Norway slams Colombo media report

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 March 2005, 12:00 GMT]
Norway Tuesday slammed a Colombo media report that it has conveyed a warning to the Government of Sri Lanka and international donors that it is considering a suspension of its role as facilitator to the Peace Process. The Norwegian embassy in Colombo categorically denied the report. Daily Mirror published from Colombo in a lead story Tuesday quoting "informed sources" said: "the LTTE may withdraw from the ceasefire agreement and Norway may suspend its role as facilitator if the government fails to set up a joint mechanism with the LTTE before the end of April to handle tsunami rebuilding in the northeast".
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Woman identifies SLA soldier in attempted rape case

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 March 2005, 11:51 GMT]
A sixty three year old Tamil woman of Neerveli in Jaffna Monday identified the soldier of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) who attempted to rape her last Thursday at an identification parade held in the Jaffna Magistrate's Court.
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Crowds block Sri Lanka army garrisons in Chavakachcheri

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 March 2005, 06:06 GMT]
Crowds blocked Sri Lanka army (SLA) camps in Chavakachcheri with burning tires and logs Saturday in protest against the military for tear gassing and damaging property in the northern peninsula’s second largest town. Protestors stopped military traffic on the A9 highway through Chavakachcheri. Some set fire to two military sentry points in the town. Troubles erupted in this key town when a civilian was hit and wounded by a speeding Sri Lanka army vehicle Friday afternoon. SLA troops and Police tear gassed to disperse a crowd that tried to set fire to the vehicle. Two civilians were wounded Saturday afternoon when riot Police charged a restive crowd in Chavakachcheri.
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Soldiers harass civilians at Muhamalai army checkpoint

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 March 2005, 20:22 GMT]
Jaffna district Head of LTTE Political Wing, C.Ilamparithi, has complained to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that harassment and intimidation by soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) at Muhamalai check point on civilians is on the increase. He requested the SLMM to take immediate steps to stop this trend, sources said.


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Arrest rising chauvinism, extremism, TNA tells Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 March 2005, 12:15 GMT]
Accusing Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister of "inciting the forces of chauvinism and extremism" in Sri Lanka by rushing to describe World Bank official Mr Peter Harrold's statements on Liberation Tigers, without checking their veracity, as "provocative," Mr Sampanthan, parliamentary group leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in his statement in Sri Lanka's parliament on the current political situation, urged the Sri Lanka Government to speak with one voice regarding taking the peace process forward, parliamentary sources in Colombo said.
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More civilians, SLA troubles erupt in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 March 2005, 10:25 GMT]
Restive crowds pelted Sri Lanka army (SLA) troops and blocked the Nelliyadi-Kodikamam main road with burning tires at Kalikai Junction, Thunnalai in Jaffna demanding the arrest of an SLA soldier who had allegedly attempted to molest a married woman in the area in the early hours of Friday morning. Crowds dispersed only after Police promised to bring the alleged offender to book. Later in the day, crowds tried to set fire to an SLA vehicle that knocked and wounded a man in Chavakachcheri town. The crowds also set fire to a Sri Lanka army sentry in Chavakachcheri town during the stand off that developed after the incident.


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Sri Lanka army camp pelted over rape attempt

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 March 2005, 13:00 GMT]
Crowds blocked the Jaffna-Pt. Pedro main road Thursday afternoon and stoned the Sri Lanka army’s (SLA) Villu Mathavady camp at Neervely after four soldiers from the SLA unit allegedly attempted to molest a 63 year old woman in the area. Protesting residents alleged that the woman was alone when a solider from the Villu Mathavady camp in Neervely had entered her home, gagged her and attempted to molest her while three of his colleagues stood guard outside. Some civilians in the area were beaten up by troops from the camp as the unrest spread in the area.


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Sinhala nationalists burn World Bank official’s effigy

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 March 2005, 10:58 GMT]
More than three thousand slogan chanting Sinhala nationalists Thursday burnt the effigy of World Bank’s resident representative for Sri Lanka, Mr. Peter Harrold in downtown Colombo, demanding that he be sent out for saying that there is an unofficial state in the island’s northeast. The demonstration against the World Bank was organized by the Patriotic National Movement, an alliance of Sinhala nationalists backed by Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s powerful coalition partner, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP).


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SLMM, LTTE find 'murdered Muslims' alive

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 March 2005, 07:42 GMT]
Tension in Oddamavadi, 34 kilometres north of Batticaloa, Thursday morning over reports that three men who had gone from the Muslim town to chop firewood in the jungles two days ago were found murdered was resolved after Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission and the Liberation Tigers who searched for their bodies found them staying in a village in the interior to ply their trade. Tension ran high in Oddamavadi, which shut down in protest against the murder of an auto rickshaw driver Wednesday, when Sri Lanka Police in Valaichenai told media Thursday morning that the three men were found murdered by the LTTE in the jungle near Omadiyamadhu, a village on the Batticaloa-Polannaruwa border.


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Seven soldiers to appear in Jaffna court

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 March 2005, 20:55 GMT]
Ms Srinithi Nanthasekaran, Jaffna Additional Magistrate, Wednesday ordered the Jaffna Police to produce on March 14 all seven soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) who were on duty at Parameswara Junction on Friday where Mr Kathirgamu (65) was shot dead during a public protest against the death of school student Ms Nagendran Thulashika, legal sources said.


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Refugees allege were raped, robbed by Sri Lanka Navy men

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 March 2005, 11:30 GMT]
A group of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees alleged in a complaint to the Mannar Citizens’ Committee Wednesday that they were beaten, robbed and molested on a sandbank in the seas off Mannar last Saturday by five men suspected to be Sri Lanka Navy personnel. They also alleged that several refugee women were raped by the sailors. Thalaimannar Police Tuesday admitted to Mannar Base Hospital Ms. Rajitha Rajan, 25, one of the refugee women who were allegedly raped on the sandbank, for medical tests.


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Muslim abducted, killed in Batticaloa north

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 March 2005, 07:29 GMT]
A Muslim auto rickshaw driver who was abducted Tuesday evening by unidentified gunmen in the in the general area of Kadjuwatte, about 55 kilometres north of Batticaloa, was found shot dead Wednesday morning, Sri Lanka army (SLA) spokesman Brig. Daya Ratnayaka said. He blamed the Liberation Tigers for the abduction and killing. "This is a foul murder carried out by the Sri Lanka army and its lackeys calculated to destroy cordial relations between Muslims and Tamils in the east. We will not rise to the bait", said Mr. P. Thayamohan, a senior LTTE political official in Batticaloa. A member of the Liberation Tigers was shot dead in this area in an ambush on Monday.


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Jaffna celebrates Women's Day, calls on SLA to quit

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 March 2005, 17:34 GMT]
The Jaffna Women Cultural Forum celebrated the International Women's Day in the Jaffna district Tuesday calling on "the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) occupying the Tamil motherland should quit." An effigy symbolizing the SLA occupation was cremated at Parameswara Junction in Thirunelveli, sources said.


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Protesting Muslims cook on highway in Maruthamunai

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 March 2005, 14:26 GMT]
Thousands Muslims who lost their homes when the Tsunami hit Maruthamunai, 35 kilometres south of Batticaloa, blocked the main highway to Kalmunai Tuesday protesting against the Government of Sri Lanka for not helping them rebuild their houses. Entire coastal suburbs of this densely populated Muslim town were flattened by the surging sea. The protestors erected tents and cooked on the road. Only the JVP and three Islamic groups had put up some temporary shelters for them, the protestors said. Streets were deserted and the usually busy town was shut down.
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GoSL, LTTE must grasp opportunities for reconciliation- Prof Oberst

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 March 2005, 23:08 GMT]
While stressing the importance of "the Norwegian effort to create a joint government-LTTE mechanism to be successful" for Sri Lanka to recover from the tsunami disaster, and expressing hope that "UN special ambassador and former U.S. president Bill Clinton will be able to bring the two sides together to work towards rebuilding of the devastated areas," Professor Oberst pointed out that "[The] sad reality of the Sri Lankan conflict has been the remarkable ability of both sides to allow opportunities for peace and reconciliation to slip away from their grasp," when he talked to TamilNet this week commenting on post-tsunami development in Sri Lanka.
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IDPs demand resettlement in HSZ

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 March 2005, 14:33 GMT]
Vadamaradchi East Fisheries Co-operative Societies Union (VEFCSU) has requested the Government of Sri Lanka to take immediate steps to allow all Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs) to resettle in their own lands in Nagarkovil West, Nagarkovil East, Nagarkovil South and Amban East, which are located inside the high security zone (HSZ), sources said.
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Jaffna students register complaint with Rights Commission

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 March 2005, 03:25 GMT]
The International Students' Association of Tamil Eelam (ISATE) Saturday complained to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) about the attack by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Police on ISATE's headquarters Friday afternoon. ISATE headquarters is located along Parameswara Junction, Thirunelveli in Jaffna town. ISATE has requested the HRCSL to take immediate steps and to bring the culprits before court of law, sources said.
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Jaffna agitation to student's death, spontaneous- Ilamparithi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 March 2005, 18:31 GMT]
Refuting allegations by Sri Lanka military that "LTTE was behind the public protest after the death of a student by an army vehicle," Head of LTTE Political Wing for Jaffna district, Mr Ilamparithy said "not a single political cadre of the LTTE was involved in the public agitation" in a press release issued Saturday after an LTTE delegation met with Sri Lanka Army delegation, sources said. The meeting was arranged by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in an effort to bring the tensed climate in Jaffna under control after the death of Vembadi Girls School student Thulashika and a civilian who was shot dead allegedly by Sri Lanka Police Friday.
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Army desecrates Muslim cemetery, Pulmoddai villagers protest

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 March 2005, 15:41 GMT]
Residents of traditional Muslim village of Pulmoddai closed their shops, set up road blocks, and burnt tyres Saturday protesting against the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) for forcibly digging their cemetery and removing human remains out of the burial sites, sources said. Pulmoddai village is located about 65 km, north of Trincomalee town on the border area close to Mullaitivu district.
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Norwegian ambassador meets Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 March 2005, 13:35 GMT]
Mr.Hans Brattskar, Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Saturday met with Head of LTTE Politicial Wing S.P Thamilchelvan at the LTTE Peace Secretariat, sources in Kilinochchi said. The Ambassador expressed his Government's concern and condemnation over the killing LTTE political cadres in the east, during the meeting and when he later met with journalists in Killinochchi, sources said.
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