'Sinhala nation has killed our dove of peace' - LTTE Leader Pirapaharan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 November 2007, 17:08 GMT]
The Sinhala nation has taken the life of a political leader "deeply loved by the Tamil speaking world" and "greatly respected by the international community," said Velupillai Pirapaharan, the leader of Liberation Tigers, in a message to the Tamil people on Saturday, following the demise of LTTE's Political Head and Chief Negotiator, Brigadier S. P. Thamilchelvan. "I raised him as a great commander, an unparalleled political head, a diplomat who communicated with the entire world, and a skilled negotiator," Mr. Pirapaharan said. "Buried within his beautiful smile, I recognized, right from the beginning, a thousand profound meanings, his abilities, and his leadership qualities."
Full story >>

US Senator expresses concern of Sri Lanka's rights violations

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 November 2007, 13:51 GMT]
Advocating for "international human rights field presence" in Sri Lanka, and asserting "there is no military solution to Sri Lankan conflict," the Democratic Senator from Vermont and Chairman of Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Patrick Leahy, in a statement issued at the Senate sessions on 2nd November said: " We have been increasingly concerned with reports of abuses by Sri Lankan government forces - not from the LTTE or their supporters as some have inaccurately claimed, but from the United Nations, the Department of State, and international human rights organizations."
Full story >>

Thamilchelvan's assassination a major setback to Sri Lanka - NPC

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 November 2007, 13:03 GMT]
The National Peace Council (NPC), a Colombo based peace group, condemning the air attack assassination of Liberation Tigers Political Head and Chief Negotiator S.P. Thamilchelvan, Saturday said the assassination of the high profile personality, who had to walk a thin line between the LTTE's military interests and political realities, was a major setback to any possibility of a return to the negotiating table. Expressing fear of the danger of retaliation in a like or more severe manner, the NPC said it was dismayed that three decades of bitter experience has not taught the leaders of the country that the military option is a high cost and inhumane one unbefitting of a democratic society.
Full story >>

Karunanidhi laments the death of Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 November 2007, 11:43 GMT]
Seen as a significant gesture, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and veteran leader of Tamils, M. Karunanidhi, condoled the demise of Thamilchelvan on Saturday. Kalaignar Karunanidhi, quite typical of his style, used the medium of poetry and pun to pass a subtle message that the Tamils of Sri Lanka haven't gone brotherless. The Chief Minister's emotion-filled condolence gains significance in the background of a prevailing impression that the government of India is fully backing the war efforts of the government of Sri Lanka aiming for a military solution to the ethnic crisis in the island.
Full story >>

Thousands pay homage to slain LTTE political cadres in Vanni

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 November 2007, 09:43 GMT]
Thousands of Kilinochchi residents, and LTTE officials and cadres gathered at Ki'linochchi Cultural Hall Saturday morning to pay their last respects to the five political cadres slain along with Brigadier S. P. Tamilchelvan, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Political Head, in the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) aerial bombing on ki'linochchi Friay. Tamileelam Police Chief P. Nadesan and Senior Commander Col. Balraj paid homage at the event, sources in Ki'linochchi said.
Full story >>

Erik Solheim concerned for consequences

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 November 2007, 07:01 GMT]
Erik Solheim, the Norwegian International Development Minister and facilitator for the peace process in Sri Lanka, who was apparently uneasy over the killing of Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Political Head S. P. Thamilchelvan, has said that he was deeply concerned about the consequences of the present escalation of war in Sri Lanka, the NTB news agency of Norway reported Friday. Characterizing the death a big loss, Mr. Erik Solheim further said that Mr. Thamilchelvan was an important contact point between the LTTE and Norway in the facilitation of the peace process.
Full story >>

LTTE leader pays respects to slain political head

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 November 2007, 18:37 GMT]
Velupillai Pirapaharan, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE), paid his respects to slain Political Head and Chief Negotiator, Brigadier S. P. Thamilchelvan Friday evening.
Full story >>

Nadesan appointed new Political Head of the LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 November 2007, 16:10 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) leader V. Pirapaharan has appointed B. Nadesan as the new Political Head following the demise of Brigadier S.P. Thamilchelvan, according to Irasiah Ilanthiryan, LTTE's military spokesman.
Full story >>

Jubilant Sri Lanka threatens to wipe Tigers out

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 November 2007, 13:27 GMT]
Hailing the Air Force bombing raid Friday which killed the Tamil Tigers chief negotiator and Political Wing head, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan and five other LTTE officials, Sri Lankan Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa said his government would kill other LTTE leaders ‘one by one’. Sources said he made his comments, quoted by Reuters, at a celebratory meeting at Temple Trees, the official residence of President Mahinda Rajapakse, who is also Mr. Gotabaya’s brother. Meanwhile, the Colombo stock market soared on news of the deaths.
Full story >>

'Targeted killing of LTTE Chief Negotiator shatters hopes for peace' - TNA

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 November 2007, 11:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s largest Tamil political party, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Friday expressed its shock at the killing in a government airstrike of Mr S. P. Thamilchelvan the LTTE’s Chief Negotiator and head of its Political Wing and five other LTTE officials. The TNA said the targeted killing of the LTTE’s Chief Negotiator underlined President Mahinda Rajapakse’s insincerity towards a negotiated solution, the TNA also said.
Full story >>

Thamilchelvan killed in SLAF air attack

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 November 2007, 07:27 GMT]
S.P. Thamilchelvan, Liberation Tigers Political Head was killed in Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) aerial bombardment Friday morning in Ki'linochchi. The Head Quarters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) in a press communique said it was conveying the loss of Brigadier Thamilchelvan with profound sadness to the people of Tamil Eelam, the Tamil Diaspora and the Global Community. The Sri Lanka Air Force attack has specifically targeted the residence of the members of the Political Division.
Full story >>

Tamil detainee files FR petition in Supreme Court

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 November 2007, 02:06 GMT]
A Tamil resident of Wattala in Colombo district has filed a fundamental rights (FR) violation petition in the Sri Lanka' Supreme Court to declare that his arrest and detention under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) is illegal and to order his release. The petitioner Rajendran Yogaraj, 49, has cited the Director of the Terrorist Intelligence Division of the Sri Lanka Police, Defence Ministry Secretary and Attorney General as respondents.
Full story >>

Pirapaharan decorates LTTE heroes of Anuradhapura

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 November 2007, 19:45 GMT]
Velupillai Pirapaharan, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE), on Thursday conferred Awards of Valour for Tiger cadres who excelled in their performance in the Anuradhapura operation against the Sri Lankan airbase. Four categories of awards, instituted for the first time, were bestowed on this occasion at a special venue organized in Vanni, in the presence of Tiger commanders and cadres, LTTE officials told TamilNet.
Full story >>

Anuradhapura Magistrate orders remand for 11 Tamil civilians

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 November 2007, 19:24 GMT]
Eleven Tamil civilians including a woman arrested soon after the aerial and land attack of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on Anuradhapura airbase are being held in remand in Anuradhapura prison under heavy security. They are residents of Moothoor, Palaiyootu, Gandhi Nagar, Trincomalee and Vavuniya in the northeast provinces.
Full story >>

25 SLA killed in Mannaar clashes - LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 November 2007, 15:26 GMT]
At least 25 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and more than 60 wounded when Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) confronted the ground troops of the SLA on two fronts, at Paalaikkuzhi and at the bund of Kaddukkarai Ku'lam Thursday morning from 5:30 a.m. till 12:30 p.m., field officials of the Tigers told media in Vanni Thursday evening. Tigers said they lost seven cadres in the fighting in Mannaar. Arrangements were underway to hand over a dead body of a SLA trooper, recovered by the Tigers, after thwarting the SLA movement. The LTTE has seized four automatic rifles and ammunitions in the clearing mission, they said.
Full story >>

Civilian, 6 combatants killed in Mannaar clashes

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 November 2007, 08:28 GMT]
A young mother was killed when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers and Special Task Force (STF) commandos in Murungkan, opened fire from their positions around 8:30 a.m. Thursday. The SLA and the LTTE engaged in offensive operations at two different positions. At least three FDL positions of the Sri Lankan forces were destroyed. The SLA has suffered heavy casualties. Military sources put their casualty figures at 3 killed and 32 wounded. Meanwhile, Murungkan Police has handed over 3 dead bodies of LTTE female cadres to Mannaar hospital.
Full story >>

Rajapaksa to withdraw newly imposed censorship

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 October 2007, 17:59 GMT]
Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat Wednesday night said the SL President Mahinda Rajapapaksa would withdraw the special gazette notification which he issued on 29 October, imposing censorship in Sri Lanka, by issuing another official Gazatte withdrawal notification, on Thursday. The announcement of the scheduled withdrawal comes following wide publicity on the censorship measures.
Full story >>

Heavy artillery duel, clashes in Northern FDL positions

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 October 2007, 21:26 GMT]
Clashes between Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) erupted Tuesday around 1:30 a.m at Mukamaalai in Thenmaraadchi and Naakarkoayil in Vadamraadchi in which both sides engaged in heavy artillery duel and gunfire exchange, SLA sources said. Movement of LTTE combatants near the northern Front Defence Line (FDL) positions triggered the clashes, the sources added.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka beefs up security in East port city

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 October 2007, 20:33 GMT]
The three armed forces of Sri Lanka and the police have tightened the security of Trincomalee city and its suburbs after the land and aerial attack on Anuradhapura airbase by the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE), residents in the city said.
Full story >>

Tigers gun down 2 DPU intruders in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 October 2007, 20:04 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Tuesday said a roaming patrol of their border security combatants on Monday evening gunned down two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) intruders inside LTTE controlled Valaignan Kaddu area in Mannaar district. Arrangements were underway to hand over the dead bodies of the SLA soldiers through the ICRC, informed sources in Vanni said. The Tigers have lost a combatant in the counter-ambush.
Full story >>