Tamil farmer arrested by SLA, reported missing

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 May 2006, 11:51 GMT]
Mr.Visanthy Aloysius, a Tamil farmer of Vellalarkaddu in Nanattan division in Mannar district is now reported missing after being arrested by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on April 29. He was arrested by a group of soldiers when he was going to Sooriyakaddaikadu to sell vegetables. Several villagers witnessed the arrest. Now, SLA officials are denying arresting the farmer, said Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan and Mr.S.Noharathalingam, Wanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians in a letter sent Friday to the Sri Lanka President Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse.
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Seven innocent youths killed in Vadamaradchi, Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 May 2006, 10:29 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army soldiers opened fire and attacked with Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) launchers two three-wheelers with 7 youths inside, killing all of them on the spot. The attack took place inside a lane near SLA Intelligence Camp in Navindil, 300 meters from Nelliyadi junction in Vadamaradchi, Jaffna, around 2:15 p.m. Thursday. The victims, who were on their way to attend a birthday party, were attacked by the SLA men in retaliation to a grenade attack that took place behind their Intelligence camp where 3 SLA personnel, including an officer, were wounded.
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CPJ condemns killing of Tamil-Language daily staffers

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 May 2006, 23:33 GMT]
Condemning the killing of two journalists at Tamil Language daily Uthayan, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), in a media release issued Tuesday, called on Government of Sri Lanka to "fully investigate the attack and take measures to ensure the security of all media workers as more attacks undermine the increasingly unstable truce since planned peace talks faltered in April."
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Paramilitary gunmen attack Jaffna daily, 2 killed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 May 2006, 14:25 GMT]
Five armed paramilitary gunmen who entered the main office of the Jaffna daily Uthayan Tuesday night around 7:45 p.m., opened fire on editorial staff, killing at least two staffers, including the daily's marketing manager and wounding two, according to initial reports. At least 40 gunshots were heard, residents said.
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SL Police abandons Sivaram murder investigation- RSF

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 May 2006, 12:14 GMT]
"Violence between Tamil factions, sometimes manipulated by the security forces, has had particularly bloody results. The renowned Tamil journalist Dharmeratnam Sivaram "Taraki", head of the news website TamilNet and editorialist on the Daily Mirror, was gunned down in Colombo in April. After arresting one suspect, police abandoned the investigation," said Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in its annual report for 2006 on Sri Lanka, issued Tuesday.
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Auto-rickshaw driver shot dead in Thenmaradchi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 May 2006, 10:26 GMT]
Armed men in a motorbike shot and killed a young auto-rickshaw driver in Kodikamam in Thenmaradchi division, Jaffna, Tuesday around 10:30 a.m. The victim, Selvaratnam Mathiseelan, 22, is the 8th auto driver to be gunned down in Jaffna.
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Colombo assails SLMM, accuses media bias in refugee figure dispute

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 April 2006, 16:58 GMT]
While Sri Lanka's President Mr Mahinda Rajapakse drew attention to "propaganda war," Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told the state-run weekly Sunday Observer that the Sri Lanka Government "categorically denies" and dismisses as "outrageous," accusation by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that security forces were involved in extra- judicial killings in the North-East. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, said State's attempt to accuse foreign media of bias is a precursor to enforcing self-censorship. The State wants to deter foreign press from exposing military excesses of Sri Lanka armed forces, he added.
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Sivaram memorial held at Colombo Tamil Sangam

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 April 2006, 15:05 GMT]
Speaking at the one year memorial event held at the Colombo Tamil Sangam by the Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance Friday evening, C.A. Jothilingam, a popular political analyst, called for making Sivram's death anniversary, a Day for remembering all journalists slain for their writings in Sri Lanka.
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Jaffna journalists pay tribute to Sivaram on first death anniversary

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 April 2006, 01:18 GMT]
"Sri Lanka Government (GoSL) has failed in its attempt to stifle the voice of the entire Tamils by killing Sivaram. Many young Tamil journalists are in the forefront, continuing his mission, informing the international community of the perils faced by Tamils in Sri Lanka. This is the greatest tribute we journalists can pay Sivaram," said Mr. S. Kathirgamathamby, president North Ceylon Journalists Association (NCJA) in his address at the first annual memorial day Dharmeratnam Sivaram (Taraki), a senior editor of TamilNet, held at the Media Research and Training Center in Jaffna University Friday evening at 4 p.m.


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TamilNet editor's murder still unpunished, impunity prevails in Sri Lanka- RSF

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 April 2006, 11:35 GMT]
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Sri Lanka Free Media Movement (FMM) all voiced outrage on the lack of progress in the investigation into the murder of Dharmaretnam Sivaram and and said "the current serious crisis in Sri Lanka - the result of unacceptable terrorism - in no way justifies the impunity prevailing in the murders of journalists and human rights activists," in a press release issued Friday.
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Sivaram remembered in Batticaloa and Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 April 2006, 07:19 GMT]
The first death anniversary of reputed journalist Dharmeratnam Sivaram (Taraki), a Senior Editor of TamilNet, who was assassinated a year ago in Colombo was held in Batticaloa on Thursday and Friday morning in Jaffna. Batticaloa Rural Development Organization in collaboration with Thamileelam Education Development Board organized the event held at Ramakrishna Mission School in Kokkadichcholai. Jaffna District Media Association (JDMA) organized the Jaffna event.
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Young man shot dead in Mannar

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 April 2006, 05:21 GMT]
Unidentified men shot dead a Tamil civilian, Friday morning, around 7.15 a.m. at Kallaikaadu in Mannar, police said. Kallikadaikadu village located along Mannar-Medwachiya road, about 12 km. off Mannar town. Monitors of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission in Mannar visited the scene and conducted inquiry. About fifty-five families residing in the village are about to leave due to fear following the killing,
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TNA MP condemns Senthilnathan killing

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 April 2006, 22:00 GMT]
Mr.S.Vino Noharathalingam, Vanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Wednesday issued a statement vehemently condemning the killing of Mr.A.K.Senthilnathan, a senior TNA leader in Vavuniya district.
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SLA obstruction of travel, an act of oppression - Jeyanandamoorthy MP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 April 2006, 21:51 GMT]
"Obstructing people in the North and East travelling to and from Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled areas as retribution for a bomb blast in the Colombo Sri Lanka Army (SLA) headquarters is an act of outright oppression of the Tamils in the north and east," said S. Jeyanandamoorthy, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) M.P for Batticaloa, in his statement to the press Wednesday.
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TNA urges International Community to act

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 April 2006, 15:59 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Wednesday condemned the GoSL and its peace secretariat for "duplicitous behavior" and "carrying on a malicious and false campaign to mislead the international community," and urged the International Community to "realize this reality and take the appropriate action to compel the Sri Lankan State to act in a responsible way in the interest of the peace process," in a press release issued in Colombo Wednesday.
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Two civilians, two SLA troopers killed in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 April 2006, 11:46 GMT]
Amid escalating violence in Jaffna two civilians and two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed in Jaffna district during Tuesday night and Wednesday, sources in Jaffna said.
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ITAK takes over Trinco Town PS administration

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 April 2006, 01:54 GMT]
Nine members of the Trincomalee Town and Gravets Pradesiya Sabah (PS) took oaths Monday morning at the PS office located in Chelvanayakapuram in Uppuveli police division, about four km off north of port city. Mr.T.Thiruchenthilnathan, President of the Trincomalee Bar Association and Justice of Peace first administered oaths to the Chairman, Mr.Thangavelautham Kantharoopan followed by Mr.Vellaithamby Sureshkumar, Vice Chairman and other seven members.
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Alaiyadivembu PS urges government to hold talks with LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 April 2006, 16:56 GMT]
Alaiyadivembu Pradesiya Sabah (PS) at its first meeting held Monday morning unanimously adopted a resolution requesting the Government of Sri Lanka to conduct peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) with sincerity and without duplicity. The resolution further said the government should not adopt a hard-line policy in finding a lasting political solution to the Tamil national question, sources said.
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Expedite building permanent housing to Amparai refugees, appeals TNA MP

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 April 2006, 16:55 GMT]
Mr.K.Pathmanathan, Amparai district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Monday appealed to chairman and councilors of the Alaiyadivembu Pradesiya Sabah (PS) to work hard by exerting pressure on relevant authorities to construct permanent houses to resettle tsunami affected coastal families without any further delay, sources said.
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Trader abducted in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 April 2006, 16:37 GMT]
A Vavuniya trader was abducted by unidentified armed men riding in a white van around 8:15 p.m. at Pandarikulam in Vavuniya, Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian Vino Noharathalingam said.
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