UPFA seeks TMVP candidates to woo Tamils in Polonnaruwa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 July 2008, 11:05 GMT]
The ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) said Thursday that will include members from the Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) as UPFA ticket for Polonnaruwa district in the forthcoming North Central Provincial Council elections, party sources said.
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Abducted Tamil youth found shot dead in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 July 2008, 09:40 GMT]
A Tamil youth abducted on June 26 from his residence located in Paalaiyoothu was found shot dead at Thuvarankaadu junction, Thursday early morning, police sources said. The Uppuve'li Police visited the site where the body of the victim was lying, and removed the body to the Trincomalee general hospital for postmortem examination. The body had gunshot injuries to the head and the chest, hospital sources said.
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2 men injured in TMVP shooting in Kalmunai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 July 2008, 07:37 GMT]
Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) operatives opened fire Wednesday around 3:30 p.m seriously injuring two persons, in front of the TMVP office on Sellaththu’rai Veethy in Neelaava’nai in Kalmunai police division in Ampaa’rai district, sources in Kalmunai said.
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Knowledge books mistreat Tamil history

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 July 2008, 07:34 GMT]
The presentation of the History of Eezham Tamils, in some of the international reference material such as Britannica Concise Encyclopedia and The World Factbook by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), has become a matter of serious concern for Tamils all over the world. When the discipline of history itself is being deconstructed in the portals of knowledge of the postmodern era on one hand, these international sources of information are still harping on colonial brand of Orientalism, by basing history on myths.
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Assure government employees in Vanni their safety – Ki’linochchi GA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 July 2008, 02:42 GMT]
"If attacks and assassinations of government employees continues, the government services in Vanni will be completely crippled in the near future," N.Vethanayagan, Ki'linochchi Government Agent (GA) said, speaking at the protest rally held in Ki'linochchi Wednesday morning to condemn the brutal killing of N. Nanthakumar, Divisional Secretary (Assistant Government Agent) of Thu'nukkaay division of Mullaiththeevu district in a Claymore attack carried out by the Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA).
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Collecting Bank account details, violation of privacy, court says

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 July 2008, 01:40 GMT]
Sri Lankan Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva, while presiding over a Fundamental Rights submission on Monday, said that privacy of individuals was fundamental and warned those responsible for abuses such as asking for bank account numbers from civilians during search operations. Counsel M.A. Sumenthiran had submitted to court that directions given by the court were not being carried out during search operations. The CID officers were asking for bank account numbers from the civilians during the operation.
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Tamil political prisoners in Mahara prison launch protest fast

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 July 2008, 00:43 GMT]
Thirty-five Tamil political prisoners transferred to Mahara Prison began a protest fast Wednesday demanding to be sent back to Colombo Remand Prison. The prisoners said they will continue fasting until their demand is met by the authorities.
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HRW calls on GoSL to end illegal internment of IDPs in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 July 2008, 22:58 GMT]
The New York based Human Rights Watch has voiced against the illegal internment of around 400 Internally Displaced Tamils, who are languishing under Sri Lanka Army detention in a so-called 'welfare center' in Ka'limoaddai in Naanaaddaan division of Mannaar district. Since March 2008, the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) has detained civilians fleeing areas controlled by the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Ka'limoaddai. The SLA has imposed severe restrictions on freedom of movement, instituting a daily pass system that limits to 30 the number of people who can leave the camp each day, and only if a family member remains behind to guarantee the detainees return in the evening.
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Media institutions hold protest demonstration in Colombo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 July 2008, 14:41 GMT]
Five media organizations and prominent political leaders staged a protest demonstration Wednesday around 12:30 p.m. at Colpetty Junction, condemning the attacks let loose on journalists and media men. The demonstrators called on the Sri Lankan government to immediately appoint a ministerial sub-committee to conduct inquiries into the Monday attack on Media Director of the Sri Lankan Press Institute (SLPI) Namal Perera and the British Embassy officer Mahendra Ratnaweera.
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Tamil family from Kalmunai arrested in Horana

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 July 2008, 13:59 GMT]
Horana police arrested a Tamil family of five including a one-year-old child from Kalmunai who had come to Horana for a wedding, Rajaratnam Lawrence, the youngest member (son) of the arrested family, said in his complaint to P. Rathahkrishanan, Deputy Minister for Vocational Training and Industrial Education. The Inspector in charge of Horana police, Jayantha Wickramaratne, verbally abused Rev. Patrick Lawrence, the priest who was to conduct the marriage, when he appeared at the police station to attest that the family had come to participate in the marriage, the complainant said.
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15 Tamils from Batticaloa, Ampaa’rai arrested in Colombo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 July 2008, 13:07 GMT]
Kurunthuwathe police arrested nine Tamils from Batticaloa and six from Ampaa’rai districts Tuesday around 7:30 a.m at Narahenpitya in Colombo when they were on their way to appear for an interview examination for clerical service appointment, according to information given by one of the arrested. They were released after interrogation Wednesday afternoon.
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Sri Lanka Army chief says victory date now mid-2009

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 July 2008, 09:01 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army chief Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka this week again revised his timetable for defeating the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam; to mid-2009, from an earlier estimate of June 2008. Saying that the LTTE had lost its conventional fighting capacity, he told international correspondents Monday that, within a year, most of the remaining Tigers would be dead. Saying that the objective of the LTTE was to capture the entire island and wipe out the majority Sinhalese community, he vowed: "we will not allow that at any cost, we will fight them."
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12 SLA killed, 19 wounded in Vavuniyaa - LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 July 2008, 08:50 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) officials in Vanni told media Wednesday morning that the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) attempt to break into LTTE defences at Paalamoaddai on Tuesday was thwarted around 10:00 p.m. the same day. 12 SLA soldiers were killed and 19 wounded in the fighting that raged for hours, the Tigers said.
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Australian parliamentarian calls for ceasefire

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 July 2008, 01:06 GMT]
Australian parliamentarian for federal state of Lowe, Mr John Murphy, submitted to the House of Representatives Wednesday, a petition signed by more than 4000 Australians calling the Australian Government "to do everything in its power to get a peaceful resolution" to Sri Lanka's conflict, and pressed for the "proper implementation of the 2002 ceasefire agreement" that brought optimism for all Sri Lankans that there would be an end to the needless death and displacement of innocent people.
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SLA artillery attacks target IDP settlements in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 July 2008, 19:45 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) continue to launch artillery fire on Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) settlements in Ka’l’liyadi, Aaththimoadai and Illuppakkadavai in Mannaar district from Monday early morning. Large number of civilians who had been displaced from their villages in Mannaar district due to SLA offensives had been living in temporary shelters in the above villages.
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A9 gateway to Vanni closed after SLAF attack

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 July 2008, 18:29 GMT]
The International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) Tuesday evening informed the Government Agent (GA) of Ki'linochchi, N. Vethanayagam, that it has decided to withdrew its personnel from manning the A9 post in Pu'liyangku'lam after Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked a locality close to the gateway at 3:40 p.m., the GA told TamilNet. Four bombers attacked the location twice, endangering the lives of the civilians and the personnel manning the gateway.
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Aaraiyampathi youth reported missing

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 July 2008, 11:28 GMT]
A 17-year-old Tamil boy, resident of Maavilangkuthu'rai, Aaraiyampathi in Kaaththaankudi police division, Batticaloa district has been missing since 22 June, the youth’s mother reported at the office of Human Rights Commission in Batticaloa.
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Nanthakumar’s remains cremated in Skanthapuram

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 July 2008, 08:50 GMT]
The remains of N.Nanthakumar, Divisional Secretary (Assistant Government Agent) of Thu'nukkaay division of Mullaiththeevu district killed Sunday afternoon in a Claymore attack carried out by the Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) was cremated Monday afternoon in Skandapuram with tearful homage in the presence of thousands of civilians including hundreds of government officers and a number of people displaced from Thu'nukkaay AGA’s administrative area.
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Tamil teachers in Kandy district under surveillance

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 June 2008, 16:23 GMT]
About three hundred Tamil teachers who have been working in Kandy district on transfer from the northern and eastern provinces are under special surveillance. The activities of teachers transferred from Ki'linochchi district are closely monitored, said Kandy Police Superintendent (SP) Sisira Weerakone addressing a conference held in Kandy district secretariat, according to a news report carried in Monday's Thinakkural.
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10 Jaffna Tamil youths arrested in Chilaapam

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 June 2008, 15:51 GMT]
Ten Tamil youths were taken into custody by the police in a cordon and search operation conducted covering two fishing hamlets Aluthwatte and Yampuwatte located in the Chilaapam (Chilaw) police division from morning till evening on Sunday. They are being detained in the police station and subjected to interrogation, police said.
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