UK to remove Sri Lanka from asylum "whitelist"

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 December 2006, 11:36 GMT]
Asylum & Appeals Policy Directorate attached to the British Home Office, Friday said it would remove Sri Lanka from the list of countries designated for non-suspensive appeals under Section 94 of the 2002 Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act, in the light of the deterioration in the situation in Sri Lanka.
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Terror campaign stepped up in Trincomalee, 5 Tamils killed since Wednesday

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 December 2006, 10:33 GMT]
A Tamil civilian was shot dead and another wounded Friday evening in Orr's Hill, a suburb of Trincomalee town, bringing the death toll to 5 in individual slayings since Wednesday. Armed men who came in a three-wheeler opened fired at the victims Friday night around 7.30 p.m in front of a house along Lower Road in Orr's Hill. The victim, identified as 46 year-old Desmond Antony, was a sea diver. Tension prevailed in the area following the shooting.
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Thousands flee Eachilampattu, Palchenai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 December 2006, 08:49 GMT]
Hundreds of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim families started fleeing villages surrounding Eachilampattu border area into SLA and LTTE controlled territory as thousands of refugees from Palchenai and Verugal areas north of Batticaloa district started fleeing towards Vaharai, where Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir bombers engaged in aerial bombardment in an attempt to block civilians from reaching Vaharai.
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SLA fired artillery shells hit school, 13 refugees wounded

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 December 2006, 06:29 GMT]
Thirteen refugees, including a 4-year-old child, were wounded when Sri Lanka Army fired artillery shells hit a school in Paalchenai, 8 km north of Vaharai Saturday, around 11:20 a.m., as SLA intensified a ground offensive from Eachilampattu, via A15 trunk road towards Verugal, 15 km northwest of Vakarai amid indiscriminate artillery barrage. Nine wounded refugees from the school where IDP families were staying, were rushed to Vaharai hospital, medical sources said. Heavy fighting was reported between Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lanka Army at Eachilamapattu.
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Jaffna Bishop urges firm action from Co-chairs

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 December 2006, 12:55 GMT]
Robert O. Blake, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka paid a sudden visit to Jaffna Thursday and met with Jaffna Bishop Rev. Thomas Soundaranayagam at the Bishop's House, and discussed the current situation in the Jaffna peninsula, source in Jaffna said. The Rev. Bishop stressed on the urgent need for the Co-chair countries to exert due pressure on the Sri Lanka government (GoSL) to restore peace in Sri Lanka, Bishop's House sources said.
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Demonstration against abductions held in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 December 2006, 11:52 GMT]
The Committee for Investigation of the Disappeared, and the National Front Against War (NFAW) staged a protest demonstration Friday around 10:00 a.m at Peliyagoda circle on the Colombo-Negombo road calling for a stop to forced disappearances and to safeguard humanity, sources in Colombo said. The Protest was led by Dr. Wickremabahu Karunaratne, the patron of the Committee for Investigation of the Disappeared and the leader of the New Leftist Front party.
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Re-opening of landroutes, non-negotiable humanitarian priority - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 December 2006, 10:15 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Political Head, S. P. Thamilchelvan, Friday told media after meeting Norwegian Special Envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer in Kilinochchi, that the re-opening of A9 and A15 landroutes constituted basic humanitarian priorities for the survival of the civilian population. "It is critical that the International Community addresses the issue of Colombo's cooperation in re-opening of A9 and A15 landroutes ensuring the Tamil people their top-most basic humanitarian need," Mr. Thamilchelvan said. Tamil people are at the verge of losing hopes in Norwegian facilitators, the SLMM and the International Community for failing to condemn Colombo for refusing to re-open the landroutes, he said.
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War budget bares Colombo's intent - Senathirajah

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 December 2006, 01:09 GMT]
"This budget allows 140 billion rupees for defence which clearly exposes the intent of the Sri Lanka government to suppress the Tamils by waging war on them. Our people have been suppressed for the last 50 years by the successive Sinhala governments. Our youth were forced to take up arms because of such racist attitude," Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian said participating in the debate on budget Wednesday in the Sri Lanka Parliament, Colombo sources said.


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SLA denies transport to critical Vaharai patients

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 December 2006, 00:07 GMT]
K. Thurairatnasingham, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian for Trincomalee district said Thursday that four civilians including two children are fighting for their lives in Vaharai hospital as the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) at Mankerny camp on the A15 route refuses to allow the patients to be transported to Batticaola Teaching Hospital for intensive treatment. His appeals to the Defence Ministry officials and Batticaloa SLA high commands had not been responded favourably, the MP added.


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Payilvan dies, sectarian violence flares up in Kattankudy

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 December 2006, 22:50 GMT]
Sectarian violence between orthodox Muslims against the Islamic sect, Sufi, that preaches pantheism, resurfaced in Muslim town of Kattankudy in Batticaloa district Thursday following the death of M. S. Abdul Payilvan, one of the leaders of Sufi sect and the President of All Island Tharikathul Mufliheen, and his burial in Kattankudy. The orthodox Muslims observed a Hartal demanding the removal of the body from the burial grounds. Three houses belonging to the followers of Payilvan were set ablaze on Thursday night, Police sources said.
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Two more Tamils shot and killed in Trinco Thursday

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 December 2006, 20:50 GMT]
Two more Tamil civilians were shot dead by armed men who came in a motorbike Thursday evening at Aathimoddai village located at sixth milepost along Trincomalee-Nilaveli road. The armed men fired at the victims when they were standing at a shop in the area, Police sources said.
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UN: Karuna denies child recruitment, commits to collaborate with UNICEF

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 December 2006, 17:45 GMT]
Vinyagamoorthy Muralitharan (Karuna), who leads the paramilitary Karuna Group operated by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), has contacted the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, on Monday, regarding the listing of his group to the UN Security Council, according to a press release issued by the UN office in Colombo. The move, comes following a report by Allan Rock, the Special Advisor to the UN Special Representative, who accused the Sri Lankan military for recruiting children to the ranks of the paramilitary group, in November when he concluded a 10-day mission to Sri Lanka. Tamil Tigers in October outlawed the recruitment of under-17s.
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One Tamil youth dead, another injured in SLN shooting in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 December 2006, 14:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) cadres shot dead a Tamil youth and seriously injured another, Thursday around 8:30 a.m on the Crow Island beach in Modara police division in Colombo. The SLN allege that when its cadres approached the youths to inquire about their suspicious movement on the beach, the youths attemted to pull their guns resulting in the shooting in self defence by the SLN marines, Modara police said.
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RSF calls for free circulation of Tamil papers in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 December 2006, 12:43 GMT]
Reporters without Borders (RSF), in a press release issued Thursday, called on the Government of Sri Lanka to facilitate free circulation of Tamil newspapers, Thinakural, Virakesari and Sudar Oli in areas controlled by the Government. RSF said that "pro-government militia led by Tamil warlord Karuna" has issued death threats to distributors preventing the circulation of the papers in Batticaloa.
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Aid groups protest Sri Lanka’s obstruction of aid

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 December 2006, 11:54 GMT]
Several Western aid groups this week warned of a struggle to conduct humanitarian work in Sri Lanka’s Tamil areas, citing official bureaucracy that has paralysed their work. Speaking to AFP news agency, they protested the Sri Lankan government’s “strategy of preventing the presence of international actors” amid escalating conflict and said aid was being blocked from reaching Tamils in LTTE-controlled areas.
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Mahinda tells Sri Lankans: "choose your side in the war"

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 December 2006, 11:53 GMT]
Announcing tough new powers for the Sri Lankan military and the police, SL President Mahinda Rajapakse last issued a warning for citizens: “I ask this of all political parties, all media, and all people’s organizations,” he said Wednesday in a countrywide television broadcast asking the viewers to choose their side in the war between "terrorism" and "democracy" in a 'you're either with us, or against us,' patterned speech.
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LTTE denies shelling school, heavy fighting north of Vaharai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 December 2006, 11:48 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Thursday morning launched artillery attacks towards Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled Verugal, 14 km northwest of Vaharai and 27 km southeast of SLA captured Sampoor. Meanwhile, SLA troops that moved 5 km inside LTTE territory into Kattumurivu, southwest of Vaharai, have stationed in a school, following stiff LTTE resistance.
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Monks begin fast-to-death demanding proscription of LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 December 2006, 11:24 GMT]
Two Buddhist monks began a fast unto death protest Wednesday evening in front of Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse's residence at Thangala, demanding that either the President or the Prime Minister should hand over to them the official document proscribing the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
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Two Tamil civilians shot dead, one injured in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 December 2006, 09:38 GMT]
Unidentified armed persons shot dead two Tamil villagers at Uppuveli in Trincomalee when they were returning in their carts with firewood from Kanniya, a village located about eight km off northwest of the east port city. Another Tamil civilian was injured in the incident, Uppuveli police said.


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Plantation workers continue agitation for wage increase

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 December 2006, 11:55 GMT]
Hill country workers as part of their on going agitation for reasonable increase in daily wages began striking since Tuesday morning . Thousands of workers from tea estates in Norwood, Puliyawatte, Dickoya, Bogawantalawa, Saami Malai, Maskeliya, Norton Bridge, Wattawala,Kottagala, and Talawakelle, belonging to various trade unions, setting aside policy differences, joined hands to voice their protest, paralyzing tea production in the island
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