IIGEP members reiterate their stand, lament GoSL for diverting attention

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 April 2008, 18:33 GMT]
Members of the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP), which terminated its observation mission reasoning that the proceedings of the Commission of Inquiry setup by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) did not satisfy basic international norms and standards, reiterated Wednesday that they stand by their "clear assertions" of their concluding statement which blamed the GoSL for the absence of political will to investigate Human Rights violations with vigour. Lamenting that the GoSL continues to "divert attention from the central truth," the IIGEP members said they disassociated themselves from any attempt by the GoSL to reformulate and re-interpret the concluding statement.
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2 Tamil youths abducted in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 April 2008, 18:14 GMT]
Unknown men had abducted two Tamil youths at Muhathuvaaram in Colombo Monday evening in two separate incidents. They have been identified as Selvachchandran Nishanthan, 23, and Karunakaran, according to complaints lodged with the Muhathuvaaram Police and the Civil Monitoring Group by their relatives.
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Family man reported missing in Vadamaraadchi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 April 2008, 15:27 GMT]
A family man from Puloali south in Vadmaraadchi is reported missing since Monday after going to the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) civil administration office near his house to obtain pass (travel permit) to go to Colombo, according to complaint lodged by his wife to Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna office Tuesday. Neighbours who had seen the missing man entering the SLA office said that he did not come out of the office, the wife said in her complaint to HRC.
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British police arrests 3 persons for alleged 'support and fundraising' to LTTE

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 April 2008, 11:38 GMT]
Three men were arrested at separate addresses in Wales, south east England and Greater London Tuesday morning when British police officers from the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, supported by members of the Welsh police service, carried out searches under the Terrorism Act 2000 at a number of residential and business addresses, according to a press release issued by the British High Commission in Colombo on Tuesday.
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Rajapaksa strengthens ties with Iran

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 April 2008, 10:24 GMT]
Iranian President Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who arrived in Colombo Monday night on a two-day visit to Sri Lanka, after his 4-hour mission to Pakistan, was scheduled to inaugurate two major projects, a hydro power plant in Moneragala and an aviation oil refinery, in Sri Lanka with USD 2 billion funding from his country. Ahmadinejad is scheduled to meet Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during a brief five-hour visit en route from Colombo back to Tehran, on Tuesday, as media reports in India said that the Iran issue has cast a shadow over Indo-U.S. relations.
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Woman dies under interrogation

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 April 2008, 06:42 GMT]
A woman who was being detained by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police, for allegedly assisting the suicide bomber who exploded himself causing the death of the Sri Lankan minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle and several others on April 06, died Monday morning under mysterious circumstance while being subjected to interrogation by the CID.
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15 civilians arrested in Mt.Lavinia, 3 in Hatton

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 April 2008, 10:57 GMT]
Fifteen civilians, majority of them said to be Tamils, were taken in for questioning in a cordon and search conducted Sunday evening in Mt.Lavinia. Some of the arrested are residents of Jaffna, Colombo, and Kaddaiparichchan in Moothoor east, reports from Colombo said.
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SLA occupation of Madu, triggers fears of renewed Sinhalicisation

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 April 2008, 17:42 GMT]
The Madu Road junction located on Mannaar-Madawachchi Road, which branches off the main route to Madu shrine, situated in the middle of traditional Tamil area, became the center of a Sinhala settlement in the 1970s. The Sri Lanka Government had the agenda of transforming the area into a full-fledged Sinhala colony, by using the lands of a cashew farm between the Madu Shrine and the junction. However, the settlement was later abandoned, fearing repercussions following large-scale massacre and arson committed by the Sri Lanka Army in December 1984 after a landmine blast. The spectre of a Sinhalicised Madu area has now become a dangerous new reality with SLA's occupation of Madu shrine.
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Mannaar Bishop demands open declaration of Madu as Peace Zone

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 April 2008, 09:09 GMT]
Bishop of Mannaar, Rev. Dr. Rayappu Joseph, on Saturday told media that the warring parties should openly declare the Madu Shrine and its environs as Peace Zone in order to bring back Our Lady of Madu statue to the Holy Shrine. Meanwhile Sri Lankan Defence ministry in its official news on Sunday quoted Sri Lanka Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka as saying: "those who were in charge of the statue have the responsibility of bringing it back". The SL defence ministry added that Madu "would be declared as a security zone," without specifying what it meant with the term, 'security zone.' Vicar General Rev. A. Victor Soosai on Saturday visited the Shrine for an inspection.
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19 arrested in Piliyandala bus bomb explosion

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 April 2008, 06:25 GMT]
Colombo police said Sunday that they have taken into custody 19 persons in connection with the Piliyandala bus bomb explosion. 26 passengers were killed and 62 injured when a bomb exploded in a crowded State sector bus Friday evening. Police further said the bomb had been placed on a hood rack above the third seat behind the driver.
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Abandoned parcel causes panic in Fort station

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 April 2008, 01:28 GMT]
A fake parcel found abandoned at the Fort railway station Saturday morning caused panic among the passengers and employees. All were asked to vacate the area. All incoming trains were directed to stop away from the station till clearance was given by security forces.
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15 Tamils arrested at Matale

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 April 2008, 00:24 GMT]
Fifteen Tamil civilians were arrested at Matale town Sunday morning in a cordon and search operation conducted by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police. The arrested are being detained at Matale police station and interrogated as they failed to prove their identity and justify the presence in the location, media sources said.
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Tigers launch air attack in Ma'nalaa'ru - SLA

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 April 2008, 21:46 GMT]
Sri Lankan military officials in Colombo said Sunday that Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) had launched air attack on Sri Lanka Army (SLA) positions in Ma'nalaa'ru (Weli Oya) in the early hours of Sunday around 1:45. This is the second time, after the Black Tiger raid on Anuradhapura airbase in October 2007, the Tigers have deployed their air wing combined with the their ground forces.
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Christian priests arrested in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 April 2008, 17:09 GMT]
Three members of Christian clergy, two of them Indians and the third a Sri Lankan, were arrested on Thursday afternoon around 1:00 p.m. when they were allegedly taking photographs of the Sri Jayawardhanapura Parliamentary Complex. Police personnel who were on duty at the parliamentary complex arrested them and handed the clergy to the Welikada police, media sources said.
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One million people in Sri Lanka may face starvation - WFP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 April 2008, 15:28 GMT]
“Scarcity of food items and the subsequent escalation in the cost of essential items may result in more than one million in the country facing starvation," Mohamed Saleheen, the resident representative of United Nations (UN) World Food program (WFP) in Colombo told the media Friday. As a result of the situation, the WFP country office in Sri Lanka is facing major crisis, he said, and urged donor countries to respond immediately to overcome the crisis.
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Sinhala goons terrorize Tamils in Negombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 April 2008, 13:11 GMT]
Unidentified Sinhala gangs are allegedly engaged in terrorizing Tamil civilians residing along Assarappawatte Lane in Negombo town and robbing their valuables including jewellery, cash, cellphone and other items, reports in Colombo said.
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Batticaloa Assistant commissioner of local government arrested

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 April 2008, 12:27 GMT]
Officials from Terrorism Prevention Unit (TPI) of Criminial Investigations department (CID) arrested V.Sathyananthy, the Assistant Commissioner of local government for Batticaloa district, Friday morning, sources in Batticaloa said.
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Tamil student arrested for aiding Fernandopulle killer, misses exams

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 April 2008, 11:04 GMT]
A Colombo undergraduate Tamil student has been detained in Dehiwala police station on suspicion that he had provided shelter in his room for the suspected suicide bomber who is alleged to have killed Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle on April 6. The student was one of 37 civilians arrested on Thursday in a cordon and search operation conducted by the police in Dehiwala. 11 other civilians are also being detained in the police station.
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Mavai Senathirajah meets Jaffna Military Commander

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 April 2008, 03:06 GMT]
Mavai Senathirajah, Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, arrived in Jaffna Friday to participate in the 31st Memorial Day of S.J.V. Chelvanayakam Saturday. The first TNA member to return to Jaffna since the assassination of TNA Jaffna MP, Nadarajah Raviraj, in 2006, he met Maj. Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Jaffna Commander, at the latter’s request Friday in Palaali SLA military complex, the MP told media.
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Bus bomb in Piliyandala, 25 killed, 73 wounded

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 April 2008, 13:31 GMT]
Twenty-five passengers were killed and 73 wounded when a bomb exploded inside a fully packed bus around 6:45 p.m. Friday near Piliayandala bus-stand, 17 km southeast of Colombo, Police said. 73 persons were wounded. 63 injured, 47 males and 16 females, were warded at Kalubowlila hospital, 7 at Kesbewa hospital and 3 at Colombo hospital.
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