SLN vessel sunk, 7 killed in Mannar seas - LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 April 2007, 07:09 GMT]
Seven Sri Lanka Navy personnel were killed and a SLN gunboat was sunk after a naval clash when three Sri Lankan gunboats blocked a Sea Tiger patrol in Mannar waters at 11:15 a.m. Friday, Liberation Tigers Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan said. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Navy in Colombo claimed to have sunk a LTTE boat and said one of the SLN Inshore Patrol Crafts was slightly damaged and a sailor had sustained small injuries.
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US envoy meets JVP leader

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 April 2007, 20:26 GMT]
Ambassador Robert O Blake, US envoy in Sri Lanka, Thursday met with Mr.Somawanse Amerasinghe, leader of the Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and discussed on the current security and political situation in Sri Lanka. The discussion was held at the US embassy in Colombo, media sources said.


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SL parliament begins debate on extending State of Emergency

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 April 2007, 09:53 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake Thursday morning tabled a motion seeking its approval for the extension of the State of Emergency for another month. Speaking on the motion Mr.Joseph Michael Perera, chief Whip of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) announced that his party has decided abstain from voting when the Speaker called for division, parliamentary sources said.


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Four Sinhala farmers shot dead in Polonnaruwa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 April 2007, 08:36 GMT]
Unidentified attackers shot and killed four Sinhalese paddy farmers at Nidanwala in Dimbulagala divisional secretariat in Polonnaruwa District Thursday around 9:30 a.m., Police in Aralaganwila said.
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2 killed, 4 wounded in SLAF airstrike in Mullaiththeevu

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 April 2007, 10:34 GMT]
Two civilian passengers were killed and four wounded on Kaivaeli - Puthukkudiyir'uppu Road in Mullaiththeevu district when Sri Lanka Air Force Kfir jets bombed the area Wednesday around 1:00 p.m., LTTE officials in Kilinochchi said. NGO office of the White Pigeon Prosthesis Institute in Puthukkudiyir'uppu was damaged in the aerial attack, the sources added. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan military sources in Colombo claimed that they had attacked a Sea Tiger base in Mullaiththeevu.
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Amnesty’s Sri Lanka campaign on a sticky wicket

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 April 2007, 01:04 GMT]
Amnesty International’s efforts to build support for international monitoring of human rights abuses in Sri Lanka using the topical theme of cricket drew the fury of the Colombo government this week and, in a rare moment of southern solidarity, the main opposition UNP party joined the Sinhala hardline JVP and the ruling SLFP in denouncing the group’s move.
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Panchayat Raj brought back in Rajapakse deliberations

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 April 2007, 16:38 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa, while on his visit to the 14th SAARC Summit being held at New Delhi had discussions with Mr. Mani Shanakar Ayyar, Indian Central Government Minister on Panchayat Raj system Sunday at the Maurya Sheraton Hotel in New Delhi, a press release from the Presidential office said. In October 2006, when the inclusion of the Indian third tier administrative model was first brought up and touted as “ray of hope” to solve Sri Lanka’s “domestic problems,” Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian dismissed the concept saying "It is foolish to think Panchayat scheme will satisfy Tamil people."
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Colombo battles to sidestep Human Rights focus - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 April 2007, 15:58 GMT]
The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) is trying to sidestep International Community's focus on Colombo's worst record of human rights abuses and institutionalized impunity for crimes against the Tamil people, by attempting to use the forum of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit against Tamil people's right to defend themselves, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Political Head S.P. Thamilchelvan told TamilNet when asked to comment on Colombo's focus shift to LTTE's air capability, prior to the 14th SAARC Summit in New Delhi.
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Remove fishing restrictions in Kaluvankerny sea- MP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 April 2007, 14:30 GMT]
"Kaluvankerny Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Thursday directive restricting fishing on Kaluvankerny sea area between 6:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m severely hampers fishermen from earning their livelihood. This restriction should be immediately lifted," Ms. K. Thankeswary, Batticaloa district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian said in an urgent appeal to Batticaloa SLA Civil Administrator, Colombo, Batticaloa officials the Ministry of Fisheries and Baticaloa Government Agent, Tuesday.
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7 Tamil civilians arrested in Kohuwela

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 April 2007, 11:01 GMT]
The Dehiwela Police and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers arrested seven plantation Tamils including two women in a sudden cordon and search operation conducted Sunday night at Kohuwela area, a suburb of Colombo. All of the arrested are natives of Nuwara Eliya and Badulla, according to sources in Colombo.
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Peace talks, only path to resolve ethnic conflict-Wickremasinghe

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 April 2007, 10:53 GMT]
Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) said in parliament Tuesday that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has proved its might with recent air strike on Katunayake air base that it has the capability of attacking any target in the country. He said that the ethnic conflict should be resolved through peace talks and not by military means, parliamentary sources said.
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Tigers condemn Colombo for "disinformation campaign" on civilian killings

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 April 2007, 10:47 GMT]
Liberation Tigers military spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan, talking to media from Kilinochchi charged Colombo for carrying out a "planned disinformation campaign," by accusing the Tigers for attacks on civilian targets while encouraging paramilitary elements to carry out such attacks with the "motive of tarnishing the Tiger image."
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Jaffna NGOs threatened to withhold monthly reports

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 April 2007, 10:38 GMT]
Consortium of non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Jaffna, announced Saturday that they will no longer make public the monthly reports to the media as they have been receivng death threats from unknown persons not to publish the reports, civil society sources in Jaffna said. The NGOs monthly reports, regularly released to the media, describe details of human rights violations including killings and abductions, the impact on escalating prices of goods due to shortage and other matters affecting residents' daily life in Jaffna district.
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Bus bomb kills 16, wounds 27 civilians in Amparai

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 April 2007, 08:43 GMT]
Sixteen civilians including ten women were killed and 27 wounded when a bomb exploded inside a bus at the Sri Lankan military check post at Kondaivedduvaan, as its passengers were getting down to be checked, 4 km west of Amparai town Monday around 12:30 p.m., Police officials in Amparai said. One female police constable and a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) trooper were among those killed.
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US responds to LTTE airstrike

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 April 2007, 08:37 GMT]
Asked for the United States’ reaction to the LTTE airstrike on the military airbase at Katunayake last Monday, the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Robert O’ Blake said: “The LTTE’s successful deployment of an offensive air capability is a matter of great concern.” He told Sri Lanka’s state-owned Daily News: “We do not believe there can be a military solution to this conflict. Rather, both sides should cease hostilities so talks can take place on a negotiated settlement.” He also said that the US “does not perceive a specific threat to our citizens who intend to travel to the tourist areas.”
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SL President leaves to attend SAARC Summit

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 April 2007, 16:27 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse left Colombo Sunday evening to India to attend the fourteenth SAARC summit to be held on April 3, and 4 in New Delhi, sources in Colombo said. Afghanistan is to be given official recognition as the eighth member of the SAARC at this summit. Other seven member-states are India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka.
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UNP to hold first rally against HR violations in Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 April 2007, 11:57 GMT]
The first rally in a series of protest demonstrations to be organized by the main opposition United National Party (UNP) against human rights violations, will be held on April 3 at Grandpass Junction in Colombo, said Mr. Ravi Karunanayake, parliamentarian and UNP Colombo district organizer.


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Katunayake airstrike: human capital, gathered against the odds

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 April 2007, 03:23 GMT]
Asserting that Monday’s airstrike on Katunayake “indicates a quantum leap in the LTTE’s technological base,” Professor Kumar David, an engineering specialist, argues Sunday that “the LTTE’s aviation technology is far behind that of the Sri Lanka Air force..that it has taken the first step is quite telling.” In a op-ed in The Island, he cautions Colombo that the human capital gathered against massive odds by the LTTE renders a military solution unviable. Meanwhile, a columnist in the Tamil Guardian points out the LTTE acquired the know-how and materials for an air force in the harshest international climate for armed movements.
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JVP boycott of APRC helps LTTE- Vitarane

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 April 2007, 00:19 GMT]
Science and Technology Minister Tissa Vitarane, chairman of the All Party Representatives' Committee (APRC) appointed by Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse in June 2006 to work out a political package to find a lasting political solution, said Saturday that the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) is helping the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) by not participating and submitting its political proposals to the APRC to solve the ethnic conflict.


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TNA MP interrogated for 10 hours by SL Terrorism Division

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 March 2007, 17:22 GMT]
M.K. Sivajilingam, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian for Jaffna district, was interrogated by Sri Lanka's Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) for nearly 10 hours starting from 10:00 a.m. Friday in Colombo for alleged links with the Liberation Tigers , TNA sources said.
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