Mano Ganesan: Political solution after 'military victory' not acceptable to Tamils

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 January 2009, 10:02 GMT]
Responding to the mood of "celebration" in South over the Sri Lankan military occupation of Ki'linochchi, Mano Ganesan, parliamentarian and the leader of Democratic Peoples Front (former WPPF), in a statement issued on Saturday said political solution after "total military victory" of the Sri Lankan state was not acceptable to the Tamils. He added: "If the north today is a military battle field, the government has a political battle field in the east. You have your own provincial council. It is not the solution. But it is part of the constitutional law. You are not even implementing what is law."
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SLA occupies Ki'linochchi town

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 January 2009, 11:20 GMT]
The Sri Lankan military authorities Friday said their forces have occupied the strategic town of Ki'linochchi in Vanni, situated 320 km north of Colombo. The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has entered a virtual ghost town as the whole civilian infrastructure as well as the centre of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) had shifted further northeast. It is the first time after a decade the Sri Lankan forces have been able to take control of the town after several months of fierce fighting that has claimed hundreds of combatants on both sides of the war.
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Colombo Tamils ordered to register with Sri Lanka Police

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 January 2009, 05:18 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Police headquarters Thursday has ordered all Tamil civilians who came after 2003 from NorthEast and residing in Colombo and other parts of the western provinces to register at the nearest police stations on the 4th January, Sunday. Those registered with the police in 2008 have also been asked to register again, media reports said.
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SLA claims occupation of Paranthan junction

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 January 2009, 16:38 GMT]
Sri Lankan Defence Ministry on Thursday claimed that its troops reached Paranthan Junction, which is situated north of Ki'linochchi town on A9 Road. Informed military sources said the SLA suffered high casualties as the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) put up heavy resistance. The occupation of Paranthan junction comes after SLA suffering three major debacles in which several soldiers, including child soldiers and young recruits have been killed.
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28 Tamils arrested in Gampaha town

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 January 2009, 16:29 GMT]
Twenty eight civilians, majority of them Tamils working in business establishments and other institutions, were arrested in a cordon and search operation conducted in Gampaha town Thursday morning. The arrested are detained in police stations and being interrogated as they failed to prove their identity, police sources said.
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Civil society decries internment of Vanni families in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 January 2009, 13:53 GMT]
Sri Lanka military and Police in Kopaay are keeping more than 155 members of 60 families who arrived in Jaffna as refugees from Vanni in a newly established camp in Kopaay Teachers Training College without basic facilities and without any freedom of movement, civil society sources in Jaffna said.
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Uyirththa Raasan Ku'lam

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 January 2009, 00:01 GMT]
The tank of Our Lord of the Resurrection
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Clashes erupt in Mukamaalai FDL

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 December 2008, 17:53 GMT]
Clashes erupted between Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Tuesday night in Mukamaalai Forward Defence Line (FDL) area after a short lull, sources in Thenmaraadchi said. Artillery duels and gunfire exchange heard through out Tuesday night, and continued intermittently on Wednesday.
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65 Tamil youths arrested after Wattala attack

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 December 2008, 13:11 GMT]
Sixty five Tamil youths were arrested in cordon and search operations conducted by the Sri Lanka Police and Sri Lankan Army (SLA) on Monday and Tuesday following the suicide bomb attack at the Wattala on a camp of the Civil Volunteer Force (CVF). The arrested youths are being detained in several police stations in the Colombo district and are being interrogated, police sources said.
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Negombo Saiva temple administrator shot dead

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 December 2008, 13:06 GMT]
The administrator of Kali Amman Temple in Negombo, who is a Tamil resident in Negombo, was shot Tuesday night around 9.30 p.m. while he was returning home in his motor bike by unidentified armed men. He later succumbed to gunshot injuries Wednesday morning at the Colombo National Hospital, police sources said.
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North and South cannot remain separate, Rajapaksa tells Jaffna people

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 December 2008, 08:57 GMT]
“The people of Jaffna peninsula should forget the tragic past and all people of the north and south should live as one people”, Mahinda Rajapaksa, the President of Sri Lanka, said in a special satellite television broadcast Monday night for the people of Jaffna peninsula, which has become an open prison under Sri Lanka Army (SLA) control. Another message, delivered by Mr. Rajapaksa to the people of Jaffna, was that he has taken steps to 'liberate' Ki’linochchi and Mullaiththeevu and very soon the people there will 'live like' the people of Jaffna.
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Tamil trader abducted in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 December 2008, 02:24 GMT]
A 62-year-old Tamil trader was abducted by unidentified persons Monday when the trader was returning to his shop in Pettah from his residence located in Dias Place in Colombo after lunch, according to complaints lodged with the Vaalaiththoddam Police by his relatives.
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Major General Chandrasiri to retire

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 December 2008, 13:17 GMT]
Major General Chandrasiri is to retire from his current position as Military Commander of the Northern district effective from 6th of January. Promotion to Sri Lanka's Highest Army post eluded Mr Chandrasiri due to the extensions provided to his friend Lt.Gen. Sarath Fonseka. Meanwhile, Maj.Gen. Mendega Samarasinghe is expected to become the new SLA commander for Jaffna, military sources in Jaffna said.
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Tigers display weapons seized in Saturday's fighting in Mullaiththeevu

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 December 2008, 16:34 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Sunday displayed weapons seized by them in the clearing mission after heavy fighting in the frontiers of Mullaiththeevu district on Saturday. One of the weapons in the display together with four Rocket Propelled Grenade Launchers was an Anti-Bunker LAW. Among the ammunitions in the display was a grenade with a tag in Urdu, the language of Pakistan, which states: "the grenade is ready to charge".
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17-year-old SLA soldier killed in Vanni battlefront

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 December 2008, 16:14 GMT]
One of the Identity Cards recovered with a dead body of a young Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier revealed that the SLA trooper killed in the offensive forefront in Mullaiththeevu district on Saturday was a 17-year-old boy. LTTE officials displayed photos for reporters in Vanni on Sunday. According to the Article 1 of the the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, signed and ratified by the Sri Lankan government, the government (State Party) should ensure that members of their armed forces who have not attained the age of 18 years do not take a direct part in hostilities.
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White van gunmen abduct Tamil fish monger in Ampaa’rai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 December 2008, 15:19 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen in a white van abducted Monday a Tamil fish monger in Poththuvil police division in Ampaa’rai district, sources in Poththuvil said.
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Tamil youth shot dead in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 December 2008, 13:04 GMT]
Unidentified men shot dead a Tamil youth at Ganeshapuram in Vavuniyaa police division Friday night. Police recovered his body with hands tied behind and blindfolded Saturday morning along the main road in Ganeshapuram. The victim has not been identified yet, civil sources said.
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Tigers seize arms, recover 16 SLA bodies in A'lampil fighting

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 December 2008, 03:05 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) officials said Sunday morning that at least 50 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and 90 wounded in A'lampil area in Mullaiththeevu district on Saturday. The LTTE officials further said they seized more than 20 guns including 10 Light Machine Guns (LMGs) and 10 T-56 assault rifles, and recovered 16 SLA dead bodies in the clearing mission that followed.
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Tamil principal shot, critically injured in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 December 2008, 14:15 GMT]
Unidentified armed persons shot and critically injured the principal of a government Tamil school located in Ganeshapuram in Vavuniyaa district Saturday night in his house. He was immediately admitted to the Vavuniyaa general hospital with serious injuries, police sources said.
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Tamil civilian hacked to death in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 December 2008, 14:07 GMT]
The body of a Tamil civilian with cut injuries was recovered Wednesday night in Keeri area along main road in Thaalvupaadu in Mannar district. The body has been handed over to the Mannaar general hospital for postmortem examination, sources said.
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