'They went, saw and returned'

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 December 2008, 07:58 GMT]
The meeting of the representation from Tamil Nadu led by Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi with the Prime Minister of India on Thursday failed to achieve its basic objective of convincing the Indian government to take a stand against Colombo’s war on Tamils, revealed journalistic circles in Chennai. The silent listening of the Indian Establishment may have several meanings. Perhaps Dr. Manmohan Singh is not the authority to respond on this particular matter. But the message to Eezham Tamils is clear: either they ought to fight back the war thrust upon them, or face genocide, and probably they knew it long back, commented the circles.
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'Thanks for food, but help to win our rights,' Vanni IDPs urge Tamil Nadu

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 December 2008, 02:12 GMT]
Internally Displaced persons in Vanni who were receiving the humanitarian supplies sent by the people of Tamil Nadu, while expressing their gratitude for the timely help, urged the leaders of Tamil Nadu to help them to win their freedom by voicing for the political aspirations of Eezham Tamils. TamilNet correspondent recorded expressions from the IDPs who were gathered at Karaichchi Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society, one of 23 supply centres in Vanni, on Thursday.
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Colombo's development agenda aggravates factional fight within TMVP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 December 2008, 00:59 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government has sidelined Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, a key paramilitary leader operated by the Sri Lankan government and the Chief Minister of the Eastern Province, on the utlisation of funds allocated for 'development'. "Pillayan is being treated almost like a political prisoner by the Rajapaksa government these days, especially after the recent protests against the killings," according to a Colombo based journalist.
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Relief supplies from Tamil Nadu still not reached Vanni

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 November 2008, 05:25 GMT]
Emergency relief supplies, sent by the efforts of Tamil Nadu people and their government, received in 100 containers in Colombo 11 days ago, have not reached Vanni due to the sabotage by the Sri Lankan military, a top government official, who did not wished to be named, told TamilNet. Severe flooding has cut off Vanni on Wednesday. However, contradicting to the ground reports, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi was made to believe that the supplies were reaching the affected civilians unhindered.
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Statewide protest in Tamil Nadu demands ceasefire in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 November 2008, 12:35 GMT]
Normalcy was disturbed in the 30 district capitals of Tamil Nadu on Tuesday from 7:00 a.m. till noon as thousands of demonstrators led by Communist Party of India (CPI), Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), Tamil National Movement, Puthiya Thamizhakam, Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam and several other organisations took to the streets, blocking the railway, bus and postal services. Around 50,000 courted brief arrests. The organisers said the success of the protest in Tamil Nadu, especially amid heavy rain along the coastal districts, symbolised deep rooted support for Eezham Tamils cause. The protest called on the Central Government of India to prevail upon the Rajapaksa government to announce an immediate ceasefire.
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Rights watchdog faults Colombo for deteriorating human rights situation in East

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 November 2008, 07:52 GMT]
"Killings and abductions are rife and there is total impunity for horrific abuses," in the eastern province, which the Sri Lankan government claims to have 'liberated' as an example of democracy in action, said the New York based Human Rights Watch (HRW). There have been at least 30 extra-judicial killings and 30 abductions in Eastern Province within the last 60 days, the HRW said blaming the Sri Lankan government for providing unqualified support to TMVP paramilitary factions. The attacks and other threats against journalists have caused the media to curtail reporting on the security situation in the East. Members of civil society organizations have also been subjected to threats, according to the HRW.
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Colombo 'commissions' education for structural war on Tamils

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 November 2008, 13:28 GMT]
Beginning from curriculum, school textbooks, teachers, educational administrators and resources to the destruction of the existing educational infrastructure in the guise of war, the structural violence committed by the Sri Lankan state against Tamils has been condemned by the Trincomalee MP, Mr. Thurairetnasingam in a parliamentary debate on Friday. “An ethnicity can be devastated by the destruction of its education, and that’s what this government is bent on doing in the North and East”, said the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP, while exposing the short term and long term ‘conspiracies’ of the Colombo government in ruining the education of Tamils.
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Karuna group shoots dead 2 Tamil youths in Ampaa'rai

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 November 2008, 17:49 GMT]
Karuna group men shot and killed two Tamil youths Thursday evening in Akkaraipattu police division in Ampaa'rai district and abducted another person. Akkaraipattu police claimed that the two youths killed were members of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Meanwhile, Akkaraipattu police arrested the wife of one of the youths killed.
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SLA captain's remains recovered in Ki'laali FDL

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 November 2008, 22:52 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) units found the skeleton of an SLA officer of the rank of Captain Monday in Ki'laali Front Defence Line (FDL) area. An officer was reported missing in action in a limited military offensive in Ki'laali three months ago, by SLA to their head office in Colombo.
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Distinguished Tamil film artist M.N. Nambiar passes away

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 November 2008, 00:02 GMT]
M.N. Nambiar, the celebrated ‘villain’ of the silver screen passed away on Wednesday in Chennai at the age of 90. Started acting in films since 1935, his distinguished career in Tamil cinema and lately in TV serials spanned for nearly 7 decades. He was shot to limelight in the role of the villainous royal preceptor ‘Gurusamy’ in Mandrikumari of 1950, which was the first for MGR in the role of hero and first for Kalaignar Karunanidhi, the present Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu as the screenwriter.
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TNA parliamentarians grilled by CID

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 November 2008, 22:15 GMT]
Within the last few days, three Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians, S. Jeyanandamoorthy, P. Ariyanethran and S. Kajendran, were summoned by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Sri Lanka Police for investigation after getting stipulated permission from the Speaker of the Parliament. The focus of the questioning was their speeches viewed as a breach of the 6th Amendment of the Sri Lankan constitution, which prohibits any opinion expressed inside or outside of the island, in favour of secession in Sri Lanka
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Colombo spent 50 million for every Tiger it killed - Vickramabahu Karunaratne

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 November 2008, 20:18 GMT]
Leader of New Left Front, Dr Wickramabahu Karunaratne, in a column that appeared last week in Lankadeepa accused India for instigating the current war in Sri Lanka. After enough damage has been done, now they push Rajapaksa government to stop the war and to go for talks. “They [the Colombo government] spent 500 billions of national wealth to kill Tigers. Accordingly, for each Tiger killed, they have spent 50 millions. All this is wealth of the people. How many thousand Sinhala were sacrificed in this war? Today mounts of Sinhala dead bodies are stacked under Palmyra trees," he wrote.
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3 Karuna associates in Thirukkoayil disappear with arms

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 November 2008, 18:51 GMT]
Three cadres of the paramilitary group led by Karuna stationed in Thirukkoayil police division in Ampaarai district have gone into hiding with arms since Monday night, according to complaints lodged with the Thirukovil Police. The absconders are said to be close associates of Iniyabarathy, TMVP co-coordinator for Ampaarai district, and the co-ordinating secretary to President Mahinda Rajapakse.
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SLA Claymore attack kills 3 Tamil civilians in Vanni

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 November 2008, 11:01 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit triggered a Claymore mine targeting a civilian vehicle killing a 12-year-old boy, his 53-year-old father and a 34-year-old man on the spot at Channasip-Paranthan, 5 km north of Pu'liyangku'lam on Pu'liyangku'lam Nedungkea'ni Road Tuesday morning around 8:45, Tamileelam Police said. The mother and the driver of the vehicle were seriously wounded and rushed to Mullaiththeevu hospital. The vehicle was returning to Vavuniyaa after delivering weekly newspapers to Vanni.
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CPI-led All Party Meeting calls for state-wide protest in Tamil Nadu

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 November 2008, 04:36 GMT]
The Central Government of India has failed to respond to the four demands, concerning the plight of Eezham Tamils, formulated in the previous All Party Meeting (APM) and forwarded to New Delhi by the Government of Tamil Nadu. Therefore, a second APM was convened on Monday by the initiative of the Communist Party of India (CPI), Tamil Nadu, chaired by its State Secretary D. Pandian, who announced a state-wide peaceful protest on November 25 to demonstrate to New Delhi on the resolve of the Tamil Nadu people for a single resolution: Immediate Ceasefire in Sri Lanka.
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Pillayan operative Ragu slain in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 November 2008, 08:59 GMT]
A private secretary of Pillayan and another person were shot dead while they were traveling in former TMVP spokesperson Asad Moulana's car at Oruwala in Athurugiriya in Nugegoda Friday around 11:30 a.m., Police said. The slain key operative, an associate of Pillayan was identified as Kumaraswami Nandagoban alias Ragu. Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna, since his deportation back to Sri Lanka from UK, has been demanding the removal of Ragu from the TMVP.
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Armed robbers injure mother, son during curfew hours in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 November 2008, 16:35 GMT]
Unidentified armed men knifed a 43-year-old mother and her son while robbing their house during Sri Lanka Army (SLA) imposed curfew hours Wednesday night in Thirunelveali Kalaasaalay area in Jaffna, civil society sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, extortion from traders, wealthy persons and high government officers through intimidating phone calls have escalated in Jaffna. Robberies by armed groups during curfew hours in Jaffna peninsula while the SLA troops are on patrol, have also escalated.
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TN should send relief as commodities, not money: Australian academic

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 November 2008, 02:44 GMT]
The aid and relief money generously given to Sri Lanka by various governments and international organizations tacitly helps filling the coffers of the Sri Lankan government and its foreign exchange capacity in waging the war against Tamils. The Tamil Nadu government should therefore consider sending the relief money in the form of much needed commodities for the rehabilitation and resettlement of the IDPs in Vanni and should make sure that they reach the Eezham Tamils in the non-government controlled areas directly says, Professor E.A. Selvanathan of the School of International Business, Griffith University, Australia.
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Unique agitation by All India Students Federation

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 November 2008, 21:49 GMT]
A special train, carrying over 2000 students of Tamil Nadu, members of the All India Students Federation (AISF), left Chennai on Wednesday to march towards the Indian Parliament in New Delhi, demanding end of attacks on Eezham Tamils, stoppage of military aid to Sri Lanka and initiation of peaceful political solution to the crisis. Students from many other states of India will join them in the agitation scheduled for Friday. Such an event is first in the history of AISF, said S. Mahendran, senior leader of the Communist Party of India, guiding the students.
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Announce ceasefire, call back military and commence peace talks - TN Assembly

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 November 2008, 16:56 GMT]
Tamil Nadu Assembly unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday demanding "an immediate halt of military operations, reverting the Sri Lankan military to old positions and a commencement of political negotiations to find a solution to the Tamil problem." The house of representatives also urged New Delhi to press for talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The resolution comes while the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is in New Delhi on an official visit.
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