S.T. Arasu remembered by his disciple and friend

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 February 2016, 22:50 GMT]
The multi-faceted personality of the late Mr S.Thirunavukkarasu (S.T.Arasu) was remembered in an interview given to TamilNet last week by Rajaratnam Nadarajah (75), the owner of Baby Photo in Jaffna. Mr Nadarajah was recollecting his close relationship with Mr Arasu since 1958, right from the days of their photography work at Sellams, which was involved in the production of the pioneer Eezham Tamil film ‘Kadamaiyin ellai’. He was also recollecting the encounter of Mr Arasu with the Ceylon military during the non-violent protest of Eezham Tamils in 1961 under the leadership of Mr S.J.V. Chelvanayakam.
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Three Tamil political prisoners on hunger strike admitted to hospital

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 February 2016, 19:04 GMT]
Three of the Tamil political prisoners, who have been on hunger-strike since Monday have been forcefully admitted for medical treatment by the SL prison authorities at New Magazine prison, legal sources in Colombo told TamilNet. Out of 15 Tamil prisoners who were on fast-unto death, one prisoner had withdrawn and the condition of five prisoners worsened on Saturday, the sources said. Through their hunger strike so far, the Tamil prisoners have exposed that there are several prisoners without proper legal process and each and every one of them are forced to fight to expedite their cases or to get them released.
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Colombo continues with ‘Sinhala-only’ circulars, Tamil officials in Batticaloa complain

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 February 2016, 21:33 GMT]
The occupying Colombo continues to issue almost all official circulars in Sinhala language to the administrative offices that come under the ministries of the Colombo government, provincial and local administrative bodies, Tamil civil officials in Batticaloa complain. 90% of the population in the district is Tamil-speaking. Regardless of repeated complaints, SL ministries of genocidal Sri Lankan are bent upon Sinhalicisation of governance in the district, the Tamil officials in Batticaloa told TamilNet. While the global actors are not prepared to see physical, psychological, structural and cultural genocide against the nation of Eezham Tamils in the island and are not prepared to even spell the word Tamil in their resolutions being presented at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, how would their agent State in Colombo be prepared to issue the circulars in Tamil, the officials asked.
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Maithiripala deploys ‘Mahaweli’, monks, military to grab Tamil lands in Ampaa'rai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 February 2016, 23:30 GMT]
The Tamil people, who are trying to resettle in their traditional villages in Poththuvil area in Ampaa'rai district complain that the continued presence of the occupying Sinhala military along the two sides of the main access road to Poththuvil Road threaten their resettlement. Tamil civil service officials observe a pattern of SL President Maithiripala Sirisena's so-called ‘Mahaweli Development’ ministry systematically deploying its departments to seize lands from Eezham Tamils in the same area. In the meantime, Sinhala Buddhist extremist monks and their operatives are seeking inroads to establish their temples in the villages where no Sinhalese are found citing they want to help Tamils to ‘confront’ occupation by Muslims.
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17 political detainees go on hunger-strike in two SL prisons

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 February 2016, 16:52 GMT]
Two Tamil political prisoners imprisoned at Anuradhapura prison and 15 political prisoners, including a woman, imprisoned at New Magazine prison in Colombo have launched fast-unto-death agitation from Anuradhapura and Magazine prisons. Two of those on huger-strike at Anuradhapura Prison, Sulaxan Mathiyarasan and Tharshan Ganesan, have been detained without valid charge-sheets. In the meantime, the mother of Sulaxan Mathiyarasan, when contacted by TamilNet, said the International Community should step in and get her son and others in his situation released from the Sri Lankan prisons.
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UN officials aid, abet rape of Tamil women by SL military -Boyle

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 February 2016, 02:04 GMT]
Responding to recent news items that criticized the direct engagement of visiting foreign envoys including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, with the genocidal SL military, Professor Boyle, an expert in internationla law who teaches at the University of Illinois, College of Law, said, "[t]hey [the UN officials and foreign envoys] are all aiding and abetting the GOSL Genocide against the Tamils-- including the Mass Rape of the Tamil Women-- in violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention article 3 (e) that criminalizes their “complicity” in genocide."
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Veteran drama artist Maamanithar S.T. Arasu passes away

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 February 2016, 23:18 GMT]
Veteran Eezham Tamil drama artist Kalaapooshanam S.T. Arasu, who was betowed with the highest civilian Maamanithar title by LTTE Leader Velupillai Pirapaharan in 1990, passed away after a brief illness at the age of 89 in Nalloor, Jaffna on Friday. Sivakkolunthu Thirunavukkarasu (S.T. Arasu) received an emotional funeral service, attended by Tamil artists, academics and politicians on Sunday. As a multi-talented creative artist, S.T. Arasu has worked with prominent drama directors of his times and has contributed at various fronts including make-up and music. S.T.Arasu had a keen interest in sculpture and was also a professional photographer.
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Political prisoner detained without charges for 7 years to go on hunger strike

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 February 2016, 22:39 GMT]
A 29-year-old Tamil political prisoner, who has been detained for more than 7 years in the prisons of genocidal Sri Lanka, informed the Tamil press on Friday that he is going to fast unto death demanding immediate release of political prisoners like him. Stating that he is launching the hunger-strike on Monday, the prisoner, Sulaxan Mathiyarasan, who is being detained without any case against him, said he and fellow prisoners were shocked to learn the stand taken by the UN Human Rights Chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, who went on record stating that the International Community was not in favour of the model of granting general amnesty to prisoners of war. The question is why Mr Zeid has taken a such position. The global Tamil community should demand a clear response from the UNHRC in the forthcoming sittings in Geneva, Mr Sulaxan said.
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Genocidal military rapists harass Tamil female teachers at Muzhangkaavil

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 February 2016, 21:19 GMT]
The occupying SL military soldiers, who have been earlier captured by the villagers while attempting to sexually abuse Tamil women, have this week gone amok on the ladies hostel of Muzhangkaavil MV School in Ki’linochchi district. The SL military is occupying 10 acres of lands near the school, where the Sinhala soldiers have been deployed in large numbers at the farms run by the military at close vicinity to the MV school and the primary school. The villagers rushed to help the teachers at the ladies hostel as they shouted for help when Sinhala soldiers were trying to break the door of the building Monday night. Despite repeated complaints, the SL military has not been withdrawn from the residential areas of Tamil villages in the district.
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Colombo accelerates demographic genocide along border villages of Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 February 2016, 22:55 GMT]
Rural Development Society representatives from the villages situated along the border of Batticaloa district in the Eastern Province, complain that their native villages are being systematically Sinhalicised under the Maithiripala regime. The occupying Sinhala military has brought a number of extremist Buddhist monks into these villages in recent times. Buddhist temples (Pansala) and SL military positions have been mushrooming along these villages since 2007 when Sinhala military brought the entire district under its control. The same pattern of structural occupation is also observed along the Tamil villages bordering the Polonnaruwa district, which is the native district of SL President Maithiripala Sirisena.
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Colombo silently consolidates military positions facing Gulf of Mannaar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 February 2016, 23:43 GMT]
The occupying Sinhala military of genocidal Sri Lanka has been silently consolidating its temporary positions and camps into permanent structures inside the limits of Mannaar Urban Council area within the last 30 days. There are more than 6,000 Sinhala military personnel within the UC area where 25,000 civilians reside. The SL Army, Navy and the STF troopers are stationed at more than 15 positions within the 27 square km. The systematic consolidation of the naval and army cantonments, camps, and positions has taken place despite clear demands from the civil sources to de-militarize the densely populated UC area. The strategic part of the district, commanding both the Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannaar as well as commanding the closest communication line with the Tamil Nadu coast, has become a hive of intense Sinhala militarisation and demographic changes in recent times.
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Sinhalese from South grab temple lands of Eezham Tamils in Ampaa’rai

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 February 2016, 23:49 GMT]
Two Sinhalese from Matara district in the Southern Province are trying to seize 8 acres of lands that belong to 50-year-old Saiva temple in Poththuvil of Ampaa'rai district using false documents, the management of the Chiththi Vinaayakar temple told TamilNet on Monday. The Sinhala extremists who are engaged in seizing lands from Tamils in the district in the Eastern province have deployed a former Sri Lankan Presidential Coordinator from Poththuvil and a former paramilitary operative as their agents, Tamil officials at the District Secretariat said verifying that the lands belong to the Hindu temple. There is a systematic pattern of genocidal land grab taking place in the district, the officials alleged citing similar cases from several other locations in the district.
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SL Navy assault on Mannaar Tamil fishermen condemned

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 February 2016, 22:22 GMT]
Tamil parliamentarians, youth leaders and provincial councillors from Mannaar district have condemned the brutal attack on 2 fishermen from Pa'l'lik-kudiyiruppu, Mannaar in the seas off Naachchik-kudaa near Ira'nai-theevu on Saturday. The Sinhala navy sailors who assaulted the fishermen using knives caused serious injuries to the head of the 37-year-old helmsman of the fishing vessel while one of the three sea cucumber divers sustained minor injuries at his hand. The two injured fishermen, chased away by the SL Navy, had to drive their boat leaving behind the remaining two divers. The SL Navy later handed over the two remaining fishermen to Muzhangkaavil police belonging to Ki’linochchi district.
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SL Navy brutally assaults Tamil fishermen from Mannaar near Ira'nai-theevu islet

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 February 2016, 12:32 GMT]
The occupying navy of genocidal Sri Lanka on Saturday severely assaulted two Tamil fishermen who were engaged in sea cucumber fishing near Ira'nai-theevu islet, located west of Naachchik-kudaa, where the SL military has been expanding its military positions targeting Tamil Nadu and India in recent years. One of the four fishermen who are from Pa'l'li-munai in Mannaar has sustained serious injuries and was rushed to Jaffna Teaching Hospital. The fate of two young fishermen is not known while the third one is admitted at Mannaar hospital with cut injuries to his hands. The attacking navy men were armed with automatic rifles. They were aggressive and were using abusive terms in Sinhala while assaulting the two Tamil fishermen with knives, the wounded fishermen told TamilNet. The brutal incident has taken place around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.
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Tamils should conceive alternative investigations: rights activists in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 February 2016, 23:45 GMT]
Not a single person has been arrested by the Colombo government despite 450 persons giving testimony in the district of Batticaloa at the three sittings held so far by the Presidential Commission to Investigate into Complaints regarding Missing Persons (PCICMP), one under Rajapaksa regime and two sittings under the present Sirisena - Wickrasinghe regime, Tamil rights activists in Batticaloa told TamilNet on Friday. The modus operandi of the SL commissions of the past and present, including the new ones that are being launched by the current regime incorporating Tamil ‘collaborators’ from Batticaloa and Jaffna, is nothing new to Eezham Tamils. Global Tamils should conceive universal models of justice without getting locked into the so-called Transnational Justice advocates coming through Colombo, the activists further said.
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SL Police entices Sinhala students to confront Tamil students at University of Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 February 2016, 23:20 GMT]
Jaffna University Student Union representatives told TamilNet on Thursday that the Sinhala Police of the occupying Colombo was attempting to create confrontations between Tamil and Sinhala students at the university with the motive of using the opportunity to target and suppress the politicised sections of Tamil students at the University of Jaffna. A group of Sinhala students from South intervened in an on-going clash involving two groups of BCom Tamil students. They were backing one of the groups. Using the episode, Sinhala policemen entered the campus and ‘advised’ three Sinhala students to get admitted to Jaffna hospital. The SL police was now trying to twist it as a Tamil - Sinhala ethnic clash and to target Tamil activists using among the students, the representatives of the JUSU told TamilNet.
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US, UN bureaucracy behind Zeid's soft stand on Sri Lanka: Prof Boyle

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 February 2016, 01:37 GMT]
Responding to Tamil activists accusation that "they witnessed a total lack of understanding on the part of UN Rights Chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein on the deep-rooted structural crimes taking place against Tamils in the East under the Mahaweli Minister and SL President Maithiripala Sirisena," Professor Boyle, an expert in international law, and who teaches at the University of Illinois College of Law, said, "Zeid is not an idiot. He knows full well that the GOSL has inflicted genocide on the Eelam Tamils that continues as of today. Zeid was sent there by the United States Government and the United Nations Bureaucracy to do damage control and damage limitation on behalf of the Genocidal GOSL Regime against the Eelam Tamils. He who pays the piper calls the tune."
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Family questions whereabouts of abducted journalist last seen in SL custody in 2012

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 February 2016, 22:14 GMT]
Tamil journalist Subramaniam Ramachandran, who was abducted by the SL military in February 2007 in front of Kalikai junction military camp at Karaveddi in Vadamaraadchi, Jaffna, was last seen alive in the custody of Sinhala military at the notorious camp at Pallappai in the same area in 2012, according to his 55-year-old sister Jeyaratnam Kamalashini. The SL military vacated from Pallappai a year later in 2013 and instructed the people not to dig the abandoned wells in an attempt to cover up alleged mass graves. The genocidal State of Sri Lanka still refuses to reveal the whereabouts of the father of two children. Despite reports of alleged mass graves, there have been no efforts by the judiciary of ‘Sri Lanka’ to excavate the killing fields. Reporters in Jaffna question the advice by the visiting UN Human Rights Chief to expect delivery of justice through the ‘Sri Lankan’ judiciary.
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No change in SL oppression: Tamil activists in Trincomalee tell Zeid

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 February 2016, 23:08 GMT]
A group of Tamil rights activists, religious dignitaries and the kith and kin of missing persons, who met the visiting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein on Sunday in Trincomalee, conveyed the level of frustration prevailing among the Eezham Tamils, especially among the families of the persons subjected to forced disappearance at the hands of the Sinhala military. The trauma, experienced by these families has reached an epidemic proportion after SL Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe publicly telling Tamils to regard all those missing as dead on the day of Pongkal Tamil festival in January, the delegation told Mr Zeid. The activists witnessed total lack of understanding on the part of UN Human Rights Chief on the deep-rooted structural crimes taking place against Tamils in the East under the Mahaweli Minister and SL President Maithiripala Sirisena.
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Boyle condemns U.S. endorsement of Sri Lanka on ‘Independence Day’

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 February 2016, 01:50 GMT]
Professor Francis Boyle, an expert in International Law and who teaches at the University of Illinois College of Law, condemned as "revolting and disgusting" Under Secretary for Management Organization of American States, Patrick F. Kennedy's congratulatory remarks and endorsement of Sri Lanka on Thursday the 4th of February, Sri Lanka's Independence Day. Responding to Secretary Kennedy's statement that "plenteous in prosperity" and "in wisdom and strength renewed" as very apt portrayal of Sri Lanka's destiny, Boyle said "Yes, the Genocidal GOSL’s “destiny” is to exterminate the Eelam Tamils and to steal all of Tamil Eelam. And the United States government is going to help the Genocidal GOSL to continue to do so."
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Eezham Tamils boycott ‘Sri Lanka’ Independence Day in North-East

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 February 2016, 08:21 GMT]
“Tamils are being suppressed as ‘minority’ in this country. This so-called Independence Day is only for Sinhalese, ruling this country as majority. They celebrate this day with Kiribath [milk rice] in the South. We have not forgotten that they also celebrated the annihilation of thousands and lakhs of Tamils at Mu'l'livaaykkaal in 2009, serving Kiribath in the South,” a protesting mother in Mannaar, who joined the district wide protests of Tamils marking the so-called Independence Day of Ceylon, which has later become genocidal ‘Sri Lanka’, as a Black Day. In the meantime V.S. Sivakaran, a young Tamil activist in Mannaar said Tamils have no emotional attachment to the day and that they saw it merely as an Independence Day of a neighbouring country. Tamils marked the day as a Black Day in all the 8 districts of the Northern and Eastern provinces on Thursday.
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New outfit urges UNHRC to insist Colombo on resolution implementation

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 February 2016, 17:54 GMT]
A new outfit called “The Sri Lanka Monitoring Accountability Panel (MAP),” has expressed concern on Wednesday, over Colombo President Maithripala Sirisena not agreeing to any international involvement in the Geneva resolved investigations and has urged the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights that he should insist on Colombo consulting all stakeholders and respecting its international commitments in implementing the resolution. The outfit claims that it has been established to provide independent monitoring, advice, and recommendations on the transitional justice mechanisms in Sri Lanka.”
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Genocidal Sri Lanka harasses Tamil family for demanding land back in Kokku'laay

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 February 2016, 23:27 GMT]
The legally entitled Tamil owners of the land at Kokku'laay, where an extremist Sinhala Buddhist monk, Ven Thissapura Gunarathna Thero, is aggressively engaged in constructing a Buddhist vihara aiming Sinhalaicisation of the strategic location in the Tamil homeland, say their family are being harassed by the officials of the genocidal ‘Sri Lanka’ and the military of the Colombo regime. The monk is constructing the Vihara by deploying the occupying Sinhala soldiers despite the efforts taken by Tamil officials and the Northern Province Council Chief Minister Justice C.V. Wigneswaran, the sources further told TamilNet on Wednesday. The area surrounding Kokku'laay is the focus of Sinhala colonisation presently, as it is the key location for wedging the demographic contiguity of the North and East as well as direct communication between Mullaiththeevu and Trincomalee.
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Colombo steps up Sinhala militarisation of Jaffna through ‘development’ camouflage

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 February 2016, 23:19 GMT]
Colombo regime of Maithiripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickramasinghe is silently continuing with the agenda of permanently seizing the military-occupied red-soiled fertile lands and the coastal strip with most resourceful fish beds stretching 12 km in Valikaamam region of Jaffna peninsuala. According to the drawings finalised by survey officials of the Sri Lankan State on 18 November, 2015, the lands belonging to 1,475 Eezham Tamils are to be permanently seized under the pretext of ‘development’ of Palaali air base. UNP agents in Jaffna have been deployed to ‘convince’ the organisations through promising compensations, the representatives of uprooted people in Valikaamam North told TamilNet on Tuesday.
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Resettelement of Tamils confronted on several fronts in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 February 2016, 22:05 GMT]
Eezham Tamil villagers along the border villages in Batticaloa, especially in Vellaa-ve'li DS division, complain that all their efforts to resettle and revive their traditional villages are being confronted on several fronts. Tamil families that are dependent on freshwater fishing are unable to withstand Sinhala intruders exploiting their catch. Farmers are robbed off their cattle by Sinhala colonisers. On top of everything, wild elephant attacks taking place during the nights have dashed the hopes of sustaining their lives and properties in 60 villages, the affected people say.
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