"Tamils should claim rights gradually" - Douglas Devananda

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 December 2009, 06:58 GMT]
Tamils have been reduced to the stage where they cannot no longer fight for their rights. Their non-violent approaches as well as armed struggle have failed leaving them in a situation where they can only claim their rights step by step, Minister Dougala Devananda said Saturday in a press meet held in Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) office in Jaffna Srithar theatre. The minister further said that EPDP will take full responsibility of the consequences arising by Tamils in North and East voting for President Mahinda Rajapakse in the forthcoming presidential election.
Full story >>

Buddhist monk accused of flogging a Vedda

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 December 2009, 19:08 GMT]
A Vedda aborigine of the island of Sri Lanka was allegedly flogged severely by a Sinhala Buddhist monk during a recent temple festival in Mahiyangane and the police refused to register a complaint, says Asian Human Rights Commission on Friday, requesting international public to intervene by sending urgent appeal to relevant authorities in Sri Lanka.
Full story >>

Zurich, Vienna, war crimes and Tamil polity

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 December 2009, 07:28 GMT]
By concentrating in an undue way on the choice of a president between the two main candidates seen as war criminals, why should Eezham Tamils ultimately uphold the interests of any of the powers either committed or abetted those very war crimes but show no signs of mending their ways on the national question and are now backing those dummy candidates, argues TamilNet political commentator in Colombo. Instead, Tamil politicians and new political aspirants among Tamils should leave the matter to genuine and spontaneous decision of the Tamil people and should make the best use of the time to concentrate more on laying strong foundations to the emerging national polity of Eezham Tamils to face any eventuality that emerges after the presidential elections, he further said.
Full story >>

23 candidates file nominations in Sri Lankan presidential race

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 December 2009, 07:42 GMT]
23 candidates including the incumbent Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa (UPFA), retired General Sarath Fonseka (New Democratic Party), Wickramabahu Karunaratne (Left Front), Siritunga Jayasuriya (United Socialist Party), Sarath Manamendra (Nawa Sihala Urumaya), M.B. Thaminimulla (Okkoma Wasiyo, Okkoma Rajawaru) and Battaramulla Seelaratne Thera (Ana Setha Peramuna) will be among the 18 political parties’ candidates that filed the nomination papers Thursday morning at the Sri Lankan Election Secretariat in Rajagiriya. Meanwhile, one person has filed objections against General Fonseka stating that he is a citizen of the United States of America, but it was overruled by the Commissioner.
Full story >>

Rajapaksa awards defected UNP MPs with ministerial portfolios

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 December 2009, 14:55 GMT]
Two parliamentarians who resigned from the main opposition United National Party (UNP) Wednesday morning were appointed minister and deputy minister in the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government led by the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the evening.
Full story >>

Karuna, Pillayan groups supporting Rajapaksa clash in Ampaa'rai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 December 2009, 14:21 GMT]
Three paramilitary men were reported missing when a major clash broke out between rival paramilitary men of TMVP Pillayan group and SLFP Karuna group around 2:15 p.m. at Thirukkoayil in Ampaa'rai district where a group of 50 operatives of Pillayan had gone in three vehicles to campaign for Mahinda Rajapaksa passing the office of the Sri Lanka Freedom (SLFP) manned by Karuna's paramilitary men headed by operative Iniyapaarathi. Three TMVP men sustained injuries, according to Sri Lankan Police. A vehicle, sent to locate the missing persons, has been set on fire around 5:00 p.m. by Karuna's men. The fate of the occupants were not known.
Full story >>

2 UNP MPs cross over to UPFA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 December 2009, 13:36 GMT]
Two parliamentarians from the main opposition United national Party (UNP) Wednesday extended their support to the ruling Mahinda Rajapaksa government, a day ahead of nominations for the up coming presidential elections to be held on January 26. Krunegala District MPs Johnston Fernando and Indika Bandaranayake made their intentions known at a joint press conference held in Colombo on Wednesday afternoon.
Full story >>

22 aspiring for SL Presidency pay their deposits

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 December 2009, 13:21 GMT]
Seventeen political parties and five independent candidates have paid their deposits when the Sri Lankan Elections Department closed its counter to accept the same Wednesday noon. The nominations will be accepted from 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon on Thursday. The qualified candidates to contest the forthcoming presidential election, scheduled to be held on January 26, would be announced by the SL Commissioner of Elections after 1:00 p.m. Thursday, spokesman of the department told media.
Full story >>

SLN erects mini-camp in Kaaraitheevu in Ampaa’rai district

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 December 2009, 02:41 GMT]
More than 20 Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) men are engaged in erecting a mini-camp on the coast of Kaaraitheevu – 3, in Ampaarai district since Sunday, sources in Ampaarai said. A mini police station had been established last month in this same area and the setting up of a SLN mini-camp has caused fear among the local residents. Kaaraitheevu people have complained to Regional Secretary, S. Ramakrishnan and V. Krishnamoorthy, the District Coordinator of National Integration Ministry about the setting up of the SLN mini-camp.
Full story >>

AG to institute legal action against Fonseka

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 December 2009, 10:45 GMT]
The Attorney General has been directed by the government to investigate and institute legal action against General (retd) Sarath Fonseka for making allegation against the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse that the latter had ordered the Division Commander on the ground to kill LTTE cadres who made an attempt to surrender, according to Human Rights Minister, Mahinda Samarasinghe.
Full story >>

“We are not going to start another armed struggle” – PLOTE Sitharathan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 December 2009, 10:25 GMT]
“We are not preparing ourselves to launch another armed struggle. The accusations that we had abducted minors from Vavuniyaa camps are baseless,” Sitharathan, the leader of People’s Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) said in a press meet held Saturday in PLOTE office in Jaffna. He further said that after the talks held with President Mahinda Rajapakse his party has decided to support him in the forthcoming presidential election, sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Family rule or Democratic rule? – Ranil Wickremasinghe

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 December 2009, 10:22 GMT]
“The time has come for the people to decide whether they want the Rajapakse family rule to continue or democratic rule to be restored in Sri Lanka,” Leader of the opposition and United National Party (UNP), Ranil Wickremasinghe, who is in Jaffna canvassing support for Sarath Fonseka, the common candidate of the opposition parties in the presidential election, said Saturday speaking among the students of the private College of Education near the Buddhist temple in Jaffna.
Full story >>

Fonseka names assassins of Nadesan, Puleedevan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 December 2009, 09:01 GMT]
Former Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Commander and presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka named Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Shavendra Silva, commander of army’s 58th division as directly responsible to the assassination of LTTE’s political leaders B. Nadesan, S. Puleedevan and police chief Ramesh, while naming presidential advisor Basil Rajapaksa, Norwegian minister Erik Solheim and various foreign parties as people involved in the episode, The Sunday Leader reported. While Basil Rajapaksa denied communication with Norway, Sri Lanka defence circles refused to comment. Meanwhile, Tamil circles commenting on Fonseka's 'revelations', said both the SLA Commander Fonseka and Commander-in-Chief Mahinda Rajapaksa cannot explain away their involvement in war crimes and the crimes against humanity.
Full story >>

Sarath is only a tool to eliminate Mahinda – Ranil, in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 December 2009, 08:18 GMT]
“The opposition intends to use Sarath Fonseka only as a tool to eliminate Mahinda Rajapakse from the presidential post; people should not be afraid of him because he was an army commander,” Ranil Wicremasinghe, the leader of the opposition said Saturday night in Jaffna at a press meet held in ‘Yaa’lpaadi’ guest house, sources in Jaffna said. “The failure of the people in the North and East to vote in the last presidential election enabled Mahinda to become president and the resulting sufferings of the Tamils is now clear to them,” Ranil further said.
Full story >>

100th day of Tissainayagam's 20-year prison term

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 December 2009, 13:15 GMT]
Thursday marked the 100th day of Sri Lanka journalist, Jeyaprakash Tissainayagam's 20-year prison term. "Tissainayagam, known as Tissa, was convicted of “terrorism” charges for articles documenting human rights abuses by the Sri Lankan military, as well as the difficult conditions faced by Sri Lankans displaced in the nation’s long war. His sentence was a dire warning to other journalists who would dare be critical of the government. They are right to be concerned," Committe to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in a report Thursday. Tissanayagam has been languishing in jail from 7th March 2008 when he was first arrested without charge.
Full story >>

Text books, school uniform issue event conducted in Sinhalese in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 December 2009, 02:23 GMT]
A "national" event of issuing free text books and school uniforms to students in Jaffna was held entirely in Sinhalese Wednesday in Jaffna Veampadi Girls’ College, sources in Jaffna said. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa was to preside in this event and later his brother Basil Rajapaksa was to participate in the event instead of the president. But Basil Rajapaksa too did not attend the event as announced in the local media. In the meantime, the Sri Lankan president visited Vanni Wednesday to open a "national war memorial" north of Mullaiththeevu at the centre of Puthukkudiyiruppu tank.
Full story >>

Hindu temple of ritual significance destroyed in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 December 2009, 09:22 GMT]
A Siva temple located at an ancient Hindu site called Akaththiyar Thaapanam, at Kangku-veali in the Moothoor division of the Trincomalee district, where Hindus gather especially to perform the Aadi Amaavaasai ritual for ancestors, was destroyed without any traces coinciding the Heroes’ Day on 27 November. The location of the temple is under the control of Sri Lanka Army stationed at a nearby Sinhala village, Neelaappola. The Sinhala villagers of Neelaappola protected the Tamil villagers of Kangku-veali from displacement in 2006. The Tamil villagers who were shocked and wept to see the temple razed to the ground now, suspect ‘outsiders’ and are scared whether this is a prelude to wipe out their traditional village as well.
Full story >>

SB Dissanayake crosses over to SLFP from UNP

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 December 2009, 08:10 GMT]
S.B. Dissanayake, the national organiser of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) and the Opposition Leader in the Central Province broke ranks with his party and crossed over to the ruling Mahinda Rajapaksa's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Monday. The move, which has brought the Sinhala politician with highest number of preferential votes in all the 13 electorates of Kandy in the last provincial elections to the side of Mahinda Rajapaksa, is viewed as a major setback to the UNP in the run up to the presidential elections with the common candidate General (retd.) Sarath Fonseka.
Full story >>

Colombo's claims of free access a lie, says media, ICRC

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 December 2009, 03:30 GMT]
Reporters and aid workers said they are still being barred from visiting Government internment camps housing thousands of Tamil refugees, days after Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama proclaimed on British television that the areas were "totally open."
Full story >>

Attempts to split TNA

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 December 2009, 06:35 GMT]
A faction led by Mavai Senathirajah and some by Srikantha, both Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians for Jaffna, are said to be engaged in activities aimed at splitting TNA, sources in Jaffna said. Srikantha and Selvam Adaikalanathan, another TNA parliamentarian, met Monday Basil Rajapakse, the brother and senior advisor of President Mahinda Rajapakse, in Colombo after which Srikantha told press that Basil Rajapakse had consented to allow resettlement of 4,500 IDPs from Valikaamam North in the first stage. Meanwhile, Mavai Senathirajah said in a press release to the media that Thamizh Arasukk Kadchi (TAK) had sent a letter to President Mahinda Rajapakse requesting the resettlement of IDPs in Valikaamam North.
Full story >>