After Libya referral to ICC, US warns Sri Lanka on war crimes

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 March 2011, 13:12 GMT]
The United States warned this week that Sri Lanka could be hauled before a war crimes tribunal over the killing of “many thousands of civilians” in the final months of its armed conflict, if it is not willing hold to meet international standards in its own investigations into the mass killings, AFP reported. The warning, described by AFP as “the toughest yet” came in comments by US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Robert Blake, in an interview with the agency. Blake also cited the UN Security Council referring Libya to the International Criminal Court last week as a signal of global concern over human rights.
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Antiquity of Jaffna city goes back to Roman times

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 March 2011, 07:31 GMT]
Pottery associated with Roman times of the early historic period were found in the premises of the King’s House in Jaffna fort by archaeologists of the University of Jaffna led by Prof P. Pushparatnam. The team took over digging after getting information on pottery finds when a pit was dug for toilet purposes in the King’s House premises. The disturbed rubble layer at the top had a variety of pottery of various periods, including Rouletted Ware and Amphora Ware associated with Roman times. Digging further, the Jaffna University team reached a floor level and artefacts are being excavated even below that level. From the indications at the surface, the excavators expect to reach undisturbed levels of early historic habitation in the excavation.
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Young Tamil mother strangled to death in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 February 2011, 12:24 GMT]
Body of a young woman, mother of one child, was recovered from a shrub jungle in Paalaiyadi-thoa'na area in Ea'ravoor police division in Batticaloa district Sunday. The body identified as that of 18 years-old Roopashini Jeyagnesh was found along the coast of a lagoon in Jinnah Veethi in Paalaiyadi-thoa'na. She left on February 24 with a herd of cattle for rearing to the shrub jungle and failed to return home, residents said.
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UNSC weekend resolution on Libya incorporates ICC exclusion provision

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 February 2011, 00:50 GMT]
Under US's insistence, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), during its weekend sessions lasting into late nights on drafting a resolution on Libya, had to include a provision that "exempts personnel from states not members of the International Criminal Court (ICC) from prosecution," Innercity Press (ICP) reported. The provision was a "red line" for the US, and was deal breaker, a French Representative told the ICP, adding, the provision had to be included to have the "unanimity of the Council."
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Wahalkada

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 February 2011, 00:13 GMT]
The outer entrance
The entrance side
The entrance part
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TNA MPs dropped from DDC meeting with Basil Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 February 2011, 17:13 GMT]
Batticaloa district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians P.Selvarasa, C.Yogeswaran and P.Ariyanethran have not been invited for the District Development Committee (DDC) meeting that was scheduled to be held on Sunday morning with Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapakse. The meeting was summoned to review the progress of the ongoing development activities and to decide on the future development projects in the district.
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Prof Sitrampalam visits China on invitation

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 February 2011, 15:10 GMT]
The Vice President of Ilankai Thamizh Arasuk Katchi (ITAK), Professor S K Sitrampalam, representing his party, is on a visit to China on the invitation of the Chinese government, ITAK leaders said in a press meet in Jaffna Sunday. Even though the ITAK leaders said that this is a routine invitation extended to party leaders in the island, they didn’t answer the question when in the past the ITAK had been invited or visited China. ITAK is the main component of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). The Deccan College trained Dr. S.K. Sitrampalam, retired senior professor of Archaeology of the University of Jaffna, was widely appreciated by Eezham Tamils when he boldly countered the Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Menon Rao in Jaffna, last year.
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Sinhalese with SL Defense Ministry permit occupy Pulmoaddai coast

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 February 2011, 16:24 GMT]
Muslim Fishermen Society in Pulmoaddai village, north of Trincomalee district, has complained to the civil authorities that their livelihood has been seriously affected by the Sinhala fishermen, who have encroached the Pulmoaddai coast. The Sri Lankan Defense Ministry has issued “permits” allowing them to construct “vaadi” (huts) along the coast for their stay, the Pulmoaddai MSF representatives say.
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EU team meets military governor, finds no time for civil groups in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 February 2011, 15:13 GMT]
The parents and relatives of abducted and ‘missing’ youth in Jaffna were thoroughly disappointed, as the visiting European Union team could not find time to meet their representatives or receive petitions from them. They were further frustrated by the act of the team choosing to meet on Thursday the SL colonial governor in Jaffna Maj. Gen. Chandrasri, who is accused of many abductions and disappearances when he was commanding the SL military in Jaffna. The EU team that showed much keenness in its ‘aid’ related investments and in knowing the ways the SL colonial administration functions in Jaffna, by its gesture, signals assent to the SL military rule of Eezham Tamils, civil groups said. Conceding synthesis of occupying military and civil service, a high official in Jaffna told the team that the military are also ‘government servants’.
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Australian multinational consortium to set up plant in Champoor

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 February 2011, 02:04 GMT]
Mitchell Consortium of Australia with partners from Brazil and Sri Lanka plans to set up heavy industries in the SL occupied country of Eezham Tamils. Colonial Colombo’s cabinet approved the consortium to invest 700 million US dollars on coal and iron ore plants and sugar refinery in the 97 Sq.km of Tamil land at Champoor at the mouth of Koddiyaar Bay in Trincomalee. The territory is also earmarked for an Indo-Lanka joint venture coal power plant, reported Lankabusinessonline Thursday. Meanwhile, uprooted Tamil villagers of Champoor continue to face intimidation in regaining their village and lands.
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Tamils say Sri Lanka's new envoy to Australia, a war-criminal

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 February 2011, 00:49 GMT]
Australian Tamils held a protest rally in front of the Parliament House, Canberra, Thursday urging the Australian Government to reject the nomination of retired Sri Lankan Navy Commander Admiral Thisara S.G. Samarasinghe as the new High Commissioner to Australia. The rally was jointly organised by two of the member organisations of Australasian Federation of Tamil Associations (AFTA), the Eelam Thamizh Association of Sydney and the Canberra Tamil Association. The protesters also demanded independent international investigations into war crimes committed in Sri Lanka during the last phases of war, and particularly the crimes of Dr Palitha Kohona, an Australian citizen and a current Sri Lanka diplomat at the UN.
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India hands over 16 Sinhala fishermen to SL Navy

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 February 2011, 00:11 GMT]
16 Sinhala fishermen from Puththa'lam who had been imprisoned by the Indian coast guard one month ago have been handed over to Sri Lanka Navy Wednesday. The move comes after the recent release of Tamil Nadu fishermen who were seized by the fishermen from Vadamaraadchi and Maathakal in Jaffna.
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Ban and Nambiar confer with generals and officials of Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 February 2011, 15:19 GMT]
The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and his Chief of Staff Vijay Nambiar, on Wednesday had a meeting with SL Attorney General Mohan Pieris and foreign secretary Romesh Jayasinghe as well as the war crimes accused general Shavendra Silva and Palitha Kohona, the Inner City press (ICP) reported. Nambiar was hiding for photographs when Ban shook hands with Silva. Colombo converted Silva into UN ambassador to give him immunity and to see UN legitimating him, the ICP said. Both Ban and Nambiar are accused for their failure to prevent the killings of several thousands of Tamil civilians and even accused of indirect green signalling of the killings.
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TNA rejecting 13th Amendment is crucial to spirit of Tamil national polity: TNPF

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 February 2011, 13:30 GMT]
Tamil National Peoples Front (TNPF) will boycott elections to Provincial Council, an outfit of the 13th Amendment that has to be rejected, said Mr. Gajendrakumar Ponnampalam, Vice President of TNPF in a press meet held in Jaffna Wednesday. The TNPF is prepared to work with TNA on this matter and discussions are already initiated. If there is any fear that undesirable elements may exploit the vacuum, both the TNA and TNPF could jointly field suitable candidates of reputation outside of the parties to meet the situation. But it is crucial that the TNA should reject the 13th Amendment to uphold Tamil national polity. Achieving acceptance to the nation of Eezham Tamils in the island is the aim of TNPF. Territory is fundamental to continuity of the nation and chauvinistic Sri Lanka is keen on Sinhala colonisation to destroy that continuity, Gajendrakumar further said.
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TNPF announces Central Committee, prepares party constitution

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 February 2011, 13:24 GMT]
Popular Economics teacher Mr. Sinnadurai Varatharaja and former TNA parliamentarian Mr. Selvaraja Kajendran have been respectively announced as President and General Secretary of Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF), in a press meet held in Jaffna Wednesday by the TNPF. Former TNA parliamentarians, Mr. Gajendrakumar Ponnampalam and Ms. Padmini Sithambaranathan, as well as Mr. Visvalingam Manivannan, Mr. Rajakon Hariharan and Mr. R. E. Anandaraja have become Vice Presidents. Two nations in one country is the fundamental principle of the party and the constitution of the party would be announced within three months, the committee members said.
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Vaiko urges world leaders to condemn Colombo's desecration of Parvathi Amma

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 February 2011, 06:03 GMT]
Vaiko, the genral secretary of MDMK, on Wednesday condemned Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Sri Lanka for having carried out a “barbaric act” allegedly by letting his troops to desecrate the ashes of the late Parvathi Amma, the mother of LTTE leader V. Pirapaharan. Vaiko urged the world leaders to condemn the act.
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Tamil Nadu needs non-political movement for Eezham liberation: Sathyaraj

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 February 2011, 04:45 GMT]
Sathyaraj, a popular film actor from Tamil Nadu state of India, while addressing the gathering in Chennai on Monday on the occasion of paying tribute to the late Parvathi Amma, the mother of LTTE leader Pirapaharan, urged the leaders and activists supporting the Eezham cause to forge a non-political movement with the sole aim of taking forward the cause of Eezham Tamils. Calling the leaders and activists to put an end to rhetoric, the artist, who played the award-winning role of Periyar E.V. Ramasamy in the documentary film, Periyar, said the cause of Eezham Tamils is beyond any identity of sectarian politics, castes or groups in Tamil Nadu and addressed Pirapaharan as the leader of World Tamils.
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TNA files HR petition against forced registration in Killinochchi, Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 February 2011, 03:17 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance Tuesday filed a fundamental rights violation petition in the Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court against the forced registration of the districts of Jaffna and Killinochchi by the Sri Lanka Army. Parliamentarians Maavai Senathirajah, Suresh Premachchandran, Appathura Vinayagamoorthy and Easwarapatham Saravanapavan of the Jaffna district and Sivagnaam Sritharan of the Killinochchi district have signed the petition. The petition was filed by Attorney-at-Law Mohan Balendra, legal sources in Colombo said.
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Remains of Parvathi Amma cremated amidst military harassment

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 February 2011, 14:10 GMT]
Braving harassments by occupying Sri Lankan military that has been forcing the people to remove black flags they had flown to mourn the late Parvathi Amma, people from various parts of the peninsula took part in the funeral procession Tuesday together with former and current parliamentarians representing Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Tamil National Peoples Front (TNPF) Tuesday evening. Politicians and activists from Tamil Nadu and the diaspora addressed the mourners paying tribute through phone calls at Theeruvil grounds. Defying the order by SLA soldiers to remove the black flags, people of Vadamaraadchi closed their shops and flew black flags.
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TNA challenges Pilliayan to resign, hold election to EPC

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 February 2011, 12:47 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Batticaloa District TNA Parliamentarian, Mr.C.Yogeswaran, addressing an election meeting in Kaaraitheivu, challenged the Chief Minister of the Eastern Provincial Council (EPC), Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, to dissolve the EPC and to stand for re-election to prove his popularity instead of criticizing the TNA, sources in Batticaloa said.
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