SLA blocks civilian movement, LTTE tells SLMM

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 August 2005, 16:29 GMT]
Mr.Semmanan, Trincomalee District Deputy Political Head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Tuesday urged the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) to take immediate steps to provide relief to thousands of residents who are prevented from traveling to and from the LTTE controlled areas in the district by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) since the declaration of State of Emergency Saturday, LTTE sources said.


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Buddhist rituals mark Kadirgamar's State Funeral

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 August 2005, 15:55 GMT]
The funeral of slain Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was held with full state honours at the Independence Square at 6 p.m. Monday. Late Kadirgamer's son Ravi lit the funeral pyre after sunset according to Buddhist tradition. Several thousand people paid their last respects as the remains of kadirgamar was taken in procession to the Independence Square from his official residence at the Wijerama Mawatha. From the beginning of the drive of the Independence square to the venue where the funeral orations were made by the religious leaders and the Prime minister on behalf of the Sri Lanka government, the military parade accompanied the cortage.
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STF soldiers storm Karaithivu LTTE office, arrest four

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 August 2005, 09:01 GMT]
Special Task Force (STF) soldiers who stormed the Karaithivu political office of the Liberation Tigers in Kalmunai arrested Mr. Uthayamenan, a political cadre of the LTTE and three civilians in the office around 8:00 a.m. Sunday, Police said. Later, the STF soldiers handed over the persons to Sammanthurai Police. The arrests were made to investigate the recent attacks on police and security posts in Amparai district, the STF soldiers had told the Police.
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Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 August 2005, 00:29 GMT]
Mr Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lanka's Minister of Foreign Affairs and a close confidante of Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge, was shot Friday night by a sniper near his residence and later succumbed to his injuries. During his 1994-2001 tenure as foreign minister in People's Alliance (PA) government, he was widely credited for his relentless campaign in foreign capitals to brand the Liberation Tigers as a terrorist organization and to ban the LTTE. Mr Kadirgamar was held in high esteem by most of the South for his vehement opposition to separatism and for his passionate defense of the sovereignty of Sri Lanka. Mr Kadirgamar never held an elected office.
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Policeman, homeguard, two civilians injured in grenade attack

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 August 2005, 03:37 GMT]
Two unidentified persons riding a motorbike lobbed a grenade into an armed post located close to the Triple Gem tsunami refugee camp in Kalmunai Thursday night around 10:00 p.m. Two civilians, standing near the armed post, were also injured in the grenade attack, Police said.
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Sri Lanka parliament to debate P-TOMS

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 August 2005, 08:03 GMT]
The Sri Lanka's parliament reconvened Tuesday morning with the Speaker Mr.W.M.J.Lokkubandara in the chair. Mr.Lokkubandara informed the house that the ruling party United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) has appointed Mr.Nimal Sripala de Silva as the Leader of the House, filling the vacancy created with the resignation of Mr.Maithiripala Sirisena.
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Jaffna Police stop registering public complaints

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 August 2005, 10:47 GMT]
Sri Lanka Police Station in Jaffna is reported to have stopped taking complaints from public after the abduction and murder of Mr. Charles Wijewardene, Jaffna Police Superintendent last Thursday following the killing of a Tamil civilian at Inuvil in Jaffna district, civil sources said.


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SLA trooper accidentally fires gun at busy junction

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 August 2005, 00:55 GMT]
Residents around the busy Madathady junction in Trincomalee town and civilians nearby were struck with fear for about half an hour and ran for cover hearing the noise of a gunshot Sunday evening around 6 p.m., residents said. Police later revealed that a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier's gun had accidentally gone off. No one was hurt in the incident, Police sources said.
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Two injured, 4 shops damaged in grenade attack in Eravur

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 August 2005, 07:54 GMT]
A shop owner was seriously injured and another civilian injured when two unidentified persons riding a motorbike lobbed a grenade into a shop at Chenkalady junction, a high security zone area between Sri Lanka army garrison in Kommathurai and the Black Bridge checkpoint, 15 km. north of Batticaloa. Four shops located near the Chenkalady market were fully burnt by the fire caused by the grenade explosion. The attack took place around 8:30 p.m. Saturday, according to Eravur Police.
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Civil groups call for day of mourning for Inuvil killing

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 August 2005, 16:42 GMT]
Jaffna Civil Organizations' Consortium (JCOC) Saturday appealed to the people of Jaffna district to observe Sunday as a mourning day to coincide with the funeral of Mr.Santharoopan who was killed by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers Thursday at Inuvil, civil sources in Jaffna said.
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IGP visits Jaffna, briefs police officials

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 August 2005, 16:31 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mr.Chandra Fernando Saturday paid an official visit to Jaffna and held discussion with officers-in-charge of all police stations in the district. The discussion was held at the office of Police Headquarters at Kankesanthurai, which is located in the high security zone, police sources said.
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UN Sub-Commission urged to promote and protect Human Rights in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 August 2005, 10:42 GMT]
There has been no proper investigation or punishment of culprits in the many cases of murders of human rights defenders and journalists in Sri Lanka, noted Ms. Deirdre McConnell in an oral intervention on the agenda item 3, "Administration of Justice, Rule of Law And Democracy," at the 57th session of UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human rights on Tuesday. "There has been no progress on the case of the assassination of Mr Kumar Ponnambalam on 5th January 2000, despite ample evidence regarding the alleged perpetrators of the crime," she said citing a number of instances that evidenced "pattern of bias" in the Sri Lankan judicial system.
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Night curfew imposed in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 17:26 GMT]
A night curfew from 10 p.m. Friday till 5 a.m. Saturday has been imposed in Jaffna district, civil sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, Mr.Chandra Fernando, Sri Lanka's Inspector General of Police (IGP), is to visit Jaffna Saturday following the Inuvil Thursday where a civilian was shot dead by Sri Lanka Army and a high ranking official was killed in retaliation.
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Time for donors to provide direct aid to NorthEast- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 11:20 GMT]
"Time has come for the International Community to provide direct aid to the Tamil homeland without waiting for Colombo," LTTE's Political Head Mr. Thamilchelvan told reporters in Kilinochchi after a meeting with the Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgesen and his delegation at LTTE's Peace Secretariat on Friday. "Joint Mechanism to deliver tsunami aid has been scuttled, internally displaced people continue to suffer due to Colombo's denial to let them return to their homes, and the Cease Fire Agreement is severely threatened by Colombo's shadow war using paramilitary groups in the East. The patience of the Tamil people is running out," Mr. Thamilchelvan told the press.
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SL President denounces Jaffna killings

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 10:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Friday directed the relevant authorities to investigate Inuvil incident in Jaffna district where a Tamil civilian Mr.Santharoopan was shot dead by soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army and Jaffna Police Superintendent Mr. Charles Wijewardene by a crowd in retaliation. Kumaratunga has directed to bring the perpetrators to justice without delay, according to a media release issued by the Presidential Media Unit.
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Curfew lifted in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 09:47 GMT]
The curfew imposed in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled areas in Jaffna district since 8:00 p.m. Thursday night was lifted around 12:30 p.m. Friday. Normal life is returning slowly and transport services commenced immediately to and from Jaffna through Muhamalai SLA checkpoint in the afternoon Friday, police said. However, police sources said a night curfew may be imposed Friday.
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Inquest held into the death of Jaffna SP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 August 2005, 16:45 GMT]
Jaffna Police Superintendent Mr.Charles Wijeratne's body is to be taken to his native place Kurunagala in the south Friday. Ms. Sarojini Ilankovan, Mallakam Magistrate held the inquest into the death of Mr.Wijeratna Thursday evening and directed the authorities to take the body to Colombo and to hold autopsy examination by Colombo Judicial Medical Officer.


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Jaffna tense: Civilian shot dead by SLA, angry mob kills police officer

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 August 2005, 09:14 GMT]
A salon employee, identified as Mr. Jeyaseelan Shantharooban, 24, was shot in his head by Sri Lankan Army soldiers who entered the hairdressing salon located at Innuvil Junction on KKS Road in Jaffna around 1:00 p.m. Thursday, residents said. Another employee Mr. K. Thevathas was injured. Mr. Shantharooban, who was being rushed to Jaffna Hospital, succumbed to gunshot wounds, hospital sources said. Residents angered by the incident blocked the road and were seen throwing stones at SLA vehicles approaching the site. Riot Police were seen firing tear gas at the protesting residents. A Superindent of Police, abducted and attacked by an angry mob, later succumbed to his wounds.
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US's strategic interests in Sri Lanka- Taraki

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 July 2005, 18:45 GMT]
What are the US government’s strategic interests in Sri Lanka? If the US has specific strategic interests in the island, then what are the means and modes by which it was and is securing them? Dharmaretnam Sivaram, popular military analyst and senior editor at TamilNet was working on this feature when he was abducted and killed on 28 April 2005.
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Jaffna trader complains of SLA harassment

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 July 2005, 15:57 GMT]
Mr.T.Nisakaran, owner of a photographic studio in Urumpirai area, has registered a complaint with the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) that he has been continuously harassed and intimidated by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers of the Urelu army camp located in Jaffna district, civil sources said. Jaffna Regional Co-ordinator of the HRCSL has initiated procedures to hold an inquiry into the complaint, HRCSL sources said.


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