Jaffna tense: Civilian shot dead by SLA, angry mob kills police officer

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 August 2005, 09:14 GMT]
A salon employee, identified as Mr. Jeyaseelan Shantharooban, 24, was shot in his head by Sri Lankan Army soldiers who entered the hairdressing salon located at Innuvil Junction on KKS Road in Jaffna around 1:00 p.m. Thursday, residents said. Another employee Mr. K. Thevathas was injured. Mr. Shantharooban, who was being rushed to Jaffna Hospital, succumbed to gunshot wounds, hospital sources said. Residents angered by the incident blocked the road and were seen throwing stones at SLA vehicles approaching the site. Riot Police were seen firing tear gas at the protesting residents. A Superindent of Police, abducted and attacked by an angry mob, later succumbed to his wounds.
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SLA soldiers harass devotees at Jaffna checkpoints

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 August 2005, 09:01 GMT]
Jaffna residents attending to celebrate "aadi amavasai" festival at the Keerimalai Naguleswarar temple and at Keerimalai seas were subjected to severe checking and harassment at the Tellipalai and Senthankulam Sri Lanka Army (SLA) checkpoints in Jaffna Thursday, sources from Jaffna district said. Hindus commemorate death anniversary of their fathers on 4 August.
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JHU to protest against P-TOMS

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 August 2005, 04:58 GMT]
"We have decided to hold island-wide protests against the Post-Tsunami Operations Structure (P-TOMS), we demand holding of elections for Sri Lanka's presidency in 2005, and want immediate suspension of all talks with International community regarding P-TOMS," said Omalpe Sobitha Thera, parliamentarian from the extremist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) , an all monks party, to media persons Wednesday.
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Indian Tamils to protest against SL Minister's ethnic slur

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 August 2005, 04:12 GMT]
Tamils of Indian Origin from upcountry estates are to protest against the ethnic slurs directed at their community by Sri Lanka's Deputy Minister of Labour Relations and Foreign Employment, Mr. Mervyn Silva, during arraignment of the Minister's son Malaka Silva for his alleged confrontation with Police, sources in Nuwara Eliya said. The protest planned by the Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF) is to take place in front of the Fort Railway Station Colombo on 8th August.
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AFTA calls for support to Tamil rights

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 August 2005, 13:16 GMT]
In a press release issued Thursday, Australian Federation of Tamils Association (AFTA) called on the International Community to recognize Tamils right to self-determination. AFTA said in the release that it fully endorses the proclamation made during the Tamil conference in Vavuniya on 27 July which called for recognition of “our basic right to a life of freedom with peace on the basis of our traditional homeland, our nationhood, self rule and struggle for sovereignty.”
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Helgesen to visit Colombo, Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 August 2005, 11:58 GMT]
Norwegian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Vidar Helgesen, will be arriving in Colombo on Thursday on a four day visit, according to a press release issued by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Colombo on Wednesday. Mr. Helgesen will have meetings with Sri Lanka's President Kumaratunga and with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
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SLMTA commemorates slain journalist

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 August 2005, 11:01 GMT]
"Mr. Sivaram played an important role as a journalist highlighting the gravity of the NorthEast political and military situation with his in-depth analysis," said Professor Karthigesu Sivathamby, in a tribute to the slain popular military analyst and senior editor at TamilNet, Mr. Dharmeratnam Sivaram, on Tuesday during a commemoration event organised by the Sri Lankan Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA) at Colombo Tamil Sangam in Wellawatte marking the third month of the journalist's death.
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NE schools to get 2915 graduate teachers, planning officers

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 August 2005, 08:53 GMT]
Interviews to recruit 2188 graduates as teachers (1684 Tamil medium and 504 Sinhala medium) and 727 graduates (629 Tamil mediums and 98 Sinhala medium) as Planning and Financial Assistants for schools in the North East province are to begin on August 4 in the districts of Jaffna, Killinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Kalmunai and will be conducted till August 10, said Mr.R.Thiakalingam, Provincial Education Ministry Secretary.
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Tamil Conference begins in Batticaloa amidst bomb explosion

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 August 2005, 10:35 GMT]
A district level conference supporting the Tamil National Resurgence convention held in Vavuniya on July 27, ceremonially began at 4:15 p.m. at the grounds of Batticaloa Hindu College in Batticaloa town Tuesday. More than 1500 participants from various parts of the districts, comprising Tamil national activists including academics, writers, religious dignitaries, representatives of civil organisations and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MPs are participating in the conference amidst threats from paramilitary cadres operating in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) held Batticaloa town. A powerful time-bomb exploded 50 meters from the grounds at 2:30 p.m., according to the Batticaloa Police.
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Education of Jaffna's tsunami affected children suffers

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 August 2005, 22:29 GMT]
Jaffna district education authority Monday complained to the Sri Lankan Government Agent (GA) in the district that the education of children in some coastal areas is disrupted as authorities have taken no action to provide temporary structures to conduct classes till the relocation of tsunami destroyed schools in government controlled area is completed, sources said.
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Committee formed to co-ordinate psychosocial counselling

[TamilNet, Sunday, 31 July 2005, 13:07 GMT]
In a meeting held at the Planning and Development Secretariat (PDS) in Kilinochchi 10.30 am Saturday to draw plans for further promoting effective delivery of psycho-social services, Rev Father Edmond Reginald was elected to lead a Committee that is tasked to co-ordinate such efforts in the NorthEast, sources in Kilinochchi said. Director of TamilEelam Health Services, S Vickraman presided the event.
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US's strategic interests in Sri Lanka- Taraki

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 July 2005, 18:45 GMT]
What are the US government’s strategic interests in Sri Lanka? If the US has specific strategic interests in the island, then what are the means and modes by which it was and is securing them? Dharmaretnam Sivaram, popular military analyst and senior editor at TamilNet was working on this feature when he was abducted and killed on 28 April 2005.
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Festival for children begins in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 July 2005, 16:45 GMT]
Two day "Sunshine Festival" for tsunami and war affected children and adults in Trincomalee district began Saturday morning in the McHeyzer Stadium in the east port town. The Community Empowerment Network of Trincomalee (CENT), which comprises more than thirty international and national aid agencies and civil groups, is organizing the festival to provide an opportunity for affected children of all three communities to come together and take part in social activities, sources said
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Tamileelam TV to begin broadcasts to SouthEast Asia

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 July 2005, 04:12 GMT]
"The importance given to nurturing the electronic and printed media by the Tamil Eelam leader Pirapaharan is why we are now able to extend our Television services to countries in Asia," said K Veera of National Television of Tamileelam (NTT), speaking at an event held Friday 10 am at the Media Co-ordinating office in Kilinochchi to mark the inauguration of television broadcasts to southeast asian countries on 1st August, sources in Kilinochchi said.
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Key provisions in US Patriot Act struck down third time

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 July 2005, 00:50 GMT]
U.S. District Court Judge Audrey Collins ruled Thursday that a key provision in the USA Patriot Act criminalizing the provision of "expert advice or assistance" to designated foreign terrorist groups is unconstitutional, despite an attempt by Congress to fix the problems in the 2004 Intelligence Reform Act. The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) based in New York originally filed the case on behalf of Humanitarian Law Project, a human rights organization and several Tamil-American organizations that seek to support the lawful activities of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka, especially in areas affected by the 2004 tsunami.
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SLMM meets LTTE, TNA parliamentarians in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 July 2005, 23:47 GMT]
Members of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) met with Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Sivanathan Kishor and Sivasakthi Ananthan at 2.30 pm Friday at the SLMM offices in Vavuniya, and had another meeting with Vavuniya district Head of LTTE political wing Gnanam and Peace Secretariat co-ordinator for Vavuniya Mr Kumaravel at 3.30 pm at the LTTE political offices, sources in Vavuniya said. Discussions centered on Thursday's Thirunavatkulam grenade explosion and the recent increase in threats of violence, according to sources.
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Kalmunai Muslims protest against SL Minister Athaulla

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 July 2005, 12:30 GMT]
More than one thousand Muslims from three different mosques in Kalmunai town marched Friday in protest against the Minister of Infrastructure Development in the Eastern Province, Mr. A.L.M Athaulla, a leader of one of the breakaway factions of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), accusing the lankan minister of "betraying Muslims in Kalmunai" and favouring his native town of Akkaraipattu in securing governmental facilities. Demonstrators also carried placards supporing Tamil - Muslim relations in Kalmunai.
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LTTE office in Vavuniya attacked

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 July 2005, 17:22 GMT]
Two unidentified gunmen lobbed grenades at the Administrative Office of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Vavuniya around 10:00 p.m. Thursday. No one was injured in the attack. The attackers, who came in a motorbike, fired into the building after charging two grenades, Mr. Tharmendra, LTTE's deputy head of political affairs in Vavuniya, told TamilNet. The office is located at Thirunavatkulam, two kilometers north of Vavuniya town. There are two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) checkpoints, each located 100 meters away from the office.
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Jaffna Tamil youth reported missing

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 July 2005, 16:27 GMT]
Mr.Gunaretnam Rajatheepan (22) of Navakiri in Puttur, Jaffna district, is reported missing since July 18 after he left for Batticaloa. He has been enrolled as a student of the Batticaloa National College of Education, according to a complaint lodged with the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) Thursday morning by his parents, civil sources said.


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"Human Rights in Sri Lanka under-addressed" - Karen Parker

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 July 2005, 11:23 GMT]
Noting that the Sri Lankan military and paramilitary forces are carrying out "a kind of shadow war", Ms. Karen Parker, J.D., a San Francisco based attorney, addressing the 57th session of the UN Sub-Commission On Promotion and Protection of Human Rights on Wednesday said that the Tamil people, already having suffered nearly 20 years of war, are also suffering from the failure of the Sri Lanka to allow international post-Tsunami aid to reach the Tamils. Ms. Parker urged the Sub-Commission members to voice their concerns in their own statements, and to "seek out ways to communicate concerns to other UN bodies" for action.
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