Kilinochchi relief organizaton urges immediate release of TRO workers

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 May 2006, 12:46 GMT]
Killinochchi East Rehabilitation Organization (KERO), in a memorandum issued Friday, appealed to the Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse to take immediate steps to release the abducted Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) workers from the custody of the para-militaries of the Sri Lankan Army (SLA). During a military operation on April 30 at Welikanda by LTTE against the paramilitary camp two TRO vehicles used by TRO workers at the time of abduction were recovered. SLA, paramilitaries and government media that they were not involved in the abduction, the memorandum pointed out.
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Tamil farmer arrested by SLA, reported missing

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 May 2006, 11:51 GMT]
Mr.Visanthy Aloysius, a Tamil farmer of Vellalarkaddu in Nanattan division in Mannar district is now reported missing after being arrested by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on April 29. He was arrested by a group of soldiers when he was going to Sooriyakaddaikadu to sell vegetables. Several villagers witnessed the arrest. Now, SLA officials are denying arresting the farmer, said Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan and Mr.S.Noharathalingam, Wanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians in a letter sent Friday to the Sri Lanka President Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse.
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International Community should protect Tamil media - TMF

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 May 2006, 11:04 GMT]
"The threats, attacks, and killings of Tamil journalists carried out by the Sri Lanka Security Forces and the collaborating paramilitary have reached unprecedented levels. The entire Tamil media is being targeted and intimidated by Security Forces," said the Tamil Media Forum in its memorandum to Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse handed over to Killinochchi Government Agent (GA) Mr. T. Rasanayagam Thursday at 11.30 a.m, said sources from Kilinochchi.


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Indiscriminate Attacks strengthen case for Tamil self-rule- Aussie MP

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 May 2006, 10:10 GMT]
"Whatever the provocation, targeting Tamil civilians by the Sri Lankan Government clearly demonstrates that it does not regard the Tamil people to be part of its population. It thus strengthens, in my view, the Tamil people's case for self determination," said Australian parliamentarion John Murphy, Member for the Federal State of Lowe, in a media release issued Friday.
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3 policemen, 3 civilians wounded in Claymore attack in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 May 2006, 08:08 GMT]
Three policemen and three civilians including an eight year old girl were injured Friday around 1.20 p.m at Station Road Vairavapulliyankulam in Vavuniya in a Claymore attack targeting the vehicle taking lunch to the police cadres, said Vavuniya police.
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SLA, Police cordon, search Trincomalee town

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 May 2006, 21:39 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops and Police conducted combined cordon and search operation Thursday morning in the predominantly Tamil areas of the Trincomalee town. Security forces took sniffer dog to detect any explosives and claymore mines concealed in houses. However no explosives were found and no suspects were arrested during the operation, Trincomalee police sources said.
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TRO opens Pubic Hall in Mallavi, distributes ADB loans

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 May 2006, 21:02 GMT]
Mr. S. Gajendran, Pandiyankulam Village Coordinator presided over the opening ceremony of the newly constructed Public hall built by Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation, at Thirunagar in the Malavi region in Mullaitivu district, held Wednesday around 10.30 a.m, said sources from Vanni.
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Sri Lanka arms Serunuwara Sinhala residents for "self-defense"

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 May 2006, 17:04 GMT]
Several hundred Tamil families displaced from their villages in the Serunuwara police division in the Trincomalee district and sought refuge in Liberation Tigers held Muttur east have expressed fear to return as Sinhala villagers surrounding their area have been provided with arms by the Seri Lanka government's security establishment for "self-defense," sources said.
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Tamil female journalist arrested at UNESCO Freedom event

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 May 2006, 11:03 GMT]
Sivaramya Sivanathan, a Tamil female journalist attached to state owned Sri Lanka Broadcasting Cooperation (SLBC) as a relief announcer, was questioned by the Sri Lanka police at the entrance of the conference and arrested despite her producing her identity card given by the SLBC, a media release issued by the Free Media Movement (FMM) said. The FMM urged the Sri Lanka government to "instruct the police to speed up the investigations and release Ms. Sivaramya Sivanathan if she is proved innocent."


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CPJ condemns killing of Tamil-Language daily staffers

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 May 2006, 23:33 GMT]
Condemning the killing of two journalists at Tamil Language daily Uthayan, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), in a media release issued Tuesday, called on Government of Sri Lanka to "fully investigate the attack and take measures to ensure the security of all media workers as more attacks undermine the increasingly unstable truce since planned peace talks faltered in April."
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Fifty passengers escape Claymore blast in Vanni

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 May 2006, 14:48 GMT]
A bus carrying around 50 passengers from Puliyankulam northwards in LTTE controlled area in Periyakulam in Vavuniya North narrowly escaped a Claymore blast around 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, Tamileelam Police sources in Kilinochchi said. Deep Penetration Unit of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) is blamed for targeting civilian passengers in LTTE controlled areas recently.
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CTTU condemns attack on "Uthayan" newspaper

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 May 2006, 14:41 GMT]
The Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU) condemned the attack on "Uthayan" a leading Tamil daily in the Jaffna district in a statement issued Wednesday.
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SLTMA extends plea to save Tamil Journalists on Press Freedom Day

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 May 2006, 12:10 GMT]
"The killings of the two Uthayan staffs and the extensive damage to the Uthayan office and equipments by paramilitary cadres directed by the Sri Lanka government (GOSL), pose serious threat to the media in Sri Lanka," said the Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA) in its statement released Tuesday. The GoSL conducts "customary eyewash inquiries," into the killings of several Tamil journalists, the statement added.
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IATJ raises concerns for Tamil Journalists' safety

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 May 2006, 11:08 GMT]
The International Association of Tamil Journalists (IATJ), based in London, called upon the International Community, Media and Human Rights Organisations of the world to focus their attention to the fast deteriorating safety of the Tamil journalists in Sri Lanka and to urge the Government of Sri Lanka to adopt internationally accepted standards in the treatment of the media and its journalists in Sri Lanka.
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SLMM issuing clarifications under pressure, disturbing- LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 May 2006, 10:56 GMT]
Liberation Tigers in a letter to Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) chief General Henricsson sent Wednesday regarding the clarifications on a previous statement that confirmed complicity of Government in extra-judicial killings in NorthEast, said: "We assume that the SLMM still stands by the above conclusions...and that the clarification only refers to the generalization of SLMM's conclusions."
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Tamil Canadians declare "Tamil solidarity week"

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 May 2006, 01:28 GMT]
The Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) an organization which represents the interest of expatriate Tamil Canadians, held a press conference Monday in Toronto to declare May 8th through the 14th as "Tamil Solidarity Week for Peace." This week will bring together Tamil Canadians and other peace-loving Canadians to express their solidarity and support for finding lasting peace in Sri Lanka," said Mr. David Poobalapillai a spokesperson for the CTC.


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Paramilitary gunmen attack Jaffna daily, 2 killed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 May 2006, 14:25 GMT]
Five armed paramilitary gunmen who entered the main office of the Jaffna daily Uthayan Tuesday night around 7:45 p.m., opened fire on editorial staff, killing at least two staffers, including the daily's marketing manager and wounding two, according to initial reports. At least 40 gunshots were heard, residents said.
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Woman farmer killed, 2 wounded in SLA Penetration Group's gunfire in Madu

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 May 2006, 12:15 GMT]
A group of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers who penetrated into Liberation Tigers controlled Madu division, shot and killed a 50-year old woman farmer. A 60-year old man and another 50-year old woman were wounded. The shooting incident took place at Chinnavalayankattu in Mannar district Tuesday around 4:00 p.m., Tamileelam Police sources in Madu said.
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SL Police abandons Sivaram murder investigation- RSF

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 May 2006, 12:14 GMT]
"Violence between Tamil factions, sometimes manipulated by the security forces, has had particularly bloody results. The renowned Tamil journalist Dharmeratnam Sivaram "Taraki", head of the news website TamilNet and editorialist on the Daily Mirror, was gunned down in Colombo in April. After arresting one suspect, police abandoned the investigation," said Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in its annual report for 2006 on Sri Lanka, issued Tuesday.
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LTTE retaliates SLA artillery fire - Elilan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 May 2006, 11:10 GMT]
Sri Lankan Army (SLA) launched artillery fire on a forward defense line of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) located at Navalady in Muttur area Tuesday morning around 9.30 a.m. The LTTE cadres successfully retaliated the attack, said Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the LTTE. Navalady is located between Muttur east to Ralkuli, a territory controlled by the LTTE.
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