White van armed men abduct woman NGO staffer in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 June 2009, 13:46 GMT]
Unidentified armed men arriving in a white van abducted Thursday morning a woman employed in Seva Lanka Non-governmental organization in Vellaave’li area in Batticaloa district, sources in Batticaloa said. Two of the armed men spoke in Sinhalese and one in Tamil, the sources added.
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Camp conditions ‘not satisfactory’, ‘dust must settle’ for aid - Akashi

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 June 2009, 01:11 GMT]
Japan’s Special Envoy to Sri Lanka, Yasushi Akashi, said Thursday that Colombo "has lots to do" to improve the conditions of those living in the overcrowded camps in the north, where there are shortages of food, water, sanitation and medicines, AFP reported. Saying that Sri Lanka needs to wait until "the dust of the war" settles before donors would take a closer look at the massive development aid needed to rebuild, Akashi urged Colombo to engage with the international community, Reuters reported.
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SLA impedes transport of goods by lorries to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 June 2009, 22:44 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) authorities in Anuradapura did not permit Thursday the lorries of private traders in the South carrying essential food items and fruits to proceed to Jaffna due to its security checking, sources in Colombo said. The traders who had invested heavily in this venture on the strength of government assurance of easy passage, are very much dissatisfied as the major part of the goods have perished due to the delay caused by the SLA authorities in Anuradapura, the sources added. This has led the traders in the South and Jaffna not to involve anymore in transporting goods through A9 land route to Jaffna.
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11 journalists killed, 50 abducted since 2005 – UNP parliamentarian

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 June 2009, 20:13 GMT]
“Eleven journalists have been killed while fifty have been abducted from 2005 up to now,” Joseph Michael Perera, Gampaha district parliamentarian and United National Party (UNP) Chief Whip said in Sri Lanka parliament presenting a special report Wednesday morning, sources in Colombo said. Meanwhile, five media organizations staged a protest demonstration Wednesday around 3:00 p.m in Colombo Vihara Mahadevi Park, condemning the abduction of and assault on journalist Bothala Jeyantha.
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More lorries to be used to transport goods from Colombo to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 June 2009, 20:40 GMT]
Sri Lanka government has announced its intention to transport goods by 200 lorries from Colombo to Jaffna through the A9 land route soon, sources in Jaffna said. Though the government had made much publicity of opening the A9 route for public transport in April, transport of goods in government lorries had been possible only eight times since then, the sources added.
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Bob Rae denied entry to Sri Lanka - report

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 June 2009, 09:20 GMT]
Sri Lanka Wednesday denied entry to Bob Rae, a prominent Canadian politician outspoken in his criticism of Colombo’s military campaign and then Chair of the Forum of Federations, the constitutional NGO advising the Norwegian peace process during 2002 and 2003. Sri Lanka’s Immigration Commissioner P. B. Abeykoon said “intelligence reports” meant Mr. Rae should not to be admitted and was therefore detained when he arrived at Colombo airport and put on a leaving flight.
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Political personages out to exploit trade opportunities in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 June 2009, 11:23 GMT]
The minister of Industrial Development, paid a sudden visit to Jaffna Monday where he visited the CEYNOR fishing net production unit in Kurunakar and explored schemes to reactivate Kaangkeasnaththu’rai Cement Factory, sources in Jaffna said. Sri Lanka government has announced that the transport of goods to and from Jaffna through A9 road by lorries will be commencing from 16 June prodding powerful political personalities to take a sudden and active interest in trading and investment possibilities in Jaffna peninsula, Jaffna Traders’ Union (JTU) sources said.
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'Our hands are tainted with blood,' admits Suryanarayan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 June 2009, 07:36 GMT]
“Our hands are tainted with blood”, admitted professor V. Suryanarayan, a member of India’s national security advisory panel during Vanni war, in a conference organised by International Tamil Centre, Chennai, on Monday. He also implied the connivance of the Tamil Nadu government when he said in this context that “during the last two three years New Delhi will not take any action without consulting Tamil Nadu”. However, Tamil circles found his criticism of India’s Sri Lanka policy leading nowhere to justice but was harping only on Indian aid conditioning Sri Lanka so that “a Tamil can be a Tamil but at the same time a loyal Sri Lankan”.
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Boyle, Fein charge Sri Lanka of Genocide in Chennai seminar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 June 2009, 02:20 GMT]
Francis Boyle, Professor of International Law at the University of Illinois College of Law, and Bruce Fein, a Washington D.C. Attorney, speaking at a seminar in Chennai organized by the International Tamil Center Monday, reiterated charges of Genocide against the Sri Lanka Government alleging massacre of more than 50,000 Tamil civilians, sources attending the event said. While Prof. Boyle urged India to file charges in International Court against Sri Lanka for violating Geneva conventions, and to stop Colombo "to cease and desist from all acts of genocide against Tamils," Fein stressed the urgent need for the Tamils to reach a "consensus on their political aspirations." The event was organized by Dr Panchadcharam, a consultant physician from New York.
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'Geopolitical excuse for esoteric diplomacy'

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 June 2009, 02:18 GMT]
“India views with unease the Chinese inroads into Sri Lanka as part of a broad move into the Indian Ocean. But India faces acute dilemma. Its capacity to cajole the diehard Sinhalese nationalists to compromise with the Tamils for an enduring settlement suffers so long as China extends such no-holds-barred political backing to the Colombo establishment”, writes M K Bhadrakumar, a former Indian diplomat in an article that appeared in Deccan Herald, 25 May. “The naval presence in Sri Lanka becomes invaluable for China if the planned canal across the Isthmus of Kra in Thailand materialises connecting Indian Ocean with China’s Pacific coast, a project that could dramatically shift the balance of power in Asia in China’s favour. Therefore, no matter what it takes, the West and China (with Russian backing) will compete for gaining the upper hand in Sri Lanka”, he further says.
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Sri Lanka turns back Mercy ship

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 June 2009, 23:07 GMT]
Government of Sri Lanka turned away the ship, MV Captain Ali, carrying relief supplies to the Tamils held in internment camps, after keeping the ship under Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) custody for nearly 4.5 days, and after admitting that the ship carried purely humanitarian supplies, a press release from the Mercy Mission Head Office in the UK said.
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‘Stop-Genocide’ candidate secures record result, but misses London seat

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 June 2009, 02:49 GMT]
Ms. Jan Jananayagam, an independent candidate contesting the European Parliament elections in London, secured over 50,000 votes, an unprecedented result, and a record for an independent candidate in an EU election. Though Ms Jananayagam failed to secure a seat, her campaign team said they were delighted with the results. Despite having decided to contest only days before voter registration closed and four weeks before the polls, the Tamil candidate had amassed more votes than some well-established small parties in Britain, and more than twice all other independent candidates combined, they said. Apart from Tamil expatriates, her campaign, conducted by students and volunteers, had drawn support and donations from British voters and other minority communities.
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International war crimes probe needed in Sri Lanka – Japan Times

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 June 2009, 02:10 GMT]
Noting the civilian casualty list in Sri Lanka’s offensive against the Tamil Tigers “is long and growing” and the “disturbing” evidence has emerged from the warzone, the Japan Times Monday joined calls for a “complete, unvarnished international” investigation into alleged war crimes. “No government or rebel group must believe it is immune from the rule of law,” the paper said, adding: “If the government is telling the truth, it should have nothing to fear from an investigation.” The editorial comes as Japan sent a special envoy to Sri Lanka to discuss the plight of 300,000 Tamils interned in militarised camps.
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Historic task awaits all freedom fighters

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 June 2009, 20:59 GMT]
The Eezham Tamil nation doesn’t need words to explain the current situation because everybody feels it in the core of their heart. This is a situation that warrants no one else but only the members of the nation to rise up to the occasion. Unprecedented catastrophe awaits unprecedented response from the nation.
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Bomb explosions heard in Jaffna HSZ

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 June 2009, 20:56 GMT]
Residents in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) occupied Maiyiliddi area in Valikaamam North said that hey heard deafening explosions from the SLA High Security Zone across Tho’ndaimanaa’ru lagoon Saturday from 10:30 a.m to 11:00 a.m as if artillery shells were exploding. Defence Ministry spokesman in Colombo, however, said that it was an accidental bomb explosion referring to the Saturday incident.
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Sri Lanka refuses to allow Mercy Ship to unload relief

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 June 2009, 20:32 GMT]
Despite repeated appeals by the Directors of Mercy Mission, a humanitarian project with a ship loaded with relief items donated by expatriate Tamils in Europe to help Tamils caught up in the war in NorthEast, Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) has been detaining the Mercy Mission ship the MV “Captain Ali,” for more than three days, and is refusing to allow the 884 metric tons worth of relief items to be unloaded, sources close to the project said. Latest information indicates Colombo is moving towards returning the ship back to international waters, and force the ship to return to its origination port.
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UN chief calls for Sri Lanka war crimes probe

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 June 2009, 18:37 GMT]
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon Friday called for an international inquiry into war crimes in northern Sri Lanka and sought the Colombo government’s agreement, press reports said. At a closed-door briefing for UN Security Council members, Mr. Ban called for a credible inquiry to be undertaken with international backing and full support from Sri Lanka's government, AP reported. He declined to elaborate on exactly how the inquiry should be done, but urged an examination of serious allegations of violations of international humanitarian laws, according to diplomats and UN officials who attended. Ban also told the council that Sri Lanka must refrain from any victory dance after defeating the LTTE.
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Congressman Shuler contradicts Rights groups after Colombo funded trip

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 June 2009, 12:01 GMT]
Second term North Carolina Congressman, Heath Shuler, after a Sri Lanka Embassy funded 2-day trip to Sri Lanka last week, commended the Sri Lankan government on the conditions in the internment camps after a government conducted tour. Shuler’s statements contradict reports by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, who accuse Colombo of intentionally shelling the civilian population and denying foreign media and non-governmental aid organizations into the conflict zones. Sri Lanka’s Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva described the state of the camps of massacre-survivors as appalling and stated that the victims "cannot expect justice from the law of the country [Sri Lanka]."
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World obliged to act when genocide occurs: Obama

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 June 2009, 00:42 GMT]
"The international community has an obligation, even when it's inconvenient, to act when genocide is occurring," US President Barack Obama said Friday during a visit to Germany. He was responding to reporters asking how the Holocaust mantra of "never again" might apply to current crises in the Darfur region of Sudan or in Sri Lanka. He also said that it is up to other nations to take action to stop genocide when it occurs. Meanwhile, the UN's top human rights official, former war crimes judge Navi Pillay, has again called for an "independent international inquiry" into the violence against Tamil civilians in the Sri Lankan conflict.
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President Rajapakse’s wife, son visit Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 June 2009, 13:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka president’s wife Shiranthi Rajapakse and his son Namal Rajapakse arrived on a sudden visit to Jaffna Friday morning with a statue of Changkamiththa, Emperor Aoska’s daughter and the first woman Buddhist missionary to Ceylon, to be enshrined in the newly built Buddhist temple in Maathakal in the High Security Zone (HSZ), sources in Jaffna said. Seven girl students were taken to the temple by Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) soldiers on the occasion to sing the national anthem in Sinhalese language, the sources added.
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