Colombo alleged of engineering paramilitary clash in East

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 May 2011, 15:21 GMT]
A special team of Sri Lanka Army personnel Tuesday afternoon conducted a search at the Batticaloa residence of Eastern Province Chief Minister S. Chandrakanthan alias Pilliayan. Mr. Chandrakanthan was not at his residence at the time of search operation. TMVP sources said the reason for the operation was not revealed by the army personnel. The search of Chandrakanthan's residence, located along Lake View, is being viewed as the climax of the internecine fighting between the two paramilitary groups, which are operated by the Rajapaksa regime in Colombo. Informed sources in Colombo said that the Sri Lanka Army intelligence unit has been actively engaged in causing deep division between the two paramilitary groups.
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Tamil man hacked to death in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 May 2011, 10:47 GMT]
41-year-old Pakkiyarajah Jeevaharan, a resident of Periyakallaa'ru in Batticaloa district was alleged to have hacked to death. His body was recovered from a house located along Ponnampalam Veethi at Periyakallaa'ru Tuesday morning on receipt of information by the Kaluvaangchchik-kudi police.
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Calls for war-crimes probe escalate as Tamils commemorate massacre

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 May 2011, 02:49 GMT]
Amid increasing calls by world's premier human rights NGOs, newly elected Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for independent international investigations into alleged accusations of war-crimes committed by Sri Lanka on Tamils, Tamil expatriates in several countries in the West are preparing to commemorate the massacre of Tamil civilians during the final phase of Sri Lanka war. In the United Kingdom, youth groups are organizing a vigil in Trafalgar Square and planning protest campaigns against visiting Sri Lanka cricket team, while in the U.S. in a show of unity, multiple Tamil organizations are participating in a protest and vigil in front of the United Nations building. Organizers of both events said they are expecting a large turnout.
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Gatherings of different nature in foreign lands

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 May 2011, 22:58 GMT]
While the Eezham Tamil diaspora with a heavy heart gather this week in foreign capitals, remembering powers-abetted genocide committed on them and demanding liberation of their land, prevention of further genocide as well as penal and political justice, the occupying soldiers of the genocidal Army of Sri Lanka celebrated 2600 years of the birth of Buddha in the military colony at Palaali in the country of Eezham Tamils. Around 1400 SL soldiers, clad in white, observed the Buddhist ritual Sil at Palaali on Sunday, the occupying military’s website in Jaffna said. As nations and peoples of the island are emotionally divided in entirely different directions, Washington and New Delhi that engineered the genocide will only contribute to further crisis if realities are not met with in political terms, commented political observers in the island.
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Marking Mu'l'livaaykkaal, Canadian Tamils observe Genocide Month

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 May 2011, 17:02 GMT]
Eezham Tamils in Canada, declaring the entire month of May as Genocide Month, have been focusing their efforts at grassroots and towards the diplomatic missions in bringing the Tamil concerns to the global community, according to the organisors of the National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT), the democratically elected country council of Eezham Tamils in Canada. Meanwhile, Tamil Youth Organisation (TYO) launched an awareness campaign through social media on Tamil genocide and was conducting signature campaign urging the International Criminal Court to investigate the Sri Lankan state. Democrats of Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam, have focused their efforts by engaging with the foreign missions in Canada and met with the Embassy of Mexico and the Embassy of South Africa.
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Tamil Studies academics meet in Canada

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 May 2011, 06:58 GMT]
For the sixth year, the Tamil Studies Conference that attracts academics and research students mainly from the academic institutions of the North American continent was held at the New College of the University of Toronto, between May 14 and 15. Prof. Daud Ali, Chair of the Department of South Asia Studies of the University of Pennsylvania and Feminist theorist and historian Ms. V. Geetha from Tamil Nadu delivered the keynote addresses of the two-day conference in which over 30 academics presented papers. A highlight of the conference was two panel discussions on Eezham Tamil refugees, one on structural violence against them and the other on the first arrival of Tamil boat refugees to Newfoundland, 25 years ago.
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New Zealand MP questions compromising stand on UN report

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 May 2011, 06:55 GMT]
“The ‘international community’ should get moving now, because the Sri Lankan government has already dismissed the report out of hand,” said New Zealand parliamentarian Keith Locke on Monday, responding to the stand of New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Murray McCully that the IC would consider appropriate action if the Sri Lankan government is unable to address the concerns of the UN panel report. Keith Locke called a similar stand by the European Parliament on the implementation of the panel report as compromising. “The European Parliament’s compromise resolution makes some good points but essentially leaves it up to the Sri Lankan government to investigate further and implement the Panel’s recommendations,” he said.
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Aftenposten-Wikileaks shows shallow understanding of US diplomats

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 May 2011, 19:18 GMT]
Classified cables of US diplomats sent between February 2009 and January 2010, made available by Wikileaks and released in the Norwegian media Aftenposten earlier this month, show how shallow and wanting the understanding of the US diplomats in dealing with the decades-old and still continuing national question and genocide in the island of Sri Lanka, writes TamilNet political commentator in Colombo. The primary responsibility of the diaspora, rather than being ‘guided’ by such diplomacy, is the edification of the neo-Orientalist thinking in the Western capitals, especially in Washington, London and Paris for the replacement of this kind of diplomacy, he further writes, citing what the public opinion has achieved in Tamil Nadu and pointing to where the public opinion has to be directed to in the world by the diaspora.
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University students in Jaffna defy subjugation, observe Mu'l'livaaykkaal Remembrance

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 May 2011, 18:05 GMT]
More than 600 students from all the faculties of Jaffna University, came together Monday to observe Mu'l'livaaykkaal Remembrance, defying the threatening presence of Sri Lankan riot police commandos, Sri Lanka Army soldiers and intelligence operatives at the University premises between 11:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The Jaffna University Students Union urged the Tamils to excel in knowledge by continuing to focus on education and resolved that any effort to find a political solution should be founded on ‘historical realities’ and that those who claim to conduct ‘negotiations’ with the government should be mindful that their mandate is vested with people and all sections of the Tamil Nation should be consulted before finalising any model. Sinhala and Muslim students also took part in the remembrance event.
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Ron Ridenour writes on the dilemma of socialist leaning governments on Tamil Genocide

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 May 2011, 13:36 GMT]
The countries in the United Nations are divided in two blocs when it comes to the plight of Eezham Tamils. Those who tag themselves behind a world order promoted by the USA, and those who are in the opposing camp, many of them from the non-alignment movement (NAMs) and Cuba, Venuzela led ALBA countries of Latin America. These countries supported the Sri Lankan state in the previous UN Human Rights Council sessions. “However, ALBA partners now have a chance, whether on the UN Human Rights Council or not, to help the Tamil people in some way, also by calling for an investigation,” writes Ron Ridenour, a veteran US born but now Denmark-based leftist and anti-imperialist, who voiced against the US aggression on Cuba in 1961, jailed in the US for his views on several occasions and contributed extensively to the study of Latin America.
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Daily Mirror editorial: “TNA kindles violence”

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 May 2011, 10:51 GMT]
“A senile TNA member’s descendants are in the West. With one foot in the West and one in the grave this member thrive on the sufferings of the innocent Tamil civilians. And he likes kindling violence. And obviously TNA welcomed the findings of the Experts’ Panel,” was the editorial opinion of a “noteworthy” newspaper, Daily Mirror, published in Colombo on Monday. The editorial titled “Irresponsible politics,” by the pro-opposition newspaper, projecting itself belonging to a ‘liberal world’, show only the basic feelings of Sinhala polity, whether ruling or opposition, when it comes to delivery of justice to Tamils within Sri Lankan State that is upheld by powers in the island, commented Tamil political circles in the island, adding that the editorial in fact was a response to the stand of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Ms. Jayalalitha.
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Occupying Army adds insult to injury in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 May 2011, 22:32 GMT]
The commander of the occupying genocidal Army of Sri Lanka, Maj. Gen. Mahinda Hathurusinghe accompanied by large number of troops on Saturday visited the Changkaanai Murugamoorthi temple where the chief priest was killed and his two sons were fatally injured in a vicious firing, during a time when the occupiers were terrorising the people of Jaffna after the Heroes Day last November. “A special Pooja to invoke blessing on Commander Security Forces - Jaffna (SF-J) Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe and the troops serving in Jaffna was held,” said the website of the genocidal Army, adding that the Army prayed to stay more and more in Jaffna. Besides adding insult to injury, it was a subtle show of intimidation aimed at silencing or twisting evidence, observers said.
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Eezham Tamil media in the island highlight Jayalalitha victory

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 May 2011, 11:44 GMT]
The media of Eezham Tamils, both in Jaffna and Colombo, highlighted AIADMK victory in the headlines, with a specific note of Ms. Jayalalitha's concern to Eezham Tamils, especially her stand on genocide, war crimes and international justice against SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
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Eezham Tamils encouraged by Jayalalitha's stand: TNA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 May 2011, 11:17 GMT]
Suresh K. Premachandran, the official spokesman of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on Saturday sent TNA's congratulations to Ms. J. Jayalalitha, the newly elected chief minister of Tamil Nadu state in India, saying that Eezham Tamils have become hopeful and are encouraged by the stand Ms. Jayalalitha has expressed to the media on the plight of Eezham Tamils. “Eezham Tamils seek your immense support to gain their full self-rule with self-dignity to lead a life in their own soil,” Mr. Premachandran said in the message.
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Sri Lanka cricket tour raises genocide awareness in UK

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 May 2011, 08:44 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s cricket team began their tour of England Saturday with a match against Middlesex that was accompanied by the din of a lively protest at the Uxbridge ground by Tamil expatriates and others. A changing group of several dozen protestors holding banners, placards, and Tamil Eelam flags chanted slogans through megaphones and played drums, as some passing cars blew their horns in support. The protest, organized by the Tamil Youth Organisation (TYO), was supported by other Tamil organisations and campaign group Act Now, representatives of which joined the protestors.
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Tamil prisoners in Vavuniyaa launch protest

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 May 2011, 21:26 GMT]
More than 200 prisoners and detainees, imprisoned in Vavuniyaa, have launched a fasting protest from Friday demanding the prison officers to transfer back four fellow inmates recently relocated to Anuradhapura prison. The protesting prisoners also demand to end physical harms against them and to stop harassing their relatives who come to visit them. A fasting inmate, 29-year-old Akilan, was wounded and admitted to Vavuniyaa hospital Saturday when the prison officers allegedly prompted a gang of prisoners to launch an attack on those who were fasting, according to the protesting Tamil prisoners.
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Nobody can suppress Tamil psyche: M K Sivajilingam

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 May 2011, 21:00 GMT]
Eezham Tamils in NorthEast would mourn thousands of their slain kith and kin on 18 May, said M K Sivajilingam, a former TNA parliamentarian and the general secretary of Tamil National Liberation Front. “No one can suppress the memories of a people remembering the sacrifices of thousands of their loved ones,” the former Tamil parliamentarian said urging the Tamils in North and East to mark the day with courage in silence under the prevailing conditions of subjugation.
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Colombo fakes autopsy of Tamil Nadu fisherman

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 May 2011, 15:58 GMT]
Four Tamil Nadu fishermen were reported missing in the seas off Neduntheevu (Delft) islet in Jaffna in late April. Later, a decapitated body bearing a tattoo mark of The Cross on one of the arms was washed ashore and was identified as that of one of the missing Tamil Nadu fishermen. The family of the victim came to Jaffna, received the remains and conducted the burial at Naavaanthu'rai Church. Meanwhile, the Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) from Jaffna Teaching Hospital, Dr. Sivarupan, who conducted the autopsy report in Jaffna was summoned to Colombo on Tuesday this week to sign a forged autopsy report by medical authorities in Colombo, informed sources in Colombo said.
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Tamil Nadu needs to play cohesive international role

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 May 2011, 00:56 GMT]
Given her background and qualities, Ms. Jayalalitha has a chance of becoming an all India leader of international reputation, provided she fills in the vacuum created by the failure of New Delhi led by Sonia Congress and plays the card of the national question of Eezham Tamils and the geopolitical importance of Tamil Nadu, at an international trend-setting level, commented an Eezham Tamil diaspora studies academic in Europe. Meanwhile, Mr. Karunanidhi and his political family of long Tamil national heritage, now being in the opposition and free from bondage to New Delhi, have a more articulating but cohesive and historic role to play in setting the record right for their coming back, and all new front aspirants have to concentrate on genuine and progressive civil society movements, the academic further said.
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Kohona admits to sending "Killer SMS"

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 May 2011, 20:26 GMT]
Dr Palitha Kohona, Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the UN, admitted to sending an SMS message through a European intermediary giving instructions to leaders of the Libertation Tigers to surrender, Sydney Morning Herald reported in an investigative story in its Friday edition. In this "white flag" incident Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers is alleged to have gunned down all the LTTE members who surrendered. The Journalist Ben Doherty appeared to have visited Sri Lanka and gathered the pertinent evidentiary information, including a statement from an eye-witness to the incident.
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