SLN arrests 62 Tamil Nadu fishermen off Thalaivillu

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 March 2008, 17:57 GMT]
Sixty two Indian fishermen were taken into custody by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Saturday when they strayed into the territorial waters of Sri Lanka near Thalaivillu Sea in the western coast. The fishermen were later handed over to the Katpiddi police, private electronic media reported in the night news broadcast quoting Sri Lanka Navy sources.
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Fall in line with US: American deadline to India

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 March 2008, 03:08 GMT]
Leading Indian opposition parties sense 'blackmailing' underneath U.S. pressure on nuclear agreements. India was recently told that failing to fall in line with the United States could jeopardise its nuclear prospects. Analysts find it significant to note that while setting a deadline to India to process the agreements, the United States has reminded India of their 'partnership' in dealing with India's neighbours in South Asia. Nicholas Burns, the U.S. Under Secretary of State named Sri Lanka and Nepal in this context, according to a PTI report on Saturday.
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Expression of support to LTTE not an offence: Karunanidhi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 February 2008, 16:55 GMT]
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Monday reiterated that mere expression of support to the LTTE was not an offence as per an observation of the Indian Supreme Court. He admonished Opposition leader Jayalalithaa for misleading the people on this issue.
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Jayalalitha to Centre: Take action against Karunanidhi for LTTE support

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 February 2008, 16:57 GMT]
Jayalalitha, leader of All India Anna Dravida Munnetta Kazhakam (AIADMK), the major opposition party in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday urged the Centre to take action against Chief Minister M Karunanidhi for his "support" to the LTTE. A resolution adopted at the party's General Council said that Mr. Karunanidhi, after coming back to power, not only remained silent over LTTE supporters, but also went a step ahead and eulogized the death of S P Thamilchelvan, LTTE's former political head. It labeled Karunanidhi's elegy "an act of treason" and alleged that it would pave way for secessionism.
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Karunanidhi condemns Sri Lanka Navy for killing Tamil Nadu fisherman

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 February 2008, 14:42 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy personnel shot and killed a fisherman from Tamil Nadu by firing on his boat on the Palk Strait on Sunday. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi was the first to condemn the "indiscriminate firing" by the SLN. The Chief Minister has "taken steps to draw Sri Lankan Government's attention to the issue through the Centre," according to an official press release from Chennai.
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Indian Marxist party shuts door on JVP

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 February 2008, 08:31 GMT]
The Communist Party of India (Marxist), the key ally of the ruling Congress, has not invited the JVP to its 19th Annual Meet to be held in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The boycott of the extreme Sinhala nationalist party, that has been a regular attendee of CPI-M meetings since the 1970s, comes in the wake of heightened Tamil sentiments prevailing in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu where the CPI-M looks forward to consolidating its base.
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Stop military aid to Sri Lanka: PDK submits one million signatures to Indian defence minister

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 February 2008, 19:57 GMT]
Several hundred activists of the Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (PDK) marched towards the Indian Parliament Wednesday morning demanding the Indian Government to immediately stop military aid and assistance to the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL). As a part of the protest, the activists, including 100 women and children, dressed as wounded Tamils marched from Jantar Mantar to Parliament Street and submitted a memorandum at the Prime Minister's office. PDK leaders on Thursday met Indian Defence Minister A K Antony at his residence and submitted a petition signed by one million Indian Tamils demanding that India stop all military aid to Sri Lanka.
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Communist Party of India urges Centre to remove SLN sea mines

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 February 2008, 23:00 GMT]
D Pandian, Tamil Nadu State Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), addressing the press on Sunday, urged the Indian Government to take suitable action to remove sea mines planted by the Sri Lanka Navy in order to protect the life of Indian fishermen who ventured into the sea. The CPI is a key ally of the ruling Indian National Congress.
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Karunanidhi offers to step down, challenging false allegations over Tiger issue

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 February 2008, 18:03 GMT]
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi hit back at Congress leaders and announced on Sunday that he was even ready to face a change of power in the state over false allegations of supporting the LTTE. Speaking at a marriage function at the DMK headquarters, well-attended by several Congress leaders, Mr. Karunanidhi alleged that some people were trying to topple his government by indulging in a 'conspiracy' and requested Congressmen not to become a party to it.
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100,000 signatures against Indian military aid

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 February 2008, 20:32 GMT]
As a part of its signature campaign against Indian military aid to Sri Lanka, the Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (PDK) held a public meeting in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu Friday, to hand over one hundred thousand signatures that have been collected so far.
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Thirumavalavan urges Center to hold referendum on extending LTTE ban

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 February 2008, 20:18 GMT]
Viduthalai Chiruththaikal Kadchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party) President Thol. Thirumavalavan on Friday urged the Indian Government to conduct a referendum among the sixty five million people of Tamil Nadu on the extension of LTTE ban. He was speaking at a demonstration organized by his party to pressure the Indian Government to wage war against Sri Lanka for planting mines in the sea waters of Kadchatheevu and for arbitrarily arresting Tamil Nadu fishermen.
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Tamil Nadu Government warns against expressing moral support to LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 January 2008, 15:32 GMT]
Desperate to appease its key ally Congress in order to retain power, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government on Wednesday warned of stern action against those who expressed moral support to the Liberation Tigers. Meanwhile, Thol. Thirumavalavan, leader of the Viduthalai Chiruththaikal Kadchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party), on Wednesday called upon the Indian Government to wage war against Sri Lanka and said that he was prepared to face any legal action arising out of his exercising the freedom of expression.
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TN Congress scorns freedom of expression favouring Tigers

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 January 2008, 10:08 GMT]
Congress party legislators in Tamil Nadu, who demanded the arrest of Viduthalai Chi'ruththaika'l Kadchi (VCK, the Liberation Panthers Party) President Thol. Thirumavalavan for publicly expressing moral support to the LTTE staged a walkout Tuesday from the Tamil Nadu state assembly, when Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi responded to their demand by saying that such arrests could not be made citing a Supreme Court verdict on MDMK leader Vaiko which held that expressing solidarity was not a crime. This is the first time that Congress legislators have walked out of the Tamil Nadu assembly ever since the DMK assumed power in May 2006.
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Tamil Nadu fishermen on indefinite strike

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 January 2008, 09:49 GMT]
Normal life was paralysed in Rameswaram as TamilNadu fishermen continued their indefinite strike into the third day today to condemn the Sri Lanka Navy's atrocities against them and demanded immediate removal of the underwater mines set up by SLN between Kachchatheevu and Neduntheevu. They called for the nullification of the Kachchatheevu agreement and demanded the release of 12 of their brethren arrested by the SLN. None of the 2500 steamers and 1500 country boats ventured into the sea as fishermen were steely in their resolve to indefinitely boycott the seas until their demands were met.
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Providing moral support to Eelam, not a crime- Thirumavalavan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 January 2008, 18:53 GMT]
"Any move to suppress those expressing moral support to Tamil Eelam and LTTE is violation of all tenets of democracy and humanism, and will border on fascism," Viduthalai Chiruththaikal Katchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party) President Thol. Thirumavalavan said on Friday addressing a conference organized by his party in Chennai labeled "Redeem the Freedom of Expression."
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Sri Lanka Navy plants explosives in Historic Waters

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 January 2008, 16:47 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) has planted underwater mines between Kachchatheevu and Neduntheevu (Delft Island) endangering the lives of Tamil Nadu fishermen according to reports in the Indian media Wednesday. Consequently, 12 fishermen from Rameswaram (Raameasvaram) in Tamil Nadu were taken into custody by the SLN Monday when they attempted to exercise their traditional fishing rights in Kachchatheevu. "In a shameless show of solidarity with the SLN which has violated the international convention, the Indian Navy has also arrested 60 fishermen from Rameswaram in the last two days," said a fishermen society representative in Rameswaram.
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Sri Lanka Navy attacks TamilNadu fishermen

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 January 2008, 19:38 GMT]
A TamilNadu fisherman was injured and his boat damaged when Sri Lankan naval personnel fired 'indiscriminately' at his boat fishing between Kadchatheevu and Thalaimannaar on Saturday, official sources said.
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Sri Lankan State not secular, nor fair- Retd Indian Colonel

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 January 2008, 21:01 GMT]
Noting that Sri Lankan State has a fundamental problems that lie at the root of the conflict, Retired Indian Colonel, Mr Anil Athale, in a column appeared in Rediff Friday, says "many Indian commentators have flippantly advised Tamils to accept Sri Lankan unity without realising that Sri Lanka is not a secular State like India nor is it a 'fair State' like the UK in terms of rule of law."
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Withdraw Indian radars from SL: Vaiko

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 January 2008, 13:52 GMT]
Vaiko, General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu based Marumalarchchi Dravida Munneatta Kazhakam (MDMK), wrote to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last week urging him not to attend the February 4 independence day celebrations at Colombo to be "carried on by the bloodstained hands of the Rajapaksa regime." He also appealed to Dr. Manmohan Singh to withdraw the Indian radars supplied to Sri Lanka and stop any further supply of military equipment.
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SLN orders Mannaar villagers to obtain photos of families

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 January 2008, 11:57 GMT]
Commanders of Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) camps located in littoral villages in Mannaar have ordered the residents living within the SLN's area of dominance to avail themselves to take photographs, residents in Mannaar said. Areas of Thalaimannaar, Nadukkudaa, Peasaalai, Vankaalaippaadu, Erukkalampiddi, Pa'l'limunai, Thaaraapuram, Thaalvuppaadu and Sunny Village are affected by the SLN order, sources added.
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