Killing of Muslim councillor raises tension in Minuwangoda

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 February 2007, 12:36 GMT]
Additional troops and police have been deployed in Minuwangoda area in the western province to quell any racial disturbance following the killing of a former Muslim councillor of the Minuwangoda Pradesya Sabha Wednesday evening. Tension prevails in the area between two communities Sinhalese and Muslims, sources said.


Full story >>

Security tightened in southern province

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 February 2007, 11:17 GMT]
Security has been tightened in Kataragama, Hambantota, Ambalantota, Hungama, Tissamaharagama, Lunugamvehera, Sooriyawewa and Tangalle, all police divisions in Galle district in southern province that come under Superintendent of Police in Tangalle in Galle district, Police said.


Full story >>

Civilians arrested in Kandy still under detention

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 February 2007, 18:04 GMT]
Fourteen civilians including nine Tamils, three Muslims and a Sinhalese arrested in a cordon and search operation conducted by the army and police covering Kandy bus stand area following a bomb scare on Friday evening are still being detained in Kandy police station and being interrogated by a special police team, sources said.
Full story >>

TNA condemns threats against Tamil journalists

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 February 2007, 09:06 GMT]
"We condemn in the strongest terms the killing of the President of Tamil News and Information Centre (TNIC) Mr. Gananathan the very next day an indirect threat to his life was made in the Sri Lanka National Radio on the 31st of January," said a communique issued by Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Friday in Colombo. "We also condemn the unlawful incursion of the Sri Lanka Military Intelligence personnel into the office of the TNIC on the 9th of February and their attempt to seize information and photographs of its Media Coordinator and International Media Coordinator," the communique signed by the parliamentarians said.
Full story >>

SL Police arrests three Tamil teachers in Nuwara Eliya

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 February 2007, 10:48 GMT]
Special police team of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested three Tamil teachers in Ragala in Nuwara Eliya district in the central province Wednesday night, and has taken them to Colombo Thursday for interrogation, upcountry sources said. Police said the three were arrested on information from one of the three Sinhala journalists, arrested earlier in Colombo, on charges of having received arms training from Liberation Tigers.


Full story >>

UNP condemns abductions

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 February 2007, 21:41 GMT]
Tamils who have no connections with war and terrorism are being abducted in Colombo and other areas in the country, said Lakshman Kiriella, Kandy district United National Party parliamentarian addressing a press briefing held Thursday at the office of the Leader of the Opposition.
Full story >>

Tamil teacher shot dead in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 February 2007, 01:55 GMT]
Unknown gunmen shot dead a male teacher in Pattanichchur Puliyankulam area in Vavuniya Friday evening at 7:40 p.m., Vavuniya Police said. The killing brings the number of homicides by armed men in Vavuniya in February to 6, sources in Vavuniya said.
Full story >>

UN urged not to ignore Rajapakse regime

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 February 2007, 12:58 GMT]
The UN security council working group which is set to study underage recruitment in Sri Lanka later Friday should not ignore the practice of Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse’s regime in the practice, a senior columnist with The Guardian newspaper wrote in Friday’s edition on Guardian's 'Comment is Free' section. And condemning political movements for the violence they turn to, “whilst ignoring their complaints and the degree of support they command leads only to political stalemate and more bloodshed,” Jonathan Steele said in his column. He criticised President Rajapakse for destroying the 2002 truce by trying to reoccupy the areas recognised as under Tiger control.
Full story >>

Ratnapura attacks spark strike by plantation workers

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 February 2007, 14:02 GMT]
Seven housing units belonging to Tamil plantation workers in Farm Garden Estate in Ratnapura were destroyed by fire Friday night at 8:30 p.m. when a group of unidentified gangsters, allegedly from the neighboring Sinhala village of Navanagara, armed with hand bombs set ablaze more than fifty housing units. The mob kicked the doors open, removed valuables from the units, splashed accelerants before setting fire to the units. The workers at the Farm Garden Estate went on strike Sunday to protest against the violence, and the lethargic response shown by the Estate Management, spokesperson for the workers said.
Full story >>

SLA assaults Human Rights Advisor, SLHRC coordinator receives death threats

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 February 2007, 10:24 GMT]
The Legal Advisor of the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (SL-HRC) Jaffna office, Mudiyapu Remedias, an Attorney-at-law, registered a complaint Friday with the Jaffna Commanding Officer of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) that he was assaulted severely by a group of SLA soldiers near Stanley Road in Jaffna Town, Friday morning, when he was on duty. Meanwhile, S. Surenthirarajah, the Co-ordinating Officer of the organisation, also registered a complaint with the Jaffna police that he has been subjected to continuous threats to his life.
Full story >>

Two youths shot dead in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 January 2007, 12:34 GMT]
Vavuniya Police recovered two bodies with gunshot wounds Wednesday night in Maharambaikulam in Vavuniya, police sources said. These latest killings bring the total number of homicides in Vavuniya district during the first month of the new year to 59.
Full story >>

Canadian Memorial Stamp issued for late Navaratnam

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 January 2007, 16:17 GMT]
A set of Canadian Memorial Stamps and First Day Cover were issued at a memorial function in Toronto Saturday, honoring the contribution by late V. Navaratnam, a doyen of Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK), the Federal Party, and who called upon the Tamil youth to fight for the establishment of a separate self-governing Tamils State in 1969. Mr Navaratnam urged the youth to fight, when he left the Federal Party and founded Thamil Suyadchi Kalaham, the Organisation for Tamil Self-Governance, after witnessing failed negotiations for power-sharing with Sri Lankan leaders for almost three decades.
Full story >>

Attack boats enter Harbour of Colombo, SLN claims destroying 3 boats

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 January 2007, 02:24 GMT]
Three to five attack boats Saturday morning entered the outer harbour waters of Colombo Harbour and launched attacks on Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) vessels. Big explosions were heard, according to the crew members of a cargo ship. SLN claimed to have attacked and destroyed 3 "suspicious boats" moving towards restricted waters off Colombo, around 5:40 a.m. Shock waves from the explosion slightly damaged a Panama registered container vessel PELOPONESIAN PRIDE, approaching the harbour. A search operation was launched by the Sri Lanka Navy and the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) after the explosions, that comes 3 months after an attack on Galle Harbour.
Full story >>

Indian Envoy's help sought in resettling displaced civilians

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 January 2007, 09:25 GMT]
A delegation of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians met the Indian High Commissioner for Sri Lanka Alok Prasad and his deputy Manickam in Colombo at 10:00 am Thursday morning at the official residence of the envoy and appealed to him for help in resettling the recently displaced Tamil civilians in East, TNA sources in Colombo said,
Full story >>

Five Tamil civilians beaten-up in Matale

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 January 2007, 00:04 GMT]
Five upcountry Tamil civilian passengers were injured when a group of Sinhalese hoodlums attacked a State owned passenger bus in Udathanna in Matale Monday evening, while the funeral of a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier killed in Vaharai military operation against the LTTE was taking place, sources in Matale said.


Full story >>

"Majority Report" authors commended

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 January 2007, 19:33 GMT]
A group of Sri Lankan academics and civil activists in a letter sent to the members of the Experts Panel on Constitutional Reform Friday, said that the "Majority Report provides a reasonably compromised and remarkably consensual road map for effecting the necessary constitutional changes towards a political resolution," and added that "the onus is now on [Sri Lanka's] President Rajapakse and the leaders of the SLFP and the UNP to take the lead and act on these recommendations."
Full story >>

Paramilitary abducts IDP boys as more flee Vaharai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 January 2007, 15:44 GMT]
Two boys, displaced from Vaharai to Kannankiramam village in Valaichenai, were abducted by armed paramilitary men at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. On Thursday, 3 youths belonging to IDP families were abducted by the paramilitary. Residents fear increased abductions as 4700 persons from Vaharai region crossed over the entry point at Kajuwatte, 5 km north of Mankerni, Friday and Saturday, and around 1200 civilians reached Singapura area through Kattumurivu. Abductions of underage youth, taking place almost on a daily basis, are no longer complained to Police following threats from paramilitary.
Full story >>

Sivaram murder trial before Sinhala speaking Jury

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 January 2007, 16:38 GMT]
The Colombo High Court Tuesday fixed the inquiry into the murder of political analyst and a senior editor of TamilNet, Sivaram Dharmeratnam, before a Sinhalese speaking Jury. Judge W.A.D.Ratnayake allowed the application made by the sole suspect, an alleged member of an ex-militant turned paramilitary, that he should be tried before a Sinhala speaking jury, legal sources said.
Full story >>

Sinhalese police officer arrested in Matara

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 January 2007, 18:26 GMT]
A former officer in-charge of the Trincomalee Harbour Police was arrested Monday with a suspect, allegedly belonging to Liberation Tigers, in possession of 4.5 million rupees inside a hotel in Matara in the southern province, media sources in Colombo said quoting security forces.
Full story >>

More than 250 Tamils arrested in South, taken for questioning

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 January 2007, 19:35 GMT]
Sri Lanka Security forces assisted by Police arrested 209 youths in Gampaha, 36 in Nittambuwa, 22 in Minuwangoda, and 7 in Borelesgamuwa Friday and Saturday during separate cordon and search operations, sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>