SLN limits transport of fish, coconuts from Delft to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 April 2008, 16:56 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), stationed in the islets of Jaffna, has imposed restrictions on Neduntheevu (Delft) residents carrying essential goods in Kumuthini passenger ferry boat, affected residents said. Neduntheevu residents have protested against the SLN pointing out that Kumuthini is the only passenger service plying between Kurikaaduvaan in Pungudutheevu and Neduntheevu, and their economic well-being will be affected by the new restrictions. Kumuthini, which is known for the SLN massacre of passengers in May 1985, is more than 30 years old, and often breaks down.
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International Community should learn from experience, Vaiko tells Norway

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 April 2008, 23:03 GMT]
Expressing that the lack of implementation by the Government of Sri Lanka on the agreed principles of the February 2002 Cease Fire Agreement (CFA), especially disarming of army backed paramilitary groups, led to the ultimate breakdown of the peace process, Vaiko, the General Secretary of Marumalarchchi Dravida Munneatta Kazhakam (MDMK), told Norwegian International Development Minister Erik Solheim and Jon Hanssen-Bauer, the Norwegian Special Envoy, that the International Community should prevail upon the GoSL to reinstate the ceasefire in order to engage in a meaningful process for a negotiated settlement.
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Lankan ploy of Buddhism for subversion in Tamil Nadu: Viduthalai Rajendran

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 April 2008, 06:08 GMT]
Circumstantial evidence supports the hand of the Lankan government’s National Intelligence Bureau in the Buddhist temple-building campaign in Tamil Nadu, observed political analyst TSS Mani in Win TV’s News and Views, reported Tehelka Magazine, on Saturday. It further quoted Viduthalai Rajendran, General Secretary of Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (PDK), saying “ the temple-building a ploy to woo Indian Dalits and pit them against Sri Lankan Tamils on religious lines” A Sinhalese delegation of prominent Buddhist monks laid foundation stones for Buddhist places of worship in Tamil Nadu. Most of them are archaeological sites.
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Hizbullah crosses over to UPFA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 April 2008, 16:20 GMT]
M.L.A.M Hizbullah, an executive committee member of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), on Tuesday, crossed over to Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa's ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) strengthening Rajapaksa's alliance in the forthcoming Eastern Provincial Council elections. Meanwhile, informed sources in Colombo said that TMVP, the paramilitary-cum-political party, which had invited all its nominees in Eastern Provincial elections to hotels in Colombo was disappointed as Rajapaksa's promise on Chief Minister post and allocation of number of seats in Trincomalee district as it had demanded, faded away with Hizbullah's cross over.
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Hurdling chauvinism: Rohan Rajasingham

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 March 2008, 20:25 GMT]
Expatriate Tamils in London are, this weekend, holding a remembrance ceremony for Rohan Rajasingham, an accomplished sportsman who strove against institutionalized Sinhala majoritarianism to better the conditions for aspiring Tamil sportsmen and women in Sri Lanka. Rajasingham passed away on January 8, 2008 after a brief battle with cancer, aged 50.
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Claymore ambush kills SLA soldier in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 March 2008, 06:41 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier was killed and two wounded Tuesday morning around 7:10 a.m. in a Claymore ambush at Ka'limoaddai near Parikaarika'ndal in Naanaaddaan division of Mannaar district, according to Sri Lankan military sources.
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Anura Bandaranaike passes away

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 March 2008, 10:32 GMT]
Anura Bandaranaike, the brother of former SL President Chandrika Kumaratunga and the son of two former Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka, passed away after brief illness at a private hospital in Colombo Sunday at 2:45 p.m. Mr. Bandaranaike, the 59-year-old son of the world's first woman prime minister, a former Foreign Minister and a former Opposition Leader, had walked away from the Sri Lankan parliament after crossing over to the opposition during the final voting of the latest Sri Lankan Budget in December 2007. His father, Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike, was assassinated by an extremist Buddhist monk when Mr. Anura Bandaranaike was 10 years old.
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"Near perfect" interview that never aired

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 March 2008, 14:52 GMT]
An interview recorded by the popular 'Hard Talk' show in BBC channel-24 with Sri Lanka's Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal related to Sri Lanka’s 60th Independence Anniversary has not aired yet, media reports from Colombo said. Colombo weekly Sunday Island spurned as unbelivable reported BBC response that the tapes had been accidently erased.
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Tyronne Fernando passes away

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 February 2008, 07:41 GMT]
Tyronne Fernando, an advisor to the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and a former Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka under the United National Party (UNP) government earlier, passed away in a private hospital in Colombo Tuesday morning, according to Sri Lankan presidential secretariat officials. Mr. Tyronne Fernando served as the governor of North-East Province Council (NEPC) from December 2004 till January 2006.
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Shutdown paralyses Kaaththaankudi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 February 2008, 13:28 GMT]
A shutdown launched Thursday in Kaaththaankudi in Batticaloa district in protest against activities of Suffi sect Muslims by orthodox Muslims paralyzed Kaaththaankudi, with all private and public institutions closed, sources in Kaaththaankudi said. The protest was triggered by the return of Sufi sect Muslims who visited their head quarters in Kaaththaankudi with heavy police escort, following the verdict of Colombo Supreme Court in favour of their writ application requesting rights to engage in their religious activities in Kaaththaankudi, the sources added.
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India's Peace and War

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 February 2008, 01:24 GMT]
The now defunct Ceasefire Agreement in Sri Lanka was mooted and shadow-managed by the BJP government, according to Indian journalist, M.R. Narayan Swamy. Wickramasinghe and Pirapaharan were aware of this top secret mission of India, supervised by Vajpayee's Advisor Brajesh Mishra, but not J.N. Dixit who succeeded him with the change of government in May 2004. Dixit had to learn it from Wickramasinghe. The CFA signed in February 2002 was unilaterally withdrawn by the Sri Lanka government in January 2008. Swamy's revealing and the chronology of events implicate the Congress establishment and the ego war of the Chanakyas (Machiavellis) of New Delhi in belligerency returning to Sri Lanka.
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Jaffna Local councils face financial crisis

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 February 2008, 13:28 GMT]
Acute shortage of funds has crippled functioning of the local government authorities in the Jaffna Peninsula, and the Municipal and Pradeshya Sabhas face uncertain future, local administrative officials said. Development activities have been curtailed, and the security situation prevailing in the North has further impacted the day-to-day activities of the local councils, officials added.
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Sooriyaarachi to be laid to rest Wednesday

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 February 2008, 21:51 GMT]
The remains of former Port Development Minister and Sri Lanka Freedom Party-Mahayana Wing (SLFP) (M) Coordinator Sripathi Sooriyarachchi, who was killed in a car accident Saturday at Thambuththegama, Anuradhapura was kept in Jayaratne Funeral Parlour in Borella Sunday morning for viewing by public to pay their homage, and was later taken to his residence in Kandana, sources in Colombo said.
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Reggie Ranatunge to succeed Sooriyaarachchi in SL parliament

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 February 2008, 13:23 GMT]
Reggie Ranatunge, father of the present Member of Parliament and the former captain of the Sri Lanka Cricket Arjuna Ranatunge, is to be appointed to the post of Member of Parliament representing the Gampaha district which fell vacant Saturday with the death of Mr.Sripathi Sooriyarachchi.
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Sooriyaarachchi killed in accident

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 February 2008, 08:38 GMT]
Sripathi Sooriyaarachchi, former Sri Lankan Port Development Minister and Chief Co-ordinator of Sri Lanka Freedom Party's (SLFP) Mahajana faction, a splinter group of SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa's SLFP, was killed Saturday at 1:40 p.m. when his vehicle met with an accident at Madegama on Anuradhapura Galgamuwa road, Police said. The driver of the vehicle and two of his personal guards were also killed in the accident when his vehicle, while speeding, slipped off the road and crashed against a tree, according to initial reports.
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Dhanapala quits

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 January 2008, 13:08 GMT]
Advisor to Sri Lanka President on Peace Process, Jayantha Dhanapala, quit his position following the termination of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) by the Rajapakse Government on 2nd January, media reports from Colombo said. "Close confidants of Dhanapala said he was embarrassed by the turn of events, with the government pressing for a military victory after scoring several battlefield successes against the rebels last year," an AFP report said.
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Kumar Ponnambalam remembered on eighth anniversary

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 January 2008, 13:33 GMT]
Eighth year anniversary of Kumar Ponnambalam, president of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress, who was shot dead by unidentified gunmen at Wellawatte, a Tamil suburb of the capital Colombo around 11.15 a.m. 5 January 2000, was commemorated in U.K. and in Vanni in simple ceremonies.
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Norway regrets Sri Lanka's decision to terminate CFA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 January 2008, 03:28 GMT]
Norway's Minister of International Development Erik Solheim, in a press release issued Wednesday, Norway's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that he regrets that Sri Lanka is taking this serious step, and added that "[T]his comes on top of the increasingly frequent and brutal acts of violence perpetrated by both parties, and I am deeply concerned that the violence and hostilities will now escalate even further."
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TamilNadu leaders protest against Indian PM's participation in SL Independence Day

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 December 2007, 17:37 GMT]
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's reported intention to participate as the Chief Guest in the Sri Lankan Government's Independence Day Celebrations on February 4, 2008 has sparked large-scale dissent from political leaders in Tamilnadu. K. Veeramani, President of the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK), on Friday announced his organization's decision to demonstrate against the proposed visit and called upon the Tamilnadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi to intervene in this regard. Meanwhile, Thol.Thirumavalavan, President, Viduthalaich Chi'ruththaika'l Kadchi and Suba. Veerapandiyan of Dravidar Iyakka Thamizhar Pearavai have pledged their organizational support and participation to the demonstration.
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Colombo reduces security of two more Tamil MPs

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 December 2007, 10:08 GMT]
The security provided to T. Maheswaran, the Colombo district parliamentarian of the opposition United National Party (UNP) and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP N. Srikantha, has been reduced by the Government of Sri Lanka Thursday despite the parliamentarians calling for additional protection under the present volatile situation. Mr. Srikantha's Ministerial Security Division (MSD) guards were reduced to four from nine, meanwhile Mr. Maheswaran's MSD security was reduced to two from Eighteen.
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