Grabbing land for wrecking contiguity of Tamil homeland

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 December 2009, 10:22 GMT]
‘Investors’ may see the eastern coastal tract of the island of Sri Lanka, from Kokku’laay to Kuchchave’li, potential for minerals, tourism and fisheries. But the tract is of utmost importance to Eezham Tamils in linking the north and east of their historic homeland. Tamils wouldn’t have been averse to the idea of anyone coming and investing in this tract had there been a guarantee to the territorial integrity of their nation. It would have even been welcomed. But the genocidal Sinhala State and powers of greed have chosen the cruel way to achieve ambitions by crushing the Tamil nation – killing, maiming, chasing, incarcerating and weakening the historical inhabitants. If India that has a particular eye on this tract wants its gratification peaceful and long lasting it should take the responsibility of not altering the demography, writes a university academic of the Eastern Province.
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Fonseka to contest presidential election on swan symbol

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 November 2009, 12:42 GMT]
Former Sri Lanka Army Commander General (retd) Sarath Fonseka, the common opposition candidate for the Sri Lankan presidential election, which is scheduled to be held on January 26 is to contest on the symbol swan and on the ticket of a newly registered political party. He held the first press briefing Sunday morning at Jaica Hotel in Colombo.
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Resettle IDPs in Jaffna before Presidential Election – IDP Welfare General Committee

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 November 2009, 19:09 GMT]
The Welfare General Committee (WGC) of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Jaffna demands the speedy resettlement of IGPs in their own places occupied by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in its High Security Zones (HSZs) in Jaffna peninsula before the Presidential elections, WGC sources said. WGC has decided to present its request directly to Sri Lanka President, Mahinda Rajapakse when he visits Jaffna 8 December. Meanwhile, WGC strongly condemns Minister Douglas Devananda’s recent announcement that resettlement in HSZs in Jaffna peninsula will take place only in July 2010 after the presidential election.
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SLAF helicopter gunship comes down in Buttala, 4 killed

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 November 2009, 10:48 GMT]
A Russian built MI-24 helicopter gunship of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF), which was engaged in air cover to provide security to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's visit to Hambantota, crashed in Badalkumbura area in Nilakandura, Buttala, killing the pilot and three gunners Friday afternoon, according to informed sources in Colombo.
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Vikramabahu Karunaratne invokes support among Tamils

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 November 2009, 10:17 GMT]
After supporting the federal aspiration of Eezham Tamils in the 1956 elections, now for the first time left political parties led by Sinhala leaders have come forward to field a common presidential candidate, Dr. Vikramabahu Karunaratne, with a main programme recognising Tamil Nation, its homeland in the north and east, its right to self-determination and autonomy as solution for the unity of the island. When agenda-setting powers harping on chauvinistic elements keep mum on recognising the fundamentals, and when Tamil political parties including some Tamil left leaders locked in agendas don’t have guts to spell out the fundamentals, why not voice-deprived Tamils and peace-loving Sinhalese register opinion and explore co-existence through support to the Left Front, is a topic widely discussed in the Tamil circles.
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JHU parliamentarian criticizes General Sarath Fonseka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 November 2009, 15:45 GMT]
Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) parliamentarian Venerable Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera Thursday at a press conference made a scathing attack on General (retd) Sarath Fonseka, the opposition backed common candidate that he (Sarath) was a part of an international conspiracy aimed at making way for the intervention of foreign troops into the country. He declined to elaborate the allegation. The Buddhist monk is leading a group of the JHU.
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UNP, SLFP-M back Fonseka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 November 2009, 13:04 GMT]
The working committee of the main Sri Lankan opposition United National Party (UNP) Thursday endorsed General (retd) Sarath Fonseka as their common presidential candidate. UNP is the main constituent of the newly formed United National Front (UNF). The peoples’ wing of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), led by rebel SLFP parliamentarian Mangala Samaraweera, former Foreign Minister in the President Mahinda Rajapakse’s government also endorsed General Sarath Fonseka as their common presidential candidate.
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Police arrest Tamil civilian in Akuressa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 November 2009, 08:52 GMT]
Sri Lanka Police arrested a Tamil civilian in Akuressa in Matara district Wednesday. Police sources said he was taken into custody on receipt of information that he was involved in several terrorist activities in the south including the bomb attack that took place on March 10 this year. Several persons were killed in the blast. Minister of Posts Mahinda Wijesekara was seriously injured.
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NLF leader Karunaratne to contest presidential election

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 November 2009, 18:20 GMT]
Dr. Wickremabahu Karunaratne, leader of the New Left Front (NLF), Wednesday announced his candidature for the forthcoming Presidential election. He disclosed his decision at a media briefing held in Colombo. Meanwhile, General Sarath Fonseka, former Sri Lanka Army commander and the Chief of Defence Staff, said that he is to announce his future plans Thursday.
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Counter-national conspiracy against Tamils comes to light

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 November 2009, 07:56 GMT]
LTTE members either in custody or operating units in the island have become the most vulnerable to counter-Tamilnational conspiracies of Colombo government, well informed sources in Colombo indicate. The Colombo government’s focus now is to get the section of the LTTE in its trap to denounce Tamil Eelam and efforts are intensified to make use of the Heroes’ Day to test the conspiracy. Colombo is as usual abetted by certain powers in this exercise, the sources further said. Meanwhile, Tamil diaspora circles responded to the news saying that under current circumstances any ‘statement’ addressed to the public has to be viewed not from the point “what is said or who has said but from where it has been said.” The free LTTE has a great responsibility in promoting the emergence of new democratic political leadership that truly represents the national aspirations of Tamils, they further said.
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Colombo announces new phase of 'IDP management'

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 November 2009, 00:55 GMT]
Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s brother and advisor Basil Rajapaksa MP on Saturday announced that the Tamils held in the internment camps of Vavuniyaa would be free, starting from December 01, to go and live wherever they want to or to choose whether they want to continue to remain inside the camps. Tamil sources in Vavuniyaa view the announcement with scepticism describing it as an 'election gimmick' while expressing fear of increased disappearances and militarisation of the Tamil homeland.
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Tamil, Muslim political parties find their table in Zurich

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 November 2009, 15:10 GMT]
Widely speculated as a drama backed by ‘high-powers,’ leaders of most of the Tamil and Muslim political parties in the island of Sri Lanka are meeting for the first time in Zurich, Switzerland, between Thursday and Saturday. The move is said to be for ‘extracting’ a joint proclamation of them necessary for further power manoeuvres in the island. A couple of years ago it was such a behind-the-scene move of some powers that made most of these parties except the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to rally behind Mahinda Rajapaksa and pledge support to him in the war that brought in disaster to Tamils, writes TamilNet political commentator in Colombo.
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Jaffna private sector lorries allowed to use A9 road

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 November 2009, 05:57 GMT]
Governor of Northern Province, Major gen. G. A. Chandrasiri, said in a media release Wednesday that the lorries of private owners are allowed to transport goods through A9 road as a gesture related to the 64th Birth Day of President Mahinda Rajapakse and the completion of the fourth year of his term as President. This lifting of the restriction follows the earlier announced lifting of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) imposed travel pass restriction on Jaffna residents by the Governor.
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President calls Jaffna government heads for urgent meeting in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 November 2009, 05:23 GMT]
Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse has invited the top government officials in Jaffna District including the Government Agent (GA), Divisional Secretaries and Additional Government Agents for an urgent meeting at his official residence Temple Trees Thursday 6:00 p.m, Jaffna Secretariat sources said. This meeting taking place on the occasion of the President completing his fourth year of term and the presidential election expected to be announced any time has raised speculations among Jaffna peninsula residents.
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Secretaries of SLFP, JVP hold special talks

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 November 2009, 17:36 GMT]
General Secretary, Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Maithiripala Sirisena and the General Secretary of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Tilvin Silva held special talks last week on issues related to the current political situation in Sri Lanka and the political actions to be taken in the future, political sources in Colombo said. The talks had taken place only between the general secretaries of the two political parties, the sources added.
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SL Government will decide later which election to be held first – President Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 November 2009, 15:44 GMT]
President Mahinda Rajapakse did not announce which election would take place first, presidential or parliamentary, while addressing the national convention of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), Sunday evening despite wide speculation that he would announce the date for early presidential election. The convention was held at Kettarama Stadium in Colombo.
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Sinhala speakers socially fail in moral responsibility: Peter Schalk

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 November 2009, 13:05 GMT]
“We all know there will be no apologizing. It may come only when Lanka’s intellectual and political elite among Sinhala speakers faces its judges in an international war tribunal after an international (military) intervention by the UN or a cluster of states, or when the Lankan economy suffers a breakdown. We should not delay any effort to bring these criminals to justice. If they do not acknowledge any moral responsibility we can teach them legal accountability,” writes Professor Peter Schalk opining futility in expecting change and improvement for the Tamil people to come from the Sinhala society that is structurally not prepared by its mindset to accept responsibility and tactically considers pleading guilty is costly.
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Indian Finance Minister arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 November 2009, 05:45 GMT]
Mr. Pranab Mukherjie, Indian Finance Minister, arrived in Colombo Saturday afternoon on a two-day official visit. He is scheduled to meet President Mahinda Rajapakse, and other opposition political leaders while in Colombo.
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SLA travel restriction on Jaffna peninsula residents remains

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 November 2009, 08:28 GMT]
Though Sri Lanka Defence Ministry has announced that the A9 road has been opened to the public Sri Lanka Army (SLA) authorities in Palaali Military Head Office issued a new directive Friday which says that all residents of Jaffna peninsula should obtain the SLA travel pass as usual from their local SLA civil authorities if they wish to travel out of the peninsula, sources in Jaffna said. The Non-government Organizations Federation in Jaffna has sent an appeal to President Mahinda Rajapakse requesting the removal of the above travel restriction imposed on the people of the peninsula.
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A9 reopened, SLA authorities in Jaffna not informed

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 November 2009, 07:54 GMT]
The A-9 highway was opened to the public Friday on a special directive by President Mahinda Rajapakse, Governor of the Northern Province G.A Chandrasiri said. However, when Colombo bound passengers went to Sinhala Maha Vidyalaya in Jaffna Saturday morning, they were informed by the SLA that they have not received official information from Colombo and only those who have the military passes in possession were allowed to travel.
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