TNA: Sri Lanka performance lacking on solving key Tamil issues

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 July 2011, 11:04 GMT]
While Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has endeavored to work in the spirit of co-operation with the Sri Lanka Government, the Government has yet to address the Rehabilitation and Resettlement of all displaced Tamil families, continued to unlawfully repossess the land from Tamil people, and has failed to craft a political solution within the framework of united and undivided country that will enable the Tamil people to live in security and dignity, fulfilling their legitimate political, economic, social and cultural aspirations, TNA said in a press release issued before the local authority elections in the North East. "The Government has not even kept its several commitments to the Tamil National Alliance on the release of Tamil detainees," the release added.
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Civic elections question solutions within ‘united’ Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 July 2011, 17:32 GMT]
The way civic elections take place in the country of Eezham Tamils occupied by Sri Lanka and its genocidal Army is an open challenge invalidating the stand taken by some powers that political models within a united Sri Lanka could resolve the national question in the island, writes TamilNet political commentator in Colombo. In recent times political pundits in the US are busy in thinking how to inspire the people of China to become ‘Liberal Democratic’ in order to avoid an impending East-West conflict. But in its desire to woo ‘pivotal’ Sri Lanka into its fold, to what extent the West is going to uphold its credibility by structuring a military and genocidal Sri Lanka that makes a mockery of democracy, he asks.
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Political prisoner admitted to Vavuniyaa hospital

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 July 2011, 08:48 GMT]
One of the 42 Tamil political prisoners, 40-year-old Kattaiyan Logeswaran, currently on fasting unto death campaign in Vavuniyaa prison demanding their release was admitted to the Vavuniyaa general hospital Sunday as his condition was reported to be critical.
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Former LTTE member reported missing in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 July 2011, 19:24 GMT]
A former LTTE member, who was detained by the Sri Lanka Army for more than one year after the Vanni war and released 9 months ago, has been reported missing in Colombo since 08 July. The missing person, 36-year-old Nanthakumar Navaratnaraja from Koddadi in Jaffna, had come to Colombo to travel abroad. On July 08, he went out from the hotel where he was staying at around 4:30 p.m. and has since been reported missing, his father said in the complaint to the police and human rights groups.
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Genuine elections not possible in Jaffna: TNA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 July 2011, 15:15 GMT]
Thoroughly intimidated and prevented from making their campaign for the civic elections scheduled for next week, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leaders on Tuesday said that genuine elections are not possible under the current circumstances. Colombo is resolved to fake the elections by hook or by crook and ‘prove’ to the outside world that it is having ‘democratic’ support of the Tamils, the TNA leaders said. Meanwhile, Sinhala officers brought into the administration of Northern Provincial Council by the SL colonial governor, Chandrasri, are now in command, making arbitrary orders and the Tamil officers have to be silent and subservient, fearing transfer if resist, Tamil civil service circles said. They are disappointed that the TNA is not highlighting their predicament at ‘proper places’.
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SL Navy, EPDP, seal off election campaign in the islands of Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 July 2011, 13:47 GMT]
Occupying Sri Lanka Navy and the EPDP collaborating with Rajapaksa regime have sealed off the islands sector of the Jaffna Peninsula for the civic elections scheduled to 23rd of this month, by ordering the TNA candidates not to leave the islands and by preventing TNA campaigners coming into the islands sector from outside. In the meantime, former SL Navy commander who was earlier occupying the islands and now holding the office of the Governor of the Eastern Province has been brought to the islands as in-charge of Rajapaksa’s election campaign in the Delft Island. While the SL Governor of the East, who is a ‘government servant’ being deployed in the campaign is highly questionable, the SL Governor of the North is also engaged in electioneering, setting new definitions to democracy, comment the public.
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SL government servants in Jaffna complain political exploitation

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 July 2011, 12:59 GMT]
Tamil public servants working under Rajapaksa Administration occupying the Tamil country, now openly complain that they are exploited in Colombo’s electioneering. The occupying government forces them to do election campaign, the civil officers accuse. Colombo particularly pressurises them to claim the development work undertaken by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and the UN Agencies, as those of the achievements of the Rajapaksa government, the civil officers said. In this regard, they are forced to use public funds to send ads to local newspapers, they further said. Local newspapers said that everyday they receive around 10 such ads, but many of the newspapers shun publishing the ads fearing public backlash.
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SL police refuses permission to TNA to hold election meetings

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 July 2011, 11:44 GMT]
Sri Lanka police in Jaffna refuses permission to civic election candidates of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to conduct public meetings. Instead, the ‘advise’ the candidates to engage in door-to-door campaign. But in the meantime, presidential sibling Basil Rajapaksa and a team of 13 SL ministers are camping in Jaffna to conduct Colombo’s campaign in various ways, misusing SL government’s administration and resources, complain the TNA candidates. SL president Mahinda Rajapaksa is also expected in Jaffna to campaign for the civic elections in the guise of opening a school building and laying foundation stones for certain projects.
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Defamation suit filed against terror "expert" in Canada

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 July 2011, 11:07 GMT]
The Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) is suing in Superior Court of Justice in Toronto, a Singapore-based “terrorism” expert for defamation of CTC, Toronto Star reported. The plaintiffs charge that in an interview to a Sri Lankan newspaper, Rohan Gunaratne had said that "the outlawed Tamil Tigers organization was operating in Canada under the name of “the Canadian Tamil Congress.”"
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USA, Sri Lanka co-host Security Conference in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 July 2011, 07:15 GMT]
The US Pacific Command (PACOM) and United States Center for Civil Military Relations (CCMR) conduct South Asia Maritime Conference in collaboration with genocidal Sri Lanka at Hotel Galadari in Colombo this week, from Monday to Friday. The US Ambassador in Colombo, Patricia A. Butenis and SL Navy Commander Somathilake Dissanayake were at the inaugural session on Monday. The conference on maritime security of South Asia is attended by Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Australia and the USA.
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14-year-old boy taken for anti-UN demonstration reported missing

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 July 2011, 22:45 GMT]
A 14-year-old student of Yarltan College in Kaarainakar, Jaffna, Thiruchelvan Kajeethan, who was enticed by the EPDP and taken to Colombo to participate in the anti-UN panel report demonstration that took place on May Day, is so far missing. The parents of the grade-6 student, disappointed in getting a reply from the EPDP have approached TNA parliamentarians in Jaffna to find out what had happened to the boy. In recent times, there are many instances of school children, below the age of sixteen, missing in the country of Eezham Tamils.
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Tamil university students in Canada organise to protect national identity

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 July 2011, 02:01 GMT]
The Tamil Youth Organization (TYO-Canada) organized on Sunday ‘Transition 101’, an orientation designed to educate about the role of TYO and the Tamil Students Association (TSA) on university campuses across Canada. The second annual event was held in Toronto’s York University. “Transition 101 is designed to educate our fellow youth activists in universities about community engagement, nation-building, the importance of preserving Tamil identity, language and culture,” said TYO spokesperson Priyanth Nallaratnam.
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Colombo government interferes with district development: TNA MP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 July 2011, 07:41 GMT]
The Colombo government has introduced a subtle method to delay the development at district level by instructing all parliamentarians to submit their allocation under the district decentralized budget (DCB) to the SL Ministry of Economic Development for approval instead of forwarding it to district secretariats. Normally all district parliamentarians submit their allocations under the DCB to district secretariats and approved by District Development Committee (DDC). Batticaloa district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Mr.P.Ariyanethran has said that the deviation from several decades’ old practice has been adopted by the central authorities as a step to delay the district level development at a time all clamour for more devolution of powers at district level.
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Father of slain woman on Kathirkaamam pilgrimage rules out rape

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 July 2011, 10:57 GMT]
31-year-old mother of two children, Santhakumari Krishnapillai, from Thampiluvil, Batticaloa, who was on a pilgrimage to Kathirkaamam was found slain in the early hours of Sunday was killed by an animal, the father of the victim told media Tuesday. The incident took place near the riverside of Va’l’liyamman Temple at Kathirkaamam. On Tuesday, the father of the woman, who was also on the pilgrimage, ruled out rape and said his daughter went aside from the group looking for a toilet pit and that he found her body after he heard her screaming for help.
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Threats escalate on TNA candidates ahead of civic elections in North

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 July 2011, 04:54 GMT]
Following the Sri Lanka Army attack on Tamil National Alliance (TNA) meeting last month and the systematic harassment on building owners not to provide their halls to TNA for campaign meetings, the residences of various candidates of the TNA, including the former parliamentarian M.K. Sivajilingam, have been targeted by SLA-operated squads that are engaged in threatening the candidates. In the early hours of Saturday, a gang that came in two white-coloured Hiace vehicles threw dirt baskets at the residence of Mr. Sivajilingam. On the same day, the residence of Mr. Subramaniyam, another candidate of the TNA in Maanippaay constituency in Jaffna, came under attack by an alleged SLA operated squad. Earlier, similar acts of intimidation were reported in Cha'ndilippaay in Jaffna. In the meantime, the residences of various TNA candidates have been stoned in Thenmaraardchi.
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Sampanthan proposes SL minister dismisses

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 July 2011, 02:55 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R. Sampanthan, moving an adjournment motion in Sri Lanka’s parliament Thursday and speaking on it said that his objective was “to develop a just settlement within an undivided Sri Lanka,” adding that this approach has been widely endorsed by the international community, notably India. The co-chairs have clearly stated and have clearly ruled out any form of division of this country, he further said. On the same day in the SL parliament, SL minister Nimal Sripala de Silva said that his government would not offer a federal solution to Tamils. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka occupying the Tamil country is intensifying its war against the TNA as more and more of the TNA candidates and supporters are attacked and intimidated in civic elections in the north, news sources in Jaffna said.
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Basil-show ‘resettlement’ ends up in further misery and abandonment of IDPs

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 July 2011, 12:49 GMT]
The Raamaavil camp inmates, who were suddenly herded out in the middle of the night by the occupying SL Army to make a show of ‘resettlement’ during the visit of the presidential sibling Basil Rajapaksa to Jaffna, are now facing further misery. Staying in two small schools in Vadamaraadchi East, without food or facilities they are left to their own ‘resettlement’ in their villages, where they find even the foundations of their houses had been dug out. They are abandoned, say TNA parliamentarians who with much difficulty got ‘permission’ from the SL Army to visit them Tuesday. But it is more than that: they are left in an open prison with discouragement to resettle, where thousands of Sinhala fishermen are ‘licensed’ to come, commented a social worker in Jaffna, pointing to the strategic significance of the area linking Jaffna with Vanni.
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War and aftermath raise questions over Tamil strategy of engagement with powers

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 July 2011, 05:41 GMT]
LTTE and Tamil nationalism were perceived by some powers as getting into the way of their geo-strategic interests. Therefore ‘peace and stability’ means stabilising the Sinhalese regime by crushing LTTE’s military challenge – that was done – and bringing Tamil nationalism to heel, which process is ongoing both in Sri Lanka and among the Tamil diaspora, writes Dr. S. Sathananthan in an article he sent to TamilNet. The power-abetted genocidal war and the aftermath facilitations given to Colombo to complete the genocide into a structural one, raise serious questions among Tamils over the nature of their strategic engagement with some powers.
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Midnight ‘resettlement’ of IDPs for Basil-show

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 July 2011, 08:38 GMT]
IDPs from Vadamaraadchi East (a former LTTE controlled region) affected by the war and were staying in the Raamaavil camp near Kodikaamam for more than two years were all of a sudden ordered to vacate the camp immediately by Saturday midnight and were herded by the occupying SL Army into military vehicles, after telling them that they would be ‘resettled’ in their villages in Vadamaraadchi East. They are at present staying in a school building in Vadamaraadchi East, without any food or facilities. They were ordered to go to their abandoned and dilapidated houses within three days and ‘live’ there. The reason for the overnight operation executed in an inhuman way was that the visiting presidential sibling Basil Rajapaksa wanted to make a show of enacting ‘resettlement’, news sources in Jaffna said.
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SLFP gang comes for campaign after militarily attacking TNA

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 July 2011, 08:37 GMT]
A gang of SLFP ministers and parliamentarians, including presidential sibling Basil Rajapaksa were camping in Jaffna last weekend to plan and campaign for the forthcoming civic elections to the town and village councils scheduled to take place in the north on 23 July. Their meetings were also participated by occupying Sri Lanka’s colonial governor Maj. Gen. Chandrasri. The SLFP campaign in Jaffna takes place after occupying SL Army brutally attacking the participants of a Tamil National Alliance election campaign meeting at A’laveddi a few days ago. After leaving democracy in the hands of a decidedly genocidal state, is there any point in some powers talking of the 13th Amendment and political solutions within one country, ask Eezham Tamil civil circles in the island.
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