Colombo forcing refugees to return home- Rights Group

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 March 2007, 19:47 GMT]
"Sri Lankan authorities are using threats and intimidation to force civilians who fled recent fighting in Sri Lanka’s civil war to return home," Human Rights Watch said today. "To pressure individuals to return home, government officials and military personnel have threatened to withdraw humanitarian aid, food and other essential supplies," the Rights body further said.
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Colombo traders shut down in protest against ransom demands

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 March 2007, 11:07 GMT]
"Members of the Karuna group, in collaboration with the police, demand ransom from us and though we have complained to the police along with phone numbers as evidence, no action has been taken," said Pettah and Fort traders in Colombo, taking part in the protest shutdown of their shops Friday, against the demands and death threats. All shops in Fort and Pettah were closed, and Kotahena police blocked traders from demonstrating in front of the police station, media sources in Colombo said.


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Protest held in Colombo against abductions

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 March 2007, 12:45 GMT]
The Committee for Finding the Disappeared Persons of New Democratic Front (NDF) held a protest campaign at Company Street Junction in Colombo around 4:00 p.m. Thursday demanding the immediate stop to human rights violations and disappearances. More than hundred activists including the relatives of the disappeared participated in the one-hour long event. More than ten children carried the portraits of their disappeared fathers, sources in Colombo said.
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Norwegian team visits key institutions in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 March 2007, 11:23 GMT]
Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Hans Brattskar, and other officials visited Kilinochchi Hospital, Education officials and the North East Secretariat of Human Rights office in Kilinochchi Monday around 3:30 p.m, and held discussions on current issues related to people's medical needs, education and human rights, sources in Kilinochchi said.


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Vavuniya lawyers end boycott

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 March 2007, 00:05 GMT]
The lawyers in Vavuniya ended their boycot of courts Monday after the Chief Justice, Sarath N Silva, gave assurances that action would be taken against the members of Karuna group who threatened the lawyers with death demanding ransom, legal sources in Vavuniya said.
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UNP demands to know JVP, JHU's position on SLFP-LTTE deal

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 March 2007, 21:27 GMT]
The main opposition United national Party (UNP) Monday requested the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), all monks' party and Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to state their stand on the allegation leveled by ousted ministers Mangala Samaraweera and Sripathi Sooriyarachchi that some politicians of ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) had struck a secret deal with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) before the last presidential election.
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2 Karuna cadres injured in Batticaloa attack

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 March 2007, 22:05 GMT]
Two cadres of paramilitary Karuna group were injured when their camp the located at Mylambavely adjoining the Sri Lanka Army camp along Trinco road came under attack at 7:05 p.m. Sunday. Four Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) staying in the nearby school building were injured in the counter attack. All six injured persons were rushed to the Batticaloa teaching hospital for treatment, sources in Batticaloa said.
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Karuna group member shot dead in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 February 2007, 09:10 GMT]
Unidentified armed men shot dead a member of paramilitary Karuna group Friday morning in Kaluvanchikudy on his way to market.


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Why Rajapakse sibling is acting as FM, asks UNP parliamentarian

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 February 2007, 10:30 GMT]
Ravi Karunanayake, United National Party (UNP) Member of Parliament for Colombo District, addressing the parliament on Wednesday over a motion of adjournment concerning the responsibilities of the Government, said that since the assumption of power by Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse at least 3800 people have been killed, parliamentary sources said. He also questioned why Basil Rajapakse, presidential advisor and brother of the President is assuming Sri Lanka Foreign Minister's functions.
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Police officer, 2 civilians killed, 14 injured in bomb blast in Valaichenai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 February 2007, 15:19 GMT]
Unidentified persons detonated a cycle bomb killing a police inspector and two civilians, and injuring fourteen persons including 5 Police officers at Trincomalee main street, Ottamavadi in Valaichenai police division in Batticaloa around 5:05 p.m. Wednesday. The attack was targetted towards a jeep carrying a police team which had come to relieve the group of constables stationed there, Valaichenai police said.
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UNP to launch agitation campaign against UPFA government

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 February 2007, 11:20 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) is to hold a special convention in Colombo to formulate a programme to launch a peoples' agitation campaign through out the Sri Lanka. "The leadership of the party has decided to launch this campaign against the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government as UPFA has failed to fulfill its promises and the expectation of the masses," Gayantha Karunatilake, UNP spokesman told media persons in Colombo.
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Armed men abduct two youths in Kalmunai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 February 2007, 10:50 GMT]
Armed men on motor cycles, alleged to be members of Karuna paramilitary group, abducted two youths at gun-point at Temple road in Kalmunai in Amparai district Tuesday around 11:30 p.m.
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Fisherman's body washed ashore in Mullaithivu, one missing

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 February 2007, 14:49 GMT]
The dead body of a fisherman who was reported missing with another fisherman in Mullathivu since Saturday, washed ashore at Koriyadi in Vetrilaikeni in Vadamaradchi east Monday morning.. Sri Lanka Navy gunboats had fired at the fishermen around 2:30 a.m. Saturday in the seas off Mullaithivu.
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Ad Hominem

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 February 2007, 00:28 GMT]
Allan Rock, Special Representative for United Nations Committee on Children and Armed Conflict, came under scathing personal attack in Sri Lanka Government controlled media for his report implicating Colombo for complicity in child recruitment. Ad hominem, a fundamental fallacy much detested in the field of rhetoric, and legal and scientific debate, has become a common tool in Sri Lanka Government's arsenal in confronting bad publicity in matters that have drawn negative international attention.
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SLN arrests two fishermen in Vadamaradchy East seas

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 February 2007, 09:02 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Friday attacked two fishermen, fishing in deep seas from Vadamaradchy east coast, and arrested both with their boats, the fisheries union officials in Mullaitivu said. The officials added that two other fishermen had witnessed the incident and had fled to safety.
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White van armed men abduct 5 youths in Amparai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 February 2007, 15:26 GMT]
Armed men in white van, alleged to be members of Karuna group, abducted five youths from the Central camp in Amparai, located about 10 km west of Kalmunai on February 13 and 14.
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Armed paramilitaries rob bus in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 February 2007, 11:53 GMT]
Karuna group armed paramilitaries in military fatigues waylaid a Colombo bound civilian bus from Kathankudy in Batticaloa on Sithandy main road in Eravur police division Tuesday around 8:20 p.m., and robbed Rs. 1,500,000 rupees, several national identity cards, 15 hand phones and jewellery from the passengers, according to complaints made to Eravur police.
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UNP decides to boycott APRC

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 February 2007, 16:20 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) has decided not to participate in the future deliberations of the All Parties Representatives Committee (APRC). This APRC was appointed by the Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse last year to work out a common programme reaching consensus among southern political parties to find a political solution to the Tamil national question through peaceful means.
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UN urged not to ignore Rajapakse regime

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 February 2007, 12:58 GMT]
The UN security council working group which is set to study underage recruitment in Sri Lanka later Friday should not ignore the practice of Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse’s regime in the practice, a senior columnist with The Guardian newspaper wrote in Friday’s edition on Guardian's 'Comment is Free' section. And condemning political movements for the violence they turn to, “whilst ignoring their complaints and the degree of support they command leads only to political stalemate and more bloodshed,” Jonathan Steele said in his column. He criticised President Rajapakse for destroying the 2002 truce by trying to reoccupy the areas recognised as under Tiger control.
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Two killed, civilian injured in Batticaloa firefight

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 February 2007, 02:08 GMT]
Two unindentified youths were killed and one civilian critically injured when Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) cadres and members of Karuna group engaged in a firefight in Kaluthavalai in Kaluwanchikkudy Police division in Batticaloa district around 6:00 p.m. Monday.
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