Court allows investigation of Sinhalese suspected of spying for LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 November 2006, 13:41 GMT]
The Colombo Magistrate Court granted permission to the Sri Lanka forces on Monday to commence extensive inquiries into the activities of two Sinhala civilians arrested on suspicion of passing information to the Intelligence Division of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE ).The Sri Lanka forces allege that they have been collecting information about the movements of the Tamil minister Douglas Devananda, sources in Colombo said.
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Jaffna University to admit only Tamil students

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 November 2006, 03:02 GMT]
Sinhalese and Muslim students will not be admitted to the University of Jaffna for the Academic Year 2006-2007 due to prevailing unstable security situation, and only Tamil students will be admitted , University Grant Commission sources said Monday.


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Is Colombo ready for a paradigm shift, asks TNA MP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 October 2006, 01:26 GMT]
A full scale war is unavoidable if the southern polity fails to timely demonstrate that it is ready for a paradigm shift in the approach to solving the Tamil national question, said Batticaloa District Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian S. Jeyanandamoorthy, speaking to TamilNet after meeting the LTTE delegation in Geneva Thursday.
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TNA appeals to UN: "GoSL uses Humanitarian crisis as tool of war"

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 October 2006, 06:36 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) consisting 22 out of the 23 Tamil members elected to Sri Lankan Parliament from the NorthEast, in an appeal to the United Nations High Commissioners for Human Rights and Refugees, said that the Government of Sri Lanka was using the humanitarian crisis as a tool of war. Detailing the humanitarian situation prevailing in all the districts of NorthEast, the TNA charged that the GoSL was engaged in a policy to drive the Tamil civilian population out of the Trincomalee District. The TNA's appeal to UN comes a day before the talks in Geneva.
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US should support "confederal Sri Lanka"- Boston Globe

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 October 2006, 12:16 GMT]
The Boston Globe, in an editorial appeared in the 22 October edition, said that Washington should prevail on Colombo to "withdraw its armed forces from the Tamil areas in the north of the island," and urge Colombo to open A9, to demonstrate Washington's seriousness towards advocating a "permanent peace that provides for Tamil self-government and human rights in a confederal Sri Lanka."
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De-merger issue raises lot of questions - Richard Boucher

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 October 2006, 11:49 GMT]
Richard Boucher, US Assistant Secretary of State for Central and South Asian Affairs, when responding to a question at a press conference at the Galle Face Hotel Friday said that the timing of the "unfortunate" issue of NorthEast de-merger in Sri Lankan politics, raised lot of questions, right before the next round of talks, noting that the Sri Lankans were facing a critical moment and it was time to move forward and reverse the negative momentum.
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4 civilians killed in Jaffna Monday morning

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 October 2006, 11:49 GMT]
Four civilians including a gramasevaka and a Sinhalese man were killed between 6:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Monday in Jaffna peninsula, civil society sources in Jaffna said.
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JHU demands GoSL to stick to 'Mahinda Chinthanaya'

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 October 2006, 08:25 GMT]
Ellavala Methanatha Thera, leader of Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), the all monk Sinhala national party, speaking on the Emergency extension bill debate in the Sri Lanka Parliament Thursday, said the Sinhalese people made Mahinda Rajapakse the Sri Lanka's President only on the basis of 'Mahinda Chinthanaya' which categorically rejects a Tamil Homeland, a Tamil Nation and the Tamils' right to self-determination, and the peace talks should be held on this basis, parliamentary sources in Colombo said.
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Murunkan Police retaliates against attack, 1 killed, 4 civilians wounded

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 October 2006, 09:21 GMT]
Murunkan Police Tuesday said they retaliated a group of attackers who lobbed grenade and shot at two police checkposts behind the Murunkan Police station around 2:00 a.m. Four civilians, 2 family men and 2 teenage girls, in Murunkanpitty were wounded when Police fired mortar shells. Additional policemen, Special Task Force (STF) personnel and Sri Lanka Army troopers were rushed to the site. Troopers recovered the body of a youth with gunshot injuries which the Police claimed to be of a LTTE cadre.
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Arrested Kalpity fishermen to appear in Mannar Court

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 October 2006, 00:02 GMT]
Thirty one Kalpity fishermen who were arrested by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) based in Talaimannar on September 21 for allegedly entering the high security zone in six trawlers were ordered remand and by the Mannar additional magistrate T.J.Pirapaharan, and are to appear in court Tuesday , legal sources said.
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SLA trooper, youth shot dead in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 September 2006, 16:40 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) trooper riding in a motorbike was shot dead by unknown gunmen Friday night in Vavuniya Kovil Kulam area, Vavuniya Police said Saturday. Also in Vavuniya Tharanikulam area, an unidentified body of a youth, alleged to be a Sinhalese from Nedunkulam was recovered at 9:00 a.m. Saturday, sources in Vavuniya said.
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US Congressman advocates autonomy for Tamils

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 September 2006, 11:35 GMT]
New Jersey Congressman, Frank Pallone, speaking to the House Wednesday night, supported Norway, Co-chairs' call for unconditional talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and Liberation Tigers, advocated autonomy for Tamils, and endorsed U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher's statement "though we reject the methods that the Tamil Tigers have used, there are legitimate issues raised by the Tamil community and they have a legitimate desire to control their own lives, to rule their own destinies, and to govern themselves in their homeland.''
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Anuradhapura Magistrate to hold Muthur massacre inquiry in Kantalai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 September 2006, 11:51 GMT]
The magisterial inquiry into the 16 Tamil and a Muslim aid workers' massacre is to commence from October 4 in the Kantalai Magistrate' Court. Sri Lanka's Judicial Services Commission (JSC) has appointed Anuradhapura Magistrate Wasantha Jinadasa to conduct the inquiry, legal sources said. Earlier, on August 08, a Sinhalese Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) was brought from Anuradhapura to conduct the post-mortem examinations on the the orders of the Sri Lankan authorities. Later, Colombo transfered the NGO massacre investigation to Anuradhapura. Now the JSC has chosen to conduct the investigations at Kantalai courts. However, Anuradhapura magistrate is to hold the investigations.
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STF shoots Muslim protestors in Ullai, 14 wounded

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 September 2006, 05:39 GMT]
Fourteen Muslim protestors were wounded when Sri Lankan counter-insurgency Special Task Force (STF) troopers opened fire on Muslim protestors who turned violent as the STF personnel started attacking the Muslim shop owners to open the shops, disregarding the shut-down protest. 4 protestors, with serious injuries, were rushed to Kalmunai hospital. 10 protestors were admitted at Pottuvil hospital. STF has clamped down a curfew in Pottuvil and suburbs till further notice. Sinhalese civilians were seen fleeing Pottuvil area in boats towards Paanama in the south.
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India opposes NE de-merger, wants truce, talks - report

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 September 2006, 21:21 GMT]
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday told Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse that only negotiations can resolve the island dragging ethnic conflict. “A political, and not military, solution is what Sri Lanka should aim at - this was India's message,” IANS reported from the Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Cuba. The Indian leadership had also pressed that the island's Tamil-majority Northeastern province should not be de-merged without a referendum and that such a referendum would only be possible when there was a 'conducive atmosphere,' IANS reported.
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10 Muslims massacred, one wounded, one missing in Pottuvil

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 September 2006, 05:38 GMT]
Ten Muslim workers who went Sunday to repair, Rattal Kulam, a water tank, 9 km south of Pottuvil in Amparai district, were found butchered to death, Monday morning, Police said. One person was recovered with wounds and another person is reported missing. The massacre has taken place near a Special Task Force (STF) training camp near Yala National Park. A dispute was present in the area regarding the repair of the reservoir between the Sinhalese and Muslim farmers, according to initial reports. Tension prevails in Pottuvil.
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Terrorised Tamil traders flee to India - report

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 September 2006, 12:20 GMT]
Several Tamil traders and businessmen have fled Sri Lanka following a spate of killings and abductions, IANS reported Thursday quoting officials and refugees. Sinhalese gangs in Trincomalee are targeting prominent Tamils and many ordinary Tamils in the capital were gripped by a "fear psychosis" the agency reported, quoting activists as saying the recent violence has led to one of the most traumatic periods for the island's Tamil community.
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Sri Lankan vessel with civilians sails from KKS

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 September 2006, 08:57 GMT]
The Sri Lanka military charted ship "Lanka Muditha" that carried military supplies to Jaffna sailed from Kankesanthurai (KKS) harbour Saturday morning with civilians who were transported Friday in busses from Jaffna town to KKS. More than six Dvora Fast Attack Crafts were providing escort to the ship towards Trincomalee. Meanwhile, the cargo ship "Marcus Ruhunu," said to be carrying 3800 MT essential supplies to civilians in Jaffna, reached KKS harbour Friday night. Ruhunu will not be unloading supplies in Point Pedro as scheduled, but at KKS military harbour. A team of all Sinhalese port workers from south would unload the supplies at KKS.
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Kandy Police arrest 12 youths

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 September 2006, 06:30 GMT]
Tweleve youths were arrested and detained on suspicion by Kandy police during a cordon and search operation Thursday afternoon. The police sources said 10 of the youths were Tamils and the other two were Sinhalese.
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Colombo transfers NGO massacre investigation to Anuradhapura

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 September 2006, 18:02 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has instructed that the inquest proceedings in the Muthur Magistrate's Court in the Trincomalee district regarding the killing of seventeen workers of the French non-governmental organization, Action Faim, Action against Hunger (ACF) in Muthur town during the first week of August, to be held before the Anuradhapura Magistrate, legal sources said.
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