Himalayan Dawn: people take over Nepal, Bhutan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 April 2008, 03:40 GMT]
With the epoch-making electoral verdict for the Constituent Assembly of Nepal, ultra-Marxists have captured the reins of a country, that too in a democratic process, for the first time in the history of South Asia. The Maoists, who were waging an armed struggle for structural changes in Nepal were self reliant, antagonists of the Indian orbit of manoeuvring and have been listed as 'terrorists' by the USA. The winners have announced to make Nepal a federal democratic republic.
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Buttala-Kadirgaamam highway re-opened after 3 months

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 April 2008, 00:43 GMT]
Buttala-Kadirgaamam highway was re-opened on Sunday on the eve of Tamil-Sinhala New Year, after being closed for about 3 months. The road was closed down following attacks on Sri Lanka government security forces by the LTTE. However, traffic and public movement on the road is allowed only in day time from 7:00 a.m. till 6 p.m with condition that all vehicles should go in groups. The road is closed for night traffic, media sources said.
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SLA imposes travel restrictions on Mannaar Tamils

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 April 2008, 05:58 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has recently imposed travel restrictions on Tamils traveling to and from Mannaar. Tamils who leave Mannaar are only allowed to travel in train from Mathavaachchi while the Tamils, returning to Mannaar from other areas are filtered by their native and residential addresses and refused entry into Mannaar if they carry a National Identity Card with a residential address in South at Kaddaiyadampan SLA checkpost, located between Madu Road junction and Murungkan, on Mannaar Mathavaachchi Road. Family members are separated and refused entry, residents complain.
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IIGEP: Colombo lacks political will to investigate Human Rights violations

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 April 2008, 22:51 GMT]
The International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP), which terminates its observation mission reasoning that the proceedings of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) setup by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) to investigate and inquire into serious violations of Human Rights, have not been transparent and not satisfied basic international norms and standards, in its concluding public report on Tuesday blamed the Government of Sri Lanka for "absence of will" in the present Inquiry to "investigate cases with vigour, where the conduct of its own forces has been called into question."
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Senior SLA Commander injured in LTTE sniper fire

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 April 2008, 15:47 GMT]
Lt.Col.Jagath Ratnayake, Commander of the 4th Gemunu Watch division of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) responsible for the Forward Defense Lines (FDLs) at Muhamaalai was seriously injured by sniper fire of the Liberation Tigers, Sinhala daily Lankadeepa reported. The Commander was first transported by Military helicopter to Palaali Military Hospital, and later transferred to Colombo National Hospital, according to the same paper.
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Upcountry Tamil youth arrested in Matale

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 April 2008, 17:03 GMT]
Ratota Police Thursday arrested an upcountry Tamil youth, a resident of Pitakantha estate in Matale district on receipt of information that he has connection with the LTTE, media sources said.
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30 SLA killed in 4 fronts in Mannaar - LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 April 2008, 17:00 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan said at least 30 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and 75 wounded when LTTE defensive formations in Mannaar confronted a four-pronged SLA attempt to advance west of Giant's Tanks in Mannaar. Tigers lost 3 cadres in the fighting that lasted from 5:30 a.m. till 1:30 p.m. The SLA continued to target Madu area with artillery and mortar fire and sporadic clashes were reported west of Thadcha'naamaruthamadu, according to Tiger military spokesman.
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International Community should learn from experience, Vaiko tells Norway

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 April 2008, 23:03 GMT]
Expressing that the lack of implementation by the Government of Sri Lanka on the agreed principles of the February 2002 Cease Fire Agreement (CFA), especially disarming of army backed paramilitary groups, led to the ultimate breakdown of the peace process, Vaiko, the General Secretary of Marumalarchchi Dravida Munneatta Kazhakam (MDMK), told Norwegian International Development Minister Erik Solheim and Jon Hanssen-Bauer, the Norwegian Special Envoy, that the International Community should prevail upon the GoSL to reinstate the ceasefire in order to engage in a meaningful process for a negotiated settlement.
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SLA shell kills family man in Poonakari

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 April 2008, 16:33 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched artillery shells on civilian settlements Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled areas in Aththaai, Poonakari Friday around 2:45 p.m., killing a family man and destroying two houses completely.
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'My Daughter the Terrorist' producer receives death threat - Norwegian paper

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 April 2008, 10:57 GMT]
Morten Dae, the producer of the award winning Norwegian documentary film, "My Daughter the Terrorist," on two Tamil Black Tiger female cadres in Vanni, has received death threats after the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) failed in blocking the organisers from screening the film at the Full Frame Documentary Festival, in Durham in the United States, reported Dagsavisen, a Norwegian daily, on Thursday.
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Kandy security reinforced following recovery of explosives

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 April 2008, 10:57 GMT]
Sri Lanka police have reinforced the security of the Kandy district since Wednesday following the detection of about 100 kgs of explosives in Nilagammana in Digana in Teldeniya division, and are reported to be considering conducting cordon and search operation in several areas in Teldeniya.
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As humanitarian crisis unfolds, Diaspora needs to help – paper

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 April 2008, 04:55 GMT]
Warning that, faced with determined resistance to its offensives into the Vanni, the Sri Lankan government, like previous ones, will intensify punitive attacks and measures against the Tamil population there, the Tamil Guardian newspaper this week called on the Diaspora to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis. “The embargo on food and medicine will be tightened further and civilian centers will be targeted more heavily. The Diaspora has long been the mainstay of relief efforts for the people of the Northeastern warzones. It needs to step forward yet again,” the paper said in its editorial.
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Colombo attempts to create 'health disaster' in Vanni - LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 April 2008, 08:16 GMT]
Health services in Vanni are facing a man made disaster created by the Sri Lanka Defense Ministry, said N. Selvy, LTTE's spokesperson on Human Rights. Sri Lankan forces have blocked supplies to Ki'linochchi Deputy Provincial Director of Health Service (DPDHS) division. The DPDHS office recently said that medicine quota for the district hospital for the first quarter of 2008 is yet to arrive. Meanwhile, Mullaiththeevu DPDHS has told media that only 20% of the fuel supplies needed to operate the district hospital, two sub-hospitals and six pharmacies in the district, has been allowed across the entry point at Oamanthai by the Sri Lankan forces.
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Two new parliamentarians sworn in

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 April 2008, 10:28 GMT]
Solomon Cyril of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) from Jaffna district, and M.Naushad of the United National Party (UNP) from Ampaarai district, were sworn in as new parliamentarians Wednesday in Sri Lanka's parliament. Speaker W.J.M.Lokkubandara administered oaths to them when the parliament resumed its sitting Wednesday morning, parliamentary sources said.
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SL Parliament begins debate on emergency extension

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 April 2008, 10:23 GMT]
Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake Wednesday tabled a motion seeking an extension of the State of Emergency now in force since August 2005, for another month, parliamentary sources said. Speaker W.J.M.Lokkubandara was in the chair when the debate on the motion began. Wickremanayake said during March, 93 members of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and police died in the fighting with the LTTE.
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SLA fires artillery on Northern Fronts

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 April 2008, 01:36 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) continued to pound Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held territory since Monday night from its artillery bases in Va’ra’ni in Thenmaraadchi with artillery and Multi Barrel fire for the second day, amidst persistent rain, sources in Thenma’raadchi said. Intermittent attacks continued during daytime Tuesday lasting until night, the sources added.
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"Sri Lanka at the brink"

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 April 2008, 12:26 GMT]
Advocating a "federal accommodation for Sri Lanka's Tamil minority," Dr Whitehall in an article on Australia's News Weekly says: "In the first eight months of 2007, an estimated 1,212 Tamils were murdered or disappeared, according to the Sri Lanka-based Law and Society Trust, which reports that Tamils to have been "overwhelmingly affected". Of these victims, 23 were aid and church workers, eight worked with the media, and 68 were children. Most of the abuses occurred in Jaffna, the historic capital of the Tamil region, which is now "occupied" by over 50,000 Sri Lankan troops. Many of the reported abuses have occurred within "high security zones" under the control of those troops."
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LTTE urges Norway to take steps to end military assault on Madu shrine

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 April 2008, 15:52 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Political Head B. Nadesan on Monday sent an urgent letter to Norwegian International Development Minister Erik Solheim, placing a request to the Royal Norwegian Government to take steps to immediately end the military assault of the holy Madu shrine in Mannaar district. "The international community together with the international institutions that are concerned about protecting the historical treasures of the world must be brought together and we hope the Royal Norwegian Government together with them will take the necessary actions to end the attacks on the church," Mr. Nadesan urged Norway.
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30 booby traps explode in 5 days in Mannaar - LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 April 2008, 16:46 GMT]
30 Sri Lanka Army soldiers were either wounded or killed in random explosions in no-go zone between the LTTE and SLA controlled areas in Mannaar district, according to LTTE's Operations Command in Mannaar. Meanwhile, 3 SLA soldiers were gunned down by the LTTE snipers near Adampan on Sunday, according to the LTTE.
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Two pronged SLA offensive attempt thwarted in Vavuniyaa - LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 April 2008, 14:57 GMT]
At least 9 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and more than 13 SLA soldiers wounded when Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) confronted the SLA on two fronts at Paalamoaddai in Vavuniya - Mannaar border Sunday. Heavy fighting raged from 8:30 a.m. till 5:40 p.m. until the SLA troops were withdrawn, according to LTTE's Operations Command in Vavuniyaa. Due to heavy artillery barrage, the remaining 32 families in Koayil Kugnchukku'lam and Kungnchukku'lam have displaced from their villages.
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