Conflict headed for bloody, decisive phase- Uyangoda

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 February 2008, 01:16 GMT]
"With the umbilical cord between Sri Lanka’s conflict-management process and the international community, in the form of the CFA, having been severed, both parties are now relatively free to conduct the war in the way they feel suitable, with no external pressures regarding human rights or humanitarian consequences. In the coming months, the conflict will become a war without checks or balances, a war without inhibition," Prof. Uyangoda says in a dispassionate analysis that appeared in a southasian monthly, Himal, on the reasons and aftermath of the formal abrogation of CeaseFire Agreement.
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SLA beaten back in Ma'nalaa'ru

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 February 2008, 00:42 GMT]
A three pronged attack by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers Friday afternoon 12:15 p.m. in Ma'nalaa'ru battle front through Ma'nalaa'ru and Kokkuththoduvaay aimed at infiltrating into Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled areas was beaten back by LTTE fighters forcing to the SLA troopers to withdraw from the battle zone, Ma'nalaa'ru operations command of Tigers said.
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Tamil man abducted in Kotahena

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 February 2008, 18:34 GMT]
A Tamil person was abducted by unidentified men came in a black color van Friday morning around 10 a.m. while he was walking along Sivanantha Mawatte in Kotahena, a suburb in Colombo.
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Tamil civilian shot dead in Naavithanvea’li

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 February 2008, 17:00 GMT]
Unidentified armed men shot and killed a Tamil civilian at Cemetery road New Housing Scheme in Naavithanvea’li in Batticaloa district Friday around 3:00 p.m, police said. The victim was on his way from Annamalai to his relative’s house in Paa’ndirippu when he was shot.
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Tamil man shot dead in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 February 2008, 11:06 GMT]
Unknown armed men Thursday night abducted a Tamil youth in Anpuvazhlipuram, a suburb of Trincomalee city, and shot him dead, Police said. The victim, identified as Subatheeswaran, was found dead with gunshot injuries Friday morning at Jinna Nakar located in Uppuve'li police division.
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SLA offensives in Vavuniyaa, Mannar, Ma'nalaa'ru foiled

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 February 2008, 01:41 GMT]
Attempts by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers to attack Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) bases in the southern Forward Defense Lines (FDLs) in Mannaar, Vavuniyaa and Ma'nlaa'ru were defeated in counter attacks by the LTTE, Mannaar operations command of Tigers said Thursday. SLA is feared to have suffered heavy losses in the battles.
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Police rescinds collecting personal details of Tamils in Modara

[TamilNet, Thursday, 31 January 2008, 18:01 GMT]
“Sri Lanka Police has no authority to collect private personal details especially financial details even during the current State of Emergency in Sri Lanka,” Mr. R. Yogarajan, the Vice President of Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) said in an interview to BBC Tamil service Thursday. The forms distributed to the Tamils by the police in Sinhalese language calling for personal details including place of work, phone number, and bank details, ending into the hands of criminal elements would be dangerous to the Tamils, Yogarajan told the BBC.
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SLA, police cordon, search Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Thursday, 31 January 2008, 10:46 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police started a large scale cordon and search operation from Thursday early morning in Aalayadiveampu, Koa’laavil and Naavatkaadu in Akkaraipattu in Ampaa'rai district, following the killing of two Sinhalese men at Aalayadiveampu Wednesday around 9:00 p.m, Akkaraipattu police said.
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Sri Lanka police arrests 3 Tamils in Colombo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 January 2008, 18:45 GMT]
Ten Sri Lanka Secret Police personnel arriving in a white van Wednesday morning arrested three Tamil civilians in Mattakku’li area in Colombo and took them for interrogation, according to a complaint made to Deputy Minister P. Rathakrishnan by relatives of the arrested civilians.
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Tamil Nadu Government warns against expressing moral support to LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 January 2008, 15:32 GMT]
Desperate to appease its key ally Congress in order to retain power, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government on Wednesday warned of stern action against those who expressed moral support to the Liberation Tigers. Meanwhile, Thol. Thirumavalavan, leader of the Viduthalai Chiruththaikal Kadchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party), on Wednesday called upon the Indian Government to wage war against Sri Lanka and said that he was prepared to face any legal action arising out of his exercising the freedom of expression.
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Tamil youth abducted in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 January 2008, 12:18 GMT]
A 31 year-old Tamil youth was abducted by unidentified armed persons who went in a while colored van. The victim was in his house located at Pallathoddam when the armed persons entered the victim's house and took him by force in the vehicle, according to a complaint lodged by his relatives with the Trincomalee Police.
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LTTE Political Head writes to UN Secretary General

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 January 2008, 10:17 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Political Head B. Nadesan, in a letter to United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, bringing attention to the Claymore attack by the Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit in Madu, urged the UN Secretary to "recognize Tamil sovereignty as a constructive approach to end the unending five decades long, large scale, and serious rights violations against the Tamil people." Stating that the Tigers have ensured that there was no underage members in the movement and that the LTTE has respected the efforts made by the international community to rectify the rights situation, Mr. Nadesan said the LTTE has "demonstrated its readiness to cooperate with the international community."
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Iththikka'ndal

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 January 2008, 00:01 GMT]
The marshland in the locality of Iththi trees (Ficus virens)
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Contain threats against media, RSF appeals to Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 January 2008, 16:12 GMT]
Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF), a Paris-based media watchdog, expressing concern over escalating threats and violence against media personnel in Sri Lanka, in a press release issued Tuesday appealing to Mr Rajapakse, said: "Mr. President, it is not yet too late to restrain those of your close associates and political allies who sow trouble and fear among journalists," and added, "The violent behaviour of the men employed by some of your ministers is bringing the government into disrepute, a situation that will be hard to redress if nothing is done."
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U.S. Group advocates for Tamil Statehood

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 January 2008, 13:52 GMT]
"Applying the 'self-evident' truths celebrated in the Declaration of Independence, the United States should recognize the right of Sri Lanka's long oppressed Tamil people to independent statehood from the racial supremacist Sinhalese," says Bruce Fein, the associate deputy attorney general under President Ronald Reagan, and a lawyer for Tamils For Justice, a U.S. group of Tamil activists, in an opinion piece appearing Tuesday in Washington's conservative news paper, The Washington Times.
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TN Congress scorns freedom of expression favouring Tigers

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 January 2008, 10:08 GMT]
Congress party legislators in Tamil Nadu, who demanded the arrest of Viduthalai Chi'ruththaika'l Kadchi (VCK, the Liberation Panthers Party) President Thol. Thirumavalavan for publicly expressing moral support to the LTTE staged a walkout Tuesday from the Tamil Nadu state assembly, when Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi responded to their demand by saying that such arrests could not be made citing a Supreme Court verdict on MDMK leader Vaiko which held that expressing solidarity was not a crime. This is the first time that Congress legislators have walked out of the Tamil Nadu assembly ever since the DMK assumed power in May 2006.
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40 Tamils still in custody after Ja-ela claymore explosion

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 January 2008, 10:07 GMT]
Forty Tamils arrested following the January claymore explosion in Ja-ela that killed Mr.D.M.Dassanayake, Nation Building Minister in the cabinet of President Mahinda Rajapakse, are still being detained by the police and are being interrogated by the Terrorist Intelligence Division, according to Peliyagoda police.
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SLA attacks school bus in Madu, 8 killed, 35 wounded

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 January 2008, 09:59 GMT]
8 civilians including children were killed and 35 wounded in Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam controlled area in Madu division of Mannaar district Tuesday at 2:25 p.m. when a Deep Penetration Unit of the Sri Lanka Army triggered a Claymore mine targeting a bus with school children, according to initial reports from Tamileelam Police officials in Madu. The bus, with children and catholic clergy, was returning from a sports event, according to the initial reports. Further details will follow.
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FMM Condemns stabbing of Thinakaran associate editor

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 January 2008, 08:54 GMT]
Colombo based media watchdog, the Free Media Movement, on Tuesday said it was dismayed to report a second stabbing of a journalist within a week. Five persons who entered the house of Suhaib M Kasim, the associate editor of the Sri Lankan state-owned Tamil daily Thinakaran, on Monday, forcibly took him to veranda and stabbed him in his abdomen, the FMM reported. Urging the Sri Lankan police to conduct an urgent and open investigation into the violent act, the media watchdog noted with concern that the police had arrested "arbitrary characters" to be produced in the courts when journalist from the SL state owned television broadcaster Rupavahini, Hemantha Mawalage, was stabbed a few days ago.
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LTTE, SLA clash in Ma'nalaa'ru, SLAF bombs Ira'naimadu

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 January 2008, 20:34 GMT]
Heavy fighting erupted between the Sri Lanka Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam in Ma'nalaa'ru (Weli Oya) Monday noon and the clash went on till 6:00 p.m. The Tigers said the SLA abandoned the attempt to breach the LTTE Forward Defence Line in Kokkuththoduvaay and Ma'nki'ndimalai after 6-hours stiff resistance.
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