13th Amendment: arousing a zombie

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 November 2008, 01:39 GMT]
The Indian government may be bereft of all guts to do anything in Sri Lanka. But at least it can render a great service by not talking about the 13th amendment as a basis to resolve the crisis. What is more dangerous than India abetting a war against Eezham Tamils by providing arms, armed personnel and intelligence to Colombo is the political sabotage of thrusting the rotten 13th amendment upon the struggling people to muffle their voice. India should rather acknowledge the decades-old Tamil voice for self-determination as a nation, to base exploration of fresh models, writes Opinion Columnist Chivanadi.
Full story >>

Nedumaran slams Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's stand on Eelam Tamils

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 November 2008, 21:22 GMT]
Tamil Nationalist Movement (TNM) leader Pazha Nedumaran on Monday said that he was shocked and dismayed at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi's attempts to "justify the Centre's inaction." Mr. Nedumaran, who is also the convener of the Tamil Eelam Supporters Co-ordinating Committee, said that the widespread protests extending to all areas of Tamil Nadu reflected that people were rejecting Mr. Karunanidhi's position and urged the party leaders, who have expressed disappointment to the ineffective response of the India's Center to the resolutions adopted in the Tamil Nadu All Party Conference, to decide upon follow up action.
Full story >>

SLA photographs Jaffna University students at night

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 November 2008, 19:49 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army entered the Ananda Cumaraswamy Hostel Saturday night with sniffer dogs during the hours of power-cut and intimidated students at the University hostel, photographing all of them, according to the Jaffna University Students' Union (JUSU). The University Society, which includes the Vice Chancellor, the academics, staff and the JUSU condemned Monday in separate statements the harassment by the military. The episode comes following reports of a former student of the Jaffna University, who had been earlier subjected to intimidation and threats by the soldiers and ended up as militant, died during a confrontation with the SLA on Saturday.
Full story >>

Colombo announces another amnesty for deserted SLA soldiers

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 November 2008, 16:56 GMT]
The Government of Sri Lanka has declared another two weeks' amnesty for deserted soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army to return for duty in battle front. The amnesty period commenced last Saturday and would conclude on November 15, according to a press release by the Sri Lankan Defense Ministry. Fifteen-thousand soldiers have deserted the Sri Lankan military.
Full story >>

Discuss Tamil national question and self-determination: CPI (ML)

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 November 2008, 23:07 GMT]
"Stop the war. The Tamil national question in Sri Lanka demands a political solution”, is the headlines of a statement of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), released in its November issue of Liberation. "The current phase of the war in Sri Lanka does call for an urgent and appropriate Indian response to bring about an immediate cessation of the war and facilitate a negotiated political settlement of the question of Tamil self-determination in Sri Lanka", urged the ultra Marxist party actively leading proletarian movements throughout India.
Full story >>

LTTE planes drew Indian embassy gunfire as Rajapaksa moved to bunker- report

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 November 2008, 23:02 GMT]
Indian gunners in the Indian embassy compound in Colombo “fired relentlessly” at the LTTE aircraft that were returning to Vanni after bombing on the Kelanitissa power station Tuesday, a Sri Lankan press report said Sunday. Quoting reliable sources, the Lakbima newspaper also reported that Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse was ushered into a special bunker during the air raid ‘purely as a precaution’’. Meanwhile, the Sunday Times said the LTTE had used a new kind of bomb on the Army Headquarters in Tha'l'laadi, Mannaar and that Sri Lankan jet’s missile was unable to ‘lock on’ to the LTTE plane.
Full story >>

Only ceasefire is real relief to Eelam Tamils: Ramadoss

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 November 2008, 15:05 GMT]
Coming out publicly to voice his displeasure over the manner in which the Eelam Tamil issue was handled by the Tamil Nadu State and Union Governments, Pattali Makkal Katchi founder-leader Dr. S. Ramadoss alleged at a press meet in Chennai Saturday that not a single resolution of the All Party Meeting had met with success. He called upon Chief Minister Karunanidhi to explain as to why the ceasefire demand was not addressed. "There should be an immediate ceasfire in Sri Lanka, only that shall be the real relief to Eelam Tamils," he said.
Full story >>

White van gunmen abduct 5 Tamil youths in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 November 2008, 13:55 GMT]
Unidentified armed men in white van abducted five Tamil youths during the past seven days in Trincomalee district, according to complaints by public to Trincomalee district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, Mr. Thurairatnasingam. The fate of the five abducted youths is not known, the relatives of the youths told the MP.
Full story >>

Strategic Partners

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 November 2008, 13:14 GMT]
"The American ban on the LTTE, which was followed by several other countries, also cut the flow of money and weapons to the Tigers, the result of which could be seen in their recent military defeats", said the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka in an interactive session at Chennai last month, as reported by The Hindu. The other side of the result story is that the same American policy tilted the balance in favour of a genocidal government, precipitated aggressive war on a grand scale and thus deepened immensely the divide between the concerned ethnicities, making reconciliation unfeasible more than ever.
Full story >>

SLA soldier killed in Claymore attack in Trincomalee - LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 November 2008, 12:10 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) in a news-release issued from the East on Sunday said one Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier was killed at Singana in Kanthalaay (Kantale) of Trincomalee district Saturday around 7:00 p.m. in a Claymore attack on an SLA patrol.
Full story >>

Melbourne, Sydney Tamils stage protests, vigils

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 November 2008, 09:26 GMT]
Australian Tamils continued silent vigils in Sydney Friday 31st October to highlight the plight of the displaced Tamil people, and protests in Melbourne Saturday against the Sri Lankan State sponsored genocide of Tamils in the Northeast.
Full story >>

Tamil film fraternity fasts for Eelam cause

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 November 2008, 02:20 GMT]
Packed with performance and punch lines, the entire Tamil film fraternity staged a powerful show of strength at a one-day fast in Chennai Saturday to express solidarity with the Eezham Tamils. The actors demanded the Tamil Nadu state and the Indian Union Government to immediately find a peaceful and permanent solution to the Sri Lankan problem.
Full story >>

Army behind abduction of Sinhalese cattle herders, residents allege

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 November 2008, 18:33 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers attached to Palatupana army camp Thursday night allegedly 'abducted' three Sinhalese cattle herders while they were consuming liquor with two soldiers at Doserwewa in Kataragama (Kathikaamam) according to the villagers. The incident took place around 10:30 p.m.
Full story >>

Two youths die following clash with SLA in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 November 2008, 18:09 GMT]
A youth died by swallowing cyanide while another was killed in a clash with the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) at a coastal marsh and shrub land in Mu'l'li in Ariyaalai, a suburb of Jaffna city, Saturday afternoon around 3:00 p.m., Sri Lankan Police said.
Full story >>

Major. Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri to end service as Jaffna district SLA Commander

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 November 2008, 15:20 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Jaffna district Commander Major Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri said, during a Special Essential Services meeting held Friday in Palaali SLA Head quarters, that his service in Jaffna will terminate on 31 December, attendees to the meeting said. He thanked the government officials for their cooperation in running the affairs in the peninsula smoothly and requested them to offer same to his successor.
Full story >>

SLN Dvora, hovercraft sunk in major naval clash - Sea Tigers

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 November 2008, 02:53 GMT]
Naval flotillas of the Sea Tigers of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) engaged in a major clash with the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) gunships in the seas off Naakarkoayil in Vadamaraadchi East Saturday morning from 5:15 a.m. to 7:00 a.m., sinking an SLN Dvora Fast Attack Craft (FAC) and a hovercraft. Sea Tiger officials told TamilNet that SLN engaged 20 vessels in the clash, but it was forced to withdraw after suffering casualties. Seven Black Sea Tigers laid down their lives in the operation, the Tigers said.
Full story >>

SLA rejects request to relax restrictions on Jaffna fishing

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 October 2008, 18:27 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Jaffna district Commander Major. Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri said that the current ban and restrictions imposed on fishing in Jaffna peninsula will not be relaxed, citing security reasons, in response to requests made in the special meeting held in Kaangkeasanthu'rai SLA High Security Zone Friday to explore into matters related to essential services of the peninsula, sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Civilian houses damaged in SLAF attack on Ki'linochchi suburb

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 October 2008, 18:12 GMT]
Two Kfir fighter jets of Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) attacked a locality at Jeyanthinakar, a suburb of Ki'linochchi, Friday around 2:30 p.m. Seven civilian houses sustained damage in the attack. No one was wounded in the air strike.
Full story >>

Tamil Nadu shuts down for traders' bandh on Eelam Tamils issue

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 October 2008, 16:34 GMT]
Shops and commercial establishments in Tamil Nadu shut down and the state's roads wore a deserted look as a result of the traders' bandh (shut down) Friday on the Eezham Tamils issue. According to reports in the Indian media, the bandh was total all over the state as over 25 lakh traders, owing allegiance to 5,500 trade unions, took part in the peaceful agitation to show their solidarity with the Eezham Tamils. All political parties in Tamil Nadu had extended their support to this bandh which took place from six in the morning to six in the evening in Tamil Nadu and Puduchery (Puthuchcheari). The shutdown of the private sector has drawn more participation than the government organised human-chain, observers said.
Full story >>

MI-24, Bell damaged in Tiger air strike on Mannaar garrison

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 October 2008, 13:09 GMT]
An MI-24 attack helicopter gunship of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF), deployed in Vanni offensive, and a Bell helicopter used to transport the wounded soldiers from the battlefield, sustained damage Tuesday night when Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) air wing, Tamileelam Air Force, carried out a bombing raid on the Sri Lankan garrison at Tha'l'laadi in Mannaar, according to a reliable military source.
Full story >>