4 Thenmaraadchi civilians seek protection, IDP reported missing

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 February 2008, 16:31 GMT]
Three persons from the same family and a driver from Thenmaraadchi sought protection with Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna due to death threats from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops and SLA-backed paramilitaries. Meanwhile, an Internally Displaced Person (IDP) from Thellippazhai Cheeriyam Pu'liyadi IDP refugee camp is feared to have disappeared after entering the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) check point in Thellippa'lai, according to a complaint made with HRC Jaffna Wednesday.
Full story >>

Appalling rights violations no bar to contain rebellion- RSF

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 February 2008, 12:24 GMT]
"The government and the military have intensified the war against the Tamil Tigers and President Mahinda Rajapakse has sworn to stamp out the rebellion, at the price of appalling human rights violations if necessary. Both the Sinhala and English-language press came under even greater pressure from the authorities in 2007. On their side, the Tamil Tigers allow no dissident voices in the areas they control," said Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF) in the annual report issued Wednesday. "Some ministers behave like gang leaders," the report further described the deteriorating state of governance in Sri Lanka.
Full story >>

Tamil civilian reported missing in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 February 2008, 12:08 GMT]
A 32-year old Tamil civilian has been reported missing since Saturday night around 8 p.m. after he was seen walking along Thaalvupaadu Veethi in Mannaar, according to complaints lodged with the Mannaar Police, Mannaar District Citizen Committee, and International Committee of Red Cross.
Full story >>

SL Police arrests 7 commuters in Colombo bound train

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 February 2008, 11:09 GMT]
Seven commuters were taken into custody by the Sri Lankan Police Sunday night at the Lunuwila station from the Colombo bound from Puththa'lam. Majority of them are said to be Tamil civilians.
Full story >>

Veeramunai NGO employees continue to be detained

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 February 2008, 13:54 GMT]
Six female employees at the Veeramunai office of a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) Social Welfare Organization of Ampaa'rai District (SWOAD), arrested by Sammanthurai police Tuesday afternoon are continued to be detained, civil society sources in Ampaa'rai said.
Full story >>

4 civilians seek protection with HRC Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 February 2008, 11:04 GMT]
A young mother and her two children from Thenmaraadchi sought protection with the Human Rights Commission (HRC) offices in Jaffna Thursday due to death threats by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops and SLA-backed paramilitaries, HRC officials said. A neighbour of the family also sought protection with the HRC Thursday for the same reason.
Full story >>

Five employees of Social Welfare Organization Arrested

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 February 2008, 00:01 GMT]
Sammanthurai police arrested Tuesday afternoon five female employees at the Veeramunai office of a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) Social Welfare Organization of Ampaa'rai District (SWOAD), civil society sources in Ampaa'rai said.
Full story >>

Two civilians injured in SLAF air attack

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 February 2008, 05:37 GMT]
Two civilians, including a school girl, were injured and two houses were destroyed in renewed air attack by Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) jets in Ki'linochchi, about 300 metres from Thiruvaiyaa'ru Mahavidyalayam (school), between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m., Wednesday, Ki'linochchi hospital sources said.
Full story >>

2 civilians abducted, 4 seek protection with Jaffna HRC

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 February 2008, 01:03 GMT]
Within the past five days, two familied men were abducted in the peninsula while four civilians, including a mother and her two children, sought protection with the Jaffna office of Human Rights Commission (HRC), civila society sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Ma'nalaa'ru, Padaviyaa schools closed indefinitely

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 February 2008, 14:13 GMT]
Schools in Weli Oya (Ma'nalaa'ru) educational Zones in North Central province (NCP) region will be closed indefinitely in response to requests of parents of students attending these schools, Bertie Premlal Dissanayake, Chief Minister (CM) of NCP said Tuesday. The schools will be reopened after the security of the region is tightened, Mr Dissanayake added.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka Air Force strikes UN compounds, environs in Ki'linochchi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 February 2008, 12:38 GMT]
Two civilians were killed and two wounded Tuesday evening when Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombed a suburb of Ki'linochchi town, firing air burst bombs over the UN compounds area with civilian settlements, 300 meters from UNICEF office near Kandasamy temple. A hostel used by UNDP and UNHCR staff workers was damaged in the attack.
Full story >>

'Hatching chicken from spoiled egg'

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 February 2008, 04:15 GMT]
Ruling out any constitutional reform and upholding a 'single unitary state', the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his 60th Independence Day speech harped on 'bringing the provincial administration closer to the people within the framework of the constitution' to resolve the ethnic crisis of Sri Lanka. “The solution must be based on what could be implemented in this country. We cannot offer solutions that are experiments,” he said. The challenge he stressed was the 'defeat of terrorism'. “Impotent of laying new eggs, the president is duping Tamils, promising to hatch an egg rotten for 60-years,” said Selvam Adaikkalanathan, Member of Parliament and the leader of TELO.
Full story >>

Communist Party of India urges Centre to remove SLN sea mines

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 February 2008, 23:00 GMT]
D Pandian, Tamil Nadu State Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), addressing the press on Sunday, urged the Indian Government to take suitable action to remove sea mines planted by the Sri Lanka Navy in order to protect the life of Indian fishermen who ventured into the sea. The CPI is a key ally of the ruling Indian National Congress.
Full story >>

4 SLA, 10 civilians killed in Ma'nalaa'ru bus attack

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 February 2008, 11:20 GMT]
14 persons, including four Sri Lanka Army soldiers and 10 Sinhala civilians were killed when a Claymore attack targeted a bus carrying soldiers and civilians at Kobbekaduwa junction in Ma'nalaa'ru (Weli Oya) colonisation scheme Monday around 3:40 pm. At least 17 wounded in the blast.
Full story >>

17 Tamils arrested in Nugegoda

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 February 2008, 02:50 GMT]
Seventeen Tamil civilians, majority of them workers at business establishments and staying in lodges, were taken into custody in a cordon and search operation conducted by the Sri Lanka government security forces at Nugegoda, a suburb in Colombo, from Sunday evening till early morning Monday, sources said.
Full story >>

APRC collaborated in a deception game: Kumar David

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 February 2008, 16:49 GMT]
"The Interim Report is a sham for two reasons; the Committee set aside its pervious 18 months and 63 meetings of deliberations and trotted out the Presidential diktat pretending it was its own finding, and secondly the APRC is collaborating in a deception game since this interim palliative is all that the government will ever want out of these worthies; the government will sell this interim hogwash to India and the Co-Chairs," says Prof. Kumar David in an opinion column that appeared in "Island" weekend edition.
Full story >>

U.S. condemns bomb attacks in South

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 February 2008, 16:36 GMT]
The United States Embassy in Colombo has condemned the bomb attacks at Fort Railway Station and Dehiwala zoo in Colombo and in Dambulla on Saturday. Stating that the attacks bear "all the hallmarks of the LTTE," the U.S. press release said the attacks targeted innocent civilians to foster an atmosphere of fear prior to Sri Lanka's Independence Day celebrations.
Full story >>

14 killed, 103 wounded in Colombo train blast

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 February 2008, 08:45 GMT]
Fourteen civilians, including 6 students of D.S. Senayakaye vidyalaya and a baseball teacher were killed and around 100 people wounded in a bomb explosion at the platform of Colombo Fort Railway station while Matara-Vavuniyaa train reached the 3rd platform the station, situated in the High Security Zone in Sri Lanka's capital Sunday at 2:10 p.m. All train services have been suspended, the Fort station was cordoned off and a search operation by the Sri Lankan armed forces was launched. The blast comes a day before Sri Lanka's 60th Independence Day celebrations amid speculations of Colombo embarking on a full fledged war on Vanni, stepping up aerial bombardment and artillery barrage.
Full story >>

East elections, perversion of democracy, says Tamil Arasu Kadchi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 February 2008, 04:19 GMT]
Outlining the reasons for not participating in the forthcoming local elections in the east, a press release issued by Mavai Senathirajah, General Secretary, Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) in Colombo Wednesday, said: TMVP, an armed paramilitary group which is aligning with the ruling party in the forthcoming elections is openly brandishing weapons and has a strong presence in Batticalo district. The release added that in this climate of fear, elections will be a perversion of democracy, and ITAK has decided not to participate.
Full story >>

Bomb targets bus in Dambulla, 11 killed

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 February 2008, 01:54 GMT]
A bomb exploded in Dambulla in Matale district, targeting a bus bound to Anuradhapura from Kandy Saturday at 7:05 a.m., initial reports said. 11 civilians were killed and 20 wounded.
Full story >>