LTTE leader pays last respects to Commander Balraj

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 May 2008, 08:50 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Leader Velupillai Pirapaharan on Wednesday paid his last respects to Brigadier Balraj, a senior and a special commander of the LTTE, who passed away on Tuesday of a sudden heart attack in Vanni.
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3 Tamil civilians arrested in Katugastota

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 May 2008, 02:38 GMT]
Three Tamil civilians were taken into custody in a joint cordon and search operation conducted by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police in Katugastota in Kandy district Wednesday following the explosion of a bomb hidden under a bridge along Kandy-Matale rail track Tuesday night around 11:00 p.m., sources in Colombo said.
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Ground facts, Rights lobby cause Sri Lanka's UN debacle

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 May 2008, 00:27 GMT]
Despite determined lobbying by Colombo during and prior to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) session at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the stark history of gross rights violations by Sri Lanka Security forces, the unfolding ground situation including the exit of International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) from rights monitoring from the island, and intense lobbying by several Rights organization including three Peace Nobel laureates, have led to the ignominous defeat of Sri Lanka Wednesday in securing the sought after coveted spot in the Human Rights Council of the UN.
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International Law, Human Rights will salute Tamil Statehood- Fein

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 May 2008, 21:52 GMT]
Quoting the words in the American declaration of Independence, “[b]ut when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce [a people] under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security,” Bruce Fein, Washington-based attorney for a Tamil Activist Group, and Chairman of the American Freedom Agenda, said Tuesday that Tamil Statehood is the immediate answer to save innocent lives, and that “[a]n international consensus on statehood would bring the war to a close, as it did in Kosovo.”
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Sri Lanka lies to UN on disppearance of upcountry youth - Ganesan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 May 2008, 17:40 GMT]
Mano Ganesan, Leader of Western People’s Front and Convener of Civil Monitoring Commission (CMC), accused the Sri Lanka Government of lying to the United Nations Working Group of Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) when the disappearance of a 25-year old upcountry youth was raised by the WGEID based on a complaint filed by the CMC. While CMC said it had irrefutable evidence of complicity of Sri Lanka Police officials in the disappearance of the youth, Colombo has responded to the WGEID that no such person was arrested and that National Identity Card was not a valid one.
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Brigadier Balraj passes away - LTTE

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 May 2008, 15:32 GMT]
Brigadier Balraj, a senior and a special commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE), passed away Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. of a sudden heart attack in Vanni, LTTE's Head Quarters said. Brigadier Balraj was the first commander of the LTTE's conventional fighting formation, Charles Antony Brigade, established in 1991 and he served as a key commander in LTTE's major operations, including the LTTE operation on the SLA garrison in Elephant Pass in year 2000. The LTTE leadership has announced national mourning for three days on 21, 22 and 23rd of May.
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JVP blames Rajapakse for east crisis

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 May 2008, 10:35 GMT]
The government led by Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse should be held responsible for the burgeoning rift between communities in the east after the Eastern Provincial Council election, the politburo of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) said in a statement on the current situation in the east.
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JVP to take neutral stand in East PC

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 May 2008, 07:26 GMT]
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) said that its newly elected councilor to the East Provincial Council would function as a neutral member without supporting the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UNP) or the United National Party-Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (UNP-SLMC) combine, party sources said in Colombo.
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SLA, Police complicit in white van abductions- SL Minister

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 May 2008, 02:18 GMT]
"I have received information that Sri Lanka Police personnel and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were involved in several white van abductions. Reluctance of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and other law enforcement officials to take timely steps to investigate these crimes is clear evidence of widespread violations of human rights and breakdown of law and order," said Sri Lankan Deputy Minister for Vocational Training and Industrial Education, P. Rathakrishnan, during a meeting with the relatives of the disappeared held late last week at the Colombo 14 offices of the Upcountry People's Front (UPF), Tamil daily Thinakkural reported in the Sunday edition.
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LTTE attacks SLA post in Mukamaalai, 1 SLA killed

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 May 2008, 12:29 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) fighters on Sunday attacked a Sri Lanka Army post located in Mukamaalai Forward Defence Line of the SLA in the Northern Front, destroying the post, the Tigers said. One SLA soldier was killed and 8 wounded in the attack.
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Tigers locate 6 SLA bodies, seize weapons, heavy fighting in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 May 2008, 05:35 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) on Sunday thwarted a ground movement launched by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) from Irungka'ndalku'lam towards Va'n'naaku'lam in Mannaar claiming that at least 26 SLA soldiers were killed in the fighting and that more than 50 SLA soldiers were wounded. The Tigers have located 6 dead bodies of the SLA soldiers in the clearing mission. Two Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) launchers and six T-56 assault rifles were among the weapons seized by the Tigers. Three Tiger fighters were killed in action, according to the LTTE officials in Vanni.
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Vavuniyaa Court directs SLA to arrest abductors

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 May 2008, 17:42 GMT]
Vavuniyaa Magistrate M.Ilancheliyzan Friday directed the Commanding Officer of the Veappangku'lam detachment of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to arrest the members of a gang who have allegedly abducted a Tamil trader on Tuesday from his residence in Veappangku'lam. The Magistrate summoned Colonel Perera, Commanding Officer to court and issued the directive on a written complaint made by the wife of the trader to court, legal sources said.
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Police arrest suspects in three-wheeler driver killing

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 May 2008, 00:34 GMT]
Akkaraippattu police arrested Friday afternoon three suspects alleged to have been involved in the killing of a Muslim person, the driver of a three-wheeler beaten to death Thursday night at Periyavaaykkaal in Aalangku'lam, a Tamil area in Akkaraippattu police division. All three suspects involved in the killing of Akbar Miller, 27, are Muslim youths, Police said.
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2 Tamil civilians abducted in Bambalapitiya, Puththa'lam

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 May 2008, 18:47 GMT]
A Tamil youth was abducted from his house located along Milagiriya Street in Bambalapitya in Colombo Friday night around 10:00 p.m. The victim is a native of Batticaloa and had been temporarily staying in Bambalapitya, according to complaints lodged with the Bambalapitya Police by his relatives.
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PLOTE cadre shot, injured in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 May 2008, 18:45 GMT]
A member of the Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) was shot and injured Friday morning in front of Uma Maheswaran mausoleum located in Koayilku'lam in Vavuniyaa town. The injured has been identified as Varan, reports from Vavuniyaa said.
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Kaaththaankudi shuts down in support of Hizbullah

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 May 2008, 10:29 GMT]
Muslims in Kaaththaankudi on Saturday observed a protest shut down against the decision by the Sri Lanka's president Mahinda Rajapaksa in appointing the chief minister for the Eastern Province. Shops were shut down and mosques remained closed expressing support for M.L.A.M. Hizbullah, the Muslim candidate for the Chief Minister portfolio, despite requests to keep the mosques open for prayers. Meanwhile, at least 8 Muslim persons were attacked by Pillayan group paramilitary personnel, sources in Batticaloa said.
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Torture of Boosa Tamil detainees alleged

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 May 2008, 17:36 GMT]
Colombo High Court Judge Wednesday directed the prison authorities to produce three of the four Tamil suspects in Chandrika Kumaratunga attempted murder case before Colombo Judicial Medical Officer for medical examination when their lawyers submitted to court that they were subjected to torture and inhuman treatment by police officials in Boosa detention camp, legal sources said.
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5 Tamils arrested in Minuwangoda

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 May 2008, 17:25 GMT]
Five Tamil youths taken into custody in a cordon and search operation conducted in Minuwangoda Monday from dusk to dawn are still being detained in the police station and being interrogated, media sources said. The arrested youths are residents of other districts, and were visiting Minuwangoda when they were detained.
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Pillayan sworn in as CM for Eastern Province

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 May 2008, 14:16 GMT]
Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, the de-facto leader of the paramilitary-cum-political party, the TMVP, was sworn in as the Chief Minister for Eastern Province as M.L.A.M Hisbullah, who was competing with Chandrakanthan for the CM post, announced that he and two of his elected associates had decided to function separately. Mr. Hizbullah, who claimed that the swearing-in was unconstitutional boycotted the swearing-in ceremony which took place at the Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat around 6:30 p.m. in front of the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
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'India gives full blessings to eliminate LTTE,' says SL Prime Minister

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 May 2008, 11:50 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka, in a special interview to Thinakkural, a Colombo based Tamil daily, on Friday, claimed that the Indian government had given "full blessings" to the government of Mahinda Rajapaksa to "eliminate the LTTE." Mr. Wickramanayaka further proclaimed that there was no "ethnic conflict" in Sri Lanka. "The LTTE should lay their arms down if they want peace talks. We are not prepared for talks with them in the meantime," he further said.
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