Ethnocentric military dictatorship in the making in Colombo - Vanni MP

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 September 2008, 09:47 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian for Vanni, Selvam Adaikkalanathan, who blamed Sri Lanka Army commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka for his Sinhala ethnocentric comments to a Canadian paper, said Sunday that the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, as Commander-in-Chief and the Executive President, should instruct the SLA commander to apologise for the statement. Fonseka's statement not only undermined democracy by justifying an ethnic majoritarian rule in the island of Sri Lanka, but also alluded that a military dictatorship was in the making in Colombo, he said. Meanwhile, Rauff Hakim, the leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, also blamed that the "attack on the minorities " by the SLA commander "bordered on racism."
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1 killed, 9 wounded in bomb explosion in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 September 2008, 01:23 GMT]
A civilian was killed, 4 police personnel, 3 Sri Lanka Army soldiers and two civilians were wounded in a bomb explosion near Vavuniyaa bus stand around 3:20 p.m. Sunday, Police said.
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British PM meets Rajapaksa, conveys acute concern

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 September 2008, 15:01 GMT]
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Secretary of State for Department for International Development Douglas Alexander met with President Mahinda Rajapakse of Sri Lanka in New York Friday to discuss the situation in Sri Lanka. "The recent increased hostilities in the north of Sri Lanka are of acute concern to the UK Government," said a joint statement from the British International Development Minister Shahid Malik and Lord Malloch Brown, calling on both the parties, the GoSL and the LTTE, to respect their obligations under International Humanitarian Law to enable free access for humanitarian agencies. The statement also urged LTTE to take urgent action to allow free movement of civilians.
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Civilian killed, 8 including 4 children wounded in SLAF attack

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 September 2008, 10:08 GMT]
A civilian was killed and eight, including four children, were wounded in Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) attack in Iraththinapuram, a suburb of Ki'linochchi town, Saturday around 12:15 p.m., Tamileelam Police said. The ICRC office, which was recently relocated from Ira'naimadu junction, is situated around 150 meters away from the bombed locality. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan defence ministry claimed that the attack was a 'precision air strike' against an LTTE target. Medical sources at Ki'linochchi hospital said an 8-month-old baby, a 9-month-old baby, and two 2-year-old children were among the wounded.
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IDP wounded in Sri Lankan air attack in Visuvamadu

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 September 2008, 10:57 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked a civilian settlement at Thearaavil in Visvuvamadu Friday between 1:50 p.m. and 2:10 p.m. Friday. A 35-year-old father of one child was wounded in the indiscriminate bombardment. The victim is an Internally Displaced Person from Kaaraitheevu (Kaarainakar) of Jaffna.
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SLA shells Ki'linochchi suburb, IDP mother injured

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 September 2008, 10:32 GMT]
A 26-year-old mother was seriously wounded in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery attack that hit a civilian settlement in Uruththirapuram of Ki'linochchi district Friday morning, medical sources in Ki'linochchi said.
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Kaaththaankudi police arrest 17 Tamil civilians

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 September 2008, 17:13 GMT]
Kaaththaankudi police arrested seventeen persons on suspicion in a joint cordon and search operation launched by police, Special Task Force (STF) commandos, and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Wednesday afternoon around 4:00 p.m. in Aaraiyampathi Murukan Koayil area, in Batticaloa district, sources in Batticaloa said.
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Rally at UN against Sri Lanka's genocide draws over thousand protesters

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 September 2008, 16:56 GMT]
Over one thousand American Tamils, Canadian Tamils and friends of Tamils protested Wednesday in front of the United Nations Headquarters in New York to draw attention of the United Nations, demanding sanctions against Sri Lanka, and advocating to invoke the principle of Responsibility to Protect (R2P) as a means to halt what the protesters alleged "genocide of Tamils." The protesters also denounced the visit to the UN by the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. About 20 Sri Lankan Government supporters, including Buddhist monks, showed up briefly for a counter protest.
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Co-chairs emphasise on immediate humanitarian concerns

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 September 2008, 08:58 GMT]
"We're placing a lot of emphasis right now on the protection of human rights for civilians who are caught in the fighting, and the democratic government's responsibility for extending - for respecting and extending human rights protection to the people in the areas that they take over," said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Affairs, Richard Boucher, in a statement on Wednesday, after a meeting of the 'Sri Lanka Co-Chairs' in New York.
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40 civilians arrested in Vaazhaichcheanai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 September 2008, 17:59 GMT]
Vaahzaichcheanai police and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) arrested forty persons on suspicion Wednesday in a joint cordon and search operation launched around 6:00 a.m in Ki'n'naiyadi main street area, Vaazhaichcheanai in Batticaloa district, sources in Vaazhaichcheanai said.
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Veeramani, Thirumavalavan court arrest to condemn Indian aid to Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 September 2008, 19:17 GMT]
Tamil leaders in Tamil Nadu, K. Veeramani, President, Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) and Thol. Thirumavalavan, President, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Kadchchi (VCK), courted arrest along with five hundred cadres while attempting a rail blockade in Chennai to protest against Indian aid to the Sri Lankan state. "The Indian Government should not assist the Sinhalese regime in any manner either through imparting military training, or deputing Indian defence personnel to help Sri Lanka unleash its genocidal war," Veeramani said while he addressed an enthusiastic gathering of thousands of cadres of both the parties.
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Jaffna Catholics stage peace rally

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 September 2008, 10:13 GMT]
More than two thousand Catholics from different areas of Jaffna peninsula, heeding the call by Commission for Justice and Peace (CJP) of the Catholic diocese of Jaffna to mark the International Peace Day, assembled at the respective parish churches Sunday early morning before proceeding in a prayer procession towards Manippaay St.Anthony's church.
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Civilian shot dead in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 September 2008, 07:22 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen shot and killed a 25-year-old man Sunday afternoon in Chu'ndikkuzhi near Jaffna secretariat at a location close to Kachcheari - Nalloor road and Rakka road, near two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camps, one close to the secretariat and another near St.John Bosco School.
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SL Police detain 10 civilians in Batticaloa after slaying of TMVP operative

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 September 2008, 19:05 GMT]
Sri Lankan forces and TMVP paramilitary men on Saturday detained 10 Tamil civilians in a cordon and search operation jointly conducted by them in Tha'lavaay area, after a TMVP operative was slain Friday night at the office of TMVP at Tha'lavaay.
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Crisis unfolding in Ki'linochchi - Human Rights Secretariat

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 September 2008, 16:56 GMT]
The better off among the newly displacing Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Ki'linochchi have gone to the extreme of dismantling their homes so that they can setup a home in due course in new place. The sight of Ki'linochchi streets with roofless, doorless homes tells the sad tale of the IDPs who once lived in them, said North East Secretariat on Human Rights (NESoHR) on Saturday. Meanwhile, the United Nations office of the Resident / Humanitarian Coordinator in Colombo, in a press statement issued on Saturday, said it was seriously concerned by theft from its Ki'linochchi offices on Thursday and Friday nights and said it has brought this to the attention of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE).
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Fuel shortage threatens provision of drinking water in Vanni

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 September 2008, 10:45 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has instructed the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) not to allow Humanitarian Convoys to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Ki'linochchi district with food items provided under the United Nations World Food Programme, as a "punishment" for the people of Ki'linochhci district for not "obeying" its instruction to leave Ki'linochhi to Vavuniyaa, according to an official attached to Vavuniyaa District Secretariat. Meanwhile, North East Secretariat on Human Rights (NESoHR) in a press statement issued on Saturday said fuel shortage has severely affected the provision of drinking water to the internally displaced civilians.
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SLAF bombardment kills displaced civilian, 2 wounded

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 September 2008, 01:48 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked a civilian settlement in Visuvamadu Thursday around 4:00 p.m., killing a 47-year-old mother of two, who displaced from Ki'linochchi suburb Uthayanakar within the last couple of days. Two women were wounded in the bombardment, Tamileelam Police said.
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Sri Lankan forces arrest 12 Tamils in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 September 2008, 18:34 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA), Special Task Force (STF) and the Sri Lankan police arrested Thursday 12 civilians in a joint cordon and search operation from 5:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. in Kalladi, Uppoadai, Nochchimunai and Naavatkudaa areas in Batticaloa police division. Paramilitary Razeek group personnel were deployed by the SLA during the search operation, residents said.
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28 Tamils arrested over Horton Place bus bomb blast

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 September 2008, 16:53 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Cinnamon Gardens police in Colombo arrested 28 Tamil civilians including a woman in a joint cordon and search operation conducted in several areas in Colombo city from Tuesday evening till Wednesday morning. The arrests were made in connection with the Horton Place bus bomb explosion Tuesday and the arrestees are detained and being interrogated in Cinnamon Garden police station, police sources said.
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SLN imposes restrictions on Catholic devotees in Chaaddi, Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 September 2008, 15:59 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) in Allaippiddi has instructed the Catholic devotees attending the annual festival of Our Lady of Chinthaaththirai in Chaaddi, Veala'nai, in the islets of Jaffna and popularly known as Chinna Madu Maathaa (The little Mother Mary of Madu), to hand over their identity cards at their checkpost in Allaippiddi before entering the Church premises.
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