SLA soldier kills fellow soldier, injures three in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 July 2010, 13:10 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army soldier was killed and another three were injured including an SLA lieutenant when they tried to apprehend a fellow soldier involved in stealing iron bars that were brought in for road repair work in Allai in Kantha'laay police division of Trincomalee district Monday midnight, Police said.
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Tamil Nadu Naam Tamilar party leader Seeman arrested, detained

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 July 2010, 12:21 GMT]
Tamil Nadu police arrested and detained popular film director and the leader of Naam Tamilar political party Seeman Monday noon allegedly for inciting violence, sources in Chennai said. Seeman had condemned the killings of Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) in a demonstration held in front of Chennai Government Secretariat and is alleged to have said that if SLN continues to attack Tamil Nadu fishermen Sinhalese in Tamil Nadu will not be allowed to live in Tamil Nadu, the sources added. Consequently Tamil Nadu police filed a case against Seeman for inciting violence and searched for Seeman to arrest him before he could meet the press in Chennai Press Club. The police arrested Seeman when he came to Chennai Press Club after the demonstration.
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HRW welcomes Ban’s resolve, urges war crimes roadmap

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 July 2010, 10:09 GMT]
Welcoming UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s refusal to bow to Sri Lanka’s outrage and disband his recently appointed advisory panel on warcrimes in the island, Human Rights Watch said Sunday that the expert panel should provide him “with a roadmap – which should be made public – for an independent international investigation to examine laws-of-war violations by both sides during the final months of the conflict.”
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War crimes and human civilisation

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 July 2010, 08:19 GMT]
A war will not end without the delivery of political justice to the core issue. Even the winners who waged World Wars for the monopoly of colonies couldn’t escape conceding independence to colonies. USA and India bungling political justice to the national question in the island will have a bearing on Afghan War, Western Civilisation and on Indian integrity. The solidarity of Eezham Tamil diaspora is as important a trump as the geopolitical trump of Sri Lanka. In its historic duty to its nation and to civilisation, the diaspora without succumbing to lures should intensely align with the people of Tamil Nadu and progressive Sinhalese in realising political justice and in seeing no others ever suffer like Eezham Tamils. The last diplomatic chance for the USA and India to make ‘strategic partnership’ a smooth affair is to jointly uphold the balance of nations in the island.
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‘All roads lead to Mahinda Rajapaksa’

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 July 2010, 19:24 GMT]
The Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh advised the visiting Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians to work with Mahinda Rajapaksa to find political solution, according to media reports Friday. The TNA parliamentarian A. Vinayagamoorthy was cited saying: "Prime Minister Dr Singh advised us to take along with us the Muslims, the upcountry Tamils and others and work unitedly with President Rajapaksa to evolve a solution to the Tamil problem. We told him we will try to do so." The MP further said: "We depend hundred per cent on India for help to find a political solution acceptable to our people. We will be happy if President Mahinda Rajapaksa gives us what India thinks is reasonable."
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Champoor uprooted Tamil villagers demand early resettlement

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 July 2010, 16:31 GMT]
The Champoor Division Uprooted Tamil Villagers’ Association has decided to request relevant authorities to allow them to cultivate during the forthcoming Maha season about three thousand acres of paddy fields belonging to them located in the High Security Zone (HSZ). Sri Lanka Army (SLA) demarcated large areas as HSZ after the SLA captured Champoor and adjacent villages of Koonitheivu and Soodaikudha in the military operation in April 2006. The Association took this decision at the general meeting held recently.
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Fifty Tamil Nadu fishermen wounded in new SLN attack

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 July 2010, 12:38 GMT]
Fifty fishermen from Tamil Nadu were injured when they were attacked allegedly by Sri Lankan Naval (SLN) personnel while fishing off Katchathivu Island, PTI reported Sunday, citing Indian Fisheries department officials. The attack comes hours after the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu staged a demonstration near the Sri Lankan deputy high commission in Chennai to protest the recent death of a fisherman in an SLN attack off the Kodiakarai coast on Wednesday. Hundreds of Indian fishermen, and many more Tamil fishermen in Sri Lanka, have been killed or wounded in SLN attacks over several years.
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Sinhala doctor alleged of killing Tamil nurse in Jaffna transferred to safety

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 July 2010, 14:55 GMT]
The Sinhala doctor alleged of killing a Tamil female nurse in Veala’nai government hospital in the island off Jaffna Saturday morning has been suddenly transferred to a hospital in Changkaanai in Jaffna peninsula. Meanwhile, Oorkaavattu’rai police said that they found evidence indicating that the nurse had been killed. The doctor had been taken to Changkaanai escorted by Sri Lanka Army. Meanwhile, Veala’nai residents who had protested against the killing said that they will continue their protest.
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Sexual abuse of resettled women in Vanni by SLA soldiers escalates

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 July 2010, 07:46 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers occupying Vanni continue to sexually abuse women among recently resettled civilians, according to complaints made to a Christian priest now living in Vanni. Meanwhile, a journalist from Tamil Nadu who returned Friday from a visit to Vanni also said that the resettled people in Vanni had told him about SLA soldiers sexually abusing women besides intruding into their privacy under the pretext of search and checking. The journalist who wishes to remain anonymous said that he will write in detail the sufferings of resettled civilians in Vanni in Tamil Nadu papers when he returns home.
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Navaali massacre of 147 Tamil civilians remembered

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 July 2010, 06:11 GMT]
Relatives of the victims and Navaali Church organization observed Friday the fifteenth death anniversary of 147 Tamil civilians including men, women and children who were killed in the indiscriminate bombing by the Sri Lanka Air Force bombers and artillery attack by the Sri Lanka Army on Navaali St Peters Church on 9 July 1998, sources in Jaffna said. Hemalatha Memorial Organization set up in remembrance of Hemalatha, a Village Officer who was killed in the bombing, was jointly engaged in observing the memorial event, the sources added.
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SLA changes traditional Tamil names of streets in Batticaloa district to Sinhalese

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 July 2010, 16:28 GMT]
People in Batticaloa district said that occupying Sri Lanka Army (SLA) authorities are substituting traditional Tamil names of streets to Sinhalese names. Alli Oadai Tamil name for the street to Kudumpimalai has been changed into Ali O’luva, a Sinhalese name, they further said. Kudumpimalai is a traditional Tamil village in Koa’ralaippattu South Divisional Secretariat.
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Nedumaran calls for protest demanding closure of SL Mission in Chennai

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 July 2010, 10:19 GMT]
Triggered by the killing of a Tamil Nadu fisherman and violent intimidation of seven Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lanka Navy on Thursday, the leader of Tamil Nationalist Movement Pazha Nedumaran, who also coordinates the alliance of Ilangkai Tamil Protection Movement, has announced a protest in Chennai on July 14 Wednesday demanding the Indian government to close down the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in Tamil Nadu state. Mr. Nedumaran, in a statement issued on Friday condemned the Indian state for lack of response as the Sri Lanka Navy continues to kill Tamil Nadu fishermen while the Sri Lankan government which has been waging a genocidal onslaught of Tamils has went to the extent of propping up a campaign against the UN office in Colombo.
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Ki’linochchi police try to free SLA soldiers suspected of gang rape

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 July 2010, 06:06 GMT]
Ki’linochchi police informed Ki’linochchi magistrate court Thursday that they have no objection in releasing the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers detained on suspicion of gang raping a mother of two children in the resettled Visuvamadu in Vanni, legal sources in Ki’linochchi said. The suspects, earlier identified by the victim in an identification parade, had filed a petition seeking their release on bail. The lawyers appearing on behalf of the woman protested against releasing the suspects pointing out that it will give room for the suspects to intimidate the witnesses in this case, the sources added.
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Peiris, Wickramasinghe speak on Weerawansa hunger strike in parliament

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 July 2010, 05:24 GMT]
The hunger strike by Minister Wimal Weerawansa, leader of the National Freedom Front (NFF), a constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and a splinter group of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) came up for debate between the External Affairs Minister G. L. Peiris and opposition leader Ranil Wickramasinghe Thursday in parliament during the committee stage debate of the 2010 budget.
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Police registration made mandatory to Wellawatte Tamil residents

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 July 2010, 14:56 GMT]
Tamil residents in Wellawatte in Colombo division are reported to have been instructed by the police to register with the local police station immediately. An announcement had been made through loudhailers fixed in three wheelers and some vehicles Wednesday, residents of the area said. Police sources said the procedure was intended to account for the large number of Tamils who had returned from abroad and staying in several hotels and lodges.
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SLA continues fishing ban in resettled areas in Vanni

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 July 2010, 07:07 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) continues its ban on fishing in the areas in Vanni where the uprooted civilians were resettled recently, allowing them access only to a space of 200 m from the shore, fishermen in Vanni said. Meanwhile, Sinhalese fishermen from South are permitted by SLA to freely fish with their trawlers in Mullaiththeevu seas, they complained. Despite Fisheries Minister’s assurance that the Southern fishermen will not fish in northern seas, they are welcomed by SLA to fish with their trawlers, they said.
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Asylum seekers set sail in a sea of silence

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 July 2010, 00:52 GMT]
Noting that asylum policy debate in Australia has re-focussed on "how to stop the boat people coming," Dr Sam Pari, spokesperson of the Australian Tamil Congress, in an article appearing on ABC, points out that "if both parties [Labor and Liberals] are serious about cutting down on asylum seekers from Sri Lanka, they need to look at the root cause of the problem and review their foreign policy in regards to Sri Lanka," and faults Australia's political leaders saying, "while our Western allies continue to publicly denounce Sri Lanka's appalling treatment of its civilians, Tamils in particular, Australia is yet to publicly condemn any of the country's [Sri Lanka's] current or past acts."
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Scheme afoot to Sinhalicise part of Mullaiththeevu district

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 July 2010, 09:36 GMT]
The leader of Tamil National Liberation Alliance (TNLF) and former MP Sivajilingam said in a press meet Tuesday in Jaffna that Sri Lanka government has built 5,000 houses for families of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers on the east of A9 road between Maangku’lam and Mu’ruka’ndi with the aim to Sinhalicise Mullaththeevu district reducing the numerical strength of Tamil population. Sivajilingam accused the government for being a ‘dog in the manger’ as it refuses local and foreign volunteer organizations to assist the resettled uprooted civilians in Vanni who suffer without even food and drinking water. Government’s ‘Resettlement’ is nothing but taking the uprooted civilians from the camps in trucks and unloading them in places without any basic facilities, Sivajilingam further said.
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SLA converts Valvai Monumental site into army playground

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 July 2010, 05:08 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) completed obliterating the memorial monument erected by Valveddiththu’rai (Valvai/VVT) people near Theeruvil crematorium grounds by destructing the remaining memorial pillar Monday and Tuesday, sources in VVT said. SLA which has systematically removed all traces of Liberation Tigers in the peninsula by demolishing the Heroes’ Resting Homes, Theeruvil memorial monuments for Col. Kiddu, Kumarappa, Pulendran and ten combatants has now converted the VVT memorial site into a playground.
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Jaffna Tamil daily reporter dies in accident

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 July 2010, 19:45 GMT]
A 32-year-old reporter and photographer of 'Yarl Thinakkural', a Tamil daily published from Jaffna died Tuesday morning in an accident when he was hit by a bus on A9 road at Usan while on duty. The victim, Perampalam Jeyachandran alias Jeyam, a father of one child, was a native of I'lavaalai. Mr. Jeyachandran was one of the few journalists who served with commitment to journalism particularly during the dangerous times that prevailed in the peninsula, media sources in Jaffna said.
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