Joseph Pararajasingham MP shot dead in Batticaloa church

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 December 2005, 19:56 GMT]
Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, a senior Tamil politician and the Batticaloa district Member of Parliament (MP) of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) was shot and killed by two unidentified gunmen at St. Mary's co-cathedral church in Batticaloa town while attending Christmas prayers early morning at 1.20 a.m Sunday. The MP's wife, Mrs. Sugunam Pararajasingham, seriously wounded in the gunfire, was rushed to Batticaloa Hospital in critical condition. Seven more persons were injured in the gunfire, civilian sources said.
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LTTE firm on venue, Co-chairs "committed and impartial"

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 December 2005, 10:38 GMT]
"The Tamil leadership is firm and will oppose Colombo's effort on imposing geographical limitations and preconditions on the venue of talks on the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement and thereby alienating the Liberation Tigers from European countries," the LTTE Political Head Mr. S.P. Thamilchelvan told media after a two-hour-long meeting with the Co-Chairs' representatives held in Kilinochchi Saturday. Head of the EU Delegation to Sri Lanka, Ambassador Julian Wilson, speaking to the media, reiterated the Co-Chairs statement on Monday and urged the parties to "start talks on Ceasefire Agreement's Implementation immediately," adding that Co-Chairs were "committed" and "impartial."
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Indian High Commissioner meets TNA delegation

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 December 2005, 16:51 GMT]
A delegation of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Friday met with the Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Ms Nirupama Rao and discussed at length the current situation, concerns on potential breakdown of CeaseFire Agreement (CFA), and the urgent need to restart the peace process. The TNA delegation impressed upon the High Commissioner the need for peace talks to commence without further delay, Mr.R.Sampanthan, TNA parliamentary group leader said in a press release Friday.
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Co-Chairs representatives to meet LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 December 2005, 15:20 GMT]
A top level diplomatic team representing the Co-Chairs of the peace process in Sri Lanka are scheduled to visit Kilinochchi and meet the LTTE's Political Head Mr. S.P. Thamilchelvan on Saturday to discuss the situation following the recent escalation of violence in Jaffna and Mannar districts, sources in Kilinochchi told TamilNet.
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Vaiko meets Indian Premier, Defence Minister in New Delhi

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 December 2005, 13:54 GMT]
Vaiko, the General Secretary of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) from the Tamil Nadu state in India, met Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in New Delhi Friday at 5 p.m. Following the meeting with the Indian Premier, Vaiko also met the Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee Friday evening. When contacted by TamilNet, the MDMK chief Vaiko described his meetings with Manmohan Singh and Pranab Mukherjee as cordial and constructive. Sri Lanka was trying to trap India to get embroiled into Sri Lanka's conflict as it did in the eighties, Vaiko said, adding that he had cautioned the Indian leaders that Sri Lanka's moves are inimical to Tamil interests.
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Mannar Police releases four fishermen, detains three

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 December 2005, 07:21 GMT]
Three internally displaced fishermen from Jaffna district, arrested by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), while being engaged in fishing in Pallimunai in Mannar area, are still being detained in the Mannar police station for further investigation regarding the firefight that took place between the Sri Lanka Navy and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Thursday morning. They are among the seven arrested by the SLN following the firefight. The other four fishermen including two students who are residents of Pallimunai were released Thursday night around 11:30 p.m. to the relatives in the presence of Mannar Parish Priest Rev.F.A.Gnanapiragasam.
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Press freedom under threat in Jaffna, IFJ warns

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 December 2005, 21:27 GMT]
President of The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Christopher Warren, in a statement issued Thursday, warned that the "clamp down on media freedoms in Jaffna following incidents of journalists being beaten, arrested and news paper offices being searched," is just the beginning which will result in a total clampdown.


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SLN arrests, assaults 7 Mannar fishermen

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 December 2005, 20:02 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) arrested seven Tamil fishermen Thursday morning when they were returning to the shore after night-fishing. They are being detained at the Sunny village Naval Camp in Mannar, sources said. Medical officers at the Mannar hospital said the fishermen were brought to the General hospital in the evening for medical examination, and confirmed that all seven had assault injuries.
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Three SLN sailors died in Mannar sea - LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 December 2005, 18:45 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have informed the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that their cadres had returned fire for self-protection on Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) boats that intercepted and attacked three LTTE vessels in the seas of Mannar Thursday morning. Two SLN sailors were found dead inside a boat that was abandoned by the SLN fleet, and another sailor, seriously wounded and rescued by the Tigers, later drowned in a Tiger boat that had sustained extensive damage, the LTTE said. One LTTE cadre was wounded in the clash, the Tigers said adding that their cadres were continuing to travel in the seas with arms for self-defence in accordance with their earlier announcement.
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WPPF leader meets Thamilchelvan in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 December 2005, 16:36 GMT]
Leader of Western Province People's Front (WPPF), Mano Ganeshan, met with Head of LTTE's Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan, in Kilinochchi Thursday morning sources in Kilinochchi said. "Forming a united front of all Tamil parties to secure a formidable bargaining position in Sri Lanka parliament was the basis of our discussion today," Mr.Ganeshan told the reporters after his meeting.


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LTTE urges Norway to initiate steps to restore normalcy

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 December 2005, 06:15 GMT]
Noting that the Tamil people have been highly pertubed over the brutal rape and the murder of Tharshini Ilayathamby in Punguduthivu, and the military-unleashed violence on the peaceful demonstration where the Vice Chancellor of the Jaffna Univeristy was attacked and a lecturer was shot, has created "tension, panic and uncontrollable civilian unrest," the Political Head of the Liberation Tigers, Mr. S.P.Thamilchelvan has called for meaningful steps on the part of the Norwegian facilitators and the International Community in a letter addressed to the Norwegian Ambassador, Mr. Hans Brattskar on Wednesday.
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SLN boats attacked in Mannar, three troopers missing, one wounded

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 December 2005, 05:30 GMT]
A soldier of the Sri Lanka Navy Mr.S.G.T.Sanjeeva,23, was injured Thursday morning around 7.30 a.m. when unidentified attackers fired at three SLN boats enroute to Pallimunai camp in the Mannar town. The attackers have abducted three SLN soldiers with their patrol boat, Mannar Police said. A Tamil fisherman Mr.P.Rukman, 25, was also injured in the incident.


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Tamil activist shot dead in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 December 2005, 02:59 GMT]
Mr K. Navaratnam (47), Jaffna district organizer for Tamil Resurgence Task force, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in front of the Thinakural offices in KKS road in Jaffna town at 5.30 a.m. Thursday, sources from Jaffna said. He worked part-time as news paper distributer and had gone to collect Thinakural edition for delivery to Poopalasingham Book Shop located on the Hospital Road when he was shot.
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SLA attacks on Jaffna protesters justified, says Fonseka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 December 2005, 20:52 GMT]
A "third force" in Jaffna is using peaceful demonstrations to instigate violence and therefore Sri Lanka Army (SLA) had to take defensive action, said Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, the Sri Lanka Army commander, justifying the recent attacks by the SLA soldiers on unarmed protesters in Jaffna, during a meeting between SL President Mahinda Rajapakse and TNA parliamentarians Wednesday at Temple trees, TNA sources said. The Vice Chancellor of Jaffna Campus, the Dean of the Arts Faculty and a TNA Member of Parliament were attacked, several students were injured and a lecturer received gunshot wounds when the SLA soldiers violently brokeup a peaceful demonstration near Jaffna campus Monday.
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Rajapakse meets TNA delegation

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 December 2005, 11:19 GMT]
A high level discussion between the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians led by its parliamentary group leader R.Sampanthan is currently in progress in the SL President's Office in Colombo. The meeting began around 4:00 p.m. Wednesday at the urgent request of the Tamil National Alliance, political sources said.
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RSF dismayed by arrests of Tamil journalists

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 December 2005, 03:14 GMT]
Noting the escalating political tension in Sri Lanka where a Tamil journalist was arrested and three assaulted in a two-day period, Reporters Without Borders (RSF- Reporters Sans Frontieres) in media release said, "Instead of calming down the situation, the police and the army are carrying out unjustified arrests that only stir up resentments. The security forces and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) should guarantee the safety of Sri Lankan journalists whatever their origin."
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LTTE, SLMM meet in Pallai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 December 2005, 01:03 GMT]
Recent attacks by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers on unarmed civilians have made Tamil people lose all confidence in the peace process and in the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA), C.Ilamparithy, Jaffna district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Tuesday told a two-member delegation of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Tuesday at the LTTE's political secretariat in Pallai. The pattern of attacks clearly indicates that the attacks were premeditated, Ilamparithy further told the SLMM.
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Tharsini raped before murder- Medical Report

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 December 2005, 18:43 GMT]
Ilayathamby Tharshini (20), whose body was recovered from an abandoned well in Punguduthivu Saturday, was brutally raped before being strangled to death, according to postmortem examination conducted in the Jaffna Teaching Hospital. Dr.Balasubramaniam, Judicial Medical Officer, who conducted the postmortem examination later handed over the medical report to the Kayts Police. The funeral of Tharshini was held Monday amid intimidation and threat by the Sri Lanka Navy personnel in Punguduthivu, residents said.
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World concerned over escalation of violence, Solheim calls for urgent talks

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 December 2005, 18:24 GMT]
The global community is gravely concerned over the rising tide of violence in the Jaffna peninsula and calling for urgent talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers to de-escalate the conflict. This message was conveyed to the LTTE’s Chief Negotiator and theoretician, Mr. Anton Balasingham when a high level Norwegian delegation met him at his London residence Tuesday morning, sources told TamilNet.
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Remand extended for Sri Lanka policemen

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 December 2005, 12:03 GMT]
Tamil Eelam district court, Kilinochchi ordered further remand for three Sri Lankan policemen until 3rd January when inquiry into the case of the policemen accused of illegally crossing into Liberation Tigers controlled areas was taken up for inquiry Tuesday, legal sources said.
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