Sri Lanka civil liberties ‘already under strain’ – US Ambassador

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 December 2006, 01:09 GMT]
Asked about the salience of a Patriot Act-style law for Sri Lanka, US Ambassador to Colombo, Robert O' Blake, told the state-owned Daily News: “civil liberties, frankly, are already under strain here (in Sri Lanka). So, I wouldn't want to suggest other things that might further imperil them.” He pointed out that the US Patriot Act was operating in tandem with strong respect for civil liberties there. Mr. Blakes’s comments were published in Tuesday’s edition of the Daily News as the Colombo government says it preparing to revive the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) – breaching the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement.
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Sri Lanka Cabinet to review relationship with LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 December 2006, 13:04 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Cabinet meeting scheduled to be held on Wednesday will make crucial decisions regarding the relationship with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the State run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) reported Monday in the afternoon news bulletin quoting Mr.Keheliya Rambukwella, defense ministry spokesman and minister in the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government.


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Norwegian peace envoy meets Hakeem

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 December 2006, 11:22 GMT]
Jon Hansen Bauer, Norwegian peace envoy Monday met with Rauff Hakeem, leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and discussed the current security and political situation in the country. The discussion took place at the official residence of Mr.Rauff Hakeem.
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CFA, buried

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 December 2006, 15:23 GMT]
Head of Sri Lanka's Peace Secretariat, Palitha Kohona, has told the visiting Norwegian Peace Envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer, that the Sri Lankan government was reviewing a proposal of proscribing the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and had asked the Peace Envoy not to undertake his scheduled mission to Kilinochchi until a Government decision on Wednesday, according to media reports in Colombo. Analysts view the move as a step to effectively nullify the already defunct Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) that specifically prohibits all military offensives including aerial bombardment, offensive naval operations, assassinations, suicide missions and the activities by deep penetration units.
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Rajapakse, Wickremasinghe to meet Tuesday

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 December 2006, 10:31 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse and Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), are expected to hold discussions on Tuesday on deteriorating security situation and the prospect of peace process, political sources in Colombo said.


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Widen focus beyond child soldiers to humanitarian issues, Rock tells UN

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 December 2006, 03:47 GMT]
In the wake of his visit to Sri Lanka in November, the Special Envoy of the UN Under Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflicts, Ambassador Allan Rock, has recommended that the United Nations widen its focus from only recruitment and use of child soldiers at present to include the killing of children and the denial of humanitarian access for children. As part of his visit, Ambassador Rock observed the situation facing children in areas under embargo by the Sri Lankan security forces.
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Norwegian peace envoy to visit Kilinochchi Tuesday

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 December 2006, 18:56 GMT]
Norwegian peace envoy, Mr. Jon Hansen Bauer, who has been staying in Colombo since his arrival last Wednesday, is scheduled to visit to Kilinochchi to hold talks with Senior leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), sources in Colombo said.
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Ten SLA soldiers injured in Kantalai traffic accident

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 December 2006, 13:23 GMT]
Ten soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) were injured when two buses carrying troopers collided near Kantalai, along Habarana Kantalai road Thursday afternoon, sources said. Kantalai is located 24 miles off southwest of Trincomalee town.
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SLA trooper injured in sniper attack

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 December 2006, 02:48 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier was seriously injured in a sniper attack inside Vavunathivu camp at 1:30 p.m. Friday, source in Batticaloa said. The injured soldier was taken to Batticaloa Teaching Hospital first and later transferred to Colombo General Hospital, according to hospital sources.
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Court to issue verdict on TRO funds case

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 December 2006, 12:21 GMT]
The Colombo High Court Judge, after receiving the written submissions by the Lawyers representing the Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), and by the Attorney General representing the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, set 11 December 2006 as the next court date when a decision on the Court’s jurisdiction would be conveyed to the parties, legal sources in Colombo said.
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US condemns suicide attack on Sri Lankan defence secretary

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 December 2006, 10:17 GMT]
The US Embassy in Colombo has condemned the suicide attack on Gotabaya Rajapakse, the Sri Lankan defence secretary and brother of SL president.
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Gotabaya Rajapakse narrowly escapes Bomb blast

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 December 2006, 06:41 GMT]
Gotabaya Rajapakse, the Sri Lankan Secretary of Defence and brother of SL President Mahinda Rajapakse, narrowly escaped a bomb blast in Colombo Friday morning. A security guard providing escort to the convoy was killed in the attack. Seven security commandos were among the 14 wounded in the attack, suspected to be a suicide mission, Police said. Lt. Col. (retd.) Gotabaya Rajapakse, who advocates a military solution to the Tamil national problem, was on his way to a defence meeting with Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse when the attack took place.
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Vaharai supplied for two weeks, 33 trucks blocked

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 November 2006, 18:09 GMT]
Additional Government Agent of Batticaloa District, K. Mahesan told media Thursday that 57 of 90 trucks with humanitarian supplies had reached Vaharai Wednesday. No supplies were sent on Thursday. Vaharai region has been supplied for two weeks, according to UN Office of Resident Co-ordinator in Colombo. A total number of 84 trucks had reached Vaharai, according to the UN office. Both the Additional GA and the UN office said 33 trucks had returned to Batticaloa without delivering supplies. The trucks were blocked at Mankerny entry point by the Sri Lanka Army.
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"Cool reception" in Delhi for Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 November 2006, 15:46 GMT]
President Mahinda Rajapakse’s visit to India this week was overshadowed by Tamil Tiger leader Vellupillai Pirapaharan’s Heroes’ Day address declaring a resumption of the struggle for independence. Sri Lankan and other media have made much of Delhi’s call for negotiations to end Sri Lanka’s protracted civil war, suggesting it was a rebuff for the LTTE’s ‘call for Eelam.’ But experienced political journalists saw India focusing on a different set of concerns – that of the hardline Sri Lankan government’s conduct vis-à-vis the Tamil minority.
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New TNA parliamentarian takes oath

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 November 2006, 11:36 GMT]
K.N.Sri Kantha of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) was sworn in as new parliamentarian of the Jaffna district to fill the vacancy created by the assassination of Mr.Nadarajah Raviraj by unidentified gunmen in the heart of Colombo on 10th November, political sources in Colombo said.
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LTTE officials dismiss conflicting press reports

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 November 2006, 07:01 GMT]
Director of LTTE's Peace Secretariat S. Puleedevan and Military Spokesman of the LTTE, Irasaiah Ilanthirayan Thursday jointly dismissed press reports that cited SLMM officials as saying that the Tigers had conveyed a message to Colombo following the policy address by the LTTE leader. "Our National Leader, in his policy address, has clearly explained everything that was needed to be conveyed to Colombo," Mr. Ilanthirayan said. The LTTE leader, Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan, in his policy address on Heroes' Day had accused Colombo for having conducted the funeral rites of the Ceasefire Agreement without tearing it apart.
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SLA truck collides with train at crossing, 5 killed

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 November 2006, 06:41 GMT]
Three policemen, including a woman police constable, and two army troopers were killed and four wounded when a SLA truck packed with soldiers collided with a train as it crossed a railway crossing in Enderamulla, located 12 km northeast of Colombo, in Gampaha district Thursday morning around 6:30, Wattala Police said.
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Norwegian peace envoy arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 November 2006, 03:02 GMT]
Jon Hansen Bauer, Norwegian special peace envoy to Sri Lanka, arrived in Colombo Wednesday night around 11:15 p.m. to attempt to revive peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).


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81 lorries with supplies reach Vaharai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 November 2006, 08:00 GMT]
81 lorries of humanitarian supplies from UN aid agency, International NGOs and local NGOs, facilitated and monitored by the ICRC and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, have crossed the Mankerny Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp into Liberation Tigers controlled Vaharai region in Batticaloa district, held under siege by the SLA. However, food supplies in more than 44 lorries were blocked by the military alleging a military build up of the Tigers on Forward Defence Line (FDL) using the supply routes of humanitarian delivery. Trincomalee District Political Head of the LTTE, S. Elilan, when contacted by TamilNet, denied the SLA claim and said that the SLMM was provided access to verify such claims.
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SLA strengthens security measures in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 November 2006, 01:25 GMT]
Key Sri Lanka Army (SLA) commanding officers were said to have visited Palaly Military base Tuesday morning, as SLA resumed reinforcing security arrangements in Jaffna peninsula, sources in Jaffna said.


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