No military solution: Indian External Affairs Minister

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 January 2008, 13:00 GMT]
Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee ruled out any military solution to the Sri Lankan problem two days after the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) formally scrapped the five-year ceasefire with the LTTE. Mr Mukherjee stressed that the solution to the island nation's problem "had to be found through dialogue and discussion" and called upon the Lankan government to address the problem by "fulfilling the legitimate aspirations of the ethnic groups."
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Maheswaran’s remains cremated in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 January 2008, 18:58 GMT]
United National Party (UNP) parliamentarians took over the casket containing Maheswaran’s remains from his family Thursday around 2:30 p.m. at his residence in Wellawatte and the cortege, and the funeral procession went along Galle Road and several areas in Colombo to reach Kanaththai cremation grounds in Borella. Homage was paid to the Tamil parliamentarian, who was assassinated while worshiping in Colombo Ponnampala Vaa'neasvarar temple on New Year Day, before the body was cremated.
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Sri Lanka withdraws from CFA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 January 2008, 11:29 GMT]
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama on Thursday evening officially conveyed in writing to the Norwegian Ambassador Tore Hattrem in Colombo that the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) was withdrawing from the February 2002 Cease Fire Agreement (CFA). The message was conveyed to the Ambassador at the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry in Colombo. The CFA formally ends on 16 January, the day after the Tamil festival Thaippongkal. GoSL has also suspended the Status of Mission Agreement (SOMA) with 14-days advance notification.
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2007: The year in review

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 January 2008, 07:34 GMT]
For the people of the NorthEast, 2007 was a grim year. Sri Lanka’s security forces and allied paramilitaries intensified their campaign of abductions (‘white van’ abductions), torture, and murder of Tamil civilians. Tamil civil society leaders bore the brunt of the counter-insurgency campaign. Jaffna remained an open prison with shortage of essential items, east falling under the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) control with thousands displaced as Colombo concocts colonization schemes to make east a Sinhala majority province.
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Colombo to annul CFA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 January 2008, 15:28 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces as well as the Minister of Defence, Mahinda Rajapaksa, has decided to annul the February 2002 Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) with the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE). Sri Lankan Government spokesman Keheliya Rambukwela, has confirmed that a cabinet decision to withdraw from the CFA has been taken on Wednesday. But, he did not provide a date for the GoSL withdrawal. The February 2002 agreement, in its paragraph 4.4, specifies that the agreement shall remain in force until notice of termination is given by either Party to the Royal Norwegian Government.
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Batticaloa elections: Colombo's rehearsal for paramilitary politics

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 December 2007, 19:55 GMT]
In the backdrop of the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government announcing local government elections in the Batticaloa district, three Tamil paramilitary-cum-political parties, the EPDP, PLOTE, EPRLF (Naba wing) and the yet-to-be-registered TMVP of Pillayan's group revealed that they had reached an agreement to form an electoral alliance after a meeting summoned at the Batticaloa office of the EPDP Saturday. A spokesperson of the paramilitary coalition told media that although the four outfits had agreed on principle, the final decision would be taken after consultations with their respective leaders and key operatives.
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Mahinda Rajapaksa has won the confidence of India- Gotabhaya

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 December 2007, 15:19 GMT]
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan defence secretary and the brother of SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in an exclusive interview to state owned Sunday Observer, claimed that the relationship between Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is in an all-time high, and has reached the same level of trusted relationship that marked Srima-Shastri period. While, Rajapaksa, in 2006, demerged the NorthEast Province, breaching the Indo-Lanka accord, Gotabhaya has recently posted the U.S. trained Director of Military Intelligence as the Eastern Commander, expressing confidence that Colombo would be successful in holding elections in the East.
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French FM Bernard Kouchner postpones Sri Lanka visit

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 December 2007, 11:55 GMT]
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner who was scheduled to visit Sri Lanka between Christmas and New Year has put off his visit indefinitely, the Sunday Times said. Mr.Kouchner, prior to being appointed FM, was a member of the International Independent Group of Eminent persons (IIGEP) headed by former Chief Justice of India P.N.Bagawathi. The IIGEP concluded, in a meeting held in November, that the "persistent disregard for its observations and recommendations by the Government of Sri Lanka and the Commission of Inquiry tends to render the IIGEP’s continued role irrelevant."
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TamilNadu leaders protest against Indian PM's participation in SL Independence Day

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 December 2007, 17:37 GMT]
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's reported intention to participate as the Chief Guest in the Sri Lankan Government's Independence Day Celebrations on February 4, 2008 has sparked large-scale dissent from political leaders in Tamilnadu. K. Veeramani, President of the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK), on Friday announced his organization's decision to demonstrate against the proposed visit and called upon the Tamilnadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi to intervene in this regard. Meanwhile, Thol.Thirumavalavan, President, Viduthalaich Chi'ruththaika'l Kadchi and Suba. Veerapandiyan of Dravidar Iyakka Thamizhar Pearavai have pledged their organizational support and participation to the demonstration.
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GoSL to ban Tigers, abrogate CFA, says Gotabhaya

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 December 2007, 15:10 GMT]
Misquoting the failed talks between a delegation of Tamil Liberation Movements and Sri Lanka Government in August 1985 as "Thimpu Agreement," Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka's Defense Secretary and brother of Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in an interview to state owned Daily News said that the Sri Lankan government would "give a solution" to the Tamil people after proscribing the LTTE, abolishing the February 2002 Ceasefire Agreement. Mr. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa's statement comes as Sri Lankan forces were preparing for an all out war with the Tigers in the North.
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Court releases 60 Tamils detained in Boosa

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 December 2007, 16:40 GMT]
The Colombo Chief Magistrate Friday released sixty Tamil civilians detained at Boosa detention camp in the south of the island following a report by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Sri Lanka Police that there was no evidence against them to charge for any crime connected with terrorist activities, legal sources in Colombo said.
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Media workers attack Sri Lankan minister Mervyn Silva

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 December 2007, 07:50 GMT]
Mervyn Silva, the Sri Lankan Minister of Labour and a thug leader in the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapkasa's government, was held captive and attacked by media workers Thursday. He was surrounded when he reportedly went amok against a news editor, T.M.G Chandrasekara, of the state owned Rupawahini cooperation, for "failing to broadcast" a video footage of his appearance in a meeting in Matara on Wednesday. Mr. Mervyn Silva, beaten by the media workers, was later freed by the Police security out of the Rupawahini premises located in the high security Bauddhaloka Mawatha after a mediation attempt by non-cabinet minister of media, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, failed.
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UPFA budget passed by 47-vote majority

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 December 2007, 12:17 GMT]
Third reading of the 2008 budget was passed by 47 majority votes Friday evening in Sri Lankan Parliament. 114 members voted for the budget and 67 voted against. 37 JVP members and SLFP parliamentarian Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa abstained from voting. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) voted against the Budget of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Soon after the voting was over there was a pandemonium in the House as SLFP parliamentarians Mahindananda Aluthgamage and Jagath Pushpakumara placed a wreath in front of the opposition leader's chair, antagonizing the UNP.
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Anura Bandaranaike crosses over to opposition

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 December 2007, 10:51 GMT]
Anura Bandaranaike, Sri Lankan Minister of National Heritage and the brother of former SL President Chandrika Kumaratunge crossed over to opposition in Sri Lanka's parliament, ahead of the final vote on budget 2008.
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SLMC resigns from Rajapaksa government

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 December 2007, 09:22 GMT]
Rauff Hakeem, the leader of the Sri Lanka's main Muslim party, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Wednesday resigned his minister post in SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa government and vowed to vote against Rajapaksa government's budget together with three other SLMC parliamentarians who sat in the opposition in the SL parliament.
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TNA MPs warned to abstain on budget vote, relatives abducted

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 December 2007, 19:16 GMT]
Paramilitary Pillayan Group on Tuesday abducted the brother of Batticaloa district Tamil National Alliance MP P. Ariyanethran, P. Sriskandaseya, 54, secretary of TNA MP K. Thangeswari, Ira Nagalingam and the son-in-law of TNA MP S. Jeyanandamoorthy's sister, Arunasalam Sivapalan, 28. The paramilitary has warned the family members of the three abducted victims that the TNA MPs should refrain from voting against the Budget of Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa, on Friday, if they wished to see them live on Saturday.
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Court orders release of all Tamil detainees

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 December 2007, 04:53 GMT]
The Sri Lanka's Supreme Court Monday directed the Attorney General (AG) to release all 361 Tamil civilians detained in Boosa detention camp on bail immediately. The court further instructed the AG to make arrangement to release all Tamil civilians now in remand on personal bail instead of cash bail, legal sources said.
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UK: LTTE must change its ways, no intervention in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 December 2007, 22:10 GMT]
The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Dominick Chilcott, said Monday that President Mahinda Rajapakse must make an offer acceptable to moderate Tamils because the LTTE would not accept a negotiated solution within a united Sri Lanka. Mr. Chilcott accepted, however, that the President had to be able to “sell the solution” to the majority Sinhalese. The international community has no plans to intervene in Sri Lanka to exercise the responsibility to protect, he further said.
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Mahinda Rajapaksa leaves for Japan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 December 2007, 09:16 GMT]
After his recent visit to Iran seeking support to his war efforts back home, the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, on Saturday left Colombo on a four-day official visit to Japan to hold bilateral talks with the leaders of Japan. Mr. Rajapaksa is also scheduled to meet the Emperor of Japan, Akihito, the head of the Japanese imperial family, during his stay there, Sri Lankan presidential secretariat sources said. Japan is the largest donor to Sri Lanka.
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Court allows inquiry into CWC's FR petition against mass arrests

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 December 2007, 12:02 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court Friday granted permission to the Ceylon Workers Congress to proceed with its Fundamental Rights Violation petition against the alleged illegal arrest and detention of thousands of Tamil citizens without valid reason and reasonable suspicion recently carried out in Colombo and its suburbs by the law enforcement authorities.
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