Thousands march in Mannaar, urge protection for Madu shrine

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 April 2008, 09:01 GMT]
More than five-thousand people of Mannaar city gathered at St. Sebastian's Cathedral Wednesday morning for an special prayer service and staged a peace march towards the District Secretariat and handed over an appeal, urging the warring parties, the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) to respect the area of Madu Shrine as a 'Zone of Peace'. "Shells are falling within the Church premises several times and many of those staying there have been compelled to leave, while priests and the other church workers who are still remaining, live in fear and are being forced to seek shelter in bunkers," an appeal from the Bishop of Mannaar said.
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Not possible to remain mute spectators: Ramadoss to Indian PM

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 March 2008, 09:16 GMT]
Labelling Sri Lanka "a failed state, a condominium of anarchy, and a shame on humanity" that "terrorized its own Tamil citizens," Dr. S. Ramadoss, leader of Paaddaa'li Makka'l Kadchi (PMK, Toilers' Party) and a constituent ally of the Congress-led Indian government, said that it was not possible to remain "passing by-standers to this human tragedy at our doorstep" in his letter to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday. "The sixty million Tamils in India cannot wait and watch while their sisters and brothers are being decimated across the Palk Straits and Gulf of Mannar," he said.
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53% of Sri Lanka's external military training provided by India, TPM protests

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 March 2008, 15:10 GMT]
Addressing the large demonstration of the Tamil Protection Movement (TPM) opposite the Memorial Hall in Chennai Thursday, Viduthalai Chi'ruththaika'l Kadchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party) President Thol. Thirumavalavan, who condemned the Indian government for giving a red carpet welcome to Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, charged that one of the primary objectives of Fonseka 's recent visit was to seek a substantial increase in the number of Sri Lankan forces being trained in India. "There has been a three hundred percentage increase in the number of training slots offered to Sri Lankan armed forces personnel between the year 2006-2007 and 2007-2008," he charged.
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Close down Sri Lankan mission in Chennai - Thirumaavalavan

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 March 2008, 11:49 GMT]
The leader of Viduthalai Chi'ruththaika'l Kadchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party), Thol. Thirumavalavan called upon the Indian Government to close down the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in Tamil Nadu, while addressing a demonstration held in Chennai on Thursday by Tamil Protection Movement, attended by a large gathering.
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Furore in Tamil Nadu over 'anti-Tamil' film

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 March 2008, 19:29 GMT]
Politicians and film personalities from Tamil Nadu have taken strong exception to a Sinhalese film that seeks to "vulgarize the Tamil liberation struggle in Sri Lanka." Tamil Nadu Film Producers' Association President Rama. Narayanan condemned the film for disgracing the Tamil people at the end of a special screening. Tamil Protection Movement President Thol. Thirumavalavan vowed to take legal action to prevent the film's release in Tamil Nadu since he felt that it not only degraded the Eelam liberation struggle and hurt Tamil sentiments but it was also capable of disrupting communal harmony in Sri Lanka.
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India should not collaborate in genocide of Tamils: Tamil Protection Movement

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 March 2008, 22:19 GMT]
The Tamil Protection Movement (TPM), an umbrella organization consisting of pro-Eelam political parties, NGOs, members of the film fraternity and Tamil associations, condemned the Indian state for extending military support to the genocidal Sri Lankan Government. In a joint statement issued on behalf of the TPM, Paaddaa'li Makka'l Kadchi (PMK, Toilers' Party) founder-leader S Ramadoss and Viduthalai Chi'ruththaika'l Kadchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party) President Thol Thirumavalavan, demanded the "Indian Government to radically change its approach and actions in the Sri Lankan Tamils issue" and warned the union government not to be seen as collaborating in Sri Lanka's genocide of Tamils.
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Stop Indian military aid to Sri Lanka: Tamil Nadu leaders

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 March 2008, 14:44 GMT]
New Delhi unabashedly rolling the red carpet to Sri Lankan military chief Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka has caused a furore among Tamil Nadu politicians who have urged the Indian Central Government to "stop all military aid to the genocidal government of Sri Lanka." Paddali Makkal Kadchi (PMK, Toilers' Party) founder-leader S Ramadoss and Viduthalai Chiruththaikal Kadchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party) President Thol Thirumavalavan accused the Central Government of sabotaging Tamil aspirations on the Sri Lankan issue by lending support to the military-backed genocide of the Eelam Tamils.
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Expression of support to LTTE not an offence: Karunanidhi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 February 2008, 16:55 GMT]
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Monday reiterated that mere expression of support to the LTTE was not an offence as per an observation of the Indian Supreme Court. He admonished Opposition leader Jayalalithaa for misleading the people on this issue.
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Thirumavalavan urges Center to hold referendum on extending LTTE ban

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 February 2008, 20:18 GMT]
Viduthalai Chiruththaikal Kadchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party) President Thol. Thirumavalavan on Friday urged the Indian Government to conduct a referendum among the sixty five million people of Tamil Nadu on the extension of LTTE ban. He was speaking at a demonstration organized by his party to pressure the Indian Government to wage war against Sri Lanka for planting mines in the sea waters of Kadchatheevu and for arbitrarily arresting Tamil Nadu fishermen.
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Tamil Nadu Government warns against expressing moral support to LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 January 2008, 15:32 GMT]
Desperate to appease its key ally Congress in order to retain power, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government on Wednesday warned of stern action against those who expressed moral support to the Liberation Tigers. Meanwhile, Thol. Thirumavalavan, leader of the Viduthalai Chiruththaikal Kadchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party), on Wednesday called upon the Indian Government to wage war against Sri Lanka and said that he was prepared to face any legal action arising out of his exercising the freedom of expression.
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TN Congress scorns freedom of expression favouring Tigers

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 January 2008, 10:08 GMT]
Congress party legislators in Tamil Nadu, who demanded the arrest of Viduthalai Chi'ruththaika'l Kadchi (VCK, the Liberation Panthers Party) President Thol. Thirumavalavan for publicly expressing moral support to the LTTE staged a walkout Tuesday from the Tamil Nadu state assembly, when Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi responded to their demand by saying that such arrests could not be made citing a Supreme Court verdict on MDMK leader Vaiko which held that expressing solidarity was not a crime. This is the first time that Congress legislators have walked out of the Tamil Nadu assembly ever since the DMK assumed power in May 2006.
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SLA attacks school bus in Madu, 8 killed, 35 wounded

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 January 2008, 09:59 GMT]
8 civilians including children were killed and 35 wounded in Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam controlled area in Madu division of Mannaar district Tuesday at 2:25 p.m. when a Deep Penetration Unit of the Sri Lanka Army triggered a Claymore mine targeting a bus with school children, according to initial reports from Tamileelam Police officials in Madu. The bus, with children and catholic clergy, was returning from a sports event, according to the initial reports. Further details will follow.
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Tamil Nadu fishermen on indefinite strike

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 January 2008, 09:49 GMT]
Normal life was paralysed in Rameswaram as TamilNadu fishermen continued their indefinite strike into the third day today to condemn the Sri Lanka Navy's atrocities against them and demanded immediate removal of the underwater mines set up by SLN between Kachchatheevu and Neduntheevu. They called for the nullification of the Kachchatheevu agreement and demanded the release of 12 of their brethren arrested by the SLN. None of the 2500 steamers and 1500 country boats ventured into the sea as fishermen were steely in their resolve to indefinitely boycott the seas until their demands were met.
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Providing moral support to Eelam, not a crime- Thirumavalavan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 January 2008, 18:53 GMT]
"Any move to suppress those expressing moral support to Tamil Eelam and LTTE is violation of all tenets of democracy and humanism, and will border on fascism," Viduthalai Chiruththaikal Katchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party) President Thol. Thirumavalavan said on Friday addressing a conference organized by his party in Chennai labeled "Redeem the Freedom of Expression."
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Sri Lankan State not secular, nor fair- Retd Indian Colonel

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 January 2008, 21:01 GMT]
Noting that Sri Lankan State has a fundamental problems that lie at the root of the conflict, Retired Indian Colonel, Mr Anil Athale, in a column appeared in Rediff Friday, says "many Indian commentators have flippantly advised Tamils to accept Sri Lankan unity without realising that Sri Lanka is not a secular State like India nor is it a 'fair State' like the UK in terms of rule of law."
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10 passengers injured in accident in Kaarainakar

[TamilNet, Friday, 04 January 2008, 17:34 GMT]
A bus carrying passengers from Kaarainakar to Jaffna Friday around 8:30 a.m, slipped off Ponnaalai bridge road that was submerged in floods, causing serious injuries to two of the passengers and minor injuries to several others, sources in Jaffna said. The passengers in the bus were mostly relatives and well wishers of the assassinated Tamil parliamentarian T. Maheswaran, who were returning to their places after attending events Thursday in Maheswaran's home town Kaarainakar.
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2007: The year in review

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 January 2008, 07:34 GMT]
For the people of the NorthEast, 2007 was a grim year. Sri Lanka’s security forces and allied paramilitaries intensified their campaign of abductions (‘white van’ abductions), torture, and murder of Tamil civilians. Tamil civil society leaders bore the brunt of the counter-insurgency campaign. Jaffna remained an open prison with shortage of essential items, east falling under the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) control with thousands displaced as Colombo concocts colonization schemes to make east a Sinhala majority province.
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UNOPS suspends post tsunami school reconstruction projects in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 December 2007, 18:35 GMT]
The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) suspended its construction works in two schools in Vaveddiththu'rai (VVT) in Vadamaraadchi that were affected by Tsunami, due to the prevailing unstable condition in Jaffna peninsula besides encountering difficulties in procuring construction materials for its school building projects, education officials in Vadamaraadchi said. The latest suspension of Tsunami projects in VVT comes as many International NGOs and local agencies, which had engaged in Tusnami relief and rehabilitation projects in the peninsula, had already stopped their work due to the abnormal atmosphere prevailing in the Sri Lanka Army controlled Jaffna.
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TamilNadu leaders urge Indian PM not to visit Sri Lanka on independence Day

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 December 2007, 18:03 GMT]
Several Tamilnadu leaders, including K. Veeramani, President, Dravidar Kazhagam; Thol.Thirumavalavan, President, Viduthalaich Chi'ruththaika'l Kadchi; Suba. Veerapandiyan of Dravidar Iyakka Thamizhar Pearavai and Era. Janardhanan, President, Ulakath Thamizhar Pearavai took part in a demonstration opposite Chennai's Memorial Hall Monday to protest the Indian Prime Minister's proposed participation in Sri Lankan Independence Day celebrations in February 2008.
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TamilNadu leaders protest against Indian PM's participation in SL Independence Day

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 December 2007, 17:37 GMT]
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's reported intention to participate as the Chief Guest in the Sri Lankan Government's Independence Day Celebrations on February 4, 2008 has sparked large-scale dissent from political leaders in Tamilnadu. K. Veeramani, President of the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK), on Friday announced his organization's decision to demonstrate against the proposed visit and called upon the Tamilnadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi to intervene in this regard. Meanwhile, Thol.Thirumavalavan, President, Viduthalaich Chi'ruththaika'l Kadchi and Suba. Veerapandiyan of Dravidar Iyakka Thamizhar Pearavai have pledged their organizational support and participation to the demonstration.
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