 23 years ago in 1990 from Parappuk-kadanthaan village in Maanthai West in Mannaar, are trying to come back to their village, 1,500 acres of their lands have been appropriated with the backing of an SL minister and 500 acres of these lands have been illegally sold to a Sinhala trader from South, who has been scooping gravel deposits in the village. The gravel deposits are part of a geological feature called Ira'nai-madu formation that bears crucial evidence for prehistoric human habitation in the island. As such gravel deposits are mostly found on floodplains, scooping the gravel could cause environmental disasters related to drainage, cautioned the local people living with the environment and knowledgeable about the consequences of gravel scooping.
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Colombo occupies 5,000 acres of Tamil land in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 September 2013, 23:14 GMT]
Following a recent Gazette notification by Colombo's Minister of ‘Land and Land Development’, a large area of 4,857 acres of lands are being acquired ‘for use of the government’. The area consists of private and public lands located in 8 villages. Most of the lands being seized by the occupying SL State are private lands belonging to Tamils. Several centuries old historic Aathi Koanesvaram koayil is situated at Koayiladi in Thampalakaamam village.
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Buddhist vihara being constructed at Tamil village in Ampaa'rai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 September 2013, 23:54 GMT]
A group of Buddhist monks and Buddhist extremist elements from the South are constructing a Buddhist Vihara in the Tamil village of Thangka-vealaayutha-puram in Ampaa'rai district. The occupying Sri Lankan military is assisting the monks, news sources in Thirukkoayil told TamilNet.
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