Withdraw Indian defence delegation to SL: Thirumavalavan, Vaiko

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 December 2007, 15:39 GMT]
The Indian Government should revive the stalled peace talks in the island instead of extending defence cooperation to the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL), said Thol. Thirumavalavan, General Secretary of the Tamilnadu-based Viduthalai Chiruthhaika'l Kadchi (VCK, the Liberation Panthers party) during a press meet in Chennai, Monday that was reported in sections of the Indian media. Meanwhile, Vaiko, leader of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) wrote a letter to the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday urging him "to stop forthwith any form of military assistance or guidance to Sri Lanka."
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Floods in Ampaa'rai, Batticaloa displace families

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 December 2007, 14:41 GMT]
8300 families in Chengkaladi, Kiraan in Batticaloa district and Aalayadiveampu area in Ampaa’rai district were forced to leave their homes and seek refuge in schools, after rising floods due to the persisting down pour of monsoon rains threatened to engulf their homes, Batticaloa Additional Government Agent K. Mahesan said.
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5 killed in attack on SLA outpost in Vavuniyaa - LTTE

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 December 2007, 09:54 GMT]
Liberation Tigers on Tuesday said they attacked an outpost of the Sri Lankan forces at Veerapuram in Vavuniyaa at 1:30 a.m., killing five members of the armed forces of Sri Lanka. Tigers have seized a Light Machine Gun (LMG), a 40 mm Grenade Launcher and ammunitons, according to a Tiger military situation report issued to media.
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Elders' Home inaugurated in Ki'linochchi

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 December 2007, 19:36 GMT]
In a simple yet emotionally-charged ceremony of significance, Mathivathani Pirapaharan, wife of LTTE leader Velupillai Pirapaharan, inaugurated the new hostel block of the Anpuchchoalai Elders' Home in Ki'linochchi A'riviyal Nakar this Sunday. In one of her rare public appearances, she cut the ribbon and declared open the new wing of the Elders' Home. The event was well-attended by key Tamil Tiger functionaries.
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Inter-religious summit calls for power-sharing constitutional framework in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 December 2007, 17:06 GMT]
Religious leaders from Sri Lanka and a multi-religious delegation from six countries of the World Conference of Religions for Peace, who met in Jaffna last Wednesday and Thursday, said the decision to make Jaffna the location of the summit was to express solidarity with all those who continue to live in situations of violence and despair due to the conflict. "We saw the massive destruction of infrastructure and housing that occurred in previous phases of fighting, the loss of villages and fertile agricultural lands to High Security Zones, and the fear and insecurity in the lives of the people, especially youth, which is dehumanizing to all those affected."
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Kaithadi body identified as belonging to Red Cross employee

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 December 2007, 11:51 GMT]
One of the two bodies recovered with severe cut wounds in Kaithadi in Thenmaraadchy Sunday was identified as belonging to Point Pedro Head of Sri Lanka Red Cross (SLRC), Mr Sooriyakaanthi Thavarasa, 43, by his wife Monday at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital, hospital sources said.
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SLA collects information on Jaffna Saiva priests

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 December 2007, 00:09 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has begun collecting detailed information about all Saiva priests in Jaffna peninsula effective immediately. In a recent directive issued by SLA high command, all priests in the North have been instructed to report at the nearest SLA camp and provide personal details, and details of their family members, civil sources in Jaffna said.
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VoT will rebounce from attack -Thamizhanpan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 December 2007, 22:43 GMT]
“Belligerent statements by close associates of Sri Lanka President Rajapaksa, threats against media personnel, and press censorship in the South, forewarned us of a possible attack on our media facilities. Fortunately, we took precautions against this, and our successful completion of the Heroes day program, inspite of Colombo violating international laws bombing our facility, is a testimony to the resilience of our staff,” said Thamizhanpan, director of Voice of Tigers, LTTE’s official broadcasting corporation, in an interview with a Australian Tamil Broadcasting Corporation, Tuesday.
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SLN conducts war-exercise in northern seas

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 December 2007, 13:48 GMT]
More than 1500 Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and Army (SLA) troopers participated in a war exercise along northern seas and land from Katkoava'lam to Manatkaadu Friday, Saturday mornings, and again on Sunday morning from 5:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., sources in Jaffna said.
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2 SLAF airmen killed, 14 wounded in accident

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 December 2007, 10:10 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) airmen were killed and fourteen wounded when their truck skidded off the road at Namalgama in Morawewa in Trincomalee Saturday around 8:30 a.m., Police said.
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SLA soldier killed, 11 wounded in artillery attack in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 December 2007, 04:43 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier was killed and 11 troopers were seriously wounded Friday night when artillery shells fired by the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) hit a Forward Defence Line post of the SLA at Nochchikku'lam located in Mannaar Town division around 8:45 p.m., Police said.
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14-year old missing, 3 family men seek protection with HRC

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 December 2007, 02:56 GMT]
Koa’ndaavil Orphanage authorities made representation in Jaffna Courts Friday that a 14-year-old boy from their institution had gone missing since 6 December. Meanwhile, three family men from various places in Jaffna peninsula sought protection with Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna due to death threats by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops and SLA-backed paramilitaries.
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Eelam demand came well before LTTE - paper

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 December 2007, 16:41 GMT]
The international community’s continued insistence on reinforcing the state in Sri Lanka is intensifying the cycle of Sinhala oppression and, thus, Tamil resistance, the Tamil Guardian newspaper said this week in an editorial subtitled “the international community mistakenly hopes war [against the LTTE] will bring peace to Sri Lanka.” Pointing out that that Tamil demand for Eelam emerged in the seventies through the TULF, well before the LTTE’s armed struggle escalated, the paper said the Tamils’ “insistence on Eelam is not some romantic whim, but a longstanding expression of rejection of Sinhala rule.”
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Stung by rights criticism, Sri Lanka summons US, UK, EU and other ambassadors

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 December 2007, 16:31 GMT]
Sri Lanka's militaristic government said Friday it had hauled in the envoys of countries calling for UN human rights monitoring of the island's dirty war against the Tamil Tigers, AFP reported. The ambassadors of the United States, the European Union, France, Korea and Sweden were summoned for a dressing down by foreign ministry secretary Palitha Kohona, AFP quoted the ministry as saying. Diplomats from Canada and the Netherlands will also be summoned Friday, the ministry said, adding a complaint over remarks made at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva this week will be forwarded to New Zealand's Delhi-based envoy.
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SLA delays plague Vanni patients travelling to Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 December 2007, 19:13 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops and Intelligence personnel at Oamanthai check point stop ambulances carrying patients from Vanni to Vavuniya hospital and force them to get down, subject them to rigorous checking, and then transport in SLA- operated ambulances to Vavuniyaa. Several pregnant women going for confinement have had to wait for hours before they had space allocated in the SLA ambulance, civil society sources in Vanni said.
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SLN attacks fisherman in northern seas

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 December 2007, 17:06 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Dvora gunboats opened fire Wednesday around 10:00 p.m and again around 4:30 a.m Thursday on fishermen fishing in Vadmaraadchi eastern sea, destroying a boat completely, while the two fishermen in the boat jumped into the sea to save their lives, sources in Vadamaraadchi said. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched heavy artillery fire Wednesday and Thursday on civilian settlements in Vadamaraadchi east, Pa’lai and Iyakkachchi areas causing damage to houses and shops.
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Bomb explosion kills 2 youths, injures 6 civilians in Point Pedro

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 December 2007, 16:02 GMT]
A bomb exploding in Viyaapaarimoolai area in Point Pedro, Vadamaraadchi Thursday around 6:00 a.m killed two youths and injured six civilians, sources in Point Pedro said. The bomb exploded with a deafening noise when a large contingent of Sri Lanka Amy (SLA) troops were engaged in a cordon off and search operation in the area, the sources added.
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UNICEF-Sri Lanka Head meets LTTE Political Head

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 December 2007, 14:53 GMT]
Philippe Duamelle, the Head of UNICEF-Sri Lanka called upon the Liberation Tigers Political Head B. Nadesan Thursday morning at LTTE's Political Headquarters, Tiger officials in Ki'linochchi told media. The introductory meeting was described by both sides as "very constructive".
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EU Condemns abductions of parliamentarians' relatives

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 December 2007, 11:14 GMT]
Following reports of abductions of two relatives and a secretary of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians in Batticaloa, by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) operated paramilitary Pillayan Group, the European Union, on Thursday, condemning abductions said it was deeply concerned by disturbing reports of abductions of a number of civilians connected to members of the Sri Lankan parliament. Kidnapping is the behaviour of terrorists and the EU condemns it without reservation, said a press release issued by the British High Commission, acting as local EU Presidency on behalf of Portugal.
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World Religious Conference begins in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 December 2007, 16:14 GMT]
The World Religious Conference promoting peace organized by National Peace Council (NPC) began Wednesday around 9:00 a.m in Jaffna Public library attended by International religious dignitaries of various faiths and local personages representing Hindu, Buddhist, Islam and Christian religions, Jaffna sources said. Participants in the conference laid emphasis on peace through negotiation instead of war, in a unanimous voice. Japan Special Peace Envoy for Sri Lanka Yasushi Akashi arrived in the afternoon and participated in the event.
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