NZ Peace Group condemns Pararajasingham killing

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 January 2006, 13:10 GMT]
Global Peace and Justice, an Auckland based civil society group, condemned the killling of Mr Pararajasingham and said: "This is yet another conflict where the people of New Zealand can have an international impact beyond its size. We look forward to swift government action to contribute to justice and peace in Sri Lanka," in a press release issued in New Zealand, Sunday.
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Join hands to arrest spread of violence- EU Commissioner

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 January 2006, 12:35 GMT]
Mrs Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Commissioner for External Relations, European Commission in a message issued Thursday said that inspite of the escalating violence "Sri Lanka's leaders may yet be able to build on to pull back from the brink: it is the profound desire of the people of Sri Lanka for peace," and added that "it is imperative that the government, other political parties and the Tamil Tigers heed the call of the people and join hands to arrest the spread of violence prevailing in the north and in the east."
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Peace Group calls for urgent talks on CFA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 January 2006, 12:24 GMT]
Peace Support Group (PSG), a group consisting of civil society peace activists, expressed "deep sorrow and concern" at the escalation of violence in the NorthEast, reiterated the necessity to "return to direct talks as a matter of the utmost priority," and called upon the Government of Sri Lanka and Liberation Tigers "to affirm their commitment to the maintenance of law and order in the areas under their control, and take all steps to prevent a return to armed hostilities," in a press release issued in Colombo Monday.
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Hartal cripples Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 January 2006, 12:14 GMT]
Normal life and business in the Trincomalee town and its suburbs were completely paralyzed Thursday when shops, government offices, schools, public markets, non-governmental organizations and state and private sector banking institutions were closed down. Public and private transport came to a complete halt. All main roads in the town were seen deserted except government troops manning sentry points and patrolling, sources in the east port town said.
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SLA troopers beat to death Tamil farmer in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 January 2006, 08:28 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army soldiers at Lingapuram Wednesday morning ganged up and beat to death a 40-year-old Tamil farmer, Thanabalasingham, in his paddy fields, villagers have lodged a complaint with the truce monitors in the east port town. Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission officials based in Muttur town rushed to the site following a protest by the villagers.
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Amnesty International concerned about escalation of violence

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 January 2006, 22:01 GMT]
Amnesty International has appealed to the parties to halt the killings, abductions and "disappearances," being reported daily from the north and east of Sri Lanka. The Amnesty International, in a public statement issued on Wednesday said it was appalled by the news of the killing by unidentified attackers of Member of Parliament Joseph Pararajasingam, while he attended mass at St Mary's Church, Batticaloa on Christmas Eve. The deteriorating security situation will also drastically effect aid and relief operations to those displaced by the tsunami and by years of conflict who see no hope of returning to their homes, Amnesty has warned.
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Australia condemns CFA violations in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 January 2006, 11:23 GMT]
In a media release issued on the 8 December, Mr Alexander Downer , Australia's Minister of Foreign Affairs said, "Australia is deeply concerned about the recent escalation in violence in the North and East of Sri Lanka, and condemns in particular the two attacks in Jaffna on 4 and 6 December by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)," and called upon "both the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to take appropriate steps to bring an end to the current violence and to work towards the implementation of the letter and spirit of the Ceasefire Agreement as a crucial step in seeking a just and sustainable peace settlement."
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Journalists to demonstrate against Emergency Regulations

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 January 2006, 11:12 GMT]
Media organizations including Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association, Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance, Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum, Media Employees Trade Union Federation and Free Media Movement, in a press release issued Wednesday, said they are planning to demonstrate in front the Fort Railway Station Thursday protesting against the Emergency Regulations that allows Sri Lanka Security personnel to detain and harass journalists.
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Clothing store owner killed in Chavakachcheri

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 January 2006, 03:26 GMT]
P. Sivasankar, 28, from Meesalai and owner of a clothing store in Chavakacheri town was shot dead at 5.30 p.m. Tuesday on Dutch Road by gunmen suspected to be Sri Lanka Army (SLA) intelligence, sources in Jaffna said. Sivasankar, originally from Erlalai in Valigamam, was displaced from his home town, married and settled in Meesalai, sources said.
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Eight Tamil youths arrested in Puttalam checkpoint

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 January 2006, 21:04 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) soldiers arrested eight Tamil youths on Tuesday night at 7 p.m at the Manpuri checkpoint located in Puttalam - Kalpity Road, security sources said. All youths are residents of Liberation Tigers controlled area of Kaddaiparichchan in Mutur.
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Inquest into students’ murders begins at Trinco court

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 January 2006, 18:59 GMT]
The inquest into the killings of five Tamil students last week in Trincomalee by suspected members of Sri Lanka’s armed forces, began Tuesday before the Trincomalee Magistrate, Mr.V.Ramakamalan. The inquest was initially scheduled to be held on Monday, but was moved to Tuesday as the parents of the slain students had to attend to the eighth day rites of their slain children on Monday according to Hindu customs, legal sources said.
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Large crowds attend Resurgence Convention in Muttur east

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 January 2006, 17:24 GMT]
Large number of Tamils thronged the grounds of Kadatkaraichchenai, a village in Muttur east for Tamil National Resurgence Convention, the first in the New Year in the northeast province held Tuesday evening. Thousands walked from several villages in the divisions of Vaakarai, Verugal and Eachilampathu to Kadatkaraichchenai, a village in the Muttur east, sources said.
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Youth disappeared in Ilavalai, parents complain to NESOHR

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 January 2006, 15:11 GMT]
Unknown persons who came with Sri Lanka Army soldiers abuducted a boy, Rajeevmohan, in Ilavalai, 13 km north of Jaffna town Monday night. NE Secretariat on Human Rights, NESOHR, has filed a Case Report on the disappearence with an eyewitness account from the mother of the disappeared youth.
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US wants cost of return to war to be high

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 January 2006, 12:43 GMT]
The United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Jeffrey Lunstead, told a business gathering in Colombo on Monday that the US wanted the "cost of a return to war to be high," in Sri Lanka. Resisting from accusing the Sri Lankan Armed forces in the escalation of the recent viloence, the US Ambassador, in his address to the American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka, said that the US wanted it to be clear, if the Tigers chose to "abandon peace," they will face a "stronger, more capable and more determined" Sri Lankan military.


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Students graduate from Kilinochchi English Language College

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 January 2006, 12:01 GMT]
Second batch of twenty three students who completed the Diploma course at the Kilinochchi English Language College were awarded graduation certifications by Head of LTTE Political Wing, S P Thamilchelvan in a ceremony held at the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization's (TRO's) secretariat Monday 10 a.m., sources said.
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Media associations to hold demonstration against harassment

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 January 2006, 20:28 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association, Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance, Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum and Media Employees Trade Union Federation have decided to hold a demonstration in front of the Fort Railway Station in Colombo Thursday evening against the security forces for harassing Tamil media persons and media institutions using the Emergency Regulations, sources said
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FMM condemns SLA searches of Jaffna press

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 January 2006, 11:01 GMT]
Free Media Movement (FMM) in a press released issued Monday in Colombo condemned the cordon and search of the office of Jaffna Tamil daily Yal Thinnakkural on Friday by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers and urged the "authorities to look in these complains without delay and instruct security forces to respect freedom of information rights of all and journalist right to cover all issues of public interest."
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SLA soldier, two civilians killed in Muttur

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 January 2006, 10:12 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier was killed in a grenade attack on a sentry post at 58th milepost in Killiveddy area in Muttur division, south of Trincomalee, around 9 p.m., Sunday. Two civilians were killed when the soldiers retaliated, residents of the area said. SLA authorities, however, claimed that the men killed were members of the Liberation Tigers and that they have recovered a firearms from them.
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More demonstrations against Trinco students' murders

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 January 2006, 19:35 GMT]
Two demonstrations were held separately in the Liberation Tigers-held Muttur east and Eachchilampathu divisions Thursday and Friday, condemning the brutal killings of five Tamil students in Trincomalee town, allegedly by Sri Lanka armed forces last week. The Muttur east Tamil Students Forum and Verugal Tamil Students Forum organized these events. A large number of students, parents and civilians participated, sources said.
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SL Navy orders Trinco residents to hoist white flags

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 January 2006, 18:51 GMT]
Several Tamil residents of Trincomalee and its suburbs Sunday complained to civil right leaders and parliamentarians that soldiers of the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) manning checkpoints in the eastern port town are harassing them to hoist white flags to observe mourning for the SNL personnel who died in the Dvora gunboat blast, sources said.
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