Colombo Cover-up

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 January 2008, 02:44 GMT]
James Ross, Legal and Policy Director of New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), in a hard hitting column appearing in the Tuesday edition of the Daily Mirror, said the Sri Lanka government has failed to "seriously investigate and prosecute those responsible for the horrific abuses of the past two years – the unlawful killings, the “disappearances,” the Karuna group’s abduction of children. The cover-up is the government’s determined effort to keep the issue off the international agenda."
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Jaffna University undergrad released in tortured state

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 January 2008, 18:46 GMT]
The final year science undergrad arrested in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) cordon and search operation Thursday from his home in Koanamalay, Koa'ndaavil in Jaffna was brought in a vehicle Sunday midnight and released in a severely tortured state near his home, Jaffna University Student Union (JUSU) sources said. Jaffna University VC confirmed the release of the arrested undergrad.
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SLA, police intensifiy search, checking in Jaffna town

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 January 2008, 14:38 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops and police carried out meticulous checking on passengers and vehicles at the entry points on all roads leading into Jaffna town Monday following the bomb blast Sunday noon in Jaffna town area, killing two youths and injuring two SLA troops, sources in Jaffna said.
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Jaffna VC appeals to SLA to release arrested undergrad

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 January 2008, 14:18 GMT]
The newly appointed Vice-Chancellor of Jaffna University, Prof. N. Shanmugalingan, made urgent request to Sri Lanka Army (SLA) authorities in Jaffna to immediately release Balasubramaniam Mayooran, the final year Science faculty student arrested at his home Thursday in a SLA cordon and search operation, administrations officials of Jaffna campus said. Jaffna University Student Union (JUSU), Science Faculty Student Union and other similar organizations also have appealed to the SLA in Jaffna urging the immediate release of Mayooran, according to student leaders.
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Colombo removing witnesses to impending carnage- Gajendrakumar

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 January 2008, 00:24 GMT]
Colombo abrogated the CFA to remove the presence of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) which was instrumental in exposing rights violations by all sides. "Government will want to rid the Northeast of any witnesses of the carnage that it intends to unveil on the Tamil people in the name of safeguarding the Sovereignty of the State," said Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam in an interview to TamilNet this week. He added that anti-Tamil actions by Rajapakse Government are taking place under the full glare of the International Community which is able to only make verbal condemnations, but remains largely ineffective to reign in on Colombo on the rights abuses.
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Jaffna GSs released after interrogation in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 January 2008, 00:02 GMT]
Eleven Grama Sevaka (GS) Village Officers, from GS divisions in Vadamaraadchi, Thenmaraadchi, Valikaamam and the islets in Jaffna peninsula, flown to Colombo on New Year Day to Police Crime Branch (PCB) Interrogation centre ‘Fourth Floor’ by PCB officials, returned to Jaffna Sunday morning after being interrogated by Crime Branch officials in Colombo, sources in Jaffna said.
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198 Tamil youths arrested in cordon, search in Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 January 2008, 20:05 GMT]
198 Tamil youths were arrested in Colombo and suburbs during a large scale cordon and search operation conducted by the Sri Lanka armed forces Sunday, Senior Inspector General of Police M.K.Ilangakone said. The arrested included several young women.
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Vanni pays homage to Col. Charles

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 January 2008, 17:08 GMT]
Hundreds of Tamils paid homage Sunday at Puthukkudyrippu in Vanni to the remains of Col. Charles, Head of Liberation Tigers Military Intelligence, killed Saturday evening in a random Claymore attack by Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit in Pa'l'lamadu in Mannaar, sources in Vanni said. Col. Soosai, Liberation Tigers special commander of the Sea Tigers paid tribute to Col Charles at the event held Sunday around 4:00 p.m in the Heroes Cemetary Hall in Puthukkudiyiruppu, presided by C. Ilamparithi, Puthukkudyiruppu region Political Head of LTTE.
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SLA fortifies key positions in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 January 2008, 14:36 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops, deployed in large numbers, are constructing new and permanent sentry points along key roads in Jaffna peninsula since Friday. With the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) ending on January 16, SLA in Jaffna, fearing attacks by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), is strengthening security arrangements in the sentry posts and camps, sources in Jaffna said.
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Bomb blast kills 2 youths, injures 2 SLA troops in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 January 2008, 14:01 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) sources in Jaffna claimed that two youths caught in a cordon and search in Navaanththu’rai area Sunday around 12.30 p,m activated bombs killing themselves while seriously injuring two of their troops. Eyewitnesses from the area said that the two youths were seen going towards the beach when the blast occurred. Jaffna magistrate R. T. Vignarajah visited the scene of the blast Sunday evening and conducted inquiries.
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SLA casualties feared in Jaffna grenade attack

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 January 2008, 13:39 GMT]
Unknown gunmen riding in a motorbike hurled hand grenades into a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) sentry point located along Jaffna-Maanipaay road, in Kottadi-Naavaanthurai area within Jaffna Municipal limits, at 12:30 noon Sunday, sources from Jaffna said. Although sources said there were casualties and injuries to SLA troopers manning the sentry, Palali military high command has not officially released any details of the attack.
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2 SLA killed in Mukamaalai - LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 January 2008, 07:58 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army soldiers were killed and many wounded when Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) mounted a surprise attack on identified SLA Forward Defence Line positions in Mukamaalai around 8:00 a.m. Sunday, according to LTTE's Northern Front Operations Command.
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Meritorious A/L performance brings cheer to Jaffna parents

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 January 2008, 22:47 GMT]
The performance of students from Jaffna in the General Certificate of Education (Advanced Level) Examination released Friday has brought cheer to the parents, Northern Province education department sources said. Jaffna students, while obtaining first places in the Tamil medium in Math and Biological Sciences, students have also performed competitively in all-island ranking, with a students getting 3rd and 5th places in Mathematics.
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Indian PM's participation in SL independence day not fixed

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 January 2008, 17:12 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogolloagama had to hastily retract on Friday his earlier claim that Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will participate in the 60th Independence Day celebrations of Sri Lanka on February 4, 2008. A few weeks ago, Mr. Bogollagama told Parliament that Sri Lanka had invited Dr. Manmohan Singh to be the chief guest of the independence day function. The information that the dates of Manmohan Singh's proposed visit to Colombo have not been finalized was revealed a day after Bogollagama called the Indian High Commissioner Alok Prasad to inform him about GoSL's decision to abrogate the almost six-year old CFA agreement with the LTTE, informed sources said.
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No military solution: Indian External Affairs Minister

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 January 2008, 13:00 GMT]
Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee ruled out any military solution to the Sri Lankan problem two days after the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) formally scrapped the five-year ceasefire with the LTTE. Mr Mukherjee stressed that the solution to the island nation's problem "had to be found through dialogue and discussion" and called upon the Lankan government to address the problem by "fulfilling the legitimate aspirations of the ethnic groups."
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Kārai-tīvu/ Kārainakar, Marukkāraṅ-kuḷam, Ceṅ-kārai, Kara-gaha-vala

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 January 2008, 00:06 GMT]
The island of Kārai shrubs

The tank or pond of Marukkārai shrubs/ trees

The (place of) Ceṅkārai shrubs

The jungle or thicket of Kara shrubs
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Nordic countries regret Colombo's decision to abrogate CFA

[TamilNet, Friday, 04 January 2008, 17:58 GMT]
Foreign Ministers from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland, the Nordic countries that took part in the formation of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, issued a joint statement on Friday, stating that the withdrawal of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission from Sri Lanka would mean the end of an important mechanism that protected civilians and which gave a voice to the victims and their families. "The termination of the Ceasefire Agreement will only make it more difficult to find a way back to the negotiating table," the Foreign Ministers of the Nordic countries said in their joint statement regretting the unilateral decision by the GoSL to abrogate the ceasefire.
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10 passengers injured in accident in Kaarainakar

[TamilNet, Friday, 04 January 2008, 17:34 GMT]
A bus carrying passengers from Kaarainakar to Jaffna Friday around 8:30 a.m, slipped off Ponnaalai bridge road that was submerged in floods, causing serious injuries to two of the passengers and minor injuries to several others, sources in Jaffna said. The passengers in the bus were mostly relatives and well wishers of the assassinated Tamil parliamentarian T. Maheswaran, who were returning to their places after attending events Thursday in Maheswaran's home town Kaarainakar.
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13 Tsunami survivors wounded in SLAF air strike in Mullaiththeevu

[TamilNet, Friday, 04 January 2008, 13:53 GMT]
13 civilians, 7 of the victims children below 15-years, were wounded Friday evening when Sri Lanka Air Force fighter jets bombed and fired rockets targeting a tsunami resettled civilian settlement at Uduppukku'lam in A'lampil in Mullaiththeevu at 4:30 p.m. 11 houses have sustained heavy damage in the air attack. The children were playing at Uduppukku'lam playground while adults were gathered at a Kaa'li temple for a Pongkal poojaa.
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Maheswaran’s remains cremated in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 January 2008, 18:58 GMT]
United National Party (UNP) parliamentarians took over the casket containing Maheswaran’s remains from his family Thursday around 2:30 p.m. at his residence in Wellawatte and the cortege, and the funeral procession went along Galle Road and several areas in Colombo to reach Kanaththai cremation grounds in Borella. Homage was paid to the Tamil parliamentarian, who was assassinated while worshiping in Colombo Ponnampala Vaa'neasvarar temple on New Year Day, before the body was cremated.
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