Pillayan group paramilitary person shot, injured in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 February 2009, 09:37 GMT]
Unidentified armed men opened fire Thursday around 7:30 p.m on a TMVP Pillayan paramilitary group person near Arasadi police sentry post in Batticaloa police division, seriously injuring him.
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Indian High Commissioner visits Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 February 2009, 17:14 GMT]
Indian High Commissioner Alok Prasad Tuesday paid his first official visit to Trincomalee and met the Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, the paramilitary operative and UPFA nominated chief minister of the Eastern Province at the latter's office, which is located in the East Provincial Secretariat along Inner Harbour Road in Trincomalee town.
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Mano Ganesan: Political solution after 'military victory' not acceptable to Tamils

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 January 2009, 10:02 GMT]
Responding to the mood of "celebration" in South over the Sri Lankan military occupation of Ki'linochchi, Mano Ganesan, parliamentarian and the leader of Democratic Peoples Front (former WPPF), in a statement issued on Saturday said political solution after "total military victory" of the Sri Lankan state was not acceptable to the Tamils. He added: "If the north today is a military battle field, the government has a political battle field in the east. You have your own provincial council. It is not the solution. But it is part of the constitutional law. You are not even implementing what is law."
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Colombo's development agenda aggravates factional fight within TMVP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 December 2008, 00:59 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government has sidelined Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, a key paramilitary leader operated by the Sri Lankan government and the Chief Minister of the Eastern Province, on the utlisation of funds allocated for 'development'. "Pillayan is being treated almost like a political prisoner by the Rajapaksa government these days, especially after the recent protests against the killings," according to a Colombo based journalist.
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Token fast against killings of Tamil civilians observed in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 November 2008, 14:57 GMT]
A one-day token fast demanding the immediate stop of the rampant killings of Tamils in Batticaloa district and the arrest of the killers was observed Friday around 9:00 a.m near Gandhi Statue in Batticaloa town, organized by Pillayan faction, Baticaloa Municipal Council (BMC), and Federation of Local Government Councils' (LGC) Presidents, presided by the Mayor of Batticaloa Municipal Council, Ms. Sivakeertha Pirapakaran, sources in Batticaloa said.
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Rights watchdog faults Colombo for deteriorating human rights situation in East

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 November 2008, 07:52 GMT]
"Killings and abductions are rife and there is total impunity for horrific abuses," in the eastern province, which the Sri Lankan government claims to have 'liberated' as an example of democracy in action, said the New York based Human Rights Watch (HRW). There have been at least 30 extra-judicial killings and 30 abductions in Eastern Province within the last 60 days, the HRW said blaming the Sri Lankan government for providing unqualified support to TMVP paramilitary factions. The attacks and other threats against journalists have caused the media to curtail reporting on the security situation in the East. Members of civil society organizations have also been subjected to threats, according to the HRW.
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'13th Amendment powerless, youth may go for war again' - Eastern minister Hisbullah

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 November 2008, 15:55 GMT]
Powers devolved under the 13th amendment to provincial council are being taken away by the central government by issuing gazette notifications and circulars. The provincial council has no power to transfer even a police constable, lamented Mr.M.L.A.M.Hisbullah, a Minister in the Eastern Provincial Council in an exclusive interview to the weekly edition of the leading Tamil daily Virakesari published from Colombo.
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Pillayan's car collides with lorry in Kurunegala

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 October 2008, 06:01 GMT]
Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, the paramilitary leader of the factionalised TMVP and the chief minister of Eastern province, escaped an accident Friday morning in Kurunegala where his car collided with a lorry, Police said.
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Karuna faction overruns Pillayan's office

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 October 2008, 11:42 GMT]
The faction of the TMVP paramilitary, led by Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, alias Karuna, who was recently nominated by the Rajapaksa government as a national list MP, has overrun the main office of Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, who was installed as the Chief Minister of the Eastern Provice by Mr. Rajapaksa. The attack on 'Meenakam office' in Koavinthan Road in Batticaloa city took place Friday around 12:30 p.m., initial reports said. Meanwhile, informed sources in Colombo said Pillayan was hurriedly escorted to Colombo by Rajapaksa's government and a meeting was arranged with Karuna.
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Rajapaksa re-stages 'APC drama' to avert pressure from Tamil Nadu - Samaraweera

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 October 2008, 01:15 GMT]
Leader of the dissident SLFP (M) Wing and a former Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, Mangala Samaraweera in the Rajapaska government, charged Monday that the Sri Lankan President was engaged in re-staging 'All Party Conference' drama as agitations and protests were growing in Tamil Nadu state in India and Tamil Nadu politicians have formed broad alliances as never before against the war in Sri Lanka. Stating that Rajapaksa regime is bogged down in war with its "Unitary State," Mr. Mangala Samaraweera said there is absolutely no possibility of finding a political solution that could address the just grievances of the Tamil people within Rajapaksa's Unitary State and its 13th Amendment to the Constitution.
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SLA shuns Perera's funeral

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 October 2008, 08:40 GMT]
No senior officer of the Sri Lanka Army attended the funeral of Maj. Gen. Janaka Perera, the decorated former commander who was allegedly killed by a human bomber last Monday, according to the Sunday Times. The paper also reported that, following 'orders from the top', the remains of the general and his wife, another former Army officer, were kept waiting at Ratmalana Air Force base and, with permission not forthcoming for the caskets to be to be airlifted to Anuradhapura, later had to be taken by road with a dwindling escort of police.
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Karuna seeks Devananda's support for comeback

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 October 2008, 11:02 GMT]
Amid reports of a renewed infighting among the factionalised TMVP paramilitary in the East, Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, alias Karuna, a former Tiger commander who turned leader of the paramilitary group operated by the Sri Lanka Army, Wednesday met the EPDP paramilitary leader and Sri Lankan Minister Douglas Devananda, seeking the latter's support to strengthen his position in the East, which is under the grip of the UPFA-installed chief minister and paramilitary leader, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, who was a former confidante of Karuna.
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TNA condemns grenade attack on Tamil MP's house in Ampaa'rai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 October 2008, 12:32 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA), in a report released Wednesday, condemned the grenade attack on TNA Ampaa'rai district parliamentarian Chandra Nehru Chandrakanthan's house in Thirukkoayil Tuesday, and accused Sri Lanka government of using paramilitary operative Iniyabarathi to prevent TNA parliamentarians of Eastern Province from fulfilling their responsibilities to the constituents. Paramilitary opertive Iniyabarathi functions as Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa's Ampaa'rai district coordinator.
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Grenade attack on TNA MP's house in Ampaa'rai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 October 2008, 05:56 GMT]
Unidentified persons lobbed a hand grenade on the house of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Ampaa'rai district parliamentarian, Chandra Nehru Chandrakanthan, on Thirukkoayil main street, Tuesday around 10:00 p.m, despite the presence of three policemen guarding the residence, the MP said. The blast had damaged only the front portion of the house and no one was injured, he said. Police said two attackers were riding in a motorbike.
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US Ambassador says 'honoured' to meet paramilitary leader

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 September 2008, 05:23 GMT]
US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Robert O' Blake says he was honoured to meet the leader of the Army-backed paramilitary group TMVP (Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal) which Human Rights Watch has condemend for widespread human rights abuses in the eastern province - of which Pillayan was appointed chief minister. Mr. Blake said he is "pleased that [Pillayan] assured me he too is committed to demobilizing the paramilitaries" the Sunday Times reported. The same column in the paper reported that TMVP cadres are once again being used to support the Sri Lankan security forces' counter-insurgency in the east.
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Unemployed graduates commence fasting campaign in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 September 2008, 04:57 GMT]
A fast-to-death campaign organized by the Association of Graduates of Eastern Province (AGEP), the third such campaign within the past three months, commenced Thursday morning outside Batticaloa district Zonal Education office, sources in Batticaloa said.
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967 graduates get appointments in Batticaloa, Ampaa'rai

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 July 2008, 13:29 GMT]
485 graduates in Batticaloa district and 482 in Ampaa'rai district received appointments for jobs in two separate events on Monday. The appointments for the first batch of 1225 graduates who were already promised come in the wake of protests by more than 2,500 unemployed in the Eastern Province. Sri Lankan Education Minister Susil Premajayantha was the chief guest for the events on Monday. Security was beefed up in the nearby streets 24-hours in advance to the events amid a new wave of protest by voluntary teachers who were yet to receive permanent appointments.
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Basil Rajapaksa visits Batticaloa to discuss ADB allocation of funds

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 July 2008, 17:04 GMT]
Asian Development Bank (ADB) has allocated 4,015 million rupees for the development of agriculture and irrigation tanks in Batticaloa district and a conference presided by Basil Rajapakse, the brother and Senior Advisor to SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa and member of parliament, was held Sunday in Batticaloa District Secretariat to discuss ways of making use of the ADB funds, sources in Batticaloa said. Sri Lankan ministers and heads of local and provincial governments of the ruling UPFA, TMVP alliance attended the conference. Members of parliament from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in Batticaloa district were not invited.
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British minister meets Pillayan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 July 2008, 19:57 GMT]
British Foreign and Commonwealth (Asia, Africa and UN) Affairs Minister Malloch-Brown Wednesday morning held talks with Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, leader of the paramilitary-cum-political party TMVP. The meeting was held at the Chief Secretariat of the EPC in Trincomalee town. The talks lasted for about two hours, Media was not allowed to cover the proceedings.
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SC fixes inquiry on petition challenging EPC election results

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 July 2008, 04:57 GMT]
Supreme Court Monday fixed the inquiry for August 21 into the petitions filed by three candidates of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) seeking the court to nullify the results of the Batticaloa district of the eastern Provincial Council election held on May 10 was not free and fair. At the last date of inquiry the SC issued notices on the respondents cited in the petition to appear in court on Monday, legal sources said.
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