SL Police Sub-Inspector, businessman abducted in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 December 2009, 10:29 GMT]
An unidentified gang Wednesday night abducted four persons, including a leading Sinhalese businessman from Wattala and a police sub-inspector of the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) at Borella police division Wednesday night, Police said. They were abducted while they were returning after dinner after a famous fast-food outlet along Cotta Road in Borella.
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Fonseka visits India

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 December 2009, 09:55 GMT]
General (retd) Sarath Fonseka, former commander of the Sri Lanka Army and Chief of Defence Staff later, is on a surprise visit to India. Close aides of Sarath Fonseka declined to divulge the purpose of visit to India. Fonseka has been nominated as the common opposition candidate at the presidential election that is scheduled to be held on January 26 next year.
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Facing offensive presidential election with self-respect

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 December 2009, 23:04 GMT]
The Tamil parties thinking of fielding a common candidate should rise above outside diktats, should do justice to the Tamil cause at this formative stage of new Tamil polity and should come out with an election agenda that doesn’t harm the cause of Tamils in the long run. Any mistake made now will be irreversible, writes TamilNet political commentator in Colombo.
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Attacks on JVP political offices continue, A’pura office ransacked

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 December 2009, 11:26 GMT]
Supporters of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) are on the rampage in several areas in the south attacking offices of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) since the latter extended its full support to General Sarath Fonseka, who is to contest as the common opposition candidate in the forthcoming presidential election. Submission of nominations by registered political parties is to begin on December 17 and the election is fixed for January 26.
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Grabbing land for wrecking contiguity of Tamil homeland

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 December 2009, 10:22 GMT]
‘Investors’ may see the eastern coastal tract of the island of Sri Lanka, from Kokku’laay to Kuchchave’li, potential for minerals, tourism and fisheries. But the tract is of utmost importance to Eezham Tamils in linking the north and east of their historic homeland. Tamils wouldn’t have been averse to the idea of anyone coming and investing in this tract had there been a guarantee to the territorial integrity of their nation. It would have even been welcomed. But the genocidal Sinhala State and powers of greed have chosen the cruel way to achieve ambitions by crushing the Tamil nation – killing, maiming, chasing, incarcerating and weakening the historical inhabitants. If India that has a particular eye on this tract wants its gratification peaceful and long lasting it should take the responsibility of not altering the demography, writes a university academic of the Eastern Province.
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Operation against underworld criminals stopped due to election

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 November 2009, 17:24 GMT]
Sri Lanka Police sources said all operations launched against underworld criminals have been suspended on the orders from superiors. With the end of the war against the LTTE the police launched an operation to eradicate underworld criminals. Over one hundred under world criminals were killed in the campaign. But some of them, including notorious criminal Kudu Lal, who has the backing of powerful politicians fled the country, sources in Colombo said.
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Fonseka to contest presidential election on swan symbol

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 November 2009, 12:42 GMT]
Former Sri Lanka Army Commander General (retd) Sarath Fonseka, the common opposition candidate for the Sri Lankan presidential election, which is scheduled to be held on January 26 is to contest on the symbol swan and on the ticket of a newly registered political party. He held the first press briefing Sunday morning at Jaica Hotel in Colombo.
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Government supporters attack JVP activists

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 November 2009, 04:55 GMT]
A group of supporters said to be from the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Saturday morning attacked a group of activists of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) when the latter were putting up posters in connection with the rally supporting the opposition common presidential candidate General Sarath Fonseka in Maradana in Colombo, according to a press release by the JVP.
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Locking Tamil nationalism through presidential candidature

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 November 2009, 12:27 GMT]
A Tamil candidature in the presidential elections, proposing a political solution deviating from the goals of Tamil nationalism, is a tactic to bind and nullify the aspirations of Eezham Tamils, writes TamilNet political commentator in Colombo. In the current circumstances, Tamils naturally boiling with anger about both the main candidates are most likely to cast their votes en masse to any respectable Tamil candidate. But it is an artful move to get a mandate by stealth from the surviving people of the North and East for dropping the fundamentals of Tamil nationalism set earlier in 1977 and for locking them with political subjugation within a single state in the island. Therefore the election proposal of any potential Tamil candidate should be the removal of the 6th Amendment to the constitution and not any half-backed formula, the commentator further said.
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Heroes’ Day address highlights political formation for liberation

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 November 2009, 11:58 GMT]
Heroes’ Day Address 2009, released from the headquarters of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Friday, stressed the importance of people evolving elected political bodies in the diaspora for the liberation of their home country and to mobilise international support for the liberation. “We are aware that Tamil people will not accept or forgive structures already formed for achieving the goal of Tamil Eelam and activists of them deviating at anytime from the goal,” the address said, citing in the meantime that “the way ‘Sinhala chauvinism’ behaved even after causing grave human catastrophe has brought in permanent rift between Tamils and Sinhalese.” The address came hard on Colombo for serious human rights violations it is committing on interned LTTE cadres, especially women and mothers, and urged the silent IC to act immediately.
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SLAF helicopter gunship comes down in Buttala, 4 killed

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 November 2009, 10:48 GMT]
A Russian built MI-24 helicopter gunship of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF), which was engaged in air cover to provide security to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's visit to Hambantota, crashed in Badalkumbura area in Nilakandura, Buttala, killing the pilot and three gunners Friday afternoon, according to informed sources in Colombo.
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Vikramabahu Karunaratne invokes support among Tamils

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 November 2009, 10:17 GMT]
After supporting the federal aspiration of Eezham Tamils in the 1956 elections, now for the first time left political parties led by Sinhala leaders have come forward to field a common presidential candidate, Dr. Vikramabahu Karunaratne, with a main programme recognising Tamil Nation, its homeland in the north and east, its right to self-determination and autonomy as solution for the unity of the island. When agenda-setting powers harping on chauvinistic elements keep mum on recognising the fundamentals, and when Tamil political parties including some Tamil left leaders locked in agendas don’t have guts to spell out the fundamentals, why not voice-deprived Tamils and peace-loving Sinhalese register opinion and explore co-existence through support to the Left Front, is a topic widely discussed in the Tamil circles.
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Heroes and rulers, eternal struggle of humanity

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 November 2009, 22:50 GMT]
The roots of the current tragedy of the island lie in the unscrupulous competition between India and USA over the control of the island as a whole. None of the adamantly competing powers wanted to address the national question in the island with justice. In a way, over the death and captivation of Tamils, powers are now wooing and competing for the ‘democratic’ votes of the Sinhalese. The war has metamorphosed the main personalities in the election fray to full-fledged dummies, as they are not as brave or honest as Pirapaharan in resisting the diktats of powers. When viewed against this backdrop, the universal as well as civilisation-perspectives of the struggle under the LTTE of Pirapaharan and the sacrifices made by thousands and thousands of fighters and people could be understood in an altogether different light, sidelining all the accusations on the modus operandi of the struggle.
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NLF leader Karunaratne to contest presidential election

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 November 2009, 18:20 GMT]
Dr. Wickremabahu Karunaratne, leader of the New Left Front (NLF), Wednesday announced his candidature for the forthcoming Presidential election. He disclosed his decision at a media briefing held in Colombo. Meanwhile, General Sarath Fonseka, former Sri Lanka Army commander and the Chief of Defence Staff, said that he is to announce his future plans Thursday.
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Credentials of IC challenged while widespread rape by SLA alleged in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 November 2009, 17:24 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) intelligence officers operating in the internment camps of Vanni have been allegedly involved in several rape cases during the past months. At least three cases of young victims, aged 14, 15 and 16, appeared in front of Vavuniyaa District Judge in October. SLA soldiers have also raped a 14-year-old mentally retarded Tamil girl inside the Vavuniyaa hospital.
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Train services disrupted in Vavuniyaa, Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 November 2009, 10:43 GMT]
Train services between Colombo and Vavuniyaa towards the north and between Colombo and Batticaloa towards the east had been disrupted Tuesday morning for several hours. The Inter-City train that runs between Colombo Fort to Vavuniya was derailed Tuesday morning around 7:45 a.m. near the Girambe sub-railway station that is located along Polgahawela and Potuhara, railway department media spokesman said.
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Presidential election to be held first

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 November 2009, 18:46 GMT]
The extra- ordinary gazette notification announcing the decision of the government to hold the Presidential Election next year ahead of parliamentary election is to be released midnight Monday. The gazette notification is now being printed by the government press, political sources in Colombo said Monday evening.
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Counter-national conspiracy against Tamils comes to light

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 November 2009, 07:56 GMT]
LTTE members either in custody or operating units in the island have become the most vulnerable to counter-Tamilnational conspiracies of Colombo government, well informed sources in Colombo indicate. The Colombo government’s focus now is to get the section of the LTTE in its trap to denounce Tamil Eelam and efforts are intensified to make use of the Heroes’ Day to test the conspiracy. Colombo is as usual abetted by certain powers in this exercise, the sources further said. Meanwhile, Tamil diaspora circles responded to the news saying that under current circumstances any ‘statement’ addressed to the public has to be viewed not from the point “what is said or who has said but from where it has been said.” The free LTTE has a great responsibility in promoting the emergence of new democratic political leadership that truly represents the national aspirations of Tamils, they further said.
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Mannaar-Jaffna bus service resumed after 20 years

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 November 2009, 16:26 GMT]
The public bus service from Mannaar to Jaffna has been resumed after twenty years in addition to the bus services resumed to Colombo from Mannaar, sources in Mannaar said. Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus leaves Mannaar main bus terminal to Jaffna daily at 6:30 a.m.
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Colombo announces new phase of 'IDP management'

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 November 2009, 00:55 GMT]
Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s brother and advisor Basil Rajapaksa MP on Saturday announced that the Tamils held in the internment camps of Vavuniyaa would be free, starting from December 01, to go and live wherever they want to or to choose whether they want to continue to remain inside the camps. Tamil sources in Vavuniyaa view the announcement with scepticism describing it as an 'election gimmick' while expressing fear of increased disappearances and militarisation of the Tamil homeland.
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