IFJ mounts campaign to free journalist Parameshwary

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 January 2007, 12:13 GMT]
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Free Media Movement (FMM) together with other journalists organisations Monday launched an International and national campaign to release journalist Parameshawary who has been detained in Sri Lanka prison for seventy days without trial, civil sources in Colombo said. She was arrested under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism (PTA) act. The authorities have filed no charges and have failed to establish any links with terrorist activity, the letter of appeal says.


Full story >>

27 civilians arrested in Colombo north

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 January 2007, 11:07 GMT]
27 civilians including three women, majority of them Tamils, were arrested Tuesday in Colombo north police division in the western province during a search operation on vehicles plying to and from Kandy and Colombo, conducted by the police. They have been detained in Gampaha police station and are being interrogated, sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>

Tamil farmer shot dead in Sambaltivu

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 January 2007, 08:56 GMT]
Unidentified persons Tuesday morning shot dead a fifty-year old Tamil farmer at Aathimoddai, a suburb of Sambaltivu village about 9 km off north eastern port town along Trincomalee-Nilaveli Road.
Full story >>

TRO staffers disappearance reaches one-year anniversary

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 January 2007, 01:07 GMT]
Seven staffers of Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), an NGO registered with the Government of Sri Lanka, were abducted on 29th and 30th January 2006, by armed paramilitiaries inside Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled area in Polannaruwa. In a press release issued from Colombo offices, the TRO said: "To date the Sri Lanka Police have yet to conduct any meaningful investigation or inquiry into these disappearances. The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka investigated this case and made a report to its head that has never been released."


Full story >>

Youth shot dead at Anpuvallipuram

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 January 2007, 17:01 GMT]
Unidentified men shot dead a Tamil youth Monday evening around 5.30 p.m. at Anpuvallipuram junction on Trincomalee-Kandy highway, suburb about 3 km off eastern port city, sources said. The armed men arrived in a motorbike and shot the victim at point blank range, eye witnesses said.
Full story >>

Jaffna-wide schools boycott begins Monday

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 January 2007, 16:15 GMT]
The boycott organized by the Vadamaradchy Tamil Students union spread to schools across Jaffna peninsula beginning Monday as two students abducted in Vadamaradchy area earlier, remained captive. Most students in Jaffna district responded to the call by the Students Union to boycott school activities until the abducted students are released.
Full story >>

Tamil youth abducted in Eravur

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 January 2007, 10:19 GMT]
Unidentified persons who came in a van abducted a seventeen-year-old Tamil youth in Eravur Sunday while he was engaged in tarring a road in the area with several others.
Full story >>

9 Tamil civilians arrested in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 January 2007, 10:03 GMT]
Nine Tamil civilians were arrested Sunday evening in a cordon and search conducted in several lodges located in Fort area in Colombo city. All of them are natives of North-East, sources said.
Full story >>

7500 flee homes due to SLA attacks in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 January 2007, 18:34 GMT]
Within the last four days, 7500 persons belonging to 1400 families have moved into government controlled area from Kiran, Chenkalady and Vavunativu Regional Secreatary divisions in Batticaloa district, Sundaram Arumainayagam, Batticaloa Government Agent (GA) said.
Full story >>

Number of Cabinet rank ministers swells to 52

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 January 2007, 17:19 GMT]
The number of cabinet rank ministers in United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Government of Sri Lanka rose to fifty-two with the swearing in of Amarasiri Dodangoda who took oaths as Minister of Justice before Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse Sunday afternoon, political sources in Colombo said. Fifty-one cabinet rank ministers took oaths Sunday morning in the Presidential Secretariat. 38 parliamentarians have been appointed non-cabinet ministers and 16 deputy ministers. Including the cabinet rank ministers, total number of ministers and deputies in the UPFA government is 103.
Full story >>

International Community's flawed approach assists Colombo- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 January 2007, 15:07 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Political Head S. P. Thamilchelvan, in an Interview to TamilNet Sunday, said the passive stance adopted by the International Community, which he characterized as “unconstructive engagement,” is encouraging Colombo to pursue its power-centric politics and aggressive military agenda. The International Community, while making statements that a military solution is not possible, is either unable to, or unwilling to, exert its formidable muscle to force Colombo out of the current military path, despite the patience shown by the Tigers, he said.


Full story >>

18 Tamil civilians arrested in Moratuwa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 January 2007, 09:27 GMT]
Eighteen Tamils, including 11 women were arrested by the Police during a cordon and search operation conducted in houses and lodges at Soysapuram in Moratuwa from 10:00 p.m Saturday until 5:00 a.m Sunday. They are detained in Moratuwa and Galkisse police stations and are being interrogated.
Full story >>

Confusion amidst harbour attack black out

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 January 2007, 20:29 GMT]
Conflicting details are emerging about the attack off the seas of Colombo harbour, Saturday morning. An informed source told TamilNet Saturday evening that four vessels were destroyed by the attackers, while the SLN authorities said they have destroyed 3 “suspicious boats”. SLN sources said Saturday evening that they have captured 9 "suspects" who were "fleeing" from the Harbour area.
Full story >>

Tamil youth killed in STF attack in Murunkan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 January 2007, 16:55 GMT]
One cadre of Liberation Tigers was killed during retaliatory gunfire by the Special Task Force (STF) soldiers on a group of LTTE cadres who attacked the STF camp located in Murunkan area Saturday early morning, Murunkan Police said. The Police handed over the body of the unidentified Tamil youth, estimated to be 20-years old, to the Mannar base hospital Saturday afternoon.
Full story >>

FMM condemns prolonged detention of woman journalist

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 January 2007, 02:34 GMT]
Questioning the Court's decision to prolong journalist Mawnasamy Parameswary's detention by a further 90 days without any charges against her, the Free Media Movement (FMM), in a press release Wednesday, condemned the continued custody as "deeply disturbing" and "an example of the flagrant violation of fundamental rights in an increasingly militaristic state." Parameswary has already been in custody for 60 days.
Full story >>

Indian Envoy's help sought in resettling displaced civilians

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 January 2007, 09:25 GMT]
A delegation of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians met the Indian High Commissioner for Sri Lanka Alok Prasad and his deputy Manickam in Colombo at 10:00 am Thursday morning at the official residence of the envoy and appealed to him for help in resettling the recently displaced Tamil civilians in East, TNA sources in Colombo said,
Full story >>

Police arrest 5 upcountry Tamil youths

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 January 2007, 09:10 GMT]
Mathugama police arrested three upcountry Tamil youths who had come to Mathugama from Galle to their relatives' house Thursday, while Wenapuwa police arrested two upcountry Tamil youths from Maskeliya at Wenapuwa bus stand Thursday morning, sources in Maskeliya said. The five youths were arrested on suspicion of assisting Liberation Tigers, and are detained for investigation.
Full story >>

Kinniya Urban Council Tamil member assassinated

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 January 2007, 08:30 GMT]
The only Tamil member of the Urban Council of Kinniya, Thangarajah Ithayarajah, a Tamil National Alliance Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) member, was shot and killed Friday around 10:30 a.m. while he was on his way to Kinniya from his village, Alankerni. A friend of Mr. Ithayarajah was wounded. The assassins who shot and fled the area, came in a motorbike. The assasination comes three months after the assassination of the only Tamil TNA member of the Sinhala dominated Seruvila Pradeshaia Saba in the district. Meanwhile, 10 Tamil members who had won the Trincomalee Urban Council have received death threats, Thurairatnasingham MP said.
Full story >>

Vadamaradchy schools boycott enters fifth day

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 January 2007, 01:12 GMT]
The boycott of classes by more than 12000 students in Vadamaradchy demanding immediate release of two students from Point Pedro Hartley College and Velayutham Maha Vidyalaym abducted recently entered fifth day Friday, student leaders in Point Pedro said.
Full story >>

Terminate CFA, Buddhist monks demand

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 January 2007, 12:09 GMT]
Sri Lanka Buddhist Monks' Front Thursday decided to submit a memorandum to Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse demanding termination of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) signed on 22 February 2002 by then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe and V. Pirapaharan, leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) before it completes five year-term.
Full story >>