Jaffna lawyers to protest against death threats

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 September 2007, 02:07 GMT]
Lawyers in Jaffna peninsula, will hold a token protest demonstration throughout the peninsula Wednesday in protest against the death threats, intimidation, and extortion by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) backed armed Tamilparamilitary groups, civil sources in J affna said. The Lawyers will not appear for sessions at the five Divisionalcourts and the High Court in the peninsula, according to an announcement made by the Jaffna Peninsula Attorneys-at-law Association (JPAA), Tuesday.
Full story >>

Oddusuddaan education standards at all time low - Principal

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 September 2007, 00:20 GMT]
"The prevailing war situation has severely affected the education of our young people. Students attendance rates have dropped due to fear of aerial bombardments and claymore attacks in the vicinity of our school. Only a permanent solution to our conflict will allow the schools to prosper and educational standards to improve,” said Mr.N.Karunaharan, principal of Oddusuddaan Maha Vidyalayam located within Thu'nukkaay Educational Zone last week.
Full story >>

3 students seek protection with Jaffna HRC

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 September 2007, 18:27 GMT]
Three college students surrendered at HRC office in Jaffna Tuesday due to death threats from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) backed paramilitaries amid recent escalation in the number of civilians including families in Jaffna peninsula seeking protection.


Full story >>

Death threats escalate in Jaffna, doctors flee extortion

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 September 2007, 10:25 GMT]
Death threats from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) backed armed Tamil paramilitary groups, have forced many doctors and medical specialists in Jaffna to complain to Human Rights Commission (HRC) and to leave the peninsula fearing death and abduction of their children and family members while more of them are contemplating flight from the peninsula, civil society sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, an editor of the Jaffna edition of a Colombo based daily has been threatened to death. Paramilitary personnel are targeting the Tamil intellectuals in Jaffna with extortion, abduction and death threats.
Full story >>

Batticaloa fishermen protest against paramilitary harassment

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 September 2007, 02:50 GMT]
More than 300 fishermen living along the coast of Batticaloa district continued their boycott for the third consecutive day, protesting against the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) backed paramilitary armed men who forcibly buy their catch at very low prices, seriously affecting their income, the protesting fishermen said. The fishermen also said insecure atmosphere prevails in the coastal areas and that live in constant fear for their lives.
Full story >>

SLA intensifies security in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 September 2007, 02:46 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Jaffna, in response to the recent increasing number of attacks against their troops in Jaffna peninsula, launched search operations and intensive checking in Jaffna town, Valikaamam areas, and coastal areas of Vadamaraadchi beginning Monday morning, sources in Jaffna said.


Full story >>

Sign of the times in Tamil Nadu

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 September 2007, 00:40 GMT]
Veteran Tamil Nadu activist Pazha Nedumaran’s attempted crossing of the Palk Straits in a bid to deliver emergency relief to Sri Lanka’s Tamils was thwarted last week when he and hundreds of volunteers were arrested. Whilst the attempted crossing and its ‘failure’ has been dismissed, especially in Sri Lanka’s south, as a stunt by mavericks on the fringe of Tamil Nadu’s politics, the event has both highlighted and boosted resurgent support in the south Indian state for the Sri Lankan Tamils’ cause.
Full story >>

2 families with children seek protection with HRC Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 September 2007, 21:23 GMT]
Two families from Thenmaraadchi with three children aged under fifteen sought protection with Human Rights Commission (HRC) Monday due to death threats from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) backed armed paramilitary men and SLA troops, according to statements given by the two families to HRC.


Full story >>

Abducted youth in Ragama left blindfolded in Dambulla

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 September 2007, 10:41 GMT]
Kanthasamy Kamaladas, 29, abducted by unidentified persons on Wednesday morning at Ragama railway station appeared at the Ragama police station Monday morning, sources in Colombo said. Kamaladas said he was dropped by the abductors in a jungle area in Dambulla in Kandy district on Sunday night blind-folded, but managed to obtain help from a lorry driver to travel back to Ragama.
Full story >>

SLA reimposes curfew hours in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 September 2007, 06:41 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) authorities in Palaali Military base reimposed curfew hours in Jaffna peninsula from 7:00 p.m to 4:30 a.m, with effect from Sunday, revoking the Thursday reduction of two hours, in an announcement made Saturday night.


Full story >>

Civilian injured following grenade attack on Nelliyadi SLA camp

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 September 2007, 18:56 GMT]
Unknown gunmen hurled a hand grenade inside the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp located in Vathiri junction and opened fire at the camp around 6:50 p.m. Saturday, sources in Point Pedro said. A civilian riding in his bicycle along the main road was injured in the exchange of gunfire
Full story >>

46 civilians arrested in Dehiwala, Gampaha

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 September 2007, 11:15 GMT]
Seventeen civilians, majority of them Tamils, were arrested in a combined cordon and search operation conducted by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police in Dehiwala in Colombo district from Saturday night to Sunday dawn, sources in Colombo said. Police said the suspects were taken into custody on receipt of information that movement of some strangers in the area had been noted.


Full story >>

2 SLA troopers killed, 7 injured in Manthikai claymore attack

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 September 2007, 14:49 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and 7 soldiers seriously injured in a claymore attack targetted at a SLA convoy 300 meters from the Manthikai Government Hospital along Jaffna-Point Pedro road at 9:00 p.m. Friday, military sources in Jaffna said. The convoy was transporting soldiers from the Forward Defence Lines (FDLs) in Naakar Koayil in Thenmaraadchi to the Palaali military base when the attack occurred.
Full story >>

2 SLA troops injured in artillery duel in Thenmaraadchi

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 September 2007, 17:27 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers sustained serious injuries when the SLA and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) exchanged heavy artillery and Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) fire Friday early morning, the SLA in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Norwegian Tamils protest against Sri Lanka Rights violations

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 September 2007, 12:27 GMT]
Around 200 Norwegian Tamils of Norwegian Tamils Federation (NTF) gathered in front of Norway Foreign Ministry in Oslo Friday between 10:00 to 11:00 a.m, before a scheduled meeting of the Sri Lanka Minister of Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe with Norway Foreign Ministry Officials, urging Norway to exert pressure on the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) to immediately stop the ethnic cleansing of Tamils in Sri Lanka, sources in Oslo said. Norwegian Special Envoy to Sri Lanka Peace Process, Jon Hanssen Bauer addressed the demonstrators before receiving a memorandum from the protesters.


Full story >>

Committment to International Law absent in Colombo's media policy- CPA

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 September 2007, 11:36 GMT]
Commenting that the proposed National Media Policy of the Sri Lanka Government fails to make key commitments which are recognised as international standards of law and practice and which have long been demanded by civil society in Sri Lanka, ARTICLE 19 and the Centre for Policy Alternatives urged the government to "either to drop entirely the idea of developing a media policy or to restart the process from the beginning through a broad consultation with interested stakeholders to determine what such a policy should contain."
Full story >>

Australia accords refugee status, but not entry

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 September 2007, 11:29 GMT]
Australia has recognized as refugees under the UN Convention 72 Sri Lankans who were intercepted at sea in February this year. However the refugees will not be allowed into Australia but will have to remain in their holding centre in Nauru until other countries accept them, the government said. Refugee advocates fear the refugees will continue to languish in Nauru as other countries are likely to see them as Australia’s responsibility.


Full story >>

SLA, LTTE clash in Kearatheevu

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 September 2007, 07:09 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Jaffna said that it troops attacked Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) combatants in the Forward Defence Line (FDL) positions at A'rukuve'li and Kearatheevu area Thursday morning. SLA also claimed that it had recovered weapons in the search conducted in the said areas. LTTE has not released any information about the clash.


Full story >>

SLA reduces curfew hours in Jaffna peninsula

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 September 2007, 05:45 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) authorities in Palaali Military base announced a two hour cut in the curfew, imposed in Jaffna peninsula with effect from Thursday. Curfew in the peninsula will be enforced from 9:00 p.m to 4:30 a.m until further notice, the SLA informed.


Full story >>

2 Thenmaraadchi civilians seek protection with Jaffna HRC

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 September 2007, 18:33 GMT]
Two men sought protection with the Jaffna Human Rights Commission (HRC), Thursday, due to death threats and several abduction attempts by the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) and SLA-backed paramilitary.
Full story >>