EPDP candidate attacked in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 August 2009, 19:19 GMT]
Unidentified persons attacked Saturday night around 11:00 p.m one of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) candidates contesting Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) and the attacked candidate is admitted to Jaffna Teaching Hospital, sources in Jaffna said. Some residents in Ariyaalay where the attack took place said that youths who had been deceived by the said EPDP candidate who had received money promising them jobs, had attacked him. Meanwhile, police have taken ten supporters of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) into custody and detained them for investigation.
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IRC goods for IDPs yet to be given Colombo port clearance - SLRCS

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 August 2009, 18:13 GMT]
Twenty seven containers of goods sent by the Indian Red Cross (IRC) for the internally displaced Vanni people detained in camps in Vavuniyaa continue to lie in Colombo port since 9 July and are yet to be given clearance, as documents have not been received for clearance from the Indian Red Cross, Director General of Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS), Suren Peris said Saturday.
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“Colombo no longer has any excuse for its brutal policies” - National Post

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 August 2009, 20:48 GMT]
In light of the 'military victory' over the LTTE, Sri Lanka must now be judged by the human-rights standards that typically govern developing countries. And by those standards, the country's recent conduct should be of great concern” said an editorial in the National Post on Friday, citing the detainment of 280,000 Tamil civilians in government camp as indicating Tamils “are destined to remain second class citizens”. Questioning the global silence over the deaths of thousands of civilians in the final stages of the war and the praise given to the Sri Lankan Government by the U.N Human Rights Council, the article observed a continued double standard by the international community, where “apparently, some humans' human rights count for more than others”.
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Ki'linochchi GA arrested under PTA

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 August 2009, 20:42 GMT]
Ki'linochchi District Government Agent, Nagalingam Vethanayagam was abducted Thursday night by a group of persons who arrived in a vehicle at his temporary residence in Vavuniyaa. On Friday, the Sri Lankan Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) informed Mr. Vethanayagam's family that he has been arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and that he has been taken to Colombo for further inquiries.
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Commencement of bus service via A9 route from Jaffna doubtful

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 August 2009, 08:45 GMT]
Government announced that transport service for public between Jaffna and Colombo will commence from 1 August but the officials of Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) in Jaffna who have to provide the buses said that they had not received any instructions from their superiors in Colombo. The five buses which took 210 passengers from Jaffna on 22 July in an event inaugurated by Basil Rajapakse, the brother and advisor of President Mahinda Rajapakse are being held back in Jaffna by Sri Lanka Army (SLA), they further said.
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Hundreds of Tamils interrogated in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 August 2009, 08:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka police and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched Friday an intensive search mostly in Fort and Bambalapitiya stopping passenger buses and other vehicles and interrogated hundreds of Tamils, sources in Colombo said. Though the search was conducted for more than three hours no official information of anyone arrested is available, they said.
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Tamil youth arrested in Katunayake airport

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 August 2009, 03:14 GMT]
A 22 year-old Tamil youth was arrested by the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) of the Sri Lanka Police on his arrival from South Africa at the Katunayake International Airport (KIA) on Wednesday. Currently he is being detained in the Fourth Floor of the Criminal Investigation Department for further inquiry, relatives in their complaints to human rights organizations said.
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Tamil political prisoners’ fast continues for the 4th day

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 July 2009, 17:12 GMT]
The fast unto death by Tamil political prisoners in Welikada prison that began Tuesday continues for the fourth day. About two hundred Tamil political prisoners arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and being held under detention on Defence Ministry orders without being produced in court or without any indictment against them are participating the fast, prison sources said.
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Youth shot dead in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 July 2009, 09:39 GMT]
Peliyagoda police shot and killed a youth alleged to belong to the underworld Wednesday morning at Peliyagoda, sources in Colombo said. The killed youth had been taken into custody by police Tuesday evening in Maligawathe area in Colombo, the sources added.
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Colombo remembers Alfred Duraiappa, setting hands of the clock backwards

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 July 2009, 17:45 GMT]
Ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) observed the 34th death anniversary of assassinated Alfred Duraippa, former Mayor of Jaffna, Thursday at his grave in Alfred Duraippa Stadium in Jaffna, sources in Jaffna said. Sri Lankan Minister of Vocational and Technical Training, Piyasena Gamage, and the former Chief Minister of Western Provincial Council, Reginald Cooray and other prominent members of SLFP laid flowers at the grave and garlanded the memorial monument, the sources added.
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Indian government assists disintegration of Tamil homeland

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 July 2009, 11:09 GMT]
Government of India on Wednesday announced 66 million SL Rupees scheme to 'develop' communication between the eastern coastal cities, Trincomalee and Batticaloa, in such a way that the two traditional Tamil cities will be effectively linked to the Sinhala districts than with each other. While even the shortest coastal road link between the cities are neglected of development for decades now, the Indian plan is to help Colombo running rail-buses between the cities through the colonial cum Sinhala state railway track that goes in a circular way through the Sinhala districts outside of Eastern Province.
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Police launch war against underworld criminals

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 July 2009, 10:30 GMT]
All police stations in the country have been ordered to arrest leaders of underworld gangs of criminals wanted in connection with abduction, extortion, drug trafficking, murder and other crimes. Meanwhile, Police Headquarters has instructed its senior police officers in Colombo to arrest nine underworld leaders wanted in connection with possession of illegal arms, extortion, drug peddling and other crimes.
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SLA promotes 3 Brigadiers as Major Generals, 46 Colonels as Brigadiers

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 July 2009, 10:26 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) promoted three Brigadiers to the rank of Major Generals and 46 Colonels as Brigadiers. These officers had served in Vanni war front during the military operations against the Liberation Tigers. Former General Officer of Command (GOC) of the 55 Division, Brigadier Prasanna Silva, present 53 Division GOC, Brigadier Chagi Gallage and Director Operations of Army Head Quarters, Brigadier Shavendra Silva have been promoted as Major Generals, sources in Colombo said.
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Free civilians from detention camps, HRW tells Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 July 2009, 11:49 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government should immediately release the more than 280,000 internally displaced Tamil civilians held in detention camps, Ney York-based rights group, Human Rights Watch (HRW), again demanded Wednesday. “The government has effectively sealed off the detention camps from outside scrutiny. Human rights organizations, journalists, and other independent observers are not allowed inside,” HRW said. Condemning the mass detention as “outrageous”, HRW cited comments by Walter Kälin, the UN secretary-general’s representative on internally displaced persons, that: “Prolonged internment of such persons would not only amount to arbitrary detention but it also aggravates the humanitarian situation needlessly.”
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India needs to work with IC - Former Indian diplomat

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 July 2009, 23:10 GMT]
India has a common interest with the US in countering China’s strategy. No matter the motives behind the US’ current emphasis on a “political settlement”, after having been a staunch supporter of Rajapaksa’s war, Delhi must closely work with the Barack Obama Administration, writes former Indian diplomat M. Bhadrakumar, who sees Delhi’s political leverage over Colombo diminishing in what he thinks ‘post-LTTE’ era. To make up lost influence India needs to work with the IC, promote urgent international monitoring mission and mobilise IC opinion favouring political process and settlement within reasonable timeline, he said.
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'Sathosa' opened in Jaffna for the third time

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 July 2009, 18:10 GMT]
Bandula Gunawardena, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Trade, Marketing Development Cooperative and Consumer Affairs, declared open a branch of Lanka Sathosa, a branch of the CWE, in Jaffna Windsor Theatre Tuesday, sources in Jaffna said. Sathosa was opened in Jaffna twice before but had been closed down as the government failed to send goods to keep it functioning, the sources added.
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8 Tamil youths arrested in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 July 2009, 13:48 GMT]
Sri Lanka police took into custody eight Tamil youths Tuesday morning in a search conducted in Ettiyawathe in Colombo. The arrested youths are from Jaffna, their relatives said.
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Sri Lankan port yet to clear Mercy Mission supplies

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 July 2009, 11:09 GMT]
Sri Lankan port authorities in Colombo are refusing to hand over the humanitarian supplies of Tamil diaspora Mercy Mission, stating that the Indian authorities are yet to produce necessary documents including the Bill of Lading, Sri Lankan Red Cross officials in Colombo said. Meanwhile, customs authorities in Colombo said though the government has waved off the import duty, the Sri Lankan Red Cross has to pay demurrage for harbouring the cargo in the port.
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IMF takes charge in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 July 2009, 00:02 GMT]
Whilst Sri Lanka’s government hailed its securing of an IMF loan for $2.6bn last week as a ‘victory’ and as indication of international support for its political and economic policies, the reality is the reverse. Sri Lanka has been compelled to accept not only painful economic and quasi-political obligations, but also the kind of external supervision the ultra-Sinhala nationalist regime routinely rails against. Moreover, whilst the IMF loan is ostensibly to revive Sri Lanka’s economy, its first purpose is to ensure the government keeps up with repayments to prior foreign lenders. In short, Sri Lanka can borrow from the IMF to pay back its creditors but has to undertake harsh economic reforms - under IMF supervision - for the breathing space.
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TNA accuses government of using state resources in JMC election campaign

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 July 2009, 16:36 GMT]
Ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) conducted Sunday a large scale procession of vehicles organized by Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) in Jaffna town in which more than a thousand supporters participated, canvassing people to vote for the Betel symbol of UPFA, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) which has also entered into the fray, accused UPFA and its ally EPDP of using government vehicles for election campaign. TNA also accused the police for being partial to UPFA in carrying out duties related to Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) election, the sources added.
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