Hand grenade lobbed at the house of UNP candidate in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 May 2008, 02:21 GMT]
Unidentified men lobbed two hand grenades Sunday night about 8:30 p.m. in Kalkudaa, Batticaloa district targeting the residence of Arumugam Jeagan who contested on behalf of United National Party (UNP) during the recently concluded Eastern Provincial Council (EPC) Elections, Kalkudaa police said.
Full story >>

EPC councillor Maunagurusami quits politics

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 May 2008, 01:17 GMT]
Former Batticaloa District Secretary and Government Agent P. Maunagurusami of Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) recently appointed by the Elections Commissioner for one the bonus seats in Eastern Provincial Council (EPC), announced Saturday that he was quitting politics.
Full story >>

'India gives full blessings to eliminate LTTE,' says SL Prime Minister

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 May 2008, 11:50 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka, in a special interview to Thinakkural, a Colombo based Tamil daily, on Friday, claimed that the Indian government had given "full blessings" to the government of Mahinda Rajapaksa to "eliminate the LTTE." Mr. Wickramanayaka further proclaimed that there was no "ethnic conflict" in Sri Lanka. "The LTTE should lay their arms down if they want peace talks. We are not prepared for talks with them in the meantime," he further said.
Full story >>

CAFFE files petition against armed groups' presence on polling day

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 May 2008, 10:35 GMT]
Campaign for Free and Fair Election (CAFFE) Monday filed a petition in the Supreme Court to order the Commissioner of Elections and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to take immediate steps to stop persons with arms other than government security forces moving in areas where polling stations are located in the three districts, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampaarai on May 10 when the east goes to poll, legal sources said.
Full story >>

Ethnic divide reflected in Sri Lanka media coverage

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 May 2008, 17:56 GMT]
The polarization between Sri Lanka’s ethnic communities is also reflected in coverage of the island’s protracted conflict and has rendered ‘the truth’ an inevitable casualty of war, several speakers argued last week at the annual conference in London of the International Association of Tamil Journalists (IATAJ). The day-long event at the University of Westminster was attended by one hundred invited participants and was addressed by journalists, academics and media activists, including Mr. Nadesapillai Vithyatharan, editor of the Uthayan newspaper, Mr Chandana Bandara, senior producer with the BBC’s Sinhala service and Mr. Bhagwan Singh of the Deccan Chronicle.
Full story >>

Thanthai Chelva remembered on his 31st anniversary

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 April 2008, 14:59 GMT]
The 31st death anniversary of the late Tamil leader and the founder of the Federal Party (Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi -ITAK), Samuel James Velupillai Chelvanayakam (SJV) was held in Jaffna near the SJV memorial statue at 9:45 a.m Saturday presided by Rev. Dr. Jebanesan of the South Indian Council of Churches.
Full story >>

International Community should learn from experience, Vaiko tells Norway

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 April 2008, 23:03 GMT]
Expressing that the lack of implementation by the Government of Sri Lanka on the agreed principles of the February 2002 Cease Fire Agreement (CFA), especially disarming of army backed paramilitary groups, led to the ultimate breakdown of the peace process, Vaiko, the General Secretary of Marumalarchchi Dravida Munneatta Kazhakam (MDMK), told Norwegian International Development Minister Erik Solheim and Jon Hanssen-Bauer, the Norwegian Special Envoy, that the International Community should prevail upon the GoSL to reinstate the ceasefire in order to engage in a meaningful process for a negotiated settlement.
Full story >>

SLN arrests 11 civilians in Kachchaitheevu seas

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 March 2008, 15:20 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) in Kayts arrested 11 civilians from Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held Vanni on their way to Tamil Nadu on Kachchaitheevu seas Tuesday early morning, according to the statements in Kayts Magistrate Court where the civilians were produced Wednesday before Kayts Magistrate Ms. Joy Mahatheva.
Full story >>

Genocidal policies exposed, Colombo stands weakened - Nadesan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 March 2008, 22:49 GMT]
"Signs of desperation are evident in Sri Lanka’s defense hierarchy as the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) divisions stay bogged down within a few square kilometers in Mannaar, unable to advance for nearly a year. While SLA commanders are on foreign jaunts to build hurried military alliances, Colombo has also suffered politically with its racist policies in governance exposed internationally, and has earned opprobrium from international community for the escalating human rights violations," said B. Nadesan, head of political section of the Liberation Tigers addressing the event held in Ki'linochchi to pay last respects to the slain parliamentarian, K. Sivanesan, Saturday.
Full story >>

Emergency extended in Sri Lanka for another month

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 March 2008, 07:26 GMT]
The Sri Lanka's parliament Wednesday adopted the motion extending the State of Emergency for another month by a majority of 88 votes. 102 parliamentarians voted for the motion and 14 against, parliamentary sources said. Parliamentarians of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) were not present in the parliament when the motion was put to vote.
Full story >>

Swiss Tamil children challenged in chess

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 March 2008, 07:01 GMT]
More than seventy Swiss Tamil children took part in the S.P. Thamilchelvan Chess Tournament held in Lucern, Switzerland Saturday from 10:30 a.m to 5:30 p.m. Competitions, the first of its kind held by diaspora Tamils in Switzerland, were organized into five divisions, under-10, 12, 14, 16, and over-16 age groups, organizers of the tournament said.
Full story >>

UPFA, TMVP alliance implicates GoSL complicity, collusion with armed group - CPA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 February 2008, 13:37 GMT]
Centre for Policy Alternatives, a Colombo based think-tank that undertook a fact finding mission to Batticaloa district between February 8 and 11, said Sri Lanka's ruling United Peoples Freedom Allilance (UPFA) government, by opting for the alliance with the armed TMVP group in Batticaloa municipal council election, finds itself in a position where it is increasingly difficult for the GoSL to deny the charges of "complicity and collusion with the TMVP." The CPA's statement has warned that there was a clear sense of inevitability that the elections will result in a TMVP "victory" as it is the only "political actor" allowed to move around in recently resettled areas.
Full story >>

Bishop appeals for violence free elections in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 February 2008, 14:10 GMT]
Rt.Rev.Dr.Kingsley Swampillai, Bishop of Trincomalee-Batticaloa, appealed to all political parties to extend their cooperation to help conduct a violence free election, when he addressed a meeting held in the auditorium of Batticaloa public library Tuesday morning attended by a number of Sri Lanka officials.
Full story >>

Jayalalitha to Centre: Take action against Karunanidhi for LTTE support

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 February 2008, 16:57 GMT]
Jayalalitha, leader of All India Anna Dravida Munnetta Kazhakam (AIADMK), the major opposition party in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday urged the Centre to take action against Chief Minister M Karunanidhi for his "support" to the LTTE. A resolution adopted at the party's General Council said that Mr. Karunanidhi, after coming back to power, not only remained silent over LTTE supporters, but also went a step ahead and eulogized the death of S P Thamilchelvan, LTTE's former political head. It labeled Karunanidhi's elegy "an act of treason" and alleged that it would pave way for secessionism.
Full story >>

Police Units established to curb Batticaloa Election violence

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 February 2008, 23:52 GMT]
A number of Special units have been established in Batticaloa district to curb election related violence and to enable the affected parties to lodge complaints against such incidences, police sources in Batticaloa said.
Full story >>

Paramilitary personnel shot dead in Akkaraippattu

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 February 2008, 16:23 GMT]
Unidentified armed men shot and killed a paramilitary personnel belonging to Pillaiyan group of Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) Saturday noon in Thirukkoavil area in Akkaraippattu police division in Ampaarai district, sources in Ampaarai said.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka parliament debates emergency extension motion

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 February 2008, 12:12 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Ratnasiri Wickremanayake Wednesday moved a motion in parliament to extend the State of Emergency for another month. The State of Emergency is in force in the island since August, 2005.
Full story >>

Paramilitary operative shot dead in Chengkaladi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 31 January 2008, 13:47 GMT]
Unidentified armed men shot and killed a paramilitary personnel belonging to Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) Wednesday night 7:05 p.m. at Siththaa'ndi in Ea'raavoor police division in Batticaloa district.
Full story >>

Batticaloa candidates to be provided police protection

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 January 2008, 13:14 GMT]
At a conference held Monday at Batticaloa district secretariat chaired by Mr.Sunderam Arumainayagam, the Government Agent(GA), the officals decided to provide protection to the candidates contesting in the March 10 local council election. Two policemen will be assigned for each candidate.
Full story >>

Providing moral support to Eelam, not a crime- Thirumavalavan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 January 2008, 18:53 GMT]
"Any move to suppress those expressing moral support to Tamil Eelam and LTTE is violation of all tenets of democracy and humanism, and will border on fascism," Viduthalai Chiruththaikal Katchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party) President Thol. Thirumavalavan said on Friday addressing a conference organized by his party in Chennai labeled "Redeem the Freedom of Expression."
Full story >>