Moothoor, Champoor IDPs being forcibly resettled­ - MP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 August 2007, 18:06 GMT]
The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) is taking hurried, ill co-ordinated steps to force Internally Displaced people (IDPs) from Moothoor and Champoor to resettle in other areas, K. Thurairatnasingham, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian for Trincomalee district told media Tuesday.
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Oamanthai checkpoint to open five days

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 August 2007, 21:15 GMT]
International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) Kil'inochchi residential representative Katya Lawrence had informed Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) administration that the entry/exit point between LTTE controlled Vanni and GoSL controlled Vavuniyaa town will be open for public for five days in a week, according to LTTE's NGO and U. N. Liaison Officer M. Pavarasan. Public will be able to use the gateway to Vanni from 9:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m, Monday to Friday, weekly.
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LTTE urges ICRC to restore opening days of Vavuniya entry point

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 August 2007, 06:52 GMT]
Representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Thursday discussed the operation of the only entry/exit point between the LTTE controlled Vanni and GoSL controlled Vavuniya town. LTTE officials said they had asked the ICRC to keep the Oamanthai checkpoint open for seven days a week to enable the people of Vanni to get provisions and other commodities uninterrupted.
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Japan's aid not conducive to peace in Sri Lanka - Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 July 2007, 19:38 GMT]
R. Sampanthan, parliamentary group leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), has said that the decision by Sri Lanka's major donor country Japan, to continue economic aid to Sri Lanka, will soften the International pressure on the SL government to seek a political solution and strengthen Colombo to pursue the military option. Pointing out Sri Lanka President's categorical statement that there would be no change in his policy on a "unitary structure of a government" with the "district as the unit of devolution," Mr. Sampanthan dismissed the efforts of All Party Representatives Committee (APRC) as "no more than a mere pretense" to show some action is being taken towards political solution.
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SLTMA urges action on Journalist's killing

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 April 2007, 20:37 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA ) in a communique issued Sunday appealed to the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) to take immediate action to find those involved in the killing of Uthayan journalist Selvarajah Rajivarman in Jaffna Sunday morning, sources in Jaffna said.


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GoSL denies air transport to Batticaloa MPs

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 April 2007, 02:02 GMT]
The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) refused to provide helicopter transport to the four Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian of Batticaloa district, from Colombo to Batticaloa, to attend the District Development Council (DDC) meeting held at Batticaloa Kachcheri Tuesday, TNA sources said. The MPs requested transport help following death threats from Karuna Group. The meeting was organized to explore solutions to the IDP problems and to endorse the other development activities planned for the current year.
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Tiger aircrafts bomb Palaali military base

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 April 2007, 22:09 GMT]
Two attack aircraft of the Liberation Tigers bombed the Sri Lankan military’s main base complex in the Jaffna peninsula in the early hours of Tuesday morning, inflicting heavy damage and casualties, LTTE military spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan told TamilNet. Tamileelam Air Force bombers had hit an Engineering Unit of the complex and a military storage, the Tigers spokesman claimed. Meanwhile sources said continuous explosions were heard from inside the High Security Zone for five hours after the air raid. Military sources in Colombo confirmed that at least 6 of their personnel were killed. Informed military sources said more than 30 troopers were wounded the attack inside the HSZ.
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GoSL must pay compensation to Batticaloa IDPs- MP

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 April 2007, 04:24 GMT]
One third of the Batticaloa Tamil population has been made refugees and, as a result, the educational, social and economical resources and growth of the Tamil people have suffered grave setback, P. Ariyaneththiran, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Member of Parliament for Batticaloa district said in a press communiqué Thursday. He urged the Sri Lanka Government authorities to take steps to pay compensation to those who suffered economic loss due to displacement.
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Norway dismisses lone activist’s agitation

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 April 2007, 15:23 GMT]
A Norwegian speaker at a symposium organised by Sinhala nationalists as a “public awareness programme on how terrorism is being promoted in Sri Lanka” was dismissed by his government as a lone agitator making wild accusations. The Norwegian, Falk Rune Rovik, who alleges that Norway is financing the LTTE, was a murder convict and has been engaged by Sinhala ultra nationalists and promoted by Sri Lankan government ministries in anti-Norwegian and anti-LTTE propaganda. The activities of Mr. Rovik, who is scheduled to address a conference in Colombo Friday, has antogonized the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, according to Norwegian press reports.
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TRO to assist IDPs in East through International, local NGOs

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 April 2007, 06:14 GMT]
"There is an acute shortage of toilet facilities and 6,000 shelters in the East for Internally Displaced Persons, who languish without adequate food in Sri Lanka Army controlled areas, where the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) was blocked from attending the plight of the refugees," the organisation said a day ahead of the Tamil New Year, resolving to channel the humanitarian assistance through International and local organisations. Several camps lack roofs and 100 persons have to share a single toilet in average, although the NGOs have managed to put up 11,000 shelters and 1,600 toilets for more than 23,000 families that have sought refuge in the service centres.
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Jaffna peninsula faces electricity shortage

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 April 2007, 01:04 GMT]
Electricity supply to the Jaffna peninsula is danger of being curtailed severely following the announcements by the two private operators of electric power plants that they will be decreasing production of electricity due to contractural issues and other logistical difficulties, civil sources in Jaffna said.


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LTTE, GoSL must work for sustainable peace- Jaffna Bishop

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 April 2007, 10:55 GMT]
Jaffna Bishop, Rt. Rev. Thomas Savundara- nayagam in his Easter Message delivered Thursday said: "In the perilous climate where abductions, disappearances and killings have become normal occurrences, people in Jaffna are leading a life filled with fear and mental trauma. Many are seeking danger-filled ways to escape from this open prison. The Government of Sri Lanka and Liberation Tigers must work with sincerity to arrive at a honourable, sustainable settlement to the conflict."
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White Pigeon British office condemns Mullaitivu air attack

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 April 2007, 20:25 GMT]
The United Kingdom branch of White Pigeon condemned the mid-day bombing by the Sri Lanka Air Force MiGs of the Puthukkudiyiruppu office where two civilians were killed and four injured, in a press release issued from UK Wednesday. The NGO highlighted that today is 2nd Annual UN declared "International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action."
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Colombo battles to sidestep Human Rights focus - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 April 2007, 15:58 GMT]
The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) is trying to sidestep International Community's focus on Colombo's worst record of human rights abuses and institutionalized impunity for crimes against the Tamil people, by attempting to use the forum of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit against Tamil people's right to defend themselves, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Political Head S.P. Thamilchelvan told TamilNet when asked to comment on Colombo's focus shift to LTTE's air capability, prior to the 14th SAARC Summit in New Delhi.
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GoSL stipulates national anthem daily - and local food

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 March 2007, 14:37 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government has ordered all public sector institutions to play the national anthem at the commencement of work, press reports said Saturday. A circular to this effect was issued by the Public Administration and Home Affairs Ministry, The Island newspaper reported. The circular also states that ‘indigenous foods’ should be given priority at any functions hosted by the institutions, the paper said. The moves are to protect native culture in the face of “predatory global invasion” the circular states.
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Engineered Catastrophe

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 March 2007, 11:52 GMT]
Batticaloa has turned into an area of humanitarian disaster, and a battle ground for refugee figures, as more than 100,000 residents of Paduvankarai districts were forced to flee to GoSL controlled regions by the shelling of Sri Lankan Armed Forces inside LTTE controlled areas during the first two weeks of March. The changing IDP numbers have swelled to 165,485. While UN appealed for "vital funds to boost its operations in eastern Sri Lanka" and leftist parties accused the Government of engineering "demographic change," Sri Lanka Government spokesperson K. Rambukwella dismissed the severity saying only 52,000 are displaced, contradicting his own administration's official figures.
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JUSU condemns GoSL attacks on East, raises funds to help refugees

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 March 2007, 11:21 GMT]
Jaffna University Student Union (JUSU) condemned the pre-planned attack by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on the people of Eastern province and demanded that the Sri Lanka government to immediately stop the attacks on civilians creating a humanitarian crisis, during a meeting held at the Kailasapathy Hall in Jaffna university around 10:30 a.m. Monday. The JUSU also urged the student community to unite to help the people displaced by the SLA offensives.
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Ships meant for civilian use, carryout military tasks

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 March 2007, 20:23 GMT]
While refusing to open the A9 land route, the Sri Lanka government (GoSL), under the pretext of shipping passengers and essential food items to Jaffna district, is using the ships to bring in the requirements of its armed forces occupying Jaffna peninsula, civil society sources in Jaffna said. The ship 'Ruhuna', the latest ship arriving at Jaffna, was taken to Kankesanthurai harbour, used exclusively by Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), first unloaded the goods brought for the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and the SLN.
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UK calls for truce, backs Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 March 2007, 23:13 GMT]
British Prime Minister Tony Blair Wednesday called for the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) to be implemented as a first step towards ending Sri Lanka’s conflict. “The only realistic way to get a solution is to come back to the 2002 agreement and make sure that it is implemented,” Mr. Blair said. Meanwhile British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett told her Sri Lankan counterpart, Rohitha Bogollagama, “there can be no military solution alone to the conflict.” The emphasis on ‘alone’ is seen by some as British preparedness to endorse the Colombo’s war against the Tigers, provided a political solution is offered also.
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Sri Lanka's gross violations of Human Rights must stop- Selvy

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 March 2007, 10:37 GMT]
Humanitarian Spokesperson of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), N. Selvy, Saturday expressed dismay at International Community's discourse with Colombo by failing to adopt a humanitarian strategy to end the culture of impunity in Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) administered territory. Despite expressing reservations on the effectiveness of the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIEGP) according to the terms and reference of Colombo, Selvy said: "if the monitoring system could discipline the Sri Lankan state and bring the culprits to book, it would be worthwhile."
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