Muslim businessman shot dead in Ea’raavoor

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 January 2009, 14:07 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen lying in ambush near the house of a Muslim businessman at 3rd Cross A. K. Street, Ea’raavoor in Batticaloa district, shot and killed him as he was returning home in a three-wheeler, Ea’raavoor police said. The victim is a director of a telecommunication centre in Ea’raavoor as well as an agent involved in sending persons abroad for employment, sources Ea’raavoor said.
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India should stop war, instruct Colombo to talk to Tigers - BJP Tamil Nadu

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 January 2009, 12:37 GMT]
A senior leader of BJP, a major national political party of India, visited Friday Thol. Thirumavalavan, the VCK President who is on a fast-unto-death demanding the Central government of India to stop the war being waged by Colombo against Eezham Tamils. The BJP politician, Vaithiyalingam, a member of the party's national general council, declared that India, which is a powerful country in the region, cannot sit back and watch without doing anything to stop the genocidal war in Sri Lanka and added India should be specific in demanding ceasefire between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam.
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Jaffna Bishop urges SL President to stop bombardment

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 January 2009, 14:35 GMT]
Jaffna Bishop Rt. Rev. Thomas Saundaranayagam has urged the Sri Lankan President and Commander-in-Chief of the Lankan armed forces to stop all shelling and aerial bombings at civilian places in Vanni, in an urgent letter sent to President Mahinda Rajapakse Monday, before the latest mass exodus towards Puthukkudiyiruppu. "It is the duty of the Government to open a safe corridor for the safety of the civilians. Please stop all shelling and aerial bombings at civilian places," the Bishop said in his letter titled "Humble but urgent request to stop shelling on civilian places in Vanni."
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CPI pledges support to Thirumavalavan's fast

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 January 2009, 05:13 GMT]
Veteran leader of the Communist Party of India (CPI) Tamil Nadu, R. Nallakannu Thursday pledged his party's support to Thirumavalavan's fast-unto-death campaign demanding immediate ceasefire in Sri Lanka. Mr. Thirumavalavan blamed the Indian establishment for not asking Sri Lanka to stop war or sending Pranab Mukherjee, the Indian External Affairs Minister to Colombo, as promised. The VCK leader decried the Indian Government's inaction and said that by insulting the demands of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi, New Delhi had in effect insulted the whole Tamil population.
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"Which norms of liberal democracy preclude IC attending to exodus, genocide?" asks IDP activist

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 January 2009, 03:52 GMT]
The LTTE doesn't obstruct or instruct the civilians of Vanni of what direction they have to take in fleeing the current phase of war. But, a large section of the civilians have considered that their security, even now, lies in the LTTE held areas in the eye of war, and are spontaneously moving towards that direction. "Allowing the war to continue, leaving Tamil civilians in the hands of the preying Sinhala army, which we dread, demonstrates only the cruelty of the few minds that determine the course of the war from outside of the island and how international norms evolved through civilisation have become a joke," said P. Kanakalingam, the president of Vanni People's Welfare Organisation (VPWO), on Thursday.
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Colombo censures diplomat over Lasantha eulogy

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 January 2009, 13:33 GMT]
Government of Sri Lanka censured German Ambassador Jurgen Weerth after the Ambassador spoke at the funeral of slain editor of Sunday Leader, diplomatic sources in Colombo said. "Ambassador Weerth was summoned to the foreign ministry on Tuesday and the Foreign Secretary [Palitha Kohona] expressed Sri Lanka's displeasure and concern over his remarks," an AFT report said quoting a source at the ministry.
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World oblivious to Sri Lanka's genocide of Tamils, says music phenom M.I.A

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 January 2009, 04:06 GMT]
Maya Arulpragasam, better known by her stage name M.I.A, a British born Tamil and recent U.S. Grammy nominee, reveals that her music was shaped by her experience as a Tamil refugee from Sri Lanka, and accuses the International Community for standing idle as Colombo perpetrates acts of genocide against Tamils in Sri Lanka's NorthEast. In her interview to an Indian website, Maya adds: "[P]eople need to learn that you cannot wipe out a whole [Tamil] race."
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End of peace in India’s south

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 January 2009, 00:40 GMT]
The people of Tamil Nadu in no uncertain terms have said what they wish and have shown their indignation and resentment to what is happening in the island of Sri Lanka. The Tamil diaspora all over the world has demonstrated its solidarity with the national question of Eezham Tamils. The people of USA have firmly voted for the revision of the politics of terrorism. But the few, clinging at the helm of the outgoing administrations of New Delhi and Washington have decided to run amok, defying local and global public opinion. While Bush leaves behind a precarious world legacy to Obama, the Sonia Congress bears personal responsibility for the plight of Eezham Tamils.
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Students reported missing with Jaffna HRC

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 January 2009, 19:28 GMT]
Parents of a 16-year-old student from Kachchaai Veethi in Thenmaraadchi lodged a complaint with Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna office that their son had gone missing since Sunday after leaving home. Meanwhile, the father of a Jaffna student studying in Colombo complained to Jaffna HRC that his son had gone missing since he went to register his name with Galikisse police on 4 January.
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Pressure Colombo to stop attacking civilian targets, TRO appeals to India, UN, US

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 January 2009, 13:55 GMT]
In an urgent press released issued Monday, Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), appealed to the Government of India, President-Elect Obama, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and the international community, to pressure "the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) to cease attacks on civilian targets; allow unfettered humanitarian access to the Vanni by the UN and international NGOs; and to allow all necessary essential humanitarian assistance into the area."
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Security of Diyatalawa town tightened

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 January 2009, 12:19 GMT]
The security of Diyatalawa, a town in Nuwara Eliya district where the Sri Lanka Army Academy, main training camp of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) and Sri Lanka Surveying Institute are located, has been tightened, media sources in Colombo reported. More security points and road blocks have been established to monitor the movement of vehicles and civilians.
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Ki'llinochchi woman arrested, in Uva Paranagama

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 January 2009, 10:41 GMT]
Uva Paranagama Police in Uva Province Monday early morning arrested a Tamil woman who is a resident of Ki'llinochchi. Police said she was taken into custody on receipt of information that she had been involved in Wattala suicide bomb blast that took place recently.
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Tamil civilian reported missing, in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 January 2009, 10:35 GMT]
A Jaffna born Tamil civilian residing in Wattala in Colombo district has been reported missing since Thursday, according to complaints lodged with Wattala Police Station by his relatives.
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U.S. Pacific Command embarked upon development in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 January 2009, 10:14 GMT]
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo, in a media advisory issued on Tuesday, invited media to cover 'groundbreaking' ceremonies of renovating five schools in 'former LTTE-controlled areas of Trincomalee district' by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAIA) and U.S. Pacific Command, this week. Major General Thomas L. Conant of the U.S. Pacific Command and USAID Mission Director Rebecca Cohn will participate in the the inauguration ceremonies, scheduled to be held on Thursday and Friday.
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SLN arrests 200 civilians fleeing from Jaffna to Mullaiththeevu

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 January 2009, 16:00 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) soldiers arrested Monday around 200 civilians fleeing war from Vadamaraadchi East areas earlier held by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to LTTE held Mullaiththeevu district in Vanni, in their fishing boats by sea route, sources in Jaffna said. The arrested civilians have been brought to areas in Jaffna peninsula under control of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and the government officials are facing a critical situation as no prior arrangement has been made to shelter these refugees, sources close to Jaffna Secretariat said. Meanwhile, the Deputy Ambassador for Britain in Colombo made a sudden visit to Jaffna Monday where he met Jaffna Government Agent, K. Ganesh and key SLA officials, the sources added.
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6 Tamils arrested in Katunayake

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 January 2009, 16:16 GMT]
Six Tamils were arrested in the Katunayake high security zone in a cordon and search operation conducted by the police Saturday evening. Police took them into custody as they were seen loitering close to the Katunayake airbase, sources in Colombo said.
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Tamil hotel employee arrested in Mt.Lavinia

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 January 2009, 13:46 GMT]
A Tamil employee working in a hotel was taken into custody by the Mt.Lavinia Police Wednesday on receipt of information that he was in possession of several national identity cards and an identity card issued by the Sri Lanka Army, police sources said.
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Media activists protest against Lasantha assassination

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 January 2009, 21:41 GMT]
Hundreds of media activists took to the streets in Colombo Friday protesting against the assassination of one of the prominent journalists in Colombo and Chief Editor of Sunday Leader, Lasantha Wickramatunga, who was shot dead Thursday. The protesters accused Rajapaksa regime for the prevailing impunity as heavily armed military personnel ringed the area of protest at Regal Junction, the metropolitan heart of the city. Meanwhile, opposition parties have blamed the government for using the military achievements in its war against the LTTE as a propaganda ploy to suppress and eliminate the opposition.
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SLA takes control of A9 - Rajapaksa

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 January 2009, 14:59 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday announced that the Sri Lanka Army regained the control of A9 Jaffna Kandy highway linking the south and the north after 23 years. Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry said that 53 Division commanded by Brigadier Kamal Gunaratne and 55 Division commanded by Brigadier Prasanna Silva based in the Mukamaalai area have advanced nearly 22 km south and occupied the Elephant Pass (EPS) and hoisted the Sri Lankan flag. The EPS was held by the LTTE for over eight years.
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SLAF suffers casualties in Tiger ambush in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 January 2009, 12:04 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) from Trincomalee district claimed that 12 Sri Lankan armed personnel were killed and 6 sustained injuries in a Claymore and gunfire ambush on a tractor carrying armed personnel from Panku'lam to Muthalikku'lam (Morawewa) at 8:55 a.m. Friday. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan military sources in Colombo said three Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) personnel and four civilians and seven SLAF personnel sustained injuries in the ambush. A main camp of the SLAF is currently situated in Morawewa, which was earlier a traditional Tamil village called Muthalikku'lam.
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