Akashi visits Ki’linochchi for the first time after war

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 June 2010, 19:06 GMT]
Yasushi Akashi, the special envoy appointed by Japan during the Norwegian facilitated negotiations between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), accompanied by Basil Rajapaksa, handed over agricultural implements to some of the resettled Vanni civilians Friday in an event held in Ki’linochchi town. Yasushi Akashi who had held talks with the LTTE in Ki’linochchi was visiting the town for the first time after Sri Lankan military occupied the entire Vanni.
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‘Biggest betrayal and greatest tamasha’

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 June 2010, 11:53 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa who presided over 'Victory Day' celebrations in Colombo on Friday, marking one-year of the victory by the Sri Lankan forces in their war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, described the attempts to bring disrepute to the armed forces by saying that they shot at ‘terrorist leaders who came carrying white flags,’ as biggest betrayal. Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Sri Lankan armed forces, came with the greatest tamasha of his career so far by saying that his troops went to battle carrying a gun in one hand and the Declaration of Human Rights in the other. The Sri Lankan President also came with a warning aiming at diaspora Tamils: “What those from abroad who seek to strengthen separatism are really doing is, to once again corral the people of the north into camps.”
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TGTE announces 11 committees, urges focus on Genocide investigation

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 June 2010, 10:10 GMT]
The Interim Executive Committee of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) on Thursday said it did not expect a change in the world scene turning in Tamils favour in the immediate future, but added that the TGTE was determined to seize every opportunity to advance the struggle, and was formulating the tactics in accordance with that belief. "We are drawing up our plans of action on the one hand to cultivate relationships with governments, and on the other hand to garner support among the people in our new home countries. With this in mind, convenors have been appointed to the various committees and planning work has been initiated," the statement of the TGTE said, announcing 11 committees and the names of representatives coordinating the committees.
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Memorial monument for war victims unveiled in Vanni

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 June 2010, 04:09 GMT]
The Catholic clergy and people of Uruththirapuram in Ki’linochchi in Vanni recently opened a monument in memory of the thousands of Vanni people killed in the war, sources in Ki’linochchi said. The monument is erected in Uruththirapuram Catholic church premise along with the memorial monument earlier erected in memory of Rev. Mariampillai Sathejus Sarath Jeevan called Jeeva who had continued to serve the people even during the war and died of heart attack while fleeing Vanni in the last stages of the war, the sources added.
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JVP leader fails to present a specific political solution for ethnic issue, in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 June 2010, 16:23 GMT]
Somawanse Amarasinghe, leader of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and parliamentarian, was unable to deliver an unambiguous answer to questions raised by media persons who wanted to know the position of his party in finding a political solution for the ethnic issue, in a press meet held in Jaffna town Wednesday evening. Meanwhile, Somawanse Amarasinghe who had come to Jaffna Tuesday evening after a three-day visit to Vanni said that his group was subjected to harassment by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers who did not permit them to visit the resettled Vanni residents in some parts of Vanni.
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UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs visits Vanni

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 June 2010, 12:12 GMT]
The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe, who arrived Wednesday morning Colombo on a two day visit, left to Mullaiththeevu on an inspection tour, sources in Colombo said citing Sri Lankan External Affairs ministry officials. Prior to leaving to Mullaiththeevu Mr. Pascoe met G.L. Peiris, the Sri Lankan foreign minister. The visit by Lynn Pascoe takes place after Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited India and the arrival of top officials and envoys from the USA and Japan.
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JUSU condemns IUSU representatives being denied entry into Jaffna University premise

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 June 2010, 05:15 GMT]
Jaffna University Students Union (JUSU) in a media report Tuesday expressed its deep discontent against Inter University Student Union (IUSU) representatives being denied entry into Jaffna University premises to hand over relief goods they had brought from South for the war affected Vanni undergrads. Meanwhile, Jaffna University Vice-chancellor who had denied entry to the IUCU representatives Saturday and Sunday said in a report to media Tuesday that students from other universities have to submit an authorization letter from their VC. Jaffna VC’s media report is seen as an attempt to pacify JUSU. Meanwhile, JUSU in its media report requested the VC to reveal the source of order from above directing him not to permit the IUCU representatives from meeting the war affected Vanni students, sources in Jaffna said.
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Swiss ambassador to Sri Lanka visits Jaffna, German ambassador's visit cancelled

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 June 2010, 18:39 GMT]
Ms. Ruth Flint, Switzerland ambassador to Sri Lanka arrived in Jaffna Monday where she met Jaffna Government Agent (GA) K. Ganesh in Jaffna Secretariat and discussed development projects carried out by Swiss Development Corporation (SDC) in Jaffna peninsula. Incidentally, TamilNet had reported Friday the construction of a school by CDC in Maravanpulavu in Jaffna district at a cost of 18 million rupees where people have not resettled due to insecurity. Meanwhile, the German ambassador to Sri Lanka who was to participate in a cultural program Monday organized by German Cultural Society in Jaffna had cancelled the visit without any official information for the last minute cancellation of the visit, sources in Jaffna said.
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China wants to start fisheries project in Mullaiththeevu: SL Fisheries Minister

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 June 2010, 10:48 GMT]
A Chinese company has applied to the Sri Lanka’s Fisheries Ministry to start and invest in a fisheries project in Nanthikkadal lagoon in Mullaiththeevu district, according to Sri Lankan Fisheries Minister Rajitha Senaratne, a news report by the Daily Mirror newspaper said Monday. The report on Chinese move has come while Sinhala fishermen from South have encroached the coastal areas of Mullaiththeevu district.
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IUSU representatives threatened with death in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 June 2010, 15:14 GMT]
Unknown gunmen on motor cycles speaking fluent Sinhalese threatened Inter University Students’ Union (IUSU) representatives Sunday as they were returning after being denied entry into Jaffna University for the second time during the week-end, IUSU representatives staying in a lodge in Jaffna University surroundings said. IUSU representatives had been turned away at the main gates by Jaffna University Vice-chancellor Saturday morning when they wanted to get in to give the war affected Vanni undergrads relief materials including wheel-chairs for invalids they had collected in the South. The gunmen had warned that the IUCU representatives will be killed and their vehicle burnt threatening with revolvers if they do not leave Jaffna immediately, they further said.
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JVP delegation to visit Vanni, Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 June 2010, 13:55 GMT]
The parliamentary group delegation of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna led Democratic National Alliance (DNA) is scheduled to undertake a three day-tour to Vanni and Jaffna from June 14 Monday. JVP leader Somawansa Amarasingha will be leading the delegation, according to DNA parliamentary group leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake to media Sunday.
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Namal Rajapaksa’s men monopolize Jaffna-Poonakari boat service

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 June 2010, 05:40 GMT]
The new boat service between Kurunakar and Poonakari in the North which is to be inaugurated Sunday by Namal Rajapaksa, son of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, is to be entirely serviced by boats owned by him, sources in Jaffna said. Colombo government and the powerful men from South are exploiting all possible sources of income in Jaffna peninsula, Tamil circles in Jaffna commented.
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SLA engaged in obliterating evidence of mass killings in Vanni

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 June 2010, 05:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers are hastily destroying hundreds of human skeletal remains that lies in the weed overgrown bunkers where the Vanni civilians had crept into to save their lives when SLA moved into Vanni in its final offensives on Vanni, a representative of an International NGO who recently visited places not permitted for resettlement in Vanni told TamilNet. Meanwhile, a priest, an eyewitness to the massacre, recalled how the advancing SLA soldiers had thrown grenades into the bunkers and how SLA tanks had dumped them with earth even with people alive in them.
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IUSU denied access to meet counterpart of Jaffna University

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 June 2010, 04:39 GMT]
The Vice-chancellor of Jaffna University did not permit Saturday more than seventy representatives of Inter University Students’ Union (IUSU) from South who had come to Jaffna to give the war affected Vanni students in Jaffna University things they had collected, to enter the university premise, sources in Jaffna said. The IUSU representatives led by Uthila Premaratne were stopped at the entrance as Jaffna University VC directed the security guards to close the main gate. Jaffna University Student Union (JUSU) representatives were told curtly by the VC that Jaffna University was not a place for their political activities, the sources added.
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Resettled people in Vanni suffer increasing SLA harassment

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 June 2010, 04:30 GMT]
Disappearances, sexual abuse and extortion by occupying Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers in Vanni where people have been allowed to resettle have increased and the victims are helpless as there are no authorities to complain against the violence except to the SLA in Vanni, a government officer in Vanni said. Meanwhile, SLA earmarks properties with ‘Reserved for SLA’ notice boards and the owners of the marked properties have to pay large sums of money to claim their properties back, a worker of an NGO in Vanni said.
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Students, schools in Vanni disregarded

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 June 2010, 04:23 GMT]
The teachers and heads of schools which have begun to function in Vanni where people have been allowed to resettle are facing insurmountable difficulties as most of the school buildings and furniture have been destructed in the war on Vanni, education circles in Vanni complain. While the government does not provide even the basic facilities the humanitarian organizations in the North, both local and international, disregard the education sector in Vanni preferring to work in Jaffna and Vavuniyaa, they said. International humanitarian organizations including UNICEF and Swiss Development Corporation spend their funds in Jaffna and Vauniyaa on various projects while the students and schools in Vanni suffer even without the basic facilities, they added.
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Skeletal remains found in Ki’linochchi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 June 2010, 16:18 GMT]
The owners of a house in Ka’ndaava’lai in Ki’linochchi district in Vanni found a human skeletal remains lying in the backyard when they were preparing to resettle in their house, sources in Vanni said. Meanwhile, unidentified men had caused injuries Tuesday to an elderly man and his wife who were alone in their house in Nedungkea’ni in Vanni and the man succumbed to the injuries later, the sources added.
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US ambassador to Sri Lanka visits Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 June 2010, 15:36 GMT]
Ms. Patricia A. Butenis, Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives arrived in Jaffna Wednesday on a two-day visit where she first went to the ‘Periya Pa’l’livaasal’ (Big Mosque) of the Muslim community in Jaffna town, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, the Intelligence wing men of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) were active in covering all her visits collecting particulars of the places she went, persons she met and also the subjects she discussed, the sources added.
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People’s Bank fails to announce remedial measures to war affected customers in Vanni

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 June 2010, 04:31 GMT]
The customers of People’s Bank branches in Vanni who expected alternative measures to be announced in the events of opening three People’s Bank branches Monday in Vanni were greatly disappointed as the key officials, including Governor of Sri Lanka Central Bank, Ajith Nivard Cabraal who participated in the events failed to say anything about their bank documents lost due to war, sources in Vanni said.
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Rajapaksa reschedules 'victory day' parade for June 18

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 June 2010, 08:14 GMT]
Colombo's 'victory parade' postponed due to bad weather in May is re-scheduled to be held on June 18 at Colombo Galle Face Green, according to government sources in Colombo. The three armed forces, police, and Civil Defence Force are to participate in the parade to be held by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Meanwhile, Democratic National Alliance (DNA) led by Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) would mark 'Victory Day' on June 8 with Adishtana Pooja at the Viharamahadevi Open Air Theatre, said Mrs. Anoma Fonseka, wife of General (retired) Sarath Fonseka, former Commander of the Sri Lanka Army who led the Sri Lankan forces in the war against Tamils.
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