Devananda to contest elections under Rajapaksa's ‘Betel Leaf’ symbol

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 June 2009, 10:56 GMT]
Sri Lankan Minister and General Secretary of Eelam Peoples’ Democratic Party (EPDP), Douglas Devananda, announced Tuesday in Jaffna that his party will contest the local government elections of Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) and Vavuniyaa Town Council (TC) under ‘Betel Leaf’ symbol, the common symbol of the ruling United Peoples’ Freedom Alliance (UPFA), sources in Jaffna said. Mr. Devananda has been under pressure from the ruling SLFP to join the party in recent times, giving up the "Eelam" identity, according to informed sources, which also revealed that Devananda was forced to give up his plan of contesting under his party symbol Vee'nai.
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Phone threats to Tamil groups, political parties contesting JMC election

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 June 2009, 15:34 GMT]
Persons alleged to be government supporters have begun issuing anonymous phone threats continually to prominent persons related to Tamil independent groups and political parties contesting the forthcoming Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) election, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, supporters of Minister Douglas Devanada in Kurunakar area had cautioned him of defeat in the election if he contests under the Beetle Leaf symbol of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and advised him to contest under the ‘Vee’nai’ symbol of his Eelam Peoples’ Democratic Party (EPDP), when he met them Sunday to learn of their opinion, the sources added.
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Lifting curfew in Jaffna peninsula not possible – SLA Commander

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 June 2009, 12:02 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Commander of Jaffna, Major Gen. Mendaka Samarasinghe, in response to a request made in the conference held Saturday at Minister Douglas Devananda’s office in Jaffna, said that it is not possible to lift the night curfew imposed in Jaffna peninsula immediately as it would affect law and order, sources in Jaffna said.
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Basil's Jaffna meet fails to discuss people in internment camps

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 June 2009, 09:02 GMT]
The meeting meant to explore possibilities of the resettlement and rehabilitation of more than 13,000 Vanni civilians held in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) internment camps in Jaffna, held under tight security in Jaffna Public Library Thursday ended without any significant decisions regarding the issue concerned, Government officials who attended the meeting said. The venue of the meeting which was to be held in Jaffna Secretariat was changed at the last moment to Jaffna Public Library due to security reasons, the sources said. Even the pens carried by the officials were subjected to checking.
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Acute shortage of essential food items in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 May 2009, 14:38 GMT]
Residents of Jaffna peninsula are experiencing an acute shortage of essential food commodities including wheat flour and sugar, sources in Jaffna said. Jaffna Government Agent (GA), in a press release Tuesday night, said that arrangements are being made to get down wheat flour from Trincomalee and sugar from Colombo.
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RSF campaigns for release of three women journalists

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 May 2009, 01:38 GMT]
Reporters sans frontiers (RSF), a Paris-based media watchdog, in a press release issued Saturday said it is mounting a campaign for the release of three women journalists, Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, who has been sentenced to eight years in prison in Iran on a charge of spying for the United States, and two American journalists employed by California-based Current TV, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, who have been held in Pyongyang since 17 March. In the 2009 report released earlier in the year the RSF said in Sri Lanka, "[m]urders, physical assaults, kidnappings, threats and censorship are the lot of Sri Lanka's journalists. Top government officials, including the defence minister, are directly implicated in the serious press freedom violations that accompanied the military offensive against the Tamil Tiger (LTTE) rebels."
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SLAF to fly passengers between Colombo, Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 April 2009, 17:45 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) will be operating passenger flights between Ratmalana in Colombo and Palaali military airport in Jaffna in future in place of private air travel firms which had been denied permission by the Defence Ministry to operate the service, according to an announcement made by Sri Lanka government, sources in Jaffna said. Minister of Social Services, Douglas Devananda, informed that passengers can book their travel tickets at his ministry office in Colombo and his Eelam Peoples’ Democratic Party (EPDP) office located in Srithar Theatre in Jaffna.
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Memorial mass for Rev. Fr. Philip Jim Brown held in Allaippiddi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 April 2009, 15:01 GMT]
Rt. Rev. Thomas Saundaranayagam, Jaffna Bishop, conducted a memorial mass Wednesday morning in Allaippiddi St. Philip Neri Roman Catholic church in remembrance of Rev. Fr. Jim Brown and his assistant V. Vimaladas who had gone missing on their way to Allaippiddi church in the islets of Jaffna at a Sri Lanka Navy (SLA) check post in late August 2006, sources in Jaffna said. The church had been damaged in the Multi-barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) fire on the people who had sought refuge in it during a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) offensive on 11 August 2006 and was renovated by the efforts of Chaaddi Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Philip Stanislaw, the sources added.
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Karuna group person shot, injured in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 March 2009, 17:33 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen on motor cycles opened fire Monday around 3:30 p.m on a vehicle in which Karuna group coordinator in Batticaloa, the person in charge of educational affair was travelling, seriously injuring a youth who was with him, from Batticaloa to Vaazhaichcheanai at Ituthayapuram in Batticaloa police division, Batticaloa police said. The coordinator had escaped being injured in the shooting and the injured youth is admitted to Batticaloa Teaching Hospital.
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80-year-old woman reported missing with Jaffna HRC

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 January 2009, 15:49 GMT]
An eighty year old woman has been reported missing since 30th December 2008 from Martin Road, Jaffna to Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna office by her relatives. Meanwhile, Douglas Devananda, the Sri Lankan Minister said that he had taken steps to help the families of persons arrested and gone missing due to political reasons in Jaffna peninsula, in a report issued to local media.
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EPDP stages ’protest march’ in Vadamaraadchi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 December 2008, 17:13 GMT]
Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP), the paramilitary-cum-political party led by Douglas Devanda, a cabinet minister in Rajapaksa regime, organized a ‘protest march’ in Vadamaraadchi Sunday around 3:15 p.m along Point Pedro-Jaffna road in which hundreds of persons, mostly women, were forced to take part with the armed escort by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers. The marching protestors were instructed to shout slogans calling the SLA to "liberate" the North and to "free" people from LTTE controlled territory in Vanni.
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Douglas, Anandasangari prepare for election campaign in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 December 2008, 12:48 GMT]
Douglas Devananda, a cabinet minister in the Rajapaksa government and the leader of paramilitary-cum-political party EPDP and V. Anandasangari of the TULF, are both busily engaged in preparatory meetings for election campaign in Jaffna, informed sources in Jaffna told TamilNet. No official announcement, however, has been made by Sri Lanka government on holding elections in Jaffna peninsula.
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Uthayan Editor threatened by EPDP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 October 2008, 19:47 GMT]
The Free Media Movement (FMM), an independent Colombo-based media watchdog, in a press release issued Wednesday, accused leader of Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) leader Douglas Devananda for threatening Managing Editor of Jaffna Daily Uthayan, and condemned the disruption to the distribution of the paper by the paramilitaries of the EPDP.
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TMVP, Karuna groups organize demonstration in East

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 October 2008, 14:02 GMT]
Paramilitary-cum-political parties, the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) and the Karuna faction, which operate along with Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in the Eastern Province, have announced that a demonstration will be held 26 October, and have issued notices to the public in Eastern Province including NGO staff, school children and other public and private institutions to participate. The groups have warned the public of severe consequences if they fail to join in the demonstration.
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IPI condemns blocking of Jaffna newspaper distribution

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 October 2008, 13:50 GMT]
The Press Institute (IPI), a Vienna-based media watchdog, expressed deep concern on the harassment of journalists of Jaffna daily Uthayan and interference with the distribution of the Uthayan newspaper by "members of the paramilitary groups linked to the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP)," in a letter sent to Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse Thursday.
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EPDP enforces shutdown in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 October 2008, 11:12 GMT]
Eelam Peoples' Democratic Party (EPDP) brought about a forced shutdown Thursday in Jaffa peninsula assisted by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police to protest against the Sea Tiger attack on Sri Lankan ships Wednesday early morning, affecting normalcy of life in Jaffna peninsula. EPDP obstructed distribution of a local newspaper Thursday prompting the daily's Colombo head office to release a protest report besides lodging a complaint with the relevant authorities.
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Police guard shot dead in Chaavakachcheari

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 October 2008, 19:30 GMT]
A member of the police unit guarding the office of Eealm Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) in Chaavakachcheari was killed in gunfire Monday around 11:25 p.m, allegedly from the police sentry posts located in the surroundings of the EPDP office. Chaavakachcheari magistrate directed Chaavakachcheari police to arrest the three policemen who were on duty along with the victim Monday night, on suspicion of having shot and killed him.
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UPFA to appoint Karuna as national list parliamentarian

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 October 2008, 11:21 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, following the advice by his brother and SL Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, has approved a suggestion to appoint Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, alias Karuna, a renegade Tiger commander who turned leader of a paramilitary group operated by the Sri Lanka Army in Batticaloa and Ampaa'rai, as national list parliamentarian of the UPFA, informed sources in Colombo said.
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Karuna seeks Devananda's support for comeback

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 October 2008, 11:02 GMT]
Amid reports of a renewed infighting among the factionalised TMVP paramilitary in the East, Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, alias Karuna, a former Tiger commander who turned leader of the paramilitary group operated by the Sri Lanka Army, Wednesday met the EPDP paramilitary leader and Sri Lankan Minister Douglas Devananda, seeking the latter's support to strengthen his position in the East, which is under the grip of the UPFA-installed chief minister and paramilitary leader, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, who was a former confidante of Karuna.
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Grenade explodes in Batticaloa prison, EPDP members wounded

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 August 2008, 03:31 GMT]
Seven EPDP persons were seriously wounded and rushed to Batticaloa hospital after a hand-grenade explosion inside their cell in the Batticaloa Prison Friday morning around 5:00 a.m., Police said.
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