UNP to launch campaign against abduction, killings, HR violations

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 March 2007, 21:36 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) is to launch a mass protest campaign across Sri Lanka against the increased number of abduction, killings and other human rights violations. The campaign will begin in April led by Ranil Wickremasinghe, opposition leader, said S.B.Dissanayake, national organizer of the UNP.
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UNP demands to know JVP, JHU's position on SLFP-LTTE deal

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 March 2007, 21:27 GMT]
The main opposition United national Party (UNP) Monday requested the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), all monks' party and Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to state their stand on the allegation leveled by ousted ministers Mangala Samaraweera and Sripathi Sooriyarachchi that some politicians of ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) had struck a secret deal with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) before the last presidential election.
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SLA readies for Manalaru offensive, Tigers warn of bloodbath

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 March 2007, 12:07 GMT]
"We are aware that the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has amassed military hardware close to Manalaru in preparation for a major offensive towards Mullaitivu area. Consequence of this offensive will be a catastrophic bloodbath across Sri Lanka," said Mr. Thamilchelvan, Head of LTTE Political Wing, speaking to TamilNet after meeting the Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Hans Brattskar and Norwegian Embassy official Erik Nuremberg, in Kilinochchi Monday.


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2 Karuna cadres injured in Batticaloa attack

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 March 2007, 22:05 GMT]
Two cadres of paramilitary Karuna group were injured when their camp the located at Mylambavely adjoining the Sri Lanka Army camp along Trinco road came under attack at 7:05 p.m. Sunday. Four Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) staying in the nearby school building were injured in the counter attack. All six injured persons were rushed to the Batticaloa teaching hospital for treatment, sources in Batticaloa said.
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VoT begins satellite transmission using Eurostar

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 March 2007, 16:47 GMT]
Voice of Tigers, the official radio broadcast of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), began satellite broadcast to South Asian countries from Vanni starting from today, LTTE sources from Kilinochchi said. "We are holding the inauguration ceremony on the 69th birthday of late Anton Balasingham as a mark of respect for his contribution to the progress of Tamil media. I also wish to thank all the staff at VoT for making the station a voice of Tamils," said Head of LTTE's Political Wing, S.P. Thamilchelvan speaking at the event.
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SLA arrests Tamil civilian in Kinniya

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 March 2007, 12:41 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Saturday arrested a Tamil youth, Ponniah Satyaraj, a resident of Poovarasanthivu in Kinniya division in Trincomalee district, following the recovery of a live claymore mine along Alankerni-Poovarasanthu road Friday evening, sources in Trincomalee said.
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Young woman shot dead, husband injured in Valvettithurai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 March 2007, 08:26 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen shot and seriously injured a young woman and her husband living at Urani Housing Scheme in Valvettithurai (VVT) in Jaffna peninsula, around 9:30 p.m., Saturday. The woman succumbed to her injuries at Manthikai hospital.
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Acrimony flares, US says diplomats not LTTE’s target

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 March 2007, 00:13 GMT]
Amid growing acrimony within the Sri Lankan government over the LTTE mortar attack Tuesday on military helicopters carrying foreign ambassadors and UN officials to Batticaloa district, the American ambassador to Sri Lanka, Robert O. Blake, contradicted Colombo’s assertion that the Tigers had tried to assassinate the diplomats. Meanwhile Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary says the diplomats should share the blame for the near-disaster for asking to visit Batticaloa. He slammed as “interference” attempts by foreign dignitaries and NGOs to visit the war torn Northeast.


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SLAF, SLA attacks displace 3500 civilians in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 March 2007, 07:32 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir jets dropped bombs in the villages of Tharavai and Kudumbimalai in the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) controlled Batticaloa district around 10:40 a.m. Friday, sources in Batticaloa said. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) stationed at 23-3 Brigade Head Quarters in Batticaloa, Valaichchenai Paper Factory, Chenkalady, Vavunathivu and Mylambavely Army Camps fired artillery shells into LTTE areas.
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SLN bars pilgrims from attending Kachchathivu festival

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 March 2007, 04:14 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) denied permisssion to Tamil Catholic pilgrims to participate in the annual festival of the St. Antony’s church in Kachchathivu, an isle situated in the Palk Straits between Sri Lanka and India about 15km southwest of Delft (Nedunthivu) islet, scheduled for this weekend, sources in Jaffna said. Pilgrims from India and Sri Lanka in thousands visit this isle every year, meet their kith and kin and barter goods from both countries.
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CID ordered to submit reasons for arrest of Mawbima journalist

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 March 2007, 00:20 GMT]
Nimal Punchihewa, the head of Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (SLHRC) ordered the officials of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to furnish details pertaining to the arrest of Tamil woman journalist Paremesawary Munusamy before March 20, when hearings were held Friday morning.
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Jurists charge SL Government forces of extra-judicial killings, torture

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 March 2007, 21:22 GMT]
Anti-terrorism laws in Sri Lanka have led to widespread and systematic rights abuses, a panel of global jurists said on Friday, charging Sri Lanka government forces of extra-judicial killings and torture, Reuters reported in a story datelined 2 March from New Delhi. The panel expressed concern over "extra-judicial killings, torture, enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions" by troops in the Indian Ocean island nation," the report added. Meanwhile, the Dutch government in a cabinet meeting today decided that "no Tamil asylum seekers would be sent back to Sri Lanka until 1 July," reports in Dutch media said.


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Five Tamil fishermen missing in Mannar Sea

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 March 2007, 12:13 GMT]
Five Tamil fishermen who went for fishing from Vidathaltivu in Mannar district on February have been reported missing, according to complaints lodged with the Mannar regional office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) and Mannar Centre for Co-Existence by their relatives Friday morning, fisheries sources in Mannar said.


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Appeal to MPs, ICRC, GA to bring murdered student’s body home

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 March 2007, 10:51 GMT]
Eight Tamil parliamentarians have written to Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary, Gothebaya Rajapakse, on behalf the family of a murdered Jaffna University student, who are pleading for permission for his body to be taken to their home in Viswamadu in Tamil-Tiger controlled Vanni. The family has also requested the University authorities and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) office in Kilinochchi to also help, relatives said.
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Police constable, home guard injured in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 March 2007, 09:06 GMT]
A police constable and a home guard posted at Railway Staion area at Eratperiyakulam in Vavuniya were injured when a shell fell and exploded Friday around 11:35 a.m, Vavuniya police said. The shell was launched by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the police claimed.


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Accounting review clears university Tamil students’ club

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 March 2007, 03:03 GMT]
Canada’s University of Waterloo has cleared its Tamil Students’ Association of any wrong doing, citing an intensive review by the international auditing firm, Deloitte and Touche. Separately, the university also accepted a separate internal review which recommendation there be greater oversight of self-generated work placements overseas for members. Sri Lankan media had denounced the Association as a fundraising front for the LTTE.
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10 Tamils arrested in Dehiwela

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 March 2007, 02:25 GMT]
Sri Lanka Police conducted a door to door search midnight Wednesday in the Tamil dominated towns of Dehiwela and Kalubovila in Mount Lavinia Municipal limits, and arrested ten Tamils including three women, sources in Colombo said.
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Mannar Education Officer succumbs to injuries

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 March 2007, 12:39 GMT]
Divisional Education Officer in Mannar, Christian Rajakone, 47, succumbed to injuries early morning Thursday at the Kilinochchi hospital, hospital sources said. Rajakone sustained in the claymore mine attack by the Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on Tuesday in the LTTE held area in Mannar district.
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Dehiwela Police arrests 3 Tamil women under PTA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 March 2007, 12:22 GMT]
Dehiwela police arrested three Tamil women Wednesday midnight at their house in Vijayarama Mawatte in Kalubowila, Dehiwela, and has detained them at Dehiwela police station without stating the reason for the arrest, legal sources in Colombo said. Mano Ganeshan, Colombo District parliamentarian, contacted Dehiwela police regarding the arrests and was told that the three women have been arrested and held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
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Two youths shot dead in Thiriyai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 March 2007, 11:54 GMT]
Two youths, one Tamil and other a Muslim, were shot dead by unidentified armed persons at Ilupakadaivai in Thiriyai, a resettled Tamil village located about 40 km off north of Trincomalee town on Wednesday night around 10 p.m., sources in Trincomalee said. Unidentified men had gone to the house where two youths were staying and shot them dead, sources said.


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