Kilinochchi pays tribute to Pararajasingham

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 December 2005, 12:43 GMT]
"It is the occupying Sri Lankan forces that have unleashed violence on the Tamil people. Destructive effects of such crimes will likely boomerang on the Sinhala armed forces. The Sri Lankan Government is solely responsible for controlling its armed forces to bring back normalcy," said the Liberation Tigers' Political Head, Mr.S. P. Thamilchelvan, addressing the mourners who gathered to pay tribute to the slain TNA MP, Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, at the Kilinochchi Cultural Hall Wedesday morning.
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Residents against new SLA camp in Barathipuram

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 December 2005, 11:39 GMT]
People of Barathipuram, a Tamil village between Muttur and Killiveddy, located at 58th milepost, have complained to Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Trincomalee district parliamentarian that Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officials are preparing to establish a new camp in their village. Mr.Thurairatnasingham promptly has sent his protest to the President Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse requesting him to abandon the plan for the new camp, sources said.
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Pirapaharan pays tribute to slain TNA MP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 December 2005, 22:43 GMT]
The leader of the Liberation Tigers, Mr. V. Pirapaharan, on Tuesday, paid tribute to the slain senior Tamil politician Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham in the Vanni. The body of the Tamil National Alliance paraliamentarian, who was shot inside Batticaloa St. Mary's Co-Catherdal during Christmas mass on Sunday, was taken to LTTE controlled Kokkadicholai on Monday and to Kilinochchi on Tuesday. The funeral service of the MP is to take place in the church where he was slain Thursday after receiving Holy Communion from Bishop Kingsley Swampillai.
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Seven persons missing in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 December 2005, 17:44 GMT]
Three fishermen who went to Mannar seas for fishing last Thursday and four other persons, including three who were arrested by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA)in various parts of Jaffna, have been reported missing in Jaffna.
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US Tamils call for sanctions against SL Government

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 December 2005, 11:24 GMT]
Expressing anger and sadness at the killing of Senior Parliamentarian Joseph Pararajasingham, US based Tamil Organizations, in a press release issued Monday, pointed out that "Tamils killings are never investigated...and armed forces in Sri Lanka operate with complete impunity," and urged the international community to "show political and moral courage and impose sanctions on the government of Sri Lanka in order to put an immediate end of this deliberated and calculated violence."
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All five Jaffna victims identified as civilians

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 December 2005, 10:48 GMT]
The young woman, who was shot and killed by the SLA soldiers and dressed up with denim trousers last Saturday, was identified as a heart patient, Ms Parameswari Somasundaram, 26, who had come to Jaffna Hospital for treatment from Konavil in Kilinochchi. Two other remaining bodies were also identified as belonging civilians from Kanakarayankulam and Pallai. Two bodies were earlier identified as belonging to a night watcher and a garage worker in Kottady. The Sri Lanka Military spokesman in Colombo had claimed that the five persons were gunmen who were shot by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and that troopers had recovered weapons from the victims.
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Colombo's bona fides for peace, suspect- TNA

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 December 2005, 17:11 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in a press release issued Monday said the assassination of Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham raises serious doubts in regard to the genuineness of the Government's commitment to the honest and purposeful pursuit of the peace process. "We consider it our duty to point out that the assassination of Mr. Pararajasingham, a Tamil leader unequivocally committed to the resolution of the Tamil question by peaceful means is a serious blow to the credibility of the peace process," the statement said.


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NESOHR mourns killing of Pararajasingham

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 December 2005, 14:59 GMT]
Praising Joseph Pararajasingham as a human rights activist ready to take up human rights violations against his community in Batticoloa disregarding risks to his life, the Northeast Secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR) in a press release issued Sunday said, " A land where human rights defenders’ life can be taken away so cheaply is a damned land. It is also a damning indictment on those who are charged with the responsibility of protecting them."
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SLA guns down two civilians in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 December 2005, 14:08 GMT]
Two civilians from Thoppu, in Atchuvely Jaffna, who went to hunt wild boars in shrub jungles close to the Palaly High Security Zone (HSZ) armed with shotguns, were shot dead by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops at 12.15 a.m Sunday early morning, sources in Jaffna said.
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Tigers condemn the killing of Pararajasingham

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 December 2005, 08:37 GMT]
Condemning the "appalling and vicious murder" of the Tamil National Alliance MP Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, the Political Wing of the Liberation Tigers, on Sunday, charged the Sri Lankan military intelligence and the paramilitaries working with them for the killing of Mr. Pararajasingham, a Tamil nationalist and human rights activist. The Tigers also said the killing at the Christmas mass symbolised the "long hand of the chauvinistic forces such as the Jathika Hela Urumaya," was working through the Sri Lankan military intelligence wing.
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Pararajasingham slaying, a barbaric act - fellow Batticaloa MP

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 December 2005, 01:19 GMT]
"The slaying of the senior and experienced politician from Batticaloa, Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, while at prayer inside the church on the holy day of Christmas, was a barbaric act affecting the collective Tamil psyche," said the fellow Batticaloa District Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Member of Parliament Mr. S. Jeyananthamoorthy, who was on a political tour to Europe. The Batticaloa MP said that the time has come for the International Community, specially the EU and the Co-Chairs, to prevail upon the Sri Lankan Government to fully comply with the Ceasefire Agreement.
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Joseph Pararajasingham MP shot dead in Batticaloa church

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 December 2005, 19:56 GMT]
Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, a senior Tamil politician and the Batticaloa district Member of Parliament (MP) of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) was shot and killed by two unidentified gunmen at St. Mary's co-cathedral church in Batticaloa town while attending Christmas prayers early morning at 1.20 a.m Sunday. The MP's wife, Mrs. Sugunam Pararajasingham, seriously wounded in the gunfire, was rushed to Batticaloa Hospital in critical condition. Seven more persons were injured in the gunfire, civilian sources said.
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Indian High Commissioner meets TNA delegation

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 December 2005, 16:51 GMT]
A delegation of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Friday met with the Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Ms Nirupama Rao and discussed at length the current situation, concerns on potential breakdown of CeaseFire Agreement (CFA), and the urgent need to restart the peace process. The TNA delegation impressed upon the High Commissioner the need for peace talks to commence without further delay, Mr.R.Sampanthan, TNA parliamentary group leader said in a press release Friday.
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WPPF leader meets Thamilchelvan in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 December 2005, 16:36 GMT]
Leader of Western Province People's Front (WPPF), Mano Ganeshan, met with Head of LTTE's Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan, in Kilinochchi Thursday morning sources in Kilinochchi said. "Forming a united front of all Tamil parties to secure a formidable bargaining position in Sri Lanka parliament was the basis of our discussion today," Mr.Ganeshan told the reporters after his meeting.


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Attacks escalate in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 December 2005, 08:42 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen and Sri Lanka Army soldiers exchanged gunfire for more than five minutes near Ainthusanthi, a junction in the outer suburb of Jaffna town around 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Four civilians, severely beaten up by the soldiers, were rushed to Jaffna Hospital. A policeman was wounded at Kantharmadam junction, 300 meters away from the University of Jaffna, around 1:00 p.m., when unidentified attackers launched an attack on the troopers, Police said. An SLA vehicle narrowly escaped from a claymore attack at Nelliyadi in Vadamardhci around 5:30 a.m. Thursday. Grenade attacks were reported in Ariyalai, Kopay, and near Nachimar Temple in Jaffna. Tension prevails in Jaffna.
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Tamil activist shot dead in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 December 2005, 02:59 GMT]
Mr K. Navaratnam (47), Jaffna district organizer for Tamil Resurgence Task force, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in front of the Thinakural offices in KKS road in Jaffna town at 5.30 a.m. Thursday, sources from Jaffna said. He worked part-time as news paper distributer and had gone to collect Thinakural edition for delivery to Poopalasingham Book Shop located on the Hospital Road when he was shot.
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SLA attacks on Jaffna protesters justified, says Fonseka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 December 2005, 20:52 GMT]
A "third force" in Jaffna is using peaceful demonstrations to instigate violence and therefore Sri Lanka Army (SLA) had to take defensive action, said Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, the Sri Lanka Army commander, justifying the recent attacks by the SLA soldiers on unarmed protesters in Jaffna, during a meeting between SL President Mahinda Rajapakse and TNA parliamentarians Wednesday at Temple trees, TNA sources said. The Vice Chancellor of Jaffna Campus, the Dean of the Arts Faculty and a TNA Member of Parliament were attacked, several students were injured and a lecturer received gunshot wounds when the SLA soldiers violently brokeup a peaceful demonstration near Jaffna campus Monday.
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Rajapakse meets TNA delegation

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 December 2005, 11:19 GMT]
A high level discussion between the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians led by its parliamentary group leader R.Sampanthan is currently in progress in the SL President's Office in Colombo. The meeting began around 4:00 p.m. Wednesday at the urgent request of the Tamil National Alliance, political sources said.
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TNA MPs protest, pandemonium in SL Parliament

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 December 2005, 11:24 GMT]
Pandemonium reigned in Sri Lanka Parliament Tuesday morning when Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians protested and shouted slogans against the firing on the Tamil civilians in Jaffna Monday injuring several undergrads and university teachers when they were proceeding in a peaceful march to the office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), sources said.
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Withdraw armed forces from civilian inhabited areas in NE- TNA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 December 2005, 09:50 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in a statement tabled in parliament Tuesday demanded the Sri Lanka government to withdraw all armed forces from all civilian inhabited areas in the North East. TNA further called the government to take disciplinary and legal action against all members of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces who are responsible for the attack on Tamil civilians in Jaffna district in the last several days.
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