ITAK victory in Trinco proves NorthEast homeland for Tamils- TNA

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 March 2006, 20:19 GMT]
The victory of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) in the election for the Trincomalee Urban Council and Trincomalee Town and Gravets Pradesiya Sabah have strengthened the concept that the NorthEast province is the homeland for Tamil speaking people, said Mr.K.Thurairetnasingham, Trincomalee district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Friday evening after the counting of votes came to a close in the local councils held on Thursday.
Full story >>

Fonseka visits Jaffna, daughters arrive for sightseeing tour

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 March 2006, 13:13 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Army commander, Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka arrived at the Palaly airport Friday morning, was taken to Jaffna Thuraiyappah stadium in a Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) helicopter and proceeded to meet the commanders at the 51-2 Brigade Head Quarters in Jaffna amid high security, sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Norway island attack by SLN draws warning from LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 March 2006, 20:04 GMT]
Mr.Elilan, LTTE Trincomalee district political head, informed the Trincomalee head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Mr.Ove Thursday evening in Sampoor that LTTE has the right to movement in seas adjoining LTTE controlled coastal areas and this right does not violate the ceasefire agreement, LTTE sources said.
Full story >>

SLA, paramilitary collusion can lead to talks breakdown- TNA MP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 March 2006, 08:15 GMT]
"Escalation of paramilitary activities assisted by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops in Valaichenai villages pose serious threat to peace process," said Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Batticaloa parliamentarian S. Jeyanandamoorthy, in a press release, issued Wednesday. Meanwhile, Mr Ariyanendran, another TNA parliamentarian, accused the SLA troops for assisting the paramilitaries in the cordon and search operation held in Valaichenia Tuesday, and urged the International Community to condemn this act which openly violated the commitments made by the Sri Lanka Government in Geneva talks.


Full story >>

SLA violates ceasefire agreement in Muttur-LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 March 2006, 02:05 GMT]
The Trincomalee district political secretariat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Tuesday lodged a complaint with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that a group of soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in connivance with paramilitaries had unlawfully entered the area and attacked the LTTE camp located in Athiamankerni village in Seruvila division on March 27 night around 7 p.m. SLA soldiers and paramilitaries had fled from the scene when the LTTE cadres successfully retaliated their attack, the complaint said.
Full story >>

SLA soldiers, paramilitary cadres round up Valaichenai villages

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 March 2006, 06:39 GMT]
More than 150 Sri Lanka Army soldiers and around 50 paramilitary cadres belonging to three various paramilitary groups, Tuesday morning rounded up five villages in Valaichenai. The paramilitary cadres, brought in SLA vehicles around 5:00 a.m., summoned the people to Pechiyamman temple grounds and held a meeting where key operatives of Karuna Group warned the people against supporting the Liberation Tigers. Cadres from the ENDLF paramilitary group and a key operative of the EPDP group attached to the Sri Lanka Army camp in Valaichenai Harbour also took part in the show-down paramilitary operation, villagers said.
Full story >>

Trinco fishermen protest against SLN ban

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 March 2006, 19:36 GMT]
Hundreds of men, women who are members of four fisheries co-operatives societies with their children held a two-hour protest in front of the Trincomalee office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Monday morning demanding that they should be allowed to fish in Trincomalee Harbor Sea, or given relief to enable them to live without the income from fishing, sources said.
Full story >>

Jaffna students protest against SLA intervention on Annai Poopathy event

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 March 2006, 09:23 GMT]
Educational activities in Jaffna peninsula came to stansdstill Monday in a boycott called by Student oragnisations in protest against the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) intervention inside the Advanced Technological Institute (ATI) and the attack on the students of the ATI last Friday. Around fifteen students were wounded when SLA troopers who entered the ATI premises in Buffel APC vehicle and attacked the students smashing the garlanded picture frame of Annai Poopathy and forcefully removing the Tamileelam flag on Friday. Students organisations in Jaffna has called for protests following the SLA intervention.
Full story >>

SLA troopers' desecration of Hindu Temples condemned

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 March 2006, 19:21 GMT]
The Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Front (EPRLF-Suresh wing) of Mannar district condemned willful descretion of Hindu Temples by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers who enter inside temple buildings and at times inside the inner sanctum with their boots on, sources in Mannar said. Mr.Ratnasigham Kumares, District Secretary of the Mannar EPRLF, urged the Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Mannar to advice the SLA to obey Hindu customs when entering Temples and to withdraw soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army from the Mannar hospital premises, sources said.
Full story >>

Vavuniya Judge orders SLA Officers to appear in Court

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 March 2006, 18:11 GMT]
Following complaints registered with the Vavuniya District Judge M. Ilancheliyan by residents of Sasthrikoolankulam of alleged Sri Lanka Army (SLA) involvement in the killing of a merchant on Friday, the Judge ordered the Commanding Officers of Kalmadu, Pampaimadu and Thandikulam army camps to appear in courts on Monday, legal sources in Vavuniya said.
Full story >>

Students hoist Tamileelam flag, continue Poopathy celebrations

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 March 2006, 12:39 GMT]
Students at the Kokuvil Technical College located 3 km north of Jaffna town hoisted the Tamileelam flag as part of the Annai Poopathy memorial celebrations Saturday 10.30 a.m., student sources said. Students replaced the picture frame Annai Poopathi that was destroyed by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers who forcefully entered the compound and attacked the students Friday.
Full story >>

SLA provoking LTTE for another war, says Elilan

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 March 2006, 11:09 GMT]
"The attack by soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army with the connivance of paramilitary cadres on our Forward Defense Line in Poonagar in Eachchilampathu division is aimed to create another war situation by provoking LTTE," said Mr.S.Elilan, LTTE Trincomalee district political head in a complaint lodged with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Trincomalee Friday.
Full story >>

SLA soldiers attack students inside Jaffna Advanced Technological Institute

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 March 2006, 07:59 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army troopers Friday morning entered the grounds of Jaffna Advanced Technological Institute (ATI) and beat the students who were paying tribute to Annai Poopathy. Soldiers attacked the Student Union Leader of the ATI Mr. Suganthan and 15 fellow students including 8 female students. Sri Lankan soldiers, who entered into the grounds in a Buffel Armoured vehicle, removed the Thamileelam national flag, hoisted in the school grounds and smashed the photograph of Annai Poopathy, windows of the college building, and the motorbikes parked inside the college ground. Tension prevails in Jaffna where students were organising protests against the attack.
Full story >>

SLN to transfer fishermen to Colombo under PTA

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 March 2006, 00:39 GMT]
Five fishermen who are being detained at the Kankesanthurai Police from Wednesday morning said in a statement to the Attorney at the Jaffna Human Rights Commission Mr M Remedius Thursday that soldiers of the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) forcefully arrested them while they were fishing in deep seas close to Mullaitivu about 30 km southeast of Point Pedro, civil society sources said. However, SLN officials said that the five detainees are to be handed over to the Colombo Terrorism Investigation Division under the Prevention of Terrorism Act for further investigation.
Full story >>

SLA troops threaten students at Annai Poopathy celebrations

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 March 2006, 12:16 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops threatened students at the Jaffna Technical College where celebrations marking Annai Poopathi's anniversary are taking place. More than 300 SLA soldiers who arrived at the Technical College premises at 3 p.m. Wednesday demanded taking down of the Tamileelam National flag which the students hoisted in the morning as part of the celebrations, sources said. Tension prevailed for more than an hour while the students refused to comply with the SLA demands.
Full story >>

Firefight in Vadamaradchy East SLA checkpoint

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 March 2006, 11:43 GMT]
Unknown gunmen fired at a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) sentry point in Aarangkattai in Vadamaradchy east at noon Wednesday, sources in Point Pedro said. SLA troopers returned fire but the gunmen escaped from their positions inside the adjoining casuarina forest, sources added. The SLA 52-4 Brigade said that no SLA soldiers were injured in the attack.
Full story >>

SLA cordon, search area surrounding LTTE political office

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 March 2006, 00:28 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) cordoned off and searched Tuesday morning area around LTTE Political Office at Potpathi Road, Kokuvil in Jaffna, scheduled to reopen Wednesday with the arrival of the LTTE poltical group headed by C. Ilamparithi, sources in Jaffna said. Having failed to get assurances from Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Jaffna guaranteeing their safety, the LTTE political section cancelled their plans to resume political work on Wednesday, sources added.


Full story >>

Pakistani Navy Frigate on goodwill visit to Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 March 2006, 11:30 GMT]
A Pakistan Navy Frigate will call on Colombo port on March 23 on a good will mission. During its 3-dy visit, the PNS Shahjahan will take part in joint exercises with the Sri Lanka navy (SLN) and the Commander of the ship will meet senior officials of the Sri Lankan navy to strengthen professional linkages between the two forces, a press release issued by the High Commission of Pakistan Tuesday said.


Full story >>

SLA steals prawn catch, Vallai fishermen complain

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 March 2006, 11:11 GMT]
Fishermen who catch prawns in the Vallai lagoon located between Point Pedro and Valigamam complained Monday that the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) stationed in the area regularly steal their catch and also has made fishing difficult by installing concertina fences in key areas in the lagoon, sources in Jaffna said. The prawn fishermen have registered complaints with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and the Vadamaradchy Fisheries consortium.
Full story >>

US Court orders release of Tamil asylum seeker

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 March 2006, 22:28 GMT]
US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco Friday ordered release of a Tamil Sri Lankan asylum seeker detained since October 2001 in San Diego on suspicion that he once belonged to the Liberation Tigers, an organization included in the US Terrorism List, Washington Post Saturday edition reported.
Full story >>