CBK's so-called reconciliation faces acid test from North

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 October 2017, 16:21 GMT]
“There are 150000 soldiers in the Northern Province. It is amusing that the Attorney General wants to protect three State Witnesses by transferring the case from Vavuniya to Anuradhapura,” said Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister and former Supreme Court Judge C.V. Wigneswaran in a letter addressed to former SL President Chandrika Kumaratunga Bandaranaike (CBK), who is the Chairperson of Colombo's so-called ‘Office for National Unity and Reconciliation’ urging the latter to intervene and transfer the cases of fasting Tamil political prisoners back to Vavuniyaa or to Jaffna High Court. “Your intervention, Madam Chandrika, at this point of time would ensure understanding and good will among our people if you choose to be empathetic,” Justice Wigneswaran wrote in his letter to CBK.
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Jaffna University at standstill as hunger-striking political prisoner rushed to hospital

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 October 2017, 23:04 GMT]
One of the three hunger-striking political prisoners, Rasathurai Thiruvarul (6th Division, Vela’nai West, Jaffna), was admitted to hospital on Monday as his health condition seriously deteriorated, family members said. In the meantime, Non-Academic staff and the University Teachers Union joined hands with Jaffna University Student Union in imposing total boycott of all activities at the campuses in Jaffna starting from Monday. The students have been boycotting classes since October 20. The protesters, blocking the two entrances of the Jaffna University amidst pouring rains, said their protest would continue until the SL Government heeds to the demands of the Tamil political prisoners.
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All three districts in East placed under Sinhala Government Agents

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 October 2017, 20:45 GMT]
The unitary state of genocidal Sri Lanka is planning to install a Sinhala person as the SL Government Agent (District Secretary) of Batticaloa district, concerned Tamil civil officials in Batticaloa said. The latest move comes as the Tamil GA, Ms P.S.M. Charles, was promoted as the Director General of SL Customs Department after serving as the GA of the district for five years. Her tenure was marred with indirect Sinhala rule. Now, the Sinhala GA of Trincomalee district, N.A.A Pushpakumara, who operates against Tamil-speaking people in the district, has taken her place temporarily until a permanent GA is installed. Both the Government Agents of Trincomalee and Ampaa'rai districts are Sinhalese collaborating with the occupying operating with the agenda of demographic changes.
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Occupying SL Navy wants surveying of Mu’l’livaaykkaal lands amidst public protests

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 October 2017, 20:25 GMT]
The occupying SL Navy in Mullaiththeevu district is exerting pressure on the officials of the SL Survey Department to survey the lands near Vadduvaakal in Mullaiththeevu for permanent seizure for military use. The latest move comes in the wake of a two-hour protest staged by the landowners on Thursday blocked the survey department officials from proceeding with their work. 671 acres of residential, coastal and agricultural lands in Mu'l'livaaykkaal East, containing crucial evidences and traces of genocidal onslaught against Eezham Tamils, are now being ‘officially’ appropriated by Colombo citing ‘public purpose’ for the expansion of SL naval base SLNS Gotabaya. Most of the lands belong to private owners. Around 100 acres of lands are intended for the creation of a fisheries campus, civil officials in the district said.
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SL Court in Anuradhapura humiliates hunger-striking Tamil political prisoners

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 October 2017, 22:08 GMT]
The three hunger-strikers, waging fast-unto-death for the last 30 days demanding their cases not to be transferred to SL Court in Anuradhapura were on Tuesday forcefully taken to Anuradhapura Special Court, where the Judge told them their fast-unto-death or any protest being waged by Tamils would not work. “You have to either face case here or lodge an appeal against it,” the judge told the hunger-strikers, according to the families of the three hunger strikers told TamilNet on Wednesday. In the meantime, SL President Maithiripala Sirisena has again dodged responding to the request of the families of the Tamil political prisoners and is on a travel outside the island. SL Presidential Secretary Austin Fernando has told NPC Opposition Leader S. Thavarasa that Mr Sirisena would not be interfering in the matters of SL Attorney General.
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Landowners fear military repercussion, reluctant to dismantle Buddha structures

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 October 2017, 21:39 GMT]
The occupying army of genocidal Sri Lanka has left behind temple-structures, which were used by the Sinhala soldiers to house Buddha statues, intact even though it dismantled all other structures from the private property at 5th Mile Post in Ma'nmunaip-pattu (Aaraip-pattai) Division in Batticaloa. The owners of properties at the 5th Mile Post and the nearby rice mill say they were reluctant to dismantle the structures fearing reprisals from the SL military and Police. The removal of such structures are interpreted as hostile acts by the SL military regardless of their private ownership, civil sources said citing request from landowners to dismantle the structures. The SLA has relocated from the private property to Thaazhangkudaa in the same division last week.
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Tamil political prisoners incarcerated in Colombo go on hunger strike

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 October 2017, 23:26 GMT]
While the health condition of three Tamil prisoners who are waging fast-unto-death for the past 29 days in Anuradhapura prison has been deteriorating day by day, Tamil prisoners incarcerated in the high security Magazine prison in Colombo announced on Monday evening that they are launching a hunger strike on Tuesday demanding a principled decision on the release all 132 Tamil political prisoners detained and jailed in various prisons across the island. In the meantime, SL President Maithiriapala Sirisena, sitting on a time frame until Wednesday on making a decision on the demands from the hunger strikers in Anuradhapura. The SL prison authorities, fearing that the worsening condition of hunger strikers could spark off vigorous protests in the North, are treating the prisoners at prison ward without admitting them to the civil hospital in Anuradhapura to avoid media focus.
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Jaffna University students boycott classes against manipulative justice of genocidal Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 October 2017, 07:02 GMT]
The students at the University of Jaffna on Friday launched a university-wide boycott of classes until further notice as student leaders are scheduled to discuss future course of protest action in support of the fast-unto-death being waged by the Tamil Prisoners of War languishing in the jails of genocidal Sri Lanka. The boycott on Friday was led by Tamil students and the students from other provinces, numbering around 41% of the total students, have also joined the protest heeding the request from the Jaffna University Student Union (JUSU). The protest comes after the leaders of the JUSU met SL President Maithiripala Sirisena on Thursday demanding the SL president to address the demands of Tamil political prisoners who are on a fast-unto-death campaign for the last 25 days.
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Sirisena disappoints student leaders, Cooray humiliates families of hunger-striking prisoners

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 October 2017, 17:11 GMT]
The Leader of Jaffna University Students Union (JUSU) K. Krishnameenan and Secretary K. Jackson on Thursday evening said their negotiations with SL President Maithiripala Sirisena earlier on the day have failed to produce a favourable timeframe for meeting the demands of the hunger-striking Tamil political prisoners. Since the JUSU was behind postponing a fast-unto-death campaign announced unilaterally by the Arts Faculty Student Union earlier in the week and as the health of the three political prisoners on 25th day of the fast-unto-death in Anuradhapura prison would become life-threatening within the next five days, the JUSU leaders said Thursday evening that they now have no other option than stepping up the protest after consulting with fellow students.
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Eastern Provincial Land authority discriminates Tamils

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 October 2017, 23:45 GMT]
The Department of Land Administration in the Eastern Province is ethnically biased against the Tamil-speaking people of the district, Tamil civil officials at the District Secretariat said. Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians such as K Thuraratnasingham are very well aware of the ethnic discrimination, but they have been unable to bring any change due to the collaborationist agenda of Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan, the officials said. The discrimination has escalated in recent times and the Sinhala officials are systematically ignoring the requests coming from the Divisional Secretaries of the Tamil-speaking divisions in the district. Requests for convening Land Kachcheri are also being neglected to escape resolving the burning issues of uprooted Tamil people.
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Paramilitary operative employed at Cooray's secretariat in Jaffna harasses public servants

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 October 2017, 18:46 GMT]
A former EPRLF (Varathar wing) paramilitary operative turned ‘sanitary worker’ at the secretariat of SL Governor to North, 30-year-old Sivarasa Sivakulan alias Murali, has been harassing Tamil public servants who have been sympathetic to the kith and kin of the struggling political prisoners, Tamil journalists and activists who have been supporting the elected Chief Minister of the NPC. The SL operative has handed over details of Tamil public servants, who took part in the black flag protest and demanded the SL Presidential Security Division (PSD) to punish them through SL Presidential Secretariat instructions to relevant ministries. The harassment has already begun with instruction of transfers being sent to North, informed sources in Colombo said. A Ministerial Security Division (MSD) officer in charge of SL Governor's security is also involved in the latest operation.
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Tamil fisherman rammed by intruding Sinhala fishermens’ boat, fishing disputes escalate in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 October 2017, 19:12 GMT]
Speedboats of intruding Sinhala fishermen on Saturday attacked a Tamil fisherman, who was engaged in fishing in the seas off Vadamaraadchi East in a small vessel. The injured fisherman was admitted to Pazhai hospital and later transferred to Jaffna hospital for further treatment. The violent incident comes after a section of Tamil fishermen detained a group of intruding Sinhala fishermen on Thursday morning in the seas off Vadamaraadchi East at Naakarkoayil. The Sinhala fishermen had destroyed the fishing nets of the Tamil fishermen and the intruders engaged in illegal fishing of sea cucumbers and chanks were handed over to the SL Police at Pazhai. The Divisional Secretary of Maruthangkea'ni also went on record in local newspapers on Friday that no-one was allowed to engage in sea cucumber and chank fishing along the coast in the entire division.
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Tamil protesters confront Maithiripala Sirisena in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 October 2017, 07:34 GMT]
SL President Maithiripala Sirisena, who was visiting Jaffna Hindu College amidst black flag protest by Tamil activists and politicians, was trying to score a point with his Jaffna visit and ‘engagement’ with the Tamil protesters. Talking briefly to protesters wavering black flags against him, he was trying to defend his position by saying he was planning to have an internal meeting within his government before arriving at a decision regarding the demands put forward by the hunger striking Tamil political prisoners. The protesters categorically refused to buy his argument, demanded immediate decision from him as he is vested with executive powers to release the prisoners. The protesters vowed to step up the protest even further if he failed to act within short time as the health situation of the protesting hunger strikers has worsened on the 20th day of their fast-unto-death campaign.
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North at standstill, Sampanthan not to accompany Sirisena to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 October 2017, 17:40 GMT]
The five districts of the entire northern province stood at complete standstill on Friday heeding the joint call from 20 grassroots movements and civil groups to pass a strong message to the Colombo regime and its collaborators. As the SL State has failed to honour the demands of the hunger-striking Tamil political prisoners, the organisers of the protest resolved on Friday to step up the protest by wavering black flags against the visiting SL President Maithiripala Sirisena, who is scheduled to visit Jaffna Hindu College as the chief guest in the Tamil Language Day, jointly organised by SL Education Ministry and the Education Ministry of the Northern Provincial Council. ITAK Leader R. Sampanthan, scheduled to take part as ‘special guest’ has cancelled his visit to Jaffna. In the meantime, SL Police is attempting to secure interim order against the protest on Saturday.
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SL military postpones land release for 2 years as UN awarded Colombo with 2 more years in Geneva

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 October 2017, 23:35 GMT]
The occupying SL military in North, which has heavily militarised Jaffna peninsula, the islets off Jaffna and the Vanni mainland, is now claiming that no further lands would be released for the coming two years. 50-year-old Kalathevy Rajan, a mother uprooted from Palaali and stranded at Antony-puram in Vazhalaay, says that the latest stand of the SL military has dashed her hopes of gaining back her lands. The latest move aims to test the limits of patience and toleration of the uprooted people, who have been staging continuous protests. It also signals that the external ‘strategic partners’ are encouraging genocidal Sri Lanka, which is engaged in military training with the US forces in the occupied homeland of Eezham Tamils. Future protests need to be addressed to the international Establishments rather to the Colombo Establishment, political observers in Jaffna commented.
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20 Tamil organisations to lay siege to SL Governor's office on Friday

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 October 2017, 23:48 GMT]
Twenty Tamil organisations, including a number of political parties, grassroots organisations and civil groups, have collectively decided on Tuesday to lay siege to the office of the Sinhala colonial Governor to North, Reginald Cooray, in Jaffna on Friday. The SL State should honour the demands of the hunger-striking political prisoners in Anuradhapura prison as a matter of urgency before SL President Maithiripala Sirisena's scheduled visit to Jaffna on Saturday to take place, the groups said in a joint statement. In addition, there should be a political decision on unconditional release of all 132 Tamil political prisoners, who are being detained or imprisoned across the island. The time has come for Eezham Tamils to demonstrate their mainstream opinion through democratic protests, the organisations said. The hunger strikers are continuing their protest for the 17th day on Wednesday.
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SL ‘Manipulative Justice’ exposed once again in Tamil political prisoners’ case: Sivapalan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 October 2017, 22:05 GMT]
The SL Judiciary controlled by the unitary State of ‘Sri Lanka’ has a track record of transferring cases away from being heard in front of Tamil Judges in the North-East, especially in the cases of politically motivated assassinations, murders and ethnic massacres against Eezham Tamils, says exiled Attorney-at-Law K. Sivapalan, who was the deputy chairperson of North East Secretariat on Human Rights (NESoHR). “The SL Judiciary has been transferring the cases away from the High Courts in the North-East, either to acquit the accused Sinhala soldiers or to punish the detained Tamil political prisoners. This is ‘Manipulative Justice’, Mr Sivapalan commented expressing solidarity with the Tamil political prisoners, who are waging a hunger-strike at Anuradhapura prison.
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Protests gain momentum as hunger-striking political prisoners’ health deteriorates

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 October 2017, 22:09 GMT]
Three Tamil political prisoners waging fast-unto-death in Anuradhapura prison were admitted to the public hospital in Anuradhapura on Sunday as their health deteriorated at the prison hospital. Ilangkai Thamizh Arasuk Kadchi (ITAK) Leader Mavai Senthirajah, who went to meet the prisoners at Anuradhapura, received flak as parliamentarians representing his party have been collaborating with the unitary State of genocidal Sri Lanka. One of the protesters, 30-year-old Sulaxan Mathiyarasan, was transferred back to prison after treatment. Protests were staged at several places in Jaffna peninsula and in the Vanni mainland in support of Tamil political prisoners who are on a fast unto death opposing their cases being transferred away from Vavuniyaa High Court.
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Colombo brings Sinhala private partnerships to wage structural genocide in Vanni

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 October 2017, 23:21 GMT]
Occupying Colombo has alienated 600 acres of farm lands in Ki'linochchi district to a private Sinhala trader from South in the name of ‘development’ and bringing ‘investment’ to the north, civil sources in the district said. A Cashew farm is to be established in the lands being alienated through a central ministry in Colombo. The occupying SL military is already running cashew farms in more than 1,500 acres of lands along the A-32 highway. Colombo has started to occupy new lands for Sinhalicisation of the occupied homeland of Eezham Tamils through what it calls Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives, the sources further said.
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Uprooted Tamils face ultimatum on proving land ownership in strategic Kokku’laay

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 October 2017, 23:22 GMT]
The Divisional Secretary of Karai-thu'raip-pattu administrative division in Mullaiththeevu district has published a notice in local newspapers on 04 October asking the owners of lands in Mukaththuvaaram to document their ownership to their deed lands before October 20th. The Divisional Secretary, S Gunabalan, has been under increased pressure from the Sinhala colonial Governor to North, Mr Reginald Cooray, to seize the lands in the northern tip of the lagoon-mouth of Kokku'laay, which is situated close to the border of the Northern and Eastern provinces. As reported earlier, the plan of the Colombo establishment is to alienate the lands in Mukaththuvaaram to Sinhala settlers and demographically wedge the contiguity and territorial integrity of the occupied country of Eezham Tamils.
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Protests widen in Jaffna as hunger-striking political prisoners’ health deteriorates

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 October 2017, 22:11 GMT]
Both the governing and the opposition parties at the Northern Provincial Council have urged immediate action from Colombo on the burning issue of Tamil political prisoners, who have been on a fast unto death for the past 11 days at Anuradhapura prison. On Wednesday, the students, academics and non-academic staff at the University of Jaffna staged a protest for 2 hours demanding SL Attorney Department in Colombo not to transfer the cases of Tamil political prisoners away from the courts in the North and East, where their cases could be heard in Tamil language. In the meantime, S. Thavarajah, the opposition leader at the NPC, who represents the EPDP, described the demands of the Tamil prisoners as a reasonable. “They were only demanding their cases to be heard in front of Tamil-speaking judges in their native language in the North, which is a constitutionally recognised right,” he said.
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‘Vidura’ becomes gravity centre of structural genocide on Champoor Tamils

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 October 2017, 20:22 GMT]
The occupying navy of genocidal Sri Lanka has seized around 3,200 acres of lands in the territory belonging to the nation of Eezham Tamils in Champoor, Moothoor East, Trincomalee, in an attempt to upgrade the SL Navy with a marine force, which is being groomed by the U.S. Pacific Command under the notion of ‘military-to-military’ engagement. Eezham Tamils are very well aware that the USA is conducting its ‘access strategy’ through the genocidal State of Sri Lanka after altering the diplomatic, military and remedial equilibrium of the nation of Eezham Tamils, commented a Tamil activist from Champoor. “The harassment meted out to resettled Tamils in Champoor stems from the subservient military needs of the agent State in Colombo,” the activist, who has been subjected to repeated military PsyOps harassment by the occupying Sinhala military, told TamilNet on Wednesday.
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SL Navy groomed by Washington destroys Tamils’ houses as US naval ship docks at Trinco port

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 October 2017, 23:44 GMT]
The occupying Sinhala navy of genocidal Sri Lanka was destroying the houses of uprooted Eezham Tamils in Champoor, Trincomalee, to obtain concrete material to fortify its newly-built administrative headquarters for the training of the ‘Marine Battalion’ of the SL Navy. On Sunday, the resettled Tamils in Champoor had to confront the Sinhala navy sailors to block them from dismantling the walls of a Tsunami settlement with 75 houses, which has already been plundered of the roofs and doors by the occupying SL military. The SL Navy has managed to rob three tractor loads of concrete material before the people mobilised against the move, residents in Champoor told TamilNet on Monday as US Navy Ship Lewis and Clark arrived at Trincomalee port to take part in what the SL Navy was claiming as first of its kind joint training taking place between the SL and US Navies in the island.
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