Left parties in UPFA join TNDA to contest east elections

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 March 2008, 14:28 GMT]
Communist Party (CP) of Sri Lanka and Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), constituents of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) led by President Mahinda Rajapakse, and three more political parties in the south, Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya, Democratic Left Front and Desha Vimukthi Janatha Pakshaya have decided to contest the East Provincial Council election in alliance with the recently formed Tamil National Democratic Alliance (TNDA), media sources said. TNDA comprises Peoples Liberation Front of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) and Padmanaba wing of the Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF).
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Media groups condemn 'assault' on Thusara Peiries

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 March 2008, 14:04 GMT]
Free Media Movement (FMM), along with four other journalist groups, has written to Alok Prasad, the Indian High Commissioner to Colombo on Sunday seeking his intervention to acquire the master tapes of Thushara Peiris' controversial film from the Gemini Studios in Chennai. In its letter, the FMM maintained that its concern was "with the principle, not the content of the film per se" since it believed in the right to freedom of expression.
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TID seeks permission to seal Tissainayagam's house

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 March 2008, 12:20 GMT]
The Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) of the Sri Lanka Police on Friday filed a motion in the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court seeking an order to seal the house of J.S.Tissanayagam a senior journalist and Sunday Times columnist now under detention since his arrest on March 6, legal sources said. Meanwhile, Free Media Movement (FMM), joined by four other journalists associations, embarked on a world-wide campaign to pressure Colombo to free the journalist who has been held in detention for more than three weeks without charges.
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Not possible to remain mute spectators: Ramadoss to Indian PM

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 March 2008, 09:16 GMT]
Labelling Sri Lanka "a failed state, a condominium of anarchy, and a shame on humanity" that "terrorized its own Tamil citizens," Dr. S. Ramadoss, leader of Paaddaa'li Makka'l Kadchi (PMK, Toilers' Party) and a constituent ally of the Congress-led Indian government, said that it was not possible to remain "passing by-standers to this human tragedy at our doorstep" in his letter to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday. "The sixty million Tamils in India cannot wait and watch while their sisters and brothers are being decimated across the Palk Straits and Gulf of Mannar," he said.
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Tamil woman shot dead in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 March 2008, 18:52 GMT]
A 35-year old Tamil woman, a mother of three children, was shot dead by unidentified armed persons who arrived in a three-wheeler at Theakangkaadu in Vavuniya Friday night. The body was handed over to the Vavuniyaa general hospital for postmortem and inquest, sources said.
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LTTE, SLA clash in Paalamoaddai, Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 March 2008, 14:48 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Operations Command in Vavuniyaa told media Saturday that a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) attempt to break into LTTE territory in Paalamoaddai, launched at 4:15 p.m. was thwarted after a confrontation that lasted for 40 minutes.
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Moneragala Tamil councilor shot dead

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 March 2008, 14:18 GMT]
Unidentified men who arrived in a white van opened fire on the Deputy Chairman of the Moneragala Piratheasa Chapai (Pradeshiya Sabha), Annamalai Narayanan Mutthulingam, 61, an Up-Country Tamil representative around 6:00 p.m. Saturday, Police said. He succumbed to injuries at Moneragala hospital. A fellow Up-Country Tamil politician described the slaying as part of a prolonged and 'camouflaged campaign of communal violence' against Tamils.
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PLOTE, EPRLF, TULF to contest under one wing

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 March 2008, 11:54 GMT]
People Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) led by D.Siththarathan, Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) led by V.Anandasangaree, and Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation Front (Padmanaba wing) are to contest the Eastern Provincial Council election under the banner Tamil Democratic National Front (TDNF), media reported quoting PLOTE leader Siththarthan.
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White van squad abducts 3 Tamil students in Moratuwa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 March 2008, 11:31 GMT]
Three Jaffna Tamil youths studying at Moratuwa University are reported to have been abducted by an armed group of persons clad in civil dress on March 24 night around 7:30 p.m. from their residence in Moratuwa town in western province. The unidentified men arrived in a white colored van had sealed the residence where the students had been staying, according to complaints lodged with Colombo district parliamentarian P.Radhakrishnan by their relatives, media reported.
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Kandy police arrests Tamil teenager

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 March 2008, 07:49 GMT]
Kandy Police Friday arrested a 14-year old Tamil boy at the Kandy bus stand, and has detained him at the Kandy Police. The boy has been identified as Pavithran of Pandaarikulam, and is being interrogated, media sources said.
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Tamil civilian abducted in Kotahena

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 March 2008, 05:41 GMT]
A Tamil civilian residing at Jampettah Road in Kotahena in Colombo city was abducted on March 18 morning around 5:00 a.m. by a group of unidentified armed persons who arrived in a van. The men dressed in civil stated that they had come from Kotahena police station, according to a complaint lodged with the Kotahena Police and the Civil Monitoring Committee in Colombo by his wife.
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Upcountry Tamil arrested in Nuwara Eliya

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 March 2008, 03:27 GMT]
Police Friday conducted a cordon and search operation in Kandapola in Nuwara Eliya division in the central province and arrested an upcountry Tamil. The arrested man is being detained and interrogated by the Terrorist Intelligence Unit, media reports from Nuwara Elilya said.
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SLA moves weapons, explosives to Northern FDLs

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 March 2008, 17:44 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) transported heavy weapons and explosives in large quantities from Kaangkeasanththu’rai (KKS) harbour to its Northern Front Defence Line (FDL) areas in Ki’laali, Mukamaalai, Nakarkoayil and the islets of Jaffna, Thursday and Friday, sources from Jaffna said.
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53% of Sri Lanka's external military training provided by India, TPM protests

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 March 2008, 15:10 GMT]
Addressing the large demonstration of the Tamil Protection Movement (TPM) opposite the Memorial Hall in Chennai Thursday, Viduthalai Chi'ruththaika'l Kadchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party) President Thol. Thirumavalavan, who condemned the Indian government for giving a red carpet welcome to Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, charged that one of the primary objectives of Fonseka 's recent visit was to seek a substantial increase in the number of Sri Lankan forces being trained in India. "There has been a three hundred percentage increase in the number of training slots offered to Sri Lankan armed forces personnel between the year 2006-2007 and 2007-2008," he charged.
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Close down Sri Lankan mission in Chennai - Thirumaavalavan

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 March 2008, 11:49 GMT]
The leader of Viduthalai Chi'ruththaika'l Kadchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party), Thol. Thirumavalavan called upon the Indian Government to close down the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in Tamil Nadu, while addressing a demonstration held in Chennai on Thursday by Tamil Protection Movement, attended by a large gathering.
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Tamil youth arrested in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 March 2008, 11:33 GMT]
Vavuniyaa police Wednesday night arrested a Tamil youth allegedly linked to the recovery of suicide jacket hidden in tree-hole in Vaarikuttiyoor, Vavuniyaa. The youth is being interrogated by the Terrorist Intelligence Division while being detained at Vavuniyaa police station, media sources said.
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Ramadoss urges Karunanidhi for timely action

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 March 2008, 08:23 GMT]
The ruling Congress of India has no policy alternatives towards Sri Lankan affairs. The DMK should take 'a cue' from the Communist Party of India in denouncing Indian arms to Sri Lanka, said Dr. S. Ramadoss, leader of Paaddaa'li Makka'l Kadchi (PMK, Toilers' Party) while speaking to media on the occasion of a demonstration in Chennai on Thursday. "The Tamil Nadu State Assembly should come out of its slumber and pass a resolution in this respect. The Centre should be reminded of the strength of Tamil parliamentarians. Tamil Nadu people are ready to pay any price for the Eezham cause," said Ramadoss whose party is an ally of the ruling Congress coalition government of India, along with DMK.
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TID detains Tamil woman arrested in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 March 2008, 02:40 GMT]
A Tamil woman residing in Modera, Colombo, since 2003 was taken into custody last week and is being detained by the Terrorist Intelligence Department (TID) of the Sri Lank Police according to a complaint by her mother handed over to Colombo district parliamentarian P.Radhakrishnan, media sources said.
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South African media regrets the act of Indian consulate

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 March 2008, 20:35 GMT]
It would have been better if a representative of the Indian Consulate had accepted the memorandum from the peaceful protestors, even if the consulate was not in agreement with their views, aired the South Africa Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) in its morning news last Friday while reporting the demonstration conducted in front of the Indian consulate in Durban the previous day by the Indian community in South Africa in support of the Tamil cause in Sri Lanka.
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Furore in Tamil Nadu over 'anti-Tamil' film

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 March 2008, 19:29 GMT]
Politicians and film personalities from Tamil Nadu have taken strong exception to a Sinhalese film that seeks to "vulgarize the Tamil liberation struggle in Sri Lanka." Tamil Nadu Film Producers' Association President Rama. Narayanan condemned the film for disgracing the Tamil people at the end of a special screening. Tamil Protection Movement President Thol. Thirumavalavan vowed to take legal action to prevent the film's release in Tamil Nadu since he felt that it not only degraded the Eelam liberation struggle and hurt Tamil sentiments but it was also capable of disrupting communal harmony in Sri Lanka.
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