Claymore attack targets train engine in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 December 2007, 19:22 GMT]
Unidentified attackers triggered a Claymore mine targeting the engine of the Trincomalee - Colombo night mail train Tuesday night at 8:45 p.m. at Kanthalaay in Trincomalee district, Police said.
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Withdraw Indian defence delegation to SL: Thirumavalavan, Vaiko

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 December 2007, 15:39 GMT]
The Indian Government should revive the stalled peace talks in the island instead of extending defence cooperation to the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL), said Thol. Thirumavalavan, General Secretary of the Tamilnadu-based Viduthalai Chiruthhaika'l Kadchi (VCK, the Liberation Panthers party) during a press meet in Chennai, Monday that was reported in sections of the Indian media. Meanwhile, Vaiko, leader of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) wrote a letter to the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday urging him "to stop forthwith any form of military assistance or guidance to Sri Lanka."
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Inter-religious summit calls for power-sharing constitutional framework in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 December 2007, 17:06 GMT]
Religious leaders from Sri Lanka and a multi-religious delegation from six countries of the World Conference of Religions for Peace, who met in Jaffna last Wednesday and Thursday, said the decision to make Jaffna the location of the summit was to express solidarity with all those who continue to live in situations of violence and despair due to the conflict. "We saw the massive destruction of infrastructure and housing that occurred in previous phases of fighting, the loss of villages and fertile agricultural lands to High Security Zones, and the fear and insecurity in the lives of the people, especially youth, which is dehumanizing to all those affected."
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VoT will rebounce from attack -Thamizhanpan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 December 2007, 22:43 GMT]
“Belligerent statements by close associates of Sri Lanka President Rajapaksa, threats against media personnel, and press censorship in the South, forewarned us of a possible attack on our media facilities. Fortunately, we took precautions against this, and our successful completion of the Heroes day program, inspite of Colombo violating international laws bombing our facility, is a testimony to the resilience of our staff,” said Thamizhanpan, director of Voice of Tigers, LTTE’s official broadcasting corporation, in an interview with a Australian Tamil Broadcasting Corporation, Tuesday.
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Two bodies with cut wounds recovered in Thenmaraadchi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 December 2007, 13:06 GMT]
Bodies of two youths, estimated to be between ages 25 and 30, were recovered Sunday morning in Poakaththai area in Kaithadi, Thenmaraadchi, Jaffna, with severe cut wounds to the body, including deep wounds to the neck inflicted by a sharp instrument, sources in Jaffna said. Chaavakachcheari Police transferred the bodies to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital Sunday noon for identification and postmortem examinations.
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Colombo's anti-terror laws assist killings, abductions, torture- MRG

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 December 2007, 19:32 GMT]
Minority Rights Groups International (MRG), an accredited non Governmental organization with the United Nations, in a report released Thursday said, after the promulgation of broad anti-terror laws in December 2006, Sri Lanka "has not hesitated to use these laws, and the country's human rights situation deteriorated. Under a general climate of impunity, 2007 has largely been marked by intense warfare, mass displacement, killings, abductions and torture in Sri Lanka."
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Court directs IGP to expedite release of Tamil detainees

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 December 2007, 13:19 GMT]
The Supreme Court Friday directed the Inspector General of Police to take immediate steps to release all Tamil civilians detained in police stations and Boosa detention centre found not involved in any crime after inquiry and to produce others in courts. The three-member bench of the Supreme Court chaired by Chief Justice Sarath Silva issued this directive in a Fundamental Rights Violation petition filed by the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) against the mass arrest of Tamil civilians soon after the Nugegoda bomb blast, legal sources in Colombo said.
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SLA soldier killed, 11 wounded in artillery attack in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 December 2007, 04:43 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier was killed and 11 troopers were seriously wounded Friday night when artillery shells fired by the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) hit a Forward Defence Line post of the SLA at Nochchikku'lam located in Mannaar Town division around 8:45 p.m., Police said.
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Court allows Police to investigate youth in protective custody

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 December 2007, 04:32 GMT]
A youth seeking protection with the Jaffna office of Human Rights commission (HRC) and kept in protective custody has been ordered to be temporarily handed over to Jaffna police for criminal investigation by Acting Magistrate of Jaffna T.Kesavan, legal sources in Jaffna said.
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3 Tamil civilians arrested in Uddapu, Gampaha

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 December 2007, 19:06 GMT]
The Police took into custody three Tamil civilians in two separate cordon and search operations conducted at Uddapu in Chilaw district and Gampaha town in Colombo district Wednesday. Police said they were detained in police stations as they failed to prove their identity and valid reason for the their stay in the locality.
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SLN attacks fisherman in northern seas

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 December 2007, 17:06 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Dvora gunboats opened fire Wednesday around 10:00 p.m and again around 4:30 a.m Thursday on fishermen fishing in Vadmaraadchi eastern sea, destroying a boat completely, while the two fishermen in the boat jumped into the sea to save their lives, sources in Vadamaraadchi said. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched heavy artillery fire Wednesday and Thursday on civilian settlements in Vadamaraadchi east, Pa’lai and Iyakkachchi areas causing damage to houses and shops.
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Bomb explosion kills 2 youths, injures 6 civilians in Point Pedro

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 December 2007, 16:02 GMT]
A bomb exploding in Viyaapaarimoolai area in Point Pedro, Vadamaraadchi Thursday around 6:00 a.m killed two youths and injured six civilians, sources in Point Pedro said. The bomb exploded with a deafening noise when a large contingent of Sri Lanka Amy (SLA) troops were engaged in a cordon off and search operation in the area, the sources added.
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EU Condemns abductions of parliamentarians' relatives

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 December 2007, 11:14 GMT]
Following reports of abductions of two relatives and a secretary of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians in Batticaloa, by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) operated paramilitary Pillayan Group, the European Union, on Thursday, condemning abductions said it was deeply concerned by disturbing reports of abductions of a number of civilians connected to members of the Sri Lankan parliament. Kidnapping is the behaviour of terrorists and the EU condemns it without reservation, said a press release issued by the British High Commission, acting as local EU Presidency on behalf of Portugal.
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SLAF bombers attack civilian settlements in Mullaiththeevu

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 December 2007, 15:52 GMT]
Two civilians were wounded Wednesday noon when Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked civilian settlements in Mulllaiththeevu district, at A'lampil and Chemmalai. A 19-year-old youth and a 33-year-old man were wounded in the attacks. Students attending GCE Ordinary Level exams were disturbed by the air attacks as they were forced to leave the examination hall and seek shelter inside bunkers. There were a number of students who were unable to continue with the exams due to trauma from the air raids, an official at Mullaiththeevu Zonal Education Office told media.
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Youth succumbs to injuries, man found dead in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 December 2007, 15:55 GMT]
The youth shot and injured at New Chemma’ni Veethi in Kalviyangkaasu Thursday succumbed to his injuries at Jaffna Teaching hospital Monday, and a civilian who went missing Wednesday was found dead Monday, with assault injuries on his body near the well of the Heroes’ Resting Home at Ellangku’lam, Uddupiddy in Vadamaraadchi. Meanwhile, unidentified gunmen shot dead an elderly trader in Chaavakachcheari Saturday around 7:30 a.m., sources in Jaffna said.
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Nadesan calls for attitudinal shift in rights approach

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 December 2007, 13:17 GMT]
The Government of Sri Lanka remained unperturbed despite severe criticism from U.N representatives who had visited the island and confirmed the large-scale violation of human rights against Tamils, because it continued to receive military and monetary aid from those who actually condemn the human rights violations, charged Liberation Tigers Political Head B. Nadesan, Monday, on the International Human Rights Day. Declaring that the human rights violations by the GoSL in SLA-controlled areas was nothing short of a "systematic genocide of the Tamils," he called upon the International Community to use "severe pressure" against Colombo to put an end to the flagrant violation of human rights.
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Court orders release of all Tamil detainees

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 December 2007, 04:53 GMT]
The Sri Lanka's Supreme Court Monday directed the Attorney General (AG) to release all 361 Tamil civilians detained in Boosa detention camp on bail immediately. The court further instructed the AG to make arrangement to release all Tamil civilians now in remand on personal bail instead of cash bail, legal sources said.
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UK: LTTE must change its ways, no intervention in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 December 2007, 22:10 GMT]
The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Dominick Chilcott, said Monday that President Mahinda Rajapakse must make an offer acceptable to moderate Tamils because the LTTE would not accept a negotiated solution within a united Sri Lanka. Mr. Chilcott accepted, however, that the President had to be able to “sell the solution” to the majority Sinhalese. The international community has no plans to intervene in Sri Lanka to exercise the responsibility to protect, he further said.
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American Tamils observe Tamils Memorial Day

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 December 2007, 11:53 GMT]
Several hundred expatriate American Tamils from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut attended the Tamils Memorial Day was held in Edison, New Jersey on Sunday December 9th to pay tribute to those Tamils who gave their lives in the struggle for Tamils national self determination.
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Paramilitary marches civilians in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 December 2007, 11:43 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) operated paramilitary Pillyan Group Monday noon forced hundreds of civilians from Kathirave'li and Vaakarai areas that were recently captured by the SLA in the East, into government operated buses, taken from depots in Polonnaruwa, Batticaloa and Vaazhaichchenai, to forcibly participate in a march held at Batticaloa city with the protection of SLA, Special Task Force (STF) and the Police. Meanwhile, the federation of non governmental organisations in Batticaloa was instructed by the paramilitary to call its members to march against the lack of humanitarian assistance by the GoSL. But, the motive of the march was changed by the paramilitary at the last moment.
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