JVP, JHU, SMS file appeals in SC on CFA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 April 2007, 13:10 GMT]
Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Jathika Hela Urumaya, all monks' party and Sinhala Maha Sabha (SMS) have filed appeals in the Sri Lanka's Supreme Court challenging the order made by the Court of Appeal (CA) dismissing their petitions filed against the ceasefire agreement seeking it cancellation.
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HRW urges Pope to discuss human rights with Rajapaksa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 April 2007, 08:48 GMT]
The Asia Director of Human Rights Watch, Brad Adams, Tuesday, urged Pope Benedict XVI, to raise the deteriorating human rights crisis in Sri Lanka with Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is visiting Vatican this week. Sri Lankan military and police forces, as well as proxy armed groups, are engaged in serious violations of the laws of war and human rights, reiterated Human Rights Watch in the letter.
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Tamileelam flag on pitch prompts paper’s ire

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 April 2007, 03:26 GMT]
The pitch invasion Monday by a man carrying the Tamileelam flag during the ICC Cricket World Cup Super Eight match between Australia and Sri Lanka at the Grenada National Stadium in St. George's, provoked a furious reaction from a Sri Lankan daily Wednesday. Condemning the action as “a dastardly act,” The Island newspaper’s editorial said: “The LTTE has once again demonstrated its capability to gain access anywhere at will.” Sri Lanka’s top cricket body “must take up the issue with the ICC and the West Indies Cricket without taking it lying down in typical Sri Lankan style,” the editorial fumed.
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Tamil student abducted in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 April 2007, 10:18 GMT]
Unidentified persons abducted a fifteen year-old student, a member of a resettled family in Thiriyai, a traditional Tamil village located about 42 km off north of Trincomalee town on April 10 night, according to a complaint lodged by his relatives with the Kuchchaveli Police and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM).
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Unidentified aircraft over Jaffna town

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 April 2007, 18:23 GMT]
An unidentified aircraft flew over parts of government-controlled Jaffna just after dusk Monday, residents in the northern peninsula said. The aircraft passed low over Jaffna city centre and parts of Vadaramadchchi North and Valikamam sectors. Sri Lankan troops in some areas doused the lights of their camps as the aircraft approached, fuelling suspicions it was one of those operated by the Tamil Tigers, they said.
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Batticaloa infant succumbs to shelling injuries

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 April 2007, 10:55 GMT]
A six month old infant injured during artillery shelling by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) towards Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam ( LTTE) controlled Paduvankarai area in Batticaloa two weeks ago succumbed to the injuries on Saturday.


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Pirapaharan confers Maamanithar award to Poet Naavannan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 April 2007, 06:27 GMT]
Leader of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Velupillai Pirapaharan, Saturday bestowed the title Maamanithar (Great Human being) posthumously on poet Naavannan, Marusaleen Soosainayagam, who passed away on April 15 last year in Vanni at the age of 58. Mr. Pirapaharan honoured the late poet, a Catholic who hailed from Mannar, for his literary contribution to the Tamil struggle.
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9 Tamil civilians arrested in Muthur

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 April 2007, 10:35 GMT]
Nine Tamil civilians were arrested in Iruthayapuram, a Tamil village in Muthur south division, during a cordon and search operation conducted by combined security forces on Thursday from dawn till evening. All of the arrested were handed over to the Muthur police for further questioning, sources said.
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Rajapakse to meet Pope

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 April 2007, 10:33 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse is to pay a three-day official visit to Italy next week and is scheduled to meet Pope at Vatican on Friday during his stay in Rome, according to information released by the President's office.
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Tamil youth files FR petition in SC

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 April 2007, 00:32 GMT]
A Tamil youth, who earlier served in Iraq with a security firm, filed a Fundamental Rights application in the Sri Lanka's Supreme Court challenging the arrest and detention served on him under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). He has begged the SC to order for his release and to instruct the State to pay a compensation of 100 million rupees for violating his fundamental rights. He has cited the Director of the Terrorism Investigation Department (TID), Officer-in-Charge of the Gampaha Police Station, Deputy Inspector general of Police (DIG), Gampaha region, DIG for the Western province, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Defence Ministry Secretary and Attorney General (AG).
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‘There is no ceasefire agreement with LTTE’ - Gothabaya

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 April 2007, 17:02 GMT]
There is no ceasefire between the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lankan government and the 2002 agreement was only being left in place to satisfy the international community, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said Tuesday. "There is no cease-fire agreement. There is no meaning in that," said Rajapakse, who is the brother and a close-confidant of President Mahinda Rajapakse told the Associated Press. He vowed to attack the LTTE’s northern strongholds, saying “it’s not good for the military to have relaxed periods.”
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Tigers hand over 7 SLA bodies to ICRC

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 April 2007, 12:42 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Liason officer for the NGOs, Thiyagarajah, handed over seven bodies of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers to ICRC Kilinochchi Head Official Katja Loren, Thursday around 2:00 p.m. The eight SLA troopers were killed in the LTTE counter attack against the SLA's attempt to penetrate into LTTE territory through Mullikulam, Mannar. One of the dead bodies was in decomposed state.


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Three Tamil civilians shot dead in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 April 2007, 21:16 GMT]
A group of armed men, alleged to be paramilitary cadres working for the Sri Lanka Army, shot dead three persons, a 20-year-old boy, a 48-year-old man and 68-year-old woman, and injured two at Kumankulam in Vavuniya Wednesday evening around 5:45. There have been at least five similar killings where 10 persons have been killed in the villages surrounding Veppankulam military camp.
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2 ambulances with 11 patients turned back at Omanthai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 April 2007, 07:40 GMT]
Two ambulances from Kilinochchi district hospital, in need of urgent medical transportation to Vavuniya hospital, were forced on Tuesday to return to Kilinochchi as the ambulances were not allowed to proceed beyond Omanthai SLA checkpost due to the closure of the entry point by the Sri Lanka Army. Exchange of artillery fire following Sri Lankan troops attempt to move into LTTE territory had caused the closure of Omanthai gateway.
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SLA operation in southern front thwarted, 8 SLA bodies recovered - LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 April 2007, 06:03 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Wednesday morning said they have repulsed a fresh ground operation by the Sri Lanka Army that attempted to move towards Paalamoddai, northwest of Vavuniya, according to the Military Spokesman of the Tigers, Irasiah Ilanthirayan. SLA troopers, on retreat, have left behind their dead soldiers, arms and ammiunition, including a Rocket Propelled Grenade Launcher and 15 automatic guns. Eight bodies of SLA troopers were located by the Tigers who were clearing the area, according to the latest information provided by the LTTE field officials in Vanni. The bodies are to be handed over to the ICRC.
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Colombo court releases two Tamil youths

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 April 2007, 05:59 GMT]
Two Tamil youths from Jaffna, arrested and detained in Colombo on suspicion that they were members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), were released Tuesday on the instruction of Colombo Chief Magistrate Sarojini Kusala Weerawardene.
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SLA suffers heavy casualties in shelling duel

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 April 2007, 13:28 GMT]
A triangular area covering East Ariyaalai, Naavatkuzhi and Kaeratheevu in Jaffna was targeted by Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) artillery guns Monday morning when exchange of artillery fire was reported along the FDLs in Jaffna and Vavuniya. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has suffered heavy casualties in artillery shelling by the Tigers. Meanwhile, in Vavuniya, one SLA soldier was killed and three others wounded near Omanthai entry - exit point around 7:45 a.m. Omanthai entry point remains closed.
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LTTE urges sports boycott of Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 April 2007, 09:11 GMT]
The Tamil Tigers Tuesday backed an Amnesty International awareness campaign that has embarrassed Sri Lanka's government during the cricket World Cup and urged a full sporting boycott of the country, AFP reported. Amnesty’s campaign to build support for international human rights monitoring in Sri Lanka, using the topical theme of cricket, has drawn the fury of the Colombo government as well as the main opposition Sinhala parties.
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Thousands of Tamils defy Paris protest bar

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 April 2007, 22:37 GMT]
Over 2,000 Tamil expatriates gathered in front of the Eiffel Tower Monday, despite the authorities’ cancellation of a planned protest rally to condemn the arrests by French police of several Tamil activists for raising funds for the LTTE. The protestors gathered in nearby public places, blocking traffic. Although the protest’s cancellation had been publicised on Tamil radio and television by the rally’s organisers who told expatriates that permission would be sought anew, several thousand people converged on the city centre, defying orders to disperse, to condemn the arrests on April 1, a week after the LTTE airstrike on Katunayake.
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UNP holds awareness meetings on current political, security situation

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 April 2007, 10:40 GMT]
Mr.Tissa Attanayake, parliamentarian and UNP general secretary addressing a meeting held in Colombo New Town Hall Saturday evening, asked the Sri Lanka government why it has not nullified the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) if the Government thinks CFA offers no benefit. UNP has been conducting a series of awareness meetings to brief the people about the current political and security situations in Sri Lanka.
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