UN alarmed by weakness of law, prevalence of impunity in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 October 2007, 08:38 GMT]
Weakness of the rule of law and prevalence of impunity is alarming in Sri Lanka where critical elements for the protection of Human Rights have been undermined or compromised despite the existence of much of the necessary human rights institutional infrastructure, said the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, concluding her five-day mission to Sri Lanka on Saturday. The large number of reported killings, abductions and disappearances, is particularly worrying in a country that had a long, traumatic experience of unresolved disappearances and no shortage of recommendations from past Commissions of Inquiry on how to safeguard against such violations, she said.
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Sea Tigers sink SLA vessel, recover 3 bodies

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 October 2007, 08:04 GMT]
Five Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and three dead bodies of the SLA soldiers were recovered by the Sea Tigers who sunk a SLA Inshore Patrol Vessel (IPV) in the seas off Paasaiyoor in Jaffna Saturday around 10:45 a.m. in a retaliation against an attack by three SLA vessels that entered the LTTE territorial waters, the Tigers said. Sea Tigers have seized weapons from the sinking vessel. Arrangements were underway to hand over the three dead bodies to the ICRC.
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SLA shoots dead youth in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 October 2007, 22:27 GMT]
An unidentified youth found hiding inside an abandoned house close to sea shore in the coastal village of Kurunagar, within Jaffna Municipal council area, was shot and killed Friday morning at 9:30 a.m. by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers.
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SLA hands over 4 dead bodies to Mannaar hospital

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 October 2007, 16:30 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Friday evening handed over four dead bodies recovered from Maanthai village near Thirukkeatheesvaram, a border area between the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) controlled area and the SLA controlled area in Mannaar. The SLA claimed that the dead were LTTE cadres. However, the victims could be innocent civilians, according to local residents. Two SLA soldiers were killed when a clash erupted in the border area Friday around 4:30 p.m., according to the SLA.
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Strategy behind rights violations said not exposed

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 October 2007, 06:55 GMT]
The gross statistics on death and disappearances in Jaffna is known to everyone, and they paint a picture of military rule, but "the real reason behind the violations, the Sri Lankan military machine conducting the death theatre, and the depth of fear instilled into the civilians in Jaffna to witness against the perpetrators, are not exposed to the world," said Liberation Tigers Human Rights Spokesperson N. Selvy as hundreds of crying family members of the victims were blocked in Jaffna by the Sri Lanka Army from seeing the visiting High Commissioner Louise Arbour, on Friday. The SLA blocked journalists from entering the UNHCR office, GA's office, UN office and the Bishop's House.
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2 SLA soldiers killed in Claymore ambush in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 October 2007, 04:01 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and 3 seriously injured in a Claymore attack in Puloali, 28 km northeast of Jaffna city, on the Main Supply Route of the military between Naakarkoayil Forward Defense Line (FDL) and Palaali military complex in the Jaffna district Thursday night. A truck of a SLA convoy was the target of the second attack to be reported within the last few weeks along this tightly secured access route. Several soldiers have sustained minor injuries, according to the Police.
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SLA arrests 44 Tamil fishermen in Kalpity

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 October 2007, 02:27 GMT]
Forty four Tamil civilians, all residents of Vaalaichchenai in the east, were taken into custody at Kalpity in Puttalam district by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Thursday. They were in a lorry travelling to Kalpity to engage in fishing in western coastal sea.
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Family man abducted, another seeks HRC protection, in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 October 2007, 22:34 GMT]
Unidentified armed men abducted a family man from his house in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zone (HSZ) in Jaffna Wednesday around 6:00 p.m, according to complaints made by his family members to Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna. Meanwhile, a father of four children from Changkaanai in Valikaamam sought protection Thursday with the HRC due to continuous death threats from unidentified armed men on motor cycles alleged to be Sri Lanka Army (SLA) backed paramilitaries, HRC sources said.
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Fasting Tamil prisoners attacked in Colombo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 October 2007, 12:01 GMT]
A prison guard and Sinhala prisoners have attacked a group of Tamil detainees in Colombo remand prison in Welikade, when they went to seek medical treatment for sore eyes Wednesday morning. 86 Tamil prisoners have started a fast-unto-death campaign from 6.00 a.m. Wednesday, demanding the visiting United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, to visit the Welikade prison, look into their plight and exert pressure on the Sri Lankan government to expedite their cases that have been postponed fortnightly and not been heard for more than a year.
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Point Pedro lawyers protest against death threats, extortion

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 October 2007, 11:07 GMT]
Lawyers in Point Pedro began a token protest Wednesday afternoon, boycotting court sessions at Point Pedro divisional court, demanding protection against the death threats, intimidation and extortion by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) backed armed Tamil paramilitary groups. The boycott launched by Jaffna peninsula lawyers for the same reason in September was withdrawn on SLA Jaffna Commander's assurance that the menace will be eradicated, but the assurance is yet to be fulfilled, Vadamaraadchi Lawyers Association members said.
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Tigers urge UN Human Rights Commissioner to visit Vanni

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 October 2007, 22:57 GMT]
Welcoming the "timely mission" by United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights, Louise Arbour, to investigate human rights violations in Sri Lanka, Liberation Tigers Human Rights spokesperson N. Selvy, Tuesday said the Tamils were expecting the UN High Commissioner to visit the LTTE administered Vanni to get an absolute assessment of the Human Rights violations perpetrated by the Sri Lankan military and its paramilitaries in the Tamil homeland. Tamils, as a people, were disappointed as "the main violator, the Sri Lankan government itself," was exercising control over the itinerary of the visiting High Commissioner, Ms. Selvy said.
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India urged to pay compensation to family of slain trade unionist

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 October 2007, 18:42 GMT]
The World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP), a forum of 34 organizations representing traditional fisher communities in Asia, has urged Indian and Tamil Nadu leaders to conduct an impartial inquiry and look after the family of a Sri Lankan fisherman trade unionist, 44-years-old Warnakulasooriya Canicius Fernando, who was shot and killed Friday at the gates of a restricted entrance of Mathurai Central Prision in Tamil Nadu, while he was visiting four Sri Lankan fishermen imprisoned in the Indian jail. The funeral of the victim, a father of two, has taken place in Munnakkarai in Negombo at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday.
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Two civilians disappear in Vadamaraadchi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 October 2007, 11:35 GMT]
A 35-year old father of three is feared abducted on Saturday after he failed to return to work in Karaveddy, Vadamaraadchi in the Puthiya Road area, according to complaint filed by his family members at the Jaffna Human Rights Commission (HRC) offices. Meanwhile, on Sunday a 25-year old family man went missing in Anthiraan, Kara'navaay West, Karaveddi Sunday.
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UN Human Rights Commissioner arrives Tuesday for Sri Lanka visit

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 October 2007, 02:54 GMT]
High Commissioner of Human Rights in the United Nations, Ms Louise Arbour, is to arrive in Colombo Tuesday on a five-day official tour to Sri Lanka. She is scheduled to meet relatives of abducted civilians in Colombo on October 11 and in Jaffna on October 12. She will be meeting government leaders, representatives of human rights institutions and political parties during her stay in Colombo.
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Decomposed body of youth found at Ariyaalai coast

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 October 2007, 19:39 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops recovered Monday the corpse of a youth in highly decomposed state, washed ashore at Ariyaalai and handed it over to Jaffna police. The body, estimated to be between 25 – 30 years of age, was handed over to Jaffna Teaching Hospital Monday evening, for identification.
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72 seek humanitarian protection, 24 missing in September in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 October 2007, 15:10 GMT]
The number of civilians seeking protection with the Sri Lankan Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Jaffna In September alone 72 civilians, including 4 families with their children, had sought protection with the HRC while 24 civilians had been reported missing at the HRC. On Monday, three civilians from Kayts, Chaavakachcheari and Point Pedro have sought HRC protection, civil sources in Jaffna said. A family man from Karaveddi was reported missing since Friday.
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MP condemns SLA ban on construction of houses for Batticaloa IDPs

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 October 2007, 10:41 GMT]
Batticaloa District Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, S. Jeyananthamoorthy, speaking to media this week, condemned the ban imposed by Sri Lanka Army (SLA ) for constructing permanent houses for Internally Displaced People (IDPs) at Naavaladi Junction within Vaaharai District Secretary's administrative area in Batticaloa District.
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Jaffna fishermen suspicious of SLN's easing of restrictions

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 October 2007, 03:48 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), while stepping up naval operations, has suddenly relaxed its restrictions imposed on Jaffna fishermen by extending the distance to 3 km and the number of fishermen allowed to fish in these areas has been raised from 600 to 700. The fishermen are suspicious that this action has been taken with the hidden aim to exploit them as pawns in an attempt to launch camouflage offensives on Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held areas across Jaffna lagoon, causing fear among the fishermen, Jaffna Fishermen Society representatives said.
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Six upcountry Tamil youths further remanded

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 October 2007, 08:23 GMT]
Six Tamil youths, residents of Kandy district were ordered further remand by the Colombo magistrate's court Friday. They were arrested on September 30 at Ragama town in Colombo district in a cordon and search operation conducted by the Sri Lanka Army and police.
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48 Tamils arrested in Wellampitya

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 October 2007, 16:12 GMT]
Forty-eight Tamil civilians were arrested in a combined cordon and search operation conducted by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police at Wellampitya, a town in Colombo district, from morning till noon Saturday. The Terrist Intelligence Division (TID) is interrogating those arrested at the Wellampitya police station, sources said.
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