Fragile fictions of 'sovereignty' and 'territorial integrity'

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 August 2008, 14:05 GMT]
Russia’s intervention over South Ossetia and Abkhazia, just like the Western intervention over Kosovo, amply demonstrates that 'sovereignty' and 'territorial integrity' are not cast-iron principles, but fragile covers for pursuit of interests by powerful states, the Tamil Guardian newspaper argued this week. “Sri Lanka's sovereignty and territorial integrity, like those of Serbia, Georgia, and many others, has always been contingent on these being sufficiently useful to all the Great Powers, at the same time,” the paper said. “The moment the emergence of Tamil Eelam becomes useful to any of the Great Powers, a new game will begin.”
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War needs to continue, dependancy on the West bypassed - Rajapaksa

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 August 2008, 10:16 GMT]
"The war against the LTTE will continue without a break until the capture of the Ki'linochchi and Mullaiththeevu", declared Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday while addressing a public meeting following the inauguration of an irrigation project in Polonnaruwa in the North Central Province. Mr. Rajapaksa also proclaimed that the era of rulers who were dependent on the West was over with his regime in Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, Somawanse Amarasinghe, the leader of the Sinhala extreme nationalist JVP, charged that Mr. Rajapaksa has 'surrendered the sovereignty of Sri Lanka' to India.
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Rehabilitation project for persons in protective custody stalls

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 August 2008, 05:26 GMT]
The project to set up a Rehabilitation Centre in Kaarainakar for the persons placed in the protective custody of Jaffna Prison due to death threats by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and SLA-backed paramilitaries has stalled due to objections from Sri Lanka's Defence Ministry, civil society sources in Jaffna said. Colombo insists on housing the said persons in SLA's Special Rehabilitation Centre located in the SLA High Security Zone (HSZ) in Thellippa’lai, sources added.
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SLA corporal shoots dead 2 soldiers in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 August 2008, 18:03 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) corporal shot and killed two of his troopers who were harassing a Tamil woman at Maavadiveampu in Ea'raavoor police division Thursday around 4:30 p.m. The soldiers were shot after a stand off with their corporal, residents said.
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Transformer set fire in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 August 2008, 02:00 GMT]
Unidentified persons during curfew hours Tuesday day night set fire to the main electricity transformer on Aadiyapaatham road, Kokkuvil in Valikaamam, completely burning the unit, sources in Jaffna said. Electricity supply to the area was cut off and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops, deployed in large numbers, cordoned off and searched the area.
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4 IDP children food poisoned in Ki’linochchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 August 2008, 15:14 GMT]
Four children in a family displaced from Periya Pa’ndivirichchaan in Mannaar district due to Sri Lanka Army (SLA) offensives and presently lodged at Ki’linochchi Mu’rippu School are admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Ki'linochchi hospital Wednesday morning. The children had eaten rice cooked Tuesday noon for breakfast Wednesday, hospital sources said.
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Grenade attack on house in Vaazhaichcheanai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 August 2008, 13:16 GMT]
Two unidentified armed men arriving on a bicycle hurled hand grenades Tuesday around 8:45 p.m on the house of the brother of a person called PLOT Maamaa shot and killed by unidentified gunmen on 25 June 2006, in Ka’n’nangkiraamam 3rd Cross Street in Vaazhaicheanai police division in Batticaloa district. The front portion of the house was damaged in the grenade attack, sources in Vaazhaicheanai said.
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Moothoor IDP families hold prayers for safe return to own villages

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 August 2008, 12:09 GMT]
Tamil families displaced from Moothoor east following military operation launched by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in April, 2006, and still being sheltered in welfare centers in Batticaloa district and Trincomalee district, are to hold a one-day prayer on August 16 Saturday, a Full Moon Day (Poora'nai), in Amman Temples for their safe return to their traditional Tamil villages, sources said.
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"End Minister's Anti-Media Campaign," IFJ demands Rajapaksa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 August 2008, 08:22 GMT]
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in a press release issued on Wednesday demanded the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to immediately intervene and order an end to Sri Lankan Labour Minister Mervyn Silva's anti-media campaign of 'interrogation and violence' against Sirasa TV, a Sinhala channel owned by Maharajah Organisation Limited, one of the largest privately-held corporation, in Sri Lanka. "Any encouragement of violence against the media is irresponsible and potentially life-threatening for journalists in a country that has long been considered one of the most dangerous for the media profession," the IFJ has said.
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STF, police harass women in Ampaa’rai, says MP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 August 2008, 02:58 GMT]
Special Task Force (STF) commandos and police in Aalayadiveampu area in Ampaa’rai district are harassing women during nights on the pretext of searches, K. Pathmanathan, Ampaa’rai Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian said. “Many residents of this area and other places in Ampaa’rai district have brought this matter to my notice,” the MP further said.
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Resettling IDPs in Kiraan indefinitely postponed

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 August 2008, 00:07 GMT]
The resettlement of internally displaced families from Muruththanai village in Kiraan, Koralaipattu south, division in Batticaloa district, expected to take place Tuesday, 12 August, has been put off indefinitely due to tense situation in the area, sources said.
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SLA guards electricity transformers in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 August 2008, 19:34 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Jaffna introduced a new security arrangement since Monday in Vadamaraadchi and Thenmaraadchi areas where SLA troops are posted near electricity transformers besides getting local residents to pile sand bags around the area. The recent damages caused to transformers in the said areas by being fired upon by unknown persons.
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Civilian killed, 2 injured in SLA shelling in Mullaiththeevu

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 August 2008, 17:21 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) from its bases in Ma’nalaa’ru area launched artillery and Multi-barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) fire Monday around 6:50 p.m on Kumu’lamunai, Chemmalai and Nedungkea’ni residential areas in Vanni killing a 57-year-old man and seriously injuring two, including a 46-year-old woman in Kumu’lamunai.
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Tiger penetration attack kills 21 SLA in Northern Front

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 August 2008, 11:44 GMT]
Twenty-one Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed in the early hours of Sunday at Ki'laali in the Northern Front, according to well-placed Sri Lankan military sources. The SLA sources attributed the ambush to 'Deep Penetration Units' of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileealm (LTTE). The latest information on SLA casualties come in the wake of SLA stepping up sporadic clashes in the Northern Front after a long pause since it suffered a debacle in April 2008. The LTTE is yet to issue details on the latest episode in the Northern Front.
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19 Tamils arrested in Gampaha, Kandy

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 August 2008, 11:41 GMT]
Nineteen Tamil civilians were arrested in two separate cordon and search operations conducted by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police since Sunday evening till morning on Monday at Gampaha and Kandy towns, police sources said.
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Mullaiththeevu residents protest against SLA attacks

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 August 2008, 18:47 GMT]
Residents of Mullaiththeevu staged a protest march Monday condemning the recent Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery attack on Mullaiththeevu town injuring Mullaiththeevu Government Agent, on Mullaiththeevu hospital, the killing of Thu’nukkaay Assistant Government Agent, Nanthakumar and Ki’linochchi Development Officer in SLA Deep Penetration Unit attacks. The demonstrators voiced their protest against the indiscriminate Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombings of areas near schools during examination time and on civilian settlements in Vanni.
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SLAF fighter jets bomb Mullaiththeevu, 2 civilians wounded

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 August 2008, 18:04 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir jets dropped sixteen bombs in four sorties Monday around 8:20 a.m. on Puthukkudiyiruppu civilian settlements in Mullaiththeevu district. Two women including a lady teacher were injured in the bombing while many houses and fruit trees were damaged.
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SLA fires artillery on LTTE positions in Poonakari

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 August 2008, 18:50 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) from its bases located on the coast of Jaffna lagoon began Sunday from around 6:00 p.m artillery fire directed towards Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held Poonakari.
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2 female corpses recovered in Thenmaraadchi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 August 2008, 17:08 GMT]
Kodikaamam police, directed by Chaavakachcheari magistrate, handed over two female bodies to Jaffna Teaching Hospital Sunday evening for identification. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops in Ki’laali Front Defence Line (FDL) positions in Thenmaraadchi had handed over the two bodies to the police claiming that they belonged to two female combatants of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the police said.
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SLA shoots dead Tamil youth in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 August 2008, 16:27 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Field bike unit troops shot and killed a Tamil youth Sunday around 5:45 p.m as he was riding on his motor cycle along Batticaloa-Kalmunai road in Kaaththaankudi police division in Batticaloa district, sources in Batticaloa said.
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