Spy case filed in Tamil Nadu against Pakistani diplomat in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 September 2012, 16:34 GMT]
Amir Zubair Siddiqui, a diplomat in the Pakistan High Commission in Colombo has been accused in a court in Tamil Nadu for his alleged spy activities in India. According to the First Information Report (FIR) filed by the Tamil Nadu Police in a court in Tiruchy, the Pakistani diplomat, through his contacts Haji and Shaji living in Colombo, has employed Thamim Ansari of Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu to supply sensitive information of defence installations in India. The Q Branch of Tamil Nadu police arrested Ansari on Monday, while he was going to the Tiruchy airport to catch the Colombo flight. The DVDs seized from him had defence-related visuals, news reports said.
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SL forces attack, throw dirt at people demanding resettlement in Mullaiththeevu

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 September 2012, 11:22 GMT]
When people of Mullaiththeevu for the first time in last three years gathered in hundreds in front of the district secretariat on Friday, to demand resettlement in their village at Keappaa-pulavu in the district, the occupying Sinhala military deployed in large numbers responded with intimidation of taking videos of the demonstrators and by arranging a gang to throw human excretion at them. After throwing dirt the gang escaped by getting into a nearby SL police station. Later, a motorbike gang followed the vehicle in which Mr S. Kajendran was returning from the demonstration to attack it near Mu’l’liyava’lai. Another gang, in the very presence of SL military, attacked the vehicle in which Dr. Wikramabahu Karunaratne and Mr Gajendrakumar Ponnampalam were returning via Paranthan road. A vehicle of media persons was also attacked.
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Self-immolation protestor dies, anti-Rajapaksa agitations intensify in Tamil Nadu

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 September 2012, 01:38 GMT]
26-year old auto driver Vijayaraj from Salem in Tamil Nadu, who immolated himself on Monday early morning protesting Mahinda Rajapaksa’s visit to India, succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday noon. A follower of Periyaar, member of CITU, and a supporter of the Tamil Eelam cause, Vijayaraj, despite being in his death bed, insisted on talking to media at the hospital that Rajapaksa should not be allowed into India. I did it, because Tamils in unison should rise up against the Indian government that welcomes Rajapaksa even after seeing the heroic sacrifices, he was cited by Tamil media Nakkeeran. Agitations intensify in Tamil Nadu, while the BJP Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivaraj Singh Chauhan, claims that Rajapaksa’s visit to Sanchi to inaugurate a Buddhist University is ‘apolitical’.
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TNA’s PSC participation will be pursued when Rajapaksa returns from India

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 September 2012, 13:12 GMT]
TNA leader Sampanthan was invited at a short notice on Monday night to meet Mahinda Rajapaksa at his house on Tuesday morning. According to a press release by Mr. R. Sampanthan on Tuesday, at the end of many topics that were discussed, Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa “responded by inviting Mr.Sampanthan to the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) and stated these matters could be addressed when the process commenced. Mr.Sampanthan responded by stating that the TNA has never taken up the position that it will not attend the PSC, but has only insisted that commitments made must be implemented before attending the PSC sessions. It was agreed that this matter would be further pursued on the return of the President from his visit to India.”
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RAW accuses ISI for installing spy equipment in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 September 2012, 12:17 GMT]
The Indian intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in a recent report warned about increased activities of the Pakistani intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in Jaffna in the last 3-4 months, reported Indian media, The Pioneer, last Wednesday. According to the report, the Pakistanis have been erecting spy equipment in Jaffna for keeping tab on the movement of Indian submarines.
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Blake clings to LLRC while Rajapaksa scoffs at regime-change paradigm

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 September 2012, 00:36 GMT]
Concluding his visit to Colombo with a press conference on Friday, the US Asst. Secretary of State, Robert Blake, came out with the expected rhetoric on LLRC implementation, provincial council election in the North, ‘reducing’ the role and profile of the SL military in the ‘North’ and resumption of talks with the TNA on ‘provincial devolution’. While the zest was missing in the statement of Blake, Rajapaksa with an obvious hint at the current predicament of the USA mocked at the boomerang effect of the regime change paradigm. Rajapaksa’s tirade against the USA is unnecessary, since how could the Obama Administration that doesn’t think of even changing the South Asia desk would think of a regime change in Sri Lanka, commented political observers.
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International civil society urged to act on CHOGM meet in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 September 2012, 21:38 GMT]
After seeing the behaviour of today’s establishments in the Commonwealth that was once known for its effective action against South Africa’s apartheid, and after seeing the Indian diplomat turned Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma stretching his position to uphold the genocidal state and regime in Sri Lanka, the gagged Eezham Tamil civil society activists in the island urged the International Human Rights Organizations to come out with an international civil society boycott of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meet scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka in November 2013. They also urged understanding governments in Canada, Tamil Nadu state and elsewhere to lead the international civil society paradigm, and the international media to help such a paradigm. The diaspora should be awakened to new struggle strategies, they further urged.
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OHCHR team arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 September 2012, 08:31 GMT]
Hanny Megally, Chief of Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa branch of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Friday arrived in Colombo on a week-long tour to the island.
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UPFA operatives threaten TNA councilors to join UPFA in East

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 September 2012, 23:24 GMT]
Some of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) councilors, elected in the Eastern Provincial Elections, have gone into hiding evading abduction and intimidation as operatives sent from Colombo were engaged in threatening that they would be abducted if they fail to extend support for the formation of a new administration by the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA). The Colombo operatives began to threaten the TNA councilors as they were not able to win the ‘hearts and minds’ of the Tamil people even after promising 50 million rupees in cash to each councilor, a house in Colombo and a vehicle, the sources further said.
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Blake greets Sampanthan in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 September 2012, 20:00 GMT]
The visiting US Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake Thursday morning met R. Sampanthan, the parliamentary group leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) at Colombo Hilton Hotel. Mr Blake showed interest in knowing about the tug-o-war between the parties in the forming the next administration of the EPC, the sources close to TNA told TamilNet. Referring to the Action Plan submitted to the UNHCR by the Sri Lankan Government about the implementation of some of the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), Sampanthan pointed out to Blake that the SL government had diluted those recommendations in its Action Plan
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‘Sexist cartoons on Tamil Nadu CM reflect Sinhala patriarchal attitude to Tamil women’

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 September 2012, 00:03 GMT]
In the garb of criticizing protests in Tamil Nadu against visiting Sri Lankan pilgrims, Lakbima, a mainstream Sinhala daily published two cartoons on Sunday portraying the Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa in a derogatory manner. The libellous cartoons, which targeted Ms. Jayalalitha on the basis of her status as a woman political leader, also targeted the late MGR, former Tamil Nadu CM and popular Tamil cinema icon, and the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. “The sexist nature of these cartoons on a political leader of Tamil Nadu published in a major Sinhala newspaper reflect the patriarchal attitude of the Sinhala state machinery towards Tamil women in general,” commented a feminist working with war survivors in Vanni adding that this attitude manifested itself as genocide-intended sexual violence against Eezham Tamil women by the occupying Sinhala forces in the Tamil homeland.
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SLMC gets chance of showing political statesmanship

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 September 2012, 01:14 GMT]
With all irregularities exercised by the Rajapaksa regime of Colombo in the Eastern PC Elections, the emerging reality is that the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress gets its chance of showing political statesmanship in responding to ground realities in the Eastern Province, comment political observers watching the developments in the island. “It is a providence-given chance to the Tamil-speaking Muslims in the island to decide their political cause, whether they want to remain just a ‘minority’ or they want to be stakeholders in making a nation. At the same time, the question of conceding the status to the Muslims has also been extended to the TNA,” commented an observer in the East. However, by being carried away by the ‘simulated course of events’ the TNA is burdened with the responsibility of proving that in what way the PC system justifies the aspirations of Eezham Tamils and Muslims.
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‘Power cut’ costs a seat to TNA in EPC elections

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 September 2012, 03:14 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) was getting 7 seats and was leading in the counting of votes for the Batticaloa district, taking place at Vincent Girls College. Then, there was a 30 minutes ‘power cut’ and when the lights came back, it was announced that the TNA got only 6 seats. The ‘lost’ one went to the UPFA. As it stands now TNA has secured 11 seats, trailing behind the ruling UPFA that has won 12 seats in the province. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has secured 7 seats, while the UNP got 4 seats and Wimal Weerawansa's National Freedom Front (NFF) got one. The counting for Batticaloa district that usually takes place at the Hindu College was shifted this time to Vincent's College close to a paramilitary camp.
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Sri Lanka's lesson to Cicero

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 September 2012, 15:40 GMT]
James Carville, a well-known U.S. political pundit, commenting on the contemporary relevance of a letter written in first century B.C. on "how to run a good campaign," says in a Foreign Policy article, "[l]ittle did I realize that pretty much everything I've said was old news 2,000 years ago, covered expertly in Quintus Tullius Cicero's strategy memo for the campaign of his brother, Marcus, for consul in Rome in 64 bc." While the note applies more to, and highlights the hypocrisy inherent to, the political campaigns running up to the elections in the much celebrated western liberal democracies, campaigns in west-propped up, family-run, majoritarian, illiberal democracies such as the one in Sri Lanka, can add a chapter on the use of threat and violence to win elections to Cicero's handbook. Tamil National Alliance's campaign, in contrast, can be said to steal leaves out of Cicero.
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UPFA candidate threatens TNA supporters in Ampaa'rai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 September 2012, 15:37 GMT]
Pushparasa, a candidate in the East elections under the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) ticket and a former member of the East Municipal Council attacked Tamil National Alliance (TNA) supporters and threatened with death TNA member of the Naavithan Ve'li Piratheasiya Sapai member Gunaratnam at 2.00 p.m. near the polling booth at the Ma'nal Kunru Junction Kannaki Vidyaalyam, sources in Ampaa'rai said.
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Rajapaksa’s ministers threaten Tamil voters in East

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 September 2012, 11:37 GMT]
A group of more than ten ministers of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) currently staying in Trincomalee district on the eve of election to the Eastern Provincial Council were reportedly engaged in intimidating voters to vote for their candidates and the Tamil village level officers are intimidated for not co-operating with them in this regard, civil sources in Trincomalee said Saturday. In the meantime, participation in the provincial elections on Saturday was as low as 35% in the city and 40% in remote areas in the early hours of the day. However, reports from remote areas indicated active participation later in the day. In Ampaa'rai district, the attendance was at 60%. In Batticaloa district, 62% of the votes were polled, the officials said. Muslim voters in Ee'raavoor, Kaaththaankudi and Vaazhaich-cheanai divisions actively participated, news sources in East said.
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Rajapaksa's UPFA-men destroy Hindu temple in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 September 2012, 17:50 GMT]
Abiraami Amman Koayil in Meankaamam village, situated in Moothoor DS division of Trincomalee district, was destroyed on Wednesday. Residents in the area told TamilNet that a gang led by former Provincial Minister of Agriculture and Inland Fisheries T. Navaratnarajah, who is contesting the forthcoming election to the Eastern Provincial Council on the ticket of SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa's ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), was behind the destruction.
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Sampanthan writes to Rajapaksa on election violations in East by UPFA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 September 2012, 13:42 GMT]
Certain events have occurred in the past several days which have raised grave misgivings in regard to whether the elections to Eastern Provincial Council to be hold on Saturday would be free and fair, tells R. Sampanthan, the parliamentary group leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on Thursday in a formal letter sent to SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa who is also the leader of the ruling UPFA alliance. Vehicles belonging to candidates and supporters of political parties opposed to the UPFA have been attacked, Sri Lankan military intelligence personnel have warned those opposed to the UPFA of ‘unpleasant consequences’ after the elections and a so-called Blue Brigade that has arrived in the East has been asking for the polling cards of voters, the letter by Mr Sampanthan said.
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Jayalalithaa orders exit of Colombo footballers, suspension of stadium official

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 September 2012, 18:13 GMT]
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Ms Jayalalithaa on Sunday gave orders to send back a football team of Sri Lanka’s Royal College in Colombo that had come to play ‘friendly’ matches in Chennai. The matches had been organised through an arrangement between the College and an official of the Reserve Bank of India, and the team had already played a match on Friday with the Customs Department of the Central Government, at the Nehru Stadium in Chennai. Slamming the Government of India for allowing the Sri Lankan team to play matches in Tamil Nadu, the Chief Minister directed the Chief Secretary of the State to suspend an officer in-charge of the Nehru Stadium of the state government who had given oral permission for the venue. Department level inquiries are initiated against the official.
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Basil Rajapaksa's men threaten Tamil-speaking voters: Sampanthan, Hakeem

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 September 2012, 15:31 GMT]
More than one thousand men sent under the instruction of SL Presidential sibling and Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapakse have been engaged in intimidating Tamils and Muslims in the three districts of the eastern province namely Ampaarai, Batticaloa and Trincomalee that they would face serious consequences if they fail to vote for the ruling United Peoples Freedom Party in the forthcoming election to the Eastern Provincial Council that is scheduled to be held on Saturday, September 8 , according to complaints lodged with the Commissioner General of Elections by the parliamentary group leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) R.Sampanthan and Rauff Hakeem, the leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, who is also the Justice Minister in Mahinda Rajapaksa's cabinet. Basil Rajapakse is also a minister in same cabinet.
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