Abductions shock Mannaar, relatives of victim confront white van

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 January 2011, 19:22 GMT]
Sinhala-speaking armed men in white-van rushed through Mannaar abducting four males, one of them a Muslim youth, Jaharil Jazeel. The episode resulted in a confrontation between the relatives of Mr. Jazeel and the abductors, exposing the level of top-hierarchy involvement of Sri Lankan defense authorities in the chain of abductions. Sri Lanka Navy, Sri Lanka Army and Police guarding the Mannaar Bridge withdrew their security, allowing the abductors to proceed southwards after seeing a piece of paper produced by the men right in front of the victim’s relatives, who were chasing the white van in four three-wheelers. The armed men, confronted by Jazeel’s relatives opted to take away the mother of Jazeel in their vehicle only to force her off their vehicle at gunpoint at Vangkaalai Junction after crossing the Mannaar bridge on their way to South along Mannaar – Medawachiya Road.
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Father of five reported missing in Koappaay

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 January 2011, 03:31 GMT]
Mahalingam Amirtharajah, a father of five, has been reported missing since January 1, according to a complaint lodged by his sister with the Jaffna regional secretariat of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) and the Koappaay Police. Amalaraj left for home after meeting his friends in a public place around 10:00 p.m. on January 1st, but failed to reach home. Amirtharajah's relatives fear that he was abducted while he was returning, according to the complaint.
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SL judiciary, Police in Jaffna respond to stand of GA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 January 2011, 01:26 GMT]
The High Court Judge and judicial district judges of Jaffna convened a meeting of police officials in the Jaffna district Tuesday at the High Court premises to discuss the escalating killings, abductions, robberies and threats by armed squads. The details of the discussions would be revealed to the media in due course, officials said. The judiciary tightening its control over law and order situation is widely expected. On Monday, the SL government agent in Jaffna, Mrs Imelda Sugumar, accused the police for inaction and corruption and preferred further induction of occupying SL military in policing. However, the judges decided to discuss matters with the police. The police will convene a public meeting at Veerasingham Hall in Jaffna, Friday, seeking public opinion.
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Imelda accuses police, prefers military

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 January 2011, 18:49 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Police has failed in its duty to arrest killings, abductions and anti-social activities in Jaffna, Imelda Sugumar, the Sri Lankan government agent in Jaffna accused on Monday. In a press meeting at her office, she briefed the journalists about her preference to induct the occupying SL military to police the situation further in Jaffna. The police are corrupt and no ‘development’ work is possible in the district under the current circumstances, she claimed. Two weeks ago, while meeting a section of Tamil politicians, the Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa was also vocal about his preference to the military than the police in running the affairs of the Tamil land. He said this in reply to the visiting politicians when they expressed concern about SL military cantonments in the country of Eezham Tamils.
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Escalating killings, abductions: ‘Diplomatic civilities will not work with Colombo’

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 January 2011, 00:06 GMT]
Fatal attacks and abductions against educationalists, environmentalists, priests and youth activists in recent days in the Jaffna peninsula seriously question the wisdom of some sections of diplomats and politicians in the international community who sometimes back advocated unassuming participation of Tamils in ‘development’ and ‘reconciliation’ without resolving political and military questions. Diplomatic civilities as shown by the US ambassador Patricia A. Butenis in taking pride of what Rajapaksa government is achieving in resettlement, while making it a beneficiary of USAID, will not work with the kind of people at the helm of affairs in Colombo. The IC is once again demonstrating its impotency in handling the national question of Eezham Tamils without political solution and without removal of occupying military, a Jaffna based human rights activist told TamilNet Sunday.
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Mobile phone saves 30 abductees in Vanni from being taken to South

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 January 2011, 22:34 GMT]
A 20-year-old student, Gajeevan Puvanendran, who was being abducted by men in green uniform in a vehicle Saturday morning around 5:30 in Ki'linochchi, alerted his parents and relatives through SMS and phone conversation that he was being taken away on A9 highway towards South. Later, Mr. Gajeevan was saved with around 4 others in Vavuniyaa. The Sri Lankan Police has not revealed the details of the abductors or other abductees. Informed sources close to the police in Vavuniyaa told TamilNet that a squad operated by Sri Lankan military was taking away the abductees to South. However, latest information from Vavuniyaa from reliable sources said there were around 30 young boys and at least one of them was taken by an intelligence squad.
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Jaffna marred with killings, abductions on New Year eve

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 December 2010, 18:19 GMT]
Armed men who entered the house of a 28-year-old youth who had displaced from Vanni to Vadamaraadchi recently shot him causing serious injuries Friday night. The victim, Nadarasa Ketheeswaran, a worker at the post office in Point Pedro, succumbed to his injuries after being transferred from Manthikai hospital to Jaffna Teaching Hospital for further treatment. The shooting took place while the victim was residing with relatives in Kudaththanai East of Vadamaraadchi, Jaffna. Meanwhile, 48-year-old Yoganathan Pushpathevi, a widow with six children was abducted Friday night by armed men who came in a white van. Her son living in Italy had visited her a few days ago, residents said.
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Youth abducted in Jaffna Thursday is a teacher

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 December 2010, 16:30 GMT]
The youth who was abducted by ‘white van’ squad Thursday at Urumpiraay, Jaffna, has been identified as 30-year-old teacher, Shanmuganathan Vignesvaran of Vaiththeesvaraa Road of Urumpiraay West. His wife on Friday identified his slippers and bicycle at the Chunnaakam police station. The abduction took place in the same locality where Deputy Director of Education Mr. M. Sivalingam was assassinated Sunday. The hand of SL military intelligence is widely suspected in the series of terror campaign in Jaffna.
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Youth abducted, Sri Lanka colonial commander denies knowledge

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 December 2010, 01:07 GMT]
Unidentified persons coming in a white van abducted a youth in Urumpiraay, Jaffna, in broad daylight and in public, while he was riding a bicycle Thursday. When contacted by media over the incident, Sri Lanka’s colonial commander in Jaffna, Maj. Gen Hathurusinghe not only denied any knowledge of it, but also said that there are no chances for such abductions since the LTTE doesn’t exist now. When it was pointed out that public had witnessed the abduction and that the bicycle and slippers of the victim had been remaining on the street, the ‘Asian Nobel laureate’ General replied that the police would investigate into that matter. However, the police that picked up the evidence also denied any abduction. Meanwhile, irresponsible reporting of the happenings in Jaffna by some in the diaspora affects the credibility of even bona fide news, commented media circles in Jaffna.
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Abductions escalate in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 December 2010, 02:44 GMT]
Six civilians have been reported missing in Jaffna peninsula in the last four weeks, civil society sources in Jaffna said. The latest victim, Thanarathnasabapathy Nirojan, 23, a resident of Oorkavaththu'rai (Kayts) in Jaffna failed to return after leaving home on November 29 to Vavuniyaa for business activities, according to a complaint lodged with the Jaffna Secretariat of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL).
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Terror campaign in Jaffna: abducted youth tortured and beheaded

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 December 2010, 21:27 GMT]
Mahendran Thiruvarudchelvam, known as Chelvam, abducted 9 days ago was tortured and beheaded as evidenced by his remains reaching Jaffna Teaching Hospital. Even though initial reports said that he had been abducted for a ransom of 8 million, his background and prevailing terror campaign in the SL-military-occupied Jaffna point to deeper motives behind his killing, human rights activists in Jaffna said. Mr. Chelvam, 28-year-old, and father of a child, was living in Vanni to the end of the war, spent some time in the internment camp and was released for resettlement. He returned to his native place Meesaalai North near Kanakan-pu'liyadi and started doing business as a vehicle dealer. The former residents of Vanni, whether they are in captivity or released, are viewed by the occupying military and paramilitary as objects for exploitation and then extermination.
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Fox cancels trip amid Sri Lanka War Crimes accusations

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 December 2010, 02:03 GMT]
Liam Fox, the British defence secretary whose friendship with Sri Lanka's President has been in the news during Rajapakse's visit to the UK early this month, was tonight forced to abandon a private visit to Sri Lanka this weekend after a row with William Hague, who feared that Fox would upset Britain's carefully balanced approach to Colombo, UK Guardian reported.
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WikiLeaks: Gotabaya sanctioned extra-judicial killings by Paramilitaries

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 December 2010, 01:08 GMT]
A WikiLeaks cable, dated 18th May 2007 from US embassy in Colombo, accuses Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse of giving orders to Sri Lanka Army (SLA) commanders in Jaffna not to interfere with Tamil paramilitaries who are "doing "work" that the military cannot do because of international scrutiny. The work referred to in the cable includes extra-judicial killings, extortion, abduction and prostitution by the Tamil paramilitary groups EPDP and Karuna Group. Both groups are led by Ministers in the present ruling Government in Sri Lanka.
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SL Police arrest TMVP operative in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 November 2010, 07:03 GMT]
Sri Lanka police Intelligence officers arrested Sunday an important operative of Tamil Makkal Viduthali Pulikal (TMVP) a political-cum-paramilitary party led by Eastern Province Chief Minister, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, in Ka’ruvaakkea’ni in Batticaloa. He was arrested for involvement in the theft of a van on information given by Vadivel Ravichandran, the Vice Chairman of the Vaazhaichcheanai Pradeshiya Saba in Batticaloa who was arrested and detained in October by police in Nuwara Eliya district, sources in Batticaloa said.
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CaFFE, CHR condemn intimidation at LLRC session in Kayts Island

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 November 2010, 10:35 GMT]
The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE), and Centre for Human Rights - Sri Lanka (CHR) in a statement issued Monday condemned the alleged systematic intimidation of those who wanted to make submissions at the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation (LLRC) sessions at Kayts Island in Jaffna district on Sunday.
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Former Tamil SLA accomplice abducted in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 September 2010, 06:11 GMT]
A gang of unidentified armed men arriving in a van abducted a Tamil youth who had operated with Sri Lanka Army (SLA) during the war, on 15 September at Kalladi in Batticaloa district, according to complaints made by his wife to Batticaloa police. She had first complained at the office of Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), a political-cum-paramilitary party led by Eastern Province Chief Minister, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, raising suspicion whether he has joined TMVP on returning from a Middle East country where he had worked after the war, sources in Kalladi said.
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SL government responsible for abductions – TMVP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 September 2010, 05:23 GMT]
Sri Lanka government should take responsibility for the abductions that have taken place after the war in Eastern Province, the propaganda secretary of Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pullikal (TMVP), a political-cum-paramilitary party led by Eastern Province Chief Minister, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, said in a meeting held in Kommaanththu’rai in Batticaloa district. Meanwhile, Batticaloa district residents said that armed men alleged to be Pillayan group and Karuna group abduct persons and rob houses in the outskirt villages of the district. Karnuna group is also a political-cum-paramilitary party led by Sri Lanka minister Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna.
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Batticaloa MC member reported abducted

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 September 2010, 10:43 GMT]
The wife of a member of Batticaloa Municipal Council (BMC) complained to Batticaloa police that her husband had gone missing since August 23 after having met BMC Mayor Sivageetha Pirabakaran and a member. She said she suspects that Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Intelligence Unit officers had abducted her husband. A person had called her 22 August night and intimidated that her husband will be abducted by the SLA. Meanwhile, Eastern Province Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias (Pillayan) is reported to have said that SLA and Sri Lanka police in Batticaloa should take responsibility for the abductions in Batticaloa district.
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101 complaints of abductions made to SL police in 7 months

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 July 2010, 08:47 GMT]
Sri Lanka police have received 101 complaints of abductions since January to the end of July in various parts of Sri Lanka and 93 of them are related to ransom demands, SL police spokesman Preshantha Jayakody told media in Colombo.
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Jaffna Tamil daily reporter dies in accident

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 July 2010, 19:45 GMT]
A 32-year-old reporter and photographer of 'Yarl Thinakkural', a Tamil daily published from Jaffna died Tuesday morning in an accident when he was hit by a bus on A9 road at Usan while on duty. The victim, Perampalam Jeyachandran alias Jeyam, a father of one child, was a native of I'lavaalai. Mr. Jeyachandran was one of the few journalists who served with commitment to journalism particularly during the dangerous times that prevailed in the peninsula, media sources in Jaffna said.
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