SLA continues detention of IDPs in Kaithadi camp

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 November 2009, 05:44 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) authorities in Jaffna continue to detain a group of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) including female undergrads of Jaffna University though action is taken to close all IDP camps in Jaffna and to detain the remaining IDPs in Raamaavil camp in Thenmaraadchi, sources in Jaffna said. Though the relatives of the above IDPs in Jaffna had applied to take responsibility of the IDPs they are continued to be held as SLA has not issued the needed ‘clearance’ to release them, Jaffna Government Agent said.
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IDP camps in Jaffna to be closed, retaining Thenmarraadchi camps

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 November 2009, 16:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka government has decided to close the Jaffna camps in which Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are detained while retaining Kodikaamam and Mirusuvil camps in Thenmaraadchi, Jaffna Secretariat sources said. According to this plan 68 persons from Mullaiththeevu and Ki’linochchi districts who had no relatives to take responsibility of them were transferred to Thenmaraadchi camps Wednesday from Koappaay Teachers’ College, the sources added.
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Court fixes inquiry into FR filed on SLA travel pass

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 November 2009, 05:51 GMT]
A three-member bench of Supreme Court Tuesday fixed the inquiry into the Funamental Rights (FR) petition filed by former parliamentarian and the leader of All Ceylon Tamil Congress, Appathurai Vinayagamoorthy against the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) imposed travel restriction requiring persons travelling out of Jaffna, to 18 January 2010. The petition had been filed in April 2009.
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'Norway finances humiliation of Tamils'

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 November 2009, 03:18 GMT]
Norway is up to appease Colombo as the Tamil Tigers are out of the picture and the only way to do this is abetting Colombo’s discrimination of Tamils in the line of Iran, Burma and China, writes Professor Øivind Fuglerud of the University of Oslo adding that a revealing cue comes from Norway insensitively sponsoring a Buddhist organisation to conduct a music festival on 27th November in Galle, timed to humiliate Tamils on the Heroes' Day. Norway sat silently like a mouse in the final phase of the war. Now its ‘humanitarian’ aid helps the internment camps of captivity and death. In future Norway’s aid may be integral to Colombo’s military complex cum Buddhist temple infrastructure to dominate Tamil areas, he further says. Not surprisingly, Norway's leading news agency, NTB, on Monday came out with biased reporting on the first ever democratically elected council of diaspora Tamils.
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NP Governor annuls SLA travel pass procedure in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 November 2009, 18:49 GMT]
Jaffna Government Agent (GA) informed Tuesday media in Jaffna peninsula that the Governor of Northern Province, Major. Gen. G. A, Chandrasiri has annulled the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) imposed travel pass procedure on persons travelling out of Jaffna peninsula, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, SLA authorities in Jaffna had insisted that the said procedure is still in force despite recent Ministry of Defence directive declaring that people could freely travel through A9 road submitting a photo copy of their National Identity Card (NIC), the sources added.
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Second ‘Valampuri’ conch shell caught in Jaffna lagoon

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 November 2009, 19:46 GMT]
A fisherman from Kurunakar in Jaffna caught a Valampuri Conch (a rare conch shell with right hand opening and turn) Monday in Jaffna lagoon area where fishing had been banned for the last 13 years since Sri Lanka Army (SLA) occupation of Jaffna peninsula. He sold the conch for nearly 3,3 million rupees to a trader in Jaffna, sources in Jaffna said. A shell of the same kind was caught in the same area by a group of nine fishermen last month, the sources added.
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Sri Lanka government, SLA obstruct Jaffna lorries using A9 road

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 November 2009, 18:55 GMT]
Sri Lanka government and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) are not permitting the lorries owned by Jaffna traders to transport goods through A9 road though the said lorries had been inspected by SLA in its Palaali Military Head Quarters and issued with roadworthy certificates to nearly 147 lorries that belong to Jaffna traders, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, the lorries owned by Sothern traders are engaged in transporting essential goods and other items to Jaffna and are permitted to take Jaffna produces back to South and this procedure with its high amount of transport charges has caused prices of goods in the peninsula to rise, affecting local producers and consumers, Traders Union representatives in Jaffna said.
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Roshan Gunatilake appointed as new CDS

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 November 2009, 15:58 GMT]
General Sarath Fonseka relinquished his post as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Monday and Sri Lanka Air Force Chief Roshan Gunatilake assumed duties as the new CDS. Meanwhile, heads of the three armed forces did not attend the farewell ceremony accorded to General Sarath Fonseka Monday at Army Headquarters.
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Jaffna residents still have to obtain SLA pass to use A9 road

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 November 2009, 05:30 GMT]
Although the Sri Lanka Ministry of Defence had announced that all persons can travel through A9 road showing their identity documents Sri Lanka Amy (SLA) authorities in Jaffna insist on all Jaffna residents obtaining the travel pass from their local SLA civil administration officers, sources in Jaffna said. Many Jaffna residents who had tried to travel through A9 road Saturday and Sunday without the SLA travel pass were sent back home, the sources added.
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SLA establishes another HSZ in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 November 2009, 05:28 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) authorities in Jaffna informed the Fisheries Societies of the areas near Jaffna Lagoon that fishing will not be permitted in Kearatheevu, Changuppiddi areas including Poonakari, Fisheries society representatives said. People have not been permitted to enter these areas where SLA had sown numerous mines, for the last three years. The boats of the fishermen fishing in these areas will be confiscated and legal action will be taken on them, the SLA directive to the fishermen societies said.
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Voter turnout endorses NCET, 15 members elected

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 November 2009, 05:27 GMT]
The Norwegian Council of Eelam Tamils (NCET) attracted enough number of participants in the poll that took place Sunday in 16 centres of the different regions of Norway, in which 2767 voters turned out to elect 5 members under a national list and 10 under regional lists. Noticeable of the results was Mr. Bjønar Moxnes topping the national list polling 1864 votes. Mr. Vijayshankar from Tamil Nadu is elected to the Council topping the list of Western Region. Considering the electoral history of Eezham Tamils, who have hitherto been imposed with constitutions and were voting in elections conducted by others, this is their first ever country-wide elections, conducted by them on their own, to form a political body of their own, based on their own constitution. The eight-member Election Commission performed the task with professional perfection, observers said.
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Moothoor East farmers suffer due to SLA occupation of their lands

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 November 2009, 17:48 GMT]
The lands belonging to the residents of Moothoor East in the Eastern Province being occupied by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) which had declared them as High Security Zones (HSZs), they face great difficulties in cultivating their lands, their sole livelihood, sources in Moothoor said. Most of their paddy fields and the tanks that provide water to them have been caught into the HSZs of SLA.
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Encroachment of government lands in Batticaloa Tamil areas

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 November 2009, 16:46 GMT]
Ma’nmunai Southwest Divisional Secretariat has informed the Deputy Secretary to President Rajapakse confirming the illegal colonization of government lands in Batticaloa district in Eastern Province where Tamil people live predominantly. Batticaloa district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Ariyanenthiran had already brought the issue of illegal colonization to the President and his Deputy Secretary had called for reports from the three Government Agents (GAs) in Eastern Province.
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Sinhala speakers socially fail in moral responsibility: Peter Schalk

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 November 2009, 13:05 GMT]
“We all know there will be no apologizing. It may come only when Lanka’s intellectual and political elite among Sinhala speakers faces its judges in an international war tribunal after an international (military) intervention by the UN or a cluster of states, or when the Lankan economy suffers a breakdown. We should not delay any effort to bring these criminals to justice. If they do not acknowledge any moral responsibility we can teach them legal accountability,” writes Professor Peter Schalk opining futility in expecting change and improvement for the Tamil people to come from the Sinhala society that is structurally not prepared by its mindset to accept responsibility and tactically considers pleading guilty is costly.
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SLA travel restriction on Jaffna peninsula residents remains

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 November 2009, 08:28 GMT]
Though Sri Lanka Defence Ministry has announced that the A9 road has been opened to the public Sri Lanka Army (SLA) authorities in Palaali Military Head Office issued a new directive Friday which says that all residents of Jaffna peninsula should obtain the SLA travel pass as usual from their local SLA civil authorities if they wish to travel out of the peninsula, sources in Jaffna said. The Non-government Organizations Federation in Jaffna has sent an appeal to President Mahinda Rajapakse requesting the removal of the above travel restriction imposed on the people of the peninsula.
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A9 reopened, SLA authorities in Jaffna not informed

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 November 2009, 07:54 GMT]
The A-9 highway was opened to the public Friday on a special directive by President Mahinda Rajapakse, Governor of the Northern Province G.A Chandrasiri said. However, when Colombo bound passengers went to Sinhala Maha Vidyalaya in Jaffna Saturday morning, they were informed by the SLA that they have not received official information from Colombo and only those who have the military passes in possession were allowed to travel.
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Natives of Norway, Tamil Nadu, among 37 contesting NCET elections

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 November 2009, 06:43 GMT]
As the final list of candidates is out for the popular elections of the Norwegian Council of Eelam Tamils (NCET) scheduled Sunday, 9 candidates contest for 5 seats of the national list and 28 candidates are in the fray for 10 seats under regional list. Figuring in the list are three native Norwegians and one Tamil of Tamil Nadu. The NCET constitution, while permitting vote only to people of Eezham Tamil descent above 16, allows even others to be elected provided they accept the principle of the Council advocating independent and sovereign Tamil Eelam in the island of Sri Lanka. Another feature of the candidates list is that many of them are highly educated and are professionals in various walks of life. Seven in the list are women, eight under 35 and two over 60. Two are young women among the 5 who have already been elected by institutions for the second chamber.
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Postgraduate courses debarred in Jaffna university

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 November 2009, 09:25 GMT]
University Grants Commission in Colombo has ordered the university of Jaffna to stop postgraduate courses conducted at present in its postgraduate faculty, media sources in Jaffna said. Even though the reason is said to be quality of coaching, academic circles in Jaffna believe that Colombo doesn’t want development-oriented courses to be conducted in this university in the Tamil region, news sources further said.
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SLA refuses permission to Minister Douglas Devananda to take IDPs to Thenmaraadchi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 November 2009, 16:06 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Thenmaraadchi in Jaffna peninsula refused permission Thursday when Jaffna based Sri Lanka Minister Douglas Devananda tried to take Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who were evicted when SLA occupied Thenmaraadchi in 1990 to show their villages where they are to be resettled, sources in Jaffna said. Hundreds of men and women taken by Minister Douglas Devananda had to return disappointed to their camps or to the houses of relatives where they have been staying for more than 18 years being turned back at Aasaippi’l’ai Eattam near Ezhuthumadduvaa’l in Thenmaraadchi, the sources added.
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Acute fuel shortage in Jaffna peninsula

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 November 2009, 15:38 GMT]
As employees of Sri Lanka Petroleum Corporation continue to fight for salary increase to meet the spiraling cost of living in Sri Lanka an acute fuel shortage prevails in Jaffna peninsula. Most of the fuel stations in Jaffna peninsula stand empty without customers and vehicles idle due to an acute shortage for petrol, diesel, kerosene in Jaffna peninsula though Sri Lanka government makes much publicity of having brought around 60.000 liters of fuel through A9 road to Jaffna recently, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, policemen had confiscated the cameras of media persons who had tried to photograph the fuel stations and places where fuel had been stocked by hoarders, the sources added.
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