Uthayan ‘worst hit’ of Sri Lanka’s media - RSF

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 September 2006, 05:10 GMT]
The leading Jaffna daily, the Uthayan, is the “worst hit media” in Sri Lanka’s conflict, said Tuesday, voicing outrage about new armed attacks on the paper, in which gunmen burst into its offices in the Army-controlled town and threatened the journalists present twice in the space of three days.
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MI attempts assassination of Uthayan editors in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 September 2006, 18:24 GMT]
Two armed Sri Lankan Military Intelligence (MI) operatives in civil dress Sunday midnight entered the Uthayan News paper editorial office in Jaffna allegedly to assassinate any senior members of the editorial team who may be working there, said civil sources in Jaffna.


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Gunmen force Uthayan to carry their statement

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 September 2006, 10:49 GMT]
Gunmen forced their way into the Jaffna offices of the Uthayan newspaper Thursday evening, threatened the staff and handed over a statement to be published in the newspaper, the Free Media Movement (FMM) said Friday. “The armed group had come in motorbikes. This incident took place during the curfew hours in heavily militarised Jaffna,” the FMM said, quoting details from the Managing Director of the newspaper group, Mr. E. Saravanapavan.
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Jaffna journalists appeal to International Community for help

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 August 2006, 06:58 GMT]
North Sri Lanka Journalists Association (NSLJA), in a press release, issued Tuesday, appealed to the International Community's help to stop the attacks on media persons, media workers and media institutions in Jaffna Peninsula, sources in Jaffna said.
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Uthayan newspaper warehouse burnt down in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 August 2006, 17:10 GMT]
Warehouse of the Uthayan, Tamil daily published from Jaffna district was burnt down by four unidentified armed men, Friday night, while curfew was in force. The warehouse is located along Rasa Veethi in Kopay.
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Newspaper delivery agent shot and killed in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 August 2006, 13:40 GMT]
Soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army fired at a delivery van of the Uthayan, the Tamil daily published in Jaffna district, at Puthur junction near Atchchuveli Tuesday around 11:00 a.m, killing the newspaper agent. The delivery van was on it's way after distributing parcels of Uthayan Tuesday issue during the relaxation period of curfew, civil sources said. The curfew in Valikamam sector was relaxed between 10:00 a.m. and 01:00 p.m. In Vadamaradchi sector, the curfew was lifted from noon till 03:00 p.m.
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Rajapakse will disarm Karuna if LTTE accepts direct peace deal- paper

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 June 2006, 12:50 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse has intimated to the editor of Jaffna daily Uthayan, N. Vithyatharan, to exchange messages with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to strike a deal for starting direct talks with the LTTE, with the intention of bypassing the facilitation of Royal Government of Norway, a leading broadsheet in Colombo, Sunday Leader said in its latest edition. Mr Rajapakse had said that he will disarm Karuna Group if his proposed two week peace-deal is accepted by the LTTE, the paper said.
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Tamil journalist detained by Mt.Lavania Police

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 June 2006, 20:21 GMT]
K Kumarathasan, 35, a news editor at Jaffna based Tamil daily Uthayan, was arrested by Sri Lanka Police at 10:00 a.m. Friday in Moratuwa at a sentry point in Galle Road, and held at the Mt.Lavania police station for more than 10 hours before he was released, sources in Colombo said. Kumarathas's wife, two children, and the driver of the van he was travelling, were also held in custody with Mr Kumarathas, sources added.
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Jaffna Journalists to boycott Colombo meet

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 June 2006, 15:05 GMT]
Members of the Jaffna Journalists Association (JJA) have decided to boycott the North-South bridge of friendship meeting planned by a group of Media Institutions in the South to be held in Colombo on the 21st, 22nd of June, a communique issued by the JJA said Tuesday, sources from Jaffna said.
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Brattskar visits Allaipiddy

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 May 2006, 10:30 GMT]
Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Hans Brattsakar, arrived at the Palaly military airport Monday morning in a special Sri Lanka AirForce flight for discussions with Jaffna administrative officials, Sri Lanka Military officials and also with families affected by recent violence in Manthuvil, and Allapiddy, sources in Jaffna said.
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Gunmen kill 4 more civilians, islets terrorized

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 May 2006, 06:31 GMT]
Three civilians belonging to same family were massacred at their home in Puliyankoodal in Kayts by Sri Lanka Navy operated paramilitary gunmen, around 10:30 p.m. Saturday. A tea-shop owner was also found shot dead near Velanai junction. A petrol station was attacked. Meanwhile, armed men who came in a vehicle set fire to several shops and blasted a transformer at Puliyankoodal junction in Kayts, Saturday night, civilian sources said. Villagers blame Sri Lankan forces for the attacks in the Jaffna islets. On Saturday alone, 13 civilians have been killed in Sri Lanka Navy controlled Jaffna islets. EPDP paramilitary was in control of the Jaffna islets before the signing of CFA in 2002.
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SLA sets Students Association Jaffna building, office of Jaffna MP on fire

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 May 2006, 01:55 GMT]
The International Students Association of Tamileelam (ISATE) building which also contains the office of Tamil NationalAlliance (TNA) parliamentarian Mr Gajendran located close to Parameswara College in Jaffna Palaly Road was set on fire Friday night at 11.30 p.m., according to sources from Jaffna.
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Gunmen fire on SLA troopers in Jaffna, 2 soldiers wounded

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 May 2006, 07:56 GMT]
An unidentified attacker, armed with a handgun, fired on Sri Lanka Army soldier who was guarding policemen providing security to Uthayan newspaper office located on Kasthuriar Road in Jaffna. The incident took place around 12:15 p.m. Saturday. Meanwhile, another gunman in Vadamaradchi, shot and wounded an SLA soldier around 1:00 p.m.
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Colombo version of Nelliady killings false, says TNA

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 May 2006, 14:19 GMT]
The Parliamentary group of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in a letter sent to all foreign missions in Sri Lanka said that the Sri Lanka Government's version of the killings of seven youths in Nelliady, that the youths were "cadres belonging to the LTTE, and were killed in retaliatory fire immediately after the attack on the Military Camp," was false as there is evidence that youths were in bar during the time of the grenade attack on the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp.
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International Community should protect Tamil media - TMF

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 May 2006, 11:04 GMT]
"The threats, attacks, and killings of Tamil journalists carried out by the Sri Lanka Security Forces and the collaborating paramilitary have reached unprecedented levels. The entire Tamil media is being targeted and intimidated by Security Forces," said the Tamil Media Forum in its memorandum to Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse handed over to Killinochchi Government Agent (GA) Mr. T. Rasanayagam Thursday at 11.30 a.m, said sources from Kilinochchi.


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Jaffna pays last respects to Uthayan victims

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 May 2006, 10:52 GMT]
Normal activities in Jaffna peninsula came to a halt Thursday, as Jaffna residents participated in the protest hartal organised by the Jaffna University Student Union (JUSU), condemning Uthayan killings and the escalating killings of civilians by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and its paramilitaries in the Jaffna peninsula, said student organisers.
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CPJ condemns killing of Tamil-Language daily staffers

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 May 2006, 23:33 GMT]
Condemning the killing of two journalists at Tamil Language daily Uthayan, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), in a media release issued Tuesday, called on Government of Sri Lanka to "fully investigate the attack and take measures to ensure the security of all media workers as more attacks undermine the increasingly unstable truce since planned peace talks faltered in April."
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Youths charged in Uthayan killings released on bail

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 May 2006, 21:21 GMT]
Four students and two traders arrested by the Sri Lanka security forces Tuesday as suspects in the Uthayan killings and produced Wednesday at the Jaffna Courts were released on bail by Jaffna Additional Magistrate Ms. Sirinithi Nandasegaran after being subjected to an identification parade held in the presence of the magistrate, said sources from Jaffna.
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CTTU condemns attack on "Uthayan" newspaper

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 May 2006, 14:41 GMT]
The Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU) condemned the attack on "Uthayan" a leading Tamil daily in the Jaffna district in a statement issued Wednesday.
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SLTMA extends plea to save Tamil Journalists on Press Freedom Day

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 May 2006, 12:10 GMT]
"The killings of the two Uthayan staffs and the extensive damage to the Uthayan office and equipments by paramilitary cadres directed by the Sri Lanka government (GOSL), pose serious threat to the media in Sri Lanka," said the Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA) in its statement released Tuesday. The GoSL conducts "customary eyewash inquiries," into the killings of several Tamil journalists, the statement added.
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