Muslim men detained in Zoo bomb blast

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 February 2008, 00:15 GMT]
Three Muslim men have been arrested on suspicion of the Sunday bomb blast in Dehiwela Zoo and are being kept in detention, sources said.
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British Tamils mark Sri Lanka's '60 years of Oppression'

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 February 2008, 22:42 GMT]
Tamil expatriates in Britain marked Sri Lanka's independence day with protests and publicity campaigns highlighting '60 years of oppression'. Hundreds of Tamils participated in a lively demonstration outside 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister's official residence. Another group of expatriates hosted a major photo exhibition of Sri Lanka's post-independence history highlighting the state's repression of the Tamils.
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SLA, LTTE clash in Ma'nalaa'ru

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 February 2008, 18:30 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army and Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam clashed for around 6 hours in no-man zone in Ma'nki'ndi Malai in Ma'nalaa'ru Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. The SLA unit that attempted to advance was withdrawn after stiff resistance by the Tigers, according to LTTE's Ma'nalaa'ru Operations Command.
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Ma'nalaa'ru, Padaviyaa schools closed indefinitely

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 February 2008, 14:13 GMT]
Schools in Weli Oya (Ma'nalaa'ru) educational Zones in North Central province (NCP) region will be closed indefinitely in response to requests of parents of students attending these schools, Bertie Premlal Dissanayake, Chief Minister (CM) of NCP said Tuesday. The schools will be reopened after the security of the region is tightened, Mr Dissanayake added.
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TNA MP’s residence attacked, 2 youths shot dead

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 February 2008, 13:35 GMT]
Unidentified men hurled a hand grenade Monday night 7:30p.m, near the residence of Kishore Sivananthan, Vanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, but no one was injured, Vavuniyaa police said. Meanwhile, two youths have been shot dead in Vavuniyaa in two separate incidents.
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New TNA, UPFA parliamentarians take oaths

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 February 2008, 12:38 GMT]
Mr.Raseen Mohamed Imam,60, was sworn in as the new national list parliamentarian of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) by the Speaker Mr.W.J.M.Lokkubandara in the parliament when it resumed its sittings Tuesday, A lawyer by profession 60 year-old Mr. Imam filled the vacancy created by the continuous absence of the Mr.M.K.Eelavventhan for more than three months, parliamentary sources said.
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'Hatching chicken from spoiled egg'

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 February 2008, 04:15 GMT]
Ruling out any constitutional reform and upholding a 'single unitary state', the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his 60th Independence Day speech harped on 'bringing the provincial administration closer to the people within the framework of the constitution' to resolve the ethnic crisis of Sri Lanka. “The solution must be based on what could be implemented in this country. We cannot offer solutions that are experiments,” he said. The challenge he stressed was the 'defeat of terrorism'. “Impotent of laying new eggs, the president is duping Tamils, promising to hatch an egg rotten for 60-years,” said Selvam Adaikkalanathan, Member of Parliament and the leader of TELO.
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Communist Party of India urges Centre to remove SLN sea mines

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 February 2008, 23:00 GMT]
D Pandian, Tamil Nadu State Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), addressing the press on Sunday, urged the Indian Government to take suitable action to remove sea mines planted by the Sri Lanka Navy in order to protect the life of Indian fishermen who ventured into the sea. The CPI is a key ally of the ruling Indian National Congress.
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Karunanidhi offers to step down, challenging false allegations over Tiger issue

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 February 2008, 18:03 GMT]
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi hit back at Congress leaders and announced on Sunday that he was even ready to face a change of power in the state over false allegations of supporting the LTTE. Speaking at a marriage function at the DMK headquarters, well-attended by several Congress leaders, Mr. Karunanidhi alleged that some people were trying to topple his government by indulging in a 'conspiracy' and requested Congressmen not to become a party to it.
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4 SLA, 10 civilians killed in Ma'nalaa'ru bus attack

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 February 2008, 11:20 GMT]
14 persons, including four Sri Lanka Army soldiers and 10 Sinhala civilians were killed when a Claymore attack targeted a bus carrying soldiers and civilians at Kobbekaduwa junction in Ma'nalaa'ru (Weli Oya) colonisation scheme Monday around 3:40 pm. At least 17 wounded in the blast.
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17 Tamils arrested in Nugegoda

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 February 2008, 02:50 GMT]
Seventeen Tamil civilians, majority of them workers at business establishments and staying in lodges, were taken into custody in a cordon and search operation conducted by the Sri Lanka government security forces at Nugegoda, a suburb in Colombo, from Sunday evening till early morning Monday, sources said.
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LTTE, SLA DPU unit clash in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 February 2008, 19:55 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fighters confronted SLA troopers of Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) infiltrating Sunday morning 11:10 a.m. through Paalamoaddai Forward Defence lines (FDL)of LTTE in Vavuniyaa and forced them to flee from the area, Vavuniyaa operations command of Tigers said.
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U.S. condemns bomb attacks in South

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 February 2008, 16:36 GMT]
The United States Embassy in Colombo has condemned the bomb attacks at Fort Railway Station and Dehiwala zoo in Colombo and in Dambulla on Saturday. Stating that the attacks bear "all the hallmarks of the LTTE," the U.S. press release said the attacks targeted innocent civilians to foster an atmosphere of fear prior to Sri Lanka's Independence Day celebrations.
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16 arrested in Matale following Dambulla explosion

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 February 2008, 14:21 GMT]
Sixteen persons, majority of them Tamils, were taken into custody by the Sri Lanka government security forces in a cordon and search operation conducted at Matale and Naula area from Saturday evening till Sunday morning following the bus explosion at Dambulla Saturday morning.
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Tamil youth abducted in Paalaiyoottu

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 February 2008, 13:14 GMT]
A Tamil youth, resident of Paalaiyoottu, a suburb in Trincomalee city, was abducted from his house Saturday night 10 p.m. by unknown armed persons arrived in a vehicle. A complaint to this effect was lodged with the Trincomalee police by his relatives.
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Battle for Equality, Liberty

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 February 2008, 01:04 GMT]
While leading democratic presidential candidates have articulated defects in United States current approach to "war on terror," forewarning imminent changes to U.S. domestic and foreign policies, leading legal authorities in the U.S., acting as proxies to public interest and driven by Maslowian instinct, are battling in U.S. Courts to balance security and personal liberty by challenging Bush's national security policies. The judicial outcomes have a bearing on American Tamils, and contain illuminating lessons on civil society's struggle in a nation whose democratic governance is built on Montesquieu's doctrine of "checks and balances."
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Youth shot dead in Koappaay

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 February 2008, 23:47 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen riding a motorbike pursuing a Tamil youth riding another motorbike along Raja Veethi, Koappaay, towards Jaffna town Saturday night, sprayed the youth with bullets near Heroes Cemetary in Koappaay and fled from the scene. The youth succumbed to his injuries, sources said.
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100,000 signatures against Indian military aid

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 February 2008, 20:32 GMT]
As a part of its signature campaign against Indian military aid to Sri Lanka, the Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (PDK) held a public meeting in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu Friday, to hand over one hundred thousand signatures that have been collected so far.
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Thirumavalavan urges Center to hold referendum on extending LTTE ban

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 February 2008, 20:18 GMT]
Viduthalai Chiruththaikal Kadchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party) President Thol. Thirumavalavan on Friday urged the Indian Government to conduct a referendum among the sixty five million people of Tamil Nadu on the extension of LTTE ban. He was speaking at a demonstration organized by his party to pressure the Indian Government to wage war against Sri Lanka for planting mines in the sea waters of Kadchatheevu and for arbitrarily arresting Tamil Nadu fishermen.
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East elections, perversion of democracy, says Tamil Arasu Kadchi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 February 2008, 04:19 GMT]
Outlining the reasons for not participating in the forthcoming local elections in the east, a press release issued by Mavai Senathirajah, General Secretary, Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) in Colombo Wednesday, said: TMVP, an armed paramilitary group which is aligning with the ruling party in the forthcoming elections is openly brandishing weapons and has a strong presence in Batticalo district. The release added that in this climate of fear, elections will be a perversion of democracy, and ITAK has decided not to participate.
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