Capital Hill warms to "Occupier" theory on Suicide attacks

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 July 2005, 01:39 GMT]
Faulting the U.S policy makers for misreading suicide terrorism as a function of Islamic fundamentalism, Robert A Pape of University of Chicago says that most suicide attacks are undertaken to drive away occupying forces, Washington Post said in an article Sunday reviewing Pape's recent book "Dying to win." "Several of the 18 legislators at the Capitol Hill briefing found his [Prof Pape's] ideas interesting," the paper added.
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SLA responsible for Chelvanayakapuram killings- Elilan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 July 2005, 11:55 GMT]
Mr.S.Elilan, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Trincomalee district political head Sunday afternoon lodged a complaint with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) based in the east port town that the killing of two LTTE cadres and two civilian supporters at Chelvanayakapuram house was a pre-planned act of the Sri Lanka Army. Mr.Elilan brought to the notice of the SLMM his earlier complaint regarding the threat by army intelligence operative to a LTTE cadre Mr.Kaarvannan when being interrogated at the Plantain Point army camp in Orr's Hill, Trincomalee.
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Two LTTE officials, two civilians killed in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 July 2005, 05:46 GMT]
A group of unidentified gunmen shot and killed two LTTE officials and two civilians inside a residence office at 3rd Mile Post in Selvanayagapuram, Trincomalee. At least 7 well armed men, in military uniform, lobbed two grenades into the building and fired at the LTTE officials and civilians inside the residence premises Sunday morning at 10.45 AM. The attack took place a few minutes after a group of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) sodiers, who visited the residence and talked to the LTTE officials, had left the scene, according to residents.
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Tenth anniversary of Navaly church massacre observed

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 July 2005, 19:51 GMT]
Tenth death anniversary of 147 Tamil civilians including men, women and children who were killed in the indiscriminate bombing by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) and artillery attack by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on Navaly St Peters Church and Navaly Murugamoorthy Kovil in the Jaffna district on 09 July 1995 was observed Saturday. "The massacre of hundreds of civilians who sought refuge in places of worships was a gross human rights violation by the government security forces," said Rt.Rev Thomas Soundaranayagam, Jaffna Bishop at the Holy Mass held at the Navaly St.Peter's Church Saturday evening, sources said.
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HRC official holds inquiry into Gurunagar death

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 July 2005, 17:15 GMT]
Mr.Rohitha Priyatharshana, Jaffna Regional Co-ordinator of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) Thursday advised the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to maintain their military positions in the high security zones in Jaffna district without causing unnecessary hardships or deaths to civilians. He made this observation at the inquiry held Thursday morning into the death of a Gurunagar young fisherman on July 2nd when he got entangled in SLA's live wire fence in the Gurunagar fisheries jetty, civil sources said.
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Haukland meets Trincomalee heads of SLN, SLA, and Police

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 July 2005, 17:14 GMT]
Mr.Hagrup Haukland, Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Thursday afternoon met with Rear Admiral Vasantha Karanagoda, new Eastern Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy and Major General Sumith Balasuriya, General officer Commanding of the Sri Lanka Army in Trincomalee and held discussion regarding the ground situation of the district, sources said.


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SL Parliament approves Terrorist Financing Suppression Bill

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 July 2005, 11:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament Thursday adopted the Draft Bill to give effect to the Convention on the Suppression of Terrorist Financing with a majority of sixty votes, 81 parliamentarians including ruling party, United peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), main opposition United national Party (UNP), National Unity Alliance (NUA), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the four dissidents of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) voted for the bill. 21 parliamentarians including 20 Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MPs and one UNP MP Mr.T.Maheswaran voted against the bill. parliamentary sources said.
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State of Maryland declares Thirukkural Week

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 July 2005, 10:53 GMT]
A three day international conference on Thirukkural, a 2000 year old literary and ethical treatise of Tamils starts on 8 July Friday at Smith Auditorium, Howard Community College, Columbia Maryland in USA. Professor George Hart, a well known Tamil scholar who holds the position of The Tamil Chair at the University of California Berkeley, will be one of the keynote speakers, organizers said. State of Maryland has issued a proclamation declaring 8-10 July as a "Thirukkural Conference Week."
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SLMM waiting for positive response from Colombo, says Haukland

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 July 2005, 07:28 GMT]
Mr.Hagrup Haukland, Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), who arrived Thursday in Trincomalee on a two-day visit, said that he is waiting for a positive response from the Defence Ministry with regard to ensuring safety passage to Liberation Tigers officials through SLA held areas. The Scandinavian monitors have discussed the issue with the Peace Secretariat and with the Defence Ministry in Colombo, the Head of Mission told reporters in Trincomalee. The Liberation Tigers, a week ago, told the monitors that they would resume their own armed escort if Colombo failed to provide satisfactory response within two weeks.
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Two policemen shot in Kalmunai, one succumbs to injuries

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 July 2005, 07:32 GMT]
Two policemen from the Counter-Subversive Unit (CSU) were shot and seriously wounded when they were riding in a motorbike from Kalmunai Police station to Amparai. Both the policemen were initially rushed to Kalmunai Ashraff memorial hospital in critical condition. One of the policemen, A Kapila (25) from Badulla, succumbed to injuries while being transported to Colombo Hospital by helicopter, sources said. The shooting incident took place in front of a National Savings Bank branch in Kalmunai, 400 meters from the Kalmunai Police station, at 11.25 AM on Wednesday.
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NorthEast observes Black Tigers Day

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 July 2005, 16:28 GMT]
NorthEast Tuesday observed Black Tigers Day with sport events and public meetings, sources in Jaffna said. A main event was held Tuesday evening at Nelliyady Central College in Vadamaradchchi division in Jaffna district where on 5th July, 1987 Captain Miller, the first Black Tiger drove an explosive laden truck on Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops garrisoned in the school. Forty soldiers were killed in that attack.


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National Patriotic Movement protests against SLMM

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 July 2005, 21:50 GMT]
Mort than three-thousand supporters of the National Patriotic Movement (NPM) protested in front of the Norwegian Embassy in Ward Place, Colombo, Monday against the slaying of three Sri Lankan Army (SLA) soldiers attached to the Intelligence Unit of 223 Brigade Head Quarters in Batticaloa last Thursday, sources in Colombo said. The National Patriotic Movement, a broad coalition of extreme Sinhala Buddhist nationalists, led by monk Ven. Elle Gunawansa Thero, also accused the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) for its failure to stop the killings.
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Gurunagar observes hartal

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 July 2005, 11:09 GMT]
A general shut down (Hartal) was observed Monday in Gurunagar, a suburb in Jaffna town, in protest of the death of a fisherman Saturday early morning when he got entangled into the live electric fence of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) which is located at the entrance to the jetty. Shops, schools and public markets were closed. Fishermen did not go to sea, sources said
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Army band member shot dead in Chinabay

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 July 2005, 09:08 GMT]
Mr.Sujith Prasanna, a band group member of the Gajaba Regiment of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) base located inside the Fort Frederick in Trincomalee was shot dead by an unidentified person at Thaniyagama, a suburb in Chinabay when he was returning home Monday early morning after attending a party, Police said. Chinabay is located about nine km off the east port town, sources said.
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Supreme Difference

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 July 2005, 15:24 GMT]
The Supreme Court, the most visible institution of the judicial branch, often plays a pivotal role in promoting trust in the government in a polarized society. Fundamental to the effective functioning of a supreme court is a secular constitution which protects minority rights, and a nation’s executive and legislative branches which practice good governance to enact laws benefiting the nation. Debates on new appointments to US Supreme Court and its recent controversial rulings render an opportunity to look at the functioning of the United States' “final arbiter of the law” to that of Sri Lanka’s.
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SLMM, SLA officials to meet to discuss LTTE ultimatum

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 July 2005, 12:10 GMT]
Mr.Hagrup Haukland, Norwegian Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and top officials of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and the Sri Lanka Navy will meet in Colombo Wednesday to discuss the ultimatum issued by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) demanding the government to ensure safety passage for LTTE cadres by road through army controlled areas, security sources in Colombo said.
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Gurunagar fishermen to hold hunger strike

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 July 2005, 16:42 GMT]
Fisheries organizations in Gurunagar, a suburb in Jaffna town Saturday decided to hold a token hunger strike on Monday demanding the immediate removal of live electric fence and sentries of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) from the coastal areas and the removal of the pass system to allow freedom of movement to fishermen of the area to fish in Jaffna lagoon without any restriction, sources said.
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Police constable shot dead in Valaichenai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 July 2005, 08:47 GMT]
Mr Samintha Roshan, 29, a Police constable, was shot and killed Saturday around 11.15 AM in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) held Kalkudah, 35 km north of Batticaloa. The killing took place 350 metres from Kalkudah Police station at Central Road, sources said.
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GTZ funds resettlement of ex-garrison town

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 July 2005, 04:47 GMT]
More than 110 displaced families from the village of Thattuvankotti near Elephantpass moved into their reconstructed houses, built with financial support of the German Government through the German Technical Co-operation (GTZ), at a ceremony organized by the Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) Thursday 3.00 pm, sources in Vanni said.
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LTTE issues 2 weeks ultimatum for ensuring travel safety

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 June 2005, 09:05 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Thursday in a crucial meeting with members of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) demanded that the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) should provide a clear response on procedures to ensure safety of travel for LTTE cadres in the east. Head of LTTE Political Wing told Scandinavian delegation that Tigers will resume their own armed escort if the GoSL fails to provide satisfactory response within two weeks, sources from Vanni said.
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