Jaffna passenger aircraft crash lands in Ratmalana

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 December 2007, 11:51 GMT]
A passenger flight with 50 Tamil passengers from Ratmalana airport to Jaffna, unable to land at Palaali due to technical failure, had to fly back to Colombo Thursday morning. But, Ratmalana refused landing permission to the aircraft and diverted it to Katunayake International Airport. The authorities at Katunayaka, fearing it might crash land, asked the pilots of the Expo limited aircraft to return to Ratmalana. The pilots finally managed to safely land the aircraft at Ratmalana airport.
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EU Condemns abductions of parliamentarians' relatives

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 December 2007, 11:14 GMT]
Following reports of abductions of two relatives and a secretary of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians in Batticaloa, by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) operated paramilitary Pillayan Group, the European Union, on Thursday, condemning abductions said it was deeply concerned by disturbing reports of abductions of a number of civilians connected to members of the Sri Lankan parliament. Kidnapping is the behaviour of terrorists and the EU condemns it without reservation, said a press release issued by the British High Commission, acting as local EU Presidency on behalf of Portugal.
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SLA restricts bus services in Mannaar district

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 December 2007, 00:32 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Tuesday instructed the state owned Ceylon Transport Board (CTB) and the private sector bus association not to run daily bus services to other districts after 4.30 p.m. and local services after 5.30 p.m. from Mannaar district. The SLA told the authorities concerned that the restriction has been imposed due to security reason, and the restrictions will be in effect until further notice.
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Nadesan calls for attitudinal shift in rights approach

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 December 2007, 13:17 GMT]
The Government of Sri Lanka remained unperturbed despite severe criticism from U.N representatives who had visited the island and confirmed the large-scale violation of human rights against Tamils, because it continued to receive military and monetary aid from those who actually condemn the human rights violations, charged Liberation Tigers Political Head B. Nadesan, Monday, on the International Human Rights Day. Declaring that the human rights violations by the GoSL in SLA-controlled areas was nothing short of a "systematic genocide of the Tamils," he called upon the International Community to use "severe pressure" against Colombo to put an end to the flagrant violation of human rights.
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Mano Ganesan, first runner-up for U.S. Human Rights Award - US Embassy

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 December 2007, 12:06 GMT]
The leader of Western Province People's Front (WPPF), Member of Parliament and the Convener of the Civil Monitoring Commission on Extra-Judicial killings and Disappearances (CMC), was the first runner-up for U.S. Human Rights Award, the first Freedom Defender's Award, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Embassy in Colombo Tuesday. Mr. Ganesan has been in the forefront of those seeking an end to the abductions, disappearances and extrajudicial killings that afflict Sri Lanka, the U.S. Embassy said adding that he has demonstrated commendable integrity in combating the climate of impunity for human rights violators. The award went to the NGO Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.
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Court orders release of all Tamil detainees

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 December 2007, 04:53 GMT]
The Sri Lanka's Supreme Court Monday directed the Attorney General (AG) to release all 361 Tamil civilians detained in Boosa detention camp on bail immediately. The court further instructed the AG to make arrangement to release all Tamil civilians now in remand on personal bail instead of cash bail, legal sources said.
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UK: LTTE must change its ways, no intervention in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 December 2007, 22:10 GMT]
The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Dominick Chilcott, said Monday that President Mahinda Rajapakse must make an offer acceptable to moderate Tamils because the LTTE would not accept a negotiated solution within a united Sri Lanka. Mr. Chilcott accepted, however, that the President had to be able to “sell the solution” to the majority Sinhalese. The international community has no plans to intervene in Sri Lanka to exercise the responsibility to protect, he further said.
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Media organizations protest on IHR Day in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 December 2007, 16:21 GMT]
Five media movements including Free Media Movement (FMM), Sri Lanka Tamil Journalists Movement and Working Journalists Association staged Monday, International Human Righs (IHR) day, a protest demonstration march from Narahenpittya junction to the Sri Lanka Media Ministry located in Narahenpittiya in Colombo where they handed over a memorandum to a ministry official, sources in Colombo said.
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Paramilitary marches civilians in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 December 2007, 11:43 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) operated paramilitary Pillyan Group Monday noon forced hundreds of civilians from Kathirave'li and Vaakarai areas that were recently captured by the SLA in the East, into government operated buses, taken from depots in Polonnaruwa, Batticaloa and Vaazhaichchenai, to forcibly participate in a march held at Batticaloa city with the protection of SLA, Special Task Force (STF) and the Police. Meanwhile, the federation of non governmental organisations in Batticaloa was instructed by the paramilitary to call its members to march against the lack of humanitarian assistance by the GoSL. But, the motive of the march was changed by the paramilitary at the last moment.
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15,000 deprived of livelihood in Paduvaankarai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 December 2007, 21:27 GMT]
Half of the affected agriculture-dependent families in Batticaloa district are from Paduvaankarai region, where the major cultivable land of the district, is situated. Forced to flee their paddy fields, standing ripe and ready for harvest, the families who returned under the Government of Sri Lanka's (GoSL) resettlement, could only witness the remains of the properties and livestock that had been looted by the Sri Lankan forces. Although four months have elapsed since their resettlement, the GoSL has not provided any assistance to the farmers to resume paddy cultivation.
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Mahinda Rajapaksa leaves for Japan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 December 2007, 09:16 GMT]
After his recent visit to Iran seeking support to his war efforts back home, the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, on Saturday left Colombo on a four-day official visit to Japan to hold bilateral talks with the leaders of Japan. Mr. Rajapaksa is also scheduled to meet the Emperor of Japan, Akihito, the head of the Japanese imperial family, during his stay there, Sri Lankan presidential secretariat sources said. Japan is the largest donor to Sri Lanka.
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3 returning expatriates reported missing from Katunayake

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 December 2007, 16:13 GMT]
Three Tamil men, returning from Saudi Arabia after two years employment, are reported missing after leaving Kattunayake International Airport Sunday, according to a complaint made to P. Rathakrishnan, Deputy minister and Upcountry Peoples’ Front parliamentarian for Colombo district by Mannaar district Peoples’ Association Coordinating Officer, Mohamed Fowmi, civil sources in Mannar said.
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Court allows inquiry into CWC's FR petition against mass arrests

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 December 2007, 12:02 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court Friday granted permission to the Ceylon Workers Congress to proceed with its Fundamental Rights Violation petition against the alleged illegal arrest and detention of thousands of Tamil citizens without valid reason and reasonable suspicion recently carried out in Colombo and its suburbs by the law enforcement authorities.
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CWC files FR petition against mass arrest, detention of Tamils

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 December 2007, 19:43 GMT]
The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) Thursday filed a Fundamental Rights Violation petition in the Supreme Court seeking the court to prevent further arrest and detention of Tamil people without any valid reason and reasonable suspicion. This is the second FR violation petition filed in the Supreme Court against the mass arrest and detention of Tamil residents. The first FR petition was filed Tuesday by the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), sources said.
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Security tightened around Buddha statue in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 December 2007, 10:28 GMT]
The security around the controversial Buddha statue erected close to the Trincomalee bus stand has been strengthened following the bomb attacks in Colombo recently. The road that goes along Buddha statue site has been again closed for traffic, and public movement blocked along the road, due to security reasons, sources said.
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FR petition filed against illegal arrest, detention of Tamils

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 December 2007, 13:30 GMT]
The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) based in Colombo Tuesday filed a Fundamental Rights Violation petition in the Sri Lanka's Supreme Court seeking to prevent Tamil citizens being arrested without any valid reason and reasonable suspicion. The petition has also sought the Supreme Court to formulate a set of guidelines directing the law enforcement authorities in how to deal with the arrest and detention of persons, legal sources said.
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Rights groups condemn "Collective Punishment"

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 December 2007, 16:25 GMT]
Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA), a Colombo-based think-tank, and the Free Media Movement (FMM), a media watch group in Colombo, are considering taking legal action against Sri Lanka authorities for the mass arrest of more than 2000 Tamils in suburbs of Colombo this week, media reports in Colombo said. The arrests were made after the Government of Sri Lanka accused the Liberation Tigers of carrying out the two bomb attacks that killed 21 people and injured more than 40 in Colombo.
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NPC condemns mass arrests in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 December 2007, 14:42 GMT]
"Hundreds of Tamils residing in Colombo have been arrested in a crackdown reminiscent of the attempt to evict temporary Tamil residents from Colombo in June this year," said National Peace Council, a Colombo based peace group, in a press release issued on Monday. "The people who have been arrested include women with children. Some of them are Tamil workers from the central hills who have been living in Colombo for many years. When they are arrested in this manner, they stand to lose their livelihoods for which they do not obtain compensation. Others are people who have left the north and east where they cannot live peacefully and safely due to the war conditions in that part of the country."
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Colombo lacks sincerity in investigating Fr. Jim Brown's disappearance - Jaffna Bishop

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 December 2007, 12:05 GMT]
The Bishop of Jaffna, Rt. Rev. Thomas Saundranayagam, who is on a mission to Vanni, on Sunday said that the manner in which Colombo was handling the investigation on the disappearance of Rev. Fr. Jim Brown, seemed like an eyewash exercise without any sincerity, being conducted to "hoodwink the International Community" into believing that investigation was continuing. "Two weeks ago, a CID officer from Colombo came to meet me. He only knew Sinhala. I was shocked to realize how he could conduct investigations without working knowledge in Tamil and English to collect evidence on the disappearance of Fr. Brown," the Bishop said while briefing media on the prevailing situation in Jaffna.
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Six Tamils arrested in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 December 2007, 10:19 GMT]
Mannaar Police Monday around 7:00 a.m. took six Tamils including two women into custody in the bazaar area of the Mannaar town. Police alleged that the women, being detained in Mannaar police station, were members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE).
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