Tamil TV journalist attacked in Nuwara Eliya

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 February 2010, 03:36 GMT]
An unidentified group of persons Wednesday evening attacked a well known Tamil journalist J.Sri Ranga of Sakthi Television travelling in a vehicle with his police escort in Hatton, a town in Nuwara Eliya district, according to police media spokesman I.M.Karunaratne, Senior Superintendent of Police.
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India plays upon Buddhist emissary while monks colonize Tamil land

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 February 2010, 23:04 GMT]
New Buddhist temples built by armed forces and militant monks mushroom in Tamil land occupied by Colombo, news reports from Eezham said, citing new constructions along A9 highway. Meanwhile, an extremist Buddhist monk with armed support has arrived at Thalai Mannaar Pier area, the nearest point opposite to the Indian coast, to buy 100 acres of land and to start a Sinhala-Buddhist colony there, news sources from Mannaar said. While nearby Mullaiththeevu and Trincomalee of the Tamil north and east are never linked for ages, A3 highway in the western coast is going to be extended according to Colombo reports, linking Puththa’lam and Mannaar through Vilpattu forest to facilitate inroads of Sinhala colonies. In the meantime, India is learnt to have gifted to Sri Lanka a replica of Asoka’s rock edict speaking of his Buddhist emissary to the island.
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Sri Lankan Police instructed to quell protests by opposition

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 February 2010, 02:21 GMT]
Any demonstration against the government and the SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa organized by the opposition without permission would be dealt severely if peace is disrupted, the Sri Lankan Police has warned on Monday.
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First day of British Referendum draws to a close

[TamilNet, Sunday, 31 January 2010, 02:00 GMT]
As the first day of voting in Britain's referendum comes to an end, preliminary reports indicate that several thousands of British Tamils have cast their vote, reports TamilNet UK correspondent Saturday. The referendum is to re-mandate the fundamentals of the Vaddukoaddai Resolution passed in 1976, which Tamils overwhelmingly mandated in the 1977 general elections proclaiming their desire for an independent and sovereign state in the contiguous North and East of the island of Sri Lanka. An important achievement of the referendum is that it has made the determined people to righteously defy the 'taboo' on Tamil Eelam imposed by an amendment to the constitution by Colombo in 1983, conspired by New Delhi in 1987, insinuated into the peace communique by the West in Oslo in 2002 and endorsed by Karunanidhi in 2009, diaspora circles in UK said.
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Voting Mahinda or Fonseka is submission to Colombo-centric system

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 January 2010, 18:10 GMT]
Eezham Tamils need not bother much about the outcome of the presidential elections. Whether Mahinda or Fonseka matters the same, says a senior journalist in Jaffna. Only the war criminals, their international abetters and the geopolitical competitors have to worry about the elections and it is their problem. Tamils have to concentrate in organizing their own polity and in demonstrating it. But if they abstain from voting there are people waiting to stuff the boxes. If Tamils want to register opinion and see neither of the main candidates get 50 percent they should cast the first vote to a third person and of all the candidates the moral obligation of Tamils is to vote for Dr. Vikramabahu Karunaratne. Looking upon the Colombo-centric system is the curse of Tamils for ages and instead of destabilising it, any participatory politics amounts to only submission to the system, he further said.
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Sri Lankan Police harass Wickramabahu supporters in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 January 2010, 03:49 GMT]
Chu’n’naakam police arrested Manicakasothy Abimanasingham, the Jaffna District organizer of presidential candidate Dr. Wickramabahu Karunaratne and three of his supporters Thursday around 8:00 a.m in Chu’n’naakam while distributing campaign pamphlets. Meanwhile, three other supporters of the candidate had been assaulted by police earlier, the sources added. Dr. Wickramabahu Karunartne condemned the police arrests and assault adding that it is a high handed act as election campaigning is permitted until Saturday.
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4th pre-election related killing reported from Kurunagala

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 January 2010, 10:04 GMT]
A 27-year-old person was killed and four others wounded Monday evening in a grenade attack on the residence of a deputy minister in the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government.
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SLFP member arrested with weapons in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 January 2010, 13:43 GMT]
Batticaloa Police Saturday arrested a person who is claimed to a member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), on charges of abduction of a teenage girl and for having in his possession illegal weapons. He was earlier the secretary of a former member of the T.M.V.P and currently an official of the SLFP in eastern province.
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“Tamils should vote for one who publicly recognizes their rights, aspirations” - Manickasothy

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 January 2010, 14:53 GMT]
“Tamil speaking people should vote for a person who publicly recognizes their rights and aspirations and openly tell the Sinhalese Nation and the world of his stand,” Mr. Manicaksothy, a prominent person in Jaffna peninsula, said in a report to media Monday, in support of Dr. Wickremabahu Karunaratne, a contestant in the forthcoming presidential candidate. “Then only the Tamil speaking people will be able to let their principles and stand known,” he further said in the report.
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Sivageetha announces support to Fonseka

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 January 2010, 10:37 GMT]
Batticaloa Mayor Sivageetha Prabhakaran Friday resigned from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and joined United National Party (UNP) to support General (retd) Fonseka in the upcoming Sri Lankan Presidential elections. Ms. Sivageetha was earlier in the TMVP paramilitary group faction led by Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, the present chief minister in the Eastern Provincial Council. Later she joined the SLFP at the request of Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna, now a minister the Rajapaksa government who is also one of the vice presidents of SLFP.
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Tamils, Muslims should reject both Mahinda and Sarath - Wickremabahu Karunaratne

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 January 2010, 04:37 GMT]
Tamils and Muslims should not cast their votes either to Mahinda Rajapakse or Sarath Fonseka in the presidential election so that niether of them poll more than 50% of the votes cast, as a clear message to both, Dr. Wickremabahu Karunaratne, leader of the New Left Front (NLF), contesting the forthcoming presidential election said in a press meet held Friday in Jaffna Bastian Hotel. The defeat of Liberation Tigers has also affected the lives of the poor among the Sinhalese, he said.
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Amila Thera further remanded till January 8

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 December 2009, 12:47 GMT]
Horana Magistrate Tuesday ordered further remand for Venerable Dambara Amila Thera, an Executive Member of the National Patriotic Movement (NPM) until January 8 over allegations that he cheated persons, promising them foreign employment. The monk is being held at the Kalutara remand prisons.
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CID arrests Amila Thera

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 December 2009, 14:02 GMT]
Venerable Dambara Amila Thera, the President of Patriotic National Front (PNF) was taken in for questioning by a team of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Sri Lanka Police, according to a complaint by PNC Secretary and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) parliamentarian Vijitha Herath to the police.
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TMVP cadre arrested with 4 T-56 rifles in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 December 2009, 03:12 GMT]
Kalkudaa Police Thursday arrested a cadre of TMVP led by Pillayan, Chief Minister of the Eastern Provincial Council (EPC), with four T-56 rifles and nine magazines in Maangkearni in Vaakarai division in Batticaloa district. The suspect has been identified as Sinnathamby Vettivel, 26.
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SLA, Police cordon, search Maligawatte housing schemes

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 December 2009, 12:36 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army and Police personnel conducted a search operation Wednesday afternoon in Colombo at Maligawatte Housing Scheme, causing tension among the residents in the area.
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23 candidates file nominations in Sri Lankan presidential race

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 December 2009, 07:42 GMT]
23 candidates including the incumbent Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa (UPFA), retired General Sarath Fonseka (New Democratic Party), Wickramabahu Karunaratne (Left Front), Siritunga Jayasuriya (United Socialist Party), Sarath Manamendra (Nawa Sihala Urumaya), M.B. Thaminimulla (Okkoma Wasiyo, Okkoma Rajawaru) and Battaramulla Seelaratne Thera (Ana Setha Peramuna) will be among the 18 political parties’ candidates that filed the nomination papers Thursday morning at the Sri Lankan Election Secretariat in Rajagiriya. Meanwhile, one person has filed objections against General Fonseka stating that he is a citizen of the United States of America, but it was overruled by the Commissioner.
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Karuna, Pillayan groups supporting Rajapaksa clash in Ampaa'rai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 December 2009, 14:21 GMT]
Three paramilitary men were reported missing when a major clash broke out between rival paramilitary men of TMVP Pillayan group and SLFP Karuna group around 2:15 p.m. at Thirukkoayil in Ampaa'rai district where a group of 50 operatives of Pillayan had gone in three vehicles to campaign for Mahinda Rajapaksa passing the office of the Sri Lanka Freedom (SLFP) manned by Karuna's paramilitary men headed by operative Iniyapaarathi. Three TMVP men sustained injuries, according to Sri Lankan Police. A vehicle, sent to locate the missing persons, has been set on fire around 5:00 p.m. by Karuna's men. The fate of the occupants were not known.
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22 aspiring for SL Presidency pay their deposits

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 December 2009, 13:21 GMT]
Seventeen political parties and five independent candidates have paid their deposits when the Sri Lankan Elections Department closed its counter to accept the same Wednesday noon. The nominations will be accepted from 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon on Thursday. The qualified candidates to contest the forthcoming presidential election, scheduled to be held on January 26, would be announced by the SL Commissioner of Elections after 1:00 p.m. Thursday, spokesman of the department told media.
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Cast the first vote to Bahu: Manickasothy

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 December 2009, 21:43 GMT]
All Tamil political leaders should ensure in unison that Dr. Vikramabahu Karunaratne receive the first preferential vote in the presidential election, so that the two main candidates equal in their chauvinistic agenda against Tamils will not get the necessary 50 percent to win, said senior politician and civil movement member Manickasothy Abhimannasingham in an interview to media in Jaffna, Tuesday. Bahu was always consistent in his stand on Tamil question even under trying times and voting him is an opportunity to show the Tamil will locally and internationally, he further said. On the candidature of Mr. Sivajilingam, he said the candidature should not demonstrate Tamil disunity. His observation on TNA was that it is nowadays open about its proclivity to India and is now waiting only to receive instructions from India.
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Fonseka’s official residence searched for harbouring army deserters

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 December 2009, 10:15 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army soldiers numbering about 150 led by the police Friday evening rounded up the official Bullers’ Residence of General(retd) Sarath Fonseka on a complaint that the latter( former SLA commander) had given shelter for a group of army deserters.
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