Governor to hold Conference on Trincomalee violence

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 January 2006, 13:38 GMT]
North East Provincial Governor, Mr.Tyronne Fernando, has called for a conference to discuss the volatile situation in the Trincomalee district following frequent general shut down by rival parties. The conference earlier scheduled to be held on Thursday has now been advanced to Wednesday evening and will be held in Colombo, provincial council sources said.


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Senior Editor accuses SL President of issuing verbal threats

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 January 2006, 06:05 GMT]
Citing the complaint made by Editor of the Sunday Leader newspaper Mr. Lasantha Wikramatunge to the Inspector General of Police alleging that President Mahinda Rajapaksa threatened him with abusive language over the telephone, Free Media Movement (FMM) in a press release issued in Colombo Friday said, the incident "serves as a sombre reminder of the insecure and dangerous situation that journalists in Sri Lanka has to face."
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US wants cost of return to war to be high

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 January 2006, 12:43 GMT]
The United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Jeffrey Lunstead, told a business gathering in Colombo on Monday that the US wanted the "cost of a return to war to be high," in Sri Lanka. Resisting from accusing the Sri Lankan Armed forces in the escalation of the recent viloence, the US Ambassador, in his address to the American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka, said that the US wanted it to be clear, if the Tigers chose to "abandon peace," they will face a "stronger, more capable and more determined" Sri Lankan military.


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SL President meets Co-Chairs, World Bank Director

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 January 2006, 11:15 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse met with Ambassadors of Co-chairs of Tokyo Donor Conference at the President's office on Monday. Separately, Mr Dhanendrakumar, World Bank's Executive Director for Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Bhutan made a courtesy call on the SL President Monday, parliamentary sources in Colombo said
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STF fired at students in Trinco- paper

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 January 2006, 01:39 GMT]
The execution style killing of five Tamil students, all under 20 years of age, on Monday at Dock Yard Road in Trincomalee town, was allegedly carried out by “a team of Police Special Task Force (STF) commandos,” said the Situation Report column of Sunday Times in its 8th January Sunday edition. The paper further said the deployment of the STF was ordered by “a retired police official who has now been named as an advisor in the Defence Ministry,” and the order was issued during the period “when Defence Secretary Gothabaya Rajapakse was away in India accompanying his brother, President Mahinda Rajapakse.”
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CTTU demands withdrawal of SLA troops from Trinco town

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 January 2006, 14:57 GMT]
The Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU) has requested Sri Lanka's President Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse to order an impartial inquiry into the execution-style killing of Tamil students in Trincomalee, and to the bring the culprits responsible for the crime before the Court of Law. The CTTU also urged the President to withdraw State armed forces deployed within the fifty meter zone of schools, hospitals, places of worships and public places in the Trincomalee town immediately and areas where civilians live in large numbers, CTTU sources said.


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Sri Lanka's President meets TNA delegation

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 January 2006, 05:31 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse and a delegation of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) led by its parliamentary group leader Mr.R.Sampanthan began Saturday around 11 a.m. at Temple Trees at the invitation of the SL President, parliamentary sources in Colombo said. The discussion currently is in progress, government sources said.
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SL Foreign Minister meets US Secretary of State Rice

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 January 2006, 11:33 GMT]
"Minister Samaraweera, who noted that Sri Lanka was Asia’s oldest democracy, thanked the US Government for the pro-active role it had played to support the peace process. He stressed that the solution the Government of Sri Lanka envisaged is one that is based on democracy, human rights and pluralism," a press release issued by the Sri Lanka Embassy in Washington said, referring to a meeting of Minister Samaraweera with US Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice Thursday.


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920 Tamils arrested in major cordon, search operation in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 December 2005, 11:01 GMT]
Sri Lankan Military troopers and the Colombo Police have arrested 920 Tamils, including 105 Tamil women, in a joint cordon and search operation in Colombo between Friday midnight and Saturday noon, police said. The arrested were taken in busses to 8 different police stations and were being photographed, finger-printed and videoed by the Sri Lankan Intelligence agencies, informed sources said. The search operation was conducted in Tamil residential areas in Wellawatte, Bambalapitiya, Maradana, Kotahena, Grandpass and Mutuwal. Fifty three Tamils were detained after identity-registration in the operation code named "Strangers Night III," Police said.
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SLN's restrictions strip Mannar fishermen of livelihood- Selvam

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 December 2005, 10:50 GMT]
Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan, Wanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Thursday appealed to Sri Lanka's President Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse by a memorandum to take immediate steps to lift the ban on using boats with 30 HP engines and restrictions in taking kerosene by fishermen of Mannar district. He said the restrictions imposed by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) after the violent incidents of December 22 have deprived the livelihood of many local fishermen.


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Rajapakse concludes visit to India

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 December 2005, 10:29 GMT]
The Prime Minister of India and the President of Sri Lanka reached bilateral understanding on identifying joint ventures, amongst others, for the development of the eastern port city of Trincomalee, and its surrounding region, according to the Joint Statement. Both countries are to prepare a Master Plan for realizing the project, the statement said. The statement stressed the importance of a negotiated settlement between the parties to the conflict through the internal processes that promote consensus and reconciliation, and said both sides emphasized the need for the strict observance of the ceasefire and immediate resumption of talks aimed at strengthening the ceasefire.
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TamilNadu CM cancels Rajapakse meeting

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 December 2005, 19:16 GMT]
"Dinathanthi," a Tamil daily based in Tamil Nadu, India, in its print edition Thursday quoted India's Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Navtej Sarna, as saying that the meeting scheduled for Friday between the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu state, Ms. Jayalalitha Jayaram, in Chennai was cancelled due to the SL President's "full schedule in Delhi," and the Chief Minister not being available that day. Disclosing that the Sri Lankan President was scheduled to visit the bordering state of Kerala to attend a pooja at the Thiruvayoor temple on Friday, the paper said that the cancellation is more due to the increasing concerns being expressed in Tamil Nadu on the Sri Lankan Tamils' situation.
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Pararajasingham slaying has endangered direct talks - TNA MPs

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 December 2005, 16:33 GMT]
Addressing the mourners who had gathered to pay the last tribute to the slain Tamil National Alliance MP, Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, TNA parliamentarians Mavai Senathirajah and M.K. Sivajilingam said that the Government of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan President, in his capacity as Defense Minister, are responsible for the continued engagement of paramilitary cadres and for the killing of the MP. "The whole affair of resuming the peace process has been placed at maximum risk by the brutal act," Mr. Sivajilngam told the gathering.
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Residents against new SLA camp in Barathipuram

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 December 2005, 11:39 GMT]
People of Barathipuram, a Tamil village between Muttur and Killiveddy, located at 58th milepost, have complained to Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Trincomalee district parliamentarian that Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officials are preparing to establish a new camp in their village. Mr.Thurairatnasingham promptly has sent his protest to the President Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse requesting him to abandon the plan for the new camp, sources said.
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Rajapakse leaves for India on his first visit abroad

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 December 2005, 13:06 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse, accompanied by his wife Shiranthi Rajapakse, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, Ministers Ferial Ashraf,Jeyaraj Fernadopulle and the Secretaries to various Ministries, left for India Tuesday in his first visit abroad at the invitationof the Indian President Abdul Kalam, government sources in Colombo said.


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Rajapakse, SL Military Intelligence responsible for MPs murder - IFT

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 December 2005, 16:39 GMT]
The Geneva based International Federation of Tamils (IFT), a consortium of more than 150 expatriate Tamil organizations, on Sunday urged the International Community, to condemn without delay, the brutal murder of the Tamil Parliamentarian and human rights activist Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham during the midnight Christmas cathedral service. The Federation urged the International Community to hold Sri Lanka government and President Mahinda Rajapakse responsible for the murder. IFT said Joseph Pararajasingham was a pragmatist, advocating for over a decade, even before the signing of the CFA, a direct dialogue between the government and the LTTE.
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Indian High Commissioner meets TNA delegation

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 December 2005, 16:51 GMT]
A delegation of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Friday met with the Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Ms Nirupama Rao and discussed at length the current situation, concerns on potential breakdown of CeaseFire Agreement (CFA), and the urgent need to restart the peace process. The TNA delegation impressed upon the High Commissioner the need for peace talks to commence without further delay, Mr.R.Sampanthan, TNA parliamentary group leader said in a press release Friday.
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SLA attacks on Jaffna protesters justified, says Fonseka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 December 2005, 20:52 GMT]
A "third force" in Jaffna is using peaceful demonstrations to instigate violence and therefore Sri Lanka Army (SLA) had to take defensive action, said Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, the Sri Lanka Army commander, justifying the recent attacks by the SLA soldiers on unarmed protesters in Jaffna, during a meeting between SL President Mahinda Rajapakse and TNA parliamentarians Wednesday at Temple trees, TNA sources said. The Vice Chancellor of Jaffna Campus, the Dean of the Arts Faculty and a TNA Member of Parliament were attacked, several students were injured and a lecturer received gunshot wounds when the SLA soldiers violently brokeup a peaceful demonstration near Jaffna campus Monday.
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Rajapakse meets TNA delegation

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 December 2005, 11:19 GMT]
A high level discussion between the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians led by its parliamentary group leader R.Sampanthan is currently in progress in the SL President's Office in Colombo. The meeting began around 4:00 p.m. Wednesday at the urgent request of the Tamil National Alliance, political sources said.
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SLA assault on VC, Arts Dean worrisome sign - NPC

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 December 2005, 11:02 GMT]
National Peace Council (NPC), a Colombo based NGO, in a Media release issued on Wednesday condemned the security forces for attacking non-violent protests of students and staff of Jaffna campus, including Vice Chancellor and the Dean of Arts. The violence began when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers attacked the students marching to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) offices against the killing of Ilyathamby Tharsini (20) in Punguduthivu near an Sri Lanka Navy post. Postmortem examination has revealed that Tharsini was raped before being strangled to death.


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