Decapitated body washed ashore in Vadamaraadchi East

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 December 2007, 21:29 GMT]
A decapitated body in a highly decomposed state was found washed ashore Friday in Maamunai area in Vadamaraadchi east, fishermen in the area said. The body is likely have been dumped in the areas controlled by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) further north of Maamunai, according to the fishermen.
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Four surrender at Jaffna HRC seeking safety

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 December 2007, 19:56 GMT]
Four civilians from Thenmaraadchy and Valikaamam in Jaffna sought safety at the offices of the Jaffna Human Rights Commission (HRC) Sunday, fearing for their lives from the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and SLA-backed paramilitaries, civil society sources in Jaffna said. Human Rights Watch (HRW), a human rights organization based in New York, told a public radio in Chicago saturday that in the last 18 months more than 1000 Tamils between ages 18 and 35 have disappeared, or tortured and killed, mainly in Jaffna. HRW added that on the average 4 persons are abducted or killed every day in Jaffna.
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Tamil girl abducted in Ka'n'niyaa, Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 December 2007, 16:00 GMT]
Unidentified armed persons came in a vehicle had abducted an eighteen year old Tamil girl while she was staying with her relatives at Ka'n'niyaa, a Tamil village located in Uppuve'li police division, Sunday night according to a complaint lodged with the Uppuve'li police.
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Protecting Rights defenders, a challenge to Diplomatic missions- Ganesan

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 December 2007, 15:01 GMT]
In an appeal addressed to all Diplomatic Missions in Colombo, Mano Ganesan, Leader of Western People’s Front and Convener of Civil Monitoring Commission, said Friday, that it is a challenge Western Democratic Governments which have expressed "human rights as the most core issue" in Sri Lanka, to urgently move to protect defenders of human rights and humanitarian workers. Ganesan recently charged that Colombo, by withdrawing his security personnel, is creating a climate for getting him assassinated.
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Celebrate Christmas with spirituality and faith, shun glitter- Bishop

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 December 2007, 14:24 GMT]
Bishop of Jaffna, Rev. Dr Thomas Savundaranayagam, in a Christmas message delivered Monday, appealed to the devotees of his diocease, to "celebrate Christmas this year as a deeply spiritual, solemn, and meaningful festivity, reflecting and drawing on their deep faith to help fellowmen, and to avoid all external glitter and ostentatiousness normally associated with such festivals." The Bishop also called upon the warring parties to seek reconciliation and peace, and urged them to lay to rest all weapons of war.
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Crisis looms as milk food prices soar in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 December 2007, 09:29 GMT]
A serious humanitarian crisis is developinging in Jaffna due to the acute shortage of infant milk food, and the resulting doubling of prices in black market. The high prices have made the essential commodity out of reach to many mothers with infants, consumer groups in Jaffna reported. The groups urged Government authorities to take urgent action to rectify the situation and protect the welfare of peninsula infants, especially those under 3 years of age.
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Batticaloa flood victims need urgent help - MP

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 December 2007, 19:49 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian for Batticaloa District. S. Jeyananthamoorthy, appealed to the Batticaloa Aditional Government Agent, K Maheshan, to immediately take all necessary steps to provide relief assistance to the flood victims in the Batticaloa district. Continued torrential rain is falling in Batticaloa, Amparai and Polannaruwa districts for more than 24 hours, and most of the low lying areas in Batticaloa have become submerged resulting in a large number of civilians becoming displaced from their residences, sources in the region said.
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Sri Lanka Army, Police smash pavement shops in Mannaar bazaar

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 December 2007, 07:31 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army soldiers and policemen who went amok in Mannaar bazaar Sunday morning around 7:00 a.m. smashed around 100 pavement shops, beat the petty shop owners, and arrested at least 80 Tamils and Muslims. The police razzia has taken place following the killing of a Sinhala police constable Saturday night when he went to buy cigarette in the bazaar. Parents and relatives of the persons arrested, most of them petty shop owners and three-wheeler drivers, have gathered at Mannaar police station. Tension prevails in the city and the streets were deserted although shops remained open for Christmas shopping.
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U.N. mission imperative to curb rights violations in Sri Lanka- HRW

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 December 2007, 21:17 GMT]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) officials currently touring the U.S. lobbying for a U.N. mission to monitor human rights violations in Sri Lanka, told the Chicago Public Radio that their current focus is on the "shocking" disappearances and killing in Sri Lanka where the Sri Lanka Government has done "shamefully little" to investigate the cases. They added that Democratic Institutions that would otherwise be capable of highlighting human right abuses, infringements to freedom of speech, and erosion in independence of judiciary in Sri Lanka, have collapsed under an ineffective Parliament.
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Raviraj murder inquiry fixed for January 2

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 December 2007, 19:24 GMT]
The Colombo Additional Magistrate Sujatha Alahakoon Friday fixed the inquiry into the murder of Nadarajah Raviraj, Jaffna district parliamentarian, for January 2, legal sources in Colombo said. Mr.Raviraj was killed on November 10, 2006 at Naharenpitya in Colombo. The police took two suspects, Nalaka Mathan Veera and Anura Shantha, into custody on suspicion.
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17 SLA killed, 54 wounded, two-pronged SL operation thwarted in Mannaar - LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 December 2007, 16:33 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) on Saturday thwarted a two-pronged Sri Lanka Army (SLA) movement towards Uyilangku'lam in Mannaar, Tiger officials at Mannaar Operations Command told media in Ki'linochchi. Backed with heavy artillery and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher fire, the SLA troops attempted to enter LTTE controlled area on two fronts, but were defeated after 12 hours of stiff resistance in which 17 SLA troopers were killed and 54 wounded. 3 LTTE fighters were killed in action, according to the Tigers.
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4 SLA troops killed, 9 injured in Ma’nalaa’ru

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 December 2007, 09:38 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) thwarted an attempt made by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops to enter LTTE Forward Defence Lines(FDLs) at Kokkuthoduvaai in Ma’nalaa’ru in Vanni Friday around 5:30 p.m, killing four troops and injuring more than nine, according Ma'nalaa'ru Operations Command of the LTTE.
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Artillery duel continues in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 December 2007, 17:41 GMT]
The heavy artillery and rocket fire exchanges between the Sri Lanka Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the Foward Defence Line areas in Mukamaalai and Nakarkoayil Thursday night which let-up Friday morning began with equal vehemence Friday evening.
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Tamil youth of Malaysia: question of culture and empowerment

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 December 2007, 17:00 GMT]
If it could be realized that development, social empowerment and even winning a struggle are rather cultural than economic or political, then it won’t be difficult to see that the problems of the Tamil Diaspora all over the world are more internal than external. The Tamil culture is one of the classical cultures of humanity. But if there is anything wrong in its contemporary manifestations, one shouldn’t shy away from reform. The global Tamil Diaspora should come together in this regard and help each other by commonly addressing the cultural problems. The privileged and developed sections of the Tamil Diaspora bear more responsibility in this regard, writes Opinion Columnist Ampalam.
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Karunanidhi calls for protection of fishermen, urges Delhi to assist Tamil refugees

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 December 2007, 08:59 GMT]
Tamilnadu Chief Minister Kalaignar Karunanidhi raised the issue of Indian fishermen being attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy (SLN) in his speech at the Internal Security Meeting at New Delhi Thursday and appealed to the Indian Prime Minister to ensure that Tamil fishermen were protected by the Indian Navy without any kind of interference from the Sri Lankan forces. He also drew attention to the refugee influx in Tamilnadu due to escalating military oppression in Sri Lanka and requested the Indian Government to provide financial aid to ensure the smooth continuation of refugee rehabilitation activities.
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Mannaar Bishop meets Nadesan in Ki’linochchi

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 December 2007, 03:40 GMT]
Rt. Rev. Rayappu Joseph, Bishop of Mannaar Diocese, discussed humanitarian problems faced by the Tamil people with B. Nadesan, the political head of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in a meeting Thursday around 1:00 p.m in Ki’linochchi.
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UN envoy meets displaced in Eachchilampattu, Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 December 2007, 17:55 GMT]
United Nations Special Commissioner for Human Rights Tuesday and Wednesday inspected the situation in the districts of Trincomalee and Batticaloa where hundreds of displaced Tamil families fled from their own villages and sheltered in transit centres awaiting for resettlement.
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LTTE attacks SLA infiltration unit in Ma’nalaa’ru

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 December 2007, 16:54 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) waylaid and attacked an infiltration unit of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Thursday around 1:45 p.m in Ceylon Theatre area in Ma’nalaa’ru in Vanni, inflicting heavy injuries to the SLA troops. The SLA group retreated carrying the injured, sources in Ki’linochchi said.
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SLA, LTTE artillery duels intensify in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 December 2007, 10:35 GMT]
Heavy artillery duel between Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) beginning Thursday morning continued even after midday while unrelenting rain poured down in the peninsula, sources in Jaffna said. Residents in the peninsula are apprehensive of an impending offensive operation by the SLA as intensive artillery fire both on land and sea reverberates amidst pouring rain. Meanwhile, the Tigers said an attempt by the SLA to advance towards their Forward Defence Line in Naakarkoayil was thwarted, killing two SLA soldiers and recovering the dead body of a SLA soldier with an assault rifle.
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Colombo reduces security of two more Tamil MPs

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 December 2007, 10:08 GMT]
The security provided to T. Maheswaran, the Colombo district parliamentarian of the opposition United National Party (UNP) and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP N. Srikantha, has been reduced by the Government of Sri Lanka Thursday despite the parliamentarians calling for additional protection under the present volatile situation. Mr. Srikantha's Ministerial Security Division (MSD) guards were reduced to four from nine, meanwhile Mr. Maheswaran's MSD security was reduced to two from Eighteen.
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