Tamil MPs protest, SL parliament suspended second day

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 January 2006, 06:43 GMT]
Parliamentarians of Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), Upcountry People's Front (UPF) and Western Province People's Front (WPPF) Wednesday resumed their sit-in protest in the well of the House for the for the second consequtive when the parliament resumed its sitting, Wednesday morning. Speaker M.J.M.Lokkubandara suspended the sitting for the day because of noisy protest by the Tamil MPs demanding the Sri Lanka Government to stop the killings, arrests and harassment of Tamil speaking people by the State armed forces, using Emergency Regulations, parliamentary sources said.
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State terrorism rising in NorthEast, say Tamil MPs

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 January 2006, 15:31 GMT]
"Violence and terror unleashed by the State armed forces is on the increase in the North East province. Fifty Tamil civilians have been abducted in the Jaffna district within few months. From December 1 to January 12 the State armed forces and para military groups in Jaffna have killed thirty-one Tamil civilians. Forty-two Tamils have been killed in other districts of the province," said leaders of Tamil political parties addressing a press briefing after their protest in parliament Tuesday morning.


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Two SLA soldiers killed, one wounded in Claymore attack in Thenmaradchi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 January 2006, 08:41 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army soldiers were killed and one soldier sustained serious wounds in a Claymore explosion that took place in Sarasalai, 4 km northeast of Chavakachcheri in Thenmardchi, Jaffna district, around 1:00 p.m. Tuesday, Police said. The Claymore attack was reported after two civilian dead bodies were recovered Tuesday morning in Thenmaradchi.
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Tamil MPs protest in parliament against killings in NorthEast

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 January 2006, 07:56 GMT]
Pandemonium prevailed in the Sri Lankan parliament Tuesday when it met for the first time in the new year 2006 following the protest held by parliamentarians of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), Upcountry Peoples' Front (UPF) and Western Province Peoples' Front (WPPF) against the killing of parliamentarian Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, rape and murder of a girl, Tharshini, in Pungudutivu, killing of five Tamil students in Trincomalee and several Tamil civilians by the Sri Lankan armed forces and the paramilitary groups and the arbitrary arrests of Tamil civilians in Colombo, parliamentary sources said.
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Ten civilians said arrested by SLN in Karainagar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 January 2006, 03:22 GMT]
Human Rights Commission in Jaffna received complaints Monday that ten civilians in Karainagar in Jaffna islets have been arrested by Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) at 12.30 p.m. Monday, sources in Jaffna said. The arrests occured when Navy soldiers carried out cordon and search operation after discovering hand grenades hidden near a tree at the Valanthalai junction in Karainagar.
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Norwegian Ambassador, SLMM Head to meet LTTE Political Head

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 January 2006, 11:11 GMT]
Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Hans Brattskar, and the Head of Mission of the Scandinavian truce monitors, Hagrup Haukland, will be visiting Kilinochchi to meet the Political Head of the Liberation Tigers, S P Thamilchelvan on Tuesday, according to the LTTE Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi. The LTTE is likely to press for urgent de-escalation of violence in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled areas of the NorthEast in the meeting viewed to be a preparatory meeting for the visit of Norwegian Development Minister Erik Solheim, expected to take place at the end of the January as announced by the Norwegian Foreign Ministry.
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Ex-EPDP cadre shot dead in Nelliadi

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 January 2006, 04:45 GMT]
Navaratnarajah Jegatheeswaran, 26, from Rajakiramam in Karaveddy, Jaffna was shot dead at 8.30 a.m. Sunday by unknown gunmen riding in a motorbike along Nelliady-Kodikamam road, sources from Jaffna said. Jagatheeswaran was formerly a member of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) and left the organization some time ago, Karaveddy residents said.
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Two civilians, one SLAF soldier injured in Trincomalee attacks

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 January 2006, 04:06 GMT]
An Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) soldier manning a checkpoint in Anpuvallipuram in Trincomalee district was injured when an unidentified person lobbed a hand grenade around 8.30 p.m. In a separate incident, two Tamil civilians, Selvanayagam Mayooran, 35, and Sabaratnam Mathivathanakumar, 32, were injured when unknown gunmen fired at them at 10.30 p.m. Sunday while they were going to their residences in Pallathoddam in Uppuveli Police division, sources in Trincomalee said.
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SL Parliament to debate extending Emergency

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 January 2006, 15:51 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group is to meet Tuesday to prepare for a full debate on the extension of the State of Emergency following allegations that Emergency Regulations (ER) are being used by Sri Lankan police and armed forces to harass Tamil civilians, TNA sources said. The extension motion of the State of Emergency for another month is to be debated in parliament Thursday.
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Ex-Razeek group cadre shot dead in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 January 2006, 06:17 GMT]
Unindentified gunmen shot and killed a paramilitary cadre of the EPRLF group, Sinnavan, Friday at 10:45 a.m. at Kallady, 2 km south of Batticaloa town, Police said. Sinnavan was a former cadre of Razeek Group, a paramilitary group, that has lost its significance in the counter-insurgency operations waged by the Sri Lankan military against the Liberation Tigers in Sri Lanka's east coast.
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7 civilians wounded in SLA’s retaliatory fire

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 January 2006, 06:43 GMT]
Five civilians, including a mother, a 60-year-old devotee and a 71-year-old man were wounded in Sri Lanka Army soldiers' retaliatory fire after two grenade attacks at the SLA troopers and policemen manning the checkpoints at two separate junctions in the suburbs of Jaffna town Thursday morning. Three policemen, an SLA soldier and two civilians were injured in the grenade attacks that took place at Parameswara and Thatatheru junctions, Police said.
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Large crowds attend Resurgence Convention in Muttur east

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 January 2006, 17:24 GMT]
Large number of Tamils thronged the grounds of Kadatkaraichchenai, a village in Muttur east for Tamil National Resurgence Convention, the first in the New Year in the northeast province held Tuesday evening. Thousands walked from several villages in the divisions of Vaakarai, Verugal and Eachilampathu to Kadatkaraichchenai, a village in the Muttur east, sources said.
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US wants cost of return to war to be high

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 January 2006, 12:43 GMT]
The United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Jeffrey Lunstead, told a business gathering in Colombo on Monday that the US wanted the "cost of a return to war to be high," in Sri Lanka. Resisting from accusing the Sri Lankan Armed forces in the escalation of the recent viloence, the US Ambassador, in his address to the American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka, said that the US wanted it to be clear, if the Tigers chose to "abandon peace," they will face a "stronger, more capable and more determined" Sri Lankan military.


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Youth shot dead in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 January 2006, 12:09 GMT]
Pancharatnam Pranavan, 24, was shot dead by unknown gunmen in front of a video store located in Aadiyapatham Road that links Thirunieveli and Kalviyankadu near Jaffna town Monday at 2 p.m., sources in Jaffna said. Pranavan was followed by the gunmen while he was on his way to obtain copies of video tapes.
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Maize vendor shot, injured in Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 January 2006, 11:42 GMT]
Mr Ratnam Karunakaran, 32, also known as Sinappodiyan, was shot and seriously injured by unknown gunmen on Monday evening 3.30 p.m. at Piscal Junction, a predominantly muslim area in Akkaraipattu along the Akkaraipattu-Kalmunai main Road. Karunakaran was selling maize at the time gunmen shot him, sources said.
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SLA soldier, two civilians killed in Muttur

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 January 2006, 10:12 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier was killed in a grenade attack on a sentry post at 58th milepost in Killiveddy area in Muttur division, south of Trincomalee, around 9 p.m., Sunday. Two civilians were killed when the soldiers retaliated, residents of the area said. SLA authorities, however, claimed that the men killed were members of the Liberation Tigers and that they have recovered a firearms from them.
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Sri Lanka's President meets TNA delegation

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 January 2006, 05:31 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse and a delegation of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) led by its parliamentary group leader Mr.R.Sampanthan began Saturday around 11 a.m. at Temple Trees at the invitation of the SL President, parliamentary sources in Colombo said. The discussion currently is in progress, government sources said.
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Trincomalee suburbs tensed as SLA builds new sentry

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 January 2006, 15:59 GMT]
Tension prevails in Anpuvallipuram and Abeyapura, suburbs of the Trincomalee town located off about 2 km northwest along Trincomalee-Kandy highway following attempts by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to set up a new sentry since Friday afternoon. Tamils live in Anpuvallipuram and Sinhalese reside in the adjoining suburb Abeyapura. The new sentry near the junction, which leads to Anpuvallipuram has drawn the opposition of Tamil families, civil sources said.
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SL Foreign Minister meets US Secretary of State Rice

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 January 2006, 11:33 GMT]
"Minister Samaraweera, who noted that Sri Lanka was Asia’s oldest democracy, thanked the US Government for the pro-active role it had played to support the peace process. He stressed that the solution the Government of Sri Lanka envisaged is one that is based on democracy, human rights and pluralism," a press release issued by the Sri Lanka Embassy in Washington said, referring to a meeting of Minister Samaraweera with US Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice Thursday.


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Educator missing from Nelliady HSZ

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 January 2006, 01:24 GMT]
Rasaratnam Thevachandran, 29, a father of two children and Director of a popular private educational institute in Nelliady, 4km south west of Point Pedro town, has gone missing from Tuesday, 03 January, sources in Jaffna said.
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