35 SLA killed, 60 wounded in Northwestern frontier - LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 January 2009, 14:47 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) officials Monday said their defensive formations clashed with Sri Lanka Army (SLA) for 24 hours in the Northwestern frontier of LTTE held territory till the SLA was pushed back from Neththaliyaattup paalam Monday. The Tigers claimed 35 SLA soldiers were killed and at least 60 wounded. Heavy fighting is reported also in southeastern frontier of the LTTE held territory.
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Only 1,000 Tigers left, war almost over – Fonseka

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 January 2009, 13:30 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka said Sunday that as there were only a thousand Tamil Tigers left and they were “boxed” into a small jungle area in Mullaitivu, the war would soon be won. The Tigers could not resist the 50,000 SLA soldiers surrounding them, he said. Lt. Gen. Fonseka, who spoke at an annual dinner he hosts for defence correspondents at his residence, joked that he expected most of them "to be out of work by this time next year." He wore a black shirt, adorned with a dragon strangling a tiger, Reuters reported.
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'International media abetted death of journalism in Sri Lanka'

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 January 2009, 03:04 GMT]
Following the latest assassination of prominent editor Lasantha Wickramatunge of The Sunday Leader, four notable journalists, have reportedly fled Sri Lanka last week. "Had the international media, which was refused access to the war front and LTTE held territories, boycotted the government news, from the beginning itself as a measure of asserting media rights, the casualty of journalism in the island could have been avoided. But, the international media, especially the popular news agencies, are part of the game and they pay only lip service at every media casualty in the country," says a journalist formerly based in Colombo and now operating in the West.
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'Madaraasi Madam' on Eezham Tamils: comments of a Tamil journalist

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 January 2009, 19:29 GMT]
The Tamil Nadu opposition leader Ms. Jeyalalithaa, in an interview reported by BBC on Saturday, has said that it is wrong to call the Tamils of the island of Sri Lanka as Eezhath Thamizhar, because there is no country at present called Eezham. In her opinion the right term is Ilangkaith Thamizhar. What is explicit in the statement of this leader who was made a Chief Minister twice by the people of Tamil Nadu as leader of a political party having a Dravidian label that doesn’t stand for any people at present, is her heartbeat of desire not exactly to see the elimination of the LTTE, but to see the nullification of the nationalism of Eezham Tamils inclusive of all its symbols, writes a Tamil journalist based in Chennai.
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Thirumavalavan drops fast, signals 'change of strategy'

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 January 2009, 18:02 GMT]
VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan, in his fourth day of the fast-unto-death said that he was forced to reconsider his decision to continue the fast because of the emotional pleading by his frenzied cadres, particularly women cadres who threatened self-immolation, and the shoot at sight orders that had been given by the state police department. "At this stage, I have to ensure that those who lay their love and trust in me should not lose their lives," Mr. Thirumavalavan said. He added that henceforth the VCK had snapped all ties with the Congress party.
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Vanni civilians under deadly siege

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 January 2009, 17:50 GMT]
"There are no words to describe the plight of the civilians who say that they prefer to face death on the spot rather than succumbing to serious injuries or ending up in the hands of the invading Sri Lankan forces, which many of them regard as genocidal military and fear that their young men and women would be 'filtered' away, tortured or killed by it," reports TamilNet correspondent from an outskirt of Puthukkudiyiruppu (PTK) Sunday evening amid artillery fire.
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Artillery barrage kills several civilians, dozens wounded within 24 hours

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 January 2009, 14:27 GMT]
At least 18 civilians have been confirmed killed within the last 24 hours till 3:00 p.m. Sunday in several villages of Mullaiththeevu district and the outer suburbs of Ki'linochchi district to the east of A9 highway. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has stepped up artillery barrage continuously throughout the period, causing deaths and injuries to several. Dead bodies have been spotted in many places and transportation of wounded has been completely blocked due to the relentless artillery barrage. At least 42 civilians were wounded Sunday alone, according to available data. Medical authorities in Puthukkudiyiruppu express fear that the casualty figure could be much higher than what has been reported.
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SLAF deploys cluster-bombs in Mullaiththeevu

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 January 2009, 12:36 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers have deployed several cluster bombs in the air attacks last week. After being exposed by TamilNet reports in November and December, 2008, the Russian alphabets on the containers of the cluster munitions, have been masked by paint before deployment by the SLAF.
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Sri Lankan shelling kills 4 civilians, children among 11 wounded

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 January 2009, 02:41 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells claimed the lives of four civilians in Puthukkudiyiruppu and Visuvamadu on Saturday, according to medical sources. Four children were among the wounded.
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Tamil Nadu CPI, BJP leaders slam Delhi’s inaction

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 January 2009, 22:13 GMT]
The Tamil Nadu State Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), D Pandian charged Saturday that it was not enough to merely condemn the genocide in Sri Lanka, but instead one should be prepared to embrace a martyr's death. He was speaking about VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan’s fast-unto-death over the humanitarian crisis imposed on Tamil civilians by Sri Lanka’s war. The senior CPI leader added that if India was capable of sending the Chandrayaan to the moon, it could at least do some lip-service to save the lives of Tamils by telling to the Government of Sri Lanka that it will not hesitate to interfere."
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Ramdoss exhorts Karunanidhi to urgent action in stopping Sri Lanka war

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 January 2009, 21:08 GMT]
Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) leader Dr S Ramadoss, who visited VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan, now in his fourth day of a fast-unto-death over the humanitarian crisis imposed on Tamil civilians by Sri Lanka’s punitive bombardments, exhorted Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi to act urgently to invoke Indian intervention to stop the war. Emphatically refuting Mr. Karunanidhi's statement that the VCK leader had “unilaterally decided” to stage a protest fast without consulting the rest of the Tamil Nadu polity, Dr. Ramadoss said Thol Thirumavalavan, whose health is detoriarating, had consulted other leaders several times in the recent weeks.
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Norwegian Tamils urge Norway to stop Sri Lanka's genocidal war in Vanni

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 January 2009, 16:52 GMT]
Nearly three hundred Norwegian Tamils, along with Norwegian Members of Parliament and political leaders, gathered in the premises of Norway Parliament Friday between 11:00 a.m till 1:30 p.m, and appealed to the Government of Norway to save the Tamils in Vanni in from the genocidal war waged on them by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL), This is the third such demonstration by Norwegian Tamils in this week.
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SLN restricts fishing to limited areas in Jaffna lagoon

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 January 2009, 08:31 GMT]
Sri Lanka military command Saturday imposed restrictions from on fishing in Jaffna lagoon allowing fishermen only to stay within demarcated areas, fisheries sources in Jaffna said. The SLA had earlier removed restrictions from the middle part of December when Pooneryn was brought under Sri Lanka Government control, and the reintroduction of restrictions will force the more than four thousand fisher families in Kurunakar, Paashaiyoor, Columbuththu'rai and Ariyaalai into severe economic difficulties, fisheries representatives said.
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UK turns away from ‘War on Terror’ doctrine

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 January 2009, 19:30 GMT]
Britain’s Foreign Secretary this week slammed the US-led ‘War on Terror’ as a “misleading and mistaken” doctrine that had effacing the nuances of various conflicts while uniting extremists opposed to the West. Speaking in Mumbai, David Miliband said Thursday the concept had invited “invidious comparisons” between organisations as diverse as the Tamil Tigers, fighting for independence of the Tamil homeland in Sri Lanka, and Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based faction that Indian and British officials believe was behind the Mumbai atrocities. “Terrorism is a deadly tactic, not an institution or an ideology,” he was quoted by The Times as saying.
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Heavy fighting erupts in Tharmapuram, Tigers say 51 SLA killed

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 January 2009, 17:12 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) media reported Friday that the advance by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) from Tharmapuram on three fronts were repulsed at 14:00 p.m. 51 SLA soldiers were killed and 150 troops sustained injuries in the confrontation that lasted for 14 hours from the early hours of Friday. The Tigers have claimed that they seized weapons in the clearing mission that followed. The Tigers deployed at least one BMP-1 armoured fighting vehicle, according to pictures released to media. It is not clear if the vehicle was captured from the SLA, and when.
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Jaffna District Secretariat urges help from NGOs to assist uprooted civilians

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 January 2009, 14:36 GMT]
Jaffna Government Agent (GA) and Thenmaraadchi Divisional Secretary have requested the help of International and local Non Government Organizations (NGOs) and humanitarian organizations in Jaffna to supply urgent requisites other than food to the civilians who have been brought to Thenmaraadchi by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) from areas earlier held by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Pa’lai, Pachchilaippa’li, Iyakkachchi and Vadamaraadchi East. 1796 persons belonging to 627 families have been brought by Sri Lanka Army to Kodikaamam till Thursday evening, according to the figures from the District Secretariat. More families have been brought Thursday night and on Friday.
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Humanitarian tragedy in Vanni enters deadlier phase

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 January 2009, 12:33 GMT]
Indiscriminate artillery, multi-barrel and mortar fire by the Sri Lanka Army from all the corners of shrinking territory centering Puthukkudiyiruppu town, its suburbs and adjoining jungles in the Mullaiththeevu district, which is overcrowded with civilians, has worsened the humanitarian tragedy that has been unfolding in Vanni during the last 4 days. There are deaths and injuries caused to the civilians fleeing the onslaught of the SLA. Medical authorities said the situation was beyond control Friday noon and the hospitals have come under attack and ambulances were not operating. Access route from Vadamaraadchi East has been cut off by the SLA that has entered Chu'ndikku'lam area.
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CPI pledges support to Thirumavalavan's fast

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 January 2009, 05:13 GMT]
Veteran leader of the Communist Party of India (CPI) Tamil Nadu, R. Nallakannu Thursday pledged his party's support to Thirumavalavan's fast-unto-death campaign demanding immediate ceasefire in Sri Lanka. Mr. Thirumavalavan blamed the Indian establishment for not asking Sri Lanka to stop war or sending Pranab Mukherjee, the Indian External Affairs Minister to Colombo, as promised. The VCK leader decried the Indian Government's inaction and said that by insulting the demands of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi, New Delhi had in effect insulted the whole Tamil population.
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"Which norms of liberal democracy preclude IC attending to exodus, genocide?" asks IDP activist

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 January 2009, 03:52 GMT]
The LTTE doesn't obstruct or instruct the civilians of Vanni of what direction they have to take in fleeing the current phase of war. But, a large section of the civilians have considered that their security, even now, lies in the LTTE held areas in the eye of war, and are spontaneously moving towards that direction. "Allowing the war to continue, leaving Tamil civilians in the hands of the preying Sinhala army, which we dread, demonstrates only the cruelty of the few minds that determine the course of the war from outside of the island and how international norms evolved through civilisation have become a joke," said P. Kanakalingam, the president of Vanni People's Welfare Organisation (VPWO), on Thursday.
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Land mine blast injures civilian in Vadamaraadchi north

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 January 2009, 17:50 GMT]
A family man on his way to E’luthumadduvaa’l from Chu’ndikku’lam in Vadamaraadchi north sustained serious injury stepping on a land mine sown along the foot track he was walking along, sources in Jaffna said. The injured family man was rushed to Chaavakachcheari hospital first and then transferred to Jaffna Teaching Hospital for further treatment.
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