Cabinet reshuffle at appropriate time- Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Sunday, 31 December 2006, 15:58 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse said Sunday in Colombo that he will initiate a cabinet reshuffle at an appropriate time when such need arises, political sources in Colombo said.


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Six civilians disappear in Jaffna last week

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 December 2006, 16:14 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers and collaborating paramilitaries have abducted six civilians in the Jaffna district between 24th December, and 30th December according to complaints filed at the Jaffna Human Rights Commission (HRC), civil society sources in Jaffna said. The disappearances and arrests in Jaffna have escalated to alarming proportions in the last few months as part of the counter-insurgency campaign mounted by Colombo on the civilian population in the district, according to rights officials in Jaffna.
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Hindu Congress condemns attack on Verugal Murugan Temple

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 December 2006, 16:07 GMT]
All Ceylon Hindu Congress (ACHC), which has its headquarters in Colombo, has condemned the aerial attack carried out by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Thursday on the historic Sithirivelautha Swami (Murugan) Temple located in Verugal in Eachchilampathu division, south of Trincomalee district.


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Jaffna dailies face closure due to newsprint shortage

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 December 2006, 13:23 GMT]
Acute shortage of newsprint and printing ink in Jaffna may force closure of Tamil dailies, Uthayan, Yarl Thinakural and Valampuri, administrators at the papers' main offices said. After the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) closed A9 in 11 August, no printing material and ink were allowed into Jaffna district, officials added.
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UNP in the dark over NorthEast de-merger

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 December 2006, 14:02 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP), which has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) giving top priority to solve the ethnic conflict, is in dark over the actions currently being taken by the Provincial Governor, Rear Admiral Mohan Wijewickrema, to split the administration of the merged North East into two provinces, Colombo media sources said, quoting UNP General Secretary Mr.Tissa Attanayake.
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UNP to attend next APRC-Wickremasinghe

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 December 2006, 13:14 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) is expected to attend the next meeting of the All Party Representative Committee (APRC), which is scheduled to meet in the second week of January, Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the UNP, said Friday.


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India, Sri Lanka sign agreement on Trinco coal plant

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 December 2006, 10:40 GMT]
The process of site selection for the establishment of the planned coal-fired power plant in Trincomalee is expected to commence in the near future as the Government of India and the Government of Sri Lanka signed an agreement Friday at the Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, according to a press release issued by the Indian High Commission in Colombo.
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De-populating Sampoor

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 December 2006, 23:21 GMT]
Indian state owned National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) is set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Colombo, on Friday, amid protests from Tamil parliamentarians who are voicing concerns that the Coal-Fired Power Plant project in Sampoor has a hidden political agenda to permanently evict Tamils from the Muthur east region. Around 30,000 Tamils were forced to leave the southern Trincomalee region into Vaharai when Sri Lanka military launched a major offensive and captured Sampoor from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in September.
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Tamil Law students protest discrimination in admissions

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 December 2006, 13:18 GMT]
Tamil students who were denied admission to Law College staged a token hunger strike in Colombo outside the Law College on Wednesday morning at 10:00am protesting against discrimination in admission process. Colombo police officials at the scene warned the students that protests were banned inside the High Security Zone, and forcefully removed the students.
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UNP-SLFP MoU under threat- Wickremasinghe

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 December 2006, 12:45 GMT]
Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), Thursday said the smooth implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the United peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government and the UNP, was under threat by forces opposed to a peaceful resolution to the ethnic conflict.


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Sunday Leader editor faces arrest

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 December 2006, 10:46 GMT]
Sri Lankan Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has been instructed by the Defence Ministry to arrest Lasantha Wikramatunga, the editor of the Sunday Leader, who exposed last Sunday a move to build a 500 million rupee bunker at Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse's official residence, editorial staff of the paper said. As the news spread, media personnel in Colombo surrounded the Sunday Leader office Thursday evening.
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Two PLOTE operatives disappear in Puttalam

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 December 2006, 10:02 GMT]
Armed men riding in a van have reportedly abducted two Tamil persons, said to be senior operatives of PLOTE, from a house located at Chenaikudiruppu along Puttalam-Anuradhapura Road Wednesday night, ex-militant sources in Colombo said.
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Five of 19 abductees surrender to Eravur Police

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 December 2006, 14:47 GMT]
Five of the 19 passengers abducted by Karuna paramilitary cadres from the Saravana Travels private bus on its way from Kathankudy to Colombo on December 20 at Korakalimadu in Eravur police division in Batticaloa, escaped Monday evening, and surrendered Tuesday at Eravur police station.


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Ceasefire, dialogue imperative for recovery- Bill Clinton

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 December 2006, 13:09 GMT]
While noting that all must "recognize that peace is critical to any recovery process," Bill Clinton former President of the US, said in an op-ed column in the Tuesday edition of the Washington Post, that "tragically the tsunami has not had a similar impact on reconciliation in Sri Lanka, where the recovery will continue to be hampered until the parties resume a serious dialogue and reestablish ceasefire."
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80% tsunami displaced in NorthEast, still in temporary shelters- TRO

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 December 2006, 12:19 GMT]
"Almost 80% of the Tsunami displaced in some districts of the NorthEast of the island, which sustained 65% of the tsunami destruction and deaths, continue to languish in Temporary Shelter Camps or have been displaced once again due to military offensives, bombing, and shelling," said Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) in its two-year tsunami report, issued in Colombo, Tuesday.
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Tsunami survivors carry 'deep scars' - LTTE

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 December 2006, 07:56 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in a statement issued Monday, marking two year remembrance of the Boxing Day Tsunami disaster, said the assistance to the people devastated by the tsunami has not progressed beyond the temporary shelter-stage in Tamil areas as Colombo scuttled the internationally promoted joint mechanism signed between the parties. Tamils were "deeply hurt" as Colombo continued to find comfort in using the label of a "sovereign" government, the Tigers said.
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Eastern University staff continues boycott

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 December 2006, 14:43 GMT]
The acadamic and non acadamic staff of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka (EUSL) continued their boycott for the 10th concecutive day demanding the release of abducted Vice Chancellor Prof. S. Ravindranath who is believed to be held by the paramilitary Karuna Group in Colombo from 15 December.
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LTTE hands over Jordanian ship's crew to ICRC

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 December 2006, 10:53 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) media spokesman Thaya Master said that the 25 sailors including the Captain of the Jordanian ship, rescued on the LTTE territorial waters off Mullaithivu Saturday, were handed over to ICRC Monday around 10:00 a.m. in Kilinochchi.


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Tamil youth abducted in Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 December 2006, 18:13 GMT]
A Tamil youth, identified as Mayuran, working in a telecommunication center along 37th Lane in Wellawatte, Colombo was abducted by unidentified persons Saturday night.
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SLA curfew subdues festivities in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 December 2006, 16:56 GMT]
Christian parish priests in Jaffna peninsula requested Friday their parish members to observe Christmas and New Year festivities in a quiet manner at their homes with their neighbours because of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) all night curfew imposed on the peninsula and the risks involved. Special Christmas and New Year Church services including mid night Christmas mass celebrating the birth of infant Jesus have been postponed, Christian sources said.
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