Rajapakse disregards disappearances - Civil Monitoring Committee

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 April 2007, 19:54 GMT]
"The President of Sri Lanka has chosen to dismiss the present disappearances as not worthy of local and international attention," said a resolution passed by Civil Monitoring Commission (CMC), which is engaged in monitoring involuntary disappearances, abduction, extra judicial killings and arbitrary arrests and detentions in Sri Lanka. This resolution was passed in an event organized by it in Colombo Monday, where family and friends of the disappeared gathered to express their grief.
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Missing person in Mannar allegedly murdered by fellow fishermen

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 April 2007, 19:36 GMT]
Talaimannar Police arrested a person in connection with the disappearance of a fisherman few days ago in Talaimannar Sea and produced him before the Mannar Magistrate's court Tuesday. Additional Magistrate T.J.Pirapaharan ordered remand for the suspect till April 19. The police made the arrest following a complaint by parents of the missing person that he had been murdered by fellow fishermen and not due to navy firing.
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Basil Rajapakse excludes TNA MPs from development conference on East

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 April 2007, 11:53 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse's brother and his senior political advisor, Basil Rajapakse, excluded Eastern province Tamil National parliamentarians representing the districts of Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Amparai, from a development conference held in the Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat to discuss the development activities in the East. Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Trincomalee district Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) parliamentarian Jayantha Wijesekara were invited to the conference attended by Eastern Provincial Governor and district government officials.
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UNP leader slams Rajapakse regime for "notorious Human Rights record"

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 April 2007, 10:58 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Opposition Leader Ranil Wickramasinghe, who attended a confluence of the relatives and friends of the missing persons, held in Colombo Monday, charged that the ruling United Peoples' Freedom Alliance (UPFA) regime was responsible for the bad reputation of the Sri Lankan state's Human Rights record. 88 persons have been either abducted or gone missing since August 2006 up to now, according to the records of the Civil Monitoring Committee (CMC), an ongoing initiative by a few involved politicians.
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Karuna threats prevent Batticaloa MPs from visiting electorates

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 April 2007, 11:57 GMT]
"Due to death threats from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) backed Karuna group in Batticaloa district, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians representing constituencies in the district have not been able to go to their electorates for the last six months, affected parliamentarians said. Batticaloa MPs have been unable to even participate in high level planning meetings where the district's urgent needs are discussed and decisions taken,TNA parliamentarians told media Sunday.
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SLA accused of claymore attack on passenger bus

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 April 2007, 03:32 GMT]
Vanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Mr.V.Selvam Adaikalanathan in a statement issued Sunday accused the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) for the claymore mine attack on the passenger bus at Piramanalankulam bound for Vavuniya from Mannar on Saturday. Eight civilians were killed and about 25 injured in the attack.
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SL parliament begins debate on extending State of Emergency

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 April 2007, 09:53 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake Thursday morning tabled a motion seeking its approval for the extension of the State of Emergency for another month. Speaking on the motion Mr.Joseph Michael Perera, chief Whip of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) announced that his party has decided abstain from voting when the Speaker called for division, parliamentary sources said.


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2 killed, 4 wounded in SLAF airstrike in Mullaiththeevu

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 April 2007, 10:34 GMT]
Two civilian passengers were killed and four wounded on Kaivaeli - Puthukkudiyir'uppu Road in Mullaiththeevu district when Sri Lanka Air Force Kfir jets bombed the area Wednesday around 1:00 p.m., LTTE officials in Kilinochchi said. NGO office of the White Pigeon Prosthesis Institute in Puthukkudiyir'uppu was damaged in the aerial attack, the sources added. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan military sources in Colombo claimed that they had attacked a Sea Tiger base in Mullaiththeevu.
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Panchayat Raj brought back in Rajapakse deliberations

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 April 2007, 16:38 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa, while on his visit to the 14th SAARC Summit being held at New Delhi had discussions with Mr. Mani Shanakar Ayyar, Indian Central Government Minister on Panchayat Raj system Sunday at the Maurya Sheraton Hotel in New Delhi, a press release from the Presidential office said. In October 2006, when the inclusion of the Indian third tier administrative model was first brought up and touted as “ray of hope” to solve Sri Lanka’s “domestic problems,” Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian dismissed the concept saying "It is foolish to think Panchayat scheme will satisfy Tamil people."
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Remove fishing restrictions in Kaluvankerny sea- MP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 April 2007, 14:30 GMT]
"Kaluvankerny Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Thursday directive restricting fishing on Kaluvankerny sea area between 6:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m severely hampers fishermen from earning their livelihood. This restriction should be immediately lifted," Ms. K. Thankeswary, Batticaloa district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian said in an urgent appeal to Batticaloa SLA Civil Administrator, Colombo, Batticaloa officials the Ministry of Fisheries and Baticaloa Government Agent, Tuesday.
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TNA MP interrogated for 10 hours by SL Terrorism Division

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 March 2007, 17:22 GMT]
M.K. Sivajilingam, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian for Jaffna district, was interrogated by Sri Lanka's Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) for nearly 10 hours starting from 10:00 a.m. Friday in Colombo for alleged links with the Liberation Tigers , TNA sources said.
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Thanthai Chelva's 109th anniversary commemorated

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 March 2007, 16:04 GMT]
Mr. S.J.V.Chelva- nayakam, founder of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK) and fondly called by Tamils as "Thanthai" (father) was remembered on his 109th birthday as Jaffna Bishop of South Indian Diocese Rt Rev.Jebanesan, Thanthai Chelva Trustee, garlanded the statue of late leader Mr.Chelvanayakam located near the Duraiappah stadium in Jaffna within the High Security Zone (HSZ) at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, sources in Jaffna said.
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Resettle, provide relief to East refugees, TNA urges UN

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 March 2007, 11:45 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA), in a letter to the United Nations representative in Colombo, urged the International Agencies to take steps to resettle displaced refugees, all Tamils, by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) offensive in the East. The TNA also complained most of the refugees's houses have suffered damages and that they be provided with compensation to rebuild their houses.
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Stop SLA troopers looting IDPs' houses, urge Batticaloa MPs

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 March 2007, 09:25 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers are breaking into houses of IDPs from Paduvankarai in Battialaoa district west displaced by SLA offensives, and robbing the belongings, said Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Batticaloa district parliamentarians, in a letter to the President of Sri Lanka, Wednesday evening, urging him to take necessary action to stop the practice.
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Release abductees immediately, demands Colombo Rights Group

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 March 2007, 23:08 GMT]
Altogether seventy-eight persons have been abducted or gone missing in Colombo and its suburbs since August 2006. We demand they be released immediately and call upon the Sri Lanka Government to take steps to have them freed," said members of the Committee for Finding Missing Persons (CFMP), at the Satyagraha demonstration held in Hyde Park Corner in Colombo Wednesday from 10:00 a.m to 3:00 p.m, sources in Colombo said.
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Mirusuvil massacre case inquiry resumes

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 March 2007, 11:09 GMT]
The Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar (TAB) inquiry into the Mirusuvil massacre case was fixed for June 25 when it was taken up before the specially constituted three member bench comprising Judges Mr.Upali Abeyaratne (Chairman), Mr.Deepali Wijesundara and Mr.Sunil Rajapakse last Monday, legal sources in Colombo said.
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UNP demands parliamentary debate on air attack

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 March 2007, 21:13 GMT]
Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), has requested the Prime Minister, Ratnasiri Wickremanayake to summon the parliament immediately to discuss the current security situation in Sri Lanka following the Monday predawn air strike by the air wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the Katunayake airbase.
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Batticaloa SLFP organiser shot dead

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 March 2007, 17:48 GMT]
Two unidentified armed men on motorbikes shot dead Batticaloa district Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) organiser Sunday around 10:00 a.m at Erivil in Kalavanchikudy police division in Batticaloa district, sources in Batticaloa said.
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Supreme Court to hear Mawbima publisher's FR petition

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 March 2007, 10:59 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court granted leave to Mawbima and Sunday Standard publisher, Mudiyansalage Basnayake, to proceed with his Fundamental Rights (FR) application against his arrest and detention. The three-member bench of the Supreme Court chaired by Chief Justice Sarath N.Silva ordered that the FR application should be mentioned on March 29 to consider the petitioner's plea for interim relief, namely, his release. The Court fixed the FR application for full inquiry on June 4, 2007. The other members of the bench are Justices Raja Fernando and Andrew Somawanse, legal sources said.


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3 youths shot dead in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 March 2007, 11:26 GMT]
Three youths, one in Thenmaradchy, the other two in Pommaiveli and Kondavil within Jaffna Munipality limits, were found shot dead, Thursday night, sources in Jaffna said.
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