Formation of united Tamil front, a strategic need- Thondaman

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 December 2005, 07:37 GMT]
The leader of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), Mr. Arumugam Thondaman, Saturday held discussions with the LTTE's Political Head Mr. S.P. Thamilchelvan at the LTTE Peace Secretariat on his plans to form a united effort among the Upcountry and Western Province Tamil political parties. The Upcountry politician said that his party, CWC and the LTTE discussed the strategic need to form a broad Tamil front to meet the challenges from the Southern polity and to further the common aspirations of both the Tamil communities in the Northeast and the Upcountry.
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SL Police arrests two Tamils in Mannar

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 December 2005, 11:25 GMT]
Sri Lanka Police took two Tamil youths into custody in a three-hour cordon and search operation conducted in the bazaar area of the Mannar town Wednesday morning by combined armed forces. These youths are now detained in the Mannar Police Station and are being interrogated, civilian sources said.
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Mortar fire on Meeravodai SLA camp - Police

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 December 2005, 14:41 GMT]
Four rounds of 81 mm Mortar fire was reported close to Meeravodai Sri Lanka Army camp located 2 km west of Valaichenai in Batticaloa district around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Police said. Miravodai is located 4 km north of Kiran where two Tamils were shot and killed by unidentified gunmen Monday night.
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India cannot be a card in Colombo’s oppressive politics game - Vaiko

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 December 2005, 12:59 GMT]
Indian Defence Minister Mr Pranab Muhkerjee assured the Tamil Nadu Politician Mr. Vaiko Monday that he will investigate the press reports on the reconstruction efforts of Palaly airstrip in the main Sri Lankan military base in Jaffna. “Earlier Indian political leaders had acted with great care, and had declined to enter into a defence treaty or airbase reconstruction projects when I have brought the Tamil concerns to the Indian leadership’s notice,” Vaiko said.
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Two Tamils shot dead in Kiran in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 December 2005, 05:25 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen who entered a house in Kiran in Batticaloa district Monday night abducted two men at gunpoint, shot and killed them 500 meters away from the house, police said.
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LTTE's Human Rights engagement on constructive track - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 December 2005, 11:21 GMT]
“While Colombo has been increasingly engaged in portraying Tamils’ struggle for self-determination as ‘terrorism’ in international fora taking advantage of the changed political climate following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and the consequent war on terrorism, Liberation Tigers have exhibited genuine desire to adhere to the international human rights standards by closely engaging with UN agencies,” said Political Head of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) , S.P. Thamilchelvan, during his keynote address on Human Rights day event organized by the NorthEast Secretariat On Human Rights (NESOHR) in Kilinochchi Saturday.
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Fanoos leaves thousands homeless in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 December 2005, 12:32 GMT]
Effects of cyclonic storm Fanoos which passed throught Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry coast was felt in Jaffna district, as hurricane force winds and heavy rains belted Jaffna distric from Friday night leaving thousands displaced in Vadamaradchy north and east. The storm weakened into a deep depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal on Saturday morning, according to weather center in Tamil Nadu.
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Trincomalee observes general shut down

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 December 2005, 11:48 GMT]
Tamil speaking people Friday observed general shut down in Trincomalee town and its suburbs responding to a call made by the Trincomalee District Tamil Peoples Consortium demanding the withdrawal of troops from the east port city and condemning the killings of civilians in the northeast province.
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Exert pressure to curb military violence, IFT urges International Community

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 December 2005, 14:53 GMT]
The Geneva based International Federation of Tamils (IFT), a consortium of more than 150 expatriate Tamil organizations, in a media statement released on Friday appealed to the International Community to exert its influence on the Government of Sri Lanka to help bring normalcy in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled areas in the Northeast.
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CFA has to be revived says Lankan Chief of Defence

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 December 2005, 13:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka Chief of Defence Staff, Daya Sandagiri, during a press meet in Colombo Friday ruled out Sri Lanka armed forces going to war but said that they will be prepared to meet any military situation that may arise. He said that the military leadership has submitted a report to SL President Mahinda Rajapakse concluding that the Cease Fire Agreement has to be revived and that Mr Rajapakse will make the final decision on this matter.
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CFA, Muslim Tamil amity, key to peace - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 December 2005, 11:31 GMT]
Pointing out that the recent escalation of violence is due to military aggression and sabotage activities of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) supported paramilitaries, LTTE's Political Head Mr. S.P.Thamilchelvan stressed the urgent need for effective implementation of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) and the critical need to maintain Muslim, Tamil amity to maintain peace, when he addressed the media following a meeting with the Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar Friday morning. The meeting that began at 9:30 a.m. lasted for one and a half hours at the LTTE's Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi.
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SLMM head meets Elilan in Sampoor

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 December 2005, 18:20 GMT]
Mr.Hagrup Haukland, Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Wednesday 2 p.m. held a two hour discussion with Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), at the LTTE political secretariat located in Sampoor in LTTE held Muttur east.


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Muttur death toll rises to seven

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 December 2005, 01:30 GMT]
Muttur Police recovered two bodies of civilians Monday evening from the old jetty in Muttur town. Tamil sources said the bodies belonged to two of the five Tamils abducted Sunday evening by a mob. Number of people who have died in violent incidents in Muttur division since Saturday has now increased to seven, four of them Tamils and the rest Muslims.


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India should insist on Federal solution - Indian Tamil Daily

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 December 2005, 03:32 GMT]
"India should not hesitate to impress on Rajapakse Government that resolution to Sri Lanka’s ethnic problem should be based on a Federal solution,” said Tamil daily Dinamani in a recent editorial commenting on Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera’s meeting with India’s Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. “India should be cognizant that Tamil national question in Sri Lanka determines the human rights, social justice and political destiny of 3 million Tamils, and that more than 60 million Tamils in TamilNadu have an emotional stake in the issue,” said the daily.
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Recognize Tamil need for Self-Government- Boston Globe

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 December 2005, 15:18 GMT]
Pointing out Pirapaharan's Heroes Day message that he will intensify struggle for self-determination if no "political framework that will satisfy the political aspirations of Tamils" was forthcoming, the Boston Globe in an editorial appearing on 4 December issue, opined that this "either-or threat, seen alongside Rajapakse's own hard-line stance, presages an imminent renewal of civil war," and said, "India and the United States should bring international pressure to bear on the island's belligerents to sustain the current ceasefire and craft a political resolution that recognizes the Tamil need for self-government."
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TNA MP on US visit

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 December 2005, 13:35 GMT]
Ms Pathmini Sithamparanathan, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Member of Parliament (MP) for Jaffna district arrived Friday evening in US for a two week speaking tour. She accepted an invitation by the Florida Tamil Sangam to speak at the organization's annual event on 11 December, organizers of the event said.
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CFA, key to end Rights violations- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 December 2005, 13:38 GMT]
“Only creating conditions of normalcy will restore the denied human rights to our people. Sincere and committed implementation of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) is necessary in the post-war situation as CFA can bring normalcy to a people affected by two decades of war that resulted in large scale displacement and destroyed the social and economic infrastructure,” said Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan, Head of the LTTE Political Wing in a meeting with Ms. Irene Zubaida Khan, Director, Amnesty International Saturday, 3 December 2005, at the LTTE Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi.
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Muslim shot, two Tamils killed in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 December 2005, 10:54 GMT]
A mob attacked and killed two Tamil civilians travelling in a three-wheeler at Thoppur, a Muslim village 20 km south of Trincomalee town Saturday evening. Another Tamil civilian with cut injuries was rushed to Trincomalee Hospital in unconscious state. The attack took place after a Muslim person, Mr. Saja Mohaideen, was shot and wounded by unidentified gunmen at 2.40 p.m. in Muttur, police said. Tension prevailed in Muttur and its suburbs following violent incidents which took place place Saturday afternoon. Bus services were terminated and the roads remained deserted Saturday evening in Muttur.
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ICJ raises concern over ASIO raids in Melbourne

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 November 2005, 03:16 GMT]
International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), an international non-governmental organization devoted to the promotion of the understanding and observance of the rule of law, expressed concern over the raids by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) on the homes of Sri Lankan Tamils and said Sunday that "counter-terrorism laws may ensnare innocent charitable donors in their net, and may be used by foreign governments to pursue their own political agendas," in a media release issued in Sydney.
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ITRO responds to allegations by SL Highcommission in Australia

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 November 2005, 11:47 GMT]
The International Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (ITRO London), the representative body of the overseas offices of the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation, in a letter addressed to Mr. Asoka Girihagama, the deputy high commissioner of Sri Lanka in Australia, requested to provide details of the grounds for his recent allegations in Australian media that the TRO Australia had allocated Tsunami relief and rehabilitation funds to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
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