CFA teaches belated political lesson to UPFA, says UNP MP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 April 2006, 21:01 GMT]
United National Party (UNP) parliamentarian Dr. Jayalath Jayawardene, addressing a UNP press conference Wednesday in Colombo said that those in power in Sri Lanka today are facing the political reality and learning a hard lesson that proper implementation of the Cease Fire Agreement is a critical prerequisite if efforts to find solutions to the national problem are to make progress.
Full story >>

Tuberculosis awareness program held in Mulangavil

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 April 2006, 17:42 GMT]
Tamileelam Health Services (THS) organized a Tuberculosis awareness program in Iranaimathanagar, Mulangavil in Kilinochchi district sponsored by International Organization for Migration (IOM), sources in Kilinochchi said.
Full story >>

Canada ban on LTTE brings war nearer - paper

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 April 2006, 13:09 GMT]
By emboldening the hardliners in the Sri Lankan regime and the Sinhala nationalists who support it and, by destabilizing the balance of forces underpinning the peace process, proscriptions of the LTTE , such as Canada’s, are making war more, not less, likely, the Tamil Guardian newspaper warned Wednesday. “These forces will undoubtedly feel vindicated by the Canadian decision and take it, not unreasonably, as support for their uncompromising positions on the ethnic questions,” the expatriate fortnightly said.
Full story >>

International Association of Tamil Journalists formed in UK

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 April 2006, 12:41 GMT]
"Uniting all Tamil journalists of the world in a single organisation is the aim of the International Association of Tamil Journalists (IATJ)," said Ms. Ananthy Sooriyapragasam, the former senior programme organisor of the BBC Tamil Service, inaugurating the International Association of Tamil Journalists (IATJ) in London.
Full story >>

Trincomalee UC to function from Thursday

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 April 2006, 10:56 GMT]
Elected administration of the Trincomalee Urban Council is to function from Thursday morning with Mr.Shanmugarajah Gowrimuhunthan and Mr. Kanthasamy Selvarajah of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchchi (ITAK) taking oaths as Chairman and Vice-Chairman respectively, local government sources in Trincomalee said.
Full story >>

Five civilians shot and killed by SLA soldiers in Puthur East, Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 April 2006, 03:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers shot and killed five Tamil civilians Tuesday night close to an SLA 51-1 Division camp located at Vatharavathai, 13 km north-east of Jaffna. The soldiers took the five civilians, a Municipal Council official, an electrical mechanic, a farmer and two auto-rikshaw drivers, into their camp and later brought them out to an open terrain and gunned them down, villagers said. A terror-campaign, let loose on the civilians in Puthur in October 2005, when the villagers spoiled a rape attempt by the soldiers, triggered a series of Claymore attacks in Jaffna. Tuesday's killings come a few hours after Australia commending Colombo for "not retaliating in kind."
Full story >>

Half a century of violence against Tamils still continues, says Nadesan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 April 2006, 16:26 GMT]
"What happens in Trincomalee now is only a continuation of the state terrorism that began fifty years ago. Now it has become customary for the law enforcement arms of the Sri Lankan government to openly assist and join the Sinhala nationalist thugs in the violence against Tamils," said Thamileelam Police Chief Mr. B. Nadesan, participating in a ceremony held Sunday 7. a.m to mark the graduation of a new group of police officers, in an undisclosed venue in Vanni, sources from Kilinochchi said.
Full story >>

Australia condemns recent violence in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 April 2006, 11:53 GMT]
In a media release issued Tuesday in Colombo, the Australian Govnernment strongly condemned the "recent violence in Sri Lanka, particularly the attacks on Sri Lankan security forces personnel and civilians in the north and east," and expressed similar condemnation to the "murder in Trincomalee on 7 April of the Tamil political figure Mr V. Vigneswaran."
Full story >>

Mutilated bodies of three civilians found in Puliyankulam

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 April 2006, 07:50 GMT]
Three civilians who went hunting into Periyamadu jungle last Thursday from Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled Puliyankulam were found dead Monday, Tamileelam Police officials said. Villagers in the area have seen five men wearing dark clothes, leaving the Periyamadu jungle towards no-man zone last Friday, according to the police officials. The victims died of blood loss caused by cut wounds, according to coroner's report. Periyamadu jungle is located 7 km north of the SLA checkpost in Omanthai.
Full story >>

Three paramilitary cadres killed, one captured - LTTE

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 April 2006, 06:03 GMT]
Three paramilitary cadres who were on a penetration mission into the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam controlled area in Pendukalsenai, west of Kiran in Batticaloa district, were killed when Tigers launched a counter-attack on the attack group, LTTE's Kudumbimalai area coordinator Oliyan told media Tuesday. One paramilitary cadre was captured by the LTTE.
Full story >>

Annai Poopathi death anniversary final event begins in Muttur east

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 April 2006, 00:40 GMT]
The final three-day of death anniversary of Annai Poopathi who fast to death demanding the Indian government to stop war against Liberation Tigers and to hold talks with them, began in Ganeshapuram Central College in Muttur east Monday. Hundreds of women observed a day of fasting in memory of Annai Poopathi. Annai Poopathi passed away after a month long fasting on April 19, eighteen years ago.
Full story >>

Curfew re-imposed in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 April 2006, 16:21 GMT]
Curfew was re-imposed in three police divisions, Trincomalee town, Uppuveli and Chinabay in the Trincomalee with effect from 6 p.m. from Monday till Tuesday 6 a.m. The police said the curfew has been imposed as a precautionary measure. Earlier today, police and Sri Lanka Army personnel cordoned off and conducted a house-to-house search in Varothiayanagar, a Tamil suburb about 3 km. north of the eastern port town. About 50 Tamil residents were detained for questioning.
Full story >>

Newly carved out Navithanveli PS office opened

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 April 2006, 14:54 GMT]
Mr.Kanagasabai Pathmanathan, Amparai district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Monday declared open the administrate office of the newly carved out Navithanveli Pradesiya Sabah (PS) in the Amparai district. The election to the Navithanveli PS is to be held on 20 May.
Full story >>

2000 Tamils seek refuge in Kappalthurai School

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 April 2006, 14:34 GMT]
About two thousand members from four hundred Tamil families of resettled Tamil village Kappalthurai have sought refuge in Kappalthurai government Tamil school. They fled from their houses when soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army assaulted some of them following the claymore mine blast that killed three troopers of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Saturday night, sources said.
Full story >>

Another Thenmaradchi trader shot and killed

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 April 2006, 08:11 GMT]
Four gunmen riding in two motorbikes entered an electric shop located on A9 Road at Meesalai in Thenmaradchi and gunned down Mr. Ramalingam Sakilan, 30, the owner of the shop, around 11:30 a.m., Monday. The gunmen were wearing military uniforms. Around 15 SLA soldiers were standing outside the shop blocking civilian traffic when the killing took place. Tamil traders are being targetted by SLA operated gunmen in retaliation to the escalating Claymore attacks, civilian sources said.
Full story >>

4 SLA troopers killed in Claymore attack in Vavuniya, 11 wounded

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 April 2006, 04:24 GMT]
Four Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and 10 wounded when a Claymore mine fixed to a three-wheeler parked along the Vavuniya-Mannar road at Veppankulam, 2.6 km nortwest of Vavuniya targetted an SLA vehicle, police sources in Vavuniya said. A civilian was also wounded in the attack that took place around 8:50 a.m., Monday. The soldiers at the site opened fire for more than 10 minutes and the road remained blocked for all traffic, civilian sources said.
Full story >>

Kinniya, Muttur Council chairmen take oaths

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 April 2006, 16:28 GMT]
Mr.M.A.M.Salihu, Attorney-at-Law of the United National Party (UNP), took oaths as the Chairman of the newly created Kinniya Urban Council (UC), Mr.K.M.Thowfeek, leader of the Independent Group 1 took as the Chairman of Muttur PS, and Mr.A.C.Kaniyoon of the UNP took oaths as Chairman of Kinniya PS Saturday, sources said.
Full story >>

Twelve-hour police curfew imposed in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 April 2006, 16:22 GMT]
Twelve-hour curfew was clamped on three police divisions of the Trincomalee district, Trincomalee town, Uppuveli and Chinabay with effect from Sunday evening at 6 p.m. to Monday morning 6 a.m. Earlier two divisions, Trincomalee and Uppuveli were brought under curfew. The Chinabay police division has been brought under curfew following reports that some members of resettled Tamil families in Kappalthurai were assaulted by soldiers of the Sri Lanka Navy following a claymore mine attack on Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) personnel Saturday night.


Full story >>

"Upsurging Force" claims responsibility for Mattuvil, Vavuniya attacks

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 April 2006, 15:48 GMT]
Local media in Jaffna received faxed messages Sunday from "Upsurging Peoples' Force," claiming responsibility for the claymore attack near Vavuniya Joseph camp on Saturday where five Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and ten wounded. The clandestine force operating in Sri Lanka Army controlled areas, also claimed responsibility for a claymore attack Sunday morning in Mattuvil where one SLA trooper was killed and another injured, media sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

TRO supplies dry ration to Trincomalee victims

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 April 2006, 11:09 GMT]
Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) in Trincomalee district Sunday commenced distributing dry ration relief to Tamil families who have sought refuge in schools and public buildings in the suburbs of east port town. About two hundred and fifty Tamil families fled in the Friday violence sought refuge in Anpuvallipuram Kalaimagal Vidiyalayam and Varothiayanagar Barati Vidiyalayam as thugs burned down their houses with other properties.
Full story >>