British MP urges boycott of Sri Lanka goods

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 October 2009, 12:14 GMT]
Siobhain McDonagh MP, Mictham & Morden, UK, during the Labor Party conference held Thursday appealed to the delegates, and to the millions of live TV viewers, to shoulder their own commitment on the Sri Lanka issue, urging that a boycott of goods and avoiding holidays in the unsavory state would ensure their money would not “prop up that government.” During the event, the sitting government party passed a resolution condemning the treatment of Tamils in the island by that government.
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10 Tamil, Muslim civilians arrested in Chilaapam

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 October 2009, 10:03 GMT]
Chilaapam Police in the northwestern province Wednesday night in a cordon and search operation arrested ten persons, majority of them Tamil and Muslim civilians, and detained them in Chilaapam police station for further interrogation. The operation was conducted on a tip off that some strangers were seen in the area, police sources said.
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Internment, poisoning hopes of reconciliation - Economist

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 October 2009, 05:29 GMT]
"The fate of a quarter of a million interned Tamils is poisoning Sri Lanka’s hopes of ethnic reconciliation....So long as Tamils feel abused by a racist Sinhalese state, the conflict may resume. Economic development of their shattered regions, which the government is planning, is unlikely to change that. Hence the government’s continued war-footing—but this is in turn also reinforcing Tamil grievances," a feature in the 1st October edition of The Economist said,
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5 Tamil youths arrested in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 October 2009, 04:57 GMT]
Special Task Force (STF) commandos took into custody Wednesday morning five Tamil youths in a search operation conducted in Wellawathe, Mount Lavinia and Dehiwella in the suburbs of Colombo city.
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JVP demands Tamil political prisoners to be produced in courts

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 October 2009, 02:43 GMT]
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Tuesday issued a statement demanding the government to subject all Tamil political detainees held in Anuradhapura prison and other prisons in the country for several years to judicial inquiry or release them. Parliamentarian Ramalingam Chandrasekaran issued the statement on behalf of his party JVP.
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Jaffna prisoners call off fast on assurance by Magistrate

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 October 2009, 02:36 GMT]
Fifteen Tamil political prisoners in Jaffna prison Wednesday evening called off their fast-to-death campaign on the assurance given by the Jaffna Magistrate Mr.S. Anandarajah that he would take appropriate steps to settle the dispute with the prison authorities within three weeks. The detainees began their fast Tuesday evening demanding their release or to produce them in court after filing charges.
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Tamil, Muslim party leaders call for end to forced detention

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 October 2009, 02:23 GMT]
Five Tamil and Muslim party leaders in a joint communique issued Wednesday stated that "the forcible detention of hundreds of thousands of Tamil citizens of Sri Lanka in camps for Internally Displaced Persons is illegal, without basis in the Constitution and in gross violation of international human rights norms," and called for immediate action to "end to military administration and restrictions placed on civilians, and we urge the restoration of full civilian administration to facilitate return to economic and social normality."
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Tamil detainees in Anuradhapura prison suspend fast on condition

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 September 2009, 07:13 GMT]
Forty-three Tamil political detainees in Anuradhapura prison Tuesday evening called off their fast unto death campaign on a request by the Commissioner of Prisons that their problem would be sorted out within five weeks. The Commissioner of Prison rushed to Anuradhapura prison and met with fasting Tamil detainees. Tamil detainees began their fast Monday afternoon demanding their release or to subject them to judicial inquiry in courts.
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UN warns Sri Lanka of Tamil ‘bitterness’

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 September 2009, 01:20 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s failure to rapidly resettle nearly 300,000 Tamils who survived the government’s final onslaught against the Tamil Tigers and their further suffering under harsh conditions in militarised camps could result in growing bitterness, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake Tuesday - the same day, the UN issued its strongest criticism yet of Sri Lanka’s continued internment of the hundreds of thousands of displacedTamils. Mr. Ban also stressed the need to expedite “a serious, independent and impartial accountability process to look into alleged violation of international law during the conflict as a critical part of moving forward and building peace in Sri Lanka,” a UN statement said.
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Former LTTE leaders likely to be used for Colombo-US formula

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 September 2009, 00:34 GMT]
Unconfirmed reports indicate that some noted LTTE leaders in the custody of Colombo are likely to be made to collaborate a Colombo-US formula of ‘reconciliation,’ nullifying national aspirations of Eezham Tamils. The recent visit of Colombo’s defense secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and foreign minister Rohita Bogollagama to the US was in fact aimed to discuss the details, sources in Colombo said. The visiting delegation also wanted to strike a ‘deal’ with the US on handling the LTTE cadres and suspects in its prison camps, the sources further said. Meanwhile, the war crimes report scheduled to be released by the U.S. State Department to the U.S. Congress on 21st September is delayed, allegedly due to ‘Gotabhaya involvement’, according to a report by the Inner City Press.
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Melting pot of Eezham-Tamil democratic politics

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 September 2009, 21:31 GMT]
While the idea of transnational government (TNG) is captivating the minds of Eezham Tamils, their public opinion should be watchful for political moves not slipping in concepts and terminologies and the organisation process maintaining absolute financial independence. Democratically elected country councils widen, strengthen and secure the democratic structure of TNG and help it to evolve from bottom to top. The nation needs to explore models of structurally integrating country councils and bodies such as GTF in the apex body of TNG. Conducive atmosphere has to be created for wider participation of the society, youth and women. The trauma and depression Eezham Tamils undergo, can be conquered by them only by innovatively engaging in action – this time democratic action – and by demonstrating their spirit unconquered.
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IDP families from Moothoor HSZ villages relocated elsewhere

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 September 2009, 17:02 GMT]
327 members of ninety-seven internally displaced Tamil families from Moothoor east in Trincomalee district were brought down to Verukal in fifteen State sector buses with police escort Tuesday morning from Kokkuvil transit centre in Batticaloa district. Moothoor Divisional Secretariat officials received them at Verukal Tuesday and transferred them to another transit centre located in Chinnakku’lam in Moothoor east as their original homes in Champoor east Champoor west, Kooniththeevu and Kadatkaraichcheanai in Moothoor east are occupied as Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zones (HSZs).
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JTC students march in protest against college management

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 September 2009, 11:53 GMT]
More than a hundred students of Jaffna Technical College (JTC) went on a protest march Tuesday around 11:00 a.m. from JTC accusing the college management for corruption and malpractices, sources in Jaffna said. The protesting students first handed over their memorandum to Minister Douglas Devananda at his office in Jaffna Srithar Theatre and then to Jaffna District Government Agent, K. Ganesh, at Jaffna Secretariat in Chu'ndikkuzhi, demanding speedy action, the sources added.
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Tamil political detainees in A’pura prison begin fast

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 September 2009, 03:07 GMT]
Forty three Tamil political prisoners currently being detained in Anuradhapura prison began their fast unto death Monday afternoon, demanding their release or to subject them to judicial inquiry. They are held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and Emergency Regulations (ER) from two to five years without being produced in court.
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SL Army bus kills Tamil girl student in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 September 2009, 10:03 GMT]
An eleven year-old Tamil girl, Sarma Suhanthini, of Chaanthachoalai in Vavuniyaa died on the spot Friday around 6:00 p.m when a Sri Lanka Army bus, transporting troops from the north, knocked her down along Thaa’ndiku’lam-Vavuniyaa A-9 highway. The accident took place in front of Pramanthu Vithiyaalayam in Thaa’ndiku’lam, sources in Vavuniyaa said.
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Tamil political prisoners in Anuradhapura, Jaffna to begin fast

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 September 2009, 09:53 GMT]
Groups of Tamil political prisoners now being detained, in the prisons of Jaffna and Anuradhapura without inquiry, under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and Emergency Regulations, have notified their relatives that they have decided to begin a continuous fast demanding their release or to subject them to judicial inquiry in court, according to the relatives.
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US Group opposes GSP+ extension

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 September 2009, 03:59 GMT]
In a submission to the Chairperson of Human Rights Subcommission of the European Union (EU), Ms. Heidi Hautala, US-based pressure group Tamils Against Genocide (TAG) said that the EU should terminate GSP+ privileges to Sri Lanka especially after the "failure of the UN system to uphold international human rights and humanitarian laws," and the "abdication of moral and diplomatic leadership by the UN Secretary General." The Subcommission is scheduled to meet on 1st October, and the decision on the status of the GSP+ to Sri Lanka is to be made on 15th October, according to sources in UK.
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Eezham Tamils in Norway launch move for democratically elected council

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 September 2009, 02:41 GMT]
Eezham Tamils in Norway have launched an election process on Monday to form Norwegian Council of Eelam Tamils (NCET), a move widely perceived as a pioneering major step in the global politics of Eezham Tamils. An independent election committee formed for this purpose has called for the nomination of candidates and has announced that the elections will be held on November 15th. The Norwegian Tamil move follows an overwhelming mandate by them in May this year for independence and sovereignty of Tamil Eelam, based on political fundamental of the Vaddukkoaddai Resolution (VR) of 1976.
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Tissainayagam, a prisoner of conscience - paper, Amnesty

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 September 2009, 15:48 GMT]
Arrested without a warrant, incarcerated without detention order, refused to see a lawyer for more than two weeks after arrest, denied privacy of conversation with his attorney and his wife while under detention, and held without charge for more than 5 months, and now sentenced by Sri Lanka's high court for 20 years in prison, Jayaprakash Sittampalam Tissainayagam, a Sri Lanka's Tamil journalist, "became a symbol of [Sri Lanka] government repression and a martyr for freedom of the press. To many observers, Tissainayagam’s treatment cemented Sri Lanka’s reputation as a totalitarian state in the making," Sunday Leader said in its weekend edition. Tissainayagam was chosen by President Obama as an emblematic example of persecuted journalists.
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Indian envoy listens to preparations on IDPs withstanding monsoon

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 September 2009, 00:55 GMT]
The Indian High commissioner in Colombo, Mr. Alok Prasad, on Saturday visited internment camps in Vavuniyaa and held discussions with the militarised 'Competent Authority' for IDPs in the Northern Province, Maj. Gen. Kamal Goonaratne, and the Sri Lankan Government Agent for Vavuniyaa Mrs. Charles. Amidst all what have been listed by the Indian High Commission, as matters discussed by the High Commissioner, observers give much significance to his listening to briefings on making facilities for the internment camp mates to face flooding and water logging during the forthcoming monsoon. Tamil circles find it as tacit acceptance by India for prolonging the internment camps beyond this year's rainy season.
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