Armed robberies escalate in Vanni

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 May 2011, 16:35 GMT]
Several robberies carried out by armed men in military uniform have taken place in recent times in Ki'linochchi and Mullaiththeevu districts in Vanni, where resettlement of civilians is partially allowed. Armed men in military uniform who came to Kallaa'ru Periyaku'lam village, claiming that they were on a search operation, instructed the families of two houses to stay outside while they searched their houses around 01:00 a.m. The men removed all the valuable belongings inside the houses and walked away, residents who had recently resettled complained.
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Sinhala extremist federation wants Rajapaksa to terminate talks with TNA

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 May 2011, 05:42 GMT]
The Federation of National Organizations, a coalition formed by ten Sinhala extremist groups in the south, has requested the Mahinda Rajapaksa government to terminate its talks with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in a statement issued on May Day, coinciding with the protest show of Mahinda Rajapaksa against the UN Expert Panel report. Meanwhile, Tamils from several parts of the island were forcefully taken to Colombo by Sri Lankan military, paramilitary and other agents to showcase as people from all ethnicities were united in the protest against the UN. However, a dead silence prevailed in the SL occupied country of Eezham Tamils throughout the whole day on May Day.
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Thalpitiya, Thaaligala, Thaazhaiyadi, Kaththaazhampiddi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 April 2011, 22:51 GMT]
The plain or high ground of palmyra palms
The rocky place of talipot palms
The locality of screw-pines
The high ground of aloe

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Reformulating Kooththu theatre for Eezham Tamils

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 April 2011, 06:53 GMT]
Contemporary humans alienated from their own environment by an education system are isolated even within their families by the electronic media. Reformulating the Kooththu theatre of Eezham Tamils is not to show it to somebody else or to carry it to somewhere else, but to effectively make the owners of the form of art to gather and enjoy it for themselves in the open air. The reformulation aims at reinstating the Kooththu theatre as a social institution, by giving importance to its inherent features such as participation, social function and memory; by bringing in traditional values to contemporary discourse and by providing space for the grassroot performers to perform in their own environment, says S. Jeyasankar of the Eastern University, Batticaloa, in his new book in Tamil on “Reformulating Kooththu: New Dimensions of the Kooththu of Eezham.”
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Sinhala colonization threatens coastal areas of Mannaar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 April 2011, 03:56 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse led United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government has been implementing a planned scheme to settle Sinhalese persons in the southern coastal areas of Mu'l'lik-ku'lam, Thampapa'l'li in Ko'ndaichchi and areas along Madu road in the Mannaar district. Lands belonging to Tamil villagers in these areas are being grabbed to settle Sinhalese from the south, said Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Vanni district parliamentarian in a statement to media.
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Buddhist monk threatens Moothoor Tamil farmers

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 April 2011, 06:45 GMT]
A group of Sinhala hoodlum led by a Buddhist monk had chased away a group of Tamil famers who have been doing paddy cultivation in the fields in Muthalai-madu and Padukaadu in Seruwila division in Trincomalee district for the last four decades. Tamil farmers are from villages Paddiththidal, Ma'natcheanai and Ki'liveddi, who possess deeds for their paddy fields in Muthalai-madu and Padukaadu and have been doing cultivation since 1963.
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Thumpa'lai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 April 2011, 19:16 GMT]
The (place of) Thumpa’lai trees (Vatica obscura)
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SLA officer killed in accident, driver beaten up by SL soldiers

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 April 2011, 17:12 GMT]
A junior Sri Lanka Army officer was killed on the spot and another soldier was wounded on A9 Highway at Ira'naimadu junction in Ki'linochchi Wednesday around 10:00 a.m. when a tipper truck, coming from Vavuniyaa, hit the motorbike of the SL soldiers. The driver of the vehicle was severely beaten up by the SLA soldiers at the site.
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Vi'laan, Divula-pitiya, Jool-pallama

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 April 2011, 21:22 GMT]
The place of wood apple trees
The high ground of wood apple trees
The low ground of wood apple trees
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Kadaiya-moaddai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 31 March 2011, 00:52 GMT]
The pond of Kadaiyar community
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Batticaloa development not transparent, benefits no residents, says Council member

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 March 2011, 11:33 GMT]
Sri Lanka government has been planning development projects in the Batticaloa district to boost the image of Mahinda Chinthanaya and also to help its financial resources, but not to benefit the district residents, according to Mr.R. Thurairatnam, Eastern Provincial Council (EPC) member. Mr.Thurairatnam is also the leader of the Padmanaba wing of the EPRLF and representd Batticaloa district in the EPC.
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Two ex-LTTE cadres die in SL army detention centres

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 March 2011, 01:46 GMT]
Two former cadres of the LTTE have died in two separate incidents while under detention in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) supervised 'rehabilitation' centres. The first death was reported from Vavuniyaa-Ne'lukku'lam rehabilitation centre Monday and the second from Welikanda-Thirukoa'namadu detention camp in the Polonnaruwa district Tuesday morning. The deaths have created tension among parents of ex-LTTE detainees, civil sources said.
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SL Army appropriates heritage institution in Jaffna for ‘cadet’ training

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 March 2011, 09:13 GMT]
The building of Arya-Dravida Bhasha Abhivrtti Sangam, a heritage institution that was started in Jaffna in the early 20th century was appropriated a few days ago by the occupying SL military to conduct ‘cadet’ training for school students of Jaffna. T. Sadasiva Aiyar, an education officer of the colonial times, started this heritage institution that was conducting Pandit and Bala Pandit courses and examinations. The institution later became a constituent body of the Ceylon government’s education office in the north and thus was inherited by colonial Sri Lanka occupying the country of Eezham Tamils. The occupying SL military now pressed the SL education officials in Jaffna to hand over the building located at Koddadi in the heart of Jaffna city to the military.
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Nu'naavil

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 March 2011, 05:57 GMT]
The pond of Nu’naa trees
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Officials opposing Sinhala encroachment threatened with transfer

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 March 2011, 12:10 GMT]
Tamil Divisional Secretaries in the eastern province are facing transfer threats due to the non-co-operation to implement Mahinda Chinthanaya in the Eastern Province in allowing encroachment by Sinhalese in Tamil villages. Already, Divisional Secretaries of the two DS divisions Koa'ra'laip-pattu South and Koa'ra'laip-pattu North in Batticaloa district are said to be informed of their transfer, sources in Eastern province said.
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Wahalkada

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 February 2011, 00:13 GMT]
The outer entrance
The entrance side
The entrance part
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Bodhi-ma’luwa, Changku-maal, Aa’rukaal-madam

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 February 2011, 06:09 GMT]
The fig-tree terrace,
The shed or yard to keep dived conch shells,
The six-pillared resting-place

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Maalu-vaadi,
Paravan-vaadi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 February 2011, 20:43 GMT]
The fishing camp
The camp of the Paravar (maritime) community
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Mannaar severely affected by overflowing water from Anuradhapura tanks

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 February 2011, 23:32 GMT]
Mannaar district has been facing a severe natural calamity for the first time in its history due to recent rain and flood. Almost all the villages in the district are under water. 7,807 persons from 2,667 families have been displaced from areas that come under Mannaar Urban Council and Naanaaddaan Piratheasa Chapai (PS). People from Arippu and Maanthai have been trapped in their houses as they are marooned in the flood. The Government Agent of Mannaar, N.Vedhanayagam, has declared emergency situation in the district.
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Flood displaces 100,000 in Vanni, 25,000 in camps

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 February 2011, 08:25 GMT]
At least 100,000 Tamil civilians of around twenty five thousand families have been affected by the flood in the two districts of Vavuniyaa and Mullaiththeevu in Vanni. Sand bunds erected by the Sri Lanka Army are obstructing the flow of water reaching the sea. Hence the villages are flooded. The uprooted families are still not allowed to resettle between Mullaiththeevu and Puthukkudiyiruppu. In the meantime, informed sources said the occupying military was promoting the idea of opening transport services via Anuradhapura-Ma’nalaa’ru road, making inroad for Sinhala colonization.
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