Swiss Tamils condemn assassination of TNA parliamentarian

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 March 2008, 22:28 GMT]
Tamils in Switzerland held a demonstration and public rally in Geneva on Monday in condemnation of the assassination of K. Sivanesan, Jaffna district Tamil National alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian, allegedly carried out by a Deep Penetration Unit of the Sri Lanka Army in Vanni on 06 March. The demonstrators called on the International Community to act against the systematic slaying of prominent Tamil leaders, including academics, journalists, civil society leaders by the Sri Lankan armed forces and the paramilitaries.
Full story >>

No LTTE base in Tamil Nadu: Indian PM's office

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 March 2008, 17:52 GMT]
Virtually bending over backwards the Indian Prime Minister's office Tuesday 'clarified' that National Security Advisor M. K. Narayanan had never mentioned about the existence of LTTE bases in Tamil Nadu. On a temple visit to Kerala Sunday, Narayanan was widely quoted by Indian media reports as saying that Tamil Nadu and Kerala have been asked to "monitor the activities" of LTTE sympathisers since "Indian intelligence agencies" had come to know that both the states had "small pockets of the LTTE."
Full story >>

Come clean: CPI leader to Indian Government

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 March 2008, 17:46 GMT]
The National General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), D. Raja, launched an no-holds-barred attack on the Central Government during Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of the Indian Parliament) on Tuesday. He deplored the Indian Government for "not uttering a word against the deployment of sea-mines by the Sri Lankan Government" in the Palk Straits and for giving training to the Sri Lankan army in a "clandestine" manner.
Full story >>

UPFA-TMVP councilors take oath in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 March 2008, 15:44 GMT]
The Mayor, Deputy Mayor of Batticaloa Municipal council, chairmen and deputy chairmen of other eight local councils and the members of all nine local councils elected from United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPAF) and the paramilitary-cum-political party, Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), took their oaths in the presence of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the presidential secretariat Tuesday. Key Paramilitary operative, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, who was present at the presidential secretariat was greeted by Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Full story >>

Tamil youth shot, killed in Ampaa’rai

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 March 2008, 14:28 GMT]
Two unidentified men operating on a motor bicycle shot to death a youth Tuesday afternoon 3:00 p.m. along the main road in Kaaraitheevu in Ampaa’rai district.
Full story >>

Politically French, culturally Tamil: 12 Tamils elected in Paris and suburbs

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 March 2008, 06:54 GMT]
An emerging picture in recent times in Europe and North America is the active and successful participation of Tamils in the local politics. The new impetus seems to be coming from the younger generation of Eezham Tamils. Twelve candidates of Tamil origins have been elected to the local bodies of Paris and suburbs in the local government elections concluded last Sunday in France. Seven of them are Eezham Tamils while three are of Pondicheri (Paa'ndichcheari) origins and one each of Mauritius and Guaduloupe background.
Full story >>

Tigers strike inside Mannaar HSZ

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 March 2008, 03:27 GMT]
The city of Mannaar was shaken Monday night by outgoing artillery barrage when Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) mounted an attack inside the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zone in Thirukkeatheesvaram area, adjacent to SLA garrison in Tha'l'laadi, breaking the Forward Defence Line (FDL). 15 wounded SLA soldiers were rushed to the public hospital in Mannaar in the early hours of Tuesday and later transferred to Anuradhapura. Telephone links were disturbed and tension prevailed in the city as fighting raged from Monday 10:50 p.m. till 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday. The warring parties are yet to release details of the latest confrontation inside the HSZ.
Full story >>

3 SLA killed in sniper attack - LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 March 2008, 18:11 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Operations Command in Mannaar told media in Vanni that Tiger snipers gunned down 3 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers at Iththikka'ndal in Paalaikkuzhi on Sunday between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m.
Full story >>

Grade 7, 11 Tamil medium text books not distributed - CTTU

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 March 2008, 12:18 GMT]
Text books introduced under new syllabus to Grade 11 and Grade 7 from this year have not yet been supplied to Tamil medium schools in North, East and other areas in the country while the first academic term of schools to end in first week of April, complained the Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU) in a statement to media.
Full story >>

Boston Globe advocates "Self-rule in a confederal structure for Tamil region"

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 March 2008, 10:01 GMT]
Pointing to Sri Lanka's documented pattern of "abductions of civilians by security forces," and Rajapakse Government's complicity in "large scale disappearances," Boston Globe in an editorial Monday said: "[t]he bottom line is Sri Lanka's conflict is political, and it must be resolved by political means. A lasting solution will require that the central government grant meaningful self-rule to the Tamil region, perhaps in a confederal structure that maintains the unity of the country. Continuing attempts to resolve the conflict militarily can only produce more suffering and more war."
Full story >>

Abductions escalate in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 March 2008, 09:48 GMT]
Armed men in police uniform arriving in a van bearing registration number 250 7363 Sunday around 7:00 a.m at Sangamiththa Mawata in Colombo abducted a Tamil youth who had come from Jaffna with his mother to go abroad, according to the complaint made by the his mother to Kotahena (Koddaagncheanai) police. Meanwhile, a Tamil student of Moratuwa University, abducted on March 4 from Colpetty in Colombo, is still missing. Abduction of Tamils in Western Province by armed men in white van have escalated in recent days despite the global attention on Sri Lanka's Human Rights violations.
Full story >>

LTTE pockets in south Indian states, says Narayanan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 March 2008, 23:21 GMT]
Indian National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan on Sunday asked the intelligence agencies of the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala to monitor what he alleged as activities of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) stating that both these states had "presence of small pockets of the rebel group," according to reports in Indian media. The Indian intelligence agencies have been systematically releasing reports of increased LTTE activity in Kerala, Tamil Nadu's neighbouring state. Initial reports charged LTTE with using the coastal areas of Kerala since it was not as heavily monitored as the Tamil Nadu coast.
Full story >>

Assault on media

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 March 2008, 16:08 GMT]
While the 2007 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Sri Lanka released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the U.S. State Department catalogued the deteriorating climate for media freedom in Sri Lanka, State intimidation of, and violence on journalists continue in 2008. Unidentified men have broken into the houses of journalists Munusamy Parameshwari in Gampola, and Sashi Kumar and Sunetra Athugalpura in Gonawela, Kelaniya in three separate incidents in the last two days, according to media reports. Parameshawari's relatives were assaulted before the attackers got away, reports added.
Full story >>

Tamil civilian shot dead in Kanniyaa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 March 2008, 13:05 GMT]
Unknown armed persons shot dead a Tamil civilian at Kanniyaa in Uppuve'li police division in Trincomalee district Saturday night around 7:30. The victim is said to be a resident of the village, media sources said.
Full story >>

Stray cattle beat SLA cordon in Thenmaraadchi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 March 2008, 17:50 GMT]
The cattle-roundup-day organized by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Saturday when the SLA allowed displaced Tamil families from the Thenamaraadchy High Security Zone (HSZ) including Thananki'lappu and Maravanpulo areas to take back the cattle left behind, ended in failure as only five cows out of the more than 6000 were caught in the "net," residents of Thenmaraadchi who followed the event told TamilNet.
Full story >>

Police arrests 2 Upcountry Tamils at Monergala bus stand

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 March 2008, 13:25 GMT]
Moneragala Police arrested a Tamil youth and his younger sister at the main bus stand Friday afternoon, media sources said quoting Police sources. Both siblings are being detained in the police station and interrogated by the Terrorist Investigation Department as they failed to prove their identity and the purpose of their visit to Colombo, the Police said.
Full story >>

STF commando killed, 3 injured in Ampaa’rai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 March 2008, 11:14 GMT]
One Special Task Force (STF) commando was killed and three injured seriously when Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) combatants engaged the STF commandos in an exchange of gunfire Friday around 12:15 a.m outside the STF camp located in Rottikku’lam in Ampaa’rai, LTTE Ampaa’rai Operations Command said.
Full story >>

LTTE: 3 SLA attempts thwarted, weapons seized

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 March 2008, 07:01 GMT]
22 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed Friday when Tigers confronted 3 different SLA attempts to advance into Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) territory in Vanni, the Tigers said. The LTTE Ma'nalaa'ru Operations Command said that the Tigers have seized two AK LMGs, two Law rockets, two T-56 assault rifles, communication equipment and ammunitions after defeating the SLA in Kokkuththoduvaay in Ma'nalaa'ru (Weli Oya) region where 15 SLA soldiers were killed. Meanwhile, Mannaar Operations Command of the Tigers claimed 7 SLA soldiers were killed and 18 wounded when the Tigers thwarted SLA attempt to break into LTTE territory on two fronts Friday morning.
Full story >>

India should not collaborate in genocide of Tamils: Tamil Protection Movement

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 March 2008, 22:19 GMT]
The Tamil Protection Movement (TPM), an umbrella organization consisting of pro-Eelam political parties, NGOs, members of the film fraternity and Tamil associations, condemned the Indian state for extending military support to the genocidal Sri Lankan Government. In a joint statement issued on behalf of the TPM, Paaddaa'li Makka'l Kadchi (PMK, Toilers' Party) founder-leader S Ramadoss and Viduthalai Chi'ruththaika'l Kadchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party) President Thol Thirumavalavan, demanded the "Indian Government to radically change its approach and actions in the Sri Lankan Tamils issue" and warned the union government not to be seen as collaborating in Sri Lanka's genocide of Tamils.
Full story >>

Colombo irked by US Rights report

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 March 2008, 14:53 GMT]
The 2007 Country Report of Human Rights Practices in Sri Lanka released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the U.S. State Department has created shockwaves within the Rajapakse Government according to Media reports in Colombo Friday. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama had called on the US Ambassador in Colombo, Robert O Blake, to register “Sri Lanka’s serious concerns” on the report, Colombo media reported.
Full story >>