TNA boycotts SL parliament protesting NE merger ruling

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 October 2006, 08:49 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Thursday morning walked out of the Sri Lanka's parliament in protest of the Supreme Court ruling that the temporary merger of the North and East provinces was illegal and violated Sri Lanka's constitution. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam in a statement to the parliament Thursday said his party would boycott the sittings of the parliament until the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) reveals its stand on the merger decision, parliamentary sources said.


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Jaffna Grama Sevakas boycott, demand safety

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 October 2006, 09:59 GMT]
Jaffna District Grama Sevakas Union (JDGSU) officially informed Government Agent (GA) Jaffna Monday evening that members will boycott duties from Tuesday, until threats to their lives from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) is removed and safety ensured, official spokesperson for the boycotting staff. Mr. Markandu Mahendran, Grama Sevaka (GS) of Ariyalai, was shot to death Monday while on duty at his office allegedly by Intelligent Operatives of the SLA.


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TNA protests against de-merger verdict, parliament adjourned

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 October 2006, 05:57 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Tuesday morning disrupted the proceedings of the Sri Lankan parliament, protesting against the Sri Lankan Supreme Court ruling that the merged NorthEastern Province was "illegal." The Tamil MPs protested in the assembly against the Sri Lankan judiciary which they charged was being used to nullify any arrangement towards a peaceful resolution of the national problem. Sri Lanka has rebuffed the International Community by Supreme Court ruling resulting in a scuttled P-TOMS, and now the 18-year-old merger of North East has been ruled "illegal" rejecting the Indian arrangement, the MPs charged.
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Akashi arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 October 2006, 05:02 GMT]
Yashushi Akashi, Japanese special peace envoy arrived in Colombo Sunday night around 10 p.m. at Katunayake International Airport on a five day stay. He is scheduled to meet Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse Monday morning and Minister Nimal Sripala de Silva this afternoon at the latter's office regarding the proposed peace talks scheduled to be held on October 28 and 29 in Geneva.
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4 civilians killed, 2 injured in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 October 2006, 13:06 GMT]
Four civilians were shot dead and two seriously injured in Jaffna peninsula in three separate incidents within the 24-hours from 6:00 p.m. Saturday and 6:00 p.m. Sunday, civil society sources in Jaffna said.
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Staff boycott work after monk goes berserk inside Secretariat

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 October 2006, 22:11 GMT]
The staff of the Manmunai North Divisional Secretariat in Batticaloa boycotted duties for an hour from 10:00 a.m. Friday condemning the cantankerous behavior of the Buddhist Monk, Ampitiya Sumanarathna Thera, inside the Secretariat at 9:30 a.m., shouting and swearing at the working staff. Officials said the belligerent Thera falsely accused the staff of reneging on providing funds allocated to renovate the Sri Mangalaramaya Vihara where he is the chief priest, Secretariat sources said.
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LTTE hands over 74 SLA bodies to ICRC

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 October 2006, 03:07 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) handed over 74 bodies of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers in black body bags to ICRC Thursday evening in Kilinochchi. Another soldier's body was brought to Kilinochchi Thursday evening. More than fifty bodies of SLA soldiers are strewn around in the battlefield in unidentifiable state, according to LTTE officials. 133 SLA soldiers were killed in action or reported missing according to the official figures released by the Sri Lankan defence ministry media co-ordinating centre Thursday. More than 200 SLA soldiers were killed when LTTE defense formations under Special Commander Col. Theepan defeated the SLA forces Wednesday, LTTE officials claimed.
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SLA guns down two youths in Thikkam

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 October 2006, 02:02 GMT]
Sri Lankan Army (SLA) soldiers at the Manambi Market Army Checkpoint, in Vadamarachchy region in Jaffna district, opened fire and killed two youths traveling in an auto trishaw along the Thikkam- Mavil junction road when the youths defied SLA order to stop, around 12:00 noon Thursday, civil sources said.
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Co-chairs must act to stop war- Gajendrakumar

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 October 2006, 18:30 GMT]
"Co-chairs and the International community should go beyond making statements by taking concrete steps to pressure the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) to stop waging an aggressive war and to compel the GoSL to engage in meaningful talks with the Liberation Tigers," said Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, at a press meet held Thursday morning in Colombo Renuka Hotel, TNA sources in Colombo said.
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Rajapakse-Wickremasinghe MoU to be signed late October

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 October 2006, 11:53 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse and leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), Ranil Wickremasinghe, Thursday met and discussed in detail regarding the implementation of six point programme agreed upon by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and the UNP following four rounds of talks, political sources in Colombo said.
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Armed robberies escalate in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 October 2006, 22:14 GMT]
Masked gunmen robbed millions of rupees worth of jewelry and cash from civilian residences on Sunday and Monday nights inside the Batticaloa and Kattankudy Police limits, Police sources said.
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SLA trooper injured in claymore attack in Vantharumoolai

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 October 2006, 11:50 GMT]
A group of unidentified armed men triggered a claymore mine Monday around 10.30 a.m on Komanthurai Sri Lanka Army (SLA) road patrol unit on Theevu road at Vantharumoolai in the Eravur police division, seriously injuring a SLA trooper, said sources from Vantharumoolai, sources in Batticaloa said.
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Dead body of Mankerni SLA Major located in Panichchankerni

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 October 2006, 15:47 GMT]
LTTE Trincomalee Political Head Sunday said the Tigers in Vaharai located 3 more bodies, 2 Sri Lankan troopers and a paramilitary cadre, in LTTE controlled Panichchankerni. A Sri Lanka Army Major who led the crack forces and paramilitaries into Tiger territory, identified as Major W.S.A Wijetunge, was among the dead. Nine bodies of Sri Lankan soldiers were dug up, in addition to the 2 bodies recovered later, and handed over to the ICRC by the Tigers in the presence of Trincomalee District SLMM in Vaharai Sunday. Earlier, Sri Lanka had declined to receive the bodies.
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TNA urges International Community to prevail upon Colombo to cease violence

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 October 2006, 15:12 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in an urgent press release Sunday appealed to the International Community to prevail upon the Government of Sri Lanka to cease all military operations immediately and actively work towards creating a conducive atmosphere for the resumption of peace talks. Mavai S. Senathirajah MP, on behalf of the TNA Parliamentary Group said: "There can be little doubt that any such further offensive military operations by the GoSL will almost certainly result in the break-out of full scale war and a complete negation of the Ceasefire Agreement."
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GoSL waging war against Tamils - Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 October 2006, 11:04 GMT]
The government of Sri Lanka is not fighting a war against the Liberation Tigers, but in reality is waging a war against the entire Tamil community in Sri Lanka, said R.Sampanthan, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian speaking in the parliament on Thursday during the debate on extending the emergency. Tamil people are under going severe hardship. If either the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) or the Joint Mechanism (JM) had been in place, the current difficult situations would not have arisen, he said.


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Colombo declines to receive bodies of dead soldiers, captured soldier talks to media

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 October 2006, 08:07 GMT]
The fighting formation of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) forces, "boxed" an area of 10 square kilometers and defeated Sri Lankan offensive towards Vaharai Friday, LTTE Trincomalee Political Head S. Elilan said Saturday. Accusing Sri Lanka for violating the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) and the Geneva Agreement of disarming the paramilitary cadres, Mr. Elian said 400 Sri Lankan troops, including 80 paramilitary cadres, were involved in the Sri Lankan offensive. K.M.S. Ratnayake, a soldier from Sri Lanka's 6th Battalion of Gemunu Watch, was captured alive by the Tigers. Colombo has refused to accept 9 bodies of SLA soldiers killed in the encounter, Mr. Elilan said.
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SLA constructs new sentry points in Ariyalai

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 October 2006, 11:41 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers from 51-4 brigade have strengthened the Ariyalai camp by constructing additional sentry points along Kanagaratnam Road and Chemmani Lane. Ten additional sentries have been erected this week, Ariyalai residents said.
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SLA launches new offensive towards Vaharai

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 October 2006, 05:21 GMT]
Sri Lankan forces have launched a new offensive towards Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled Vaharai region Friday morning. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops from Mankerni SLA camp advanced into LTTE controlled territory south of Vaharai with heavy artillery shelling, Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombardment and rocket fire from the Sri Lanka Navy gunboats, according to civilian sources. Thousands of civilians, most of them recently displaced from Trincomalee, were struggling to flee to safer areas. Civilian casualty figures are yet to be reported. "An inhumane war has been thrust upon 61,000 civilians," says Trincomalee District parliamentarian Thurairatnasingham.
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Emergency extension debate begins, TNA sit-in-protest continue in parliament

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 October 2006, 16:21 GMT]
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Thursday tabled a motion in the parliament seeking the approval to extend the State of Emergency for another month while parliamentarians of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) continued their sit-in-protest in the well of the House for the sixth day demanding the immediate re-opening of the A-9 land route, the only gateway to the Jaffna district from rest of the country and lift the economic embargo on the Jaffna population.
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Wickremasinghe pledges support to TNA protest

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 October 2006, 01:26 GMT]
Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the opposition, pledged support to the TNA protest when Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Mavai Senathirajah, and Suresh Premachandran led by R. Sampanthan met Mr Wickremasinge Wednesday evening in the Sri Lanka Parliament complex to discuss opposition party's stand on their sit-in-protest in Sri Lanka's parliament, TNA sources said.
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