Youth killed, 7 seriously injured in SLAF bombing in Mullaiththeevu

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 April 2008, 17:39 GMT]
Four Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) kifir fighter jets in two sorties bombed Monday around 9:30 a.m fishermen engaged in fishing in A'lampil in Mullaiththeevu district in Vanni killing a youth and seriously injuring seven innocent civilians including two small girls. Four SLAF bombers again struck Ma'nalkudiyiruppu, a civilian settlement near Mullaiththeevu town and fishermen, around 4:10 p.m in four sorties dropping more than 43 bombs in a continued air strike that lasted till 5:20 p.m. The head of the youth killed was severed from his body in the bombing.
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Threat to Jaffna journalists from SLA, paramilitaries

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 April 2008, 04:20 GMT]
Journalists in Jaffna face continued threats to their lives and harassment from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers and SLA-backed paramilitaries, severely impacting news coverage, and the deteriorating media freedom may lead to a complete breakdown of newspaper publications in the North, sources close to Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians told TamilNet Sunday.
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Sinhalese appointed Secretary of Education for East

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 April 2008, 15:03 GMT]
Condemning the hurried appointment of Uppul Weerawardene as the secretary of Ministry of Education in Eastern province, P.Ariyanarenthiran, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Member of Parliament told TamilNet t that the appointment is further evidence of the Government of Sri Lanka's mission of continued Sinhalization of the east.
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Two shops looted, set on fire in Ka'ruvaakkeani

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 April 2008, 12:56 GMT]
Unidentified armed men looted the entire contents of two shops Wednesday night 10:00 p.m.in Ka'ruvaakkeani within Vaazhaichcheanai police division in Batticaloa district before setting them ablaze, sources said.
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International Community should learn from experience, Vaiko tells Norway

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 April 2008, 23:03 GMT]
Expressing that the lack of implementation by the Government of Sri Lanka on the agreed principles of the February 2002 Cease Fire Agreement (CFA), especially disarming of army backed paramilitary groups, led to the ultimate breakdown of the peace process, Vaiko, the General Secretary of Marumalarchchi Dravida Munneatta Kazhakam (MDMK), told Norwegian International Development Minister Erik Solheim and Jon Hanssen-Bauer, the Norwegian Special Envoy, that the International Community should prevail upon the GoSL to reinstate the ceasefire in order to engage in a meaningful process for a negotiated settlement.
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Mullaiththeevu faces fuel crisis

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 April 2008, 00:25 GMT]
“The quantity of fuel supplied by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) for medical and health related services in Mullaiththeevu district has been drastically reduced creating great difficulties in implementing the various health services in this district," Dr.T.Varatharajah, Director of Health services of Mullaiththeevu region said.
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A church in Madu destroyed, dreaded stage of ethnic cleansing, says TNA MP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 April 2008, 13:03 GMT]
The Sacred Heart Church of the Madu Shrine complex has been destroyed in SLA shelling after the priests had taken away the image of Our Lady of Madu last Thursday, reveal the photos taken by K. Baskaran, a photographer who visited the Madu church on Sunday. "Any desecration of Madu is likely to be understood as an effort of the Sinhala Buddhist chauvinism to erase out the symbols of other religions and thus serving a spiritual blow which is the most dreaded stage in the process of ethnic cleansing," Vanni District Parliamentarian Selvam Adaikkalanathan told TamilNet Tuesday.
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Lankan ploy of Buddhism for subversion in Tamil Nadu: Viduthalai Rajendran

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 April 2008, 06:08 GMT]
Circumstantial evidence supports the hand of the Lankan government’s National Intelligence Bureau in the Buddhist temple-building campaign in Tamil Nadu, observed political analyst TSS Mani in Win TV’s News and Views, reported Tehelka Magazine, on Saturday. It further quoted Viduthalai Rajendran, General Secretary of Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (PDK), saying “ the temple-building a ploy to woo Indian Dalits and pit them against Sri Lankan Tamils on religious lines” A Sinhalese delegation of prominent Buddhist monks laid foundation stones for Buddhist places of worship in Tamil Nadu. Most of them are archaeological sites.
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Our Lady of Madu becomes refugee in her own land: Bishop

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 April 2008, 12:36 GMT]
Bishop of Mannaar, Rev. Dr. Rayappu Joseph, told TamilNet Thursday that he had instructed the remaining four reverend priests, four reverend sisters and five civilian assistants to flee the premises of the Madu Church with the statue of Our Lady. "This is the first time Our Lady of Madu becomes refugee in her own land," Mannaar Bishop said. "She has been giving shelter to IDPs. In 1990, she gave shelter to 36,000 IDPs." Meanwhile, according to the latest reports from priests who were staying in bunkers, shells exploded inside the Church premises Thursday noon.
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Madu Shrine premises comes under shelling: Priest

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 April 2008, 10:24 GMT]
Shells were exploding near the Shrine of Our Lady of Madu as Sri Lanka Army (SLA) continued to fire shells from Periya Pa'ndivirichchaan and Chinna Pa'ndivirichchaan areas since noon Wednesday, one of the priests staying in the Church told TamilNet when contacted over the phone Thursday. The shelling ceased only for two hours from 3:30 a.m. till 5:30 a.m. Thursday. "If you manage to look outside from here, you only see smoke and dust in the atmosphere amid deafening noise," he said.
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SLA fired shells, rounds hit Madu Shrine premises - LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 April 2008, 15:24 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has launched sporadic offensive pushes from Pa'ndivirichchaan targeting Madu on Tuesday and Wednesday, LTTE's Operations Command in Mannaar told media in Vanni. Meanwhile, LTTE's Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan told TamilNet that the SLA-fired artillery and mortar shells exploded inside the mess of the Madu shrines premises, in the vicinity of the well and on priests' quarters. All civilians, except the priests, have vacated the premises. LTTE has lost one fighter while facing the offensive initiated by the SLA, 1.5 km away from the Madu premises. The Tigers said 15 SLA soldiers were killed in two days in Pa'ndivirichchaan and 10 near Giant's Tank on Wednesday.
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U.S. film festival features Black Tigers documentary

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 March 2008, 01:29 GMT]
"My daughter the terrorist," a documentary on the lives and faiths of two female Black Tigers, produced by Norwegian film maker, Beate Arnestad, is to be featured in a premier documentary film festival in the United States to be held in Durham, North Carolina 4th of April. More than 100 documentaries are to be shown during the four-day festival from 3rd to 6th April. TamilNet talked to Arnestad during her visit to the U.S. to present the documentary at the Durham festival.
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Malaysia: People's verdict and Government's defiance

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 March 2008, 19:43 GMT]
Malaysian government’s refusal to free M.Manoharan, who was elected to Selangor State Assembly in the last elections but still kept in custody under the Internal Security Act, is condemned by the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP), reported AFP on Sunday. "It shows that Prime Minister Abdulla Ahmed Badawi's administration has not really heard the voice of the people in the March 8 political tsunami to change towards a more democratic and accountable Malaysian society. The ISA detentions are used as political instruments to suppress dissent. It has no relationship whatsoever with national security," said DAP leader Lim Kit Siang to AFP.
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Ramadoss urges Karunanidhi for timely action

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 March 2008, 08:23 GMT]
The ruling Congress of India has no policy alternatives towards Sri Lankan affairs. The DMK should take 'a cue' from the Communist Party of India in denouncing Indian arms to Sri Lanka, said Dr. S. Ramadoss, leader of Paaddaa'li Makka'l Kadchi (PMK, Toilers' Party) while speaking to media on the occasion of a demonstration in Chennai on Thursday. "The Tamil Nadu State Assembly should come out of its slumber and pass a resolution in this respect. The Centre should be reminded of the strength of Tamil parliamentarians. Tamil Nadu people are ready to pay any price for the Eezham cause," said Ramadoss whose party is an ally of the ruling Congress coalition government of India, along with DMK.
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South African media regrets the act of Indian consulate

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 March 2008, 20:35 GMT]
It would have been better if a representative of the Indian Consulate had accepted the memorandum from the peaceful protestors, even if the consulate was not in agreement with their views, aired the South Africa Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) in its morning news last Friday while reporting the demonstration conducted in front of the Indian consulate in Durban the previous day by the Indian community in South Africa in support of the Tamil cause in Sri Lanka.
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Furore in Tamil Nadu over 'anti-Tamil' film

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 March 2008, 19:29 GMT]
Politicians and film personalities from Tamil Nadu have taken strong exception to a Sinhalese film that seeks to "vulgarize the Tamil liberation struggle in Sri Lanka." Tamil Nadu Film Producers' Association President Rama. Narayanan condemned the film for disgracing the Tamil people at the end of a special screening. Tamil Protection Movement President Thol. Thirumavalavan vowed to take legal action to prevent the film's release in Tamil Nadu since he felt that it not only degraded the Eelam liberation struggle and hurt Tamil sentiments but it was also capable of disrupting communal harmony in Sri Lanka.
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Black Sea Tigers sink SLN Dvora, 14 SLN killed - LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 March 2008, 23:48 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) elite Black Sea Tigers, engaged in a confrontation with a fleet of Sri Lanka Navy in the seas off Mullaiththeevu, attacked and sunk a SLN Dvora Fast Attack Craft (FAC) between Mullaiththeevu and Naayaa'ru at 2:10 a.m. Saturday, LTTE sources in Vanni told TamilNet. At least 14 Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) sailors were killed in the clashes, the Tigers said. Three Black Sea Tigers were killed in action in the fighting that lasted for 45 minutes from 2:00 a.m. Saturday. Meanwhile, SLN sources said 10 SLN sailors were missing. Sixteen sailors were on board the SLN said.
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South African Indians oppose Indian Arms to Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 March 2008, 00:09 GMT]
Carrying the red and yellow flag, an impressive number of South Africans of Indian Origin, demonstrated outside the Indian Consulate in Durban on Thursday, to register their collective opposition to the military oppression of Tamils in Sri Lanka by the Sri Lankan Government. They appealed to the Indian government to stop military assistance to the Government of Sri Lanka. While the Chairperson of the South African Human Rights Commission received the memorandum of the demonstrators and spoke to them, the Indian Consulate refused to accept it. Except a negligibly few Eezham Tamils, the vast majority of the demonstrators were people of Indian origin.
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It needs a mandate to prod them to justice

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 March 2008, 11:52 GMT]
"Anyone who wishes to see a peacefully united Sri Lanka has to begin from separation. Separation for unity is the appropriate paradigm today. The Sri Lankan situation has transcended the 1987 formula. It is time the Tamils in India have to take care of a policy shift in the Indian establishment. The suggestion is that the political parties of Tamil Nadu who aspire for power in the forthcoming elections have to boldly adapt a policy upholding a Tamil Nation in Sri Lanka in their election manifesto and get the mandate from the people. Only such a mandate can silence the antagonists and direct the foreign policy of India to serve the interests of Tamils, India as well as a peaceful Sri Lanka."
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India abetting Tamil genocide: Vaiko

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 March 2008, 10:49 GMT]
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) General Secretary Vaiko Tuesday said that the present attitude of the Indian Government amounted to assistance in Sri Lanka's genocide of Tamils. He sought the withdrawal of the radars supplied to Sri Lanka and an end to all forms of military assistance from India to the Sri Lankan government. Accusing the Indian Government of "betraying the Tamils," the veteran leader in his reply to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's letter, pointed out that no sovereign nation would tolerate the dangerous action of a neighbouring country planting mines in the bordering seas.
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