TNA MP casts doubt on assassination theory

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 August 2005, 12:01 GMT]
Mr. Mavai Senathirajah, Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, speaking during the debate on the motion for the extension of the State of Emergency in Sri Lankan parliament on Thursday, said that the killing of Lankan Foreign Minister, Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar, had taken place at a time when the international community had changed its position in favor of contributing funds direct to the NorthEast. This has created a reasonable suspicion on the theories about the assassination that Colombo wants the International Community to believe, he said.  
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LTTE, SLMM discuss deteriorating situation in NorthEast

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 August 2005, 10:30 GMT]
Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission Mr. Hagrup Haukland and the Liberation Tigers' Political Head Mr. S.P. Thamilchelvan met Thursday in Kilinochchi and discussed the deterioting situation in the NorthEast. Mr. Thamilchelvan, talking to press after meeting the truce monitors, said that he has conveyed in "clear terms" to Colombo that abiding by the CFA agreement on which the whole proces has been based upon for more than three and a half years is the "immediate need of the moment." Mr. Thamilchelvan accused the Sri Lankan armed forces in Jaffna for violating CFA agreement by "abducting" a disabled LTTE cadre who was on vacation for medical treatment with his parents.
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SL Parliament begins debate on ER amid chaos

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 August 2005, 05:51 GMT]
SL Deputy Minister of Defense, Mr. Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, in his opening speech in Sri Lankan Parliament on the special debate on Emergency Regulations on Thursday declared that "the alternate way" would be considered, if failing to find solution to any problem through negotiations with his government. Following his opening remarks, Mr. M.K. Eelavenathan, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, followed with his comments. TNA MP's speech was disturbed by Mr. Mervyn Silva, Deputy Minister, and Mr. Wimal Weeravanse, JVP's parliamentary group leader. Pandemonium prevailed for about fifteen minutes in the Lankan parliament.
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LTTE complains to SLMM against the abduction of Gopi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 August 2005, 16:53 GMT]
Jaffna District Political Secretariat of the LTTE Monday lodged a complaint with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that the abduction of Mr.Gopi, an LTTE cadre by a group of Sri Lanka Army soldiers and policemen from his house is a blatant violation of the Ceasefire Agreement. "LTTE has informed to the SLMM that Mr.Gopi should be released immediately," said a statement issued by Mr. Imayavan of the LTTE Jaffna district political secretariat Wednesday.
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"War is not an option" - LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 August 2005, 09:42 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said Wednesday they are committed to ceasefire and would return to the Norwegian peace process if the February 2002 truce agreement was implemented in full. In an interview to Reuters, LTTE’s Political Head, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, said the Tigers are ready to defend the Tamils from attack. "War is not an option," he told Reuters. "But if war is thrust upon the Tamil people, we will have no option but to face it... So it's in the hands of the Sri Lanka government", he said.
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Two policemen shot, Jaffna tense

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 August 2005, 08:01 GMT]
Two Sri Lankan policemen were shot and injured at Kaladdy in Kokkuvil, a suburb of Jaffna, Wednesday around 11:30 a.m, Police said. One of the two wounded policemen, in critical condition, was airlifted to Colombo Hospital. The Sri Lanka army in Jaffna deployed additional troops in Jaffna town, the areas surrounding the University of Jaffna and Jaffna Teaching Hospital following the incident, sources said.
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Trinco TRO Director released

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 August 2005, 07:47 GMT]
Muttur Magistrate Mr.M.Ganesharajah Wednesday ordered the release of Mr.S.Wijekumar, Trincomalee District Director of Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) following an application by the Muttur Police that he could be released with the money Rs 2 million he was in possession at the time of arrest, legal sources said. Sri Lanka Army soldiers manning the checkpoint at Kaddaiparichchan to the entrance of the LTTE controlled Muttur east Tuesday evening took into custody Mr.S.Wijekumar, and handed him over to Muttur Police.
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SLA soldiers arrest Trinco TRO director

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 August 2005, 06:17 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army soldiers manning the checkpoint at Kaddaiparichchan to the entrance of the LTTE controlled Muttur east Tuesday evening took into custody Mr.S.Wijekumar, Trincomalee district Director of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) and handed over to the Muttur Police on an allegation that he had been carrying about two million rupees, TRO sources said.


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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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Thousands mourn Kadirgamar, Colombo security tightened

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 August 2005, 09:07 GMT]
Thousands of people were seen standing in queues to pay their last respects to the remains of kadirgamar at his official residence situated at the highly residential Wijerama Mawatha in Colombo. The capital city has been put under tight security following the arrival of foreign dignitaries including the Defence Minister of India Mr. Pranab Mukherjee and the Indian Foreign Minister Mr. Natwar Singh for the funeral of the slain Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar on Monday.
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Blockade to LTTE held areas in Trinco - MP complains

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 August 2005, 07:17 GMT]
Security forces are still enforcing the ban on the movement of people and vehicles to and from the LTTE controlled areas in Muttur east division and Eachchilampathu division in the Trincomalee district causing untold suffering since Saturday morning, said Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Trincomalee district parliamentarian in a letter to Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunga.
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Peterson, Helgesen to attend Kadirgamar's funeral

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 August 2005, 12:26 GMT]
The Norwegian Foregin Minister Mr. Jan Petersen and his deputy Mr.Vidar Helgesen will attend the funeral of Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lakshman Kadirgamar Monday in Colombo a press release issued by the Norwegian Foreign Ministry Sunday said. Mr.Helgesen will meet Mr. Anton Balasingham, the chief negotiator and political advisor of the LTTE on Sunday in London, before leaving for Sri Lanka, press release further said.


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Political cadres blocked at Omanthai checkpoint - Vavuniya LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 August 2005, 09:47 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers at the Omanthai checkpoint, the main entry point to the LTTE controlled Vanni, slamed the doors for all traffic without any prior notice at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday. The traffic resumed at 12:25 p.m. travellers said. However, political cadres of the Liberation Tigers were not allowed to cross the Omanthai SLA checkpoint, said Mr. Gnanam, LTTE's Vavuniya district political head. Also, LTTE's political cadres from Vanni were not allowed to cross the border-point, he added.


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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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LTTE political office in Batticaloa bombed

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 August 2005, 07:26 GMT]
Political office of the Liberation Tigers in Batticaloa, located inside the Sri Lanka Army held eastern town's high security area, was attacked by two unidentified men Sunday noon. The attackers, who approached the office in a motorbike, lobbed more than five grenades, one by one, into the building through the main entrance, neighbouring residents said. Five LTTE political officials who were inside the building narrowly escaped the attack, sources said.
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UNP, JVP react to Kadirgamar slaying

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 August 2005, 20:44 GMT]
In the wake of the assassination Friday of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lanka’s main opposition United National Party, whilst condemning the killing, accused the government of being lax in providing him with security, particularly amid reports he was close to the renegade LTTE commander who defected to the Army, Karuna. And in its vehement reaction, the ultra-nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Perumana (JVP) mourned Mr. Kadirgamar as one of their own and launched a bitter tirade against the LTTE.
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Aussie children donate play equipment to Mullaitivu school

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 August 2005, 11:46 GMT]
A children's play ground facility built from donations of children from Hamilton and Alexandra school in Victoria, Australia was opened at the Sinnathamby Pre School in Oddusuddan Tuesday at 10am by The Economic Consulty House (TECH), a Sri Lanka Government registered NGO operating primarily in the NorthEast, sources in Mullaitivu said.
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LTTE denies involvement in Kadirgamar killing

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 August 2005, 06:15 GMT]
Denying any involvement in the assassination of Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar, LTTE's Political Head, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan Saturday condemned Colombo for hastily blaming the Liberation Tigers for the killing. Thamilchelvan said that there are several forces opposed to the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) in the South. "We also know that there are sections within the Sri Lankan Armed forces operating with a hidden agenda to sabotage the CFA," he said and urged Colombo to conduct a thorough investigation to identify the assassins.
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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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