'Coercion is not the beginning for a lasting solution'

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 March 2009, 01:17 GMT]
“Intimidation and coercion of Tamils and their political leaders can never be a good beginning for any lasting solution. The fundamental point is that the powers don’t want to see parity to Tamils in the negotiation. They want to confirm Colombo’s position that there is a post-LTTE phase and the Tamils to negotiate from a post-defeat position. Above all, they don’t want to recognize the national liberation perspectives of the Tamil struggle,” writes an independent commentator in Vanni, who has long been sharing his insight with TamilNet. “What the powers actually expect is TNA disowning the LTTE and joining Rajapaksa club in hoodwinking a solution. The Eezham Tamils were at the receiving end of political deceit for ages and they have a good sense of smelling it out, even if it is international."
Full story >>

Immediate ceasefire, humanitarian access before political engagement - TNA MP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 March 2009, 07:48 GMT]
S. Jeyananthamoorthy, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian from Batticaloa district on Thursday said that the TNA had decided not to engage in talks with the Sri Lankan President or anyone representing the SL state before a conducive environment for such political engagement is created by an immediate ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access to the suffering people of Vanni. The TNA has clarified the reasons in detail in a press meet in Colombo, he said, condemning the abduction of the brother of Jaffna district MP Kajendran, barely 48 hours before the TNA was to decide its position on accepting an invitation for a meeting with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Full story >>

Jaffna University lecturer abducted in Colombo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 March 2009, 09:32 GMT]
Selvarajah Raveendran, a lecturer of the Geography Department of the Arts Faculty of Jaffna and brother of Jaffna District Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian Selvarajah Kajendran has been abducted by armed persons inside the high security area in Madiwela in Colombo while he was returning to the parliamentarian's residence Tuesday night, Police said. Meanwhile eyewitnesses said Mr. Raveendran was stopped by a police sentry for a routine check. A short while later a van arrived on to the scene and bundled him into the vehicle before speeding away, eye witnesses said. The incident took place barely 48 hours before the TNA was to decide its position on accepting an invitation for a meeting with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse that was scheduled for Thursday evening.
Full story >>

'Parliament proposes, Rammell dismisses'

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 March 2009, 07:47 GMT]
It was the fourth occasion in recent times the British parliament was discussing Sri Lanka. Members cutting across party lines came hard on the Colombo government for nearly one and a half hours on Tuesday, for its attacks on civilians, failure in heeding international calls for ceasefire, humanitarian abuses and blockade of international monitoring. Many members demanded UN action, suspension of Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth and pressure on India to act in stopping the war. However, Bill Rammell, the British Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs came out only with rhetorical assurances, sounded negative to substantial demands and accused the LTTE for preventing people from leaving.
Full story >>

10 Tamil youths arrested in Colombo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 March 2009, 06:56 GMT]
Special Task Force (STF) commandos and home guards took into custody ten Tamil youths including two young women Tuesday morning in a search conducted in several areas in Colombo city including Pettah, Fort, Wellawathe, Colpetty, Mattakuliya and Grandpass, according to complaints made to Deputy Minister, P. Rathakrishnan, by the arrestees’ relatives.
Full story >>

SL ministers taking side harm communal harmony in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 March 2009, 01:46 GMT]
Mistake and oversight of government officials in re-allocating an already leased out land have caused a conflict between two Tamil speaking communities in Mannaar. Two ministers of the Colombo government, taking sides, but failing in sorting out the issue is adding to the tension, sources from Mannaar said.
Full story >>

Uthayan office in Jaffna attacked

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 March 2009, 23:57 GMT]
The main office of Uthayan Tamil daily in Jaffna came under grenade attack Tuesday night around 11:10 p.m., the administration of the paper told media in Colombo. Tamil media circles added that the attack had come after verbal instructions by the top officials of Rajapaksa government not to publish stories related to civilian casualties in Vanni or reproduce the contents of interviews given by the LTTE officials to news agencies and media. Uthayan and Valampuri newspapers have recently printed photos of children being killed in the Sri Lankan attacks inside 'safety zone' in Vanni.
Full story >>

More than 1,200 HR violations in Jaffna peninsula in 2008 – HRC report

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 March 2009, 16:04 GMT]
More than 1,200 human rights violations including extra judiciary killings, abductions, forced disappearances, death threats, torture and harassment by Sri Lanka armed forces and paramilitary men have been registered with Jaffna Human Rights Commission (HRC) office in the year 2008 alone, according to the HRC report to Colombo HRC Head Office. SLA soldiers and policemen have been directly accused in around 65 complaints made to HRC Jaffna. The above complaints have been made despite threats not to report these instances to HRC. Meanwhile, a four-member team of key HRC officials is presently in Jaffna to instruct SLA officials on matters related to human rights.
Full story >>

SL armed forces bar Tamils travelling to Colombo by Yarl Devi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 March 2009, 11:59 GMT]
Complaints have been lodged with human rights organizations that Sri Lanka armed forces are imposing severe restriction on Tamil people from traveling to Colombo and southern parts of the country from Mannaar and Vavuniyaa areas. The Yaldevi express train service is being conducted from Colombo upto Madawachchi due to security reason.
Full story >>

Expecting hostile diaspora to buttress a collapsing state

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 March 2009, 02:21 GMT]
"Engaging the diaspora for any solution is possible only when humanitarian assistance and protection reach their brethren, war is called off, Tamil self-determination in the island of Sri Lanka is recognized and the LTTE is de-proscribed. Above all, accepting the reality of the crisis that it is a national liberation struggle and seeking solutions not insisting on a united Sri Lanka will tremendously help to ease the situation and even reconciliation," writes Opinion Columnist Chivanadi.
Full story >>

Colombo, New Delhi fall back on lure in fighting the diaspora

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 March 2009, 20:23 GMT]
Frustration arising from failure in the military annihilation of the Eezham Tamil struggle led by the LTTE, mounting global opinion in favour of the oppressed, determination of the diaspora and electoral urgency in India are impelling the war partners in Colombo and New Delhi to explore alternative tactics in achieving their goals. While conferences are planned in Singapore and Bangalore to hoodwink the diaspora and Indian public, a member of India’s national security advisory panel wants Colombo and the Tigers to be pressurised to declare a ceasefire. “They must be compelled to accept an international mechanism, so that the civilians are rescued from the war zones. And, what is more, these civilians should be settled in welfare centres, manned by the UN agencies”, he said.
Full story >>

Transport of goods through A9 route to Jaffna risky

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 March 2009, 18:09 GMT]
Commissioner General of Essential Services, S. B. Divaratne, informed Jaffna Government Agent (GA) and the representatives of the Traders’ Union in Jaffna that goods will not be transported through A9 route and that the ship services involved in this task would continue uninterrupted, sources in Jaffna said. This ruling comes as the government is working hard on plans to bring goods in 19 lorries by private traders next week, the sources added.
Full story >>

Defence ministry procrastinates Jaffna Hospital’s requests

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 March 2009, 17:37 GMT]
Jaffna Teaching Hospital (JTH) administration informed Jaffna Government Agent Saturday that Defence ministry in Colombo has delayed meeting its request for urgently needed essential medical implements, very much affecting the services rendered, sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Trinco Varsha killing; Tamil paramilitary groups blame each other

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 March 2009, 17:08 GMT]
Two paramilitary groups, Tamil Makal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) led by Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillaiyan and other by Karuna Amman alias Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, who resigned from the TMVP and joined the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), are blaming each other for the abduction and killing of six-year-old girl student, Varsha Jude Reggie, according to Colombo media reports.
Full story >>

Civil war generation documents life amidst death in Vanni

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 March 2009, 04:49 GMT]
The Odour of Death: An Account of People Devoured by War, a collection of narratives and features of personal experience expressed in the form of short stories by 1983-born T. Agiilan, is a significant example of creative writing coming from first hand impressions of a generation of Eezham Tamils that has seen nothing but war ever since birth. Another importance of the book is its documentation of war-torn Vanni of pre 2002 era from the perspectives of a person of that land.
Full story >>

SLA deserter from Vanni arrested with jewelry in Anuradhapura

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 March 2009, 17:31 GMT]
Thambuthegama police in Anuradhapura district arrested Tuesday evening a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) deserter from Visuvamadu battle front in Vanni with jewelry articles worn by women worth around 3 million rupees at a check point in Thambuthegama, according to media report in Colombo quoting H. W. Kumarasiri, the Officer-in-charge of Thamuthegama police.
Full story >>

Tissainayagam: always agitated against violence, fought for justice for oppressed

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 March 2009, 12:16 GMT]
In statement made to the Court Friday, senior Tamil journalist J.S. Tissainayagam who has been held in detention for more than a year under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), said: "I was and am still an advocate against terrorism. I have criticized terrorism in whatever form. I never advocated violence, my objective was to generate non violent means of resolving the conflict, my research, writings and work was towards achieving this." Many international rights groups have called for the "unconditional release of Tissainayagam, who has been subjected to arbitrary court adjournments and is suffering ill health.” First anniversary of arrest and imprisonment of Tissaianayagam fell on 7th March.
Full story >>

20 Tamil youths arrested in Badulla

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 March 2009, 10:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police arrested 20 Tamil youths Friday in a joint cordon and search in Pasa’rai in Badulla district. Eleven of them were produced in Badulla District Court where they were ordered to be placed in remand prison and nine youths were released after interrogation on the intervention of Deputy Health Minister, Vadivel Suresh, sources in Badulla said.
Full story >>

LTTE urges China to consider Tamils plight at UN

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 March 2009, 07:31 GMT]
Political Head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE), B. Nadesan, on Friday urged Chinese government to allow Tamils plight to be discussed at the UN Security Council for a second time. "The Sri Lankan state is not only denying the Tamil sovereignty, but it is waging a genocidal war against them of catastrophic dimensions," said Mr. Nadesan adding that Colombo was engaged in a propaganda campaign saying that the conflict is an internal matter.
Full story >>

Indian assistance to children in SLA detention camps in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 March 2009, 14:08 GMT]
Jaffna Government Agent (GA) distributed learning materials donated by the Indian Embassy in Colombo to the children held in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) detention camps in Mirusuvil and Kodikaamam. The Indian Embassy officials who had discussed the arrangement with Jaffna GA earlier had sent the learning materials through Sri Lanka Army, Jaffna secretariat sources said.
Full story >>