Madu Shrine premises comes under shelling: Priest

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 April 2008, 10:24 GMT]
Shells were exploding near the Shrine of Our Lady of Madu as Sri Lanka Army (SLA) continued to fire shells from Periya Pa'ndivirichchaan and Chinna Pa'ndivirichchaan areas since noon Wednesday, one of the priests staying in the Church told TamilNet when contacted over the phone Thursday. The shelling ceased only for two hours from 3:30 a.m. till 5:30 a.m. Thursday. "If you manage to look outside from here, you only see smoke and dust in the atmosphere amid deafening noise," he said.
Full story >>

British parliamentary delegation visits Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 April 2008, 01:26 GMT]
A team of parliamentarians arriving from Britain paid a visit to Batticaloa Wednesday afternoon. During their brief visit to Batticaloa, the British MPs individually met various officials including Sundaram Arumainayagam, the District Secretary (DS) and also had discussions with delegates from various religious groups.
Full story >>

LTTE, SLA exchange artillery fire in Thenmaraadchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 April 2008, 17:51 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam exchanged heavy artillery fire along forward defence lines of the Thenmaraadchi sector on the Jaffna peninsula, Wednesday evening, civilian sources in the area said.
Full story >>

2 Sinhalese shot dead in Vilpattu sanctuary

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 April 2008, 15:41 GMT]
Two members of a Sinhala family were shot dead inside the Vilpattu wild life sanctuary when they went to cut firewood on Wednesday afternoon around 12.30 p.m by unidentified persons, media sources reported quoting Sri Lankan Army (SLA) spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakara.
Full story >>

SLA fired shells, rounds hit Madu Shrine premises - LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 April 2008, 15:24 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has launched sporadic offensive pushes from Pa'ndivirichchaan targeting Madu on Tuesday and Wednesday, LTTE's Operations Command in Mannaar told media in Vanni. Meanwhile, LTTE's Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan told TamilNet that the SLA-fired artillery and mortar shells exploded inside the mess of the Madu shrines premises, in the vicinity of the well and on priests' quarters. All civilians, except the priests, have vacated the premises. LTTE has lost one fighter while facing the offensive initiated by the SLA, 1.5 km away from the Madu premises. The Tigers said 15 SLA soldiers were killed in two days in Pa'ndivirichchaan and 10 near Giant's Tank on Wednesday.
Full story >>

Eastern PC election, another step in Sinhalasisation of East - TNA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 April 2008, 05:32 GMT]
The Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who has projected himself as an "ultra Sinhala nationalist leader" in all his decisions since taking office in 2005, was going ahead with his agenda of Sinhalasising the Eastern sector of the North-East, the historical habitation of Tamil speaking people, in the guise of development, splitting it into High Security Zones, Industrial Zones and Environmental Zones, after de-merging the North-East, in violation of the Indo-Lanka International Treaty, said R. Sampanthan, the leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentary Group, who issued a statement of principles on Wednesday, clarifying the reasons for boycotting the Eastern PC elections.
Full story >>

15 SLA killed, heavy fighting in Mannaar - LTTE

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 April 2008, 17:20 GMT]
Heavy fighting ensued between the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam and the Sri Lanka Army Tuesday from 5:30 a.m. till 11:00 a.m. when the SLA stationed in Iththikka'ndal attempted to break into LTTE held territory in Ka'rukkaayk-ku'lam with Tanks and heavy artillery barrage and mortar attacks. 15 SLA soldiers were killed and 25 wounded, LTTE's Operations Command in Mannaar told media in Vanni.
Full story >>

4 SLA soldiers die, 59 wounded, lightning strikes SLA garrison

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 April 2008, 16:43 GMT]
Four soldiers of the Sri Lanka army were killed when lightning struck a group of soldiers when they were engaged in physical exercise in Minneriya garrison Tuesday evening around 5:30 p.m. 59 soldiers were injured, Brigadier Udaya Nanayakara, military spokesman told media.
Full story >>

UNICEF Child Protection team visits Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 April 2008, 15:31 GMT]
UNICEF Child Protection Project residential representative in Colombo paid a visit to Jaffna Tuesday to learn first hand of the conditions of the children and mothers placed in the protective custody in Kurunakar Rehabiltation Centre due to death threats by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops and SLA-backed paramilitaries, sources in Jaffna said. The representative met Jaffna Magistrate R. T. Vicknarajah and explored ways to attend to the needs of the children placed in protective custody.
Full story >>

12 civilians including 8 Muslims injured in SLA assault in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 April 2008, 15:00 GMT]
More than twelve civilians including 8 Muslims sustained injuries in an indiscriminate attack by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops Monday around 7:30 p.m in Jaffna town and its neighbouring areas, sources in Jaffna said. Armed men in military uniform had tried to rob a house Five Junction area, and SLA troops who rushed to the scene, went on a rampage assaulting civilians along the way, witnesses said. The injured were admitted for treatment in Jaffna Teaching Hospital Monday night.
Full story >>

UN supervised two-states to avoid possible genocide – Peter Schalk

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 April 2008, 11:23 GMT]
A realistic analysis – considering both sides’ unsuccessful negotiations for decades – should end up in a recommendation for a two state solution enforced by UN forces, the sooner the better, facing a possible genocide, said Professor Peter Schalk in a paper presented at a Seminar on Sri Lanka, in London in March. A Humanitarian Military intervention should focus first on the victims by using deterrence and compellence against the Lankan forces and defence of the Tamil speakers, and then – if necessary focus on the perpetrator by defeating him through military offence. In East Timor many thousands of lives were saved through humanitarian military intervention, he concluded in his paper.
Full story >>

Rajapaksa appoints Acting Secretary for Sri Lankan parliament

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 March 2008, 17:54 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday appointed Dhammika Kitulgoda as the acting Secretary General of the Sri Lanka parliament which fell vacant with the retirement of Mrs. Priyani Wijesekara with effect from March 31 amid protest by the main opposition United National Party (UNP) that it would disrupt the proceedings of the parliament continuously if the post was not filled by the Constitutional Council appointed under the 17th amendment to the SL constitution, parliamentary sources said.
Full story >>

Not possible to remain mute spectators: Ramadoss to Indian PM

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 March 2008, 09:16 GMT]
Labelling Sri Lanka "a failed state, a condominium of anarchy, and a shame on humanity" that "terrorized its own Tamil citizens," Dr. S. Ramadoss, leader of Paaddaa'li Makka'l Kadchi (PMK, Toilers' Party) and a constituent ally of the Congress-led Indian government, said that it was not possible to remain "passing by-standers to this human tragedy at our doorstep" in his letter to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday. "The sixty million Tamils in India cannot wait and watch while their sisters and brothers are being decimated across the Palk Straits and Gulf of Mannar," he said.
Full story >>

SLA intensifies cordon, search operation in Jaffna peninsula

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 March 2008, 16:01 GMT]
Several hundred Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops were deployed in a large scale cordon and search operation launched Saturday early morning in Karaveddi area in Vadamaraadchi herding all people irrespective of age or gender into temples and schools for interrogation, sources in Jaffna said. The SLA troops confiscated the National Identity Cards (NIC) of several youths and young women, and directed them to collect their NICs in the SLA camp, the sources added.
Full story >>

LTTE, SLA clash in Paalamoaddai, Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 March 2008, 14:48 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Operations Command in Vavuniyaa told media Saturday that a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) attempt to break into LTTE territory in Paalamoaddai, launched at 4:15 p.m. was thwarted after a confrontation that lasted for 40 minutes.
Full story >>

Moneragala Tamil councilor shot dead

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 March 2008, 14:18 GMT]
Unidentified men who arrived in a white van opened fire on the Deputy Chairman of the Moneragala Piratheasa Chapai (Pradeshiya Sabha), Annamalai Narayanan Mutthulingam, 61, an Up-Country Tamil representative around 6:00 p.m. Saturday, Police said. He succumbed to injuries at Moneragala hospital. A fellow Up-Country Tamil politician described the slaying as part of a prolonged and 'camouflaged campaign of communal violence' against Tamils.
Full story >>

7 more inmates surrender to SLA in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 March 2008, 18:52 GMT]
Seven men held in protective custody in Jaffna prison have surrendered to Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and been placed in the newly opened SLA Rehabilitation Centre at Thellippa’alai, a SLA media report issued Friday said. 47 persons had earlier been placed in the Rehabilitation Centre,
Full story >>

SLA moves weapons, explosives to Northern FDLs

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 March 2008, 17:44 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) transported heavy weapons and explosives in large quantities from Kaangkeasanththu’rai (KKS) harbour to its Northern Front Defence Line (FDL) areas in Ki’laali, Mukamaalai, Nakarkoayil and the islets of Jaffna, Thursday and Friday, sources from Jaffna said.
Full story >>

SLA trooper electrocuted by high tension fence in Thenmaraadchi

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 March 2008, 17:19 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) trooper deployed at the Front Defence Line (FDL) area in Meesaalai North in Thenmaraadchi died Wednesday due to electric shock when he accidentally made physical contact with live electric fence wire, sources in Kodikaamam said.
Full story >>

53% of Sri Lanka's external military training provided by India, TPM protests

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 March 2008, 15:10 GMT]
Addressing the large demonstration of the Tamil Protection Movement (TPM) opposite the Memorial Hall in Chennai Thursday, Viduthalai Chi'ruththaika'l Kadchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party) President Thol. Thirumavalavan, who condemned the Indian government for giving a red carpet welcome to Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, charged that one of the primary objectives of Fonseka 's recent visit was to seek a substantial increase in the number of Sri Lankan forces being trained in India. "There has been a three hundred percentage increase in the number of training slots offered to Sri Lankan armed forces personnel between the year 2006-2007 and 2007-2008," he charged.
Full story >>