Veteran Tamil civil servant Sangaravel passes away

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 June 2008, 23:53 GMT]
Veteran civil servant and renowned social worker Poopalapillai Sangaravel, former Additional Government Agent of Batticaloa passed away Monday night in London, succumbing to heart failure four days before his 79th birthday. He is remembered with gratitude for his committed, relentless and yeoman service to the people of the Eastern Province for a long time. He was a well-wisher of TamilNet and readily helped it on many occasions with consultancies related to the Eastern Province. TamilNet joins the multitudes of mourners in paying tributes to him and conveying condolences to his bereaved family members.
Full story >>

Sea Tigers raid key SLN camp in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 June 2008, 22:18 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) naval wing, the Sea Tigers, launched a surprise attack on Sri Lanka Navy camp at Erukkalampiddi in Mannaar in the early hours of Wednesday, brought the installation under their control and have seized the arms and military equipments, including a radar, LTTE officials in Vanni told TamilNet. The operation was carried out by Marine Commandos, a special forces unit of the Sea Tigers. The Tigers have seized a 50-caliber machine gun, 81 mm mortars, Light Machine Guns, Rocket Launchers and several other military hardware from the camp, the Tigers said.
Full story >>

Fein seeks SL Defence Ministry approval to visit Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 June 2008, 02:37 GMT]
Responding to Sri Lanka Defence Ministry posting that labeled U.S. based attorney for a Tamil activist group, Bruce Fein, as "Carrion Bird of LTTE Terrorism," Fein said in a letter to Sri Lanka's President Rajapakse that he accepts Sri Lanka Defence Ministry's invitation to "any interested party to visit Sri Lanka and see how the people of all ethnicities live in harmony in this country," and requested the Ministry to inform him the travel dates allowing him to obtain "direct and candid testimony of Tamil sentiments toward a unitary state as opposed to separate Tamil statehood."
Full story >>

6 civilians killed in SLA claymore attack - LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 June 2008, 18:09 GMT]
Six devotees including two children on their way to Naakathampiraan Temple in Maangku'lam were killed and 4 wounded, including 2 children, in a claymore mine explosion in Vanni Monday night. LTTE's Director of Peace Secretariat S. Puleedevan blamed the Deep Penetration Unit operated by the Sri Lanka Army for the attack on civilian target.
Full story >>

SLMC responsible for inciting violence between communities – Amir Ali

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 June 2008, 13:44 GMT]
Rauff Hakeem, the leader of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), and Basheer Segudawood the chairman of the party are responsible for creating a conspiracy to initiate ethnic conflict between the Tamil and Muslim communities, charged Minister of Disaster Relief Services M.S.S.Ameer Ali at a conference held May 28 at Ea’raavoor police station attended by a number of senior government officials and media personnel.
Full story >>

Development untenable without peace - Nadesan

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 May 2008, 11:42 GMT]
"Development is possible only when there is permanent peace. To achieve peace the International Community (IC) should engage seriously in restoring the status quo which the IC itself has disturbed in recent times, and should pressurise the Sri Lankan government to come to terms with a negotiated settlement," said Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Political Head B. Nadesan, in an exclusive interview to TamilNet on Friday, while responding to a question on LTTE's position on International involvement in Colombo's 'development-agenda'. "Recognition of Tamil sovereignty and right to self-determination are key issues in creating a climate for a negotiated settlement," Nadesan added.
Full story >>

Sea Tigers raid SLN camp close to Jaffna city

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 May 2008, 22:02 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Sea Tigers naval wing launched a raid in the early hours of Thursday on the Sri Lanka Navy camp located at Chi'ruththeevu islet, close to Ma'ndaitheevu island and Jaffna city, LTTE officials in Vanni told TamilNet. At least 13 Sri Lanka Navy personnel were killed and many sailors wounded in the raid carried out by a special marine wing of the Sea Tigers, the Tiger officials said adding that they have seized weapons including a 50-caliber machine gun, a mortar, two LMGs and military equipments including a radar from the strategic SLN camp situated at the islet facing Jaffna. 3 SLN bodies were also recovered by the Tigers and they identified one sailor.
Full story >>

Kaaththaankudi returns to normalcy

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 May 2008, 00:25 GMT]
The turbulent town of Kaaththaankudi in Batticaloa district is slowly returning to normalcy since the violent clashes and killings on Thursday and the business establishments and the markets in the area have once again started functioning, sources said.
Full story >>

Rajapaksa to address Oxford Union in UK

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 May 2008, 20:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa is scheduled to address Oxford Union in the United Kingdom Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., sources in London told TamilNet. Meanwhile, sources at the SL Presidential Secretariat in Colombo confirmed Mr. Rajapaksa's mission to London and said it comes on the invitation of the Oxford Union and the Sri Lanka Society of Oxford University.
Full story >>

Tamil business man shot dead in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 May 2008, 03:25 GMT]
Unidentified gun men shot and killed the owner of a popular flower garden and nursery business, located in Kalviyangkaadu within Jaffna Municipal council area, Friday night outside his home, sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Pillayan group on recruitment drive among Paduvaankarai resettlers

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 May 2008, 01:23 GMT]
The paramilitary operatives of Pillayan group are intimidating and threatening recently resettled families in Paduvaankarai in Batticaloa district to allow one member from each family to join the group, residents from the area told TamilNet.
Full story >>

Pillayan threatens UNP candidate

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 May 2008, 20:26 GMT]
A UNP candidate contesting Eastern provincial council election has received death threats from Pillayan group, and has lodged a complaint with Batticaloa police, sources said.
Full story >>

Journalists Sivaram, Rajivarman remembered in Nelliyadi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 April 2008, 14:17 GMT]
“We raise our voices aloud demanding freedom of media despite the prevailing dangerous atmosphere. We join our hands with our media friends worldwide, and raise our hands along with them in the demand for the freedom of media,” the North Ceylon Journalists Association (NCJA) said in a message during a lunch offering Sunday to the elders and children in Nelliyadi Paramaananthaa Ashram, Home for the Aged and Children, held in remembrance of late TamilNet Senior Editor "Taraki" Sivaram and Selvarajah Rajivarman, sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Mannaar Bishop demands open declaration of Madu as Peace Zone

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 April 2008, 09:09 GMT]
Bishop of Mannaar, Rev. Dr. Rayappu Joseph, on Saturday told media that the warring parties should openly declare the Madu Shrine and its environs as Peace Zone in order to bring back Our Lady of Madu statue to the Holy Shrine. Meanwhile Sri Lankan Defence ministry in its official news on Sunday quoted Sri Lanka Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka as saying: "those who were in charge of the statue have the responsibility of bringing it back". The SL defence ministry added that Madu "would be declared as a security zone," without specifying what it meant with the term, 'security zone.' Vicar General Rev. A. Victor Soosai on Saturday visited the Shrine for an inspection.
Full story >>

One million people in Sri Lanka may face starvation - WFP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 April 2008, 15:28 GMT]
“Scarcity of food items and the subsequent escalation in the cost of essential items may result in more than one million in the country facing starvation," Mohamed Saleheen, the resident representative of United Nations (UN) World Food program (WFP) in Colombo told the media Friday. As a result of the situation, the WFP country office in Sri Lanka is facing major crisis, he said, and urged donor countries to respond immediately to overcome the crisis.
Full story >>

Mavai Senathirajah meets Jaffna Military Commander

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 April 2008, 03:06 GMT]
Mavai Senathirajah, Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, arrived in Jaffna Friday to participate in the 31st Memorial Day of S.J.V. Chelvanayakam Saturday. The first TNA member to return to Jaffna since the assassination of TNA Jaffna MP, Nadarajah Raviraj, in 2006, he met Maj. Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Jaffna Commander, at the latter’s request Friday in Palaali SLA military complex, the MP told media.
Full story >>

SLA enters Madu shrine

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 April 2008, 11:55 GMT]
Government of Sri Lanka on Friday officially admitted that the Sri Lanka Army had entered the Madu Shrine. Analysts in Colombo observed that the move, which comes in the wake of the SLA debacle in the Northern Front, was timed to divert increasing focus on recent SLA casualties prior to the provincial elections in the east. Meanwhile, Informed sources in Vanni told TamilNet that the SLA had been stationed 1.5 km away from the Shrine for weeks and it could have entered the Shrine at any time as LTTE defensive units were strictly kept away from the peace zone.
Full story >>

Tamil civilian reported missing in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 April 2008, 02:53 GMT]
A middle aged Tamil civilian resident of Weluvana road, Fatima Thoaddam in Dematogoda, has been missing since last week Thursday, the victim’s mother and sister stated in a complaint lodged at Dematagoda police station. They have also reported this incident to Upcountry People's Front (UPF) parliamentarian and Sri Lankan Deputy Minister for Vocational Training and Industrial Education, P. Rathakrishnan.
Full story >>

Tigers release details of arms, ammunition seized in Northern Front

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 April 2008, 18:15 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan on Wednesday evening told TamilNet that Tige forces under the leadership of Commander Theepan confronted the SLA units for ten-and-a-half hours, from 02:30 a.m. till 12:40 p.m. along a 7 km wide defence line in the large scale operation launched by the Sri Lanka Army. 30 SLA bodies were recovered by the Tigers. Arrangements were being made to hand over the mortal remains of the SLA soldiers killed in action to their parents. 60 guns including tank mounted PKT machine guns, Rocket Propelled Grenade Launchers and forty-five assault rifles were seized by the Tigers.
Full story >>

3 civilians wounded in DPU Claymore attack on MPCS lorry

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 April 2008, 11:08 GMT]
Three civilians including the driver of a lorry loaded with supplies to the Cooperative Society in Poonakari (Pooneryn) from Vavuniyaa, was attacked by a Deep Penetration Unit of the Sri Lanka Army in the early hours of Tuesday at 1:30 a.m. at Aanaivizhunthaan on Akkaraayan - Vanneari Road. The lorry, carrying essential supplies worth 2.3 million Sri Lankan Rupees to the Poonakari Multi Purpose Cooperative Society (MPCS), which serves to the Internally Displaced People from Poonakari and Mannaar, was destroyed in the attack, according to the General Manager of the Poonakari MPCS, T. Ratnakumar, told TamilNet.
Full story >>