Pirapaharan pays homage to Anton Balasingham

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 December 2007, 14:13 GMT]
Velupillai Pirapaharan, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam, Friday payed homage to late Anton Balasingham, the theoretician and political advisor of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), commemorating the first death anniversary of the former chief negotiator and political advisor.
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UPFA budget passed by 47-vote majority

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 December 2007, 12:17 GMT]
Third reading of the 2008 budget was passed by 47 majority votes Friday evening in Sri Lankan Parliament. 114 members voted for the budget and 67 voted against. 37 JVP members and SLFP parliamentarian Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa abstained from voting. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) voted against the Budget of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Soon after the voting was over there was a pandemonium in the House as SLFP parliamentarians Mahindananda Aluthgamage and Jagath Pushpakumara placed a wreath in front of the opposition leader's chair, antagonizing the UNP.
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3 Tamil civilians arrested in Uddapu, Gampaha

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 December 2007, 19:06 GMT]
The Police took into custody three Tamil civilians in two separate cordon and search operations conducted at Uddapu in Chilaw district and Gampaha town in Colombo district Wednesday. Police said they were detained in police stations as they failed to prove their identity and valid reason for the their stay in the locality.
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No Tiger threat in Tamil Nadu - Indian Army officer

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 December 2007, 16:51 GMT]
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Indian Army Southern Command Lieutenant General Noble Thamburaj on Wednesday categorically denied that the Tigers pose any specific threat to the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
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UNICEF-Sri Lanka Head meets LTTE Political Head

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 December 2007, 14:53 GMT]
Philippe Duamelle, the Head of UNICEF-Sri Lanka called upon the Liberation Tigers Political Head B. Nadesan Thursday morning at LTTE's Political Headquarters, Tiger officials in Ki'linochchi told media. The introductory meeting was described by both sides as "very constructive".
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Jaffna passenger aircraft crash lands in Ratmalana

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 December 2007, 11:51 GMT]
A passenger flight with 50 Tamil passengers from Ratmalana airport to Jaffna, unable to land at Palaali due to technical failure, had to fly back to Colombo Thursday morning. But, Ratmalana refused landing permission to the aircraft and diverted it to Katunayake International Airport. The authorities at Katunayaka, fearing it might crash land, asked the pilots of the Expo limited aircraft to return to Ratmalana. The pilots finally managed to safely land the aircraft at Ratmalana airport.
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EU Condemns abductions of parliamentarians' relatives

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 December 2007, 11:14 GMT]
Following reports of abductions of two relatives and a secretary of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians in Batticaloa, by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) operated paramilitary Pillayan Group, the European Union, on Thursday, condemning abductions said it was deeply concerned by disturbing reports of abductions of a number of civilians connected to members of the Sri Lankan parliament. Kidnapping is the behaviour of terrorists and the EU condemns it without reservation, said a press release issued by the British High Commission, acting as local EU Presidency on behalf of Portugal.
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Bishops' delegation visits Moothoor, meets IDPs

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 December 2007, 02:03 GMT]
A delegation of Catholic Bishops Conference of Sri Lanka led by Rt.Rev.Dr.Harold Antony Perera, Bishop of Galle Diocese, Tuesday visited Moothoor, Eachchilampathu and other villages where displaced Tamil villagers from Batticaloa district are sheltered in temporary structures. They conversed with the IDPs waiting for resettlement in their own villages in Eachchilampathu and Moothoor division, and found out their needs and shortcomings, sources said.
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Tigers repel SLA's attempt to advance in Mukamalai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 December 2007, 15:01 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Northern Front Operations Command said an attempt by a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) unit to advance towards their Forward Defence Line (FDL) positions at Ka’ndal in Mukamaalai Wednesday from 8:00 a.m to 8:50 a.m was successfully repulsed by LTTE fighters. One SLA trooper was killed and many injured in the fight.
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TNA MPs warned to abstain on budget vote, relatives abducted

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 December 2007, 19:16 GMT]
Paramilitary Pillayan Group on Tuesday abducted the brother of Batticaloa district Tamil National Alliance MP P. Ariyanethran, P. Sriskandaseya, 54, secretary of TNA MP K. Thangeswari, Ira Nagalingam and the son-in-law of TNA MP S. Jeyanandamoorthy's sister, Arunasalam Sivapalan, 28. The paramilitary has warned the family members of the three abducted victims that the TNA MPs should refrain from voting against the Budget of Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa, on Friday, if they wished to see them live on Saturday.
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Nadesan calls for attitudinal shift in rights approach

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 December 2007, 13:17 GMT]
The Government of Sri Lanka remained unperturbed despite severe criticism from U.N representatives who had visited the island and confirmed the large-scale violation of human rights against Tamils, because it continued to receive military and monetary aid from those who actually condemn the human rights violations, charged Liberation Tigers Political Head B. Nadesan, Monday, on the International Human Rights Day. Declaring that the human rights violations by the GoSL in SLA-controlled areas was nothing short of a "systematic genocide of the Tamils," he called upon the International Community to use "severe pressure" against Colombo to put an end to the flagrant violation of human rights.
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Court orders release of all Tamil detainees

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 December 2007, 04:53 GMT]
The Sri Lanka's Supreme Court Monday directed the Attorney General (AG) to release all 361 Tamil civilians detained in Boosa detention camp on bail immediately. The court further instructed the AG to make arrangement to release all Tamil civilians now in remand on personal bail instead of cash bail, legal sources said.
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UK: LTTE must change its ways, no intervention in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 December 2007, 22:10 GMT]
The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Dominick Chilcott, said Monday that President Mahinda Rajapakse must make an offer acceptable to moderate Tamils because the LTTE would not accept a negotiated solution within a united Sri Lanka. Mr. Chilcott accepted, however, that the President had to be able to “sell the solution” to the majority Sinhalese. The international community has no plans to intervene in Sri Lanka to exercise the responsibility to protect, he further said.
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Media organizations protest on IHR Day in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 December 2007, 16:21 GMT]
Five media movements including Free Media Movement (FMM), Sri Lanka Tamil Journalists Movement and Working Journalists Association staged Monday, International Human Righs (IHR) day, a protest demonstration march from Narahenpittya junction to the Sri Lanka Media Ministry located in Narahenpittiya in Colombo where they handed over a memorandum to a ministry official, sources in Colombo said.
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Man missing, 3 seek protection with HRC Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 December 2007, 15:35 GMT]
A 25-year-old mother with her child from Thenmaraadchi, and two youths from Cha’ndilippaay and Maanipaay, sought protection with Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna Monday due to death threats from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and SLA-backed paramilitaries. Meanwhile, a mason from Oaddumadam in Jaffna is reported missing since Wednesday after leaving work in the morning, according to complaint made with HRC Monday.
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American Tamils observe Tamils Memorial Day

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 December 2007, 11:53 GMT]
Several hundred expatriate American Tamils from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut attended the Tamils Memorial Day was held in Edison, New Jersey on Sunday December 9th to pay tribute to those Tamils who gave their lives in the struggle for Tamils national self determination.
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Paramilitary marches civilians in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 December 2007, 11:43 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) operated paramilitary Pillyan Group Monday noon forced hundreds of civilians from Kathirave'li and Vaakarai areas that were recently captured by the SLA in the East, into government operated buses, taken from depots in Polonnaruwa, Batticaloa and Vaazhaichchenai, to forcibly participate in a march held at Batticaloa city with the protection of SLA, Special Task Force (STF) and the Police. Meanwhile, the federation of non governmental organisations in Batticaloa was instructed by the paramilitary to call its members to march against the lack of humanitarian assistance by the GoSL. But, the motive of the march was changed by the paramilitary at the last moment.
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Vaiko writes to Indian PM, alleges SLN - Indian Navy nexus

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 December 2007, 19:10 GMT]
Vaiko, General Secretary of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in India dashed off a letter to the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh alleging "a nefarious nexus between Sri Lankan Navy (SLN) and Indian Navy" after an Indian naval official declared that SLN was not guilty of deliberately killing Indian fishermen. Mr Vaiko also appealed to Mr Singh to "stop forthwith the supply of arms to Sri Lanka and withdraw the radars already supplied and give instructions to the officers of the Indian Navy not to pursue the nefarious game" of collaborating with the SLN. His three-page letter was released to the media on Sunday.
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122 Tamils arrested in Kaduruvwela

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 December 2007, 11:04 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police, in a combined cordon and search operation conducted at Kaduruvwela in Pollonarruwa Sunday morning from 9 a.m. till noon, took into custody about 122 Tamil residents. They are being detained in Pollonaruwa police station and being interrogated by the Terrorist Intelligence Division, according to sources in Pollannaruwa.
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