Two killings in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 January 2006, 12:08 GMT]
Two Tamil youths were killed in two different incidents in Vadamaradchy and Valigamam area Thursday night. Thabendran Mathan, 28, a long term employee at the Point Pedro Urban Council was abducted from his home by unknown men and was stabbed to death Thursday night, sources in Jaffna said. The body was discovered along Thumpalai Road near 2nd Cross Street, 1 km east of Point Pedro town with severe cut wounds, sources said.
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Abducted PLOTE cadre's body found in Kepitikollawa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 January 2006, 01:01 GMT]
The body of Krishnasamy Thirunavukarsu, 26, also called Mani, a paramilitary operative of the People's Liberation Organisation of Thamil Eelam (PLOTE) who was abducted from his home in Veppankulam in Vavuniya Saturday, was found Wednesday morning at the Sinhala border village of Attambusgasgoda located 15 km southeast of Vavuniya town, Kepitigollawa Police said.
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Canadians mourn loss of Pararajasingham

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 January 2006, 06:41 GMT]
Canada’s Minister of Defence and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bill Graham, together with four parliamentarians from the Canadian Government, five representatives from the opposition and a number of Canadian Human Rights and Peace activists joined the expatriate Tamil community in Toronto, on Monday, to mourn and pay tribute to "Mamanithar" Joseph Pararajasingam, the senior Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian who was slain at Batticaloa St. Mary's Church on Christmas Day. "Joseph Pararajasingham was a man of peace, but he also a man of steely determination, of great courage, a man who was willing to risk his life for his people," the Canadian Defence Minister said in his tribute.
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PLOTE cadre abducted in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 January 2006, 05:46 GMT]
Krishnasamy Thirunavukarsu, 26, also called Mani, a paramilitary operative of the People's Liberation Organisation of Thamil Eelam (PLOTE), was abducted by unknown persons at 10.30 p.m. Saturday from his home in Veppankulam in Vavuniya, Police sources in Vavuniya said. Reports from Vavuniya said, the intruders announced themselves as Vavuniya Police and when Mr Thirunavukarasu opened the door, he was subdued and driven off in a vehicle.
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Pararajasingham slaying has endangered direct talks - TNA MPs

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 December 2005, 16:33 GMT]
Addressing the mourners who had gathered to pay the last tribute to the slain Tamil National Alliance MP, Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, TNA parliamentarians Mavai Senathirajah and M.K. Sivajilingam said that the Government of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan President, in his capacity as Defense Minister, are responsible for the continued engagement of paramilitary cadres and for the killing of the MP. "The whole affair of resuming the peace process has been placed at maximum risk by the brutal act," Mr. Sivajilngam told the gathering.
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US Tamils call for sanctions against SL Government

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 December 2005, 11:24 GMT]
Expressing anger and sadness at the killing of Senior Parliamentarian Joseph Pararajasingham, US based Tamil Organizations, in a press release issued Monday, pointed out that "Tamils killings are never investigated...and armed forces in Sri Lanka operate with complete impunity," and urged the international community to "show political and moral courage and impose sanctions on the government of Sri Lanka in order to put an immediate end of this deliberated and calculated violence."
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Colombo's bona fides for peace, suspect- TNA

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 December 2005, 17:11 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in a press release issued Monday said the assassination of Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham raises serious doubts in regard to the genuineness of the Government's commitment to the honest and purposeful pursuit of the peace process. "We consider it our duty to point out that the assassination of Mr. Pararajasingham, a Tamil leader unequivocally committed to the resolution of the Tamil question by peaceful means is a serious blow to the credibility of the peace process," the statement said.


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"How will International Community respond?"

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 December 2005, 13:27 GMT]
"A critical question looming large in Tamil Peoples' mind is how the International Community is going to express its reaction to the Government of Sri Lanka on the slaying of the senior Tamil democratic leader, Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham," Jaffna daily Uthayan said in its editorial Monday. The paper described the slaying of Joseph Pararajasigham as an attempt to "throttle the voice of Tamil Nationalism."
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Senior PLOTE operative shot dead in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 December 2005, 12:36 GMT]
A senior paramilitary PLOTE cadre, Mr. Veerappan Thripupathy, 52, alias Thiruppathy Master, who was shot and seriously wounded by an unidentified gunman, succumbed to his injuries at Vavuniya hospital. Another PLOTE cadre, wounded in his hands, is to be transferred from Vavuniya Hospital to Anuradhapura hospital for security reasons, police said. Sri Lanka Special Task Force (STF) soldiers and police officials rushed to the spot and conducted investigations following the incident that took place at Rambaikulam 1 km southeast from Vavuniya at 5:30 p.m.
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Rajapakse, SL Military Intelligence responsible for MPs murder - IFT

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 December 2005, 16:39 GMT]
The Geneva based International Federation of Tamils (IFT), a consortium of more than 150 expatriate Tamil organizations, on Sunday urged the International Community, to condemn without delay, the brutal murder of the Tamil Parliamentarian and human rights activist Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham during the midnight Christmas cathedral service. The Federation urged the International Community to hold Sri Lanka government and President Mahinda Rajapakse responsible for the murder. IFT said Joseph Pararajasingham was a pragmatist, advocating for over a decade, even before the signing of the CFA, a direct dialogue between the government and the LTTE.
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GoSL handling of paramilitaries, LTTE violence, key issues for Sri Lanka peace, say Co-Chairs

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 December 2005, 21:39 GMT]
The Co-Chairs of the Tokyo Donor Conference in the final statement after the conclusion of their meeting in Brussels Monday said they recognized that activities of the paramilitary groups are among the causes for the deteriorating situation and urged “the Government to ensure that such groups cease their paramilitary activities, as a demonstration of its commitment to a peaceful way forward.” They also called on the LTTE “to put an immediate end to their on-going campaign of violence and again urge the LTTE to demonstrate their commitment to the Ceasefire Agreement and the peace process,” and warned, “Failure to demonstrate a willingness to change would not be without serious consequences.”
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Maintaining symmetry of power, key to meaningful peace talks- Adaikalanathan

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 December 2005, 20:34 GMT]
“Instead of choosing a constructive political path setting incremental milestones to monitor progress in addressing the national crisis, various Sri Lanka governments in power, were preoccupied with an "oppressive mindset" and have attempted to weaken the Tamil struggle by purposely dragging out peace processes,” said TNA parliamentarian Selvam Adaikalanathan, speaking to TamilNet Friday. He said that a meaningful peace process is possible only if the prevailing strategic symmetry of power is maintained between the two parties.
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Paramilitary cadre shot dead in Welikanda

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 December 2005, 07:08 GMT]
Unidentified attackers shot and killed a paramilitary cadre of Karuna Group at Kudapokkuna in Welikanda, Police said. The incident took place around 9:45 p.m. Thursday. The attackers escaped from the area, the police added.
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Jaffna tense as SLA cordon, searches continue

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 December 2005, 12:14 GMT]
Tension prevailed in Jaffna as Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers cordoned off and searched several villages in Jaffna district including Kachchai area in Thenmaradchy, Ariyalai in Jaffna, Myilankadu in Valikamam North, Erlalai North and Mandan in Vadamaradchy area, Wednesday morning as the troops continued their security operations for a second day, sources in Jaffna said. Early reports said seven youths have been detained for futher questioning by the SLA in Mandan area. However, the SLA has not officially released any information on the detention.
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"STF, SL Ministers complicit in paramilitary operations, Karuna in India"

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 December 2005, 17:12 GMT]
The two paramilitary cadres who surrendered to the Tigers in Amparai disclosed that Karuna operates from India and that Pillayan was leading the Karuna group operating in the east. They also revealed that Sri Lankan Government Ministers A L M Athaullah, Douglas Devananda and Maithripala Sirisena are complicit in helping paramilitaries operating in the east, during a press conference held at Thenakam guest house in LTTE controlled Karadiyanaru Monday. The cadres also said that the paramilitaries were involved in violence against Muslims to create dissension between Tamil and Muslim communities.
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Exert pressure to curb military violence, IFT urges International Community

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 December 2005, 14:53 GMT]
The Geneva based International Federation of Tamils (IFT), a consortium of more than 150 expatriate Tamil organizations, in a media statement released on Friday appealed to the International Community to exert its influence on the Government of Sri Lanka to help bring normalcy in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled areas in the Northeast.
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Muslim man shot dead, one wounded in Eravur

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 December 2005, 02:43 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen shot and killed Mr. S. Samsudeen, 53, a Muslim civilian employed as watcher at a timber shop in Punnaikudah, 5 km northeast of Eravur town Thursday midnight. Another Muslim civilian, Mr. Mohammed Asanar, 55, who was sleeping inside his restaurant, located close to the timber shop, was shot and wounded by the gunmen who came in a van, Eravur Police said. Punnaikudah is a border area between Tamil and Muslim villages.
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Clause 1.8 key to saving truce - paper

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 December 2005, 15:34 GMT]
Arguing that “a period of mutual de-escalation and confidence building is a sine quo non if a meaningful peace process is to resume,” the Tamil Guardian newspaper said this week “[this] must begin with an end to the Army’s covert onslaught,” in reference to the ongoing shadow war by Army-backed paramilitaries against LTTE members and supporters. Despite the recent sharp rise in violence, fears of an imminent war are overstated, the Diaspora newspaper argued, noting that this is not the first time incidents involving heavy loss of life have occurred since the February 2002 ceasefire.
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Revenge killing by suspected paramilitaries

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 December 2005, 10:06 GMT]
Two sisters of Puhalventhan, Mrs. Yogarasa Yogeswary, 26, and Thurairasa Vathany, 17, were shot dead, Wednesday night, by suspected paramilitaries, at Palacholai in Batticaloa. Puhalventhan, a renegade paramilitary cadre from Karuna Group, had surrendered along with Gnanatheepan, his colleague, to the LTTE in Amparai, Tuesday. The sisters were shot as they emerged from their door to greet two callers who had entered the compound around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. A two years old child was seriously wounded.
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SLMM head meets Elilan in Sampoor

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 December 2005, 18:20 GMT]
Mr.Hagrup Haukland, Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Wednesday 2 p.m. held a two hour discussion with Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), at the LTTE political secretariat located in Sampoor in LTTE held Muttur east.


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