Tamil sovereignty, basis of peace talks - LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 September 2007, 17:37 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE), in a statement issued Monday, urged the UN General Assembly which has gathered for its 62nd session in New York, USA, to recognize the concept of the sovereignty of the Tamil people and support the peace process in accordance with this principle. The LTTE statement characterized the confidence of some members of the International Community on Sri Lanka's latest All Party Representative Committee (APRC) which has not brought any constructive outcome to date, as a misplaced confidence.
Full story >>

Farmer shot dead in Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 September 2007, 16:42 GMT]
Unknown gunmen on a motorcycle followed a farmer riding home on his motorcycle and shot him dead around 01:05 p.m Monday with a pistol in front of Aalaiyadivempu Divisional Secretariat, located on Chaakaamam road in Akkaraipattu in Amparai district, Akkaraipattu police said.
Full story >>

Mannaar offensive thwarted after 9 hour fight - LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 September 2007, 16:24 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army army launched a ground offensive Monday morning at 5:30 towards Liberation Tigers controlled Adaikkalaimoaddai in Kaddukkaraikku'lam Tank area. After 9 hours stiff fighting, the SLA troops were pushed back to their positions suffering heavy causality, military spokesperson of Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE), Irasaiah Ilanthiraiyan said. The Tigers have lost 6 fighters in the clash.
Full story >>

SLA suffer heavy casualties in Northern Front - LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 September 2007, 12:49 GMT]
Heavy fighting ensued between a unit of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers and the fighters of Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Monday morning when the SLA unit attempted to move towards LTTE Forward Defence Line in Ki'laali in the Northern Front Monday morning around 5:00 a.m. Liberation Tigers said they inflicted heavy losses to the Sri Lanka Army and four of their fighters were killed in action. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan military officials in Colombo claimed only one soldier was killed in action.
Full story >>

Jaffna officials explore setting up of Vigilant Committees

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 September 2007, 10:50 GMT]
Jaffna Government Agent (GA), Jaffna Magistrates, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Jaffna Commander, Major. Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri, Northern Region Police Commissioner, S. Siriwardne, Jaffna Police Superintendent and several key officials met Monday morning at Thellippa'lai police station in Jaffna and discussed setting up Vigilant Committees as a preventive measure to curb the death threats, intimidation and extortion rampant in Jaffna peninsula alleged to be carried out by Tamil paramilitaries backed by the SLA, sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

One SLA trooper killed, 6 injured in Ki'laali clashes

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 September 2007, 10:46 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) beat back an early morning a joint infiltration operation by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) into LTTE held area at Ki'laali FDL positions in Thenmaraadchi Monday, sources in Thenmaraadchi said. SLA reports said that one SLA soldier was killed and six injured. But the casualty and injury figures are estimated to be higher, sources added.
Full story >>

Barmy Army to Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 September 2007, 08:49 GMT]
The British High Commissioner, speaking at the Ceylon Hotel School Graduates Association in Habarana, on Saturday, praised the tourism potentiality of Sri Lanka and the "smiling faces" of Sri Lankan people. He was hopeful of England's touring fans, the Barmy Army to Sri Lanka on the eve of England's cricket tour. Meanwhile, a Sri Lankan academic in the field of cultural tourism told TamilNet that western tourists, ever crazy about novelty, chose Sri Lanka as a destination in recent times to get the thrill of being in a war zone.
Full story >>

Artillery duel in Mannaar, hospitals on red alert

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 September 2007, 07:10 GMT]
Heavy artillery streaked from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled Mannaar into Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) controlled Maanthai West Monday morning, following a SLA ground operation in Mannaar Vavuniyaa border Sunday evening. The artillery barrage by SLA began to shake the city at 5:30 a.m. The SLA has notified the two hospitals, Mannaar general hospital and Murungkan district hospital, to be put on high alert. Telephone links to LTTE controlled Maanthai West have been cut off.
Full story >>

Tamil youth shot dead in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 September 2007, 16:05 GMT]
Unidentified armed persons shot dead a Tamil youth at Kumbu'rupiddy, a traditional Tamil village in Trincomalee district, Sunday morning around 5.30 a.m,.
Full story >>

Death threats to Jaffna university student leaders, faculty heads

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 September 2007, 12:14 GMT]
Pamphlets containing a death-list of thirteen members of Jaffna University Student Union (JUSU) and faculty heads were pasted in the campus walls Friday night, creating fear among the undergraduates, and disrupting normal educational activities, sources in Jaffna said. Unless immediate efforts are taken to stop the death threats, the students will be forced to agitate, JUSU representatives who wish to remain anonymous said to TamilNet Saturday.
Full story >>

Aalankea'ni Pillaiyar temple President abducted

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 September 2007, 03:11 GMT]
Unidentified armed persons arriving in a van and motorbike abducted the President of Aalankea'ni Pillaiyar Temple Society Saturday evening, according to a complaint filed by his wife with the Kinniyaa police. Mr.Thangarasa Gowrirasa, 40, and a father of two children had been way laid by armed persons when he was returning home from his temple after attending poojah.
Full story >>

“Avoid unitary, avoid states” - United States ambassador

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 September 2007, 16:10 GMT]
Addressing a seminar on "Sri Lanka: the Way Forward," in Colombo on Friday, organized by Fullbright Association, the U.S. Ambassador for Sri Lanka, Robert Blake, categorically stated that Sri Lanka's conflict cannot be won by military means. He said whatever the Sri Lankan government achieved in terms of military victories in the last several months, were merely "tactical" successes. The Ambassador who didn't want to mince words, cautioned the Colombo government against possible failures, hoped on All Party Representative Committee (APRC) and harped on development especially in the East, but dodged words when it came to the political model for resolving Sri Lanka's ethnic crisis.
Full story >>

World must rein in Sri Lankan state – TNA

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 September 2007, 11:13 GMT]
Protesting that the Sri Lankan government had discarded negotiating a settlement to the island’s ethnic conflict, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA)urged the international community to take a principled stand on the Tamil people’s right to self determination. Outlining the humanitarian and human rights crisis that has emerged in the wake of Colombo’s military project, the TNA also argued: “the Sri Lankan State will not conform to international norms or standards. It is only by the International Community … taking meaningful steps, can the Sri Lankan State be made to realize that it cannot continue with the present disastrous trend.”
Full story >>

Claymore explosion in Trincomalee, bus driver killed

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 September 2007, 08:44 GMT]
The driver of a private passenger bus was killed and two others were injured in a claymore mine explosion that took place Saturday morning around 11.30 a.m. at Chaampaltheevu, a Tamil village located along Trincomalee-Nilaave'li road, about seven km off east port town. The site is located in the Uppuveli police division. The claymore mine exploded when the bus was speeding.
Full story >>

Monks attend Mannaar peace march

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 September 2007, 05:58 GMT]
Anti-War National Front and Felix Organization organized a peace procession in Mannaar town Saturday morning starting in front of the Mannaar courthouse and ending at St.Sebastian Church premises via main road. More than one hundred delegates comprising of Buddhist priests and peace activists from Anuradhapura participated in the procession and public meeting with their counterparts in Mannaar town.
Full story >>

2 Family men seek protection with HRC Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 September 2007, 02:03 GMT]
Two family men, one from Chaavakachcheari in Thenmaraadchi and the other from Urumpiraai in Valigaamam, sought protection Friday with the Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna due to death threats from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) backed Tamil paramilitaries, sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Colombo Tamil residents complain of Police harassment

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 September 2007, 11:28 GMT]
Tamil residents are being harassed in Colombo suburbs of Wattala, Kotahena, Modera, and Wellawatte when they go to police stations to register as instructed by the Defence Ministry. Although instructions from the Defence Ministry do not require residents to produce photographs, the Police officials are demanding photographs, civil society sources said.
Full story >>

TNA urges resettlement of Musali displaced

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 September 2007, 11:13 GMT]
Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan, TNA Wanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, in an urgent letter, has appealed to Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse to take steps to resettle all families displaced from Musali divisional secretariat division in Mannaar district before the northeast monsoon, TNA sources said.
Full story >>

SLAF bombs Visuvamadu in Vanni

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 September 2007, 08:44 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) kfir bombers dropped eight bombs in two sorties Friday between 12:15 a.m and 12:40 p.m on Visuvamadu junction, behind the shops in the area, in Puthukkudiyiruppu DS division of Mullaitheevu distirict, sources in Vanni said. A 65-year-old man identified as Nagappan and a child aged 3 years 3 months sustained injuries in the bombing while 5 students in a school located 800 meters from the bombed area fainted in shock of the exploding bombs.
Full story >>

Tamil GS officer shot dead in Moothoor East

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 September 2007, 06:49 GMT]
Armed men shot and killed Paranjothy Muttukumar, 52, the Village Officer of Kaddaipparichchaan GS area in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) held Moothoor East in Trincomalee district Thursday around 8:00 p.m. Mr Paranjothi is the eldest brother of P.Sounthararajan, opposition leader of the Moothoor Pradesya Sabha (PS). Mr.Sounthararajan has been leading a group of four Tamil National Alliance (TNA) members elected last year to the eleven-member Moothoor PS.
Full story >>