Norway drops EU's terror list

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 January 2006, 10:42 GMT]
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday said Norway's continued alignment with the EU list of banned individuals and organisations could cause difficulties for Norway in its role as "neutral facilitator in certain peace processes" stating that Norway will no longer align itself with any other list than that published by the UN. The statement further said that Norway wanted to intensify its involvement in various peace processes, with the recognition of the international community including the EU and the US, but wanted to avoid a situation that makes it difficult for Norway to have contact with any of the parties to a conflict.
Full story >>

Large crowd partake in students funeral procession in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 January 2006, 09:33 GMT]
Thousands of residents of all walks of life thronged the playgrounds of the Trincomalee Sri Koneswara Hindu College Thursday morning and paid their last respects to the slain five Tamil students. These students were allegedly shot dead by members of Sri Lankan armed forces while enjoying the sea breeze with other friends on the second day evening of the new year 2006 close to the roundabout junction where a Gandhi statue is erected. Bodies of the five students were brought to college playgrounds from their respective houses from Thursday morning after religious rites.
Full story >>

Claymore attack on SLA tractor in Vavuniya, 2 wounded

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 January 2006, 07:23 GMT]
Two SLA soldiers were wounded in a Claymore attack on a SLA tractor at Thevakulam, near Ichankulam northwest of Vavuniya around 9:45 a.m. Thursday. One SLA sergeant with serious wounds was rushed to Vavuniya Hospital, Police said. Seven soldiers were traveling in the tractor.
Full story >>

Postponing NE local elections requires new legislation

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 January 2006, 01:07 GMT]
Mr.Dayananda Dissanayake, Commissioner of Elections said Tuesday that he has no authority to postpone the elections to the local authorities in the North and East. Only District Returning Officers are empowered to change dates of holding local elections, Mr Dissanayake said at a press briefing held Tuesday at the auditorium of the Department of Elections.
Full story >>

SLA's Deep Penetration Unit responsible for Claymore attack - LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 January 2006, 13:40 GMT]
LTTE's Political Head of Mannar District, Mr. Iniyavan, said Wednesday that there were two Claymore mines bound to a tree and wired to a triggering device operated a few meters away from the spot where LTTE Vavuniya West Political Co-ordinatar Major Jeyanthan was killed with a civilian supporter riding in a motorbike Tuesday. "A deep penetration unit of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) is known to operate from the Iranai Illuppaikulam SLA base," Iniyavan told TamilNet after showing the site to Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) members Wednesday morning. The Claymore explosion that claimed the life of Maj. Jeyanthan, took place 4 km near Chinnavalayankattu, 47 km east of Mannar.
Full story >>

Trincomalee students died of gunshot wounds- Medical Report

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 January 2006, 11:47 GMT]
Dr.Gamini Gunatunge, Judicial Medical Officer who held the postmortem examination held in the Trincomalee general hospital on the bodies of five Tamil youths killed on Tuesday by the State armed forces in Trincomalee sea beach area, ruled that the students died due to gunshot injuries. The JMO's report has been handed over to the Trincomalee Magistrate's Court.
Full story >>

SLA fire seriously injures two Jaffna youths

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 January 2006, 11:37 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers indiscriminately fired at youths near Ainthusanthi (Five Junction) in the outer perimeter area of Jaffna town Wednesday 11.45 p.m. seriously injuring Rasaratnam Kandeepan, 25, from Urumpirai west, and Poolokasundaram Selvakrishnar, 30, from Manvetty Navanthurai, sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Man shot dead in Kayts

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 January 2006, 11:24 GMT]
Kankesan Sivanesan, 30, was shot dead by unknown gunmen at 7.30 p.m. Tuesday in front of his house near Hospital Road, Kayts. Residents said that Sivanesan earlier worked for the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) and later had joined the Liberation Tigers.
Full story >>

Civil group calls for general shut down, demands SLA vacate Trinco town

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 January 2006, 17:36 GMT]
Trincomalee Tamil Resurgence Forum has called for a general shut down and to bring civil administration in the eastern port city to a standstill until the removal of all Sri Lanka Army (SLA) sentries and checkpoints. The orgainzers is also demanding the withdrawal of Sri Lanka armed forces from Trincomalee town. In a statement released Tuesday the Resurgence Forum has condemned the killing of Tamil students on Tuesday by Sri Lankan government armed forces.
Full story >>

Two SLA soldiers wounded in grenade attack in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 January 2006, 10:51 GMT]
Unidentified attackers riding in a motorbike lobbed a grenade on Sri Lanka Army troopers seriously wounding two soldiers who were on duty at a checkpost on Bar Road in Batticaloa town, near Batticaloa Railway station. The attack took place around 01:45 p.m. Tuesday, Police said.
Full story >>

Canadians mourn loss of Pararajasingham

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 January 2006, 06:41 GMT]
Canada’s Minister of Defence and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bill Graham, together with four parliamentarians from the Canadian Government, five representatives from the opposition and a number of Canadian Human Rights and Peace activists joined the expatriate Tamil community in Toronto, on Monday, to mourn and pay tribute to "Mamanithar" Joseph Pararajasingam, the senior Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian who was slain at Batticaloa St. Mary's Church on Christmas Day. "Joseph Pararajasingham was a man of peace, but he also a man of steely determination, of great courage, a man who was willing to risk his life for his people," the Canadian Defence Minister said in his tribute.
Full story >>

Two SLA soldiers shot, wounded in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 January 2006, 06:27 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers, including a lieutenant were wounded when two unidentified bicycle-riding gunmen shot at them at Kasthuriyar - Hospital Road junction of Jaffna town, around 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday, sources in the northern town said.
Full story >>

Pararajasingham was at peace with his life's work- Balakumaran

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 January 2006, 00:01 GMT]
“The murder of rights advocates in churches and holy sanctuaries is a historical phenomenon. From El Salvador’s Archbishop Oscar Romero to our own Joseph Pararajasingam, their lives did not end with death. On the contrary, they become alive into the collective consciousness of their people for whom they have struggled," said V. Balakumaran, a senior leader of the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) talking during his weekly address to LTTE radio "Pulikalin Kural (Tigers Voice)" Saturday.
Full story >>

JVP to move no-confidence motion on CWC MP

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 January 2006, 17:20 GMT]
The Parliamentary group of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Monday decided to move a no-confidence motion on Mr. M.Sachchithanandan, Deputy Chairman of Parliamentary Committees, when the parliament resumes its sittings on January 17, parliamentary sources in Colombo said. JVP accused Mr.Sachchithanandan of violating Sri Lanka's constitution by going to LTTE held Killinochchi to pay homage to the slain parliamentarian Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham.
Full story >>

Teachers demand release of arrested colleague

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 January 2006, 17:16 GMT]
Trainee teachers at the Palaly Teachers Training college boycotted classes Monday demanding the release of fellow trainee Packianathan Kamalakannan who was arrested and being detained by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) following the claymore mine attack in Point Pedro on 27 December when twelve SLA soldiers were killed.
Full story >>

8-Lane swimming pool to be built in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 January 2006, 16:43 GMT]
Swim Lanka, a Charitable Trust, has laid foundation for the construction of an eight-lane swimming pool at an estimated cost of ten million rupees in Trincomalee esplanade. This will be the first swimming pool to be constructed under "Learn to Swim Campaign," after tsunami disaster. Mr.Sundaram Arumainayagam, Trincomalee Divisional Secretary and the Special Commissioner of the Trincomalee Urban Council (UC) laid the first stone for the project Saturday evening in a forty-perch plot released by the UC from its esplanade, sources said.
Full story >>

Two Vadamaradchy women complain of sexual assault by SLA

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 January 2006, 15:50 GMT]
Two women from Malusanthi, a village located 3 km southeast of Point Pedro town on the Jaffna Point-Pedro, road registered complaints with the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commision (SLHRC) offices in Jaffna Monday that they were sexually assaulted by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers around midnight Sunday, sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

War and Peace- LTTE way: Taraki, 1991

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 January 2006, 00:08 GMT]
In the 12 June 1991 issue of Sri Lanka's English daily, Island International, late Dharmeratnam Sivaram, popular journalist and Senior editor at TamilNet, writes on issues that dominated the early Premadasa period after the departure of IPKF as prevailing climate appeared ripe for peace talks. However, on the day the article appeared, two soldiers were killed in a Batticaloa landmine attack. Enraged soldiers massacred 150 Tamil civilians (13 June) in Kokkadichcholai. LTTE retaliated by killing 19 soldiers (20 June) in an ambush, leading to continued blood letting as Eelam War II (June 1990 to 1994) was fought without any hopes of peace talks.
Full story >>

102 families seek safer areas outside Jaffna, Campus to reopen

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 January 2006, 18:44 GMT]
Following escalating violence and disruption to normal life by the activities of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in the Jaffna district, one hundred and two families have travelled through the Muhamalai checkpoints from Jaffna to safer areas in Vanni and other districts taking their belongings, Political office of the Liberation Tigers in Pallai said Sunday. More than 50 families are from the coastal areas of Vadamaradchy including Valvettiturai according to entries made in the Muhamalai customs offices of the Liberation Tigers.
Full story >>

LTTE, SLMM meet in Sampoor

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 January 2006, 17:23 GMT]
Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Sunday at a two-hour discussion held at LTTE district political secretariat in Sampoor at 10 a.m. with Mr. Arthur Tveiten, head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) based in Trincomalee, registered complaints on the violations of the ceasefire agreement by the Sri Lanka security forces now taking place in the district, LTTE sources said.
Full story >>