Catholic church attacked by Sinhala nationalist mob

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 December 2004, 12:19 GMT]
A Catholic church in Homagama, 22 kilometers southeast of Colombo, was attacked by a group of Sinhala nationalist mob in the early hours of Sunday morning. The church has been subjected for vioence for the third time this year and it is severely damaged in the latest attack on Sunday, church sources said. South Sri Lanka has witnessed increased viloence against christian denominations since the sudden demise of a leading Sinhala Buddhist nationalist monk last December.
Full story >>

Veteran writer, poet Reggie Siriwardene dies

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 December 2004, 05:44 GMT]
Mr.Reggie Siriwardene, well-known journalist, social analyst, poet and playwright and who fought for the protection of Human Rights passed away peacefully at the age of 82 in Colombo Wednesday. His funeral was held Thursday evening at Kanatte cemetery amid large gathering of all walks of life. Several leading journalists and educationists condoled his demise as an irreparable loss. He has authored a well-documented analysis that describes the damage done to ethnic relations by government produced school textbooks in Sri Lanka
Full story >>

Media persons protest against grenade attack

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 December 2004, 14:45 GMT]
The Free Media Movement and the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association Thursday held a demonstration in front of the Colombo Fort Railway Station in protest to the grenade attack on Bollywood concert last Saturday, which killed two persons including Mr.Lanka Jayasunthara, photojournalist of Lankadeepa, Sinhala daily newspaper.
Full story >>

Norwegian Embassy in Sri Lanka shut down amid Anthrax fear

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 December 2004, 12:42 GMT]
The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Colombo has been closed down temporarily for three days with effect from Thursday due to anthrax scare when it received a letter containing white powder. Norwegian diplomats suspected the white powder could be deadly anthrax powder, embassy sources said. Police from Colombo Cinnamon Garden has sealed off the area for security reasons while the powder is being analysed. All events scheduled to be held Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the Norwegian embassy in relation to the current visit of special peace envoy Mr.Erik Solheim have been cancelled, officials said.
Full story >>

GoSL entirely responsible for resuming talks - LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 December 2004, 11:07 GMT]
"The responsibility of resurrecting the stalled peace process is entirely with the government in ensuring that its coalition partners reflect the thinking of the president, if she is in fact really sincere, and her military refrains from coercive and provocative actions", Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, Head of the Political Wing of the LTTE told the Norwegian facilitators Wednesday in Kilinochchi. "Norwegian delegation was unable to give assurance that Sri Lanka Government will take any constructive steps to take the peace process forward" Thamilchelvan told the Press after the meeting.
Full story >>

Transport issues delay Solheim's meeting with Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 December 2004, 06:51 GMT]
The meeting between Norwegian peace envoy Eric Solheim and Liberation Tigers Head of Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan expected to be held in Kilinochchi at 11.30am Wednesday will take place at 2pm, according to LTTE sources in Vanni. Mr Solheim arrived in Anuradhapura this morning in Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) helicopter and is travelling to Kilinochchi from Vavuniya by land, sources in Vanni confirmed.


Full story >>

Sri Lanka’s credibility for UN Secy. Gen. post questioned

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 December 2004, 04:45 GMT]
In an editorial Tuesday, the Colombo-based Tamil language daily, Sudar Oli, questioned Sri Lanka’s credibility to nominate Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala to the United Nations Secretary General post, arguing that Sri Lanka has “earned the status of an oppressive state that seeks to enslave an ethnic minority within its own territory, denying the minority's fundamental rights, even its very existence.”
Full story >>

Attack on Bollywood show creates political storm in south

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 December 2004, 20:23 GMT]
The grenade attack on Bollywood concert held Saturday in Colombo killing two and injuring several has created a political storm in the south of the country following a speech by President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge at Matara Sunday accusing a parliamentarian of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) and some monks of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) for causing the crime.
Full story >>

SLA corporal commits suicide in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 December 2004, 19:34 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) corporal, Mr.Ajantha Bandara, 21, committed suicide by shooting himself with a T-56 gun Monday night around 8.30 p.m. in a sentry point which is located in Colombagam within the municipal limits of Jaffna town, police said.
Full story >>

Anti-War Front to organize national conference in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 December 2004, 14:12 GMT]
National Anti War Front (NAWF), an umbrella organization of thirteen trade unions is to hold a regional conference on January 22 at Anuradhapura in the north central province and a national conference in Colombo Sugathathasa Stadium on February 26 to exert pressure on the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) to take forward the stalled peace process, said Mr.Bertie Ranaweerage, one of the convenors of the project.
Full story >>

Joint Training Exercise By Indian and Sri Lankan Navy

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 December 2004, 14:03 GMT]
Two Indian Naval vessels, Saranka and Thushka docked in Colombo on Tuesday morning.The visiting Indian Naval Officers were welcomed by Senior Naval Commanders and Officers of the Sri Lankan Navy. Spokesperson for the Sri Lanka Navy, Mr. Jayantha Perera briefed the media about the arrival of the ships and the joint training exercise to commence on Thursday, 16th December 2004.
Full story >>

Nine Indian poachers to be repatriated

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 December 2004, 11:17 GMT]


Mannar Magistrate Mr.N.M.M.Abdullah Tuesday ordered the repatriation of nine of the twelve Indian poachers now in remand in Anuradhapura prison. He made this order on the written direction of the Attorney General, legal sources said.
Full story >>

RSF says concerned over attacks on Tamil media

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 December 2004, 21:12 GMT]
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Monday voiced concern over threats to the news media in the war-torn north and east of Sri Lanka after a Tamil-language daily newspaper and the premises of a radio and TV group were the targets of violent attacks two days apart. RSF said in a statement that the attacks not only posed a threat to journalists but also denied the public reasonable access to news and information. It called for thorough investigations to identify and punish those responsible.
Full story >>

Norwegian peace envoy arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 December 2004, 14:31 GMT]
Mr.Erik Solheim, special envoy to the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, arrived in Colombo Monday evening. Mr. Solheim will have meetings with President Chandrika Kumarathunghe, the opposition leader Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe, representatives of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), according to the Norwegian Embassy sources in Colombo. Mr. Solheim is scheduled to meet with the LTTE Political Head, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, on Wednesday.
Full story >>

Grenade blast kills two in Colombo Bollywood show

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 December 2004, 18:48 GMT]
Two people were killed and around 15 others were wounded in a grenade blast in the bollywood "Temptation 2004" show at Horse Race Square, Colombo, according to the Police. The blast occured at 11.30 p.m midnight during the show, which was staged by Bollywood superstar Sharukh Khan. Buddhist Monks were earlier protesting against holding the show on the death anniversary of Ven Gangodawilla Soma Thera.
Full story >>

Monks protest at Colombo Bollywood show

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 December 2004, 15:28 GMT]
Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) parliamentarian Ven.Omalpe Sobitha Thera sustained injuries and twelve protesters including monks were arrested at the "Temptation 2004" show at Horse Race Square, Colombo, Saturday, staged by Bollywood superstar Sharukh Khan when protesters turned violent, police sources in Colombo said. Venerable Omalpe Sobitha Thera is warded in the Colombo National Hospital, medical sources said. Buddhist Monks were protesting against holding the entertainment event on the death anniversary of Ven Gangodawilla Soma Thera.
Full story >>

Ensuring Language Rights a must to resolve conflict- Collure

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 December 2004, 14:46 GMT]
"Until the language rights of Tamil people enshrined in the Statute are implemented in true spirit, no satisfactory solution to the conflict between the two communities can be found," said Mr.Raja Collure, Chairman of the Official Languages Department inaugurating a special Tamil language-training course for police personnel in Colombo Friday.
Full story >>

Colombo continues to violate Tamils’ rights- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 December 2004, 13:09 GMT]
“We have established a system of government that upholds and protects the fundamental rights of our people in regions under our control in the northeast. Our judiciary and Police are committed a society based on the Rule of Law in which our people can enjoy their freedoms and pursue their interests with self respect. But in areas held by the Sri Lankan government its armed forces continue to violate the rights of the Tamil people," said Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, head of the political wing of the Liberation Tigers addressing a meeting to mark International Human Rights Day in Kilinochchi Friday.
Full story >>

Private buses on Colombo-Vavuniya routes under attack

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 December 2004, 11:33 GMT]
Private bus operators are refusing to provide transport along the different Colombo to Vavuniya routes due to a recent spate of attacks on the vehicles where the bus windows were smashed by stones thrown by unknown persons in Kurunagala and Puttalam areas. Many passengers have been stranded in Vavuniya, sources in Vavuniya said.
Full story >>

Give urgent priority to ISGA, IFT tells Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 December 2004, 11:23 GMT]
Noting that the the proposal to resume Talks based on ISGA was accepted by the previous Government of Sri Lanka at the end of six rounds of talks and much deliberations between parties, the International Federation of Tamils (IFT), a consortium of expatriate Tamil organizations based in Geneva, in a press statement issued Friday warned that the present government’s suggestions to include ISGA proposals "as part of the final conclusion of the broad-based Talks" may provide for "misleading, prevaricating and ultimately sabotaging the Tamil people’s struggle for equality and justice."
Full story >>