Tamil trustee shot dead in Ea’raavoor

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 August 2008, 02:14 GMT]
Unidentified armed men arriving at the house of a Tamil Justice of the Peace (JP) Monday around 8:30 p.m at Thevaapuram in Ea’raavoor police division in Batticaloa district opened fire on him. The seriously injured JP was first rushed to Chengkaladi hospital and then transferred to Batticaloa Teaching Hospital where he succumbed to his wounds Tuesday around 4:00 a.m.
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2 Tamils abducted in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 August 2008, 18:32 GMT]
Two Tamil civilians were abducted by unidentified armed groups on Friday night in two separate incidents in Colombo police division, according to complaints lodged with the police by their wives Monday, human rights sources said.
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Tamil man reported missing in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 August 2008, 10:43 GMT]
A 30-year-old Tamil man was reported missing in Cheddikku'lam in Vavuniyaa division since Thursday, according to a complaint lodged with the Cheddikku'lam police by his mother Monday.
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Colombo instructs Mullaiththeevu, Ki'linochchi GAs to work from Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 August 2008, 10:37 GMT]
Government Agents of Mullaiththeevu and Ki'linochchi districts are reported to have been 'advised' by the Colombo Public Administration and the Sri Lankan Home Affairs Ministry to work from Vavuniyaa due to 'tense situation' in the two districts, informed sources told TamilNet.
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22 Tamils arrested in Gampaha

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 August 2008, 10:34 GMT]
Twenty nine Tamil civilians were arrested in a cordon and search operation conducted in Gampaha police division from Saturday night till Sunday morning around 9:00 a.m., according to the Sri Lankan Police. Most of them had been working in shops and other institutions. Some had come from Northern Province and Eastern Province but others are Up-Country Tamils.
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SLA intensifies artillery barrage in Northern Front

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 August 2008, 17:01 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) from its bases in Thenmaraadchi and Vadamaraadchi launched Sunday afternoon heavy artillery and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) fire on Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) territory in Mukamaalai and Nakarkoayil, sources in Jaffna said. The intensified shelling comes while the SLA troops are reportedly engaged in sporadic clashes with LTTE combatants for the third consecutive day. Night shelling continues from the SLA 52nd Division base in Va’ra’ni, Kodikaamam base and Point Pedro Munai SLA base.
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Pillaiyan group threatens Tamil voters in Polonnaruwa - CaFFE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 August 2008, 10:45 GMT]
Campaign for Free and Fair Election (CaFFE), a monitoring organization said Sunday that it has received several complaints alleging that Tamil Paramilitary group Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP ) has been engaged in preventing opposition parties, United National Party (UNP) and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) from holding election meetings in Tamil villages in the south of Polonnaruwa electorate and also intimidating Tamil voters not to vote for such parties in the forthcoming elections to the North Central Provincial Council (NCPC) that is scheduled to be held on August 23.
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SLA, LTTE clash in Ki’laali FDL

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 August 2008, 05:30 GMT]
Heavy clashes between Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Ki’laali Northern Front Defence Lines (FDL) erupted Saturday afternoon, lasting for an hour and again in the evening fighting erupted around 6:00 p.m and went on till 7:00 p.m,. Heavy artillery and Multi-barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) fire were exchanged in the clashes. No information is available about casualties.
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SLA deprives Tamil devotees from attending Madu Shrine

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 August 2008, 21:14 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) hierarchy in Mannaar blocked Friday Tamil Catholic devotees from taking part in the special mass of blessing from Our Lady of Madu. Tamil Catholic devotees from Mannaar and Vavuniyaa were deprived from taking part in the mass, according to sources associated with the Church. Around 500 Catholic devotees from the South along with three Sri Lankan ministers were escorted by the Police to take part in Friday's blessings in Madu. However, Tamil speaking devotees who were present at Madawachchi were refused entry by the Police.
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Fragile fictions of 'sovereignty' and 'territorial integrity'

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 August 2008, 14:05 GMT]
Russia’s intervention over South Ossetia and Abkhazia, just like the Western intervention over Kosovo, amply demonstrates that 'sovereignty' and 'territorial integrity' are not cast-iron principles, but fragile covers for pursuit of interests by powerful states, the Tamil Guardian newspaper argued this week. “Sri Lanka's sovereignty and territorial integrity, like those of Serbia, Georgia, and many others, has always been contingent on these being sufficiently useful to all the Great Powers, at the same time,” the paper said. “The moment the emergence of Tamil Eelam becomes useful to any of the Great Powers, a new game will begin.”
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Loss of GSP Plus to cost 2% of Sri Lanka's GDP - Economist

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 August 2008, 10:07 GMT]
Referring to the conclusion of a research study by economists at the University of Sussex that "losing GSP Plus would lead to a 4% cut in Sri Lanka’s garment exports," and "[o]verall, it would cost 2% of GDP," the Economist in an article published in the 15th August edition, predicted dire economic future, and pointed out, "[a]nnual inflation is close to 30%. The rupee has appreciated against the dollar, further hurting exporters. By one estimate, economic growth—which was 7.6% in 2006—will be 4.3% this year. As elsewhere, inflation is being driven by high food and energy prices."
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SLA corporal shoots dead 2 soldiers in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 August 2008, 18:03 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) corporal shot and killed two of his troopers who were harassing a Tamil woman at Maavadiveampu in Ea'raavoor police division Thursday around 4:30 p.m. The soldiers were shot after a stand off with their corporal, residents said.
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Fear of arrest haunts Matale Tamils

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 August 2008, 11:03 GMT]
Tension and fear prevail among upcountry Tamil residents in Matale district in the central province due to the daily cordon and search operations being conducted by Sri Lanka Police from Monday, sources in Matale said. Police have arrested several Tamil youths and are interrogating the detained youths on suspicion that the youths have links to Liberation Tigers.
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Moothoor IDP families hold prayers for safe return to own villages

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 August 2008, 12:09 GMT]
Tamil families displaced from Moothoor east following military operation launched by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in April, 2006, and still being sheltered in welfare centers in Batticaloa district and Trincomalee district, are to hold a one-day prayer on August 16 Saturday, a Full Moon Day (Poora'nai), in Amman Temples for their safe return to their traditional Tamil villages, sources said.
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Ministry stops English training for Tamil teachers in South

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 August 2008, 11:20 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Education Ministry has decided not to enroll Tamil teachers from the NorthEast to English Teacher Training College in Maharagama and Kalutara for English Language training when the courses recommence on September 1. Only Sinhalese teachers are to be admitted in these education institutions in future, according to education officials.
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Upcountry Tamil youth arrested in Kandy

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 August 2008, 03:07 GMT]
An upcountry Tamil youth, arrested by Panwila Police on Monday on suspicion that he was spying the activities of Minister Keheliya Rambukwella when he visited Menikhinna in Kundasale electorate in Kandy district, is still being detained and interrogated in the Kandy Police Station, sources said.
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STF, police harass women in Ampaa’rai, says MP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 August 2008, 02:58 GMT]
Special Task Force (STF) commandos and police in Aalayadiveampu area in Ampaa’rai district are harassing women during nights on the pretext of searches, K. Pathmanathan, Ampaa’rai Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian said. “Many residents of this area and other places in Ampaa’rai district have brought this matter to my notice,” the MP further said.
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Sri Lanka doesn't have Tamils on its side - India

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 August 2008, 13:14 GMT]
Sri Lanka may win the battle against the Tamil Tigers but not the war as 'they haven't got the Tamil population on their side', India's National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan said in an interview with the Straits Times newspaper published Tuesday. Saying India understands the Tamils, Mr. Narayanan asked of Sri Lanka, “Do they want a situation like many countries have faced?” His comments come after a survey in a leading Tamil Nadu weekly suggested the majority of people there support the LTTE and want Indian intervention in Sri Lanka.
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Tamil family man shot dead in Nilaave'li

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 August 2008, 11:47 GMT]
A 56-year old Tamil civilian was shot dead Monday afternoon by two unidentified persons who arrived in a motorbike when the victim was fencing the office of the Periyakulam Grama Niladhari (village level officer), sources said.
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Tiger penetration attack kills 21 SLA in Northern Front

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 August 2008, 11:44 GMT]
Twenty-one Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed in the early hours of Sunday at Ki'laali in the Northern Front, according to well-placed Sri Lankan military sources. The SLA sources attributed the ambush to 'Deep Penetration Units' of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileealm (LTTE). The latest information on SLA casualties come in the wake of SLA stepping up sporadic clashes in the Northern Front after a long pause since it suffered a debacle in April 2008. The LTTE is yet to issue details on the latest episode in the Northern Front.
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