2007: The year in review

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 January 2008, 07:34 GMT]
For the people of the NorthEast, 2007 was a grim year. Sri Lanka’s security forces and allied paramilitaries intensified their campaign of abductions (‘white van’ abductions), torture, and murder of Tamil civilians. Tamil civil society leaders bore the brunt of the counter-insurgency campaign. Jaffna remained an open prison with shortage of essential items, east falling under the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) control with thousands displaced as Colombo concocts colonization schemes to make east a Sinhala majority province.
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Hartal for Maheswaran in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 January 2008, 05:58 GMT]
Vavuniyaa observed a day of mouring and a general shut down Thursday in protest against the killing of T. Maheswaran, the Tamil parilamentarian of the United National Party (UNP) in Jaffna on New Year day allegedly by Sri Lankan military intelligence backed paramilitary armed men.
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Norway regrets Sri Lanka's decision to terminate CFA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 January 2008, 03:28 GMT]
Norway's Minister of International Development Erik Solheim, in a press release issued Wednesday, Norway's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that he regrets that Sri Lanka is taking this serious step, and added that "[T]his comes on top of the increasingly frequent and brutal acts of violence perpetrated by both parties, and I am deeply concerned that the violence and hostilities will now escalate even further."
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2008 will bring clarity to Sri Lanka conflict- Balakumaran

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 January 2008, 16:54 GMT]
"The International Community has been vacillating in taking decisive actions on Sri Lanka because they are unable to relate their own interests to the chaotically unfolding political and military situation in Sri Lanka. Only the demonstration of military strength by the Tigers can bring clarity to the situation, for the international community to correctly relate their interests, and assertively engage," said Balakumaran, a Senior Member of Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam, during a Political Analysis program, Nilavaram, in National Television of Tamileelam (NTT), this week.
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2 youths related to Maheswaran killing produced in Jaffna Court

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 January 2008, 16:03 GMT]
Jaffna police produced two youths from Kurunakar, alleged to be involved in the assassination of Tamil parliamentarian Maheswaran, Wednesday before Jaffna Magistrate R. T. Vignarajah who directed the youths to be produced before Colombo Chief Justice. The two youths were arrested on information claimed to be found in the National Identity Card (NIC) of the youths injured in the shooting of Maheswaran and later arrested by the police, sources in Jaffna said.
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Colombo to annul CFA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 January 2008, 15:28 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces as well as the Minister of Defence, Mahinda Rajapaksa, has decided to annul the February 2002 Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) with the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE). Sri Lankan Government spokesman Keheliya Rambukwela, has confirmed that a cabinet decision to withdraw from the CFA has been taken on Wednesday. But, he did not provide a date for the GoSL withdrawal. The February 2002 agreement, in its paragraph 4.4, specifies that the agreement shall remain in force until notice of termination is given by either Party to the Royal Norwegian Government.
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SLAF bombs Mullaiththeevu thrice, 2 civilians wounded

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 January 2008, 13:49 GMT]
Two civilians were wounded Wednesday in A'lampil in Mullaiththeevu district when Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombed a civilian area there, Tamileelam police officials said. Two civilians were rushed to hospital with injuries. The SLAF bombers also attacked two other places in the district, but there were no casualties, according to the Police.
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4 SLA soldiers killed in Northern Front - LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 January 2008, 13:45 GMT]
Four Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and many wounded in two clashes in Ki'laali and Mukamaalai in Northern Front Wednesday, LTTE Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan told TamilNet. Meanwhile, sources in Jaffna said that the people hurried home early from their places of work, scared by the intense artillery fire directed towards LTTE positions from the SLA bases in Jaffna. SLA helicopters were seen flying between the FDL poisitions and Palaali Military Main Base.
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EU condemns Maheswaran assassination, expresses dismay at escalating violence

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 January 2008, 13:21 GMT]
The European Union, in a press release issued Wednesday, condemned unreservedly the assassination of Thyagarajah Maheswaran, the Tamil parliamentarian of the opposition United National Party, who was slain inside a Saiva temple while attending New Year's prayers on January 01.
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Mano Ganesan sends back his security personnel to MSD

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 January 2008, 13:09 GMT]
Stating that under-numbered guards from Ministerial Security Division (MSD) cannot provide meaningful security to him, the Western Province Peoples Front leader and Convener of the Civil Monitoring Commission, turned down a latest offer of increasing the security guards by three by the MSD, after the assassination of fellow Tamil parliamentarian T. Maheswaran. By slashing down the number of security personnel, the MSD is not only putting the parliamentarian's life in danger, but also endangering the lives of remaining security personnel, Mr. Mano Ganesan said in a media release. The MP has earlier said he was preparing to leave Sri Lanka.
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91 civilians still held in Boosa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 January 2008, 12:22 GMT]
Ninety one civilians including eighty nine Tamils and two Sinhalese are still being detained in Boosa detention camp located in Galle, south of Colombo, without any charges. Eight of them are Tamil women, and most of them are residents of Nugegoda, a suburb in Colombo.
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Claymore attack in Colombo targets SLA bus, 5 killed, 24 wounded

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 January 2008, 04:11 GMT]
Two SLA soldiers and three civilians were killed, 10 SLA soldiers and 14 civilians were wounded Wednesday around 9:30 a.m. in Colombo's High Security nerve center at Slave Island, 200 meters from Sri Lanka Army headquarters and the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) headquarters, where a Claymore mine was triggered targeting a bus carrying SLA soldiers, Police said. The attack comes a day after a leading Tamil parliamentarian of the opposition UNP, Thiyagarajah Maheswaran, was assassinated inside Ponnampala Va'neasvarar temple while attending New Year's prayers.
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2nd Lt.Malathy Brigade completes 12th anniversary

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 January 2008, 01:30 GMT]
One of the elite battalions of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), 2nd Lt.Malathy Brigade, completed 12th Anniversary of its inauguration Tuesday. Constituted as a fully fledged military battalian within the overall organization of the LTTE, the women fighters of this brigade have carried out several outstanding military feats in the struggle, according to military observers in NorthEast.
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Clinton presidency worries Colombo- Balakumaran

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 January 2008, 18:41 GMT]
Apart from U.S. policy related implications, the significance to Sri Lanka of Senator Clinton's statement on "terrorism" can be assessed from the shock waves the statement generated in Sri Lanka's South, said K.V. Balakumaran, a Senior member of LTTE's Political Wing, during a political analysis segment, Nilavaram, presented in National Television of Tamileelam (NTT) this week. Hillary Clinton had earlier urged a more nuanced approach to armed non-state actors, and identified Tamil Tigers as one of the groups deserving such consideration.
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Maheswaran killing, disturbing erosion of democracy- FMM

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 January 2008, 12:50 GMT]
The Free Media Movement (FMM), a Colombo-based media watchdog, in a press release issued Tuesday, strongly condemned the assassination of United National Party (UNP) MP T. Maheswaran, and said the murder adds to the "incredible number of political killings and the suppression of those who seek to bring to light gross human rights abuses," in Sri Lanka, and FMM is "mindful that the Sri Lankan Police have been unable and unwilling to bring the killers of other high profile political figures."
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Maheswaran MP assassinated in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 January 2008, 04:37 GMT]
Colombo district Tamil parliamentarian of the opposition United National Party, T. Maheswaran, was shot at Ponnambala Va'neasvarar temple at Kochchikkadai in Colombo Tuesday around 10:00 a.m., while he was paying homage at the shrine, and succumbed to his injuries at Colombo hospital. The shooting, which also claimed the live of his bodyguard, comes a few hours after the parliamentarian had said that he would reveal details on how abductions and killings in Jaffna are managed by the Sri Lankan establishment through the EPDP paramilitary, from Colombo. Eleven days ago, the government of Sri Lanka had reduced the Ministerial Security Division guards provided to the MP from Eighteen to two.
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Batticaloa elections: Colombo's rehearsal for paramilitary politics

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 December 2007, 19:55 GMT]
In the backdrop of the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government announcing local government elections in the Batticaloa district, three Tamil paramilitary-cum-political parties, the EPDP, PLOTE, EPRLF (Naba wing) and the yet-to-be-registered TMVP of Pillayan's group revealed that they had reached an agreement to form an electoral alliance after a meeting summoned at the Batticaloa office of the EPDP Saturday. A spokesperson of the paramilitary coalition told media that although the four outfits had agreed on principle, the final decision would be taken after consultations with their respective leaders and key operatives.
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TamilNadu leaders urge Indian PM not to visit Sri Lanka on independence Day

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 December 2007, 18:03 GMT]
Several Tamilnadu leaders, including K. Veeramani, President, Dravidar Kazhagam; Thol.Thirumavalavan, President, Viduthalaich Chi'ruththaika'l Kadchi; Suba. Veerapandiyan of Dravidar Iyakka Thamizhar Pearavai and Era. Janardhanan, President, Ulakath Thamizhar Pearavai took part in a demonstration opposite Chennai's Memorial Hall Monday to protest the Indian Prime Minister's proposed participation in Sri Lankan Independence Day celebrations in February 2008.
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Mahinda Rajapaksa has won the confidence of India- Gotabhaya

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 December 2007, 15:19 GMT]
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan defence secretary and the brother of SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in an exclusive interview to state owned Sunday Observer, claimed that the relationship between Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is in an all-time high, and has reached the same level of trusted relationship that marked Srima-Shastri period. While, Rajapaksa, in 2006, demerged the NorthEast Province, breaching the Indo-Lanka accord, Gotabhaya has recently posted the U.S. trained Director of Military Intelligence as the Eastern Commander, expressing confidence that Colombo would be successful in holding elections in the East.
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French FM Bernard Kouchner postpones Sri Lanka visit

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 December 2007, 11:55 GMT]
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner who was scheduled to visit Sri Lanka between Christmas and New Year has put off his visit indefinitely, the Sunday Times said. Mr.Kouchner, prior to being appointed FM, was a member of the International Independent Group of Eminent persons (IIGEP) headed by former Chief Justice of India P.N.Bagawathi. The IIGEP concluded, in a meeting held in November, that the "persistent disregard for its observations and recommendations by the Government of Sri Lanka and the Commission of Inquiry tends to render the IIGEP’s continued role irrelevant."
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