CaFFE records increasing complaints of election violence

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 August 2008, 06:55 GMT]
The Campaign For Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE), an election monitoring organization accredited under Sri Lanka's Election Commissioner, said Monday that election related violence in Anuradhapura district is on the increase, and that CaFFE has received 127 complaints from North Central Province (NCP) and Sabragamuwa Province (SP), CaFFE spokesperson Keerthi Tennekone said.
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JVP demonstrators attacked in Ratnapura

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 August 2008, 10:35 GMT]
An unidentified group of persons Saturday morning is alleged to have attacked a demonstration held by Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) activists in Nivitigala town in Ratnapura district against the increasing violence by government elements thus disrupting electioneering of the opposition parties contesting the forthcoming election to the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council. Sabaragamuwa province comprises two districts, Ratnapura and Kegalle.
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JVP demonstrators attacked in Ratnapura

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 August 2008, 06:43 GMT]
An unidentified group of persons Saturday morning is alleged to have attacked a demonstration against increasing violence by Sri Lanka Government government elements, held by Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) activists in Nivitigala town in Ratnapura district, sources said. The attack disrupted the election campaign of the opposition parties contesting the forthcoming election to the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council, according to Ratnapura residents.
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SLAF airstrike kills civilian, 6 wounded in Visuvamadu

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 August 2008, 05:38 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked on Saturday a populated village, known as 'Redd Barna' settlement, in Visuvamadu after targeting an irrigation tank in the area. A 40-year-old civilian, who was working at his paddy field was killed and six civilians were wounded, according to medical sources. The SLAF has stepped up indiscriminate bombardment on civilian settlements as the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells have targeted Mullaiththeevu and Akkaraayan hospital zones. At least five civilians were killed and more than 25 wounded in artillery and air-strikes carried out by the Sri Lankan forces in Vanni on Friday and Saturday.
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Anuradhapura tops in election related violence

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 August 2008, 19:37 GMT]
Anuradhapura district in the North Central Provincial Council (NCPC) has recorded highest number of election related violence with two weeks more for the election that is scheduled to be held on August 23. Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) has received 102 complaints related to forthcoming elections to NCPC and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council (SPC).
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Sri Lanka parliament extends Emergency

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 August 2008, 05:41 GMT]
The State of Emergency imposed in Sri Lanka on 12th August 2005 was extended by another month Wednesday by Sri Lanka's parliament by a majority of seventy two votes. Eighty four parliamentarians voted in support of the extension, and twelve voted against, parliamentary sources said.
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2 civilians killed in SLA shelling in Vadmaraadchi East

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 August 2008, 08:00 GMT]
A 45-year-old father of three and a 30-year-old father of one were killed Wednesday morning when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells targeted civilian settlements, fishing huts and the stretch along the coast in Vettilaikkea'ni in Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) controlled Vadamaraadchi East of Jaffna district. One civilian was wounded in the shelling and rushed to hospital, according to initial reports from Vadamaraadchi East.
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106 forces killed, 662 wounded in July - Sri Lankan PM

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 August 2008, 04:12 GMT]
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake who opened the debate on extending the State of Emergency in the Sri Lankan Parliament on Wednesday said 106 Sri Lankan military and police personnel were killed and 662 wounded during the month of July.
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Opposition parties to form alliance against election violence

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 August 2008, 06:15 GMT]
Mangala Samaraweera, rebel Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) parliamentarian, has started talks with the main opposition United National Party (UNP), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) to form an alliance to oppose the increase of election related violence in the elections to the North Central Provincial Council and Sabragamuwa Provincial Council scheduled to be held on August 23, sources in Colombo said.
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Election related violence on the increase in NCP, SP

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 August 2008, 17:29 GMT]
Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) said Sunday that election related violence and election law violations are on the increase in the North Central Province (NCP) and Sabragamuwa Province (SP) since the acceptance of nominations for the two provincial councils that are scheduled to be held on August 23.
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Portending danger for potable water in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 August 2008, 09:50 GMT]
The news of re-opening the cement factory at Kaangkeasanthu'rai (KKS) in the Jaffna Peninsula has been received with serious concern by academics and environmentalists from Jaffna. According to them, the factory, when it was functioning earlier, was a health hazard to the densely populated surroundings. It affected horticulture as crops were covered by cement dust. Above all, exploitative quarrying of limestone has already portended the possibility of seawater coming inside and polluting the entire groundwater table of the peninsula.
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Indian Prime Minister to meet TNA leaders

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 August 2008, 14:58 GMT]
Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh arrived at Katunayake International airport at 12:45 p.m, Friday to attend the 15th SAARC conference. He was received by Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake and given a red carpet welcome. Later he was escorted by the Indian special guard forces to the helipad and flown to Colombo in an Indian helicopter.
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Member of European Parliament envisages converting Tamils to Buddhism

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 July 2008, 20:45 GMT]
"Frequently now I wonder whether Sri Lanka would have been a much more peaceful and much more homogeneous place if say 40% or so of the Tamil speaking population had been Buddhists and not exclusively Hindu or Christian. Is taking the Buddhist religion to Tamil people such a difficult task?" wonders Niranjan de Silva Deva-Aditya, Member of European Parliament (MEP) from U.K. and Honorary Ambassador-at-Large for Sri Lanka, in a statement after his recent visit to Sri Lanka as Vice-Chairman of the EU delegation. The Sinhala speaking MEP is tagged with a title, 'Vishwa Keerthi Sri Lanka Abhimani' (universally famous pride of Sri Lanka), bestowed onto him by the Buddhist clergy of Sri Lanka.
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TNA parliamentarian’s bodyguard shot, injured

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 July 2008, 14:01 GMT]
Unidentified armed men opened fire on the bodyguard of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Batticaloa district parliamentarian, T. Kanagasabai, Wednesday around 5:15 p.m at his house in Eruvil area in Ka’luvangchchikudi police division in Batticaloa district. The seriously injured bodyguard was rushed to the hospital, initial reports from Batticaloa said.
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Court demands submission of medical reports in Tissanayagam case

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 July 2008, 13:33 GMT]
Colombo Additional Magistrate Ms. Malini Abeyratne ordered Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) police to submit the medical examination reports of journalist Tissanayagam, Equality Press Manger Vadivel Yasikaran, and Valarmathi who underwent medical examination 27 May 2008, on the request made by Defence counsel K. V. Thavarajah when the three defendants were produced in Colombo Magistrate Court Wednesday, legal sources in Colombo said.
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Tamil trader found with gun shot injuries in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 July 2008, 14:36 GMT]
The 23-year old owner of a computer shop in Vavuniyaa town who went missing 22 July around 3:00 p.m was found alive with gun shot injuries on the head and neck, in Sreenakar in Vavuniyaa by his relatives, source said. He was admitted to Vavuniyaa hospital first and immediately transferred to Anuradapura hospital for further treatment.
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CaFFE says violence on the increase in SPC, NCPC elections

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 July 2008, 08:56 GMT]
Independent monitoring group- Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) said Sunday that violence and misuse of state properties are on the increase during electioneering to the elections to the Sabragamuwa Provincial Council (SPC) and North Central Provincial Council (NCPC) which are scheduled to be held on August 23.
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Basil Rajapaksa visits Batticaloa to discuss ADB allocation of funds

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 July 2008, 17:04 GMT]
Asian Development Bank (ADB) has allocated 4,015 million rupees for the development of agriculture and irrigation tanks in Batticaloa district and a conference presided by Basil Rajapakse, the brother and Senior Advisor to SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa and member of parliament, was held Sunday in Batticaloa District Secretariat to discuss ways of making use of the ADB funds, sources in Batticaloa said. Sri Lankan ministers and heads of local and provincial governments of the ruling UPFA, TMVP alliance attended the conference. Members of parliament from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in Batticaloa district were not invited.
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2 civilians shot dead in two separate incidents in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 July 2008, 13:57 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers shot and killed a family man Sunday around 5:30 p.m in Poayiddi area in I’lavaalai, while unidentified armed men shot and killed another family man around 7:30 p.m in Karaveddi in Vadmaraadchi during power cut, sources in Jaffna said.
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Eezham exhibition impresses UK parliamentarians

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 July 2008, 14:28 GMT]
A photo exhibition on '60 years of oppression of Tamils in Sri Lanka,' held at the premises of British Parliament on Wednesday brought in 'positive responses' from the Lawmakers cutting across party lines and other dignitaries, according to British Tamils Forum, the organisers of the display.
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