TID detains Sunday Times columnist, video photographer

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 March 2008, 14:09 GMT]
The Sunday Times columnist J.S. Tissanayagam and his freelance Video Photographer K. Wijesinghe were detained and questioned by the Terroist Investigation Department (TID) of the Police when they visited a family whom were taken into custody by the TID in the early hours of Friday at Kotahena, media sources in Colombo said.
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Jaffna SLA commander calls upon LTTE cadres to surrender

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 March 2008, 04:34 GMT]
Major. Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri, the Head of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in the North in a media communiqué released Tuesday night called upon the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres operating in the peninsula to surrender themselves at the military bases in the peninsula, sources in Jaffna said.
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Shortage of tires cripple Jaffna transport services

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 March 2008, 03:43 GMT]
Transport services run by Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) in Jaffna peninsula may stall completely if the acute shortage of tires continues without timely replenishment, SLTB officials in Jaffna peninsula said wednesday. Though request for spares had been made to the relevant authorities in Colombo two months ago nothing has been done to meet the urgent requirements, they added.
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Jaffna TNA MP Sivanesan killed in DPU Claymore attack

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 March 2008, 09:59 GMT]
Jaffna District Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian, K. Sivanesan, was killed in a Claymore attack carried out by the Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit on A-9 road, 30 minutes after he crossed into Vanni through Oamanthai / Pu'liyangku'lam entry point Thursday. The Claymore attack has taken place between Pu'liyangku'lam and Maangku'lam around 1:20 p.m., according to initial reports. The MP's vehicle was targeted when he was returning to his residence in Mallaavi, after attending the parliamentary sessions in Colombo. His driver was also killed in the attack. The DPU attackers have exploded four Claymore mines in a row, Tamileelam Police officials told TamilNet.
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Attacks on SLRC employees aim to create fear psychosis - FMM

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 March 2008, 07:28 GMT]
Sri Lanka state-owned Rupavahini Cooperation (SLRC) employees who participated and covered a spontaneous protest on 27 December when Mervy Silva, the SL Minister of Labour was retaliated when he reportedly went amok on a news editor, have been systematically subjected to threats and attacks, media circles in Colombo said. On Wednesday, an attacker armed with a razor knife cut the librarian of the SLRC, Ranjani Aluthge, twice from behind injuring her while she was on her way to home from the SLRC in a public bus. "This is the fourth incident of attacks and attempted attacks on SLRC journalists and media workers that has taken place recently," Colombo based Free Media Movement said.
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SL Police arrests 2 Tamils at Anuradhapura railway station

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 March 2008, 08:29 GMT]
Two Tamil youths aged 22 and 27 were arrested Wednesday morning by the Sri Lankan police at Anuradhapura railway station when they were traveling to Colombo from Madawachchi.
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Nadesan listens to fishermen's grievances

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 March 2008, 19:00 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Political Head B. Nadesan gave a patient hearing to the grievances of fishermen at an undisclosed location in Ki'linochchi on Tuesday and assured their representatives that the Tiger leadership would strengthen its support to them to sustain their livelihood.
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Happy, but not content: Sarath Fonseka on Indian military help

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 March 2008, 17:50 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army Chief Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, who is on a six-day official visit to India, on Tuesday admitted that both the countries enjoyed a sound military relationship according to reports in the Indian media. "Militarily we have very good relationships for long time and we hope to continue relationships that we are having right now. We are very happy with that," he told mediapersons after inspecting a Guard of Honour at the Indian Defence Ministry headquarters. "The relations between both countries are good at the political level but need to be increased at the military level," he said having met his Indian counterpart Gen. Deepak Kapoor on Tuesday afternoon.
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Goons intimidate HRC officers in Kandy

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 March 2008, 14:40 GMT]
Goons alleged to be associated with Kandy police threatened a Tamil female high official attached to Kandy Regional Human Rights Commission (HRC) coordinating office and confiscated her National Identity Card (NIC) near Kingston College in Kandy, accusing her of suspicious presence in the school environment, sources in Kandy said.
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"Near perfect" interview that never aired

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 March 2008, 14:52 GMT]
An interview recorded by the popular 'Hard Talk' show in BBC channel-24 with Sri Lanka's Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal related to Sri Lanka’s 60th Independence Anniversary has not aired yet, media reports from Colombo said. Colombo weekly Sunday Island spurned as unbelivable reported BBC response that the tapes had been accidently erased.
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Tamil passengers robbed at Fort station

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 March 2008, 10:17 GMT]
Two Tamil civilians who arrived in Colombo-Fort railway station Saturday from Vavuniyaa via Madawachchi were robbed of their cash, gold rings and other belongings by three persons in civil who identified them as CID personnel, according to complaints made to Fort Police Station and the Civil Monitoring Committee (CMC).
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Suspects in attempted murder case of SLA commander remanded

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 March 2008, 16:06 GMT]
Colombo Fort Magistrate, Mr. Namal Bandara Balalle, Thursday ordered further remand till March 12, for the two suspects in the attempted murder of Commander of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Sarath Fonseka, legal sources in Colombo said.
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Police arrests Plantation Tamil youth in Nawalapitiya

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 March 2008, 16:05 GMT]
A Tamil youth arrested on Thursday night when he was traveling in Udarata Menike express train is still being detained at Nawalapitiya police station and subjected to interrogation by the Terrorist Intelligence Division, media sources said.
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Sarath Fonseka to visit India seeking military cooperation - report

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 March 2008, 12:46 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Army commander, Maj. Gen. Sarath Fonseka is scheduled to pay a six-day visit to India Sunday to "deepen military cooperation between the two countries," according to a news report by the Indo Asian News Agency (IANS), Saturday. "Fonseka is sure to discuss military cooperation with India, which has become a touchy issue in bilateral relations," the IANS report said.
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Election commissioner in legal trouble over language issue

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 March 2008, 01:11 GMT]
The Supreme Court Friday directed the Attorney General to obtain statement from the Commissioner of Elections regarding the failure of publishing the voters register in Tamil language, for consideration during the March 17 hearing of Fundamental Rights violation petition filed by the Ceylon Workers United Front (CWUF), legal sources in Colombo said.
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Fish trader abducted in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 March 2008, 00:14 GMT]
Unidentified armed men forcibly abducted a fish trader Friday morning near ‘Bishop’s House’ in Jaffna, sources in Jaffna said. Local residents allege he was arrested by the police, but the Jaffna Police did not leave any arrest documents with the family of the victim.
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SLRC journalists' lives under threat from SL Minister's goons- FMM

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 February 2008, 15:13 GMT]
Free Media Movement (FMM), a media rights watchdog in Colombo, in a press release issued Thursday said, four confirmed incidents have been reported of journalists attached to Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) either being assaulted or threatened by thugs working for Sri Lanka's Minister of Labor Mervyn Silva, after the staff video taped Mr Silva attempting to wreck havoc inside SLRC on 27 December. "Not a single thug who accompanied MP Mervyn Silva has been brought to book. Not a single investigation or disciplinary hearing on MP Mervyn Silva has been conducted," the FMM said in the release.
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Bomb blast in Colombo, 7 wounded

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 February 2008, 01:28 GMT]
An unidentified attacker triggered a bomb killing himself and wounding seven persons, including 3 policemen and two women, when police attempted to enter a room of a 2-storied building Friday morning around 6:30 on Wall's Lane, Aluthmawatte in Kotahena in Colombo, Police said.
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International institutions turn sour to Colombo government

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 February 2008, 13:18 GMT]
The Sri Lankan state, which was gleefully making use of some of the International NGOs and the Colombo based intellectuals associated with them, as long as their activities were serving its interests in weakening the Tamil cause, now frowns at them and seeks for their disintegration. The latest story is the government's hand in the disruptions faced by the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES) in Colombo. According to informed circles, there is a clear message from the Rajapaksa government that it would not tolerate any agenda of the International Community through such NGOs, when it comes to interference with the genocidal programme of the Sri Lankan state.
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Sea travel from KKS to cost more

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 February 2008, 12:22 GMT]
The cost for sea transport by passenger ship from Kankesanturai (KKS) to Trincomalee is to increase from the current rate of Rs.3162.50 to Rs.3300.00 effective Saturday March 01, R.Sivaswamy, Additional Government Agent (AGA), announced in a communiqué issued to the media Tuesday night.
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