TAK passes 25 resolutions in its 60th anniversary meeting

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 January 2010, 04:23 GMT]
The General Committee of Thamizh Arasuk Kadchi (TAK) met Sunday in Jaffna on the 60th anniversary of its formation and passed 25 resolutions unanimously on issues related to Tamils, sources in Jaffna said. TAK said that it continues to stand firm that the Tamil ethnic issue should be resolved on the principles based on Tamil traditional homeland, Tamil Nation and self-rule based on the right to self-determination. The leader of Tamil National Alliance (TNA), R. Sampanthan presided the meeting which was held in the I’lam Kalaignar Hall in Nalloor.
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Remains of Pirapaharan’s father cremated in VVT

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 January 2010, 13:20 GMT]
Late Thiruvengadam Veluppillai, father of LTTE leader Mr. V.Pirapaharan, was cremated at the central cremation grounds in Oo'ra'ni Valveddiththu’rai Sunday around 2:30 p.m with thousands of mourners participating in the last funeral rites, sources in Jaffna said. Thousands of people from all parts of the peninsula joined in the procession when the remains were taken from Pirapaharan’s home in Aaladi in Valveddiththu’rai (VVT) while black flags were flown and sombre music was played in VVT, despite the intimidating presence of a large number of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers and policemen, the sources added. Thol. Thirumavalvan, the leader of Viduthalai Chi’ruththaika’l from Tamil Nadu and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Sivajilingam paid their last tribute at the cremation grounds.
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TNA MP complains of Sinhala colonisation in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 January 2010, 04:28 GMT]
“Government has taken action to settle 107 Sinhalese families in the traditional Tamil areas in Batticaloa district within the last three months,” P. Ariyanethiran, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Batticaloa parliamentarian, said in a report. He further said that a written complaint about the matter to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa had not produced any result.
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Fourth Tamil political prisoner on hunger strike admitted to Jaffna hospital

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 January 2010, 02:36 GMT]
One of the 25 Tamil political prisoners on hunger strike in Jaffna prison was admitted to Jaffna Teaching Hospital Friday as his condition grew critical. Three fasting prisoners who were admitted to JTH Thursday under similar condition are out of danger now but continue to receive treatment, sources in Jaffna said. Tamil political prisoners arrested under Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and Emergency Regulation (ER) and held for a long time in remand prisons in the country are on hungers strike demanding their immediate release or legal action.
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Alternative world to hold tribunal on Sri Lanka's war crimes

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 January 2010, 02:00 GMT]
An independent commission of jurists of the Rome based Permanent Peoples' Tribunal (PPT) will be meeting in Dublin, Ireland, on 14th and 15th of January 2010 to investigate allegations that the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and its armed forces committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during its final phase of the war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The commission will also examine violations of human rights in the aftermath of the war and the local and international factors that led to the collapse of the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement. The provisional findings of the Peoples' Commission will be announced to the public on January 16.
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Sampanthan: Majority of TNA MPs back Fonseka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 January 2010, 15:27 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentary group leader and Trincomalee district MP Rajavarothayam Sampanthan on Wednesday said majority of 18 members of the alliance who were present at lengthy deliberations were of the view that the "only meaningful way" to thwart the desire of the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to seek a mandate to hold office for a further term would be urging the Tamils to vote for the joint opposition candidate General (retd.) Sarath Fonseka. The announcement by Mr. Sampanthan comes amid strong opposition from the Tamil diaspora against supporting either General Sarath Fonseka or Mahinda Rajapaksa as Tamils believe they are both implicated in war crimes and crimes against humanity.
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SL Parliament extends Emergency

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 January 2010, 13:07 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Parliament on Tuesday extended the state of Emergency in the island with a majority of 79 votes. Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MPs voted against the motion while most of the parties that back presidential candidate General (retd) Sarath Fonseka were not present at the time of the voting.
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"I will not accept partition of the country" - Sarath Fonseka, in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 January 2010, 04:25 GMT]
"I am not prepared to allow partitioning the country, be it proposed by the minority or majority community," Sarath Fonseka, the common opposition presidential candidate, said in a press meet held Saturday in Jaffna town. In response to a question Sarath Fonseka took pains to explain the difference between the role he had to play as a military officer in the past and his present role as a politician. He had to give priority to the safety of soldiers as the Military Commander and now as a politician he gives priority to the benefit of people, he added.
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Tamils, Muslims should reject both Mahinda and Sarath - Wickremabahu Karunaratne

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 January 2010, 04:37 GMT]
Tamils and Muslims should not cast their votes either to Mahinda Rajapakse or Sarath Fonseka in the presidential election so that niether of them poll more than 50% of the votes cast, as a clear message to both, Dr. Wickremabahu Karunaratne, leader of the New Left Front (NLF), contesting the forthcoming presidential election said in a press meet held Friday in Jaffna Bastian Hotel. The defeat of Liberation Tigers has also affected the lives of the poor among the Sinhalese, he said.
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Tamil political parties should unite to find a decision in facing presidential election - JUSU

[TamilNet, Thursday, 31 December 2009, 03:54 GMT]
Jaffna University Student Union (JUSU), in a press report Wednesday, said that all Tamil factions should forget their political differences to arrive at a united decision in regard to the forthcoming presidential election. Decisions spurred by emotions in the past and their consequences should be remembered and Tamils should not be allowed to be exploited like puppets in the hands of Southern political forces, the report further said.
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TNA engaged in gathering Tamils' opinion on presidential election

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 December 2009, 03:26 GMT]
Four TamiL National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians are presently in Jaffna actively engaged in learning the opinions of several prominent persons and bodies regarding the stand to adopt in the forthcoming presidential election. Pathmini Sithamparanathan, one of the four MPs, said that they had already met many important persons and intellectuals besides consulting Jaffna University personalities and Jaffna Bishop, Rt. Rev. Thomas Soundranayagam gathering their opinion on the approach to presidential election, she added.
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ACTC decides to boycott presidential election

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 December 2009, 03:21 GMT]
All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) political party decided to boycott forthcoming presidential election and not to support any of the candidates contesting the election, in the ACTC National Conference held Sunday in Jaffna, presided by ACTC leader Vinayagamoorthy. 75 prominent members of ACTC and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Gejendrakumar Ponnambalam participated in the conference, sources in Jaffna said.
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India denies entry visa to Sivajilingam

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 December 2009, 13:31 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna district parliamentarian M.K.Sivajilingam arrived in Colombo Saturday after Indian Immigration officials at the Thiruchchirappalli airport in South Indial refused to allow Sivajilingam to enter India to attend a conference in support of Eelam Tamils, Tamil media in Colombo reported.
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JHU submits 29 proposals in support of Rajapakse election manifesto

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 December 2009, 12:46 GMT]
Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), a Sinhala Buddhist Monk party has handed over 29 point proposals to the incumbent President Mahinda Rajapakse in support of his election manifesto that is to be released during the first week of next month. One of the proposals is to renovate and reconstruct all Buddhist shrines and Buddhist archaeological sites which were destroyed in the north and east due to the three decade old war. The other proposal is to set up a Foreign Intelligence Service to destroy the international network of the LTTE now actively engaged abroad, after its defeat in the island.
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Tamil doctor files Rights petition in Sri Lanka Supreme Court

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 December 2009, 13:13 GMT]
The Supreme Court Monday granted leave to proceed with the fundamental rights violation petition filed by a Tamil medical officer, S.Murali, against his interdiction on his alleged comments made on the conditions in the internment camps which the Sri Lanka Government said "had brought disrepute on the Government of Sri Lanka." The petitioner had been serving as an Acting Consultant Community Physician of the Health Care & Nutrition Ministry at that time of interdiction.
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Allegations of killing LTTE surrendees under UN probe

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 December 2009, 12:20 GMT]
Philip Alston, United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary execution to Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations office at Geneva, in a letter to Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse, requested explanation for the allegations made by Sarath Fonseka on the extra-judicial executions of of three senior members of Liberation Tigers and their families when they tried surrender to the Sri Lanka military on the night of 17th May, Daily mirror reported. In the letter, Alston quotes Common Article 3 of Geneva Conventions of 1949 which prohibits killing of persons who have laid down their arms. These allegations, if proven, will amount to war-crimes.
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"Tamils should reject Mahinda, Sarath in the presidential poll" - Sivajilingam

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 December 2009, 11:30 GMT]
"I am contesting in the presidential election only to give the Tamils of the North and East to register their unified protest against the presidential candidates Mahinda Rajapakse and Sarath Fonseka who were the key characters in killing our people and subjecting them to untold suffering," Sivajilingam, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian and the Tamil presidential candidate said Friday in a press meet held in Janatha Hotel in Jaffna. Sivajilingam extended a public appeal to TNA to support him in the election in order to show the world that the Tamils of the North and East reject both Mahinda and Sarath.
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"Plans afoot to kill me" - Sivajilingam

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 December 2009, 04:12 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian and independent candidate in presidential election said that efforts are being made to kill him so as to prevent him getting the Tamil votes in North and East in the presidential election, in a press conference held in Jaffna Friday. He further said that he had received certain information from Basil Rajapakse, the brother of President Rajapakse and that pressure was exerted on him to return to India.
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Sivajilingam contesting presidential election causes confusion among Tamil political parties

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 December 2009, 06:29 GMT]
Confusion and rift among the constituent parties of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) came to light Friday when Thamizh Arasukk Kadchi (TAK) prominent persons walked away from the event of paying respects to Thanthai Selva’s memorial monument in Jaffna when Sivajilingam, TNA parliamentarian and presidential candidate, tried to participate in the event, sources in Jaffna said. Sivajilingam garlanded the monument alone and the TAK persons came and paid their respects 15 minutes after Sivajilingam had left the place.
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Improve lives of resettled people in Moothoor, demands IDP Union

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 December 2009, 13:44 GMT]
The president of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Union requested government authorities to take several actions which could greatly help the resettled people to improve their lives, in a meeting held Wednesday around 10:00 a.m in Kaddaippa’richchaan Vipulaanantha Mahaa Viththiyaalayam. Eastern Province Chief Minister, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, Governor Mohan Vijayavickrama, Government Agent T. T. R. de Silva, Cooperative Development Minister, A. Majeed, Eastern Province Agriculture Minister T. Navaratnarajah, Divisional Secretary N. Selvanayagam and government officials participated in the meeting, sources in Trincomallee said.
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