'Koayil' controversy

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 February 2009, 23:28 GMT]
The officiating Tamil priesthood of tradition has to be helped to transcend contemporary sociopolitical norms of caste identity or hierarchy. It needs to see the real roots of its culture vested with the Tamil people and should stand on the side of the masses, upholding the cause of the oppressed. In fact, it has to take a step ahead of the government in progressiveness, writes opinion columnist Ampalam on the recent events concerning Chithamparam temple, triggered off by the controversy of reciting Tamil hymns in the Golden Hall of the temple.
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SLA soldiers search Kurunakar Technical Institute in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 February 2009, 14:51 GMT]
Hundreds of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers suddenly surrounded Wednesday around 9:00 a.m the premises of Advanced Technical Institute (ATI) in Kurunakar and ordered all the students out of their classes before conducting a scrupulous search of all the buildings of ATI, sources in Jaffna said. The soldiers subjected the students, who numbered more than a hundred, to rigorous checking, the sources added.
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Jaffna campus employee shot, injured

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 January 2009, 14:09 GMT]
A 41-year old warden of a men's hostel belonging to the Jaffna Campus was shot and injured by unidentified gunmen riding in a motorbike along Potpathi Road, Kokkuvil in front of the Pillaiyaar Temple when he was returning from his mother's home in Koa'ndaavil after lunch at 1:00 p.m. Sunday, sources in Jaffna said. The injured warden was admitted to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital, but his injuries are said to be non life-threatening, hospital sources said.
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Grenade attack on SLA soldiers, in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 January 2009, 18:49 GMT]
Unidentified persons launched a grenade attack Thursday around 6:30 p.m on Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers in Kokkuvil area in Jaffna, sources in Jaffna said. SLA soldiers conducted a search in the area throughout the night immediately after the attack, the sources added.
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‘It is not the big brothers but the younger ones who watch’

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 November 2008, 04:50 GMT]
How the leadership in India in general and Tamil Nadu in particular going to respond to the question of Eezham Tamil liberation has become a test case. Watching the youth and grass-root public uprising in Tamil Nadu, defence analysts in London, Delhi and Colombo, off the record agree that the line of attempting a military defeat of Tamil nationalism can turn out to be disastrous to those who commit it, contribute to it or allow it. They also see a warning to the policy makers of the so-called International Community against meddling with Tamil affairs, writes a media student from Chennai presenting a cross section of reflections from India, Sri Lanka and Europe.
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Family man recovered dead, another reported missing in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 November 2008, 16:24 GMT]
Maanippaay police recovered Monday the body of a family man with assault injuries in a shrub land close to his house in Kaddudai in Maanippaay police division in Valikaamam. He had gone missing since Saturday after leaving home, the police said. Meanwhile, a family man from Colombo is reported missing after sending off his relative by ship from Trincomalee to Jaffna, according to the complaint lodged with Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Jaffna by his daughter.
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TMVP informer shot dead in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 October 2008, 12:24 GMT]
Unidentified armed men who took away a young man Wednesday around 8:00 p.m. from his house at Kokkuvil in Batticaloa police division, shot and killed him, Batticaloa police investigating into the killing said. The police recovered his body Thursday morning and handed it over to Batticaloa Teaching Hospital for post mortem examination.
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Jaffna court allows bail for University student to sit final exam

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 October 2008, 16:10 GMT]
Jaffna magistrate court allowed cash bail for a Jaffna University, Agricultural Final year student arrested by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in the search conducted Thursday following the attack on SLA soldiers guarding the electricity transformer in Kokkuvil, Jaffna, so that he could appear for his examination Monday, sources in Jaffna said. The student had filed a petition seeking bail in Jaffna courts, and Jaffna police who produced him and two others before Jaffna magistrate Monday said they have no objection to the three arrestees being granted bail.
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SLA compels public to guard electricity transformer

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 October 2008, 14:25 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Jaffna imposed a system of compulsory work in Achchuveali Friday where two groups of 10 residents each of the area were assigned to guard the electricity transformer along with the SLA soldiers 24 hours, the groups alternating between day and night duty, local residents said. Meanwhile, SLA after searching the Point Pedro Sri Lanka Transport Board premises Thursday, launched cordon and search operations around the Zonal Education Offices in Puloali and Karaveddi areas in Vadamaraadchi Friday morning.
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SLA soldiers attacked near electricity transformer in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 October 2008, 13:44 GMT]
Unidentified attackers attacked Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers posted at the electricity transformer area at Va'n'naaththi Paalam along Aadiyapaatham Veethi in Kokkuvil in Jaffna Thursday around 7:30 p.m. An explosion caused either by a hand grenade or by a Claymore device was heard from the place of attack, and gunfire followed the blast for nearly ten minutes, residents of the area said. There was no information on casualty or injuries to the SLA soldiers.
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Electricity transformer fired upon in Thenmaraadchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 August 2008, 16:55 GMT]
Unidentified armed men opened rapid fire Monday during curfew hours on an electricity transformer at Kachchaay, Kodikaamam in Thenmaraadchi causing damages to it. Electricity supply was cut off in the area and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched a cordon and search Tuesday in the area, covering the triangular area between Kodikaamam, Chaavakachcheari and Kachchaay, sources in Thenmaraadchi said.
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Transformer set fire in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 August 2008, 02:00 GMT]
Unidentified persons during curfew hours Tuesday day night set fire to the main electricity transformer on Aadiyapaatham road, Kokkuvil in Valikaamam, completely burning the unit, sources in Jaffna said. Electricity supply to the area was cut off and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops, deployed in large numbers, cordoned off and searched the area.
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Jaffna/ Yaazhppaa'nam/ Yaazhppaa'nap Paddinam/ Yaazhppaa'naayan Paddinam

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 August 2008, 13:36 GMT]
The city of the bard / minstrel
The city of the lord of bards / minstrels
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Youth’s corpse found in Naavaanthu’rai

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 June 2008, 01:24 GMT]
Residents of Naavaanthu’rai in Jaffna city recovered the corpse of a youth with a rope around his neck lying in an abandoned house at the Ainthu Santhi area Thursday evening, sources in Jaffna said. Recently, the burnt body of a woman abducted from Kokkuvil was found in this same area, the sources added.
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'Sinister move' of Colombo disrupting Tamil contiguity at Kokku'laay - TNA MP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 June 2008, 11:14 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government's cabinet decision on Thursday to bring Kokku'laay, the Tamil coastal village of Northern Province under the administration of the Sinhala dominated Padavi Sripura division of Eastern Province is a "sinister move, officialising the separation of the Tamil contiguity of the North and East," said Tamil parliamentarian Selvam Adaikkalanathan on Saturday. "The International Community, especially America, Britain and India, who often harp on the theory of development in the East, before reaching a political solution, should take a serious note of what they are actually abetting in Sri Lanka," he further said.
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Armed gangs rob houses in Jaffna at gun point

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 June 2008, 02:51 GMT]
Unidentified armed men on more than five motorcycles robbed millions of rupees worth jewelry and money during curfew hours at gun point from a house in Vaddukkoddai and another in Kokkuvil area Tuesday night, sources in Jaffna said. Earlier, Sunday night, during curfew hours, armed men on motor cycles assaulted a Saiva priest in Kokkuvil and set fire to the vehicles of another Saiva priest in Koa’ndaavil when their attempts to rob the houses of the priests failed.
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Armed gang attacks Saiva priest during robbery attempt

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 June 2008, 09:56 GMT]
An unidentified armed gang during a robbery attempt Sunday in Kokkuvil and Koa’ndaavil areas close Jaffna town at 12:30 a.m. during curfew hours, severely assaulted the priest of a Saiva temple at his house in Pottpathi Veethi in Kokkuvil when the priest tried to confront the robbers, sources in Jaffna said. The armed gang had also tried to rob the house of another Saiva temple priest in Koa’ndaavil and when he refused to come out of the house the gang set fire to his motorcycle and other vehicles parked outside.
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SLTMA condemns assassination of Tamil Journalist

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 May 2008, 00:34 GMT]
Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA) in a statement issued Wednesday condemned the killing of Jaffna based journalist P.Thevakumar and his friend by armed men, and said that such killings have diminished the ability of general public to have access to information and had raised questions on media democracy.
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Restrictions imposed on foot pilgrimage to Kathirkaamam Murugan Temple

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 May 2008, 21:23 GMT]
Religious institutions and volunteer organizations will not be allowed to provide water, food and medical facilities to devotees who enter Yala sanctuary in their final phase of foot pilgrimage through villages in eastern province to attend Murugan temple festival in Kathirkaamam this year, civil society sources said. Government security forces are to escort the devotees from the entrance of the Yala sanctuary to the Murugan Temple. Security forces will also monitor the activities of the devotees and ensure their security when they walk through the Yala National Sanctuary, sources added.
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Reserved hero: Brigadier Balraj

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 May 2008, 09:00 GMT]
In over two decades of service with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Brig. Balraj, who passed away Tuesday after a heart attack, had been a courageous and skilled fighter and commander whose last years were spent institutionalizing the training of a new generation of LTTE field officers. Although he joined the LTTE later than many of the other top commanders, Brig. Balraj had risen rapidly through the ranks on the strength of his shrewdness on the battlefield and courage under fire, fighters who served with him said this week.
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