UPFA-TMVP alliance wins Batticaloa local elections

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 March 2008, 00:40 GMT]
Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa's ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) that contested jointly in the elections for the Batticaloa Municipal Council with the paramilitary TMVP group has secured 11 seats with 14,158 votes. The coalition of remaining paramilitary groups has won 6 seats. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and the Eelavar Democratic Front (EDF) have both secured one seat each in the Municipal Council. Voter turnout was at 53 percent in Batticaloa city. Around 10% of the voters who turned up for voting have cast invalid votes.
Full story >>

Allaippiddi IDPs reluctant to return despite concessions

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 March 2008, 16:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka government (GoSL) and Jaffna Government Agent (GA) are making efforts to resettle Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Allaippiddi, displaced due to Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) offensives in August 2006, offering benefits and concessions with the help of International and local Non-government organizations, Jaffna Secretariat sources said. But 90% of the IDP fishing families are reluctant to return because fishing, their main means of living, is banned by SLN and the danger from land mines near civilian settlements have not been fully eliminated, IDP related welfare organization sources said.
Full story >>

50% turnout, paramilitary manipulates voting in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 March 2008, 11:10 GMT]
Voter turnout within Batticaloa municipal council was low till Monday noon, according to the sources in Batticaloa city. However, turnout at rural areas was above 50%. Despite the presence of a reasonable number of monitors, there were reports of fraudulent activities as paramilitary personnel were actively engaged in transporting voters to the booths. The TMVP paramilitary has heaped up anti-Muslim campaign warning Tamils that non-participation in local elections would benefit the Muslims. Paramilitary personnel were also seen visiting households checking civilians' participation in the elections. Violent incidents were low.
Full story >>

Claymore mine recovered, Pillayan votes with SLA protection

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 March 2008, 10:48 GMT]
Police recovered a Claymore mine near Chanthive'li voting booth Monday around 7:00 a.m. after a rumor spread that a mine was placed near the Chanthive'li Chitthi Vinaaykar School. At Kiraan, a grenade explosion was reported near a voting booth around 9:00 a.m., Police said. Meanwhile, key paramilitary operative of the TMVP group, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, cast his vote at Vaazhaichcheanai Vipulananthar school with Sri Lankan police protection.
Full story >>

"Elect me or face conscription," paramilitary operative threatens voters

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 March 2008, 17:11 GMT]
A key paramilitary operative of the TMVP participating in the local elections of Ea'raavoor pattu Piratheasa Chapai (PS), Irasaiah Satheeskumar alias Anpumani, has threatened Tamil families in Vanthaa'rumoolai that unless the voters elect him, he will forcibly conscript one child per household, residents of Vanthaa'rumoolai said.
Full story >>

Students protest abduction of girl students in Kalkudaa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 March 2008, 08:35 GMT]
Students of Kalkudaa Naamakal Viththiyaalayam continue their boycott demanding the immediate release of two girl students of the school abducted last week by paramilitary men in white van, sources in Kalkudaa said. Kalkudaa police chief summoned the principal and teachers of the school and urged them to persuade the students to suspend the boycott, student leaders said.
Full story >>

'Frankenstein' franchise in Batticaloa - TNA MP

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 March 2008, 01:52 GMT]
"Ceylon was the first country in Asia to receive universal adult suffrage as early as in 1931. Even though many at that time eulogized it, from the very beginning, it was doomed as it was implemented in a country where the voting was communal. The Tamils boycotted the first elections. The curse continued and has become a Frankenstein monster in Batticaloa today. People are terrified at the thought of elections and would feel greatly relieved without it," said Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian S. Jeyanandamoorthy while sharing his opinion with TamilNet on Friday on the local elections in Batticaloa.
Full story >>

Armed men abduct 2 teenage girls in Vaazhaichcheanai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 March 2008, 12:08 GMT]
Fatigue uniform clad armed men who came in a white van abducted a 16-year-old girl student Monday night around 11:30 from her house in Karungkaalichchoalai in Vaazhaichcheanai police division in Batticaloa district and another 16-year-old girl student from the same area Tuesday night around same time from her house. The armed men had also tried to abduct a young woman from another house in Karungkaalichchoalai but had let her go when she, amidst wails, had begged saying she is married, residents in the area told TamilNet.
Full story >>

Key paramilitary operative's residence attacked

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 March 2008, 10:51 GMT]
Unknown men lobbed a hand grenade Wednesday 2:00 a.m. while Kumarasamy Pushpakumar alias Iniyaparathy, a key paramilitary operative of TMVP group was at sleep at Paa'ndirippu in Kalmunai police division in Ampaa’rai district, Kalmunai police said. The residence sustained damage. Nobody was wounded in the attack.
Full story >>

SLA in Thenmaraadchi refuses travel permits to residents

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 March 2008, 14:27 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Civil Administration Authorities in Thenmaraadchi area are refusing to issue travel permits to residents to travel out of Jaffna peninsula for urgent and essential purposes, according to complaints made to Jaffna Human Rights Commission (HRC), Tuesday.
Full story >>

Pillayaan group begins collecting voting cards of disappeared

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 March 2008, 12:50 GMT]
Paramilitary operatives of Pillayan group have started visiting the homes in the villages in Batticaloa district and begin to collect the voting eligibility cards of those who are deceased, gone missing or left for foreign countries, residents in the area said.
Full story >>

Trader shot dead, family members injured in Aalayadiveampu

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 March 2008, 14:06 GMT]
A group of more than ten unidentified armed men shot and killed a trader after assaulting him, at his house in Aalayadiveampu in Akkaraipattu police division in Ampaa’rai district, Saturday around 10:30 p.m., sources in Ampaa'rai said. Akkaraipattu Special Task Force (STF) troops video recorded his funeral and the attendees until his remains were interred, causing tension during the whole event, sources added.
Full story >>

Moves afoot to convince reluctant Allaippiddi IDPs to return

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 February 2008, 14:23 GMT]
The Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Allaippiddi from the islets of Jaffna who were displaced due to Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) offensives in Allaippiddi in August 2006 and presently staying in Jaffna, are reluctant to return to their villages according to arrangements made by Jaffna Secretariat because fishing, their main means of living, in their areas is banned by Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), IDP related welfare organization sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Suicide attacker kills 2 paramilitary men in Batticaloa - Police

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 February 2008, 06:46 GMT]
An unknown attacker with a hidden explosive triggered the device killing himself and two Pillayan Group paramilitary personnel, when he was blocked by the paramilitary personnel near the place of an election-campaign meeting by the Pillayan Group in Ka'luvaagnchchikkudi Sunday morning at 9:30. Police characterized the attack as the first attempted "suicide attack," possibly planned to target a key paramilitary operative after the Sri Lankan forces had brought the district under their military control. A cordon and search operation launched by the Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) commandos lead to a total traffic standstill between Kalmunai and Batticaloa, following the explosion.
Full story >>

CPA withdraws from monitoring Batticaloa elections

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 February 2008, 12:56 GMT]
Pointing out that armed groups are allowed to participate in the forthcoming local council elections in Batticaloa, Colombo based Centre for Policy Alternative(CPA) headed by Dr.Pakyasothy Saravanamuthu announced Thursday that it is withdrawing from monitoring election related acts of violence in the district, civil society sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>

Violence, paramilitary activity on upward trend- CMEV

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 February 2008, 16:54 GMT]
The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) in a report issued Monday on the ground situation in the east in relation to the forthcoming local elections, expressed concerns of "continuing trend of paramilitary activity, reports of abduction, extra-judicial execution, intimidation and extortion attributed to 'unidentified armed men' and the inability of the law enforcement agencies to pursue investigations."
Full story >>

TMVP threatens Muslim journalist in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 February 2008, 00:53 GMT]
A Muslim, Parliamentary Journalist attached to Thinakkural Tamil daily office in Colombo, received Friday threats from Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) paramilitary group in a letter to his office address, warning him not to write news against their organization and that they will kill him if he does not heed the warning, the journalist said.
Full story >>

Paramilitary personnel shot dead in Akkaraippattu

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 February 2008, 16:23 GMT]
Unidentified armed men shot and killed a paramilitary personnel belonging to Pillaiyan group of Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) Saturday noon in Thirukkoavil area in Akkaraippattu police division in Ampaarai district, sources in Ampaarai said.
Full story >>

PLOTE shuts down Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 February 2008, 08:23 GMT]
Vavuniyaa came to a standstill Wednesday when all public and private institutions were instructed by paramilitary operatives of PLOTE to protest against escalating Claymore attacks and blasts. There was no traffic or people on the roads except a few on push bikes and motor bicycles. Armed men who were on the look out for persons defying the shut down warned persons who were on the roads.
Full story >>

Hakeem doubtful of just, fair elections in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 February 2008, 21:25 GMT]
Rauf Hakeem, leader of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and parliamentarian, addressing the party candidates contesting in the forthcoming local government elections in Batticaloa Friday afternoon in Daru Salaam Hall in Ea’raavoor, raised doubts whether fairness and justice will prevail during the elections, political sources in Batticaloa said.
Full story >>