Eelam demand came well before LTTE - paper

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 December 2007, 16:41 GMT]
The international community’s continued insistence on reinforcing the state in Sri Lanka is intensifying the cycle of Sinhala oppression and, thus, Tamil resistance, the Tamil Guardian newspaper said this week in an editorial subtitled “the international community mistakenly hopes war [against the LTTE] will bring peace to Sri Lanka.” Pointing out that that Tamil demand for Eelam emerged in the seventies through the TULF, well before the LTTE’s armed struggle escalated, the paper said the Tamils’ “insistence on Eelam is not some romantic whim, but a longstanding expression of rejection of Sinhala rule.”
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Stung by rights criticism, Sri Lanka summons US, UK, EU and other ambassadors

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 December 2007, 16:31 GMT]
Sri Lanka's militaristic government said Friday it had hauled in the envoys of countries calling for UN human rights monitoring of the island's dirty war against the Tamil Tigers, AFP reported. The ambassadors of the United States, the European Union, France, Korea and Sweden were summoned for a dressing down by foreign ministry secretary Palitha Kohona, AFP quoted the ministry as saying. Diplomats from Canada and the Netherlands will also be summoned Friday, the ministry said, adding a complaint over remarks made at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva this week will be forwarded to New Zealand's Delhi-based envoy.
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Pirapaharan pays homage to Anton Balasingham

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 December 2007, 14:13 GMT]
Velupillai Pirapaharan, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam, Friday payed homage to late Anton Balasingham, the theoretician and political advisor of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), commemorating the first death anniversary of the former chief negotiator and political advisor.
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No Tiger threat in Tamil Nadu - Indian Army officer

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 December 2007, 16:51 GMT]
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Indian Army Southern Command Lieutenant General Noble Thamburaj on Wednesday categorically denied that the Tigers pose any specific threat to the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
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UNICEF-Sri Lanka Head meets LTTE Political Head

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 December 2007, 14:53 GMT]
Philippe Duamelle, the Head of UNICEF-Sri Lanka called upon the Liberation Tigers Political Head B. Nadesan Thursday morning at LTTE's Political Headquarters, Tiger officials in Ki'linochchi told media. The introductory meeting was described by both sides as "very constructive".
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Tigers repel SLA's attempt to advance in Mukamalai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 December 2007, 15:01 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Northern Front Operations Command said an attempt by a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) unit to advance towards their Forward Defence Line (FDL) positions at Ka’ndal in Mukamaalai Wednesday from 8:00 a.m to 8:50 a.m was successfully repulsed by LTTE fighters. One SLA trooper was killed and many injured in the fight.
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SLA advance thwarted in Mannaar - LTTE

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 December 2007, 15:49 GMT]
At least 20 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and more than 75 wounded when Liberation Tigers repulsed a two-pronged ground movement Tuesday in Mannnaar, according to LTTE military spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan. After heavy fighting that lasted from 12:30 p.m. till 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, the SLA began retreating in two fronts in Adampan and Paalaikkuzhi. At 6:00 p.m. the SLA was pushed back to its original Forward Defence Line (FDL) position. Tigers have seized Rocket Propelled Grenade Launchers, assault rifles and explosives, he said. Three fighters of the LTTE were killed in action.
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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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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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Man missing, 3 seek protection with HRC Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 December 2007, 15:35 GMT]
A 25-year-old mother with her child from Thenmaraadchi, and two youths from Cha’ndilippaay and Maanipaay, sought protection with Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna Monday due to death threats from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and SLA-backed paramilitaries. Meanwhile, a mason from Oaddumadam in Jaffna is reported missing since Wednesday after leaving work in the morning, according to complaint made with HRC Monday.
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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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Vaiko writes to Indian PM, alleges SLN - Indian Navy nexus

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 December 2007, 19:10 GMT]
Vaiko, General Secretary of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in India dashed off a letter to the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh alleging "a nefarious nexus between Sri Lankan Navy (SLN) and Indian Navy" after an Indian naval official declared that SLN was not guilty of deliberately killing Indian fishermen. Mr Vaiko also appealed to Mr Singh to "stop forthwith the supply of arms to Sri Lanka and withdraw the radars already supplied and give instructions to the officers of the Indian Navy not to pursue the nefarious game" of collaborating with the SLN. His three-page letter was released to the media on Sunday.
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Tigers repel SLA attack in Ma'nalaa'ru

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 December 2007, 08:35 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fighters on Friday thwarted an attempt made by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to advance into LTTE territory in Ma'nalaa'ru, Kokkuththoduvaay around 9:30 a.m, sources at Liberation Tigers Ma'nalaa'ru Operations Command said.
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LTTE thwarts SLA advance attempt in Adampan, Mannaar

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 December 2007, 18:16 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) thwarted an attempt made by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to advance from Maanthai into Adampan Friday morning in a fierce fight against the SLA which lasted from 9:00 a.m until 3:00 p.m, sources in Mannaar said. Both sides have not released any information.
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LTTE to handover bodies of 4 SLA killed in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 December 2007, 07:01 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) officials in Ki'linochchi told media Thursday that arrangements were underway to handover corpses of four Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers to the SLA through the ICRC. The soldiers were killed in a clash that erupted between the Tigers and a SLA unit that attempted to advance towards Ku'risuddaku'lam in Mannaar.
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LTTE ambush kills SLA soldiers in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 December 2007, 14:25 GMT]
At least three Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed when a ambush unit of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam engaged in a clash with SLA road patrol at Chinnachchitpikku'lam located southwest of Vavuniyaa around 7:00 a.m. Informed military sources put the SLA casualty figure at 5 killed.
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3 SLA troops dead, several injured in LTTE retaliation in Ki'laali

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 December 2007, 17:20 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) thwarted an attempted advance operation of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) into LTTE held Ki’laalii area Tuesday around 1:00 p.m, killing three SLA troops and injuring many, LTTE sources said. SLA began the operation with artillery, mortar and Multi-Barrel Racket fire from 4:30 a.m in preparation for the advance operation launched at midday, the sources said.
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Rights groups condemn "Collective Punishment"

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 December 2007, 16:25 GMT]
Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA), a Colombo-based think-tank, and the Free Media Movement (FMM), a media watch group in Colombo, are considering taking legal action against Sri Lanka authorities for the mass arrest of more than 2000 Tamils in suburbs of Colombo this week, media reports in Colombo said. The arrests were made after the Government of Sri Lanka accused the Liberation Tigers of carrying out the two bomb attacks that killed 21 people and injured more than 40 in Colombo.
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A5 route in Batticaloa district reopened

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 December 2007, 08:00 GMT]
Chengkaladi-Badulla A5 route in Batticaloa connecting the districts of Badulla and Batticaola, which had been closed 12 August 2006 due to the war between the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), was opened Monday for public use, sources in Batticaloa said.
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