STF shoots dead youth in Ea’raavoor refugee camp

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 January 2008, 13:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka Special Task Force (STF) troops lay in ambush and shot dead a youth coming out of the refugee camp in Tha’lavaai Wednesday around 12 noon, Chavukkadi in Ea’raavoor police division in Batticaloa district, sources in Batticaloa said. The STF claimed that the youth killed was Sankar, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Batticaloa district head, and that a micro pistol was found at the place he was killed.
Full story >>

Indian PM to skip SL Independence Day Celebrations

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 January 2008, 10:43 GMT]
As Sri Lanka increased its military offensives against Tamils in the North following the abrogation of the ceasefire, the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday virtually confirmed that he would not visit Colombo next month for the 60th anniversary of Sri Lanka's Independence Day on February 4. "I have not made up my mind", he said when asked whether he would be traveling to Sri Lanka next month during an interaction with journalists in New Delhi. According to reports in the Indian media, the immediate provocation for India's ire was Sri Lanka’s decision to abrogate the six year CFA without seeking to negotiate with the Tamils.
Full story >>

Residents catch paramilitary robbers in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 January 2008, 10:12 GMT]
Residents of Naavatkudaa area in Batticaloa district way laid and caught five members of the paramilitary Pillayaan group Tuesday around 8:00 p.m. as the paramilitary group was about to rob a house in the area, police said. Kanagaratnam Athiravan, one of the five caught, is the person in charge of Kalladi Pillayaan camp. The public got together and caught the robbers, who carried three T-56 type assault rifles with them, and handed the robbers with their rifles over to the Kaaththaankudi police.
Full story >>

SLA suffers casualties in Tiger artillery strike

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 January 2008, 09:54 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army suffered casualties Tuesday evening around 7:30 p.m. when Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) fired artillery shells on SLA troops, positioned 17 km southeast of Mannaar city at Parappaangka'ndal. At least 9 SLA soldiers with severe injuries were admitted at Mannaar hospital Tuesday night.
Full story >>

Sri Lankan Police shoots dead Up-Country Tamil

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 January 2008, 09:16 GMT]
A 25-year-old Tamil youth was shot dead and another injured when Sri Lankan police opened fire as they had failed to stop their three-wheeler at a checkpost in Balagolla, located 19 km southeast of Kandy in the Central Province, Tuesday around 7:30 p.m.
Full story >>

SLA, LTTE clash in Mukamaalai FDL

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 January 2008, 07:08 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army faced stiff resistance from the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam Wednesday morning when the SLA attempted to advance towards the Forward Defence Line of the LTTE at Mukamaalai in Jaffna district. Heavy fighting ensued between the SLA and the LTTE for one hour from 7:00 a.m. The SLA was forced to retreat as they suffered casualties in the confrontation, media sources in Vanni said citing LTTE's Northern Forces Operation Command.
Full story >>

Col. Charles laid to rest in Ki'linochchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 January 2008, 01:29 GMT]
The remains of Col. Charles, Head of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Military Intelligence, killed Saturday evening in a random Claymore attack by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit in Pa'l'lamadu in Mannar, was laid to rest with full military honours in Kanakapuram Heroes Cemetery Monday.
Full story >>

4 civilians disappear in Jaffna, 4 seek protections with HRC

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 January 2008, 16:27 GMT]
Four Tamils, including youths and young married men, disappeared in Jaffna peninsula within the one week period ending Monday, according to reports lodged at the Jaffna office of the Human Rights Commission (HRC), sources said.
Full story >>

Tigers thwart SLA advance in Mukamaalai

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 January 2008, 10:38 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) forces successfully repulsed an attempt by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops Monday around 6:00 a.m at Mukamaalai Front Defence Line (FDL) to penetrate into LTTE territory, killing an SLA trooper, and injuring many. One LTTE fighter was killed, Mukamaalay LTTE operations command said.
Full story >>

Sri Lankan minister killed in Claymore blast in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 January 2008, 05:52 GMT]
Sri Lankan Minister of Nation Building D. M. Dassanayaka, seriously injured in a Claymore blast near Ja-Ela junction, 18 km northeast of Colombo city, Tuesday around 10:35 a.m., succumbed to his wounds at Ragama teaching hospital, Police said. The driver of his pajero vehicle and a security guard also succumbed to their wounds while 8 others were wounded in the attack. Mr. Dassayanaka was on his way to the Sri Lankan parliament to take part in the first day of 2008 parliament session. Meanwhile, pandemonium reigned at the first meeting of the Sri Lankan parliament as main opposition UNP protested over the assassination of Tamil parliamentarian T. Maheswaran who was slain on New Year's Day.
Full story >>

"Deepening media crisis in Sri Lanka"- IFJ

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 January 2008, 03:45 GMT]
Expressing alarm at the comments at made by Sri Lanka's Army (SLA) Commander Major General Sarath Fonseka labelling some journalists and sections of the media as "traitors," the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is a press release issued Monday said, "the statement by Major General Fonseka and the allegations of death threats against journalists are indicative of a deepening media crisis in Sri Lanka."
Full story >>

Obama: Sri Lanka afflicted with "problem of the other"

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 January 2008, 01:02 GMT]
Characterizing the conflict in Sri Lanka as a "vicious civil war," Senator Barack Obama, a leading Democratic contender in America's forth coming 2008 Presidential Elections, said during an interview that, "the problem of the 21st century is the problem of the other." He described this phenomenon as the inability of people to accommodate others "who are not like us," and mentioned Sri Lanka as an example, pointing out that war rages even when "everybody there looks exactly the same."
Full story >>

30,000 Ampaa'rai families affected by floods

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 January 2008, 15:03 GMT]
Heavy rain since Saturday night in Ampaa’rai district has flooded Poththuvil, Thirukkoayil, Aalayadiveampu, Akkaraipattu, Addaalaichcheanai and Sainthamaruthu areas, forcing many residents to seek shelter in places of worship, schools and public buildings, sources in Ampaarai said.
Full story >>

Colombo removing witnesses to impending carnage- Gajendrakumar

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 January 2008, 00:24 GMT]
Colombo abrogated the CFA to remove the presence of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) which was instrumental in exposing rights violations by all sides. "Government will want to rid the Northeast of any witnesses of the carnage that it intends to unveil on the Tamil people in the name of safeguarding the Sovereignty of the State," said Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam in an interview to TamilNet this week. He added that anti-Tamil actions by Rajapakse Government are taking place under the full glare of the International Community which is able to only make verbal condemnations, but remains largely ineffective to reign in on Colombo on the rights abuses.
Full story >>

198 Tamil youths arrested in cordon, search in Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 January 2008, 20:05 GMT]
198 Tamil youths were arrested in Colombo and suburbs during a large scale cordon and search operation conducted by the Sri Lanka armed forces Sunday, Senior Inspector General of Police M.K.Ilangakone said. The arrested included several young women.
Full story >>

Vanni pays homage to Col. Charles

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 January 2008, 17:08 GMT]
Hundreds of Tamils paid homage Sunday at Puthukkudyrippu in Vanni to the remains of Col. Charles, Head of Liberation Tigers Military Intelligence, killed Saturday evening in a random Claymore attack by Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit in Pa'l'lamadu in Mannaar, sources in Vanni said. Col. Soosai, Liberation Tigers special commander of the Sea Tigers paid tribute to Col Charles at the event held Sunday around 4:00 p.m in the Heroes Cemetary Hall in Puthukkudiyiruppu, presided by C. Ilamparithi, Puthukkudyiruppu region Political Head of LTTE.
Full story >>

Annulled CFA compels need for Rights Monitoring: MRG

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 January 2008, 14:59 GMT]
Minority Rights International (MRG), a London-based international human rights organization, in a press release issued Friday, expressed "deep concern over the Sri Lankan government’s announcement on Wednesday that it was formally withdrawing from a cease-fire agreement," and said, it will "lead to more human rights abuses against minority Tamils and Muslims," and added: "[T]here is now going to be a greater void in monitoring and reporting of human rights abuses in the conflict zone. The need for international human rights monitors is now ever more crucial."
Full story >>

SLA fortifies key positions in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 January 2008, 14:36 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops, deployed in large numbers, are constructing new and permanent sentry points along key roads in Jaffna peninsula since Friday. With the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) ending on January 16, SLA in Jaffna, fearing attacks by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), is strengthening security arrangements in the sentry posts and camps, sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

2 SLA killed in Mukamaalai - LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 January 2008, 07:58 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army soldiers were killed and many wounded when Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) mounted a surprise attack on identified SLA Forward Defence Line positions in Mukamaalai around 8:00 a.m. Sunday, according to LTTE's Northern Front Operations Command.
Full story >>

JVP noose around APRC neck

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 January 2008, 02:02 GMT]
While State media continues to provide an air of credibility to the All Party Representative Committee (APRC), insiders revealed to the Sunday Leader that APRC committee has decided to "delay discussing the contentious issues until the end but that they have now reached a deadlock with the JHU and SLFP insisting on a unitary state while the other parties have objected to the use of that terminology." The Sunday Leader further said that while several members have insisted on a set of proposals which goes beyond the 13th Amendment, the JVP has warned that they would topple the government if any proposals resembling a federal formula is forwarded in February.
Full story >>