Sri Lanka warns interfering Westerners

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 February 2009, 14:47 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s hardline government warned Sunday that Western ambassadors, news agencies and INGOs of "dire consequences" if they attempt to give the LTTE a second breath of life. "They will be chased away (if they try) to give a second wind to the LTTE terrorists at a time the security forces, at heavy cost, are dealing them the final death blow," Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa told The Sunday Island.
Full story >>

'Tigers in pitched battle against genocidal military' - LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 February 2009, 13:48 GMT]
"The defensive formations of the Liberation Tigers are courageously facing the Sri Lanka Army, which has been engaged by Colombo in a genocidal war against Tamils," said S. Puleedevan from LTTE's Political office in Vanni Sunday evening. The offensive units of the SLA had massed near Puthukkudiyiruppu (PTK) in full strength, with tanks and all preparedness in their hurry to capture PTK in the next one or two days, but are now pushed back beyond their forward lines, he said. The fighting, which began in the early hours of Sunday was still continuing.
Full story >>

Two more suicide-bids in Tamil Nadu against Indian inaction to stop war in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 February 2009, 09:13 GMT]
Coming closely on the heels of Muthukumar and Ravi's self-immolation, two more young men in Tamil Nadu attempted to kill themselves in order to draw the world's attention against India's proxy war in Sri Lanka.
Full story >>

Eelam Tamils protest against war in Vanni, in Norway, Germany

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 February 2009, 07:25 GMT]
Norwegian Tamils, spurred by the brutal attacks by the Sri Lanaka armed forces killing and maiming many innocent Tamils in Vanni, gathered unannounced in front Norwegian Parliament Saturday between 1:00 p.m and 3:00 p.m, voicing that each hour delay in stopping the war will increase the number of people killed in Vanni, sources in Oslo said. Meanwhile, Hundreds of Berlin Tamils engaged in a similar spontaneous demonstration in front of the Indian High Commission in Berlin Friday around 11:00 a.m demanding the Indian Government to immediately stop its assistance to Sri Lanka in killing the Tamils in Vanni, sources in Berlin said.
Full story >>

Tigers launch preemptive strike in PTK

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 February 2009, 07:05 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) forces Sunday morning launched a preemptive strike on Sri Lanka Army (SLA) offensive units that were prepared for an all out assault on Puthukkudiyiruppu (PTK). The SLA has suffered heavy casualties, initial reports from Vanni said.
Full story >>

Grenade attack on Vavuniyaa TNA MP’s office

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 February 2009, 05:42 GMT]
Unidentified persons hurled a hand grenade on the Vavuniyaa office of Selvam Adaikalanathan, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian for Vavuniyaa and the head of Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), Saturday around 8:00 p.m, causing damage to the rear section of the office, sources in Vavuniyaa said. The office is located in Vairava Pu'liyangku'lam in Vavuniyaa.
Full story >>

Muthukumar triggers off mood of defiance in Tamil Nadu

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 February 2009, 02:11 GMT]
Muthukumar was not there but his spirit was there. The lamentable self-immolation of the youth and the last statement he distributed had significant impact especially on the youth of Tamil Nadu and triggered off a series of consequences, unprecedented in such acts earlier in Tamil Nadu. Apart from public unrest, tension and street violence, the deeper manifestation was the open public defiance of the Government of India ban against the LTTE, which the people demonstrated carrying LTTE flags, placards and images of Pirapaharan in the funeral procession of Muthukumar. The intensification of student uprising as an aftermath of his sacrifice has made the state government to close colleges indefinitely, reports a journalist from Tamil Nadu.
Full story >>

Jaffna woman arrested in Habarana

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 January 2009, 22:42 GMT]
A Jaffna born Tamil woman was arrested in Habarana on Thursday by the Habarana police. She had been in possession of a fake National Identity Card (NIC) at that time of arrest, police sources said.
Full story >>

Jaffna University students call off boycott temporarily

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 January 2009, 22:24 GMT]
Jaffna University students who had been boycotting lectures in protest against the killing of innocent Tamils in Vanni since Monday have decided to call of the boycott temporarily from Sunday, Jaffna University Student Union (JUSU) said in its report Saturday. The university administration which had been forced to stall by the students will resume it activities Monday, the report further said.
Full story >>

British Tamils stage largest ever march protesting genocide, mandating Tamil Eelam

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 January 2009, 21:50 GMT]
More than one hundred thousand British Tamils marched through central London Saturday condemning Sri Lanka’s war against their people and calling for an independent Tamil Eelam. The unprecedented response on one of the coldest days this year turned out to be the largest ever gathering of the British Tamil community. It seems almost half of the Eezham Tamil community in Britain joined the march Saturday. While the turnout reflected the anger and outrage over the genocide committed on Tamils by Colombo and its international abettors, significant focus of the march was the demand for the recognition of Eezham Tamil sovereignty in the island of Sri Lanka. It was actually a mandate, the organizers said.
Full story >>

Nagesh, made generations to laugh, passes away

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 January 2009, 20:07 GMT]
Born as Gunddu Rao in a Kannada Madhva Brahmin family on 27th September 1933, C.K. Nagesh, the veteran comedian of Tamil cinema, passed away in Balaji Hospital Chennai on Saturday at the age of 76. Started acting in films since 1961 (Thaayilla Pi’l’lai), his career stretched to almost half a century, the last film being Thasaavathaaram in 2008.
Full story >>

Colleges closed indefinitely in Tamil Nadu to diffuse student uprising

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 January 2009, 18:03 GMT]
As students of Tamil Nadu declared strike from Monday, demanding a permanent ceasefire in Sri Lanka, the government of Tamil Nadu on Saturday night announced an indefinite closure of all state-aided, state-run and private colleges in the state. "This reminds us of the 1965 anti-Hindi agitations that rocked Tamil Nadu. At that point of time too, colleges were indefinitely closed that lasted well over three months," a senior Tamil activist told TamilNet.
Full story >>

Tamil activists besiege Tanjore Air Force base

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 January 2009, 13:44 GMT]
More than a 1000 Tamil activists belonging to various political organizations and social movements laid siege to the Tanjore Air Force base Saturday morning violating prohibitive orders. The activists led by Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam President Kolathur T.S.Mani and Thamil Desiya Pothuvudamai Katchi (Tamil National Communist Party) General Secretary P. Maniarasan were protesting against the air-force base at Thanjavur being used by the Indian Army to supply lethal and non-lethal weaponry to Sri Lanka in its genocidal war on the Tamils.
Full story >>

'UN subtly abets Colombo's genocide' - MP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 January 2009, 10:28 GMT]
The United Nations, which has not asserted its international authority and responsibility with the Colombo government in directly taking charge of the affected civilians of Vanni, has no moral or humanitarian grounds to urge the civilians to submit themselves against their will into the hands of those who commit genocide on them, said Batticaloa parliamentarian S. Jeyananthamoorthy on Saturday. "Hitherto, the UN and the International Community have only demonstrated their miserable failure in making the Colombo government to observe human rights. What is their guarantee now for the security and dignity of civilians, other than untrustworthy assurance of Mahinda Rajapaksa," asked the MP who charged the UN for playing in the hands of a genocidal government.
Full story >>

Umbrella front announces February 4 statewide bandh in Tamil Nadu

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 January 2009, 09:34 GMT]
Demanding a permanent ceasefire in Sri Lanka and the withdrawal of all Indian military aid to Colombo, leaders of the umbrella front in Tamil Nadu, Ilangkaith Thamizhar Paathukaappu Pearavai, which was recently formed to protect the Eezham Tamils, announced Saturday that they would mark the Sri Lankan Independence Day on February 4 as a day of protest. A state-wide bandh and a black-flag procession have been announced.
Full story >>

SLA shelling continues on 'safety zone', Colombo refuses international call for ceasefire

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 January 2009, 08:37 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) continued artillery shelling Saturday on civilian targets in Chuthanthirapuram. Eight wounded civilians have been rushed to Udaiyaarkaddu hospital and a mother has succumbed to injuries, according to initial reports from the medical sources. The shelling continues as Colombo refused International call for ceasefire. On Friday, the shelling destroyed Vanni head office of the Human Development Centre (HUDEC) of Caritas Jaffna, the social arm of the Catholic Church in the Jaffna Diocese.
Full story >>

Family man immolates himself, Tamil Nadu tense

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 January 2009, 07:23 GMT]
A father of five children, set himself ablaze in Madurai, Tamil Nadu Friday night, demanding justice and peace for Eezham Tamils. The man, Ravi, has succumbed to his injuries at the hospital Saturday evening, sending shock waves across the state, according to media sources in Madurai.
Full story >>

Canadian Tamils form human chain to protest Sri Lanka's genocide

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 January 2009, 06:30 GMT]
In a show of solidarity with the Northeast Tamils caught up in the war in Sri Lanka, about 45,000 Canadian Tamils people took part in the protest throughout the day Friday, forming a human chain stretching from Bloor St. to University Ave. and Yonge St. and snaked all the way to Front.according to Staff Sgt. Deb Abbott of 52 Division, with about 30,000 on Front St. alone, Toronto Star reported.
Full story >>

Muththukumar hailed as hero, tension escalates across Tamil Nadu

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 January 2009, 05:13 GMT]
Protests and strikes spread across Tamil Nadu, snarling traffic at major important roads particularly in Chennai, demonstrators held vigils in Coimbatore, Thiruvannaamalai and Salem paying homage to Muththukumar who self-immolated to show solidarity with Eezham Tamils, and Madras High Court Advocates Association boycotted courts on Friday, while mainstream media said the prevailing tension in Tamil Nadu can snowball into a potentially explosive situation.
Full story >>

LTTE appoints Pathmanathan as head of international relations

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 January 2009, 23:51 GMT]
The leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) has recently named Selvarasa Pathmanathan, a high profile representative of the movement, as the Head of a newly established Department of International Relations, sources close to the LTTE said on Saturday.
Full story >>