Thousands mourn Kadirgamar, Colombo security tightened

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 August 2005, 09:07 GMT]
Thousands of people were seen standing in queues to pay their last respects to the remains of kadirgamar at his official residence situated at the highly residential Wijerama Mawatha in Colombo. The capital city has been put under tight security following the arrival of foreign dignitaries including the Defence Minister of India Mr. Pranab Mukherjee and the Indian Foreign Minister Mr. Natwar Singh for the funeral of the slain Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar on Monday.
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Blockade to LTTE held areas in Trinco - MP complains

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 August 2005, 07:17 GMT]
Security forces are still enforcing the ban on the movement of people and vehicles to and from the LTTE controlled areas in Muttur east division and Eachchilampathu division in the Trincomalee district causing untold suffering since Saturday morning, said Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Trincomalee district parliamentarian in a letter to Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunga.
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Peterson, Helgesen to attend Kadirgamar's funeral

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 August 2005, 12:26 GMT]
The Norwegian Foregin Minister Mr. Jan Petersen and his deputy Mr.Vidar Helgesen will attend the funeral of Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lakshman Kadirgamar Monday in Colombo a press release issued by the Norwegian Foreign Ministry Sunday said. Mr.Helgesen will meet Mr. Anton Balasingham, the chief negotiator and political advisor of the LTTE on Sunday in London, before leaving for Sri Lanka, press release further said.


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Political cadres blocked at Omanthai checkpoint - Vavuniya LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 August 2005, 09:47 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers at the Omanthai checkpoint, the main entry point to the LTTE controlled Vanni, slamed the doors for all traffic without any prior notice at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday. The traffic resumed at 12:25 p.m. travellers said. However, political cadres of the Liberation Tigers were not allowed to cross the Omanthai SLA checkpoint, said Mr. Gnanam, LTTE's Vavuniya district political head. Also, LTTE's political cadres from Vanni were not allowed to cross the border-point, he added.


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SLTMA condemns killing of veteran broadcaster

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 August 2005, 14:29 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA), in a media release issued to the press on Friday in Colombo, has condemned the assasination of veteran broadcaster and the Television presenter Mrs. Relangi Selvaraja, 45, and her husband Mr. Selvaraja, 48, who were assassinated Friday noon in Colombo by unidentified gunmen.
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Rights group questions Colombo's bonafides in imposing ER

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 August 2005, 13:01 GMT]
Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) based in New Delhi issued a press release Saturday saying, "the declaration of a state of national emergency does not make Sri Lankan government look more committed to nab the criminals but fraud with dangerous repercussions for civil liberties," following the assassination of Mr Lakshman Kadirgamar, further expressed its concerns on "the declaration of a state of emergency in Sri Lanka under slightest pretexts in clear violations of the obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Sri Lanka is a ratifying party."
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Police arrests Tamil owners of Bullers Road house

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 August 2005, 08:07 GMT]
Police has arrested a Tamil couple, Mr. Lakshman Thalaiyasingam, 58, and Mrs. Vipiyan Selvalogini Thalaiyasingam, the owners of the house located at 42, Bullers Lane where the sniper had taken position to strike at Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar. Mr Thalaiyasingam, an executive officer in a leading Colombo business establishment, and his wife were at the house at the time of the incident and have told Police that they had no knowledge that the assassin had taken position at the top floor of their house. The couple told the Police that the top floor was rarely used by them.
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LTTE denies involvement in Kadirgamar killing

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 August 2005, 06:15 GMT]
Denying any involvement in the assassination of Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar, LTTE's Political Head, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan Saturday condemned Colombo for hastily blaming the Liberation Tigers for the killing. Thamilchelvan said that there are several forces opposed to the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) in the South. "We also know that there are sections within the Sri Lankan Armed forces operating with a hidden agenda to sabotage the CFA," he said and urged Colombo to conduct a thorough investigation to identify the assassins.
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Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 August 2005, 00:29 GMT]
Mr Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lanka's Minister of Foreign Affairs and a close confidante of Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge, was shot Friday night by a sniper near his residence and later succumbed to his injuries. During his 1994-2001 tenure as foreign minister in People's Alliance (PA) government, he was widely credited for his relentless campaign in foreign capitals to brand the Liberation Tigers as a terrorist organization and to ban the LTTE. Mr Kadirgamar was held in high esteem by most of the South for his vehement opposition to separatism and for his passionate defense of the sovereignty of Sri Lanka. Mr Kadirgamar never held an elected office.
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Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Kadirgamar killed

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 August 2005, 18:12 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister, Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar, was shot Friday night and later succumbed to his gunshot wounds at Colombo National Hospital at 12:15 a.m Saturday according to Hospital sources. Mr. Kadirgamar was rushed to Colombo National Hospital in serious condition after being shot by a sniper from a long distance at his highly guarded residence at Wijerama Mawatte near London Place, Colombo-7, Police said. Tension prevails in Colombo, following the assassination.
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Tamil TV announcer, husband shot dead in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 August 2005, 11:27 GMT]
Senior Announcer at Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) Mrs. Relangi Selvarajah (45) and her husband Mr. Sinnadurai Selvarajah (48) were shot dead by unidentified gunmen Friday around 12:45 p.m. at Bampalapitiya St. Peter’s lane Colombo where they ran a Travel Agency, Kinross Travel Service, Police sources in Colombo said.


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Jaffna HR officials recommend legal action on torture complaint

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 August 2005, 07:10 GMT]
The Jaffna regional office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has recommended legal action against three prison guards employed in Jaffna prison on allegation of torturing a suspect while in remand. Jaffna Human rights officials have made the recommendation to their head office in Colombo.
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"A dirty War of Attrition in the East" - LTTE blames Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 August 2005, 10:29 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Thursday blamed the Government of Sri Lanka for "covertly supporting a dirty war of attrition" against the Liberation Tigers in the Eastern Province in collusion with Tamil para-militaries that is gravely endangering the ceasefire. Criticising the SL Government’s armed forces, particularly the military intelligence, for the fast deteriorating security situation in the eastern province, Mr. Anton Balasingham, the chief negotiator and political advisor of the LTTE, warned that the increasing tension has the potential of exploding into a full-fledged armed confrontation, if the government failed in its truce obligation to disarm the para-militaries.
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Labor shortage hampers paddy harvest

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 August 2005, 02:25 GMT]
Farmers in the three districts of eastern province, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Amparai, are unable to harvest their crops due to acute shortage of labourers. The farmers fear that monsoon rain expected during the end of August would destroy their crops if not harvested in time, sources said.
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Private transport operators' strike called off

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 August 2005, 02:21 GMT]
Sri Lanka's private transport operators called off their strike Tuesday evening following eight hours of talks with the Deputy Minister for Transport Mr.Lasantha Alagiawanna at his office, Tuesday, sources said. Mr.Alagiawanne gave assurances in writing to the representatives of striking transport service unions that their demands would receive serious consideration by his ministry in the coming weeks and also in the parliament.
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Sri Lanka's private transport operators strike

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 August 2005, 07:56 GMT]
All private public transport systems except State services came to a standstill from midnight Monday following an island wide strike by private bus operators and three wheelers, demanding that authorities should postpone implementing the announced increase in fines for traffic offences. The strike affected tens of thousands of people in Colombo and its suburbs from reporting for work in government offices, private business establishments and schools since Tuesday morning, sources in Colombo said.
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Up-Country Tamils protest against Sri Lankan Minister

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 August 2005, 13:43 GMT]
More than five-thousand protesters demonstrated Monday in front of Colombo Fort Railway station from 3:00 p.m till 4:30 p.m. against the Sri Lankan Deputy Minister of Labour Relations and Foreign Employment, Mr. Mervyn Silva, over his recent racial slurs directed at the Up-Country Tamils of Indian origin. Mr. Silva, while verbally abusing journalists who went to cover a court case where his son was involved, also insulted the Up-Country Tamils, according to journalists in Colombo.
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Tsunami affected Muslims protest in Kattankudy

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 August 2005, 09:42 GMT]
More than one thousand Muslims demonstrated in front of Katankudy Divisional Secretariat Monday morning demanding permanent solution and compensation to the victims affected by the Sri Lankan Government-declared 200 meter buffer zone following the December 26 tsunami. Protesters built temporary huts in front of the secretatiat and cooked on the street during the picketing, sources said.
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UN Sub-Commission urged to promote and protect Human Rights in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 August 2005, 10:42 GMT]
There has been no proper investigation or punishment of culprits in the many cases of murders of human rights defenders and journalists in Sri Lanka, noted Ms. Deirdre McConnell in an oral intervention on the agenda item 3, "Administration of Justice, Rule of Law And Democracy," at the 57th session of UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human rights on Tuesday. "There has been no progress on the case of the assassination of Mr Kumar Ponnambalam on 5th January 2000, despite ample evidence regarding the alleged perpetrators of the crime," she said citing a number of instances that evidenced "pattern of bias" in the Sri Lankan judicial system.
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Upcountry parties call for Minister's resignation over racial slur

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 August 2005, 02:04 GMT]
In a press briefing held in Colombo Friday parliamentarians from Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF), Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) and United National Party (UNP) called for the resignation of Deputy Minister Mervyn Silva over his racial slurs directed at the Tamils of Indian Origin and urged businesses in Colombo to lend support to the peoples protest on Monday 8th August by closing their business establishments on that day, sources in Colombo said.
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