Underage paramilitary recruit attests to SLA-Karuna link

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 February 2006, 11:05 GMT]
A 15-year-old boy, recruited by the paramilitary cadres of Karuna Group, later sent on vacation, and who managed to move with his family into the Liberation Tigers held area in Ayithiyamalai, addressed a press meet at Solayaham in LTTE controlled Kokkaddicholai Friday. The underage youth, Arulraj, has revealed details on how he was abducted, transported to Thivuchenai and trained at the training camp of the paramilitary group at Thivuchenai in Welikande. Arularj, who was on leave, managed to escape as his "guardian", an EPDP cadre Rama Ranjan, who accompanied him to Batticaloa from Welikande, was gunned down by unidentified gunmen in mid-January.
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STF opens fire at hartal observers in Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 February 2006, 05:45 GMT]
Several civilians sustained minor injuries when Special Task Force (STF) soldiers opened fire at civilians observing hartal in Thirukovil area in Akkaraipattu Friday morning. The incident took place near Akkaraipattu-Pottuvil highway, sources said.
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Released TRO abductees detained at Batticaloa Police Station

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 February 2006, 04:55 GMT]
The two female staff of Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), who were released on Monday by the abductors, are being held at Batticaloa Police station from 2.00 p.m. Thursday, TRO officials in Colombo said. When the two women, against threats to their safety, went to file a police report at the insistence of Government authorities, they were detained at the Batticaloa Police Station overnight against their wishes, and they are to be held at the Police station until officials of Sri Lanka Criminal Investigation Division (CID) arrive from Colombo, said TRO in a press release issued Friday.
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Anbu Illam student wins poetry prize

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 February 2006, 01:27 GMT]
A student from Anbu Illam, a children's home in Trincomalee, won the first prize of ten thousand rupees in an island wide-open poetry competition conducted by a Norway Tamil group. Miss Pakiyaluxmy, an GCE A/L Bio-Science student, received her prize money and savings book from Mr.S.Kumaraguruparan, Trincomalee District Deputy Director of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization. in a ceremony held at the children's home Thursday.
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Trinco district local bodies increased to thirteen

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 February 2006, 19:49 GMT]
Two more local government bodies, Kinniya Urban Council (UC) and Verugal Pradesiya Sabah (PS), have been carved out in the Trincomalee district bringing the number of such institutions to thirteen, election department sources said.
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Vavuniya traders face intimidation by armed groups- TNA MP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 February 2006, 19:48 GMT]
"Traders of Vavuniya have brought to my notice that they have become the target of intimidation by unidentified armed groups. The anonymous callers have demanded ransom of cash over the telephone. I am also informed that these men are using mobile phone for this purpose," said Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan, Wanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian in an urgent letter to the Sri Lanka President Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse.
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SLA ransacks, destroys LTTE Vadamaradchy political offices

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 February 2006, 16:35 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers cordoned off and searched central Vadamaradchy villages of Alvai, Vathiry and Karaveddy Thursday morning, sources from Jaffna said. During the house-to-house search operations SLA also ransacked and caused damages to the Liberation Tigers' Political office located in Vathiry area, sources added.
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Sri Lankan Parliament adjourned till February 14

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 February 2006, 07:54 GMT]
Sri Lankan parliament sessions were brought to an abrupt end Thursday morning following a bomb scare within the Chambers of the House. The drama began ealry Thursday when sniffing dogs stopped near one of the benches and started sniffing there. Security officials found a parcel with some gum on the carpet and the Government Analyst's Department was called into examine the substance. Sittings beagn around 9.55 am after a dealy of about 25 minutes but were ended within less than a minute by Speaker W.J.M.Lokubandara. However, the sittings were adjoured till February 14th, after Tamil National Alliance MPs walked to the Well of the House in protest against the abductions in the east.
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SLA violates detainees rights- HRC

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 February 2006, 04:05 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers in Jaffna has grossly violated the fundamental rights of arrested Tamil youths by sending them to the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) in Colombo for interrogation without adhering to proper judicial procedures, said Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Jaffna Wednesday. In the past 45 days five Jaffna youths, presumed disappeared after arrests by the SLA, have been sent to the TID unit in Colombo, according to Jaffna Police.
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Tamil diaspora consortium welcomes US statement, calls for urgent action

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 February 2006, 13:13 GMT]
The International Federation of Tamils (IFT), a Geneva based consortium of Tamil diaspora organisations, in a renewed SOS call to the International Community on Wednesday, has warned that Colombo's denial of "any knowledge" of the abudctions of the humanitarian workers in the east, increased the risk of danger to the lives of the victims. The organisation has welcomed the statement issued by the US Embassy in Sri Lanka.
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UN agencies call for immediate release of kidnapped TRO staff

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 February 2006, 12:48 GMT]
UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator’s Office in Sri Lanka, on Wednesday, has called for the immediate release of the abducted humanitarian aid workers employed by the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO). Deploring the reported abuduction, the UN office in Colombo said that the humanitarian aid workers who devote their professional lives to serving those in need, have the right to respect and protection from harm.
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Paramilitaries release two TRO workers

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 February 2006, 11:54 GMT]
Two of the five pre-school teachers who were abducted by paramilitaries working with the assistance of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on Sunday 8.00 p.m. were released unharmed and returned to their families in Batticaloa on Wednesday, TRO representatives in Batticaloa said. The fate of the remaining 8 persons abducted by the paramilitaries is not yet known.
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NGO Consortium urges immediate action to release kidnapped TRO staff

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 February 2006, 08:08 GMT]
The Consortium of Non Governmental Organisation in Vavuniya, representing 43 NGOs in Vavuniya District, on Tuesday, appealed to the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, the representative of the International Committee for Red Cross in Colombo (ICRC), the Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and the chairperson of the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies in Colombo, to take immediate action to safeguard the lives and to ensure the safe return of NGO workers who have been kidnapped.
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TNA MPs walk out of parliament in protest of killings, abduction

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 February 2006, 06:07 GMT]
If Colombo continued to allow provocative incidents take place in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled areas of the NorthEast, the peace talks planned between the Government and the LTTE would be in jeopardy, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has warned the Sri Lankan Parliament Wednesday. "This is a calculated move to disturb the talks to be held in Geneva between the Government and the LTTE. We demand that the Government to act urgently in this matter and take appropriate action to save the dialogue," Mavai Senathirajah, TNA MP for Jaffna District told a press conference after walking out of the Sri Lankan Parliament.
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Sexual assault at Kopay SLA camp suspected, says TNA MP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 February 2006, 02:25 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna district parliamentarian S Gajendran brought to the attention of Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse that residents in Kopay strongly suspect sexual assaults on women are taking place inside a Kopay Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp, the parliamentarian told the local media, Tuesday. Several residents of the area had complained to the parliamentarian that they had heard a woman screaming for several minutes inside the camp at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
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Another five TRO staff reported missing

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 January 2006, 17:17 GMT]
Five persons, four Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) Pre School Education Development Center (PSEDC) personnel, and their driver, have been reported missing in the East, the TRO said in a press release issued Tuesday evening. The team, which was expected to have returned to the Kilinochchi FORUT office Tuesday, had left Valaichchenai, Batticaloa District, Sunday around 7:00 p.m. The PSEDC personnel had gone to Batticaloa to carry out the final assessment of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) funded Temporary Pre School Construction Project for Tsunami Welfare Centers and to evaluate the progress of the construction of Permanent Pre Schools funded by Save the Children in Sri Lanka.
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US urges Sri Lanka to investigate kidnapping of TRO staff

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 January 2006, 15:11 GMT]
The US Embassy in Sri Lanka, on Tuesday, expressed concern about the reported January 30 kidnapping of five members of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) at Welikanda in Polonnaruwa District. Urging the relevant authorities to rapidly investigate the allegations of the kidnapping, the US embassy called on all parties to exercise restraint and calm, especially in the run-up to the cease-fire talks in Geneva.
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SLA cordon, search Thumpalai area

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 January 2006, 10:26 GMT]
Lourdes Mary Catholic Church area in Thumpalai, Point Pedro was cordoned off and house-to-house search conducted by more than 500 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Tuesday morning, sources from Point-Pedro said. Residents of the area were not allowed to getout of their houses and vehicular traffic was blocked from entering or leaving the area during the search operation.
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Paramilitaries abduct 5 TRO staff in Welikande

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 January 2006, 19:54 GMT]
"Five (5) staff members [of Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO)] travelling from the Batticaloa office to Vanvuniya for training have been stopped by unidentified paramilitary personnel immediately after the Welikanda, (Polunnaruwa District) Sri Lankan Army Checkpoint at approximately 2:00 pm 30 January, 2006," TRO said in a press release issued Monday.
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CWC, UPF to jointly contest local elections

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 January 2006, 17:03 GMT]
The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) and Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF) Monday decided to field candidates in the forthcoming local elections jointly as one group with a common symbol. The second round of talks between CWC delegation led by its President Mr.Armugan Thondaman and UPF delegation led by its President Mr.P.Chandrasekaran was held Monday in Nuwara Eliya. The first round of talks was held on January 26 in Colombo, sources said.
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