Sri Lanka extends State of Emergency

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 December 2007, 19:39 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament Thursday adopted a motion to extend the State of Emergency for another month by a majority of 126 votes. 141 parliamentarians from the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and its constituent parties Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) and Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) voted for the motion. The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) also voted with the government, parliamentary sources said.
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Moothoor aid workers massacre inquiry put off for January 23

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 December 2007, 18:22 GMT]
The Anuradhapura Magistrate Wasantha Jinadasa Wednesday directed the Criminal Investigation Department of the Sri Lankan Police to send the T-56 assault rifles of five home guards, who were in the Moothoor police station on the day when seventeen aid workers of the French NGO Internationale Contre la Faim (ACF) were shot dead last year, to be sent to the Government Analyst for examination. Earlier, the International Committee of Jurists (ICJ) and the ACF had questioned the credibility of ballistic examinations without an international observer.
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Gunmen shoot dead two Sinhala traders in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 November 2007, 11:31 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen Thursday noon shot and killed two Sinhalese civilians at Iyangkea'ni in Ea'raavoor, Police said. Ea'raavoor is located 12 km northwest Batticaloa.
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Abduction fear pervasive, say TNA MPs

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 November 2007, 10:52 GMT]
In a press conference held Friday in the premises of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, R. Sampanthan, leader of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) expressed fear that a number of members of parliament (MPs) might be abducted prior to the voting on the Third Reading of the Budget to be held 14 December, parliamentary sources said.
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Sunday Leader Tamil journalist files FR petition

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 November 2007, 06:02 GMT]
A Tamil journalist, Arthur Wamanan, working in the Sunday Leader English weekly Thursday filed a Fundamental Rights Violation petition in the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka seeking the court to declare his arrest and detention on October 24 was illegal. On October 24, Mr. Wamanan was taken into custody by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) personnel, based on a telelphone complaint by the Sri Lankan Minister of Enterprise Development following his article exposing Mr. Wijeratna of misappropriating government funds. The CID, knowing that the journalist was a Tamil, treated the journalilst as a "terrorist suspect," the Sunday Leader accused the CID of racism in its editorial.
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Eelaventhan meets Harper, U.S. officials

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 November 2007, 13:32 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, Mr Eelaventhan, currently visiting Canada and United States met with Canada's ruling Conservative Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, and politicians from other parties during the early part of November, and also met with United States State Department officials on the 14th of November, briefing them on the worsening humanitarian conditions in Tamil areas of North East of Sri Lanka, and the deteriorating ground situation that is leading towards large scale confrontation between Sri Lanka Security forces and Liberation Tigers.
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Sajitharan released, family transported to Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 November 2007, 13:50 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on Monday, after the budget voting, secured the release of S. Sajitharan, the son-in-law of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP for Batticaloa district, who had been abducted by the paramilitary Pillayaan Group. Mr. Sajitharan and the remaining members of the family of the TNA parliamentarian T. Kangasabai were transported from Batticaloa to Colombo and handed over to the MP, according to the TNA sources in Colombo. Mr. Kanagasabai, warned by the paramilitary operative Pillayaan not to vote against the budget, was not present in the parliament during the final voting on Sri Lankan budget Monday.
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UPFA budget passed with 16 majority votes

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 November 2007, 11:52 GMT]
Sri Lanka parliament Monday evening adopted the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) budget for 2008, the third budget of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, with a majority of 16 votes. 118 members voted for the budget and 102 voted against, parliamentary sources said.
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TNA seeks GoSL response on abduction before budget voting

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 November 2007, 06:31 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group leader R. Sampanthan Monday morning urged the Speaker in Sri Lankan Parliament to prevail upon the Government of Sri Lanka to take immediate steps to secure the release of S. Sajitharan, the abducted son-in-law of Batticaloa district TNA parliamentarian T. Kanagasabai, enabling the MP and other Batticaloa district TNA parliamentarians to vote on the Budget. Three of four Batticaloa district parliamentarians of the TNA were not present in the parliament Monday morning following threats from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) operated paramilitary, Pillayaan Group.
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TNA sends SOS to foreign diplomats

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 November 2007, 16:00 GMT]
The Parliamentary Group of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has urged the foreign diplomats in Colombo, including the U.S. Embassy, the British High Commission, the Indian High Commission, the Embassy of Japan and the Embassy of Norway, Sunday evening to persuade the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to secure the timely release of the family member of the Batticaloa district TNA parliamentarian T. Kanagasabai, abducted by the paramilitary Sunday in Batticaloa, and to ensure a threat-free environment for the Tamil parliamentarians in exercising the democratic rights of the people they represent in the Sri Lankan parliament.
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Paramilitary threatens Batticaloa Tamil MPs not to vote against budget, abducts family member

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 November 2007, 11:18 GMT]
Armed paramilitary men from the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) operated Pillayaan Group entered the house of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian T. Kagagasabai and abducted the Batticaloa MP's son-in-law around 2:30 p.m. Sunday. The group has threatened to kill the abductee if Mr. Kanagasabai voted against SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa's budget on Monday. The abduction took place at the police-protected house of the parliamentarian at Ka'luthaava'lai. Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan Police has withdrawn the security provided to all Batticaloa district TNA MPs residences in Batticaloa on Sunday.
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TNA MPs condemn US action on TRO

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 November 2007, 18:19 GMT]
"While the Government of Sri Lanka has imposed an effective economic embargo in Vanni, and the sustained bombardments of Sri Lanka Military have made situation difficult for International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) to work amidst the affected local residents in border villages of Tamil areas, United States has made the situation worse for the Tamil people, internally displaced and reeling under economic hardship, by stopping the humanitarian aid from the branches world-wide of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO)," said Kajendran, parliamentarian from the Tamil National Alliance.
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SLA arrests 22 Tamil youths in Chinnakku’lam IDP Centre

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 November 2007, 08:23 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) arrested 22 Tamil youths in Chinnakku’lam Centre for Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Trincomalee district during a search operation conducted Saturday early morning, according to complaints made by the IDPs to Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian K. Thurairatnasingam. The MP has registered complaints with Sea’runuva’ra police station and informed the matter to Vaakarai SLA Commander Berty Fonseka.
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Dilan Perera protests against UNP MP's crossover

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 November 2007, 09:22 GMT]
Dilan Perera, Sri Lanka's Justice Minister without cabinet portfolio and Badulla district parliamentarian of SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Thursday went and sat in the opposition bench in the Sri Lankan parliament, protesting against Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa for accommodating a United National Party (UNP) opposition parliamentarian who was implicated in the killing of Mr. Dilan Perera's associate, Nalanda Ellawala in 1999. Mahinda Rajapaksa is in discussions with Dilan Perera, amid claims and counter claims by ruling party and opposition of crossovers from both parties before Monday when the budget is to be put to final vote.
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Youth shot dead in front of Point Pedro Court

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 November 2007, 04:55 GMT]
Two unidentified gunmen on motorcycle shot dead Wednesday morning a youth, around fifty feet from Point Pedro Divisional Magistrate Court, on his way home after appearing at the courts, sources in Point Pedro said.
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"Disappearances and killings will continue" - Fonseka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 November 2007, 03:15 GMT]
Disappearances and killings of will continue as long as ‘anti-terrorist’ operations are continuing, Sri Lanka’s Army commander, Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka said this week in a interview to British investigative reporters. Asked about human rights abuses in the newly captured Eastern province, the commander replied: “This area is not a normal area. So people getting killed and some people going missing will happen as far as the anti-terrorist operations are continuing.”
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SC fixes inquiry into Palaali HSZ case filed by farmers

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 November 2007, 17:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court Monday fixed the inquiry for March 10 next year into the fundamental rights violation petition filed by a group of farmers seeking the court to make an order allowing them to cultivate their traditional paddy lands now being occupied by the Sri Lanka Army in the name of high security zone in Jaffna district since 1990, legal sources said.
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UNP decides to vote against 2008 Budget

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 November 2007, 16:49 GMT]
The parliamentary group of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) Wednesday met after the delivery of the 2008 budget by the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and unanimously decided to vote against the budget. The crucial vote on the 2008 budget is to take place on November 19 amid claims and counter claims by the ruling party and the main opposition party that cross over of parliamentarians from both sides.
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Sivaram murder case inquiry fixed for February 11

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 November 2007, 16:22 GMT]
Popular military analyst and TamilNet editorial board member Dharmeratnam Sivaram (Taraki) murder case was taken up for inquiry Monday before the High Court Judge Mr.W.A.D.Ratnayake. The court announced that the inquiry in this case would commence on February 11 next year before a panel of Jury. Attorney General has indicted Arumugam Sriskandarajah for murdering Mr.Sivaram on April 8, 2005, legal sources said.
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British Tamils mourn Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 November 2007, 00:41 GMT]
Several thousand British Tamils paid their respects Monday to the political head of the LTTE, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan and five other LTTE officials killed in a targeted airstrike by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Friday. The event was addressed by parliamentarians of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), local Tamil councilors and community figures.
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