More than 200 families flee Jaffna Sunday

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 January 2006, 19:06 GMT]
Forthcoming talks between Norwegian facilitators and top leadership of Liberation Tigers early next week notwithstanding, Tamil families continued to flee Jaffna district to safety within LTTE controlled areas of Vanni, civil society groups in Jaffna said. More than 200 families crossed Muhamalai checkpoint into Vanni between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday, according to reports.
Full story >>

SLA trooper present during Katkovalam killing- NESOHR

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 January 2006, 16:45 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) trooper identified as Jegath was one of the men who shot to death Iyathurai Baskaran, 27, on 6 January in Kudathanai, NorthEast Secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR) said in the case history released Sunday. The NESHOR report produced after interviews with residents and relatives of the deceased said, armed SLA soldiers stood guard at the adjoining houses while a group of men including Jegath went to Baskaran's house to commit the murder.
Full story >>

Transport operator shot dead in Thenmaradchy

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 January 2006, 15:01 GMT]
Unknown gunmen shot dead a Tamil businessman and seriously injured his relative near Puttur junction along A9 road between Kodikamam and Chavakachcheri in Thenmaradchy around 4.30 p.m. Saturday, sources in Jaffna said. Gunmen entered his business in Puttur junction and escaped after shooting at close range.
Full story >>

LTTE confers Maamanithar award to stalwart at Niedharsanam

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 January 2006, 13:41 GMT]
Leader of Liberation Tigers, V Pirapaharan conferred Maamanithar (Great Humanbeing) award to Mr V Satchithananthasivam (also known as Gnanatharan) a tamil activist, jounalist, political thinker, and later the key force behind the LTTE's visual media division Niedharsanam. He was 65-years old when he died on Wednesday after a prolonged illness. Gnanatharan, who began his literary career as a novelist in 70s, directed the first short film in 1992 and the first full length film of Niedharsanam, LTTE media sources said. Gnanatharan was the Chief Advisor of the National Television of Tamileelam (NTT).
Full story >>

Tamil MPs telecom link to Kilinochchi severed

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 January 2006, 13:19 GMT]
Charging that disconnection by the Sri Lanka Telecom authorities of the telephone connection between the Tamil MPs' parliamentary complex offices to Kilinochchi region was politically motivated, Jaffna district parliamentarian, S Gajendran, demanded in a letter to Speaker Mr M J M Lokkubandara that he should take immediate steps to restore the lines, parliamentary sources said.
Full story >>

"The Tamils are getting a lesson in realpolitik"

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 January 2006, 11:35 GMT]
The United States’ singling out of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for the spiral of violence in Sri Lanka has undermined the neutrality of the Co-Chairs of the peace process and will fuel the military repression from which thousands of Tamils are fleeing, the Tamil Guardian newspaper said this week. In an editorial titled ‘Interests, not values’ the expatriate newspaper also criticised the US for not supporting efforts to get investment and reconstruction assistance to the war-devastated northeast, whilst blaming the LTTE for the continuing dearth of funding for the region.


Full story >>

Canadian parties commit to active role in Sri Lankan peace process - CTC

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 January 2006, 01:17 GMT]
The four national parties contesting in the upcoming federal election in Canada, have vowed to play an active role in the Sri Lankan peace process in a public debate organized by the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) at the Delta Toronto East Hotel in Toronto on Tuesday. Referring to a media report Wednesday in the National Post that cited Peter MacKay, a leading member of the Conservative Party, as supporting a ban on the LTTE, the spokesman of the national body of the Canadian Tamils, Ashwin Balamohan, said that the issue has been raised with the Conservative Party and said all the four parties have reiterated their commitment to an "unbiased policy" on the Sri Lankan issue.
Full story >>

TRO(USA) to hold tsunami anniversary fund raiser

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 January 2006, 01:49 GMT]
Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (USA) is holding its annual fund raiser at the cultural hall of Murugan Temple in Lanham, located 20 km north east of US capitol, Saturday. Voluntary contributions from families are earmarked for the Senthalir Illam in Mullaitivu where more than seventy children perished during the tsunami, organizers of the event said. Cultural events from local children will dominate the evening as a mark of respect for the Senthalir children.
Full story >>

Balasingham to visit Vanni next week

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 January 2006, 11:33 GMT]
Mr. Anton Balasingham, the chief negotiator and political strategist of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), will visit the LTTE held region of Vanni, northern Sri Lanka, on 23rd January in a fresh effort to resume the peace process. Mr. Balasingham will assist the LTTE leader, Mr. V. Pirapaharan, during the forthcoming meeting next week between Mr. Erik Solheim, the Norwegian Minister of International Development, and the LTTE leadership.
Full story >>

Norwegian Ambassador, SLMM Head to meet LTTE Political Head

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 January 2006, 11:11 GMT]
Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Hans Brattskar, and the Head of Mission of the Scandinavian truce monitors, Hagrup Haukland, will be visiting Kilinochchi to meet the Political Head of the Liberation Tigers, S P Thamilchelvan on Tuesday, according to the LTTE Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi. The LTTE is likely to press for urgent de-escalation of violence in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled areas of the NorthEast in the meeting viewed to be a preparatory meeting for the visit of Norwegian Development Minister Erik Solheim, expected to take place at the end of the January as announced by the Norwegian Foreign Ministry.
Full story >>

Two civilians, one SLAF soldier injured in Trincomalee attacks

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 January 2006, 04:06 GMT]
An Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) soldier manning a checkpoint in Anpuvallipuram in Trincomalee district was injured when an unidentified person lobbed a hand grenade around 8.30 p.m. In a separate incident, two Tamil civilians, Selvanayagam Mayooran, 35, and Sabaratnam Mathivathanakumar, 32, were injured when unknown gunmen fired at them at 10.30 p.m. Sunday while they were going to their residences in Pallathoddam in Uppuveli Police division, sources in Trincomalee said.
Full story >>

More Jaffna families flee to Vanni

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 January 2006, 18:49 GMT]
More than 150 families fled from areas controlled by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in the Jaffna peninsula and crossed to LTTE held Vanni region through Mukamalai, Saturday. These families were received at Transit centre for displaced people at Mukamalai by Tamil Rehabilitation Organization, a Sri Lanka Government registered Non-Governmental organization operating predominantly in the NorthEast, TRO said in a media release.
Full story >>

LTTE sharp shooters take aim on Pongal day

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 January 2006, 18:16 GMT]
Liberation Tiger fighters from the forward lines in the Northern region battle front participated in a sharpshooting competition in an undisclosed location in the North Vanni region under the command of Northern Region Senior Commander Col Theepan on Thai Pongal day, Saturday, LTTE media sources in Kilinochchi said. This event marked the second such competition held in 2006 following the one held on the New Year, reflecting the increased importance given by LTTE military leadership to markmanship.
Full story >>

Thousand Tamil families flee Muttur, Seruvila villages

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 January 2006, 12:27 GMT]
More than one thousand families have fled from their homes in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled divisions of Muttur and Seruvila in the Trincomalee district due to harassment and intimidation allegedly by the government troops manning sentries located in their villages and have sought refuge in schools and with their relatives in the LTTE held areas, social service activists said.


Full story >>

Join hands to arrest spread of violence- EU Commissioner

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 January 2006, 12:35 GMT]
Mrs Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Commissioner for External Relations, European Commission in a message issued Thursday said that inspite of the escalating violence "Sri Lanka's leaders may yet be able to build on to pull back from the brink: it is the profound desire of the people of Sri Lanka for peace," and added that "it is imperative that the government, other political parties and the Tamil Tigers heed the call of the people and join hands to arrest the spread of violence prevailing in the north and in the east."
Full story >>

Hartal cripples Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 January 2006, 12:14 GMT]
Normal life and business in the Trincomalee town and its suburbs were completely paralyzed Thursday when shops, government offices, schools, public markets, non-governmental organizations and state and private sector banking institutions were closed down. Public and private transport came to a complete halt. All main roads in the town were seen deserted except government troops manning sentry points and patrolling, sources in the east port town said.
Full story >>

7 civilians wounded in SLA’s retaliatory fire

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 January 2006, 06:43 GMT]
Five civilians, including a mother, a 60-year-old devotee and a 71-year-old man were wounded in Sri Lanka Army soldiers' retaliatory fire after two grenade attacks at the SLA troopers and policemen manning the checkpoints at two separate junctions in the suburbs of Jaffna town Thursday morning. Three policemen, an SLA soldier and two civilians were injured in the grenade attacks that took place at Parameswara and Thatatheru junctions, Police said.
Full story >>

Journalists to demonstrate against Emergency Regulations

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 January 2006, 11:12 GMT]
Media organizations including Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association, Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance, Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum, Media Employees Trade Union Federation and Free Media Movement, in a press release issued Wednesday, said they are planning to demonstrate in front the Fort Railway Station Thursday protesting against the Emergency Regulations that allows Sri Lanka Security personnel to detain and harass journalists.
Full story >>

Red Cross constructs national disaster management centre

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 January 2006, 02:05 GMT]
The Red Cross Movement has pledged to construct 15,000 houses to the tsunami affected families and the reconstruction is ongoing in districts destroyed by the natural disaster in the island, said Mr.S.H.Nimal Kumar, National Secretary of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, who was elected to chair the Disaster Management and Relief Committee of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescents Societies at its general assembly held in Seoul, South Korea, recently.
Full story >>

SLA attack on LTTE sentry said repulsed

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 January 2006, 18:54 GMT]
The deep penetration unit of the Sri Lanka Army, backed by paramilitary groups, entered the no-man zone in Vavunatheevu and attacked the LTTE sentries in the area at 7:30 p.m. Monday night, but the LTTE returned fire and the attackers withdrew, LTTE sources in Batticaloa said, quoting Mr. Thayamohan, the political head of the LTTE for Batticaloa-Amparai.
Full story >>