Celebrate Christmas with spirituality and faith, shun glitter- Bishop

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 December 2007, 14:24 GMT]
Bishop of Jaffna, Rev. Dr Thomas Savundaranayagam, in a Christmas message delivered Monday, appealed to the devotees of his diocease, to "celebrate Christmas this year as a deeply spiritual, solemn, and meaningful festivity, reflecting and drawing on their deep faith to help fellowmen, and to avoid all external glitter and ostentatiousness normally associated with such festivals." The Bishop also called upon the warring parties to seek reconciliation and peace, and urged them to lay to rest all weapons of war.
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UNP candidate in Jaffna shot dead

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 December 2007, 17:20 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen following a prominent member of United National Party (UNP), shot him dead Friday around 5:30 p.m as he was riding on his motor cycle in Chuzhipuram area in Valikaamam. Muthukumar Sivapalan, was rushed to Moo’laay hospital with serious injuries and later transferred to Jaffna Teaching Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, sources in Jaffna said. During the last election campaign, Mr. Sivapalan had strongly worked against the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) led by Douglas Devananda, a cabinet minister in the present Sri Lanka government, Tholpu’ram residents said.
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Police instructs Tamils in Moneragala to register details

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 December 2007, 16:19 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Police has instructed all Tamil residents above the age of ten in estates Muppanavalli, Maragala, Kumarathola and Ulaanthawa in Moneragala district to register themselves with their photographs with the respective police stations immediately. Those who fail to comply with the directive would be punished, the police has warned, residents said.
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Withdraw Indian defence delegation to SL: Thirumavalavan, Vaiko

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 December 2007, 15:39 GMT]
The Indian Government should revive the stalled peace talks in the island instead of extending defence cooperation to the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL), said Thol. Thirumavalavan, General Secretary of the Tamilnadu-based Viduthalai Chiruthhaika'l Kadchi (VCK, the Liberation Panthers party) during a press meet in Chennai, Monday that was reported in sections of the Indian media. Meanwhile, Vaiko, leader of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) wrote a letter to the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday urging him "to stop forthwith any form of military assistance or guidance to Sri Lanka."
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Inter-religious summit calls for power-sharing constitutional framework in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 December 2007, 17:06 GMT]
Religious leaders from Sri Lanka and a multi-religious delegation from six countries of the World Conference of Religions for Peace, who met in Jaffna last Wednesday and Thursday, said the decision to make Jaffna the location of the summit was to express solidarity with all those who continue to live in situations of violence and despair due to the conflict. "We saw the massive destruction of infrastructure and housing that occurred in previous phases of fighting, the loss of villages and fertile agricultural lands to High Security Zones, and the fear and insecurity in the lives of the people, especially youth, which is dehumanizing to all those affected."
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Moral support to Tigers not a crime –Thirumavalavan

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 December 2007, 16:49 GMT]
Extending moral support to the Liberation Tigers, on seeing the Tamils' sufferings in Sri Lanka was not a crime in any way, said Thol. Thirumavalavan, General Secretary of the Tamilnadu-based Viduthalai Chiruthhaika'l Kadchi (VCK, the Liberation Panthers party) according to news reports published in The New Indian Express, Monday. He added that providing moral support to the Tamil Tigers was not an offence even in countries like the UK, the US and Canada, where the organization is banned. "Tamils in these countries are conducting rallies, unveiling Pirapaharan's portrait and also running a radio service in their favour," he said.
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Bishops' delegation visits Moothoor, meets IDPs

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 December 2007, 02:03 GMT]
A delegation of Catholic Bishops Conference of Sri Lanka led by Rt.Rev.Dr.Harold Antony Perera, Bishop of Galle Diocese, Tuesday visited Moothoor, Eachchilampathu and other villages where displaced Tamil villagers from Batticaloa district are sheltered in temporary structures. They conversed with the IDPs waiting for resettlement in their own villages in Eachchilampathu and Moothoor division, and found out their needs and shortcomings, sources said.
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World Religious Conference begins in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 December 2007, 16:14 GMT]
The World Religious Conference promoting peace organized by National Peace Council (NPC) began Wednesday around 9:00 a.m in Jaffna Public library attended by International religious dignitaries of various faiths and local personages representing Hindu, Buddhist, Islam and Christian religions, Jaffna sources said. Participants in the conference laid emphasis on peace through negotiation instead of war, in a unanimous voice. Japan Special Peace Envoy for Sri Lanka Yasushi Akashi arrived in the afternoon and participated in the event.
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Kaagnchirangkudaa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 December 2007, 00:41 GMT]
The cove / corner of Kaagnchirai trees
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6 wounded in shelling on Mannaar school

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 November 2007, 13:34 GMT]
Two teachers and four students were wounded when shells hit Mazhuvaraayan Kaddaiyadampan Roman Catholic Tamil Mixed School Monday around 1:20 p.m. Six shells were fired continuously on the temporary huts of the school located in the Sri Lanka Army controlled area. Two of the wounded were in serious condition and transferred to Mannaar district hospital from Murungkan hospital.
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SLAF bombs Puthukkudiyiruppu in Vanni

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 October 2007, 21:30 GMT]
Five Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir bombers dropped more than twenty four bombs in two sorties Friday morning, targeting civilian settlements in Vea'naavil and surrounding areas, sources in Vanni said.
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SLN arrests 32 Jaffna fishermen

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 October 2007, 21:07 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) soldiers arrested thirty two Paasaiyoor and Kurunakar fishermen who hurriedly returned to the shores Jaffna Lagoon after getting caught in the sea battle between the Sea Tigers and the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Saturday morning 10:45 a.m. The fishermen had gone out fishing early morning at 7:00 a.m. after satisfying the pass formalities with the SLN.
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Youth shot dead in Thirunelveali, Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 October 2007, 14:09 GMT]
Two unknown gunmen shot and killed a 29-year-old youth who was cycling near Kaladdi junction in Thirunelveali Wednesday around 7:00 a.m. The killing took place in front of a Roman Catholic school, 150 meters near the Sri Lanka Army checkpost. The gunmen were riding in a motorbike, Koappaay police said.
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Kilinochchi protest rally condemns Fr.Pakiyaranjith's killing

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 October 2007, 11:05 GMT]
More than 2500 people joined in a protest rally held Monday afternoon 2:00 p.m. in Kilinochchi condemning the brutal killing of Rev.Fr.Nicholaspillai Pakiyaranjith, Mannar Coordinator for the International Humanitarian Organization, Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), by an alleged Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) on 26 th September, and the killing of number of other humanitarian workers in North and East recently.
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Thousands mourn slain priest in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 September 2007, 20:51 GMT]
Mannaar city stood at standstill and people flocked to the entrance of the city Thursday at 1:10 p.m. while the remains of Rev. Fr. Nicholaspillai Packiyaranjith, the Mannar district coordinator of Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), killed allegedly by the Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit (DPU), reached the city. The reamins were escorted by Mannar Bishop Rt. Rev. Rayappu Joseph from Vavuniyaa to Bishop's House in Mannaar as thousands mourned along the way from Murungkan to Mannar. The priest was killed Wednesday when he was taking humanitarian supplies to displaced children in Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) controlled areas of Mannar district.
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LTTE condemns killing of Rev. Fr. Packiyaranjith

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 September 2007, 10:27 GMT]
Displacing the people by deliberate shelling and then killing the humanitarian workers who rush to assist the displaced is a strategy of "genocide," charged the Political Wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) in a statement issued on Thursday, condemning the killing of Rev Fr Packiyaranjith on Wednesday by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit (DPU). Expressing "deep shock and sadness" at the death of a humanitarian worker and a religious clergy, the LTTE urged the International Community to strongly condemn the killing and other brutalities against humanitarian workers.
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Catholic priest on humanitarian mission killed in DPU Claymore attack

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 September 2007, 12:12 GMT]
Rev. Fr. Nicholaspillai Packiyaranjith, 40, the Mannaar district coordinator of Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) was killed when Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) attackers launched a Claymore attack on his Hiace vehicle, at Kalvi'laan on Maangku'lam - Ve'l'laangku'lam road, Wednesday evening, Tamileelam Police officials in Mallaavi said. Fr. Ranjth was bringing baby milk and essential humanitarian supplies for displaced children in his vehicle, JRS sources in Mannaar said.
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Sign of the times in Tamil Nadu

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 September 2007, 00:40 GMT]
Veteran Tamil Nadu activist Pazha Nedumaran’s attempted crossing of the Palk Straits in a bid to deliver emergency relief to Sri Lanka’s Tamils was thwarted last week when he and hundreds of volunteers were arrested. Whilst the attempted crossing and its ‘failure’ has been dismissed, especially in Sri Lanka’s south, as a stunt by mavericks on the fringe of Tamil Nadu’s politics, the event has both highlighted and boosted resurgent support in the south Indian state for the Sri Lankan Tamils’ cause.
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Mu'l'likku'lam villagers forced to walk 20km seeking safety

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 September 2007, 01:22 GMT]
Residents of Mu'l'likku'lam, a remote village in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) occupied Musali division in Mannaar district, had to walk more than 20 km braving the SLA occupied Chilaavaththu'rai, seeking safety, and to have access to basic living needs including food. The local level government officials at Chilaavaththu'rai transported the refugees to Murungkan where they have been housed at the Government High School.


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Attendence of Sinhala Pilgrims to Madu, said low

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 August 2007, 02:37 GMT]
Only 15,000 Sinhala Catholic pilgrims have come to attend the Madu Church Festival, a number much lower than in previous years, Mannaar Bishop, Rayappu Joseph said Tuesday. Mannaar Bishop, Galle Bishop Anton Carol and Anuradhapuram Bishop Antony Norbert are expected to hold a joint Holy Mass at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday.
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