Eastern PC election, another step in Sinhalasisation of East - TNA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 April 2008, 05:32 GMT]
The Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who has projected himself as an "ultra Sinhala nationalist leader" in all his decisions since taking office in 2005, was going ahead with his agenda of Sinhalasising the Eastern sector of the North-East, the historical habitation of Tamil speaking people, in the guise of development, splitting it into High Security Zones, Industrial Zones and Environmental Zones, after de-merging the North-East, in violation of the Indo-Lanka International Treaty, said R. Sampanthan, the leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentary Group, who issued a statement of principles on Wednesday, clarifying the reasons for boycotting the Eastern PC elections.
Full story >>

Court grants permission to detain two Tamil youths

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 April 2008, 01:21 GMT]
The Fort Magistrate Ajith Anawaretna Tuesday allowed an application of the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) of the Sri Lanka Police to detain two Tamil youths arrested on suspicion that they had come to Colombo to carry out suicide attacks, legal sources said.
Full story >>

Tamil civilian abducted in Kotahena

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 March 2008, 05:41 GMT]
A Tamil civilian residing at Jampettah Road in Kotahena in Colombo city was abducted on March 18 morning around 5:00 a.m. by a group of unidentified armed persons who arrived in a van. The men dressed in civil stated that they had come from Kotahena police station, according to a complaint lodged with the Kotahena Police and the Civil Monitoring Committee in Colombo by his wife.
Full story >>

East PC candidates to be provided with security

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 March 2008, 11:59 GMT]
Sri Lanka Government is to provide two armed police personnel to each candidate contesting the Eastern Provincial Council elections to ensure the candidates' security, Deputy Inspector General of Police Gamini Navaretna, according to media sources.
Full story >>

Holding mobile service violates election law, says MP

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 March 2008, 11:36 GMT]
Holding two day mobile service by the Public Administration Ministry in Batticaloa on March 29 and 30 after the commencement of the election process for the forthcoming Eastern PC election is a violation of the constitution and the Election Law, said Batticaloa district parliamentarian P.Ariyanethran in a statement to the media.
Full story >>

TID detains Tamil woman arrested in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 March 2008, 02:40 GMT]
A Tamil woman residing in Modera, Colombo, since 2003 was taken into custody last week and is being detained by the Terrorist Intelligence Department (TID) of the Sri Lank Police according to a complaint by her mother handed over to Colombo district parliamentarian P.Radhakrishnan, media sources said.
Full story >>

Vavuniyaa MP requests relief for rain affected farmers

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 March 2008, 02:56 GMT]
Vavuniyaa district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Mr.Sivasakthi Aanandan appealed to the Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Services to compensate farmers of the districts of Killinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannaar and Vavuniyaa for the loss of their crops due to the recent torrential rain. Many of the affected farmers depend on the income from the crops, and are under severe economic hardship, the MP said in his appeal.
Full story >>

No solution possible without LTTE – South Africa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 March 2008, 03:52 GMT]
Expressing deep concern over the escalating violence in Sri Lanka, South Africa this weekend called for renewed negotiations to end the protracted conflict and emphasized “no solution to this conflict can be found without the involvement of the two principal parties to the conflict – the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE.” Speaking in London, South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Communications Roy Padayachie assured that his country would render every assistance towards making peace but, in an implicit criticism of approaches by some other countries, said: “we will never ever impose our involvement in any part of the globe.”
Full story >>

Destroyed East villages, MP chronicles history

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 March 2008, 16:33 GMT]
"Population of Sinhalese in the East was a mere 0.53 percent in 1827 but due to systematic colonisation and subsequent establishment of military camps along the borders of traditional Tamil areas, Sinhala settlers encroached into more than 25 percent of land owned by Tamils," said Maavai Senathirajah, Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, addressing, as the chief guest, to a gathering in Colombo Saturday on the occasion of the release of a book "Destroyed Tamil villages," authored by fellow Member of Parliament (MP), S.Jeyananthamoorthy, literary sources in Colombo said. T. Kangasabai, Batticaloa district TNA parliamentarian presided the function.
Full story >>

EU expresses serious concern of Sri Lanka's Rights abuses

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 March 2008, 12:00 GMT]
While noting with regret that Independent International Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) has decided to terminate work, and expressing concern that the Commission of Inquiries lack compliance with international standards, the European Union, in a press release issued Tuesday said, the EU "continues to believe in the importance of guaranteeing access to Kilinochchi for the Norwegian facilitator and other Co-Chairs, as well as the UN and other concerned organisations." The release also said, "[i]n 2006 the EU listed the LTTE as a terrorist organisation. Since then there have been a number of criminal prosecutions against LTTE fund raising in Europe."
Full story >>

TNA to boycott Eastern PC elections - MP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 March 2008, 23:35 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) will not contest in the forthcoming Provincial Council elections for the Eastern Province as the alliance "steadfastly opposed the de-merger of the North Eastern Provincial Council (NEPC) in January 2007 by the Government of Sri Lanka," Batticaloa district TNA parliamentarian S. Jeyanandamoorthy told TamilNet Tuesday. "We do not want to fall prey to the policy of divide and rule of the Sri Lankan government," the parliamentarian further said.
Full story >>

Swiss Tamils condemn assassination of TNA parliamentarian

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 March 2008, 22:28 GMT]
Tamils in Switzerland held a demonstration and public rally in Geneva on Monday in condemnation of the assassination of K. Sivanesan, Jaffna district Tamil National alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian, allegedly carried out by a Deep Penetration Unit of the Sri Lanka Army in Vanni on 06 March. The demonstrators called on the International Community to act against the systematic slaying of prominent Tamil leaders, including academics, journalists, civil society leaders by the Sri Lankan armed forces and the paramilitaries.
Full story >>

Politically French, culturally Tamil: 12 Tamils elected in Paris and suburbs

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 March 2008, 06:54 GMT]
An emerging picture in recent times in Europe and North America is the active and successful participation of Tamils in the local politics. The new impetus seems to be coming from the younger generation of Eezham Tamils. Twelve candidates of Tamil origins have been elected to the local bodies of Paris and suburbs in the local government elections concluded last Sunday in France. Seven of them are Eezham Tamils while three are of Pondicheri (Paa'ndichcheari) origins and one each of Mauritius and Guaduloupe background.
Full story >>

Bail denied for Maheswaran murder suspects

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 March 2008, 16:50 GMT]
Chief Magistrate Raveendra Premaratna Monday denied the bail appeal submitted on behalf of Francis Sutharsan, the second accused charged in connection with the assassination of T.Maheswaran, Colombo district United National Party(UNP) and Member of parliament, legal sources in Colombo said. The magistrate instructed the police to continue to keep the suspect in detention until further notice. Maheswaran was shot dead on New year day within the premises of Ponnampala Va'neasvarar temple, Colombo.
Full story >>

Assault on media

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 March 2008, 16:08 GMT]
While the 2007 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Sri Lanka released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the U.S. State Department catalogued the deteriorating climate for media freedom in Sri Lanka, State intimidation of, and violence on journalists continue in 2008. Unidentified men have broken into the houses of journalists Munusamy Parameshwari in Gampola, and Sashi Kumar and Sunetra Athugalpura in Gonawela, Kelaniya in three separate incidents in the last two days, according to media reports. Parameshawari's relatives were assaulted before the attackers got away, reports added.
Full story >>

Colombo irked by US Rights report

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 March 2008, 14:53 GMT]
The 2007 Country Report of Human Rights Practices in Sri Lanka released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the U.S. State Department has created shockwaves within the Rajapakse Government according to Media reports in Colombo Friday. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama had called on the US Ambassador in Colombo, Robert O Blake, to register “Sri Lanka’s serious concerns” on the report, Colombo media reported.
Full story >>

UPFA-TMVP secures Mayor post in Batticaloa MC

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 March 2008, 16:10 GMT]
Paramilitary TMVP group Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pullikal (TMVP) candidate, who jointly contested in the elections for the Batticaloa Municpal Council with Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa's ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), was appointed Mayor of Batticaloa Municipal Council (MC) in the TMVP committee meeting Wednesday, TMVP Secretary, Kailasarasa said. Daughter of Sathiyamoorthy Rajan, the assassinated Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary candidate in 2004 general elections, Pirabakaran Sivakeertha, known as Pathmini, polled 4,722 preferential votes and was appointed Mayor of Batticaloa MC.
Full story >>

US must rethink its narrow focus on terrorism - Armitage

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 March 2008, 18:15 GMT]
Former deputy secretary of state Richard L. Armitage this week urged sweeping changes to current U.S. foreign policy, arguing that the superpower needs to replace its almost exclusive focus on fighting terrorism with a broader agenda. “If your foreign policy is just organized around the global war on terror, you’re missing the bet. I think a new paradigm will emerge. I don’t know what it will be, but in the interim we need to engage with friends and frankly engage with our enemies. Actually, it might be more important to engage with our enemies,” he told The Washington Diplomat journal.
Full story >>

British parliamentarians call for UK to rein in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 March 2008, 04:30 GMT]
A group of Parliamentarians from all of Britain’s main political parties Tuesday condemned the assassination last week of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP K Sivanesan and, lamenting the recent exit of the international panel overseeing rights abuses probes in Sri Lanka, called on the UK government to take all possible steps to ensure that Government of Sri Lanka plays by accepted international rules.
Full story >>

Court orders resettlement of 3000 IDP families in Valikaamam North

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 March 2008, 11:46 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court Monday ordered Sri Lanka Government officials to expedite resettlement of first batch of three thousand families displaced from Valikaamam North in Jaffna district in their own lands, after a two member-committee comprising a representative nominated by the Jaffna High Court and a nominee of the Defense Ministry had scrutinized their applications and submitted their report to the Court, legal sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>