Tamils commemorate Vanni massacre at Lincoln memorial

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 May 2010, 12:20 GMT]
More than four hundred Tamils in the U.S. held a remembrance rally in Washington D.C. for the nearly 40,000 Tamil civilians massacred by the Sri Lanka State in Mu'l'livaaykkaal during the final months of 2009. "We had the event at the very heart of the Nation built on promise of freedom and justice; we demonstrated first in front of the White House, and after a one mile procession, at the reflecting pool adjoining the Lincoln memorial to symbolize and demonstrate our resolve that we will never forget this atrocity, and that until we bring the perpetrators of this dastardly crimes, we will not rest," Dr Jeyarajah, the main organizer of the event said.
Full story >>

Swiss Tamils observe May Remembrance, highlight geopolitical injustice

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 May 2010, 12:03 GMT]
Twenty-six democratically elected members of the Switzerland Council of Eelam Tamils (SCET) took oath in front of the masses, who gathered at Helvetia in Zurich Saturday evening in an emotional remembrance event, paying tribute to the victims of the genocidal onslaught on Vanni last May. Switzerland representative of the Sudanese political movement voicing against the genocide in Darfur and Green Party politician Zefari Zidun, explained how his people experienced the genocide in Darfur and said there was no struggle that has been won without experiencing major political setbacks. A dance theatre presented the geopolitical injustice experienced by Tamils, depicting how the war against Tamils was abetted by the powers of the world.
Full story >>

Former caretaker of Uduppiddi LTTE Heroes Resting Home found dead in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 May 2010, 19:26 GMT]
Former caretaker of Uduppiddi E’l’langku’lam Heroes Resting Home of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eezham (LTTE) was found dead Saturday evening near the cremation grounds in Veampadi area in Thunnaalay South, Karaveddi, Vadamaraadchi, sources in Jaffna said. His body was naked and hands bound with many assault injuries.
Full story >>

Champoor resettlement not in agenda- Governor

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 May 2010, 18:28 GMT]
Nearly one thousand seven hundred uprooted families from traditional Tamil villages, such as Navaratnapuram, Koonitheivu, Champoor, Soodaikuda, and Kadatkaraichchenai in Moothoor east in Trincomalee district since April 2006 in the military operation launched by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) will not be resettled immediately. The decision to resettle them should come from the Government of Sri Lanka, Eastern Provincial Governor Mohan Wijewickrema told a delegation of the Association of Champoor Uprooted Tamil Families that met him in the Governor's located in Trincomalee Friday, sources said.
Full story >>

Thought crime, torture and kingly fiat

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 May 2010, 03:22 GMT]
“Tissainayagam’s pardon is clearly an act of Sri Lanka’s international diplomacy, an act made possible by the complete absence of the rule of law as an operating principle in its legal system,” writes a columnist in the Tamil Guardian newspaper. “[While] the legal system’s ability to convict Tissainayagam on the basis of a confession obtained under torture on charges that amount to accusations ‘thought crime’ reveal that Sri Lanka has fully departed from the principles of the rule of law […] the Presidential pardon echoes medieval forms of justice dispensed as royal patronage and is in keeping with Sinhala leaders’ proclivity for styling themselves as mythical Sinhala rulers.”
Full story >>

Lest We Forget: Children affected by Genocidal War Crimes of Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 May 2010, 04:01 GMT]
Tamils all over the world mark 18 May as Genocidal War Crimes Day, observing one year remembrance of thousands who perished in the war, waged by the Sri Lankan state and its abettors, on the de-facto state of Tamil Eelam. Despite its repeated pledges to the International Community, the Sri Lankan state and its military machine vowing to erase 'separatism demand' from Tamils for generations, to turn heavy arms on civilian population claiming the lives of thousands of children and women in addition to depriving them of food, medicine and medical evacuation on time. The conduct of the Sri Lankan state, which disregarded all norms of humanity in the war, has posed a civilisational question, and justice remains undelivered. TamilNet releases 14 of 512 photos taken by a humanitarian worker to mark the Genocidal War Crimes Day.
Full story >>

Ranil returns home after India visit

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 May 2010, 03:50 GMT]
Ranil Wickremesinghe, opposition leader in the parliament and the leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), returned home Thursday evening after a four-day visit to India. He had held talks with several Indian leaders including External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna in New Delhi Wednesday.
Full story >>

California street fair embraces Sri Lanka boycott message

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 May 2010, 03:16 GMT]
Members of the US-based Tamil political action group, USTPAC Boycott Campaign, joined the madness at the 11th annual How Weird Street Faire in San Francisco on Sunday, May 9th 2010 to publicize the group's mission to the attendees to event, organizers of the Tamil group said. Twenty-foot tall banners advertising the “No Blood for Panties” video series on boycotting apparel made in Sri Lanka adorned the backdrop of the catwalk, according to activists participating in the street fair.
Full story >>

Jaffna magistrate calls for statement from Jaffna Mayor

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 May 2010, 16:49 GMT]
Jaffna magistrate A. Anantharajah Thursday directed the police to obtain the statement of Ms. Yogeswari Patkunam, Jaffna Mayor of the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) on the issue of the advertisement published by Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) which was counted as contempt of court, sources in Jaffna said. The police were further directed to submit a report based on the statement when the courts takes up the case 17 May. The said advertisement, titled in Tamil language calling the ‘Judiciary to render justice’ was brought to the notice of the Chief Justice and the Justice Service Commission by the magistrates of Jaffna district.
Full story >>

Parvathi Amma treated with loving care in VVT hospital - DMO

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 May 2010, 16:02 GMT]
“Parvathi Amma is being served with special loving care by our hospital staff which is hard to come by either in India or any other country and she is continually attended by our medical specialists,” Dr. A. Mayilerumperumal, District Medical Officer (DMO) of Valveddiththu’rai (VVT) government hospital told TamilNet in the context of Ms. Parvathi Velupillai, mother of LTTE leader Velupillai Pirabaharan, being admitted to VVT hospital in Jaffna, Wednesday evening. “We believe that she will soon recover as we offer her medical treatment equal to international medical standards,” he further said.
Full story >>

Pirapaharan's mother admitted to VVT hospital in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 May 2010, 12:24 GMT]
Parvathi Velupillai, mother of LTTE leader Velupillai Pirabaharan, has been admitted to the Valdveddiththu'rai (VVT) hospital in Jaffna, Wednesday evening. Parvathi amma, denied entry to Tamil Nadu and deported back to Malaysia earlier, was brought down to Sri Lanka earlier this week and stayed at a lodge in Colombo in a bedridden state.
Full story >>

Third party required to resolve TGTE election dispute in France

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 May 2010, 17:27 GMT]
Tamil unity was to be demonstrated in France by conducting the elections for Country Council, Maison du Tamil Eelam, and Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) simultaneously on May 02. The Election Committee of the Country Council said last week that all the candidates who contested the elections were declared elected representing their constituencies. Providing the number of votes, the Committee said the candidates who topped within their constituencies, would be constituting the national assembly. Meanwhile, in the TGTE elections, four candidates were elected uncontested in four of the eight constituencies. Elections were held only for four constituencies. But, in two of these constituencies, where candidates behind the Country Council initiative scored high, the results were cancelled by the CWG-appointed Election Commission, citing irregularities at 3 centres.
Full story >>

Australia must ratify Tamil referendum results: Greens MLA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 May 2010, 08:52 GMT]
Citing the overwhelming consensus for independence as expressed by the Australia’s Tamil Diaspora in the recent Tamil Referendum on independent and sovereign Tamil Eelam, Greens Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Ms. Amanda Bresnan, who witnessed the referendum as an observer, has urged the Australian government to ratify the results, also citing the overwhelming support in similar referendums held across Europe and Canada. The referendum is “to reaffirm the political aspirations of the Tamils in the isle of Sri Lanka, that the opinion of Tamils living overseas can be used to determine the political solution to ethnic conflict, that the results be taken to governments and international bodies and that this bring about national and global solidarity amongst Tamils and bring consensus on the national question” she said.
Full story >>

JMC Commissioner released on pleading innocence by Jaffna magistrate

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 May 2010, 05:39 GMT]
Jaffna Municipal council (JMC) Commissioner, M. S. Saravnabavan pleaded that he has no involvement in the advertisement made in the name of JMC in the local dailies Tuesday which contained sentences amounting to contempt of court, sources in Jaffna said. On directives from the Chief Justice and Justice Service Commissioner, Jaffna magistrate had ordered Tuesday to arrest the JMC Commissioner and produce him in the court as the Commissioner had failed to appear in the court for inquiry into the said advertisement. Meanwhile, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) opposition members of JMC said that Jaffna Mayor Ms. Yogeswari Patkunam’s husband is responsible for JMC administration to be controlled by Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) and expressed concern for disrespect brought on JMC administration.
Full story >>

Arbour to campaign for independent war-crimes inquiry in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 May 2010, 23:29 GMT]
Louise Arbour, president of the NGO International Crisis Group (ICG) and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "will examine these allegations [of war crimes in Sri Lanka] and make the case for an independent international inquiry as a necessary step in making Sri Lanka's tenuous and bitter peace more just and sustainable," said a note sent to the invitees for a conference on "War Crimes in Sri Lanka" to be held Monday at the premises of the event's joint sponsor, Chatham House, London.
Full story >>

Cancellation tactics make potential candidates withdraw from TGTE elections

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 May 2010, 13:14 GMT]
Four candidates, including two who had come within the first five in the poll conducted 8 days ago for the TGTE in the London South West Constituency, withdrew their candidature Monday after there were delays in announcing the results. Dr. N.Sathiyamoorthy, Mr. A.Vairavamoorthy and Mr. David Joseph, candidates sharing a common opinion said in their withdrawal letter that "even though it was hard for us to come to this decision, we feel it is necessary to make such decision to take our struggle to the next level through the TGTE, without giving any room for the Sri Lankan state or the IC to shame our Tamil Nation." The election committee delayed the announcement of the results citing ‘complaints’ and there were behind the scene manoeuvrings by certain members of the CWG that conducted the elections, in selecting candidates without a re-poll, said a journalist who did not wish to be named.
Full story >>

SL government stages hidden agenda in Jaffna peninsula – Jaffna MP

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 May 2010, 17:23 GMT]
Suresh Premachandran, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna district parliamentarian, accused Sri Lanka Government for purposely encouraging crimes in Jaffna peninsula such as abduction and killing for ransom, robbery, sexual abuse of lonely women so that it could continue to hold the peninsula in its authority, in a press meet held Monday at his Jaffna office. He further blamed the government for having abandoned the resettled civilians in Mullaiththeevu district who had been uprooted and detained during the war on Vanni.
Full story >>

Colombo accelerates Sinhalicisation of Madu

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 May 2010, 12:57 GMT]
Colombo has launched a large scale Sinhala colonisation at Madu Road Junction, located on Mannaar-Madawachchi Road, which branches off the main route to Madu shrine, situated in the middle of traditional Tamil area, by officially claiming to "resettle" 80 Sinhalese families after renovating a Buddhist temple into a large Vihara at the junction. Categorising the Sinhalese settlers as "Internally Displaced Persons," the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry officials said the Sinhalese "IDPs" had met Resettlement Minister Milroy Fernando and G.A. Chandrasri, the former SLA commander of Jaffna, who is serving as the Northern Province Governor, with the Chief Incumbent Buddhist Monk of the Vihara. Caritas, a Catholic agency for justice, peace and development has been pressurised to construct the houses for the Sinhalese settlers.
Full story >>

TGTE member from New Zealand speaks on Vaddukkoaddai Resolution

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 May 2010, 00:13 GMT]
Mr. S.J.V. Chelvanayakam, in his last ever speech in the Sri Lankan parliament on 19 November 1976 said: “Our Party is moving with the idea of establishing a separate state. It is not an easy matter to get a separate State; it is a difficult matter. We know it is difficult. But either we get out of the power of the Sinhala masses or we perish. That is certain. Therefore, we will try and get this separation.” Citing the speech Mr. A. Theva Rajan, member of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam, from New Zealand, said that the relevance of Vaddukkoaddai Resolution today is unique in historical terms as "the reign of Percival Rajapakse" fully demonstrated to the world that the Tamils are facing a genocidal onslaught. "Rajapakse brothers made the Tamil genocide open, indelible and internationally recorded,” he said.
Full story >>

Trade Unions slam Australia’s treatment of refugees

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 May 2010, 15:46 GMT]
Leaders of Australia’s most powerful unions have united to voice their “concern at the growing stance of indifference towards and demonisation of asylum seekers from both sides of Australian politics” in an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Rudd released on Monday.
Full story >>