SL military intelligence, Sinhala Police step up surveillance on Heroes Remembrance Committees

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 November 2017, 23:35 GMT]
The intelligence wing of the occupying Sinhala military in Jaffna has been warning the people, particularly those taking part in the self-mobilised Heroes Day Facilitation Committees not to display Tiger emblem or LTTE uniformed photos of Tamil fighters who have sacrificed their lives. Although the pressure has shifted away from not marking the day during the Rajapaksa regime to not using the symbols associated with the LTTE, the SL military intelligence is more active in logging the details of those being active in the self-mobilised facilitation committees attached to each Thuyilum Illams (Heroes Cemeteries) in Jaffna peninsula and in Vanni. Armed Sinhala policemen have been posted around police posts. Posters that appeared in Vadamaraadchi in connection with marking Heroes Day have been removed by the SL police.
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Lion flag controversy comes to forefront after NPC Minister declining to hoist it in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 November 2017, 23:10 GMT]
“Without giving adequate recognition to the original inhabitants of this Island and their religion our National flag gives undue importance to the Sinhalese and to Buddhism. This is the reason for the resentment of the Hon’ Education Minister,” responded Justice C.V. Wigneswaran, the chief minister of Northern Provincial Council (NPC) in his weekly media address formed as Q&A. NPC CM's response came as SL Ministers in South started to react to media reports on the episode. On Wednesday, SL Governor to North, Reginald Cooray also exposed himself by interpreting the democratic and peaceful protest by the NPC Minister as “violating the constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka”. The SL Governor and ultra-nationalist Sinhalese in South seem to have not learnt their lessons from the recent history, commented political observers in Jaffna.
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Braving Colombo’s harassment, people in occupied Tamil Eelam prepare for Heroes Day

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 November 2017, 23:10 GMT]
Harassments by the occupying Sinhala military intelligence and the SL Police are being reported across the 8 districts in the North and East as Eezham Tamils have been mobilising themselves this week to prepare the remaining of the destroyed structures at various Tamil Eelam Great Heroes Cemeteries that have been razed to the ground by the occupying military of genocidal Colombo. The SL Police in Jaffna has deployed additional ‘Special Task Force’ commandos and the Senior Deputy Inspector General in Jaffna has vowed to deploy Sinhala Army soldiers at any time under the pretext of controlling gang violence and narcotic trafficking. Both the crimes have been systematically spread by the military intelligence in the occupied Tamil Eelam as part of a systematic psychological warfare against Eezham Tamils.
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SL Port Authority vandalises coconut farm of Tamil woman in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 November 2017, 23:20 GMT]
The Colombo government is intentionally avoiding giving back the lands of rightful Tamil owners in the district, commented ITAK (TNA) National List Parliamentarian for Trincomalee district Mr K Thurairetnasingam, who witnessed the plight of a Tamil woman, R. Mangaleswary, who had planted 40 coconut plants in her Chena-cultivation lands. SL Port Authority (SLPA) officials entered her farm lands on 11 November and destroyed the coconut plants and associated crops claiming that the lands belong to SLPA. However, former SL Minister of Ports and Shipping Mr Arjuna Ranatunga had promised one-year ago to issue proper land deeds to Tamil farmers who have been using the farms for decades, the TNA parliamentarian said. The SL Police at China Bay was also refusing to register a complaint from the affected victim, Mr Thureratnasingam said.
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Jaffna University students add a breath of fresh air to principled politics: Gajendrakumar

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 November 2017, 23:40 GMT]
The leader of Tamil National Peoples' Front (TNPF) Mr Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam has welcomed the student community of Jaffna University for taking a well-researched principled position in advancing the struggle of Tamil political prisoners in the island. Mr Ponnamabalam, an experienced human rights lawyer who is also well-versed on the political foundations of the Tamil struggle, was particularly appreciating the appeal document prepared by the Student Union of the Jaffna University on Tuesday. The fact that the University community has come forward to struggle for the right of the political prisoners, legally arguing why Tamil prisoners were entitled to international rights as Prisoners of War under the Geneva Conventions and demanding the most responsible actors to at least recognize them as political prisoners is a “game changer”, Mr Ponnambalam said.
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Still no land-route to Mayiliddi jetty, uprooted fishermen complain

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 November 2017, 20:18 GMT]
Two small pockets of coastal lands along with a jetty in the ancient fisheries village of Mayiliddi in Valikaamam North was released back to the uprooted people four months ago with big propaganda. But, the occupying SL military did not open the land route for civilian access. Most of the uprooted Mayiliddi fishermen still reside along the coastal stretch of Valveddiththu'rai (VVT), Point-Pedro towards Naakar-koayil of Vadamaraadchi East. The Sinhala military is still not prepared to open the coastal road to enable the uprooted Mayiliddi fishermen to travel forth and back to their coastal jetty and engage in fishing along the rich fish beds off Mayiliddi coast, civil sources in VVT told TamilNet.
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34,000 war-uprooted in Jaffna district alone: NPC Report

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 November 2017, 20:43 GMT]
Jaffna district tops the five districts in the Northern Province in the statistics over uprooted people who are awaiting resettlement in their private properties, which still remain occupied by the Sinhala military for the purpose of military zone and cantonments, according to a recent report submitted to NPC CM Justice C.V. Wigneswaran by the Deputy Chief Secretary on Planning at the NPC. There are 34,099 uprooted individuals belonging to 9,758 families in Jaffna district alone, the report says. There are 47,044 individuals who remain uprooted across the five districts. However, these figures are rather conservative and minimalistic as these do not include the people who have not lodged entries for resettlement and those currently remain as refugees in Tamil Nadu State of India and those who live exiled elsewhere as asylum seekers.
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Veteran journalist of Tamil Eelam passes away at 87

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 November 2017, 16:07 GMT]
S.M. Gopalaratnam (SMG), the most senior journalist to serve the Tamil Eelam liberation struggle with a prolific journalistic career in the Tamil-language press with more than 50 years of continuous service, passed away at the age of 87 at his residence in Batticaloa on Wednesday. Born in Jaffna and based in Batticaloa, Mr Gopalaratnam joined Virakesari in Colombo as a proof-reader in 1953 and rose to the level of sub-editor in the same year. SMG joined Jaffna-based Eezha Naadu daily in 1961 as one of the founding editorial board members and served the paper for 20 years covering the non-violent struggle of Eezham Tamils. He narrowly escaped from an arson attack by the occupying Sinhala police who burnt down the office and machinery of Eezha Naadu the very night the Jaffna Public Library was put to ashes in 1981.
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Landowners reluctant to dismantle military-vacated Buddha statues due to SL constitutional clause

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 November 2017, 22:29 GMT]
The occupying Sri Lanka Army was stationed at Mailampaa-ve'li village, which is situated 8 km north of Batticaloa city along Batticaloa - Vaazhaichcheanai highway (A4). The SL military vacated from the private lands three years ago. After that, the occupying Sinhala police has put up a post at the locality and the landowner is still reluctant of removing a Buddha statue which was left behind by the Sinhala military.The SLA was occupying the said lands at Mailampaa-ve'li lands for 25 years. SL Police doesn't seem to use the small temple, which is found in the abandoned state. However, the ‘foremost place to Buddhism’ clause in the SL constitution would be used against the landowner if the structure is removed.
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Jaffna students demand US and UN agenda-setters to declare PTA detainees as political prisoners

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 November 2017, 23:44 GMT]
More than 1,000 Tamil students from across the faculties of Jaffna University as well as the students from the College of Education, Jaffna Technical College and High Tech institute took to the streets in Jaffna on Tuesday demanding the main intervening actors of the International Establishment to recognise the Tamil prisoners detained under the so-called Prevention of Terrorism Act as Political Prisoners. They handed over open and urgent appeals addressed to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the President of UNHRC and to the US Permanent Mission for UN in Geneva, which has been behind the drafting of the ‘consensus’ resolution with the SL State in Geneva Human Rights Council in 2015 and with postponing a final evaluation by two more years in 2017. The student leaders handed over the appeals through the UN Residential Office in Jaffna and the American Corner in the city.
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Factoring political solution more important than addressing human rights: Prof Ramasamy

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 November 2017, 21:33 GMT]
Not only did the Sri Lankan regime won the war against the Tamil liberation force, it might even win the propaganda war if the problems of Tamils in the island are exclusively focused on human rights to the neglect of the fundamental question of a long lasting political solution, commented Deputy Chief Minister of Penang state in Malaysia, Professor P. Ramasamy, told TamilNet on Monday. “Yes, human rights must be addressed, but in the larger context of the Tamil political question. It would make no sense just to address the human rights issues without factoring the political solution,” the longtime advocate of the rights of Eezham Tamils said. Focusing primarily on human rights might be an irritant to the Sri Lankan regime, but it may prefer it simply because it diverts the attention from the need of a political solution of Tamils, he further said.
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Colombo refuses to release 3 political prisoners who have completed serving prison terms: MP

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 November 2017, 23:03 GMT]
Three Tamil males from Mullaiththeevu were detained by the Maldivian authorities in May 2007 for suspicious movement in the international waters off Maldives. A Maldivian court later sentenced them for 15 years of imprisonment. The prisoners were handed over to Colombo along with necessary documents and the verdict to serve the remaining terms. The prisoners have completed their terms in May as one prison year is calculated as 8 months and 10 days if served continuously. However, the SL State is refusing to release them, TNA Parliamentarian Charles Nirmalanathan said. The Tamil parliamentarian from Mannaar said that the families of the three prisoners had taken up the matter with the previous SL Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe in July and that the SL minister had promised to forward their request to SL Attorney General's Department and to SL Prison Authority.
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Doḍam-pē, Mādam-pē, Hal-pē, Ẹhẹla-pē

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 November 2017, 18:30 GMT]
The orange grove

The Mādam-tree jungle or grove

The Hal-tree forest or grove

The Ẹhẹla-tree jungle or grove
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Tamil-speaking aborigines face existential threat in Moothoor, Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 November 2017, 22:27 GMT]
The officials of the Wildlife Department of occupying Colombo have threatened Tamil-speaking aborigines, who had resettled in their traditional lands in Chantha'na-veddai located near Kal-malai in Moothhoor DS Division of Trincomalee district, to vacate their huts. The aborigines who have been residing in the area for centuries were provided with documents proving their ownership to lands as far back as 1972. During the times of war, they were uprooted from Chantha'na-veddai. After 2009, the people resettled back and have constructed huts. Their livelihood is cultivating finger millet and jowar since 2009. Sinhala Wildlife Department officials are now claiming the area as coming under their domain and have instructed the Tamil aborigines to vacate the lands, civil sources in Trincomalee said.
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World Bank to fund genocidal Sinhala colonisation of Tamil lands in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 November 2017, 23:19 GMT]
SL Mahaweli Ministry, which is led by SL President Maithiripala Sirisena, has schemed a major Sinhala colonisation programme targeting the pasturelands of Eezham Tamils in two administrative divisions of Paduvaankarai region in Batticaloa district, informed civil sources at Batticaloa District Secretariat told TamilNet this week. While 320 Tamil dairy farmers from the two divisions of Ea'raavoor-pattu (Chengkaladi) and Koa'ra'laippattu South (Kiraan) are already struggling without adequate pasturelands for their cattle, SL Mahaweli ministry has sketched out a new plan to distribute 49 acres per Sinhala colonists through a leasing programme. The overwhelming majority of the recipients are Sinhala farmers, initial reports said. The programme, if allowed to be implemented, would be one of the disastrous Sinhala colonisation schemes in the district, the sources further said.
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Nā-pā-vala, Nā-pā-goḍa, Dehi-gas-pā, Kańdu-pā-gama, Mā-pā-kańda, Sirī-pā-gama, Gal-pāya

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 November 2017, 18:30 GMT]
The Nā-tree forest

The Nā-forest bank/ hill/ village

The lime-shrub grove

The hill-place village or the hill-forest village

The great person's hill or the hill having a mansion/ temple

The sacred-footprint village

The stone mansion/ temple or the rocky expanse
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MCC should not insult Tamils by inviting ‘Sri Lankan’ envoy: Deputy CM of Penang

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 November 2017, 20:55 GMT]
The Deputy Chief Minister of Penang state in Malaysia Professor P. Ramasamy, who is a long time advocate of the rights of Eezham Tamils, on Wednesday condemned the Malaysian Ceylonese Congress (MCC) for inviting the SL High Commissioner to Malaysia to grace a biennial dinner, which is being organised on November 25, 2017. The Chief Minister of Penang has also been invited to deliver a keynote address at the dinner. “I am not sure whether the Chief Minister of Penang would be accepting this invitation. However since the Penang state government has taken a strong stand against the Sri Lankan government for its abuse of human rights among Tamils, it is unlikely that he will attend,” the Deputy CM said.
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Colombo's NGO coordinator issues threats to freedom of association in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 November 2017, 23:08 GMT]
SL Government-operated NGO Secretariat is again threatening the local civil groups, NGOs and Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) in Batticaloa district against taking part in the protests being organised by the kith and kin of the enforced disappeared, civil activists in the district said. Mr P.S. Sylvester, the chairman of the so-called Federation of Civil Organisations in Batticaloa District, an outfit recently launched by SL Minister Mano Ganesan's NGO Secretariat, is behind the intimidation. Colombo regime wants to completely dismantle the already functioning federation, which is known as I'naiyam.
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Uprooted Valikaamam people launch new protest demanding release of lands

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 November 2017, 22:11 GMT]
The uprooted people of Vasaavi'laan and Palaali South in Valikaamam North took the streets amidst pouring rains on Sunday to protest against the position of the occupying SL military that no more lands would be released from the Sinhala Military Zone surrounding the Palaali military base for the next two years. People demanded immediate answer from SL President Maithiripala Sirisena, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the SL armed forces on the release of their lands. The protest saw hundreds of people emotionally articulating their demands.
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Student struggle should address external agenda-setters

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 November 2017, 23:26 GMT]
The ITAK hierarchy of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which is led by Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan and M.A. Sumanthiran, has been unconditionally supporting the budget of genocidal Sri Lanka for the past two years. It is the agenda behind the external powers and global financial outfits such as the World Bank, which directs the collaborating polity of the TNA. The ITAK collaborators receive their instructions from the soft-power players of the US Bandwagon. India is also part of it. The ITAK collaborators have succumbed to the external agenda to a Quisling level. They are not even prepared to negotiate with the agent State in Colombo, said student political observers at the University of Jaffna who witnessed the interactions between the student leaders and the ITAK in the discourse of addressing the struggle of Tamil political prisoners.
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