Thirumavalavan urges Center to hold referendum on extending LTTE ban

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 February 2008, 20:18 GMT]
Viduthalai Chiruththaikal Kadchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party) President Thol. Thirumavalavan on Friday urged the Indian Government to conduct a referendum among the sixty five million people of Tamil Nadu on the extension of LTTE ban. He was speaking at a demonstration organized by his party to pressure the Indian Government to wage war against Sri Lanka for planting mines in the sea waters of Kadchatheevu and for arbitrarily arresting Tamil Nadu fishermen.
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Police rescinds collecting personal details of Tamils in Modara

[TamilNet, Thursday, 31 January 2008, 18:01 GMT]
“Sri Lanka Police has no authority to collect private personal details especially financial details even during the current State of Emergency in Sri Lanka,” Mr. R. Yogarajan, the Vice President of Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) said in an interview to BBC Tamil service Thursday. The forms distributed to the Tamils by the police in Sinhalese language calling for personal details including place of work, phone number, and bank details, ending into the hands of criminal elements would be dangerous to the Tamils, Yogarajan told the BBC.
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Tamil Nadu Government warns against expressing moral support to LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 January 2008, 15:32 GMT]
Desperate to appease its key ally Congress in order to retain power, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government on Wednesday warned of stern action against those who expressed moral support to the Liberation Tigers. Meanwhile, Thol. Thirumavalavan, leader of the Viduthalai Chiruththaikal Kadchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party), on Wednesday called upon the Indian Government to wage war against Sri Lanka and said that he was prepared to face any legal action arising out of his exercising the freedom of expression.
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TN Congress scorns freedom of expression favouring Tigers

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 January 2008, 10:08 GMT]
Congress party legislators in Tamil Nadu, who demanded the arrest of Viduthalai Chi'ruththaika'l Kadchi (VCK, the Liberation Panthers Party) President Thol. Thirumavalavan for publicly expressing moral support to the LTTE staged a walkout Tuesday from the Tamil Nadu state assembly, when Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi responded to their demand by saying that such arrests could not be made citing a Supreme Court verdict on MDMK leader Vaiko which held that expressing solidarity was not a crime. This is the first time that Congress legislators have walked out of the Tamil Nadu assembly ever since the DMK assumed power in May 2006.
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Providing moral support to Eelam, not a crime- Thirumavalavan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 January 2008, 18:53 GMT]
"Any move to suppress those expressing moral support to Tamil Eelam and LTTE is violation of all tenets of democracy and humanism, and will border on fascism," Viduthalai Chiruththaikal Katchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party) President Thol. Thirumavalavan said on Friday addressing a conference organized by his party in Chennai labeled "Redeem the Freedom of Expression."
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Armed men abduct paramilitary UPFA candidate in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 January 2008, 08:05 GMT]
A man appointed by the TMVP paramilitary group to contest in Batticaloa Municipal Council Elections under the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) ticket was abducted by unidentified armed men, around 10 p.m., Friday, Kaaththaankudi police said.
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Karuna implicates Gotabaya in false passport – report

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 January 2008, 15:33 GMT]
Tamil paramilitary leader Karuna (Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan) was sentenced Friday to nine months in prison for entering Britain on a Sri Lankan passport under a different name. Pleading guilty, Karuna had implicated the government of Sri Lanka and the defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa of providing the travel documents including the diplomatic passport for him to enter the UK, the BBC Sinhala service reported.
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Paramilitary operative shot dead in Akkaraippattu

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 January 2008, 13:41 GMT]
An unidentified gunman shot and killed a operative of Karuna paramilitary, identified as Panneerchelvam, Friday noon at Aalaiyadiveampu in Akkaraippattu police division in Ampaa’rai district, Akkaraippattu police said. The victim was walking with a friend towards Karuna group camp when he was shot. The killer, following Panneerchelvam on foot, took his T-56 assault rifle and escaped from the site after gunning down the paramilitary operative.
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Youth shot dead by paramilitary in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 January 2008, 15:19 GMT]
A youth about to participate in a cricket tournament was shot and killed Sunday morning 11:00 a.m. in Mausoor Mowlana playgrounds, Maruthamunai within Kalmunai police division in Ampaa'rai district.
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Karuna group cadre shoots himself to death

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 January 2008, 00:40 GMT]
A Tamil youth employed by Karuna group shot himself to death Thursday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at the office of the Karuna group in Aalayadiveampu, Akkaraippattu area in Ampaarai district, Akkraippatu police said.
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Teachers Union President shot dead in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 January 2008, 15:09 GMT]
The president of Batticaloa district Volunteer Teachers Union was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen Monday night at 8:30 in Santhive'li area, Mu’rakkodaanchenai within Ea’ravoor police Division in Batticaloa district, Ea’ravoor police said. The incident may mark the first killing related to local electoral politics as Batticaloa moves towards local government elections.
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Colombo Cover-up

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 January 2008, 02:44 GMT]
James Ross, Legal and Policy Director of New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), in a hard hitting column appearing in the Tuesday edition of the Daily Mirror, said the Sri Lanka government has failed to "seriously investigate and prosecute those responsible for the horrific abuses of the past two years – the unlawful killings, the “disappearances,” the Karuna group’s abduction of children. The cover-up is the government’s determined effort to keep the issue off the international agenda."
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198 Tamil youths arrested in cordon, search in Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 January 2008, 20:05 GMT]
198 Tamil youths were arrested in Colombo and suburbs during a large scale cordon and search operation conducted by the Sri Lanka armed forces Sunday, Senior Inspector General of Police M.K.Ilangakone said. The arrested included several young women.
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2007: The year in review

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 January 2008, 07:34 GMT]
For the people of the NorthEast, 2007 was a grim year. Sri Lanka’s security forces and allied paramilitaries intensified their campaign of abductions (‘white van’ abductions), torture, and murder of Tamil civilians. Tamil civil society leaders bore the brunt of the counter-insurgency campaign. Jaffna remained an open prison with shortage of essential items, east falling under the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) control with thousands displaced as Colombo concocts colonization schemes to make east a Sinhala majority province.
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Civilian shot dead, Karuna group member injured in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 December 2007, 10:48 GMT]
Unidentified armed men storming into a tea stall opened fire killing a civilian and injuring a member of Karuna group Sunday around 9:35 a.m in the tea stall located around 200 meters from the police post along Batticalao-Kalmunai Main Road in Batticaloa.
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TamilNadu leaders protest against Indian PM's participation in SL Independence Day

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 December 2007, 17:37 GMT]
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's reported intention to participate as the Chief Guest in the Sri Lankan Government's Independence Day Celebrations on February 4, 2008 has sparked large-scale dissent from political leaders in Tamilnadu. K. Veeramani, President of the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK), on Friday announced his organization's decision to demonstrate against the proposed visit and called upon the Tamilnadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi to intervene in this regard. Meanwhile, Thol.Thirumavalavan, President, Viduthalaich Chi'ruththaika'l Kadchi and Suba. Veerapandiyan of Dravidar Iyakka Thamizhar Pearavai have pledged their organizational support and participation to the demonstration.
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U.K. group urges protection for Sri Lanka's rights defenders

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 December 2007, 19:49 GMT]
A U.K-based Rights Group, Tamil Information Center (TIC), in a report released this week expressed serious concern "over the plight of human rights defenders in Sri Lanka, who are facing persecution and threats to life from [Sri Lanka] government authorities," and said the situation requires "urgent intervention by the International Community." The report urged the "Government of Sri Lanka to bring to an end a cycle of cumulative disregard for human rights in general and for abuses against human rights defenders in particular and to accept the offer of the international community to establish a human rights monitoring mechanism."
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Karuna group office in Aalayadiveampu destroyed in bomb blast

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 December 2007, 19:16 GMT]
Unidentified armed men burst into a recently abandoned camp of Karuna group located on Chaakaamam road, Aalayadiveampu in Akkaraippattu police division in Ampaa'rai district Wednesday early morning at 3:30 a.m, and blasted the building by detonators after destroying the contents. The armed men fled from the scene after leveling the building, Police said.
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Paramilitary person shot dead in Chanthive'li

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 December 2007, 18:41 GMT]
Unidentified armed men shot dead a young man attached to Karuna group Tuesday around 7:45 p.m as he was having dinner in front of his house at Chanthive'li in Ea'raavoor police division in Batticaloa district, Ea'raavoor police said. The young man was rushed to Chengkaladi hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
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Passport fiasco

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 December 2007, 11:58 GMT]
While the Sri Lankan High Commissioner for U.K., Ms. Kshenuka Senewiratne, toils hard to extricate the Government of Sri Lanka from the diplomatic bungle it made in issuing a diplomatic passport under false name to fugitive Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna, Rights organizations accused Karuna of "war crimes," and urged British Government to try him in Britain. Meanwhile, informed sources in Colombo said Canadian Embassy had earlier rejected visa application for "Karuna," before British Embassy was misled by Colombo to issue a visa under the name of "Dushmantha Gunawardene, Director General, Wild Life Conservation."
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