Moothoor East farmers suffer due to SLA occupation of their lands

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 November 2009, 17:48 GMT]
The lands belonging to the residents of Moothoor East in the Eastern Province being occupied by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) which had declared them as High Security Zones (HSZs), they face great difficulties in cultivating their lands, their sole livelihood, sources in Moothoor said. Most of their paddy fields and the tanks that provide water to them have been caught into the HSZs of SLA.
Full story >>

Moothoor east IDP families suffer without proper shelters

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 November 2009, 15:56 GMT]
One hundred and two Tamil displaced families who are not allowed to resettle in their villages Kadatkaraichcheanai and Champoor in Moothoor east which have been declared high security zone (HSZ) since the fall of Moothoor east to Sri Lanka Army in 2006 April, are undergoing untold hardships without permanent structures to live. They had first fled and sought refuge in Batticaloa.
Full story >>

SLA erects minicamps, sentry posts in interior parts of Jaffna peninsula

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 November 2009, 18:20 GMT]
Fear and suspicion have risen among the residents of Jaffna peninsula as Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Jaffna is actively engaged in hastily setting up minicamps and sentry posts manned by small groups of soldiers in the interior parts of Jaffna peninsula, sources in Jaffna said. Though SLA has announced that it is removing its sentry posts near the schools in Jaffna Town they are not being removed but relocated in the interior areas, civil society representatives pointed out. SLA continues to occupy Gnanam Hotel and Subhas Hotel in the heart of the town while it refuses to open Clock Tower Road, Power House Road and Victoria Road in the town for public use, they added.
Full story >>

Vasudeva Nanayakkara to deliver speech titled “Tamils and Future” in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 November 2009, 18:20 GMT]
Vasudeva Nanayakkara, a senior Sinhalese politician and the senior advisor to President Mahintha Rajapakse, who arrived in Jaffna Friday is to deliver a speech titled “Tamils and Future” Saturday at Changkaraththai Hindu Youths’ Hall in Vaddukkoadai, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, Vasudeva Nanayakkara met Jaffna district High Court Magistrate R. T. Vicknarajah in Jaffna Court Complex Friday where the magistrate stressed on the importance of resettling Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Valikaamam North evicted nearly 19 years ago by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in order to establish High Security Zones (HSZ) in the said area, the sources added.
Full story >>

SLA refuses permission to Jaffna civilians in Vavuniyaa camps to return home

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 October 2009, 04:24 GMT]
More than 300 families from Jaffna district, now detained in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) internment camps in Vavuniyaa, who had applied to return to their original places are held back as Jaffna SLA high command has refused clearance to them, sources in Vavuniya said. The clearance is denied as they are under suspicion and considered a threat to security, SLA authorities claimed.
Full story >>

Jaffna judges, magistrates, lawyers can travel via A9 road with SLA permission

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 October 2009, 09:25 GMT]
Minister of Justice and Law Reforms, Milinda Moragoda, said that the judges, magistrate and lawyers in Jaffna peninsula can travel through A9 road to Vavuniya obtaining permission from the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) commander in Palaali military base in response to a request extended when he met the magistrates, judges and lawyers of Jafna in the Legal building complex in Jaffna town Friday, sources in Jaffna said. People in Jaffna peninsula can travel through A9 road only after getting the ‘travelling pass’ from their local SLA civil authorities.
Full story >>

No signs of resettlement of IDPs in KKS

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 October 2009, 07:20 GMT]
Sri Lanka Government has announced its intention of opening Kaangkeasanthu’rai (KKS) Road for public in view of the reopening of KKS cement factory located in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zone (HSZ). Mere opening of KKS road is meaningless while more than 100,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) evacuated from their residences 20 years ago are still languishing in camps and in relatives’ houses without being resettled, IDP Welfare Organizations in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Tamils get international recognition in sciences

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 October 2009, 23:23 GMT]
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, born in Chithamparam, Tamil Nadu is named for Nobel Prize 2009 in Chemistry, Wednesday, for contributing to the knowledge of structure and functions of ribosome, leading to development of direct and more effective antibiotics in medicine. In June, Jaffna-born Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, an old student of Mahajana College, Thellippazhai, was conferred knighthood for his contributions in the field of medicine in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. While such achievements inspire younger generation of diaspora Tamils in making global contributions to humanity, it is also time for the diaspora to forge its own global organization to help itself as well as to remind a dodging IC of its responsibilities to the plight of Tamils. Sir Arulkumaran’s Alma Mater, celebrating its centenary next year, is in the military occupied HSZ for years now, being deprived of its population.
Full story >>

IDP families from Moothoor HSZ villages relocated elsewhere

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 September 2009, 17:02 GMT]
327 members of ninety-seven internally displaced Tamil families from Moothoor east in Trincomalee district were brought down to Verukal in fifteen State sector buses with police escort Tuesday morning from Kokkuvil transit centre in Batticaloa district. Moothoor Divisional Secretariat officials received them at Verukal Tuesday and transferred them to another transit centre located in Chinnakku’lam in Moothoor east as their original homes in Champoor east Champoor west, Kooniththeevu and Kadatkaraichcheanai in Moothoor east are occupied as Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zones (HSZs).
Full story >>

Remove SLA camps, HSZ, checkpoints from NE - Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 September 2009, 05:19 GMT]
R. Sampanthan, parliamentary group leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), told parliament Thursday that the government could not cite any reason for the delay in resettling hundreds of thousands of internally displaced Tamils in their own places in Vanni region. "High Security Zones (HSZs) should be removed from the north and east. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camps and check points should be dismantled immediately to restore normalcy in the provinces," Mr.Sampanthan said while speaking in parliament Thursday opposing the motion moved by the Government of Sri Lanka to extend the State of Emergency for another month.
Full story >>

TNA's meeting with Rajapaksa fails to resolve IDP crisis

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 September 2009, 12:24 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians who held talks with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his ministers Monday evening at Temple Trees on the issue of resettling Vanni IDPs in their own places, said that the talks ended in failure as Mr. Rajapaksa evaded the main issue by saying resettlement of Vanni IDPs is not immediately possible as demining in Vanni has to be completed before resettlement. The urgent request to resettle the Vanni IDPs in Vavuniyaa internment camps before the monsoon rains was not given any due consideration by Rajapaksa and his ministers, TNA parliamentarians said.
Full story >>

4 Tamil civilians arrested in Katunayake HSZ

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 August 2009, 14:13 GMT]
Four Tamil civilians arrested by the police while staying with their relatives and friends in Katunayake, a High Security Zone (HSZ) in Colombo district Saturday night are still being detained in the Katunayake police station and interrogated by the Terrorism Intelligence Department (TID). All the four are natives of north and east, sources said.
Full story >>

British High Commissioner visits Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 August 2009, 17:24 GMT]
British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Dr. Peter Hayes, visited Jaffna Thursday on an invitation by Basil Rajapakse, Senior Advisor to the President and his brother, to visit the bridge being built at Changuppiddi-Kearatheevu causeway on A32 land route to Jaffna with British Government’s aid. After visiting the building site the High Commissioner participated in an event along with Basil Rajapakse, Minister Douglas Devananda and Northern Province Governor, G. A. Chandrasiri, where Sri Lanka Army (SLA) authorities officially handed over 1100 acres of paddy land in Thenmaraadchi back to the farmers for cultivation, sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Thenmaraadchi farmers to be allowed to resume cultivation

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 August 2009, 06:45 GMT]
An event, where the farmers of Thenmaraadchi who had been refused permission to cultivate their lands in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zone (HSZ) in Thenmarraadchi for nearly ten years are to be allowed to resume cultivation Thursday, has been announced by Sri Lanka government. Meanwhile, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Allaippiddi who had fled their village due to SLA artillery attacks in August 2006 and now living in Jaffna town have been asked to be present at Duraippah Stadium Thursday to participate in an event where action will be taken to resettle them, according to another announcement. Basil Rajapakse, parliamentarian and Senior Advisor to the President, Northern Province Governor, G. A. Chandrasiri and Minister of Social Services, Douglas Devananda, will be present at both events, the announcements said.
Full story >>

Restriction on fishing will continue in Jaffna peninsula – SLN

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 August 2009, 07:19 GMT]
Jaffna Government Agent, K. Ganesh, quoting Northern Region Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Admiral, sent a circular to local media Friday informing that the fishing restriction imposed in areas close to SLN base in Kaangkeasanththu’rai, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zones (HSZ) and areas along the runways and flight routes of aircrafts will continue. Detailed information about the places where fishing restriction is in force, however, was not given by SLN authorities and the fishermen have to obtain the information from their local SLA and SLN authorities, the circular said.
Full story >>

Bodies of 2 Up-Country Tamil women found in canal in Colombo HSZ

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 August 2009, 19:40 GMT]
Bodies of two females of young age were found Saturday morning in a canal along Bauddhaloka Mawatte in Colombo. The area is located in the high security zone. A special police team rushed to the site on receipt of information and began investigation into the deaths of the women and to identify the victims.
Full story >>

NP governor announces lift of SLA restrictions in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 August 2009, 17:29 GMT]
Former Northern Province (NP) Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Commander and present governor of NP, G. A. Chandrasiri, who had been the author of several SLA restrictions in Jaffna peninsula during his tenure in Jaffna, announced Thursday that he would take steps to lift several SLA restrictions that have been imposed in Jaffna peninsula for the last thirteen years, sources in Jaffna said. The governor who met the key officers of SLA, Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and police in Jaffna Public Library Wednesday, visited Vadamaraadchi and Thenmaraadchi Thursday accompanied by Minister Douglas Devananda, the sources added.
Full story >>

Fishing ban in Jaffna continues despite promises

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 August 2009, 18:18 GMT]
Fisheries Societies in Jaffna peninsula told Northern Province governor, former SLA Major Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri Wednesday that despite government announcement that the fishing ban in Jaffna peninsula had been completely lifted, in reality the ban continues, sources in Jaffna said. The governor, participating in the District Development Coordinating Committee, faced accusations raised against the fishing ban, the sources added.
Full story >>

SLA travel ‘pass’ system to continue in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 August 2009, 16:34 GMT]
The system of obtaining ‘pass’ to travel out of Jaffna peninsula from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) civil administrative office will not be lifted, Northern Province Governor, Major. Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri, said in a discussion held with key SLA officers in Jaffna Secretariat Wednesday, sources in Jaffna said. There was high expectation of the pass system being lifted among peninsula residents following the promises made by government ministers during Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) election campaign.
Full story >>

SLA blocks IDPs permanent resettlement citing Moothoor HSZ security

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 August 2009, 16:23 GMT]
A group of 63 Tamil families consisting of 244 members, internally displaced from their traditional villages in Moothoor east in Trincomalee district and sheltered in temporary camps located in Paalameenmeadu in Batticaloa for the last three years, were transported Tuesday in eleven buses via Verugal River to temporary shelters in Ki'liveddi welfare centre. They will remain here until an alternative site is found for them to be resettled permanently as their own traditional Tamil villages have been brought under high security zone (HSZ) following the military operation by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA).
Full story >>