IPI condemns blocking of Jaffna newspaper distribution

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 October 2008, 13:50 GMT]
The Press Institute (IPI), a Vienna-based media watchdog, expressed deep concern on the harassment of journalists of Jaffna daily Uthayan and interference with the distribution of the Uthayan newspaper by "members of the paramilitary groups linked to the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP)," in a letter sent to Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse Thursday.
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Karuna faction overruns Pillayan's office

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 October 2008, 11:42 GMT]
The faction of the TMVP paramilitary, led by Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, alias Karuna, who was recently nominated by the Rajapaksa government as a national list MP, has overrun the main office of Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, who was installed as the Chief Minister of the Eastern Provice by Mr. Rajapaksa. The attack on 'Meenakam office' in Koavinthan Road in Batticaloa city took place Friday around 12:30 p.m., initial reports said. Meanwhile, informed sources in Colombo said Pillayan was hurriedly escorted to Colombo by Rajapaksa's government and a meeting was arranged with Karuna.
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JVP files court action against Karuna's nomination as UPFA MP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 October 2008, 19:32 GMT]
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Sinhala nationalist party, Tuesday filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking annulment of the gazette notification issued by the Commissioner of Elections nominating Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna, a renegade Tiger commander who turned leader of a paramilitary group operated by the Sri Lanka Army in Batticaloa and Ampaa'rai as a nationalist parliamentarian from the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) to the seat that fell vacant due to the resignation of a JVP parliamentarian Vasantha Samarasinghe, legal sources said.
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UPFA to appoint Karuna as national list parliamentarian

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 October 2008, 11:21 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, following the advice by his brother and SL Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, has approved a suggestion to appoint Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, alias Karuna, a renegade Tiger commander who turned leader of a paramilitary group operated by the Sri Lanka Army in Batticaloa and Ampaa'rai, as national list parliamentarian of the UPFA, informed sources in Colombo said.
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Bomb blast in TMVP operative's office in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 October 2008, 19:38 GMT]
Amid unconfirmed reports of a key paramilitary operative, Pradeep master, a close associate of Pillayan, joined Karuna, a bomb exploded inside the premises of the operative's office at Vanthaa'rumoolai Uppoadai in Batticaloa district, Thursday morning around 6:30 a.m., causing serious injuries to a paramilitary person.
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TMVP person shot dead, one injured in Ea'raavoor

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 October 2008, 19:06 GMT]
Unidentified armed men on motorcycle opened fire Thursday around 5:45 p.m on two Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) paramilitary personnel who were riding in a motorcycle on Batticaloa-Vaazhaichcheanai main road in Ea'raavoor in the Batticaloa district, killing one and seriously wounding the other, police said.
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Karuna seeks Devananda's support for comeback

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 October 2008, 11:02 GMT]
Amid reports of a renewed infighting among the factionalised TMVP paramilitary in the East, Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, alias Karuna, a former Tiger commander who turned leader of the paramilitary group operated by the Sri Lanka Army, Wednesday met the EPDP paramilitary leader and Sri Lankan Minister Douglas Devananda, seeking the latter's support to strengthen his position in the East, which is under the grip of the UPFA-installed chief minister and paramilitary leader, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, who was a former confidante of Karuna.
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TNA condemns grenade attack on Tamil MP's house in Ampaa'rai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 October 2008, 12:32 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA), in a report released Wednesday, condemned the grenade attack on TNA Ampaa'rai district parliamentarian Chandra Nehru Chandrakanthan's house in Thirukkoayil Tuesday, and accused Sri Lanka government of using paramilitary operative Iniyabarathi to prevent TNA parliamentarians of Eastern Province from fulfilling their responsibilities to the constituents. Paramilitary opertive Iniyabarathi functions as Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa's Ampaa'rai district coordinator.
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Grenade attack wounds 21 Muslims in Kaaththaankudi, 7 children among the victims

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 September 2008, 14:34 GMT]
Unknown attackers riding in a motorbike lobbed a grenade near Jain Maulana mosque in Kaaththaankudi town Monday around 6:25 p.m., wounding 21 Muslim civilians. Five of the victims are children, according to initial reports. The attack has targeted Muslims on their way to evening prayers. Tension prevails in the town as elements of factionalised TMVP paramilitary and armed elements among the Muslims have been inciting violence between the Tamil and Muslim communities, sources in Batticaloa said.
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Tigers claim raid on joint paramilitary, military mini-camp in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 September 2008, 11:32 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) officials in the East claimed Sunday that six Sri Lankan military and paramilitary personnel were killed in a raid carried out by a commando unit of the Tigers on a joint military and paramilitary camp at Thikiliveddai, north of Batticaloa at 2:15 a.m. Sunday. The mini-camp was brought under LTTE control within 15 minutes after they launched the raid, the Tigers said claiming that they seized a Light Machine Gun, five assault rifles and ammunitions. Meanwhile, medical sources at Chengkaladi hospital said one of the wounded TMVP personnel rushed to hospital succumbed to his injuries and that eight wounded were received at the hospital after the raid.
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Paramilitary attacked in Batticaloa, 1 killed, 7 wounded

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 September 2008, 05:31 GMT]
Unknown attackers raided a paramilitary installation of the TMVP Pillayan group at Thikiliveddai, north of Batticaloa in the early hours of Sunday, killing one and wounding seven. The wounded were rushed to Batticaloa hospital, Police said.
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US Ambassador says 'honoured' to meet paramilitary leader

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 September 2008, 05:23 GMT]
US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Robert O' Blake says he was honoured to meet the leader of the Army-backed paramilitary group TMVP (Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal) which Human Rights Watch has condemend for widespread human rights abuses in the eastern province - of which Pillayan was appointed chief minister. Mr. Blake said he is "pleased that [Pillayan] assured me he too is committed to demobilizing the paramilitaries" the Sunday Times reported. The same column in the paper reported that TMVP cadres are once again being used to support the Sri Lankan security forces' counter-insurgency in the east.
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Bomb explodes in TMVP office in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 September 2008, 07:22 GMT]
A bomb went off in the office of TMVP paramilitary-cum-political party, located along Nalliah Road inside the high security area of Batticaloa police division around 11:15 a.m. No one was wounded in the explosion.
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SL Police detain 10 civilians in Batticaloa after slaying of TMVP operative

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 September 2008, 19:05 GMT]
Sri Lankan forces and TMVP paramilitary men on Saturday detained 10 Tamil civilians in a cordon and search operation jointly conducted by them in Tha'lavaay area, after a TMVP operative was slain Friday night at the office of TMVP at Tha'lavaay.
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TMVP office attacked in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 September 2008, 10:26 GMT]
Attackers who arrived in a motorbike Saturday night around 8:30 p.m., lobbed a grenade on the office of paramilitary-cum-political party TMVP, located along Bagalow Road in Periyakallaa'ru. The attackers escaped from the site where a police post is situated 50 meters close to the TMVP office. Four persons who were inside the office narrowly escaped unhurt, Police said.
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Grenade attack on UNP candidate's residence in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 September 2008, 09:02 GMT]
Unidentified attackers lobbed a grenade into the house of a Tamil candidate of the United National Party (UNP) for the second time, Kalkudaa police said. The UNP member, Jehan Arumugam, 27, said he has been threatening telephone calls from the TMVP paramilitary from May, 2008, when Eastern provincial council elections were held. The attack on Saturday took place around 11:00 p.m. No body was injured.
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TMVP operative shot dead in Ea'raavoor

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 September 2008, 08:25 GMT]
Two men armed with hand guns entered an office of TMVP, shot and killed a paramilitary operative, said to be the coordinator of TMVP in Tha'lavaay in Ea'raavoor of Batticaloa district, Friday around 8:45 p.m. One person was rushed to hospital with injuries.
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Sri Lankan forces arrest 12 Tamils in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 September 2008, 18:34 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA), Special Task Force (STF) and the Sri Lankan police arrested Thursday 12 civilians in a joint cordon and search operation from 5:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. in Kalladi, Uppoadai, Nochchimunai and Naavatkudaa areas in Batticaloa police division. Paramilitary Razeek group personnel were deployed by the SLA during the search operation, residents said.
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Building contractor shot dead in the islets of Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 September 2008, 07:45 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen alleged to be Tamil paramilitary persons following a building contrator on motor cycle shot and killed him Saturday around 5:30 p.m at Charava'nai Kaa'li Koayiladi in Veala’nai, in the islets of Jaffna, sources in Oorkaavattu’rai (Kayts) said. The victim’s two brothers who had been combatants in militant groups had died in the past, the sources added.
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Unemployed graduates commence fasting campaign in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 September 2008, 04:57 GMT]
A fast-to-death campaign organized by the Association of Graduates of Eastern Province (AGEP), the third such campaign within the past three months, commenced Thursday morning outside Batticaloa district Zonal Education office, sources in Batticaloa said.
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