MI-24, Bell damaged in Tiger air strike on Mannaar garrison

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 October 2008, 13:09 GMT]
An MI-24 attack helicopter gunship of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF), deployed in Vanni offensive, and a Bell helicopter used to transport the wounded soldiers from the battlefield, sustained damage Tuesday night when Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) air wing, Tamileelam Air Force, carried out a bombing raid on the Sri Lankan garrison at Tha'l'laadi in Mannaar, according to a reliable military source.
Full story >>

SLA arrests 16 Tamils in Vaazhaichcheanai

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 October 2008, 12:56 GMT]
Sixteen Tamil civilians including three women were taken into custody during a cordon and search operation conducted jointly by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police in Ka'n'nankiramam, Vinaayakapuram and Pa'ndimadu villages within Vaazhaichcheanai police division Thursday early morning.
Full story >>

Tehelka on what the grass roots feel in Tamil Nadu

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 October 2008, 12:19 GMT]
"In these villages, it hardly matters that Pirabhakaran is an accused in the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, or that the LTTE is banned un India. Many have named their children after Pirabhakaran. Housing colonies have been given the names of LTTE martyrs", reports Tehelka Magazine in a feature article on Kolathur (Ku'laththoor), a Panchayat of 10 villages and 75,000 people, bordering Karnataka, in the Selam (Chealam) district of northwestern Tamil Nadu.
Full story >>

Abductions escalate in East

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 October 2008, 09:28 GMT]
Unidentified armed men arriving in a white van Wednesday around 9:30 a.m. at the Ullai ICCA Non-government Organization abducted the security officer on duty, in Poththuvil police division in Ampaa'rai district, according to a complaint made by the victim's wife to Poththuvil police. In Trincomalee, a Tamil youth was abducted Thursday night at Uppuve'li suburb of the city. There have been several reports of abductions in the Sri Lankan military controlled East during the recent days.
Full story >>

21 cases of Malaria reported in Vanni, artillery fire wounds health worker

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 October 2008, 06:52 GMT]
A health worker spraying houses with insecticide in the fight against malaria epidemic in Aazhiyava'lai in Vadamaraadchi East was wounded in artillery firing by the Sri Lanka Army, according to the medical sources in Ki'linochchi on Friday. Meanwhile, TamilNet correspondent who visited the hospitals on Thursday reported seventeen patients with Malaria were being treated by Ki'linochchi hospital and four patients by the hospital in Mullaiththeevu.
Full story >>

Jaffna Tamil youth arrested in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 October 2008, 19:51 GMT]
A Tamil youth said to be resident of Jaffna was arrested by the Fort Police Wednesday in a cordon and search operation. Police said a time bomb and two detonators were found in his possession.
Full story >>

5 upcountry Tamils arrested in Matara

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 October 2008, 19:49 GMT]
Five upcountry Tamil youths were taken into custody by Sri Lanka police in a cordon and search operation conducted Wednesday in Matara town in the southern province following a grenade attack Tuesday evening in the busy bazaar of Matara town. The upcountry youths are being detained in the Matara police station for further inquiry.
Full story >>

Tamil youth shot dead in Vaazhaichcheanai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 October 2008, 19:42 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen shot and killed a Tamil youth Wednesday around 9:30 p.m at Ka'ruvaakkea'ni in Vaazhaichcheanai police division in Batticaloa district as he was going along A'n'naa Veethi in an intoxicated state. This shooting took place around 500 m from Vaazhaichcheanai police station.
Full story >>

White van squad abducts Tamil accountant in Ampaa'rai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 October 2008, 19:32 GMT]
Unidentified armed men arriving in a white van abducted Wednesday around 1:00 a.m a Tamil accountant attached to Thirukkoayil Multi Purpose Society, from his house in Thirukkoayil, according to his wife's complaint with Thirukkoayil police.
Full story >>

White van abduction of Tamil youth in Negombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 October 2008, 19:03 GMT]
A 25-year-old Tamil youth was abducted Tuesday evening at Kudaapaddu in Negombo police division by unidentified armed persons who arrived in a white van, according to complaints lodged with the police by his relatives.
Full story >>

Eastern University students boycott lectures

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 October 2008, 04:53 GMT]
Students of Eastern University of Sri Lanka (EUSL) in Vanthaa'rumoolai are boycotting lectures since Monday, wearing black bands to express their condolence to the killing of their fellow Sinhalese student, S. P. Samarasinghe, on 21 August 2008, and the detaining of Sasikaran, a third year Agricultural Faculty Tamil student, arrested on suspicion of involvement in the killing of the Sinhalese student.The boycott of lectures and protest demonstrations will continue until Sasikaran is released, the vice president of EUSL student union said.
Full story >>

Tamil Nadu doctors seek to help Eezham Tamils

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 October 2008, 15:41 GMT]
Doctors' Association For Social Equality in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, has requested the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and Union Minister for Health, Mr. Anpumani Ramados on Wednesday, to arrange permission for them to visit the war zone and offer their services to war-torn Eezham Tamils.
Full story >>

Sending food is a farce: D. Pandian

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 October 2008, 10:28 GMT]
"Sending food to an area that is being bombed continuously is a major farce," said D. Pandian, State Secretary of the Communist Party of India. He also expressed discontent over the fact that no information has been released until now on whether India's External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had addressed the issue of ceasefire during his discussions with Basil Rajapaksa, Special Adviser to the Sri Lankan President.
Full story >>

Wind of Change in Maldives

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 October 2008, 07:14 GMT]
As the counting is over for the elections that took place in Maldives on Tuesday, Mr. Mohamed Nasheed, popularly known 'Anni' has secured 54.21 percent of votes and is expected to assume power as president of the republic on November 11th. Mr. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the present incumbent ruling the country for 30 years since 1978 trailed behind with 45.79 percent. The voter turnout in the first ever elections in that country based on multi party system was a very high 86.58 percent.
Full story >>

Turbines damaged in TAF airstrike on power plant, one killed

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 October 2008, 05:45 GMT]
A turbine operator of the Kelanitissa power plant was killed due to the impact of the explosion and two turbines and air coolers sustained damage when Tamileealm Air Force (TAF), the air wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) attacked the powerplant Tuesday night, according to the sources in Colombo. The air-strike was carried out on the target in Colombo, after attacking the Tha'l'laadi garrison of the Sri Lankan forces in Mannaar, inflicting heavy damage to the Tha'l'laadi base, which functions as the rear station for the Sri Lankan military operation on Vanni from the Mannaar front.
Full story >>

White van armed men abduct Tamil youth in Kuchchave'li

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 October 2008, 20:21 GMT]
A 25-year old Tamil youth was abducted Monday night by unidentified armed persons who arrived in a white van in Kuchchave'li in Trincomalee district, police spokesman Ranjit Gunasekara told media.
Full story >>

Ceasefire should be primary concern: Thirumavalavan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 October 2008, 19:59 GMT]
Quick on the heels of the news-report that hundreds of Tamil schoolchildren had a hair-breadth escape from death due to airstrike by the Sri Lanka Air Force Tuesday, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) President Thol.Thirumavalavan said in a press meet in Chennai that "an immediate ceasefire in the island nation should be the primary concern of the Tamilnadu and Indian Governments." Thirumavalavan lauded Chief Minister Karunanidhi for his efforts to ensure peace in the island nation and requested him not to drop the resignation ultimatum, but to instead postpone it until a later date.
Full story >>

Cash pours in as Tamil Nadu Government sets up relief fund for Eelam Tamils

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 October 2008, 19:54 GMT]
A day after the Tamil Nadu Government's relief fund for Eelam Tamils was set up by Chief Minister Kalaignar Karunanidhi, contributions to the tune of 26 lakh rupees have been received, according to news-reports in the Indian media. In a spirited show of solidarity and to reaffirm his commitment to the cause of mitigating the sorrows of Eelam Tamils, Karunanidhi made the initial contribution of ten lakh rupees from his personal accounts to the relief fund.
Full story >>

Tigers launch airstrike in Mannaar, Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 October 2008, 18:55 GMT]
Sri Lankan military officials in Colombo said that the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) carried out an air attack on Tha'l'laadi military base, the main artillery and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) launchpad of the Sri Lanka Army in Mannaar Tuesday around 10:30 p.m., dropping three bombs on the base. The Tiger aircrafts then proceeded to Colombo and dropped two bombs on Kelanitissa power station, while Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) bombers were searching for LTTE aircrafts in skys over Ki'linochchi between 11:00 and 11:30 a.m. Latest reports from Vanni said the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) aircrafts were flying over the suburbs of Mullaiththeevu and Puthukkudiyiruppu with para lights focused on the ground from 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Full story >>

Colombo soft launches FM channel in Tamil Nadu

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 October 2008, 17:15 GMT]
Sri Lanka government resumed its broadcast to 'Listeners in All India', with a newly adopted name, diplomatically aiming at dampening the emotional upsurge of sympathy and support expressed all over Tamil Nadu State, sources in Chennai said. The Tamil Nadu media reports related to the Sri Lankan government's war on the Tamils in Vanni being unfavorable to it, the resumption of the broadcast from Colombo appears to be a propaganda measure adopted by Sri Lanka government, the sources added.
Full story >>