Amnesty’s Sri Lanka campaign on a sticky wicket

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 April 2007, 01:04 GMT]
Amnesty International’s efforts to build support for international monitoring of human rights abuses in Sri Lanka using the topical theme of cricket drew the fury of the Colombo government this week and, in a rare moment of southern solidarity, the main opposition UNP party joined the Sinhala hardline JVP and the ruling SLFP in denouncing the group’s move.
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Remove fishing restrictions in Kaluvankerny sea- MP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 April 2007, 14:30 GMT]
"Kaluvankerny Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Thursday directive restricting fishing on Kaluvankerny sea area between 6:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m severely hampers fishermen from earning their livelihood. This restriction should be immediately lifted," Ms. K. Thankeswary, Batticaloa district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian said in an urgent appeal to Batticaloa SLA Civil Administrator, Colombo, Batticaloa officials the Ministry of Fisheries and Baticaloa Government Agent, Tuesday.
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SLA imposes fishing ban in Vadamarachchy seas

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 April 2007, 05:04 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers extended the temporary ban imposed Saturday indefinitely in Vadamaradchy north affecting more than 4 000 fishing families living along the coastal villages from Valvettiththurai in Vadamarachchy North to Manatkadu in Vadamarachchy East, fisheries sources said.
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Bus bomb kills 16, wounds 27 civilians in Amparai

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 April 2007, 08:43 GMT]
Sixteen civilians including ten women were killed and 27 wounded when a bomb exploded inside a bus at the Sri Lankan military check post at Kondaivedduvaan, as its passengers were getting down to be checked, 4 km west of Amparai town Monday around 12:30 p.m., Police officials in Amparai said. One female police constable and a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) trooper were among those killed.
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Katunayake airstrike: human capital, gathered against the odds

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 April 2007, 03:23 GMT]
Asserting that Monday’s airstrike on Katunayake “indicates a quantum leap in the LTTE’s technological base,” Professor Kumar David, an engineering specialist, argues Sunday that “the LTTE’s aviation technology is far behind that of the Sri Lanka Air force..that it has taken the first step is quite telling.” In a op-ed in The Island, he cautions Colombo that the human capital gathered against massive odds by the LTTE renders a military solution unviable. Meanwhile, a columnist in the Tamil Guardian points out the LTTE acquired the know-how and materials for an air force in the harshest international climate for armed movements.
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TNA MP interrogated for 10 hours by SL Terrorism Division

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 March 2007, 17:22 GMT]
M.K. Sivajilingam, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian for Jaffna district, was interrogated by Sri Lanka's Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) for nearly 10 hours starting from 10:00 a.m. Friday in Colombo for alleged links with the Liberation Tigers , TNA sources said.
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Thanthai Chelva's 109th anniversary commemorated

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 March 2007, 16:04 GMT]
Mr. S.J.V.Chelva- nayakam, founder of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK) and fondly called by Tamils as "Thanthai" (father) was remembered on his 109th birthday as Jaffna Bishop of South Indian Diocese Rt Rev.Jebanesan, Thanthai Chelva Trustee, garlanded the statue of late leader Mr.Chelvanayakam located near the Duraiappah stadium in Jaffna within the High Security Zone (HSZ) at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, sources in Jaffna said.
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Six civilians disappear in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 March 2007, 09:23 GMT]
Abductions and disappearances of Tamil persons in Jaffna district by members of Sri Lankan armed forces and allied paramilitaries are continuing unabated amid accusations by the international community at the 4th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council held in Geneva for Sri Lanka's human rights violations against their citizens, civil society sources in Jaffna said. Within 36 hours from Tuesday morning to Wednesday evening, six complaints of abductions were lodged at the Jaffna branch of the Human Rights Commission (HRC).
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LTTE Air Strike, no terrorism- SAAG

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 March 2007, 12:16 GMT]
B. Raman, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, South Asia Analysis Group (SAAG) Chennai, says in his analysis: "The TAF's [Tamileelam Air Force's] air strike was well-planned and equally well-executed. It was a night operation taking advantage of the weak capability of the SLAF for night operations. It was a precision attack, which carefully avoided causing any casualty or damage in the international airport, which could have roused international ire. There were no civilian casualties----targeted or collateral. As a result, it would not be possible to characterise the attack as an act of terrorism. It was pure and simple a conventional air strike."
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Civilian shot dead, another missing since Friday, in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 March 2007, 07:19 GMT]
Unidentified armed men arriving on motorbike shot dead a family man, Monday around 11:00 a.m, while he was eating in a food stall opposite Jaffna college, Vaddukodai. The killers, entering the food stall pretending to be normal customers, opened fire on the victim at point balk range, sources in Jaffna said.
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Air-Tigers attack Katunayake military airbase

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 March 2007, 20:06 GMT]
Two attack air-crafts belonging to Liberation Tigers carried out bombing raids at the Sri Lanka Air Force airbase at Katunayake at 12:45 a.m. early morning Monday and returned safely to Vanni, military spokesperson of the LTTE, Irasaiah Ilanthiraiyan told TamilNet. The targets for the air attack were the SLAF's Kfir and MiG-27 hangars at the military base located adjoining the Katunayake International Airport (KIA), Ilanthiraiyan said. Meanwhile, military officials in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo said 3 Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) personnel were killed and 15 wounded in the attack.
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Engineered Catastrophe

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 March 2007, 11:52 GMT]
Batticaloa has turned into an area of humanitarian disaster, and a battle ground for refugee figures, as more than 100,000 residents of Paduvankarai districts were forced to flee to GoSL controlled regions by the shelling of Sri Lankan Armed Forces inside LTTE controlled areas during the first two weeks of March. The changing IDP numbers have swelled to 165,485. While UN appealed for "vital funds to boost its operations in eastern Sri Lanka" and leftist parties accused the Government of engineering "demographic change," Sri Lanka Government spokesperson K. Rambukwella dismissed the severity saying only 52,000 are displaced, contradicting his own administration's official figures.
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NGO worker killed, directors wounded in DPU attack in Mannar

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 March 2007, 11:42 GMT]
Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) directors who were returning after monitoring the relief assistance to the displaced civilians, following the Sri Lanka Army operation in Mannar Vavuniya border, were attacked by a Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit Claymore mine Saturday around 12:30 p.m., initial reports from Vanni said. Humanitarian worker Muthuraja Aruleswaran, was killed and 3 TRO directors, including the Assistant Executive Director of the TRO, Vadivel Ravichandran, 38, were wounded in the attack which took place at Periyamadu in Mannar district, located northwest of Madu.
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SL Forces reintroduce fishing ban in Vadamaradchy

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 March 2007, 11:36 GMT]
Sri Lanka Armed Forces stationed along the coastal belt of Vadamaradchy reinstated the ban on fishing from Wednesday morning on Vadamaradchy north and east seas until further notice, fisheries society sources said.
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Tamil youth shot dead in Trincomalee town

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 March 2007, 11:15 GMT]
Unidentified armed came in a motor bike shot dead a 27 year old Tamil youth Wednesday morning around 10 a.m. in the heart of Trincomalee town. He is a resident of Killikunchchumalai area in Kanniya village located about eight km northwest along Trincomalee-Anuradhapura road, sources said.
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SL Forces lift fishing blockade in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 March 2007, 12:52 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Command in Jaffna allowed fishing in coastal areas in Vadamaradchy north and east with specific restrictions starting from Saturday, fisheries society sources in Jaffna said. Fishermen were allowed fishing during day-light hours, within one 1km from the shores, and can only use non-motorized boats, sources added.
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SLA attacks Vavuniya Mannar border villages

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 March 2007, 11:02 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army Thursday morning launched heavy artilery and mortar fire towards Mannar Vavuniya border villages Mullikulam, Keerisuddan and Periya Pandivirichchan causing hundreds of civilian families to flee the villages, according to initial reports in Vanni. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) have carried out three aerial attaks in Mullaithivu district till Thursday noon.
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U.S. grants LKR 51 million for petroleum exploration in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 March 2007, 17:01 GMT]
U.S. Trade and Development Agency has awarded 51 million rupees ($474,000) to Sri Lanka Wednesday. Promoting energy security in Sri Lanka through the development of oil and gas sector is the goal of the grant, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Embassy in Colombo. U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert Blake and Sri Lankan Secretary for the Ministry of Finance and Planning, Dr. P.B. Jayasundera, signed the agreement Wednesday.


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Colombo lodges, boarding houses to be closely monitored

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 March 2007, 21:44 GMT]
The law enforcement authority under the direction of Sri Lanka Defence Ministry has formulated a scheme to closely monitor the activities of lodges and boarding houses to strengthen the security in Colombo city. As a first step the Ministry is suspending the registration of new lodges, and is planning to order closure of lodges which fail to provide basic facilities, and to identify lodges which are suspected of having close links with undesirable persons.
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Condition of fasting prisoners worsens

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 March 2007, 00:39 GMT]
The condition of 43 Tamil political prisoners on hunger strike for the third consecutive day in Welikada Prison is fast deteriorating, prison officials said. The prisoners have been held in Welikade for more than a year without charges. The prisoners are demanding immediate release or be provided bail, and their cases be transferred to courts in their own districts, relatives of the prisoners said.
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