CMEV: 25 complaints, 18 major offenses on EPC elections day

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 May 2008, 10:22 GMT]
Centre of Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) in an update issued at 2:30 p.m. in Sri Lanka said it had registered 18 major offenses such as murder, attempted murder, assault, threat and intimidation, impersonation and ballot stuffing. Of the major offences, 13 were reported from Batticaloa, 03 from Ampaa'rai and 02 from Trincomalee district. The CMEV has urged the Sri Lankan Election Commissioner to annul the poll in the stations it had identified. The TMVP Pillayan Group supporters were seen removing voter ink from their fingers and returning to vote repeatedly in Thambiluvil in Ampaa'rai and there has been a mortar attack close to polling stations in which four civilians were wounded.
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Ethnic divide reflected in Sri Lanka media coverage

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 May 2008, 17:56 GMT]
The polarization between Sri Lanka’s ethnic communities is also reflected in coverage of the island’s protracted conflict and has rendered ‘the truth’ an inevitable casualty of war, several speakers argued last week at the annual conference in London of the International Association of Tamil Journalists (IATAJ). The day-long event at the University of Westminster was attended by one hundred invited participants and was addressed by journalists, academics and media activists, including Mr. Nadesapillai Vithyatharan, editor of the Uthayan newspaper, Mr Chandana Bandara, senior producer with the BBC’s Sinhala service and Mr. Bhagwan Singh of the Deccan Chronicle.
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EPDP thanks Rajapaksa, India for Northern Province Interim Council

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 May 2008, 12:40 GMT]
The paramilitary-cum-political party headed by Douglas Devananda, the EPDP, in a statement issued to media on Saturday thanked the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the friendly neighbouring state, India, for having selected the EPDP to lead the Interim Council for Northern Province. The decision was passed in a cabinet meeting by Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa, the EPDP said, and added that it was a 'practical step' advocated by the EPDP for a long time.
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Grenade attack on EPDP election campaigners at Chengkaladi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 May 2008, 18:09 GMT]
Unknown attackers lobbed a grenade targeting EPDP election campaigners who were putting their election posters at Chengkaladi juntion in Ea'raavoor police division in Batticaloa district Thursday around 9:45 p.m., police said. No one was wounded in the attack, according to initial details.
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UNP accuses ruling party of breach of East election rules

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 April 2008, 13:55 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s main opposition United National Party (UNP) parliamentarian, Laxman Kiriyella, charged that the paramilitary Pillayan group, Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) and Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) that are jointly contesting Eastern Province Provincial (EPC) elections with the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), for carrying arms besides other violations during the campaign for the forthcoming Easter Provincial Council (EPC) election, UNP sources said.
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Grenade attack on EDF candidate’s house in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 April 2008, 10:05 GMT]
Unidentified persons lobbed a hand grenade Monday around 8:00 p.m on the house of the Eelavar Democratic Front (EDF) candidate contesting Eastern Province Council (EPC) election in Batticaloa, at Punnaichoalai in Batticaloa district, injuring the contestant’s wife, mother and brother besides causing severe damage to the walls and windows, sources in Batticaloa said. The contestant, however, escaped being injured.
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EPDP involvement in Maheswaran killing under inquiry - Police

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 April 2008, 08:18 GMT]
The police informed Colombo Magistrate Monday that inquiry into the statement made by defense ministry spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella involving the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) in the killing of Thiyagarajah Maheswaran, Colombo district United National Party (UNP) parliamentarian has been continuing, legal sources said.
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1342 to contest in Eastern Provincial Council elections

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 April 2008, 17:25 GMT]
1342 candidates representing political parties and independent groups are to contest in the forthcoming Eastern Provincial Council (EPC) in the districts of Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Ampaa’rai. Meanwhile, three nominations in Batticaloa, four in Trincolamalee and seven in Ampaa’rai districts were rejected by the Election Officer while 91 were accepted, sources in Batticaloa said.
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PLOTE, EPRLF, TULF to contest under one wing

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 March 2008, 11:54 GMT]
People Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) led by D.Siththarathan, Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) led by V.Anandasangaree, and Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation Front (Padmanaba wing) are to contest the Eastern Provincial Council election under the banner Tamil Democratic National Front (TDNF), media reported quoting PLOTE leader Siththarthan.
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U.S. Rights report fortifies moral, legal entitlement of Tamil state- Fein

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 March 2008, 17:11 GMT]
Contrasting U.S. State Department’s institutional bias in favor of governments, and Bush administration’s willingness to overlook abuses by foreign governments in the name of fighting terrorism, with the recent U.S report on Human Rights in Sri Lanka, Bruce Fine, an attorney for a Tamil activist group in the U.S., in a statement released to the media Wednesday, asserts that, “[t]he fact that the United States would savage the human rights record of the GOSL [Government of Sri Lanka] means that its [Sri Lanka’s] actual terrorism record is far more gruesome than represented. The report thus fortifies the moral and legal entitlement of Tamils to a separate statehood.”
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EU expresses serious concern of Sri Lanka's Rights abuses

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 March 2008, 12:00 GMT]
While noting with regret that Independent International Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) has decided to terminate work, and expressing concern that the Commission of Inquiries lack compliance with international standards, the European Union, in a press release issued Tuesday said, the EU "continues to believe in the importance of guaranteeing access to Kilinochchi for the Norwegian facilitator and other Co-Chairs, as well as the UN and other concerned organisations." The release also said, "[i]n 2006 the EU listed the LTTE as a terrorist organisation. Since then there have been a number of criminal prosecutions against LTTE fund raising in Europe."
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LTTE pockets in south Indian states, says Narayanan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 March 2008, 23:21 GMT]
Indian National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan on Sunday asked the intelligence agencies of the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala to monitor what he alleged as activities of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) stating that both these states had "presence of small pockets of the rebel group," according to reports in Indian media. The Indian intelligence agencies have been systematically releasing reports of increased LTTE activity in Kerala, Tamil Nadu's neighbouring state. Initial reports charged LTTE with using the coastal areas of Kerala since it was not as heavily monitored as the Tamil Nadu coast.
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Assault on media

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 March 2008, 16:08 GMT]
While the 2007 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Sri Lanka released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the U.S. State Department catalogued the deteriorating climate for media freedom in Sri Lanka, State intimidation of, and violence on journalists continue in 2008. Unidentified men have broken into the houses of journalists Munusamy Parameshwari in Gampola, and Sashi Kumar and Sunetra Athugalpura in Gonawela, Kelaniya in three separate incidents in the last two days, according to media reports. Parameshawari's relatives were assaulted before the attackers got away, reports added.
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Colombo irked by US Rights report

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 March 2008, 14:53 GMT]
The 2007 Country Report of Human Rights Practices in Sri Lanka released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the U.S. State Department has created shockwaves within the Rajapakse Government according to Media reports in Colombo Friday. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama had called on the US Ambassador in Colombo, Robert O Blake, to register “Sri Lanka’s serious concerns” on the report, Colombo media reported.
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Allaippiddi IDPs reluctant to return despite concessions

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 March 2008, 16:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka government (GoSL) and Jaffna Government Agent (GA) are making efforts to resettle Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Allaippiddi, displaced due to Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) offensives in August 2006, offering benefits and concessions with the help of International and local Non-government organizations, Jaffna Secretariat sources said. But 90% of the IDP fishing families are reluctant to return because fishing, their main means of living, is banned by SLN and the danger from land mines near civilian settlements have not been fully eliminated, IDP related welfare organization sources said.
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50% turnout, paramilitary manipulates voting in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 March 2008, 11:10 GMT]
Voter turnout within Batticaloa municipal council was low till Monday noon, according to the sources in Batticaloa city. However, turnout at rural areas was above 50%. Despite the presence of a reasonable number of monitors, there were reports of fraudulent activities as paramilitary personnel were actively engaged in transporting voters to the booths. The TMVP paramilitary has heaped up anti-Muslim campaign warning Tamils that non-participation in local elections would benefit the Muslims. Paramilitary personnel were also seen visiting households checking civilians' participation in the elections. Violent incidents were low.
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UPFA, TMVP alliance implicates GoSL complicity, collusion with armed group - CPA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 February 2008, 13:37 GMT]
Centre for Policy Alternatives, a Colombo based think-tank that undertook a fact finding mission to Batticaloa district between February 8 and 11, said Sri Lanka's ruling United Peoples Freedom Allilance (UPFA) government, by opting for the alliance with the armed TMVP group in Batticaloa municipal council election, finds itself in a position where it is increasingly difficult for the GoSL to deny the charges of "complicity and collusion with the TMVP." The CPA's statement has warned that there was a clear sense of inevitability that the elections will result in a TMVP "victory" as it is the only "political actor" allowed to move around in recently resettled areas.
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Moves afoot to convince reluctant Allaippiddi IDPs to return

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 February 2008, 14:23 GMT]
The Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Allaippiddi from the islets of Jaffna who were displaced due to Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) offensives in Allaippiddi in August 2006 and presently staying in Jaffna, are reluctant to return to their villages according to arrangements made by Jaffna Secretariat because fishing, their main means of living, in their areas is banned by Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), IDP related welfare organization sources in Jaffna said.
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SLN imposes restrictions on NGOs assisting Allaipiddy IDPs

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 February 2008, 13:29 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) stationed in the Jaffna islets has imposed severe travel restrictions for Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) assisting the residents of Allaipiddy to resettle in their own village, civil society sources in Jaffna said.
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2 civilians abducted, 4 seek protection with Jaffna HRC

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 February 2008, 01:03 GMT]
Within the past five days, two familied men were abducted in the peninsula while four civilians, including a mother and her two children, sought protection with the Jaffna office of Human Rights Commission (HRC), civila society sources in Jaffna said.
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