JVP MPs demonstrate outside British High Commission

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 May 2007, 07:02 GMT]
A group of JVP parliamentarians led by Wimal Weerawansa, the propaganda secretary, with hundreds of supporters and district organizers of Jathika Viumukithi Peramuna (JVP), demonstrated Wednesday afternoon outside the British High Commission in Colombo. The protest voiced opposition for interference by Britain and condemned the debate held in the House of Commons in London regarding the internal affairs of Sri Lanka, sources in Colombo said.
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Ambassador Boucher visits Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 May 2007, 10:15 GMT]
Ambassador Richard Boucher, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Affairs, accompanied by US Ambassador in Colombo Robert O' Blake, arrived in Palaali in Jaffna district around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday by a special flight. Mr. Richard Boucher held discussion with the Sri Lanka army high officials in Palaali military headquarters and at 11:15 a.m. he met with the Jaffna Government Agent K.Ganesh at the latter's office located in the Jaffna district secretariat and discussed about the ground situation in the peninsula. Government officials also attended the discussion.
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Two Tamil youths abducted in Colombo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 May 2007, 10:09 GMT]
In two separate incidents, unidentified men who came in white vans abducted two Tamil youths in Colombo city Tuesday night, according to complaints made by relatives at Wellawatte and Kotahena police stations, sources said. Both youths are natives of Jaffna.
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UK, USA, assuming Policeman role in Sri Lankan affairs - Wimal Weerawanse

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 May 2007, 01:05 GMT]
"Britain and the USA have assumed the role of policemen in the affairs of Sri Lanka," the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) propaganda secretary, Wimal Weerawanse accused at an adjournment debate in Sri Lanka parliament Tuesday, parliamentary sources in Colombo said.
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Ambassador Boucher arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 May 2007, 20:05 GMT]
Ambassador Richard Boucher, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Affairs in the US government arrived in Colombo Tuesday afternoon around 3:00 p.m. on a three day visit to Sri Lanka. US embassy officials in Colombo received him at the Katunayake international airport.
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SL parliament to debate UK moves on ethnic conflict

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 May 2007, 10:58 GMT]
The Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) is to move for a special debate in Sri Lanka's parliament on the appointment of an all-party committee by the House of Commons in United Kingdom to assist in finding a political solution to the island ethnic conflict, parliamentary sources in Colombo said. Earlier the JVP politburo issued a statement condemning the United Kingdom for interfering in Sri Lanka's internal affairs and undermining the sovereignty of Sri Lanka.
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Bomb scare disrupts Colombo Municipal Council work

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 May 2007, 16:10 GMT]
Soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police personnel evacuated all employees of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), and conducted an extensive search of the premises after they received a tip off from an unidentified source that a bomb is about to detonate within the offices, sources in Colombo said.
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Dissidents to rejoin UNP?

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 May 2007, 10:35 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament is to meet Tuesday after Tamil-Sinhala New Year and Wesak celebrations amid speculation in political circles that some dissident parliamentarians of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) are expected to re-join the UNP. The dissidents are expected to cross over to the opposition side during the current session of the parliament, informed political sources in Colombo said.
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Gas shortage looming after LTTE air raid - paper

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 May 2007, 14:27 GMT]
Sri Lanka is facing an imminent gas shortage after last Saturday’s LTTE air raid as the bombs had scored a direct hit on the firefighting unit of the Kerawalapitiya storage complex of Shell Gas Lanka Ltd, forcing the company to shut down the facility, the Sunday Times reported. Shell is the biggest gas supplier in Sri Lanka with an 80 per cent share of the market. Market sources told the paper the other main supplier - and Shell’s arch rival - Laugfs Gas is unable to meet the immediate shortfall even if it steps up its refilling operations.
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Tigers repulse Sri Lankan offensive in Mannar, recover 5 SLA bodies

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 May 2007, 13:41 GMT]
Liberation Tigers recovered 5 dead bodies of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers as more than 300 SLA troopers who advanced into LTTE controlled area in Thampa:nai in Mannar (Ma:n:naar) - Vavu:niya border were repulsed after 10 hours of heavy fighting in the area, LTTE's Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan told media in Ki'linochchi.
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SLFP proposals, an outrageous offer, says Edirisinha

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 May 2007, 12:02 GMT]
Deriding the claim that the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) proposals pave the way for a "lasting and honourable solution to the ethnic issue," Dr.Rohan Edirisinha, head of the Legal and Constitutional Unit of the Colombo-based think-tank Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA), says in an opinion column in Saturday issue of daily mirror that the proposals go back to the failed district council proposals of the 1980s and "are potentially dangerous for democracy, good governance and the existence of independent institutions," and "demonstrates that those responsible for the proposals are completely out of touch with the realities of constitutional reform for conflict resolution."
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35 civilians arrested in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 04 May 2007, 11:29 GMT]
Sri Lankan armed forces Thursday and Friday arrested thirty-five civilians, majority of them Tamils, in cordon and search operations conducted in Wellawatte, and Vaalaithoddam in Colombo city. Five have been remanded on the orders of the Colombo Magistrate and the others are detained in police station and are being interrogated, police sources said.
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Police powers to military threatens democracy - NPC

[TamilNet, Friday, 04 May 2007, 06:16 GMT]
Colombo based National Peace Council, a peace group, Friday said it was "extremely concerned," about SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa's decision, a month ago, about delegating police powers to the military. "There is an urgent need for the government to demonstrate clear political will in regard to law and order processes if it is to retain the confidence of the civilian population that it is not taking the country on a journey to anarchy and to the breakdown of democratic governance," the NPC said. The group said it was apprehensive that this government decision will send wrong signals and lead to an aggravation of the hardships faced by the civilian population.
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UK arms sales to Sri Lanka match tsunami aid

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 May 2007, 16:45 GMT]
Britain licensed £7 million worth of weapons and military equipment for export to Sri Lanka this year alone, it was revealed during a debate in Parliament Wednesday. The sum matches the amount of British aid provided in the wake of December 2004 tsunami. On Thursday the UK government said it was holding back half its £3 million annual aid allocation for this year citing British concerns over human rights in Sri Lanka.
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Tiger planes hit Sri Lanka economy

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 May 2007, 18:12 GMT]
Whilst Sri Lanka’s government has brushed aside the threat posed by the Liberation Tigers’ air attacks, the tourist industry is bracing for further setbacks as airlines pull out and other countries warn citizens to stay away. In addition to tourist arrivals falling further, Colombo’s potential as a passenger transit hub was been stymied, Hindustan Times reported. Defence spending is expected to soar as Colombo defends against the LTTE’s aircraft. Even before the recent raids, ratings agency Fitch had given Sri Lanka a rating of BB- with a negative outlook as the domestic security situation posed risks to economic stability and growth.
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MP urges Media watchdogs to highlight Tamil journalists plight

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 May 2007, 04:47 GMT]
The killing of Jaffna based young Tamil journalist, Selvarajah Rajivarman, shows us clearly that the lives of journalists working in Sri Lanka, especially in Northeast, are in imminent danger. The international media watchdogs should pay special attention to the safety of Tamil journalists, S. Jeyananthamoorthy, one time journalist and a Member of Parliament representing Batticaloa district said in a press communique released Monday.


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SLAF bomber shot over Ira'naimadu

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 April 2007, 11:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force's (SLAF's) aircraft on a bombing raid south of Ira'naimadu in Vannai around 2:45 p.m. spewed large cloud of smoke after a explosion and the jet suspended the bombing raid struggling to maintain height, traders in Kilinochchi who saw the troubled aircraft said. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports from Colombo said a Israeli-built fast attack Kfir which took off from Katunayake Air Force base Monday has failed to return to the base.


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Air Tigers attack 2 targets in Colombo - LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 April 2007, 22:33 GMT]
Two oil storages that supply fuel to Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers were attacked by the Tamileelam Air Force, Tiger Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan told TamilNet. Oil and fuel storages in Kolonnawa and Muththuraajawala were attacked by the TAF at 1:50 a.m. Sunday and at 2:05 a.m. after Sri Lanka Air Force bombers attacked a suburb of Kilinochchi town in Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam administered territory, Mr. Ilanthirayan said adding that the Tiger bombers had safely returned to their airbase in Vanni.
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Colombo in dark following airstrike alarm

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 April 2007, 20:11 GMT]
Power supply was cut off in Colombo at 1:10 a.m. Sunday when the city was watching the Cricket world cup final match. Sri Lanka Air Force personnel opened fire in the air and Sri Lankan armed forces from their positions in Colombo, Ratmalana, Wattala, Negombo, Kolonnawa, Rajagiriya and other suburbs of the city began firing tracer bullets into the air. Chaos and pandemonium prevail in Sri Lanka's capital.
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16 civilians arrested in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 April 2007, 17:57 GMT]
Sixteen civilians, majority of them Tamils, were arrested in a four-hour cordon and search operation conducted in Colombo city by Sri Lanka's security forces Saturday. Twelve of them were taken into custody for alleged involvement in terrorist activities, police sources said.
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