Tamil boy in Batticaloa wounded in gunfire by Sinhala policemen on meat hunting

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 December 2010, 11:40 GMT]
A 13-year-old Tamil boy who was playing near Karaveddi playground on Tuesday was hit by gunfire by Sinhala policemen who were on meat hunting 5 km west of Batticaloa town. Policemen on hunting have been firing indiscriminately on animals in the area causing panic among the civilians who live in the hamlets. The injured boy, Baskaran Vijayakumar, a 9th grade student at Naavatkaadu Naamaka'l Viththiyaalayam, has been admitted at the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital. Policemen targeting pigs in the jungle area use automatic rifles and fire several rounds, the civilians in the area complain adding that the residents in the densely populated areas have been hit by gunfire also on earlier occasions.
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Confidential report on Devananda to Madras High Court

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 October 2010, 13:20 GMT]
A lower court in Chennai handed over a confidential report to the Madras High Court related to a 1994 order declaring Sri Lanka minister Douglas Devananda a “proclaimed offender” in connection with a murder case in Chennai in 1986, Press Trust of India reported Wednesday. Douglas Devananda had filed a petition in August seeking to set aside the lower court order declaring him as a proclaimed offender treating him as an absconding accused, it further said. Consequently Justice G. M. Akbar of Madras High Court had called for a report from the trial court on 22nd September 2010.
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Devananda, Perumal join hands in new forum

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 July 2010, 08:45 GMT]
A group named 'Tamil Political Parties Forum' (TPPF) of nine Tamil Political parties, paramilitary cum political parties and activists allegedly backed by New Delhi and Colombo, has been formed with the aim to explore ways of finding solution for the problems of the Tamil people in the North and East, political sources in Colombo said. Varatharaja Perumal, Chandrahasan and PLOTE Siddharthan, already known to have close links with New Delhi, have joined hands with M.K. Sivajilingam, a former TNA MP, Anandasangaree of TULF, Pillayan from TMVP and Kumarakuruparan of Democratic People Front in creating the forum. The move has been initiated by Shereen Xavier of Home for Human Rights and Douglas Devananda, the leader of EPDP, who is aligned with Mahinda Rajapaksa government.
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Former CM Varatharaja Perumal back in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 July 2010, 20:33 GMT]
Former Chief Minister of North East Provincial Councils, Varatharaja Perumal from the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF), is back in Jaffna actively engaged in political activities accompanied by his supporters, sources in Jaffna said. Varatharaja Perumal was on a short spell of visit to Jaffna after years of exile during last parliamentary election in which the coalition party candidates he fielded had failed even to get their deposit money back, the sources added.
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ITAK stalwarts in Jaffna oppose TNA abandoning alliance concept

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 July 2010, 18:39 GMT]
The concept of TNA as a broad alliance has become a legacy with Suresh Premachandran's move in convincing Mr. Sampanthan to make the alliance into a political party, blame opponents of the latest move by the TNA hierarchy, which has applied to register the alliance as a political party. The TNA has applied to register itself as a political party with R. Sampanthan as the leader and Mavai Senathirajah representing ITAK, Suresh Premachandran of EPRLF Suresh faction and Selvam Adaikalanathan on behalf of Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), as joint secretaries.
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“Winning the hearts of Sinhalese should be the main aim” – Varatharaja Perumal

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 April 2010, 12:36 GMT]
“All the Tamils in Sri Lanka together should strive to win the hearts of the Sinhalese,” Varatharaja Perumal, the leader of Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) said in the press meet he held Friday at the EPRLF office of Pathmanaba faction located on Hospital Road Jaffna. “If all the Tamil factions agree on a common solution for the ethnic issue India will exert its pressure on Sri Lanka to implement it,” Varatharaja Perumal said.
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Mahinda Rajapakse to engage in election campaign in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 March 2010, 21:09 GMT]
President Mahinda Rajapakse is expected to arrive in Jaffna Thursday to address a public meeting to be held in Duraippaa Stadium Thursday arranged by Eelam Peoples’ Democratic Party (EPDP), an ally of ruling United Peoples’ Freedom Alliance (UPFA), EPDP sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, Varatharaja Perumal, the leader of Eelam Peoples’ Revolutionary Front (EPRLF Varathar faction) and the former Chief Minister of North-East provincial council, arrived in Jaffna Wednesday, sources in Jaffna said.
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EPRLF releases election manifesto in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 March 2010, 18:03 GMT]
Eelam People’s Revolutionary Front (EPRLF) released its election manifesto Sunday around 10:00 a.m in a press meet at EPRLF Pathmanaba faction office on Hospital Road in Jaffna, sources in Jaffna said. EPRLF and People’s Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) are jointly contesting in Jaffna and Vavuniyaa districts in the forthcoming parliamentary election. The EPRLF election manifesto was released by Sritharan, the leader of EPRLF Varathar faction. A political solution based on the right to self- determination in the Tamil provinces, creating a true democratic atmosphere and implementing speedy economic development are the main propaganda aspects mentioned in the manifesto.
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TNA delegation leaves to New Delhi to meet Indian leaders

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 January 2010, 02:55 GMT]
A delegation of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) left Colombo Tuesday to New Delhi on the invitation of the Government of India. Mr. R. Sampanthan, TNA head of the parliamentary group, is leading the delegation. The TNA delegation is expected to take a flight to New Delhi from Chennai Wednesday evening and to hold talks with Indian leaders on Thursday, TNA sources said.
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HR Day observed in Jaffna after 3 years

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 December 2009, 07:28 GMT]
Thousands of persons whose family members had gone missing after abduction or arrest by Sri Lanka Armed forces and paramilitary men participated in an event organized by Jaffna Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Jaffna Veersingham Hall Thursday around 10:00 a.m to mark the 61st International Human Rights Day. Representatives of various Tamil political parties and human rights activists participated in the event which ended around 2:00 p.m. The day’s events concluded with the torch festival held in Aariyaku’lam in Jaffna after a procession which highlighted human rights, source in Jaffna said.
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Tamil, Muslim political parties find their table in Zurich

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 November 2009, 15:10 GMT]
Widely speculated as a drama backed by ‘high-powers,’ leaders of most of the Tamil and Muslim political parties in the island of Sri Lanka are meeting for the first time in Zurich, Switzerland, between Thursday and Saturday. The move is said to be for ‘extracting’ a joint proclamation of them necessary for further power manoeuvres in the island. A couple of years ago it was such a behind-the-scene move of some powers that made most of these parties except the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to rally behind Mahinda Rajapaksa and pledge support to him in the war that brought in disaster to Tamils, writes TamilNet political commentator in Colombo.
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No persons can carry arms in Batticaloa from August 1- DIG

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 August 2009, 07:58 GMT]
No one would be allowed to carry arms in Batticaloa district except police personnel and members of the State armed forces, said the Eastern Region Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Mr. Edison Gunatilake, said. He made this announcement at a meeting held Thursday evening at Thevanayagam Hall in Batticaloa. Members of paramilitary groups, Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP), Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF-Padmanaba wing) and the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) and senior police and Special Task Force (STF) personnel attended the meeting along with businessmen and entrepreneurs of the district.
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Indian High Commissioner on pulse reading mission in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 July 2009, 15:10 GMT]
Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Mr. Alok Prasad, arrived at Palaali Military Airport Tuesday morning accompanied by his deputy and political wing head and held several meetings in Jaffna with the representatives of academic circles, political parties, interreligious associations and civil organizations in Jaffna peninsula in an effort to read the pulse of the people of the peninsula, sources in Jaffna said. “The Sinhalese people in Sri Lanka have faith only on China while the Tamils had absolute faith on India which had committed a historical blunder by betraying the Tamils in Sri Lanka,” one of the civil society representative participant said, commenting on Alok Prasad’s visit to Jaffna.
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SLMC, independent group lists rejected in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 June 2009, 09:21 GMT]
The Sri Lankan election authorities in Jaffna rejected the lists of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and an independent group headed by Arumugam Sellathurai to contest for the Jaffna Municipal Council elections as the lists were not complying with requirements of documentation, officials in Jaffna said Thursday. It is a statuary requirement that at least 12 of the candidates should be below the age of 35 and the rejected groups failed tailed to submit documentary evidence for all their candidates, the sources said. Even if one candidate doesn't fulfil the requirements, the entire list will be rejected.
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TNA submits nomination list for local elections in North

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 June 2009, 08:01 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna district parliamentarian, Mavai Senathirajah submitted Thursday the list of TNA nomination list of 29 candidates contesting Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) election with Mudiyappu Remedius, a leading lawyer and a human rights activist as its principal candidate, under ‘House’ symbol of Ilangkaith Thamizh Arasuk Kadchi. The list includes one Muslim and four women candidates. Besides Mavai Senathirajah, TNA MPs Suresh Premachandran, Gajendrakumar Ponnampalam and Solomon Cyril were also present at the event in Jaffna. Meanwhile, the TNA parliamentarians N. Sivasakthy Ananathan and S. Vino Noharathalingam fielded S.N.G Nathan as principal candidate for the list for Vavuniyaa Urban Council Wednesday.
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Independent group pays deposit for Jaffna MC Election

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 June 2009, 22:06 GMT]
An independent group representing important factions in Jaffna peninsula paid the deposit money Thursday to contest in the forthcoming Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) elections, Election Department sources in Jaffna said. The sources, however, declined to reveal the particulars about the independent group which was the first to pay the deposit money due to security reasons.
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Contestants in JMC elections register with election officer

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 June 2009, 15:17 GMT]
Democratic Tamil Liberation Alliance (DTLA) consisting of EPRLF Varathar wing, PLOTE and TULF led by V. Anandasangaree, informed Jaffna Election Officer that their party will contest in the forthcoming Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) elections, sources in Jaffna said. The above information was submitted to Jaffna Election Officer, signed by V. Ananthasangaree, the general secretary of DTLA.
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Sri Lanka blocks TNA from meeting Ban Ki Moon

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 May 2009, 11:36 GMT]
R. Sampanthan, parliamentary group leader of Tamil National Alliance (TNA), in a press release issued today, said that after the Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry had made arrangements for a TNA delegation to meet UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon prior to his departure at the VVIP Lounge of the Bandaranaike International Airport, the Defense Ministry of Sri Lanka refused the delegation entry into the BIA Airport, denying the Tamil representatives from meeting the UN Secretary General. Meanwhile, Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of Sri Lanka’s main opposition United National Party (UNP), met with the Ban Ki Moon at the Airport.
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Intention of Sri Lankan state is extermination of Tamils - TNA

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 April 2009, 16:04 GMT]
"The Sri Lankan State's actions establish beyond a shadow of doubt, that the real intention of the Sri Lankan State is the progressive extermination of the Tamil people," said the statement published by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in India on Friday. "The fact that the Sri Lankan State and its Armed forces despite the widest possible international outcry that the safety of Tamil civilians is paramount, have not been deterred even to the slightest degree, in the pursuit of their military attacks in Tamil civilian populated areas, without any regard whatever, for the safety of Tamil civilians, is indicative of the deep hostility that the Sri Lankan State and its Armed forces bear towards the Tamil people," the statement issued by the TNA further said.
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Immediate ceasefire, humanitarian access before political engagement - TNA MP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 March 2009, 07:48 GMT]
S. Jeyananthamoorthy, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian from Batticaloa district on Thursday said that the TNA had decided not to engage in talks with the Sri Lankan President or anyone representing the SL state before a conducive environment for such political engagement is created by an immediate ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access to the suffering people of Vanni. The TNA has clarified the reasons in detail in a press meet in Colombo, he said, condemning the abduction of the brother of Jaffna district MP Kajendran, barely 48 hours before the TNA was to decide its position on accepting an invitation for a meeting with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
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