SLN arrests 11 civilians in Kachchaitheevu seas

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 March 2008, 15:20 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) in Kayts arrested 11 civilians from Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held Vanni on their way to Tamil Nadu on Kachchaitheevu seas Tuesday early morning, according to the statements in Kayts Magistrate Court where the civilians were produced Wednesday before Kayts Magistrate Ms. Joy Mahatheva.
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Pilayaan group’s interference stalls Siththaandi housing scheme

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 March 2008, 10:42 GMT]
A housing scheme about to be implemented as a joint venture by Swiss Red Cross Society (SRCS) and Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) in Siththaa’ndi First Division in Batticaloa district has come to a halt due to interference and demands by Pillayan group, the affected civilians in the area said.
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Five civilians reported missing in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 March 2008, 15:25 GMT]
A complaint has been lodged Tuesday morning with Batticola police, International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) and Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (SLHRC) that two masons from Chinna Oo'ra'ni area within Batticaloa city police division have gone missing on Sunday. Meanwhile, two civilians from Ma'nmunai area and one from Kokkuvil area are said to have disappeared recently and no information is available regarding their whereabouts, sources in the region said.
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Destroyed East villages, MP chronicles history

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 March 2008, 16:33 GMT]
"Population of Sinhalese in the East was a mere 0.53 percent in 1827 but due to systematic colonisation and subsequent establishment of military camps along the borders of traditional Tamil areas, Sinhala settlers encroached into more than 25 percent of land owned by Tamils," said Maavai Senathirajah, Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, addressing, as the chief guest, to a gathering in Colombo Saturday on the occasion of the release of a book "Destroyed Tamil villages," authored by fellow Member of Parliament (MP), S.Jeyananthamoorthy, literary sources in Colombo said. T. Kangasabai, Batticaloa district TNA parliamentarian presided the function.
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Record high rainfall in Batticaloa district

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 March 2008, 03:44 GMT]
Torrential rains and floods in Batticaloa district have caused more than 4000 persons of 1130 Internally Displaced People (IDP) familes staying in temporary camps in Batticaloa district to seek shelter in schools and public buildings elsewhere, Batticaloa Government Agent (GA), Suntharam Arumainayagam said. 99.03 mm rainfall within the last 24 hours was recorded Sunday 4:00 p.m, while the 314 mm rainfall in March this year is the highest for 138 years in Batticaloa district.
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60 SLA killed in 48 hours in Mannaar - LTTE

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 March 2008, 13:40 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Operations Command in Mannaar told TamilNet Tuesday that 60 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed on Sunday and Monday when the Tigers confronted 3 major attempts by the SLA to advance into LTTE territory in Mannaar. At Paalaikkuzhi, a large ground push launched by the SLA was thwarted by the Tigers on Monday in which 20 SLA soldiers were killed and 63 wounded. Simultaneously, the SLA has suffered heavy casualties on another push, at Parappaangka'ndal. Further, the LTTE claimed that its snipers have gunned down 18 SLA soldiers on Monday. On Sunday, 22 SLA soldiers were killed in the jungle area of Karampaikku'lam in Keerisuddaan.
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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.
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"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.
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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.
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Fisherman reported missing in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 March 2008, 18:57 GMT]
Four unidentified persons who arrived in a three-wheeler at Oalaith-thoduvaay, near Peasaalai in Mannaar Thursday around 2:30 p.m., abducted a 27-year-old father of two, Rasendram Antony Ranjan, a fisherman who has been staying and working at Oalaith-thoduvaay, displaced from Kaangkeasanthu'rai (KKS), Jaffna.
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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.
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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.
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UPFA, TMVP alliance implicates GoSL complicity, collusion with armed group - CPA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 February 2008, 13:37 GMT]
Centre for Policy Alternatives, a Colombo based think-tank that undertook a fact finding mission to Batticaloa district between February 8 and 11, said Sri Lanka's ruling United Peoples Freedom Allilance (UPFA) government, by opting for the alliance with the armed TMVP group in Batticaloa municipal council election, finds itself in a position where it is increasingly difficult for the GoSL to deny the charges of "complicity and collusion with the TMVP." The CPA's statement has warned that there was a clear sense of inevitability that the elections will result in a TMVP "victory" as it is the only "political actor" allowed to move around in recently resettled areas.
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New Auxillary Bishop appointed for East

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 February 2008, 02:56 GMT]
Pope Benedict XVI appointed Rev.Fr.Joseph Ponniah as auxiliary Bishop of Trincomalee-Batticaloa diocese, where he was already serving as Vicar General. The announcement was made on 19 February according to Church officials in Trincomalee.
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Ex-LTTE cadres forced to join TMVP

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 February 2008, 11:24 GMT]
Pillaiyan group Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) members are alleged to be forcing former members of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Batticaloa district who had opted to leave the LTTE and lead a normal life after Sri Lanka Army (SLA) took LTTE area in Paduvaankarai last year, to join the TMVP, sources in Batticaloa said.
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Shutdown paralyses Kaaththaankudi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 February 2008, 13:28 GMT]
A shutdown launched Thursday in Kaaththaankudi in Batticaloa district in protest against activities of Suffi sect Muslims by orthodox Muslims paralyzed Kaaththaankudi, with all private and public institutions closed, sources in Kaaththaankudi said. The protest was triggered by the return of Sufi sect Muslims who visited their head quarters in Kaaththaankudi with heavy police escort, following the verdict of Colombo Supreme Court in favour of their writ application requesting rights to engage in their religious activities in Kaaththaankudi, the sources added.
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STF arrests Tamil police constable, brother-in-law

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 February 2008, 12:17 GMT]
In a joint search operation conducted by Special Task Force (STF) commandos and police Thursday in the Mochchimunai village within Kaththaankudy police division, a police constable and his brother-in-law were arrested, Kaththaankudi police said.
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Keerimalai Nakuleasvara temple festival begins Friday

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 February 2008, 05:27 GMT]
The annual festival of the historical Keerimalai Nakuleasvara Saiva temple located in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zone (HSZ) will begin on Friday and continue until 7 March, and the SLA command in Jaffna will allow devotees to go through its check posts in Cheanthaangku’lam and Thellippazhai SLA Front Defence Line (FDL) area in Valikaamam north, the chief priest of the temple, Rajaraja Sri K. Nakuleaswara Kurukkal said.
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Expression of support to LTTE not an offence: Karunanidhi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 February 2008, 16:55 GMT]
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Monday reiterated that mere expression of support to the LTTE was not an offence as per an observation of the Indian Supreme Court. He admonished Opposition leader Jayalalithaa for misleading the people on this issue.
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Tamil civilian reported missing in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 February 2008, 12:08 GMT]
A 32-year old Tamil civilian has been reported missing since Saturday night around 8 p.m. after he was seen walking along Thaalvupaadu Veethi in Mannaar, according to complaints lodged with the Mannaar Police, Mannaar District Citizen Committee, and International Committee of Red Cross.
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