TNA MPs launch sit-in-protest in front of SL Parliament

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 May 2006, 06:32 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians on Tuesday walked out from the well of the Sri Lankan parliament and launched a sit-in-protest after making a statement condemning the extra-judicial killings of Tamil civilians in the North-East.
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Homage paid to journalist Jeyaseelan in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 May 2006, 09:31 GMT]
"Kanagaratnam Jeyaseelan was a young and dedicated journalist who strove untiringly for the cause of liberation even in the face of threats to his life. His death comes as another blow to us in a time when Tamil journalists are being targeted and killed by paramilitary groups guided and assisted by the Sri Lanka government," said Vellinatham Editor Sri Indrakumar paying homage to Jeyaseelan, Sub-Editor Vellinatham, the weekly edition of Eelanatham daily published in Vanni, at an event held Saturday around 11.30 a.m in the Eelanatham office in Kilinochchi presided by Sudarmany of Eelanatham, said sources from Vanni.
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Colombo version of Nelliady killings false, says TNA

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 May 2006, 14:19 GMT]
The Parliamentary group of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in a letter sent to all foreign missions in Sri Lanka said that the Sri Lanka Government's version of the killings of seven youths in Nelliady, that the youths were "cadres belonging to the LTTE, and were killed in retaliatory fire immediately after the attack on the Military Camp," was false as there is evidence that youths were in bar during the time of the grenade attack on the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp.
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Kilinochchi relief organizaton urges immediate release of TRO workers

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 May 2006, 12:46 GMT]
Killinochchi East Rehabilitation Organization (KERO), in a memorandum issued Friday, appealed to the Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse to take immediate steps to release the abducted Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) workers from the custody of the para-militaries of the Sri Lankan Army (SLA). During a military operation on April 30 at Welikanda by LTTE against the paramilitary camp two TRO vehicles used by TRO workers at the time of abduction were recovered. SLA, paramilitaries and government media that they were not involved in the abduction, the memorandum pointed out.
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International Community should protect Tamil media - TMF

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 May 2006, 11:04 GMT]
"The threats, attacks, and killings of Tamil journalists carried out by the Sri Lanka Security Forces and the collaborating paramilitary have reached unprecedented levels. The entire Tamil media is being targeted and intimidated by Security Forces," said the Tamil Media Forum in its memorandum to Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse handed over to Killinochchi Government Agent (GA) Mr. T. Rasanayagam Thursday at 11.30 a.m, said sources from Kilinochchi.


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Jaffna pays last respects to Uthayan victims

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 May 2006, 10:52 GMT]
Normal activities in Jaffna peninsula came to a halt Thursday, as Jaffna residents participated in the protest hartal organised by the Jaffna University Student Union (JUSU), condemning Uthayan killings and the escalating killings of civilians by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and its paramilitaries in the Jaffna peninsula, said student organisers.
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SLTMA extends plea to save Tamil Journalists on Press Freedom Day

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 May 2006, 12:10 GMT]
"The killings of the two Uthayan staffs and the extensive damage to the Uthayan office and equipments by paramilitary cadres directed by the Sri Lanka government (GOSL), pose serious threat to the media in Sri Lanka," said the Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA) in its statement released Tuesday. The GoSL conducts "customary eyewash inquiries," into the killings of several Tamil journalists, the statement added.
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IATJ raises concerns for Tamil Journalists' safety

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 May 2006, 11:08 GMT]
The International Association of Tamil Journalists (IATJ), based in London, called upon the International Community, Media and Human Rights Organisations of the world to focus their attention to the fast deteriorating safety of the Tamil journalists in Sri Lanka and to urge the Government of Sri Lanka to adopt internationally accepted standards in the treatment of the media and its journalists in Sri Lanka.
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Abducted Vaharai Co-op lorry drivers released

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 May 2006, 19:02 GMT]
Thevarajah 45 and Kanagasundram 53, lorry drivers of Vaharai Multi-purpose society in Batticaloa, abducted by armed cadres of Karuna paramilitary group on the 25th April at Palainagar on the Batticaloa-Colombo road, were released Tuesday, said sources from Batticaloa.
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Paramilitary gunmen attack Jaffna daily, 2 killed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 May 2006, 14:25 GMT]
Five armed paramilitary gunmen who entered the main office of the Jaffna daily Uthayan Tuesday night around 7:45 p.m., opened fire on editorial staff, killing at least two staffers, including the daily's marketing manager and wounding two, according to initial reports. At least 40 gunshots were heard, residents said.
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SLA troopers on paramilitary rescue mission killed

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 May 2006, 09:46 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers commando unit that returned to LTTE Forward Defence Line (FDL) Sunday after completing the attack on three paramilitary camps in Welikande area, has claimed that 5 Sri Lanka Army troopers, including a Captain rank officer, who took part in a paramilitary rescue operation, were killed in confrontation with the Tigers. Informed defence circles in Colombo said that the SLA deaths were not revealed to avoid reports of SLA complicity in paramilitary issue.
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Police recover claymore in Kiran

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 April 2006, 16:46 GMT]
A claymore mine was recovered by Valaichenai Police in Kiran, Batticaloa near the market located along the Pulipaainthakal Road at 11.30 p.m. Sunday, Valaichenai Police said. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports said that a high level Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officer and an SLA trooper were killed when their vehicle hit a mine buried by the Liberation Tigers after the pre-dawn attack on paramilitary camp in Welikande.
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Tiger Commandos attack paramilitary camps, 18 killed - LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 April 2006, 03:08 GMT]
18 paramilitary operatives of Karuna group were killed in an attack launched by an Elite Commando unit of the Liberation Tigers on three paramilitary camps in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled Kasankulam close to Thibulana, located 7 km east of Welikande in Batticaloa - Polannaruwa border Sunday. Arms were seized and ammunitions at the paramilitary camps in Kasankulam were fully destroyed by the LTTE commandos in the surprise attack that was planned and supervised by Special Commander Col. Bhanu, an LTTE official from Kokkaddicholai in Batticaloa district told TamilNet. 10 paramilitary cadres sustained serious wounds, 5 were captured by the Tigers. An abducted Vavuniya trader was saved.
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TamilNet editor's murder still unpunished, impunity prevails in Sri Lanka- RSF

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 April 2006, 11:35 GMT]
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Sri Lanka Free Media Movement (FMM) all voiced outrage on the lack of progress in the investigation into the murder of Dharmaretnam Sivaram and and said "the current serious crisis in Sri Lanka - the result of unacceptable terrorism - in no way justifies the impunity prevailing in the murders of journalists and human rights activists," in a press release issued Friday.
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2 youths killed, paramilitary violence escalates in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 April 2006, 10:19 GMT]
Two unidentified gunmen riding in a motorbike shot and killed two Tamil youths, Friday morning around 8:15 a.m. near Kinnayadi Nagathambiran temple, Valaichenai Police said. The killers were suspected to be paramilitary operatives, civilian sources said.
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LTTE details civilian killings by Sri Lankan forces and paramilitaries after Geneva Talks

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 April 2006, 07:41 GMT]
103 civilians, including six children, have been killed by Sri Lankan forces and its paramilitaries since Geneva Talks on 24 February untill April 27, according to a report issued by the Political Head Quarters of the Liberation Tigers Friday. 12 Tamil civilians were killed on February 27, March 5, 6, 9, 20, 22, 24, 25, and 28, and the first attack on SLA posts after the Geneva Talks in February took place on April 8th after the assasination of Trincomalee district Tamil activist Mr. V. Vigneswaran. "Readers can now make their own conclusion about who is responsible for deteriorating situation following the Geneva talks," the report issued by the LTTE concluded.
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TNA urges International Community to act

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 April 2006, 15:59 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Wednesday condemned the GoSL and its peace secretariat for "duplicitous behavior" and "carrying on a malicious and false campaign to mislead the international community," and urged the International Community to "realize this reality and take the appropriate action to compel the Sri Lankan State to act in a responsible way in the interest of the peace process," in a press release issued in Colombo Wednesday.
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Senthilnathan shot and killed in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 April 2006, 07:13 GMT]
A trader and senior member of All Ceylon Tamil Congress in Vavuniya district, S.K. Senthilnathan, shot by paramilitary gunmen around 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, succumbed to his wounds at Vavuniya hospital, medical sources said. Mr. Senthilnathan, a popular trader and a senior member of the Tamil National Alliance party ACTC, is a candidate in the local elections to be held in Vavuniya.
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Trader abducted in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 April 2006, 16:37 GMT]
A Vavuniya trader was abducted by unidentified armed men riding in a white van around 8:15 p.m. at Pandarikulam in Vavuniya, Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian Vino Noharathalingam said.
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Gunmen kill education office employee in Valaichenai

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 April 2006, 07:22 GMT]
Paramilitary gunmen who entered the Education Office in Valaichenai shot and killed Mr. Kanagaratnam Lingeswaran, 29, a clerk from Vaharai Education Office, around 10:45 a.m., civilian sources said. The gunmen who shot the victim with handgun were covering their faces with helmets. Another official, Mr. A. Nagalingam, 53, was wounded in gunfire, education officials said.
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