60 SLA killed in 48 hours in Mannaar - LTTE

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 March 2008, 13:40 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Operations Command in Mannaar told TamilNet Tuesday that 60 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed on Sunday and Monday when the Tigers confronted 3 major attempts by the SLA to advance into LTTE territory in Mannaar. At Paalaikkuzhi, a large ground push launched by the SLA was thwarted by the Tigers on Monday in which 20 SLA soldiers were killed and 63 wounded. Simultaneously, the SLA has suffered heavy casualties on another push, at Parappaangka'ndal. Further, the LTTE claimed that its snipers have gunned down 18 SLA soldiers on Monday. On Sunday, 22 SLA soldiers were killed in the jungle area of Karampaikku'lam in Keerisuddaan.
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12 Tamils arrested at Gokarella, Kandy

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 March 2008, 11:43 GMT]
Nine civilians, all said to be Tamils, were taken into custody on Sunday morning at Gokarella by the police when the bus they were traveling in was stopped and searched at the sentry point. Gokarella is located along Dambulla-Kurunagala road.
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2 civilians seek protection with HRC Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 March 2008, 04:20 GMT]
Two civilians from Puththoor Navakkiri and Chaavakachcheari areas sought protection Monday with Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna due to death threats by Sri Lanka Amy (SLA) troops and SLA-backed paramilitaries, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, 44 persons placed in protective custody of Jaffna Prison have been taken to the SLA Special Rehabilitation Centre in the High Security Zone (HSZ) in Thellippa’lai, the sources added.
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5 civilians arrested in Wellawatte

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 March 2008, 03:10 GMT]
Five civilians, all said to be Tamils, were arrested Monday in Wellawatte area in Colombo city in a cordon and search operation conducted by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police immediately after the time bomb explosion that took place near Roxy Theatre Monday morning around 7 a.m., media sources said quoting Wellawatte police sources.
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UPFA-TMVP alliance wins Batticaloa local elections

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 March 2008, 00:40 GMT]
Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa's ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) that contested jointly in the elections for the Batticaloa Municipal Council with the paramilitary TMVP group has secured 11 seats with 14,158 votes. The coalition of remaining paramilitary groups has won 6 seats. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and the Eelavar Democratic Front (EDF) have both secured one seat each in the Municipal Council. Voter turnout was at 53 percent in Batticaloa city. Around 10% of the voters who turned up for voting have cast invalid votes.
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India risks indictment in war crimes, cautions LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 March 2008, 20:05 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) from its Head Quarters in Vanni on Monday released a statement condemning the Indian 'State welcome' extended to Sri Lanka Army Chief Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka and the statements made by Indian military chiefs in this context. "The Indian State must take the responsibility for the ethnic genocide of the Tamils that will be carried out by the Sinhala military, re-invigorated by such moves of the Indian State," the statement said. "LTTE wishes to point out to the Indian State that by this historic blunder, it will continue to subject the Eelam Tamils to misery and put them in the dangerous situation of having to face ethnic genocide on a massive scale."
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50% turnout, paramilitary manipulates voting in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 March 2008, 11:10 GMT]
Voter turnout within Batticaloa municipal council was low till Monday noon, according to the sources in Batticaloa city. However, turnout at rural areas was above 50%. Despite the presence of a reasonable number of monitors, there were reports of fraudulent activities as paramilitary personnel were actively engaged in transporting voters to the booths. The TMVP paramilitary has heaped up anti-Muslim campaign warning Tamils that non-participation in local elections would benefit the Muslims. Paramilitary personnel were also seen visiting households checking civilians' participation in the elections. Violent incidents were low.
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International leftists urge support for Tamil cause

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 March 2008, 02:50 GMT]
More than thirty international leftwing political parties and organisations who met last week as part of a conference organized by Fourth International in Amsterdam made an appeal to “left wing and progressive forces to come forward in defence of the just cause of the Tamil people.” In a public statement they demanded that the Sri Lankan government “stop imposing its will militarily on the Tamil people.”
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Civilian killed, 4 wounded, bomb blast in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 March 2008, 02:16 GMT]
A civilian was killed and four students wounded in an explosion, believed to be caused by a time bomb, hidden inside a concrete pot along the Galle Road, opposite Roxy theatre in Wellawatte, Monday around 7:00 a.m., Police said. The locality of Roxy theatre in Wellawatte is a congested Tamil residential suburb of Colombo.
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Danish MEP condemns Sivanesan killing

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 March 2008, 22:42 GMT]
Danish Member of European Parliament, Søren Søndergaard, condemned the murder of K. Sivanesan, Sri Lanka's Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian calling on the Danish government and the entire International Community to condemn the killing of Tamil parliamentarians, and to take efforts to help Sri Lanka reach a just peace that could benefit people of all ethnic groups in Sri Lanka, media sources in Denmark said. He also expressed concern that Norway has carried a significant burden in shouldering peace mediation task with little assistance from others.
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"Elect me or face conscription," paramilitary operative threatens voters

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 March 2008, 17:11 GMT]
A key paramilitary operative of the TMVP participating in the local elections of Ea'raavoor pattu Piratheasa Chapai (PS), Irasaiah Satheeskumar alias Anpumani, has threatened Tamil families in Vanthaa'rumoolai that unless the voters elect him, he will forcibly conscript one child per household, residents of Vanthaa'rumoolai said.
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Tamil labourer shot dead in Ampaa'rai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 March 2008, 15:55 GMT]
Unidentified attackers who entered the residence of a 22-year-old worker of daily wages at Chinna Panangkaadu in Akkaraippattu police area in Ampaa'rai district Saturday around 8:15 p.m. shot the victim dead after dragging him to a spot 50 meters from his residence, residents said.
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Sri Lankan forces beef up security in Batticaloa before local polls

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 March 2008, 11:46 GMT]
Local government elections for nine local bodies including Batticaloa Municipal Council are to take place on Monday 10 March after a lapse of 14 years and all arrangements related to them have been made, according to Deputy Election Commissioner. People`s Action For Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) is the largest monitoring body, engaged with 300 monitors with 20 foreign nationals. However, Batticaloa has been turned into a militarised city with 12 more check posts and the deployment of additional Sri Lanka Army, Special Task Force and Policemen. 6,725 policemen have been engaged. More than 1800 policemen have been brought from Colombo.
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12 Tamil Nadu fishermen still detained, 50 released

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 March 2008, 08:17 GMT]
Twelve Indian fishermen with their four vessels are still being detained at Katpiddi police station. Fifty of sixty two Tamil Nadu fishermen arrested by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Saturday off Thalaivillu in the west coast sea when they allegedly strayed into the territorial waters of Sri Lanka, were released with two vessels, according to SLN spokesman Commander D.K.P.Dassanayake.
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Karunanidhi urges Indian PM to protect fishermen from unprovoked SLN attacks

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 March 2008, 08:01 GMT]
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Saturday wrote to the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging him to "instruct the [Indian] Coast Guard and the Navy to carry out effective patrolling and surveillance to protect Tamil Nadu fishermen from unprovoked firing" by the Sri Lankan Navy since the situation was "becoming alarming day by day and unprovoked attacks are taking place often", according to reports in the Indian media. "It is necessary to contain the arbitrary activities of the Sri Lankan Navy," his letter noted.
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Genocidal policies exposed, Colombo stands weakened - Nadesan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 March 2008, 22:49 GMT]
"Signs of desperation are evident in Sri Lanka’s defense hierarchy as the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) divisions stay bogged down within a few square kilometers in Mannaar, unable to advance for nearly a year. While SLA commanders are on foreign jaunts to build hurried military alliances, Colombo has also suffered politically with its racist policies in governance exposed internationally, and has earned opprobrium from international community for the escalating human rights violations," said B. Nadesan, head of political section of the Liberation Tigers addressing the event held in Ki'linochchi to pay last respects to the slain parliamentarian, K. Sivanesan, Saturday.
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LTTE leader pays tribute to Sivanesan MP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 March 2008, 18:46 GMT]
The leader of the Liberation Tigers, Velupillai Pirapaharan, on Saturday, paid tribute to the slain Jaffna District Tamil National Alliance MP Kiddinan Sivanesan in the Vanni. LTTE's Intelligence Wing Chief Poddu Ammaan, Political Head B. Nadesan and the Head of Financial Division Thamizheanthi were also present with LTTE leader to pay homage to the slain MP at an undisclosed location in Vanni.
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SLN arrests 62 Tamil Nadu fishermen off Thalaivillu

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 March 2008, 17:57 GMT]
Sixty two Indian fishermen were taken into custody by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Saturday when they strayed into the territorial waters of Sri Lanka near Thalaivillu Sea in the western coast. The fishermen were later handed over to the Katpiddi police, private electronic media reported in the night news broadcast quoting Sri Lanka Navy sources.
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Mt. Lavinia bomb blast suspects released on bail

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 March 2008, 14:19 GMT]
Four civilians-two Tamils and two Sinhalese- arrested in connection with the bomb blast in a bus in Mount Lavinia recently were released on bail when they were produced in court Friday. Magistrate Mr.Harsha Sethunge ordered personal bail for each suspect by signing a bond for Rs. 100,000. Further inquiry in the case was put off for May 7, legal sources said.
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TID releases FMM spokesman, Charinikar editor Sivakumar after investigation

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 March 2008, 11:41 GMT]
S. Sivakumar, the editor of bimonthly Charinikar and the spokesman of the Colombo based media watchdog Free Media Movement, was detained by the Terrirorist Investigations Department (TID) Saturday. FMM Convenor Sunanda Deshapriya told media that Police has detained Sivakumar on Saturday to record a statement. The detention comes following the arrest of journalist J.S. Tissanayakam and Jasikaran, an owner of a press Friday. Sivakumar was released within 12-hours of in late evening Saturday, according to Free Media Movement. The TID officials had taken a relative of Sivakumar into custody till turned himself at the Police.
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