Three Plantation Tamils arrested

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 February 2007, 16:05 GMT]
Several plantation Tamils were taken into custody in cordon and search operations conducted Friday morning by Sri Lanka security forces in Talawakelle, Pundoloya and Lindula in the central province. All were released after their identities were checked except three Tamils who are being detained in police stations and being questioned, sources said.


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SLA strips bare houses in Vaharai, Sampoor - MP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 February 2007, 15:45 GMT]
Batticaloa District Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian S. Jeyanandamoorthy charged Saturday that Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers are dismantling civilians homes and stripping them of furniture and equipments in the recently captured Vaharai area. The internally displaced people (IDPs) who fled Vaharai before the SLA entered the area, have been prevented from entering the area by the soldiers guarding the entry points, the parliamentarian said. Meanwhile, the refugees from Sampoor had complained that the roofs of their houses have also been removed by the SLA.
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20 Tamil detainees on fast unto death campaign in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 February 2007, 14:29 GMT]
Twenty Tamil detainees, taken into custody by the Sri Lankan police and military since 2003 and detained in the Magazine prison in Colombo, are on a fast-unto-death campaign for the fourth day Saturday, urging the Sri Lankan authorities to expedite the investigations against them or release them if there were no charges against them. The health condition of five of the fasting detainees has worsened, according to Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians who visited the prison Saturday.
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15 Tamil civilians released from Boosa camp

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 February 2007, 20:22 GMT]
Fifteen Tamil civilians, majority of them residents of northeast and Colombo, including a woman, were released from Boosa detention camp in the Galle district in the southern province Thursday after about one month detention,
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Marginalisation of CFA compells Tamils to resume freedom struggle - LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 February 2007, 16:54 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, in a statement marking five years since the signing of 22 February 2002 Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) with the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL), said the CFA formulated with the full support of the international community, had transcended the parameters of Sri Lanka’s majoritarian constitution, recognizing Tamil Eelam’s de facto existence and the balance of power between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the LTTE. However, the international community’s insistence on a solution that does not infringe on the "territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka," is deeply frustrating for the Tamil people, the statement said.
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JHU tells JVP: CFA already dead, meaningless to demand abrogation

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 February 2007, 12:42 GMT]
The ceasefire agreement CFA) signed by Ranil Wickremasinghe, the then Prime Minister and Velupillai Pirapaharan, leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) five years ago on 22 February 2002 had already dead with the capture of Mavilaru by the Sri Lankan security forces last year. "Hence there is no point in demanding the government to abrogate the CFA,"said Venerable Omalpe Sobitha Thera, general secretary of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU).
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8 fishermen missing in Kalpity

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 February 2007, 10:37 GMT]
Eight fishermen who left from Kalpity for fishing in their boats Wednesday evening are reported missing. Relatives of the missing fishermen have made complaints to the Kalpity police, sources said.
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Why Rajapakse sibling is acting as FM, asks UNP parliamentarian

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 February 2007, 10:30 GMT]
Ravi Karunanayake, United National Party (UNP) Member of Parliament for Colombo District, addressing the parliament on Wednesday over a motion of adjournment concerning the responsibilities of the Government, said that since the assumption of power by Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse at least 3800 people have been killed, parliamentary sources said. He also questioned why Basil Rajapakse, presidential advisor and brother of the President is assuming Sri Lanka Foreign Minister's functions.
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Abrogate CFA, JVP demands in SL Parliament

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 February 2007, 06:00 GMT]
Pandemonium prevailed in Sri Lanka's parliament Thursday morning when the ultra nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) removed the Mace from Speakers table demanding an immediate answer from the UPFA-government for not having abrogated the Cease Fire Agreement with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam before the agreement completed fifth year Thursday.
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UNP to launch agitation campaign against UPFA government

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 February 2007, 11:20 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) is to hold a special convention in Colombo to formulate a programme to launch a peoples' agitation campaign through out the Sri Lanka. "The leadership of the party has decided to launch this campaign against the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government as UPFA has failed to fulfill its promises and the expectation of the masses," Gayantha Karunatilake, UNP spokesman told media persons in Colombo.
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SLA moves military hardware to Thenmaradchy FDLs

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 February 2007, 03:15 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were seen moving heavy military hardware, including more than fifteen T-54 type tanks and Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) along Point-Pedro Kodikamam road towards Thenmaradchy Forward Defence Lines (FDLs) Monday night, residents in Varani area said. With the fifth year anniversary of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) approaching on 22 Februrary, the increased military movements have further fuelled speculations of renewed war in Jaffna, civil sources in Jaffna said.
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UNP demands SLFP to finalize political proposal

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 February 2007, 22:21 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) Tuesday told the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government to table its political package to solve the ethnic conflict before March 15. "UNP will not participate in the All Party Representatives Committee (APRC) or its advisory panel if the SLFP fails to do so within the time frame," a UNP spokesman told media persons in Colombo.
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Dissident UNP parliamentarians go to court

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 February 2007, 16:00 GMT]
The Colombo District Court Monday issued two enjoining orders restraining Ranil Wickremasinghe and Mr. Tissa Attanayake, leader and general secretary of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) respectively, from taking disciplinary action against the eighteen UNP parliamentarians who have defected to the government side during the first week of February. The inquiry into these petitions was fixed for March 5 .
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30 Tamil civilians arrested in Kandy

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 February 2007, 15:58 GMT]
Thirty Tamil civilians were arrested in Kandy and Teldeniya in the central province Monday morning in a cordon and search operation conducted by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police. Most of the arrested are natives of North East and Colombo. Government security forces on a tip off blocked all roads and searched all vehicles.
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Remove Tissa Vitarane from cabinet- JVP

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 February 2007, 11:51 GMT]
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), marxist, extreme Sinhala nationalist party, said Minister Tissa Vitarane who advocates devolution of power contrary to the provisions in the "Mahinda Chinthanaya" should be removed from the cabinet first if Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse is sincere in preserving law and order, media sources in Colombo said.
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Post office refuses sending food parcels, medicine to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 February 2007, 11:45 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Post Master General (PMG) directed all post offices not to accept parcels containing medicine more than one kilogram or parcels containing food materials addressed to Jaffna district residents until further notice, media sources in Colombo said.
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Ad Hominem

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 February 2007, 00:28 GMT]
Allan Rock, Special Representative for United Nations Committee on Children and Armed Conflict, came under scathing personal attack in Sri Lanka Government controlled media for his report implicating Colombo for complicity in child recruitment. Ad hominem, a fundamental fallacy much detested in the field of rhetoric, and legal and scientific debate, has become a common tool in Sri Lanka Government's arsenal in confronting bad publicity in matters that have drawn negative international attention.
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NPM urges Rajapakse to nullify CFA with LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 February 2007, 18:37 GMT]
The National Patriotic Movement (NPM) Sunday made an urgent appeal to Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse to nullify the ceasefire agreement (CFA) signed by Ranil Wickremasinghe, the then Prime Minister and Velupillai Pirapaharan, leader of LTTE, before the CFA completes five-year period on February 22, sources in Colombo said.
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SL Parliament to meet amid political tension

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 February 2007, 13:12 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament is to meet Tuesday again amid political tension in the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government created by the sacking of three ministers by President Mahinda Rajapakse. Parliament met last time amid tension created by the defection of eighteen parliamentarians from the main opposition United National Party (UNP) to government side, sources said.
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TNA condemns threats against Tamil journalists

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 February 2007, 09:06 GMT]
"We condemn in the strongest terms the killing of the President of Tamil News and Information Centre (TNIC) Mr. Gananathan the very next day an indirect threat to his life was made in the Sri Lanka National Radio on the 31st of January," said a communique issued by Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Friday in Colombo. "We also condemn the unlawful incursion of the Sri Lanka Military Intelligence personnel into the office of the TNIC on the 9th of February and their attempt to seize information and photographs of its Media Coordinator and International Media Coordinator," the communique signed by the parliamentarians said.
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