Tamil detainees said mistreated in Kalutara

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 August 2001, 21:47 GMT]
The Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) has protested to the Department of Prisons about “the inhuman treatment meted out to Tamil prisoners in Kalutara prison by prison authorities”. Mr.A.Selvam Adaikalanathan, Vanni district Parliamentarian and leader of the TELO stated in a letter to the Commissioner of Prisons that “fifty Tamil prisoners are locked up in a ward of 20 feet by 40 feet while 23 Sinhala prisoners are kept in a ward which could accommodate more than hundred persons. This act clearly indicates the discrimination meted out to Tamil prisoners at Kalutara prisons by the authorities concerned.”
Full story >>

Supreme Court orders student examined

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 August 2001, 21:46 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court Wednesday ordered that Jaffna University Student Krishnasamy Thiviyan should be subjected to medical examination by the Colombo Judicial Medical Officer (JMO). A three member bench presided by Chief Justice Sarath N.Silva and comprising Justice Shiranee A.Bandaranaike and Justice P.Edussuriya issued the order when a fundamental rights application filed on behalf of Thiviyan was taken up for inquiry. Sri Lanka’s Attorney General and the General Officer Commanding of the Sri Lanka Army, Jaffna district have been cited as the respondents in the application.
Full story >>

Attack said to mark Koneswary rape and murder

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 August 2001, 04:22 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers in Batticaloa said that Tuesday's attack on the Sri Lanka Police detachement in the island's eastern province was carried out to mark the death of Koneswary Murugesapillai, a thirty five year old mother of three who was gang raped and murdered in front of her family allegedly by a group of Policemen from the Central Camp Police station on 21 August 1997. Koneswary was killed, according to her family, when the Policemenmen exploded a grenade on her lower abdomen to destroy evidence of the rape. None of the perpetrators of the woman's rape and murder have been brought to book so far.
Full story >>

Jaffna students urge Colombo to stop bombing

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 August 2001, 16:11 GMT]
The Jaffna University Students Union (JUSU) appealed to international community "to intervene and safeguard the lives of Tamil students and civilians in the northeastern province from the continuing reprisal aerial attacks by the Sri Lanka Air Force". The JUSU in a statement issued Sunday said "aerial attacks targeting civilian positions such as schools and residential areas in northeast, particularly in Vanni and other Tigers controlled region are taking place almost daily. These indiscriminate aerial attacks have caused deaths and destruction to lives and properties of Tamil civilians".
Full story >>

'Mole' kills leader of SLA penetration team

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 August 2001, 00:35 GMT]
A soldier of a Sri Lanka army deep penetration group was killed in the early hours of the morning Saturday when he was shot by another trooper of the unit that was lying in ambush at Kurinjamunai junction inside the area held by the Liberation Tigers west of Batticaloa town. The trooper got away with the weapons of his dead team leader. Both men are from the SLA's National Guard. Military sources in Batticaloa said that the trooper who got away was an LTTE 'mole'.
Full story >>

Controversial weapon meant for genocide alleges MP

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 August 2001, 14:26 GMT]
"The Sri Lankan government is going to deploy chemical weapons against the Tamils in the island's north and east. The aim is to annihilate them totally. The use of this dangerous chemical weapon against the Tamil people should be strongly condemned," said Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, Tamil United Liberation Front MP for Batticaloa, addressing legislators who gathered Friday in the Sri Lankan Parliament and decided to press ahead with the no confidence motion against President Kumaratunga's government.
Full story >>

SL crisis deepens as majority legislators stake claim

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 August 2001, 12:17 GMT]
The majority of the members of the Sri Lankan Parliamentarian met in the legislature Friday and unanimously resolved to go ahead with the no confidence motion against President Chandrika Kumaratunga's government and defy any attempt by her to suspend Parliament again.
Full story >>

Search operation in Tamil suburb

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 August 2001, 13:28 GMT]
All private boarding houses and lodges in the Wellawatte police area were searched by special police teams Wednesday night. All inmates were closely questioned and documents in their possession were thoroughly examined. The search operation, which commenced around 9 p.m. ended by midnight, Wellawatte police sources said. Wellawatte is a Tamil dominated suburb in the southern sector of Colombo city.
Full story >>

LTTE condemns Sri Lankas purchase of chemical weapons

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 August 2001, 09:17 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in a statement issued from its headquarters in Vanni, northern Sri Lanka today, warned the Kumaratunga government of disastrous consequences if it inducted the recently acquired weapons with chemical warheads into the north-eastern theatre of war.
Full story >>

LTTE denies talks with Sri Lankan minister

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 August 2001, 09:58 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Wednesday denied claims by the Sri Lankan government that the organisation had met and held talks with a Sri Lankan cabinet Minister during his visit Monday to the Roman Catholic shrine in Madhu, a town held by the LTTE. When contacted by telephone, the LTTE’s chief negotiator, Anton Balasingham, told TamilNet Wednesday that Aviation Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle had merely met with the LTTE’s border security guards.
Full story >>

Kumaratunga impervious to power sharing -legal expert

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 August 2001, 15:41 GMT]
"The prorogation of the Parliament was legal but it was used to foist an unconstitutional action on the people," said Dr.Rohan Edirisingha, a legal and constitutional expert with the Centre for Policy Alternatives in Colombo, speaking at seminar for Tamil journalists Monday. Responding to a question on the prospects of a national government Dr.Edirisingha said: "President Chandrika Kumaratunga is totally unaware of the implications of power sharing." The two-day seminar Media Freedom and Human Rights was organised by the Tamil Media Alliance and the Home for Human Rights in Colombo.
Full story >>

Search operation in Dehiwala

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 August 2001, 15:18 GMT]
More than five hundred Tamils were arrested during a house-to-house search operation by Sri Lanka Army and Police personnel in Colombo's suburb of Dehiwala, in the early hours of Sunday. About one hundred of them were taken to local police station for interrogation, the Police said.
Full story >>

Detainees transferred to Kalutara

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 August 2001, 18:55 GMT]
More than thirty Tamil youths detained at the Batticaloa prison were transferred this month to the Kalutara prison, south of Colombo, according to the Up-country People's Front (UPF), which has brought this matter to the notice of the Human Rights Commission (HRC).
Full story >>

France refutes visa denial claim

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 August 2001, 20:48 GMT]
The French Foreign Ministry Friday denied claims by the Sri Lankan information department and state media that it had denied entry to the Liberation Tigers‚ chief negotiator Anton Balasingham and other individuals alleged by Sri Lanka to be linked to the LTTE. A spokesman for the French government, quoted the Foreign Minister Hubert Verdrine, said "We have not banned any particular persons or members of any particular organisations from entering France."
Full story >>

TULF appeals against Army offensive

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 August 2001, 10:22 GMT]
The Tamil United Liberation Front Friday urged President Chandrika Kumaratunge to instruct the Sri Lanka Army to stop launching a major operation in eastern province. "The intended military operation will cause mass destruction and loss of life among civilians. I wish to point out that this type of operation will not be tolerated by any right thinking people, in particular by the international community" said Mr.V.Anandasangaree, Senior Vice President of the TULF in a letter faxed tothe President.
Full story >>

Over 100 arrested in combined search

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 August 2001, 17:18 GMT]
More than one hundred Tamils were arrested during a major cordon and search operation in Kochchikade, about 50 km. north of Colombo Thursday morning. More than one thousand Army and Police personnel were deployed during the operation, police said.
Full story >>

TULF urges President to start talks with LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 August 2001, 07:00 GMT]
The Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) Wednesday urged Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunge to pursue the Norwegian peace initiative and commence negotiations with the Liberation Tigers before framing a new constitution. A press statement issued by the TULF, after meeting the President on Wednesday, said that the party had urged the President to "reconvene Parliament and also not to proceed with the referendum."
Full story >>

Trincomalee Cadets win Championship

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 August 2001, 06:51 GMT]
The Trincomalee district Cadet group emerged champions in the island in the 2001 National Cadet Camp organized by the St.John Ambulance Association and Brigade of Sri Lanka held at Labuduwa, a village in the deep south of the country.
Full story >>

JVP wants "probation" government

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 August 2001, 16:02 GMT]
The Marxist-Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Wednesday called for what they described as a "probationary" government. A party spokesman said that the JVP has submitted a proposal to the Sri Lankan government for the purpose. "The government should have cancelled the referendum instead of postponing it. If the parliament is reconvened it would be possible to consider the governmentÌs proposal for setting up of a constitution planning council," Mr. Wimal Weerawanse, Propaganda Secretary of the JVP, said.
Full story >>

Joint opposition demands parliament reopens

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 August 2001, 11:05 GMT]
The joint opposition Wednesday asked the Government to reconvene parliament immediately and to cancel the referendum. Leaders of united National Party, Janata Vimukthi Peramuna, Sihala Urumaya, Tamil United Liberation Front, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (Hakeem group) and All Ceylon Tamil Congress met this morning under the leadership of Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, Leader of the Opposition and reviewed the President's decision to postpone the referendum for October 18.
Full story >>