Shifts in world order alters dynamics of Sri Lanka’s conflict - paper

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 May 2008, 12:14 GMT]
Whether Sri Lanka is or isn’t on the UN Human Rights Council is an irrelevancy as far as international dimensions of the island’s conflict are concerned, the Tamil Guardian newspaper argued this week. “Rather than a ‘universal’ principle, the concept of ‘human rights’ has, in actuality, served mainly as a tool for the West-led international community to (re)order the world,” the paper said. Meanwhile, the rise of new poles in the international system is proving a challenge for the West’s post-Cold War efforts to construct a liberal order, the newspaper said in another recent editorial.
Full story >>

Two Muslim youths abducted in Kalladi, tension prevails in Kaaththaankudi, Aaraiyampathi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 May 2008, 00:19 GMT]
Paramilitary personnel of Pillayan group abducted two Muslim youths Thursday afternoon 1:00 p.m. in Kalladi area, within Batticaloa police division. The victims, residents of Ea’raavoor had gone to Kalladi to pay electricity bills when they were abducted.
Full story >>

Curfew in Kaaththaankudi, Aaraiyampathi lifted

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 May 2008, 13:39 GMT]
The curfew imposed in Kaaththaankudi and Aaraiyampathi areas in Batticaloa district Thursday, following the killings of three Muslims in revenge by paramilitary and the slaying of a key operative of the TMVP Pillayan group, was removed Friday around 6:00 a.m. Tension continues in the areas as final rites of the victims were held in their respective religious cemeteries while all shops, government and private institutions remained closed, sources in Batticaloa said.
Full story >>

Batticaloa Bishop holds meeting to defuse tension

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 May 2008, 21:39 GMT]
A special conference was held Thursday afternoon 5:00 p.m.at the residence of Batticaloa Bishop’s to ease the tension prevailing in Kaaththaankudi, Batticaloa District in the aftermath of Thursday morning shooting incidents in the area that has so far claimed the lives of five men, sources in Batticaloa said.
Full story >>

EPDP member shot in Mannaar bazaar

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 May 2008, 14:59 GMT]
An EPDP member who was distributing the paper of the paramilitary-cum-political party, Thinamurasu, was shot and injured by unknown gunmen in Mannaar Bazaar around 5:30 p.m., police said. Civilians who fled the Bazaar as Sri Lankan forces entered attacking everyone at the place after the shooting incident said three Muslim youths were severely attacked by the military.
Full story >>

Muslims shot dead in revenge by paramilitary after the killing of key operative

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 May 2008, 10:30 GMT]
Following the killing of a key paramilitary operative Shanthan and his associate of the TMVP Pillayan Group in the Muslim town of Kaaththaankudi around 11:40 a.m. Thursday, gunmen from the paramilitary group opened fire on Muslim travelers in the pre-dominant Tamil village Aaraiyampathi, 1.5 km south of the Muslim town, killing three Muslims, Police said. Four persons, including two Sinhalese were wounded. Tension prevails in Kaaththaankudi and Araiyampathi. Sri Lankan police and Special Task Force commandos have been deployed in the area. A local curfew was imposed and additional forces were sent to the border village, Police said.
Full story >>

Five EPDP cadres injured in TMVP attack in Vaazhaichcheanai

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 May 2008, 23:35 GMT]
A group of operatives belonging to the paramilitary-cum-political party, the Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) armed with swords and machetes, attacked and seriously wounded five members of Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) Monday might 9:30p.m. in Vaazhaichcheanai outside the Pentecostal church, sources in Batticaloa said.
Full story >>

Kaaththaankudi shuts down in support of Hizbullah

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 May 2008, 10:29 GMT]
Muslims in Kaaththaankudi on Saturday observed a protest shut down against the decision by the Sri Lanka's president Mahinda Rajapaksa in appointing the chief minister for the Eastern Province. Shops were shut down and mosques remained closed expressing support for M.L.A.M. Hizbullah, the Muslim candidate for the Chief Minister portfolio, despite requests to keep the mosques open for prayers. Meanwhile, at least 8 Muslim persons were attacked by Pillayan group paramilitary personnel, sources in Batticaloa said.
Full story >>

Pillayan sworn in as CM for Eastern Province

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 May 2008, 14:16 GMT]
Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, the de-facto leader of the paramilitary-cum-political party, the TMVP, was sworn in as the Chief Minister for Eastern Province as M.L.A.M Hisbullah, who was competing with Chandrakanthan for the CM post, announced that he and two of his elected associates had decided to function separately. Mr. Hizbullah, who claimed that the swearing-in was unconstitutional boycotted the swearing-in ceremony which took place at the Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat around 6:30 p.m. in front of the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Full story >>

Bomb explosion targets Police bus in Colombo, 10 killed, 95 wounded

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 May 2008, 07:00 GMT]
A motorbike fitted with a bomb rammed into a bus carrying riot control police personnel, few hundred meters away from the Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat, Friday noon, killing 10 persons, 7 policemen and 3 civilians, and injuring 6 Sri Lanka Army soldiers, 30 policemen and 59 civilians. The explosion has taken place on Lotus Road inside the High Security area near the Hilton Hotel. 12 wounded policemen were in critical condition, according to medical sources in Colombo hospital.
Full story >>

Eastern CM swearing-in put off

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 May 2008, 13:02 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President had initially decided to appoint Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillaiyan, the de-facto leader of the paramilitary-cum-political party, the TMVP, as the Chief Minister for Eastern Province, informed sources in Colombo said. However, due to strong objection from Muslim ministers supporting M.L.A.M.Hizbulla for the post, there were discussions on the issue at Temple Trees till late Thursday evening. The swearing-in ceremony scheduled for Friday has been postponed, sources said.
Full story >>

Tamil farmer seeks protection with Jaffna HRC

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 May 2008, 10:19 GMT]
A 33-year-old farmer from Ka'l'liyangkaadu within Jaffna Municipal council area surrendered himself Tuesday at the office of Jaffna Human Rights Commission (HRC) seeking protection complaining that he has been continuously receiving death threats in the past few days. Incidents of extortion from businessmen, building contractors and traders in Jaffna peninsula have been rapidly escalating in the recent months, a spokesman for civil groups said.
Full story >>

Pillayan group harasses TDNF supporters in Ka'luvaagnchikkudi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 May 2008, 09:38 GMT]
A group of Pillayan paramilitary personnel, led by operative Senthooran, in the days following the Eastern Provincial Council elections, entered the houses of the supporters of Tamil Democratic National Allaiance (TDNF), a Tamil alliance consisting ex-militant and paramilitary groups, in Ka'luvaagnchikkudi area, 22 km south of Batticaloa and have attacked the supporters of the TDNF, which had won a single seat in the Batticaloa district.
Full story >>

Maheswari Velayutham shot dead in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 May 2008, 15:23 GMT]
Maheswari Velautham, an advisor of EPDP leader Douglas Devandanda, was shot and killed at her residence at Navi'ndil near Nelliyadi in Vadamaraadchi in Jaffna Tuesday around 6:30 p.m., initial reports from Jaffna said. Ms. Maheswari, whose association with Tamil militancy dates back to late 1970s, narrowly escaped from a group of Tamil prisoners who attacked Mr. Douglas Devananda when he visited Kalutara prison in June 1998 with her. She is a lawyer by profession.
Full story >>

UPFA wins 'rigged' EPC election

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 May 2008, 05:40 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa's ruling UPFA alliance wins the Eastern Provincial Council (EPC) election with 18 seats and 2 bonus seats in the election held on Saturday with widespread rigging. The opposition UNP-SLMC alliance receives 15 seats, 1 seat for the JVP and 1 seat for Tamizh Democratic National Alliance. Meanwhile The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) observed that the Eastern Provincial election, was not at all ‘free and fair’. Despite the rigging, the opposition UNP-SLMC alliance wins the Trincomalee district where it had promised to resettle displaced Tamils in Champoor.
Full story >>

Widespread violence, last-hour ballot stuffing mark elections in East

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 May 2008, 18:40 GMT]
Paramilitary TMVP personnel entered several polling stations in the Tamil areas in Batticaloa and Trincomalee and stuffed the ballot boxes forcefully during the last-hour, before the ballot boxes were removed to counting centers in Batticaloa. Meanwhile, election officials said an average of 60% voter turn-out was registered across the three districts in the East. The polling was high in Sinhalese and Muslim areas while an average of 45-50% votes were registered in Tamil areas. The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) has recorded 64 incidents at 6:00 p.m. Saturday. Majority of major offenses were committed in Batticaloa district, followed by Ampaa'rai (12) and Trincomalee (08).
Full story >>

Tamil business man shot dead in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 May 2008, 03:25 GMT]
Unidentified gun men shot and killed the owner of a popular flower garden and nursery business, located in Kalviyangkaadu within Jaffna Municipal council area, Friday night outside his home, sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Pillayan group on recruitment drive among Paduvaankarai resettlers

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 May 2008, 01:23 GMT]
The paramilitary operatives of Pillayan group are intimidating and threatening recently resettled families in Paduvaankarai in Batticaloa district to allow one member from each family to join the group, residents from the area told TamilNet.
Full story >>

UK: Karuna released, remains under immigration detention powers

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 May 2008, 13:08 GMT]
Vinayagmoorthy Muralitharan, alias Karuna, a former Tiger commander who turned leader of a paramilitary group operated by the Sri Lanka Army in the East, was released by the British authorities on Thursday following his imprisonment for possessing false documents. "He now remains under immigration detention powers," said British High Commission in Colombo, in a press release issued on Friday.
Full story >>

Opposition parties in Sri Lanka fear election malpractice

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 May 2008, 02:12 GMT]
All activities of the political parties and independent groups contesting the Eastern provincial council elections ended Wednesday midnight, the office of Elections Department (ED) announced Thursday. Meanwhile, expressing fear that Colombo was preparing itself for a large-scale election rigging, UNP parliamentarian Laxman Kiriyelle has accused the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry for its alleged involvement in distributing blank polling cards in the East. It is also alleged that nearly 170,000 polling cards remained stagnant in the post offices without being delivered and these were taken away by the paramilitary Pillayan group.
Full story >>