Colombo has nothing else than deception, where is last remedy, ask families of enforced disappeared

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 December 2017, 21:06 GMT]
The entire Colombo state system and the SL President Maithiripala Sirisena, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the occupying military, have only come up with deceptions instead of doing anything meaningful to trace the whereabouts of those subjected to enforced disappearances at the hands of the SL military and its paramilitaries. At this juncture, what is the last remedy and from where we should seek answers, asks Mrs Amalaraj Amalanayaki, one of around 4,000 families from Batticaloa district searching for their loved ones. In its latest deception, the Colombo establishment has deployed ‘Economic Development Officers’ with ‘English Only’ forms, in which the people are asked to put their signatures leaving the remaining work to the EDO officials, she said referring to a data-collection that has been issued by the so-called Office of the Missing Persons (OMP).
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SL Eastern Governor should publicly apologies for his wife's hate crime against Tamil devotees

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 December 2017, 22:04 GMT]
The wife of Sinhala colonial Governor to East, Mrs Deepthi Bogollagama, on Friday desecrated the temple of village deities Kaa'li, Murukan and Vairavar worshipped by resettled Eezham Tamils at the hill-top of Maththa'la-malai in Kooniththeevu, a traditional Tamil village located near Champoor in Moothoor division of Trincomalee. While even the Sinhala police constables, accompanying the couple on an official visit, had removed their footwear before walking into the temple premises, the wife of SL Governor behaved in a desecrating manner. After being reminded by the Tamil female devotees, she started to verbally attack the devotees with a hostile body language and issued an open threat in Sinahala: “tamuselā okkomalāṭa denavā vẹḍē,” (තමුසෙලා ඔක්කොමලාට දෙනවා වැඩේ), which could mean anything from ‘you all would be dealt with trouble’ to collective death threat.
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Sinhala Buddhicisation targets Champoor, riddled with Sinhala militarisation

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 December 2017, 22:35 GMT]
Two Sinhala Buddhist monks who had come from Seruwila division in Trincomalee entered into an ancient Eezham Tamil temple in Champoor of Mooothoor division on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. The intruding monks made a false claim that the small hilltop of Maththa’la-malai, which is surrounded with ponds and reservoirs north-west of Champoor was an ancient Sinhala Buddhist site. The monks then high-handedly demanded the management of the temple of Paathaa’la-Vairavar, the village-deity, not to construct any structures at the locality anymore. The SL Archaeology Department was going to seize the temple on their instructions, the monks told the villagers. The occupying SL Navy had already seized the agricultural lands. The move comes after US Pacific Command has started to groom a marine force for the SL Navy. SLNS Vidura situated in Champoor is the training base of the Sinhala ‘marines’.
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Controversial Buddhist cremation staged in Jaffna by SL military draws flak from Tamils

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 December 2017, 22:57 GMT]
The Sinhala military of genocidal Sri Lanka and the Colombo-centric unitary system, which constitutionally accords ‘foremost place’ to Buddhism in the occupied country of Eezham Tamils went ahead with staging a controversial cremation at the public grounds of Muttave'li in Jaffna on Friday. The Tamil people regard the venue as a memorial site of Tamil victims of one of the first massacres carried out by the Sinhala police on the final day of the Fourth International Conference of Tamil Research in 1974. In addition to being a memorial venue, Muttave'li is also home to Muniyappar temple. The cremation of Ven Meegahajandure Gnnanarathana thero, the chief prelate of Nagavihara in Jaffna, who passed away on Tuesday in Colombo, was carried out at Muttave’li by the occupying Sinhala military amidst widespread objections coming from Tamil politicians and leading lawyers in Jaffna.
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Ex-LTTE survivors of torture, mysterious injections, harassed with blood tests, stringent restrictions

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 December 2017, 23:28 GMT]
A 46-year-old former Tamil fighter from Koa'ra'laip-pattu (Vaazaich-cheanai) division of Batticaloa district, who was detained for the first time in 2013 by the occupying Sinhala military, this week revealed that he witnessed at least 15 former LTTE members being giving suspicious injections at the torture chamber of the SL military during his detention. He has also received five injections of unknown substance during the detention and has since lost his ability to concentrate and cannot take on any jobs that require muscle. The survivor also said the SL military has come with stringent instructions not to engage in social work and not to take up any role in rehabilitation or development related organizations at the grassroots. The former LTTE members are also instructed not to take part in the local elections.
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Enduring psychological disaster of families of enforced disappeared conveyed through film

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 December 2017, 21:57 GMT]
“Uru” (Trance), a short film shot in Batticaloa by a native Eezham Tamil cast and crew from the island and which was inspired by the stories of long enduring sufferings of the enforced disappeared families, has been acclaimed with global recognition from the Best Short Film Competition in California in September. Subsequently, it also won the award for 2017 Best Human Rights Short Film at the London Eye International Film Festival. The story writer and director of the film, 49-year-old Gnanadas Kasinathar, narrates the depth of psychological disaster as witnessed by him on the ground. Behind every act of structural violence and discrimination against the Tamils, there is a deep-studied psychological phenomenon, carefully hidden by the SL State mechanism, the artist says narrating the examples in a recently recorded interview with TamilNet in London.
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Colombo Establishment accelerates multi-frontal cultural assault on Mannaar

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 December 2017, 22:29 GMT]
The people of the island of Mannaar and the mainland constituting a fine balance of Tamil Catholics, Tamil-speaking Muslims and Tamil Saivites, have been living in harmony with each other. They have been more or less oriented towards an inclusive and secular Tamil nationalism. But, all sections of them are now sensing a systematic and multi-frontal assault coming from the Colombo-centric Sinhala establishment on their culture and collective Tamil orientation, activists across various communities in Mannaar say. The recent trend is witnessed in the attitudinal change among the Sinhala tourists being witness in the recent weeks. The visitors from South, unlike earlier are pre-occupied with renovating the Buddhist statues that have been left behind by the Sinhala military and in promoting the Buddhist temples in the Tamil-speaking district.
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Tamil journalists in Jaffna expose SL military denial of confronting media coverage

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 December 2017, 23:09 GMT]
Eight journalists from Jaffna, who went to Tha'n'ni-mu'rippu tank last Saturday in Karaithu'raip-pattu in Mullaiththeevu to witness and report on the alleged role of the occupying Army and Police of genocidal Sri Lanka in promoting Sinhala intruders to engage in fishing in the reservoir, said the SL military command and the SL Police were now lying on their involvement in the threat against the journalists. SL military and Police blocked the journalists and forced the journalists to delete the photos and video evidences citing ‘national security’. A civil military officer of the SLA was also trying to confiscate their media equipment, one of the journalists K. Hamsan, told TamilNet. The journalists also blamed foreign diplomats, particularly Colombo-based defence attaché of the British High Commission, who has given diplomatic recognition to the occupying military at the locality.
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Colombo Appeal Court deliberately delays appeal case of Tamil political prisoners

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 December 2017, 22:57 GMT]
The appeal case filed on behalf of the three Tamil political prisoners, who waged a 38-day long fast unto death in Anuradhapura prison recently, is being deliberately postponed each time as the SL Attorney General Department has been dragging its feet citing delays of locating a witness, who has in fact sought political asylum in a West European country, the families deceived by the Colombo establishment told TamilNet on Tuesday. The Appeal Court in Colombo has postponed the hearing to 02 February, 2018 on Tuesday.
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Truth, justice can only come through international intervention, say protesters in North-East

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 December 2017, 17:45 GMT]
“As the world prepares to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the most meaningful action that the UN and the international community can take vis a vis Sri Lanka is to apply concrete pressure on the Government to take concrete steps to trace the fate of our loved ones and hold those responsible for their forced disappearance. Otherwise Human Rights will remain for us an unrealized value, full of rhetoric and of no practical relevance to our plight,” said the appeal from the families of enforced disappeared in Batticaloa district on Sunday. The appeal was addressed to the UN Human Rights High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein. Protests were staged in Jaffna in the North and in Batticaloa in the East by the families of enforced disappeared from all the 8 districts of the occupied country of Eezham Tamils.
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SL Intelligence harasses ex LTTE members, warns against contact with UN rapporteurs

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 December 2017, 22:38 GMT]
Three different intelligence agencies of occupying Colombo are simultaneously harassing former LTTE members in Vanni on contacts they were having or expected to have in the nearest future with thematic special procedure mandate holders of the United Nations Human Rights Council, ex-LTTE members who have been grilled by the SL intelligence agencies in Ki'linochchi told TamilNet this week. The notorious ‘Terrorist Investigation Division’ (TID) investigators, SL State Intelligence Service (SIS) which is the official intelligence agency of the SL State and the intelligence wing of the occupying SL military have been contacting the ex-LTTE members in recent days inviting them for ‘conversations’. The intelligence officers have issued veiled threats claiming that they were aware of those getting in touch with the UN Human Rights system.
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North-East under Sinhala colonial rule: NPC Minister Sarweswaran

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 December 2017, 17:35 GMT]
Instead of respecting the feelings of Tamils and looking at ways to resolve the national conflict, which also includes the introduction of a new flag that doesn't offend the feelings of the Tamil people, the Sinhala establishment of southern politicians and their ethno-religious leaders remain trapped in a colonial mind-set, says K. Sarsweswaran, the minister of Education, Youth affairs and Sport at the Northern Provincial Council. In a recent video interview to TamilNet on the reactions coming from the Sinhala politicians from South and the Sinhala colonial Governor to North regarding the NPC Minister’s avoidance of hoisting the offending Lion flag at a school event in Vavuniyaa, Sarawesaran said he was baffled at the reactions coming from the Sinhala politicians in South as if the denouncement of Lion flag was a latest discovery of Tamils.
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Deploying wild elephants, Colombo blocks resettlement of Tamils along Vavuniyaa border

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 December 2017, 22:17 GMT]
At least 250 Tamil families were living in the three villages of Koara-moaddai, Nochchik-ku'lam and Naavat-pa'n'nai along the border of Vavuniyaa North division and the now Sinhalicised Ma'na'l-aa'ru (Weli-oya) division in Mullaiththeevu district. The villages situated between the two districts in the Northern Province have been exposed to Sinhala encroachment coming through Padaviya and Anuradhapura of the North Central Province (NCP). The Tamil farmers living there were uprooted from their villages between 1991 and 1994 as the so-called Deep Penetration Unit of the SL Army let loose terror decapitating the Tamil farmers. So far, only a few families have managed to resettle, but they are being hunted by wild elephants that have been intentionally brought down by the SL Wild Life Department from South through Horowapothana in the NCP, Tamil civil sources in Vavuniyaa North say.
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Peoples’ uprising on Heroes Day delivers strong message to occupying Colombo, foreign powers

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 November 2017, 08:12 GMT]
More than 1000 families of fallen Tamil Eelam fighters gathered in front of the SL military demolished Heroes Cemetery on Rajaveethi Road amidst SL military harassment of blocking access to the memorial site, veiled threats of taking photos of the participants and the military display of deploying Armoured Personal Carriers and the firing of tear gas and demonstration of water hoses earlier in the day. Around 1,000 Sinhala soldiers were taking positions surrounding the largest Tamil Eelam Heroes Cemetery while Sinhala soldiers in civil clothes were riding vehicles. But, the soldiers in civil found themselves as they had to stay within their vehicles while the people brought everything to standstill as they emotionally marked Heroes Day remembrance at 6:00 p.m. on Monday.
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Jaffna University community marks Tamil Eelam Heroes Day with renewed resolve

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 November 2017, 10:48 GMT]
More than 2,000 students along with lecturers, faculty deans and the staff of the University of Jaffna took part on Monday morning in an emotional floral tribute in front of the newly renovated Tamil Eelam Heroes memorial statue, which was destroyed by the occupying SL military after 2009. The event on Monday was equally emotional to the first event held 12 years ago when the statue was declared open. "The people of Jaffna will never forget nor pardon the desecration of the memorials," the vice chancellor at that time Prof Mohanadas told TamilNet after declaring the statue open in 2005. After 2009, the occupying SL military also destroyed the statue inside the University premises as it razed to the grounds all the Heroes’ cemeteries in occupied Tamil Eelam. The emotional event in Jaffna on Monday has passed a strong message to the world, student leaders at Jaffna university said.
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Still no land-route to Mayiliddi jetty, uprooted fishermen complain

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 November 2017, 20:18 GMT]
Two small pockets of coastal lands along with a jetty in the ancient fisheries village of Mayiliddi in Valikaamam North was released back to the uprooted people four months ago with big propaganda. But, the occupying SL military did not open the land route for civilian access. Most of the uprooted Mayiliddi fishermen still reside along the coastal stretch of Valveddiththu'rai (VVT), Point-Pedro towards Naakar-koayil of Vadamaraadchi East. The Sinhala military is still not prepared to open the coastal road to enable the uprooted Mayiliddi fishermen to travel forth and back to their coastal jetty and engage in fishing along the rich fish beds off Mayiliddi coast, civil sources in VVT told TamilNet.
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34,000 war-uprooted in Jaffna district alone: NPC Report

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 November 2017, 20:43 GMT]
Jaffna district tops the five districts in the Northern Province in the statistics over uprooted people who are awaiting resettlement in their private properties, which still remain occupied by the Sinhala military for the purpose of military zone and cantonments, according to a recent report submitted to NPC CM Justice C.V. Wigneswaran by the Deputy Chief Secretary on Planning at the NPC. There are 34,099 uprooted individuals belonging to 9,758 families in Jaffna district alone, the report says. There are 47,044 individuals who remain uprooted across the five districts. However, these figures are rather conservative and minimalistic as these do not include the people who have not lodged entries for resettlement and those currently remain as refugees in Tamil Nadu State of India and those who live exiled elsewhere as asylum seekers.
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Veteran journalist of Tamil Eelam passes away at 87

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 November 2017, 16:07 GMT]
S.M. Gopalaratnam (SMG), the most senior journalist to serve the Tamil Eelam liberation struggle with a prolific journalistic career in the Tamil-language press with more than 50 years of continuous service, passed away at the age of 87 at his residence in Batticaloa on Wednesday. Born in Jaffna and based in Batticaloa, Mr Gopalaratnam joined Virakesari in Colombo as a proof-reader in 1953 and rose to the level of sub-editor in the same year. SMG joined Jaffna-based Eezha Naadu daily in 1961 as one of the founding editorial board members and served the paper for 20 years covering the non-violent struggle of Eezham Tamils. He narrowly escaped from an arson attack by the occupying Sinhala police who burnt down the office and machinery of Eezha Naadu the very night the Jaffna Public Library was put to ashes in 1981.
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Landowners reluctant to dismantle military-vacated Buddha statues due to SL constitutional clause

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 November 2017, 22:29 GMT]
The occupying Sri Lanka Army was stationed at Mailampaa-ve'li village, which is situated 8 km north of Batticaloa city along Batticaloa - Vaazhaichcheanai highway (A4). The SL military vacated from the private lands three years ago. After that, the occupying Sinhala police has put up a post at the locality and the landowner is still reluctant of removing a Buddha statue which was left behind by the Sinhala military.The SLA was occupying the said lands at Mailampaa-ve'li lands for 25 years. SL Police doesn't seem to use the small temple, which is found in the abandoned state. However, the ‘foremost place to Buddhism’ clause in the SL constitution would be used against the landowner if the structure is removed.
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Factoring political solution more important than addressing human rights: Prof Ramasamy

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 November 2017, 21:33 GMT]
Not only did the Sri Lankan regime won the war against the Tamil liberation force, it might even win the propaganda war if the problems of Tamils in the island are exclusively focused on human rights to the neglect of the fundamental question of a long lasting political solution, commented Deputy Chief Minister of Penang state in Malaysia, Professor P. Ramasamy, told TamilNet on Monday. “Yes, human rights must be addressed, but in the larger context of the Tamil political question. It would make no sense just to address the human rights issues without factoring the political solution,” the longtime advocate of the rights of Eezham Tamils said. Focusing primarily on human rights might be an irritant to the Sri Lankan regime, but it may prefer it simply because it diverts the attention from the need of a political solution of Tamils, he further said.
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