Ira'nai-theevu without Tamil people constitutes threat against Indian security in Palk Bay

[TamilNet, Thursday, 31 August 2017, 22:43 GMT]
Occupying Sinhala Navy was adamantly refusing to release the occupied residential and livelihood twin-islet of Ira'nai-theevu, informed Ilangkai Thamizh Arasuk Kadchi (ITAK) sources told TamilNet. The SL Navy officers were citing the ‘defence’ of the so-called ‘sovereignty’ of genocidal Sri Lanka as the prime reason, at a meeting held in Muzhangkaavil on Thursday, when two ITAK MPs from Vanni met SL ‘State Minister’ for Defence Ruwan Wijewardene, SL Navy commanders and D.M. Swaminthan, a SL ‘Cabinet Minister’ of Resettlement, Prison and Hindu affairs. Finally, a token measure has been promised in the form of allowing Poonakari Divisional Secretariat to survey only 159 of the entire 1,200 acres of lands. At least 783 Eezham Tamil families were living there when they were uprooted for the first time on 10 August 1992. The islets have continuous residential history of 400 years.
Full story >>

SL Police sustains impunity for crimes of structural genocide in North-East

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 July 2017, 23:47 GMT]
The genocidal State of Sri Lanka has been allowed to get off scot-free from international investigations by the global and regional State actors, who are locked in the geo-political game. As the crimes during the times of war have not been subjected to criminal prosecution, the occupying SL State also finds it easy to sustain impunity for crimes being committed against Tamil social activists and public officials in the East, especially in the Tamil villages of Batticaloa district, Tamil activists in the district complain. The structural genocide against Eezham Tamils cannot be prevented through internal justice mechanisms as impunity is maintained through the police system of the unitary State, they said.
Full story >>

Women on protest vow to sail and seize Ira'nai-theevu with white-flags

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 June 2017, 23:12 GMT]
Forty-two days have elapsed. Tamil politicians come and go. No officials of the SL State have showed themselves. There has been no solution to the struggle of 500 families from Ira'nai-theevu, who wage a continues protest near the coast of Muzhangkaavil, facing the Palk Strait from the Vanni mainland, 12 nautical miles away from their native twin-islands of Ira'nai-theevu. The women, who used to be actively engaged in five different means of livelihood before 1992, stay in the protest site during the day time and their husbands continue the protest during the nights after coming from the seas. “This protest, launched on May 01, will continue even if it reaches 100 days. Finally, if there is no solution, we will enter Ira’nai-theevu disregarding the warnings of SL Navy, carrying white flags in our boats,” 54-year-old Atputharany Anton told TamilNet in a video interview on Sunday.
Full story >>

Eezham Tamils in Jaffna demand release of Thirumurugan and activists detained in Tamil Nadu

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 June 2017, 19:34 GMT]
“Tamil people were demanding international justice. But, the global forces were using the plight of Eezham Tamils and transformed the entire accountability process into a domestic one. As victims, Tamils are now again at the receiving end of injustice. The May 17 Movement and its coordinator Thirumurugan Gandhi have been carefully perusing the discourse in advance and alerting the Tamils ever since the resolutions being passed at the Human Rights Council in Geneva in 2012”, said Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam while talking to media at a protest held in Jaffna on Thursday. The protest, organised by the TNPF condemning the arrest of Tamil activists in Tamil Nadu received the participation of Premachandran-led EPRLF, TELO, Tamil civil society activists, the federation of public organisations and the academic and a few students of the University of Jaffna.
Full story >>

Increased ethnic harassment by Sinhala police in Kaathaankudi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 June 2017, 15:31 GMT]
Sinhala policemen employed at Kaaththaan-kudi police station, which is located at Magnchan-thoduvaay in Batticaloa district are ethnically targeting Eezham Tamils subjecting them for harassment and extortion, Tamils from Ma’nmunaip-pattu and and Ma’nmunai North complain. Both the Criminal Investigation Division policemen and the Traffic police attached to the station are asking for favours from travellers on the road who are from nearby Tamil villages.
Full story >>

Sinhala police blocks night-feast events at Tamil folk-temple in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 June 2017, 23:29 GMT]
The occupying Sinhala police of genocidal Sri Lanka has blocked Thiruk-ku'lirththi night-event, which is to be observed at Ka'n'naki Amman Temple on the night of 09 June, news sourcs in Batticaloa said citing the trustee board of the temple. Sinhala Officer-in-Charge of Kaaththaan-kudi Police Mr Wedagedara has refused the temple administration to proceed with the temple event which features devotional songs throughout the night. Ku'lirthi is a rituals observed to propitiate the deity as a remedy for drought, natural calamities and other miseries. It is performed during the Tamil month of Vaikaasi every year. The all-night event has not been blocked by the SL Police in the recent years after the war.
Full story >>

Draconian laws used to suppress key grassroots activists in Tamil Nadu

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 May 2017, 21:12 GMT]
Thirumurugan Gandhi, the convener of the May 17 Movement and Daison Jose, the leader of Thamizh Vidiyal Kadchi, its District Coordinator Ilamaran and activist Arun, have been detained under the so-called ‘Goondas’ Act in the Tamil Nadu State in India. The activists were initially detained on May 21 when they organised a peaceful candle vigil to remember the Eezham Tamils who perished in the genocidal onslaught on Tamil Eelam in 2009. It is widely believed that the New Delhi Establishment, which is proxy meddling with the affairs of Tamil Nadu following the demise of the late Chief Minister Ms Jayalalithaa, is behind the suppressive move through the Police in Tamil Nadu. The Goondas Act is a draconian law that stems from the times of the British colonialism.
Full story >>

Tamil Nadu activists warn New Delhi for proxy meddling with Tamils’ affairs

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 May 2017, 11:56 GMT]
The Police in Tamil Nadu, under the pressure of New Delhi, has forcefully clamped down on the peaceful Mu’l’livaaykkaal Remembrance Day on 21st of May. The brutal conduct by the Police has its origins from Jallikkaddu struggle, which was won by the masses of Tamil Nadu earlier this year. Following the victory of the mass struggle, the Police force in Tamil Nadu, initially supportive of the Jallikkaddu struggle, was suddenly let loose against the activists and particularly targeting the grassroots with violence as never witnessed before at the instigation by New Delhi. Ideology oriented Tamil activists of movements such as May 17 Movement have been targeted on both the occasions. The BJP and the Central Government of India will be sharply opposed for meddling in Tamil affairs through its proxies in Tamil Nadu and for instigating police violence, the activists in Tamil Nadu have warned.
Full story >>

Northern fisheries federation issues ultimatum to Colombo before Narendra Modi’s Vesak-visit

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 May 2017, 23:00 GMT]
Just ahead of Indian PM Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to the island on International Vesak Day, the SL regime in Colombo has started to exert pressure on Tamil-speaking fishermen associations in the North to collaborate with Colombo’s ‘friendly gesture’ towards New Delhi through to back the move of releasing a section of trawlers that had been seized from intruding Indian fishermen in the past. In the meantime, the Federation of Fishing Associations in North has warned Colombo against releasing the Indian trawlers without their consent and reminded Colombo about the 6 demands that have been put forward by the associations one month ago in a direct meeting with SL Fisheries Minister. The leader of the federation was reluctant to reveal all the 6 demands, but reminded the SL State that the federation would be forced to initiate next phase of the struggle, unless Colombo failed to act.
Full story >>

Tamil people in Ampaa’rai prepared for protests, but not Tamil politicians

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 April 2017, 20:14 GMT]
Tamil politicians elected to SL Parliament and the Eastern Provincial Council are not coming forward to launch protests against genocidal land grab by the occupying Sinhala military and the notorious Special Task Force, complain grassroots activists from Thirukkoayil, Naavithan-ve’li, Aalaiyadi-vempu, Chammaa-thu’ri and Kalmunai divisional secretariat divisions. The presence of military and STF in private and public lands is hampering the resettlement by sustaining a war-like deployment in the Tamil areas. It is also an impediment to education and the recommencement of livelihood of the Tamil people.
Full story >>

Protesting Musali villagers expose structural genocide at strategic Mu'l'lik-ku'lam

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 April 2017, 21:43 GMT]
The entire village of Mu'l'lik-ku'lam with its fertile lands, at least 7 irrigation tanks and a thriving fishing infrastructure has been under SL military occupation for 10 years since 2007. Tamil villagers were having at least 200 cement houses, a school, church, temple and a multi-purpose cooperative society, says 75-year-old Tamil fisherman Antony Lambert, who is one of the uprooted Tamils waging a continuous struggle for the last 12 days. All the houses except the few numbering between 27 and 30 have been destroyed by the military, he says. After languishing at different places for more than 4 years, a section of the people went back to Malang-kaadu, a jungle locality near Mu'l'li-ku'lam with a resolve to get back to their fertile village and they were braving military threats. Now, they are resolved to continue the fight to the end, says 63-year-old mother Anthoniya Vaz Sinnappu.
Full story >>

SL military harasses Tamil farmers in Ma’nmunaip-pattu village

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 March 2017, 17:15 GMT]
The soldiers of the occupying Sinhala military stationed at 5th Mile Post on Kalmunai – Batticaloa Road are harassing the owners of cashew farms in the village of Thaazhang-kudaa, located in Ma’n-munaip-pattu DS division, by openly stealing away dry stems of cashew trees without seeking permission from the owners of the farms. The Tamil families, now engaged in cashew farming in the lands approached the SL military personnel and reminded the Sinhala soldiers that they were in fact stealing the trees belonging to the people. But, the Sinhala military personnel responded aggressively, threatening the families.
Full story >>

Colombo deploys Sinhala Military Intelligence personnel as CEB workers in Battialoa

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 March 2017, 18:05 GMT]
The occupying Colombo has employed several Sinhala military intelligence personnel as meter readers and consumer coordinators of Ceylon Electricity Board from CEB branches operating from Kalladi and Kaaththaan-kudi. These workers, entering the houses of Tamils are involved in surveillance activities, say informed Tamil civil sources at Batticaloa District Secretariat. The district has already been struggling with Colombo appointed Sinhala workers in the public sector of the Tamil-speaking district and that too when there are thousands of qualified and unemployed Tamils in the district itself. Now, the military is also intervening into the public sector through its intelligence wing, the civil sources further said.
Full story >>

Colombo instructs civil administration in East to alienate lands to occupying military

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 March 2017, 22:04 GMT]
Fearing continued protests that could spread to the three districts in East against genocidal land grab, the occupying SL State has in recent days issued circulars to all the three government agents in East to speedily alienate lands through so-called legal measures making sure that the lands already seized by its three armed forces and the STF that comes under the SL Police. The military forces should ‘legally’ own all the private and public lands that remain militarized since 1990, a source close to Batticaloa GA told TamilNet on Wednesday. Similar instructions have also been given to land officials. The GA has come under increased pressure from Colombo to collaborate with the occupying military in surveying and transferring the lands.
Full story >>

SL Minister, Councillor behind veiled threats to LRC Director in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 March 2017, 19:27 GMT]
A SL Deputy Minister and a member of the Eastern Provincial Council were issuing veiled threats to Batticaloa District Director of Land Reforms Commission, Mr Wimalraj Nesakumar, who later survived a brutal assassination attempt on 22 February at Ka’luthaava’lai, informed civil sources in Batticaloa told TamilNet on Thursday. Both the SL minister and the EPC councillor were trying to instruct the LRC Deputy Director to desist from objecting illegal land grab in Tha’laavaay, situated in Ea’raavoor-pattu divison, the sources further said.
Full story >>

Kaaththaankudi Muslims express solidarity with uprooted Keappaa-pulavu Tamils

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 February 2017, 22:25 GMT]
Two Muslim organisations, Kaaththa-nakar Arasiyat Ka'lam (Kaaththaan-kudi Forum of Politics) and the Progressive Council for National Integration, mobilised Muslims in Kaththaan-kudi (Kattankudy) outside Jamiullafireen Jummah Mosque after Friday prayers. “Let us begin afresh from our split-ups” and “Unity brings prosperity” were featured as the main slogans by the organisations. In the meantime, the families of enforced disappeared Tamils in Vavuniyaa in the Northern province resumed their struggle on Friday amidst a section of NGO agents were seeking to pacify the grassroots activists.
Full story >>

LRC Director narrowly escapes assassination, land disputes in Batticaloa take violent turn

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 February 2017, 23:50 GMT]
Batticaloa District Director of Land Reforms Commission (LRC), Wimalarj Nesakumar, a Tamil from Ka'luthaava'lai, was shot and seriously injured by two unidentified men around 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Mr Wimalaraj, who emerged from his residence as unknown men wearing helmets called him by name, was shot at least three times. The attackers intended to kill him, his family told the SL Police. The LRC Director has sustained three gunshot wounds. The terrible incident has taken place at a time when the LRC Director was involved in exposing the nature of land grab in the ‘public lands’ in Ea'raavoor, according to informed civil sources. Some sections were quick to blame Muslims due to the nature of land grab at Eea'raavoor, while others say there could be deeper ‘counter insurgency’ motives behind the timing of the violent act.
Full story >>

32nd anniversary of Vaddakka'ndal genocidal massacre commemorated

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 January 2017, 23:24 GMT]
Northern Provincial Council (NPC) Chief Minister, Justice C.V. Wigneswaran on Monday joined hands with NPC Opposition Leader Sinnadurai Thavarajah of the EPDP and the people of Vaddak-ka'ndal in Mannaar, commemorating 32nd anniversary of the genocidal massacre of 88 Eezham Tamils, who were shot and butchered to death in execution-style and by 300 Sinhala soldiers who had surrounded the village from all directions in the early hours of 30th January in 1985. Farmers, labourers, students, teachers and a school principal were among the massacred at various places in the village. The SL military had been wantonly targeting Tamil villagers in Mannaar for more than a month since 04 December 1984, when the Tamil Tigers carried out an ambush on an armoured vehicle of the SL military at Moon'raam-piddi, a village located on Mannaar - Jaffna Road.
Full story >>

Eezham Tamils mark MGR’s birth centenary

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 January 2017, 21:53 GMT]
The birth centenary of the late M.G. Ramachandran, a former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, who extended his support to the struggle of Eezham Tamils and wholeheartedly backed both Thanthai S.J.V. Chelvanayakam and LTTE Leader V. Pirapaharan, was emotionally marked in the occupied country of Eezham Tamils on Tuesday. The people of Aaladi in Valveddith-thu’rai (VVT), mobilized themselves to renovate the statue of MGR, which was destroyed by the Sinhala military near Mr Pirapaharan’s house.
Full story >>

Sinhala Buddhist monks assault Tamil cattle-herders in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 January 2017, 22:43 GMT]
Three cattle-herding Tamil farmers were brutally assaulted on Tuesday by Sinhala Buddhist monks at Maathava’nai pastureland, situated in Koa’ra’laip-pattu South (Kiraan) division of Batticaloa district. Three monks in robe emerged from Mayilaththa-madu camp of the occupying Sinhala military while the Tamil farmers were feeding water to their cows at Maanthalai-aa’ru river. The violent monks seized the tools from the farmers before assaulting them. 69-year-old Poopalapillai Selvam, a father of six from Pearillaa-ve’li, 30-year-old Kumarasamy Perinpam, a father of four and 25-year-old Manikam Nadarajah, a father of two from Chiththaa’ndi 2nd and 3rd cross streets, were the cattle-herders who sustained injuries.
Full story >>