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13 January 2006 Landmine kills nine sailors in Sri Lanka Nine sailors were killed and eight others wounded in a mine explosion set off Thursday by suspected Tamil rebels in northern Sri Lanka. The security force members were killed in the Chettikulam area, in Vavuniya, 220 km north of the capital, Thursday afternoon while travelling in a bus, a military spokesman here said. The sailors were on their way to the northwestern coastal area for duty. The northern Vavuniya town is considered the gateway to the Wanni district held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Thursday's incident was the worst within the northern Vavuniya district. In escalating violence by the LTTE in the past six weeks, 13 sailors were killed when a Naval craft was sunk, 26 soldiers died in three separate incidents in the northern Jaffna peninsula and 13 sailors were killed in the northwestern area. Tamil rebels have stepped up attacks on the security forces despite fresh efforts by the newly elected President Mahinda Rajapakse to get the rebels back to the negotiating table for Norwegian backed peace talks. The international community too has called upon the LTTE to return to the negotiating table. Meanwhile, life in the port city of Trincomalee, 240 km northeast of the capital, was brought to a standstill Thursday due to separate protests organised by pro-Tamil groups and their rivals led by the majority Sinhala groups in the region. Shops were closed and transport came to a halt. The situation was expected to remain the same for the next three days as both organisations have called for a three-day campaign. The Tamil rebel front organisations had called for the protest against what they called attacks by the security forces on civilians, including the killing of five youths who have been described as students, but disputed by the military as rebels. Lanka heats up, TN boils :Source-Tehelka The Tamil trouble could wash up on our shores again Yet again, Tamil Nadu is on the boil over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue. Though not identical, the current situation is reminiscent of the atmosphere that prevailed in the state in the early eighties when public opinion was fiercely against the Sri Lankan government. The state witnessed widespread protests in the aftermath of the massacre of 35 Tamil prisoners in the Welikade prison in Colombo on July 25, 1983. Subsequently, in organised violence against the Tamils, several lives were lost. Political parties in Tamil Nadu then had demanded India’s military intervention to stop the genocide. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who set up a Sri Lankan Relief Fund with government money, remarked, “What is happening in Sri Lanka is nothing but genocide.” With the election of Mahinda Rajapakse as President and
reports of violence against the Tamils, passions are running high once
again in Tamil Nadu During his recent India visit, Rajapakse could not set foot on Tamil Nadu, as Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, concerned about protests in the state against his visit, and intelligence inputs, cancelled the appointment at the last hour. The Dalit Panthers of India had threatened to hold a demonstration to protest against Rajapakse’s visit to Chennai. PMK, MDMK, and Dravida Kazhagam, were equally opposed to him. These parties look at Rajapakse, who belongs to the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, as a Sinhala chauvinist and anti-Tamil. To a large extent, this image has stuck because of his party’s alliance with the radical Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, which has been involved in riots against Tamils, and the Jathika Hela Urumaya. His rejection of autonomy to the Tamils, commitment to a unitary constitution, expression of reservation over the 2002 ceasefire agreement with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and hostility towards peace-broker Norway had reinforced the hawkish image. Incidents of army excesses against the Tamil population in Sri Lanka have increased after Rajapakse assumed office. So have indiscriminate arrests of Tamils and cases of disappearances. The most gruesome incident of all was the rape and killing of a Tamil girl, Tharsini, in Punguduthivu near Jaffna in December by suspected navy personnel. It is one reason for the LTTE stepping up attacks against the navy. The brewing trouble could once again wash up on Indian
shores and that will be bad news for New Delhi as well. So while being
aware of international obligations and of Sri Lanka’s acute sensitivities
on running its affairs as a sovereign nation, India may have to play a
role somewhere. Talking to Rajapakse on its perceptions of the Tamil problem
and its implications on India could be a start. Dr. Upul Jayawardena, the medical officer in charge of the Neriyakulam hospital in Vavunia district said that soldiers transporting the wounded to Anuradhapura and Medawachchiya hospitals have opened fire along the road. "I had ordered the transfer of the casualties from the Neriyankulam hospital situated about one Kilometre from the blast scene," Dr. Jayawardena told BBC Sandeshaya. Lankadeepa staff correspondent Athula Bandara who visited the scene reported that the person killed by the alleged shooting by SLA troops is a homeguard named Jayasinghe. Several others have also been injured. The blast in the Medawachchi - Mannar road was blamed on Tamil Tigers by the Sri Lankan military . Reports from the area say that people are leaving the surrounding Tamil villages since the blast and the shooting. 12 January 2006 Bala coming for talks? There is speculation that LTTE theoretician Anton Balasingham may arrive in the country later this month to take part in the scheduled talks between the visiting Norwegian Minister Erik Solheim and the LTTE in Kilinochchi. Mr. Solheim is scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka on January 23 for crucial talks with the government and the LTTE to formulate a framework for the resumption of peace talks and a venue for both parties to meet. Unconfirmed reports indicated that Mr. Balasingham, who is residing in London, will seek permission from the government to travel to Kilinochchi via the Bandaranaike International airport to be part of the LTTE delegation to meet Mr. Solheim. There is speculation that Mr. Solheim may meet the elusive rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran during his upcoming visit for which the LTTE will be keen to have Mr. Balasingham’s presence. However government sources said that so far there has not been such a request while the LTTE media unit said there was no confirmation of Mr. Balasingham’s visit. When asked by the Daily Mirror if a request was made to the facilitators to make arrangements for Mr. Balasingham to attend the Kilinochchi talks, the Norwegian embassy in Colombo said it did not wish to comment. Tension in Trinco
According to a complaint made by Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian R. Sampanthan to the Sri lanka monitoring mission the farmer has been beaten up to death by army personal and home guards. The farmer is said to have been attacked while on his way to the paddy field in Manakattukulam, a hamlet close to Trincomalee. In another incident a grenade thrown into a police bunker on Tuesday night a constable has been injured says the Uppuvali police. Two de-mining workers abducted in Point-Pedro Two demining workers, Tharmasiri and Kandeepan, employed by the humanitarian Danish De-mining Group, DDG, were abducted by unknown armed men who came in a white Hiace van Wednesday early morning in Point Pedro, sources in Jaffna said. The workers were on their way to de-mining in their motorbikes. The abduction occurred close to the Sri Lanka Army's (SLA's) High Security Zone (HSZ) about 100 meters from the SLA 52-4 Brigade camp in the area, civilian sources said. Thambiah Tharmasiri and Narayanamoorthy Kandeepan were abuducted at 5:20 a.m. Wednesday on Odaikarai lane while they were on their way to work in Kuppilan, close to the High Security Zone near the Palaly Military Base, sources added. District Coordinating Office of the Jaffna District Secretariat, in-charge of the de-mining activities in Jaffna District, has confirmed that two de-mining workers were missing. Four de-mining workers of another De-mining group, HALO Trust, are already reported missing. They are suspected be either abducted by the gunmen, or in the custody of the SLA troopers or the Sri Lankan Police in Jaffna District, according to local media sources in Jaffna. HALO Trust recently resumed its duties following the reported attempt by the Sri Lanka Army to relocate HALO Trust's vehicles to High Security Zone following an incident where de-mining data maps and computer equipment were driven away in two vehicles by unknown armed men in December. Rights group takes Defence advisor to task The Hong Kong based human rights regional body has urged that Defence Ministry advisor on police matters H.M.G.B.Kotakadeniya must express loyalty to the Sri Lankan Constitution or resign. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) said any person who openly calls for the Constitution to be contravened, or connives to sabotage its provisions, does not deserve to hold public office. Mr Kotakadeniya is reported as having said that the IGP will now be able to appoint and transfer police, since the National Police Commission (NPC) has ceased to function due to the continued delay in appointing a new Constitutional Council, which is itself responsible for the composition of the NPC. The AHRC statement said: “What authority does this advisor have to confer powers on the IGP? Do his powers exceed those of the Constitution of Sri Lanka? Presumably not, as neither the Minister of Defence nor the President of Sri Lanka have such powers. In fact, they are duty-bound to uphold its provisions. Yet, the constitution has, under its 17th Amendment, allocated the powers of police appointments and transfers to the NPC, not the IGP. And nowhere is there anything written about a role in policing for the Ministry of Defence. “The Asian Human Rights Commission condemns the statement attributed to Kotakadeniya as irresponsible and against the best interests of a people struggling hard to regain lost rights due to the extreme politicisation of their institutions. As a former deputy inspector general of police and law graduate, the advisor surely understands basic legal principles. Ironically, he once made headlines by crying out against politicisation of the police when he was denied the IGP post, despite having seniority. Yet his statement now reminds us of the bad days when Ministers freely manipulated the policing system with the intent to obtain political and personal goals. “Kotakadeniya has also chosen to ignore a UN treaty body that has called for the immediate appointment of members to the Constitutional Council and the National Police Commission”, the statement said. The statement added “There are now serious efforts afoot to return to those days. There are strong grounds for suspicion that a scheme exists to sabotage the 17th Amendment and re-politicise the police, among other key national institutions. Kotakadeniya may be set to take the lead role in wiping out the National Police Commission(NPC) and constitutional safeguards against the abuse of public authority by politicians. “The Asian Human Rights Commission demands that Kotakadeniya openly repudiate his statement and make a public avowal of his loyalty to the constitution. “If he does not, he must resign. It also call for strong public efforts to oppose a return to the days prior to the establishment of the National Police Commission when the Ministry of Defense felt that it could run roughshod over the rights of the Sri Lankan people and do with the police force as it pleased”. Puthur trader shot dead In the escalating shadow war against traders in Jaffna district, Thambu Nadesu, who runs a business near the Puthur junction on the Jaffna - Point Pedro road was shot dead allegedly by Sri Lanka military intelligence operatives Tuesday around 11.30 p.m. civilian sources said. His body was found inside a banana field near the Amman temple in Siruppitty along the Puthur-Nilavarai road. Nadesu was an active organisor of the civilian protest against an attempted rape of a woman in the area allegedly by Sri Lanka Army soldiers on October 28. Fifty-years-old Thambu Nadesu, from Saraswathy Lane in Puthur East, was asked to come out of his house for investigatations and was shot outside his house, villagers said.Nadesu is a close relative of Nirojan Tharmarajah (20) who was shot dead by the SLA in October 2005, when SLA opened fire when people protested against attempted rape of a woman in the area by the SLA soldiers.Puttur East is located 15 km northeast of Jaffna town. If war breaks out Tiger ‘air force’ will attack, says ‘Colonel’ Banu If Eelam War 4 started the LTTE ‘air force’ will also attack, LTTE’s ‘Colonel’ Banu said at a meeting in Batticaloa. “The LTTE already has strong forces. The Sri Lankan Government is not taking any practical steps to meet the aspirations of the Tamils, but is wasting its time trying to destroy the military strength of the LTTE. The LTTE has lost 200 cadres during the ceasefire and our supremo Prabhakaran is at the end of his patience. The LTTE is ruling over the territory captured by it. Fighting is necessary to obtain our rights”, he said. Meanwhile Muslim families have reportedly left Jaffna district. After the ceasefire came into operation 300 Muslim families resettled in Jaffna but now only 15 families are left. Only 35 students are studying at Osmania College, Jaffna. Many Muslims have left as business is dwindling. Some tea boutique and textiles shop owners are still staying. Meanwhile, a pro-LTTE website has reported that 3000 families have left Jaffna for Kilinochchi and 150 families have left from Trincomalee,and Mutur area for the Wanni. LTTE is not Al
Qaeda"-TNA He said “we denounce violence and should remember that both parties are responsible” Development In his address to the American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka Ambassador Lunstead said there can be a role for the LTTE in future development of Sri Lanka only if it returns to the peace table and renounces terrorism. The parliamentarian stressed that the LTTE has always attempted to participate in the development process and it is the government that has not been able to accommodate them. “The LTTE participated in a number of consultations on resettlement but nothing has happened .The government has not been able to implement even the P-toms presented by them for Tsunami rehabilitation” When asked about the deadlock on the peace talks due to disagreement on the venue between the government and the LTTE Sampanthan said that both parties should come to an agreement soon. He said, “that's what the people want” The Government says its willing to participate in peace talks held in any where in Asia while the LTTE says that initially talks should be held in Oslo, Norway. Woman shot and killed in Thenmaradchi Unknown gunmen shot and killed a 31-years-old woman in
Thenmaradchi Wednesday noon at the grounds of Panrithalaichi Amman Temple.
The victim, Pavalarani, was abucted from her house in Mattuvil East, 6
km north of Chavakacheri, Wednesday morning by the gunmen, civilian sources
said. 'Work to implement
CFA' Australia Raising concerns about "persistent violations of the Ceasefire Agreement," it has condemned the Tamil Tigers for attacks in early December which killed fourteen members of the Sri Lanka Army. "Australia welcomes the restraint shown by the Government of Sri Lanka in not retaliating against these provocations," says the Australian minister. It also has condemned the recent killings of civilians in eastern coastal areas of Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan security forces have been accused of killing five students by shooting in Trincomalee , although the army deny any involvement and the government has announced an inquiry into the deaths. Clothing store owner killed in Chavakachcheri P. Sivasankar, 28, from Meesalai and owner of a clothing store in Chavakacheri town was shot dead at 5.30 p.m. Tuesday on Dutch Road by gunmen suspected to be Sri Lanka Army (SLA) intelligence, sources in Jaffna said. Sivasankar, originally from Erlalai in Valigamam, was displaced from his home town, married and settled in Meesalai, sources said. Sivasankar closed his shop after business on Tuesday and was going towards his home when the suspected intelligence operatives following in a motorbike shot him before escaping the scene, witnesses said.The body was transported to Chavakachcheri Teaching Hospital for postmortem examinations.Meesalai residents said two of Sivasankar's in-laws who owned the Clothing Store received death threats from SLA intelligence for several months. Both left Sri Lanka fearign for their lives and have now taken refuge in Tamil Nadu.Sivasankaran used to work as a helper at the Clothing store owned by the in-laws. Meesalai residents said Sivasankaran was likely killed as retaliation for the escaped in-laws. Sinhalese Chauvinist Group Wants Trinco Student Investigations Halted A Sinhalese Chauvinist organization called “Northeast Sinhalese Organization” had requested the President to halt the current investigations on the deaths of five Tamil students in Trincomalee. The group had charged that the government only conducts investigations when Tamils were being killed. The group had also said that the government had kept silence when Northeastern Sinhalese were killed by the LTTE. “These investigations will weaken the strength of security forces. This will be a bigger crime than the millennium city betrayal and we demand the immediate halt of the investigations.” the group in a letter to the President said. The group had also charged a third force not the security forces in Trinco behind the student killing. However, the group had not clarified why the group wants investigations to be halted if a third force is involved in the killing as the investigations will expose whoever perpetrated the crime on Trinco students, according to political observers.
A school girl, yet to be identified, was forcefully taken away by four Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers when she was walking home along PaalPannai Road (Milk farm Road) from school between Kondavil and Thirunelvely junctions in Jaffna at 2 p.m. Tuesday, residents of the area who witnessed the incident said. Jaffna Magistrate Ms Srinithi Nanthikesan and the members of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission were informed of the incident.Residents of the area and a youth witness who saw the girl dragged by the SLA, searched the shrub area near where she was abducted for signs of evidence.Troopers who came to the scene around 5 p.m. with an SLMM member fired in the air to disperse the crowd who were searching the the area.Tension prevails in Kondavil, Thirunelveli area. Sunday Leader Editor threatened with death by His Excellency 'Lanka e News' reports with disgust and dismay an incident where Sri Lanka's President, Commander in Chief His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa threatening 'The Sunday Leader' Lasantha Wickrematunga with death. The President who had called Wickremetunga's mobile phone
had threatened to destroy and kill him and had heaped abuse on him, Wickrematunga
told 'Lanka e News' Wickrematunga added the he will lodge a written complaint with the Inspector General of Police and brief all Colombo based diplomats, the international community and international human right organizations about the death threat made against him by the President and added he had already sought legal advise regarding his safety. After making the threatening phone call to Wickrmetunga,
the President contacted Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe over the
phone and told him that he should ask his friend to be more careful. In a very significant speech here on Monday, United States ambassador Jeffrey Lunstead warned the LTTE saying that if it returned to war, it would find the cost to be "high". Lunstead said that the rebel group would be facing a US-assisted, "stronger, more capable and more determined Sri Lankan military." "Through our military training and assistance programmes, including efforts to help with counter-terrorism initiatives and block illegal financial transactions, we are helping to shape the ability of the Sri Lankan Government to protect its people and defend its interests," Lunstead told the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM). "Let me be clear, our assistance is not given because we anticipate or hope for a return to hostilities. We want peace. We support peace. And we will stand by the people of Sri Lanka who desire peace." "If the LTTE chooses to abandon peace, however, we want it to be clear, they will face a stronger, more capable and more determined Sri Lankan military." "We want the cost of a return to war to be high," the envoy stressed. While slamming the LTTE, he congratulated the Sri Lankan government for its continued restraint in the face of provocations by the terror group. LTTE bottles up Tamils's aspirations The US ambassador charged the LTTE of misleading the Tamils and said that instead of leading the community to peace and prosperity, it was blocking their path to peace and development. He questioned its legitimacy. "The LTTE's current actions call into question its leadership of the Tamil people. What kind of leaders block their people from realising their most fundamental democratic aspirations?" "What kind of leaders allow their people to continue to suffer from a lack of investment and industry?" "What kind of leaders continue to pursue violence when the clear benefits of peace are obvious?" Lunstead asked. "These are not acts of leadership. They directly undermine LTTE claims to legitimacy and they keep the aspirations of the Tamils bottled up," he said. "We are helping to shape the ability of the Sri Lankan government to protect its people and defend its interests," he asserted. LTTE invited to participate in development The envoy then went on to invite the LTTE to participate in Sri Lanka's development in a peaceful atmosphere. But made it clear that first, the group will have to abjure violence and return to the negotiating table. "There can be a role for the LTTE in the future development of Sri Lanka, but only if it returns to the peace table, renounces terrorism in word and deed and becomes a responsible participant in Sri Lanka's future. And this will lead to a better life for the Tamils and all Sri Lankans in the North and East," Lunstead said. 10 January 2006 ELEVEN
TAMILS KILLED AT FOURTH INTERNATIONAL TAMIL CONFERENCE IN JAFFNA - 1974 Remembering those who sacrificed their lives at the 4th International Conference Seminar of Tamil Studies in Jaffna, 10 January 1974 "...All together eleven lives were sacrificed on that day. I would consider that day the 10th of January 1974 was the day when the Tamil Eelam struggle became the struggle of the Tamil people..." It is twenty seven years today since the 4th International Conference Seminar of Tamil Studies took place in Jaffna viz on 10.01.1974. The whole of Jaffna peninsula was in a festival mood through out the period while the conference was taking place. All roads and lanes were decorated with Banana plants, coconut trees, casuarina branches etc. Pandals were erected on the roads and the traditional Thoranams were hung along the roads for miles and miles. People behaved as if a wedding was taking place in their own homes. I would call it a period of awakening of Tamil awareness. The seminar was conducted mainly in the Veerasingam Hall and Tamil scholars from all over the world submitted papers at the conference that lasted almost ten days. On the last day a public meeting was arranged by the organisers to enable the public to listen to the speeches by the scholars. A massive stage was erected in front of the Veerasingam Hall and over fifty thousand people congregated on the esplanade. It was a great experience to listen to the speeches by the scholars, as their utterances were very informative. We felt proud to hear that Tamil was one the three oldest languages of the world we live in. Every Tamil who listened to the lectures felt proud to be born a Tamil. While Professor Naina Mohamed from India was delivering his lecture tragedy struck. Several vans and jeeps filled with armed policemen drove in and started shooting at random and hitting people with their batons and riffle butts. People began to run aimlessly. There was a stampede. I saw the policemen chasing the innocent and scared people and trampling over those fallen on the ground. I put my youngest son on the ground and tried to safeguard him by crouching over him. At that time one policeman hit me on my left elbow that hurt me for months thereafter. I had five children with me, out of them two of our sons went missing in the crowd. There were some youngsters trying to lower down girls and ladies into the ditch surrounding the Jaffna Fort with a view to safeguard them from the police attack. And another set of our boys, were helping these girls and ladies to climb out of the ditch near the Muniyappar Temple. I told my wife and my two daughters that I would pick them near the Temple and crawled along with my youngest son to my car. I put my son in first and crept into the car - an old Ford Anglia - and started driving on the esplanade towards the temple. I felt sorry that I had to drive over abandoned bicycles. My eldest son - 12 years old - who was hiding under a truck saw my car and ran behind it and caught us up at the temple. It was a big relief to see him alive. But we were terrified to hear that our other son, who was only 10 years old, had gone missing. We loaded the car with four more girls known to us and drove home after dropping those girls at their respective residences. When we arrived home we were overjoyed to see our second son had already found his way home. While remaining at the esplanade I saw the police shoot at the electric wires that fell on the crowd and nine innocent lives were lost on that night. This included a good friend of mine Mr. J.F.Sigmaringham (St.John's College), a great teacher, social worker and an outstanding co-operator. Earlier on the same day two more civilians died of electrocution during a procession on the Hospital Road. These two deaths were attributed to the non co-operation on the part of the then mayor of Jaffna, who was a stooge of the government - a Quisling. All together eleven lives were sacrificed on that day. I would consider that day the 10th of January 1974 was the day when the Tamil Eelam struggle became the struggle of the Tamil people. Even though the name of the Tigers were not widely known at that time I saw a few youngsters standing up to the policemen and fighting them by throwing with aerated water bottles and stones. I can still visualise those bottles crashing the windscreens of the police jeeps. It was touching and encouraging to note slightly elderly men collecting empty bottles and stones and handing them over to the youngsters who were attacking the police. I take it, that was the birth of the Ellai Padai and Uthavuppadai of today. A struggle that started with empty bottles has grown to the extent of using 152mm calibre artilleries, T56 riffles, Basukas, RPG launchers, Multi Barrel Rocket Launchers (MBBL) etc. etc. The few hand full of youngsters of the 10th of January 1974 are now transformed into a conventional army facing the might of the 125,000 strong Sinhala army. Let us resolve that we extend our support unreservedly to establish peace, safety, security and dignity to our people back in Tamil Eelam. I request all readers of this article to devote a few minutes in silence today to pay our respects to the eleven Tamils, who sacrificed their life on the 10th of January 1974 for our cause. They are among our MAVEERAR. May their souls rest in peace. South Africa emerging as alternative for talks While there is still no compromise on the venue for peace talks with the LTTE, the government is pinning its hopes on Norwegian Minister Erik Solhiem’s visit later this month to facilitate an agreement between the two parties. The Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) said a clear picture on where the parties would meet to discuss the implementation of the ceasefire agreement would emerge only after Mr. Solhiem met the LTTE leadership during his visit to Kilinochchi. “There has been talk for some time now that South Africa may be a possible venue. However nothing has been decided upon yet. Everything will be clear only once Mr. Solhiem meets the LTTE and the government”, a SCOPP source said. South Africa emerged as a possible venue during talks with Christian religious leaders and the LTTE political leadership with the government and the rebels being at loggerheads over Oslo. The SCOPP source said any progress on the stalled talks would depend on the outcome of Mr. Solhiem’s visit as there were no plans for contacts between the government and the LTTE prior to the Norwegian Minister’s visit. Mr. Solhiem is due to arrive in the country on January 23 for talks with the government, the LTTE and other political parties and organisations. Sri Lanka President
meets Donor Co-Chairs President Rajapaksa met with the Japanese Ambassador Akio Suda, European Union Ambassador Julian Wilson, United States Ambassador Jeffrey Lunstead, Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar and Netherlands Ambassador Reynout van Dijk today at the Presidential Secretariat. The Co-Chairs commended the President’s stance on peace despite recent unfortunate incidents and vowed to put pressure on the LTTE. Earlier President Rajapaksa had explained that the government is committed to an honorable peace and warned the LTTE not to take his flexible policy for granted. “We as a government still maintain a neutral policy over the LTTE’s crime. But it does not mean that our government is weaker,” he said at a public rally in Kalutara yesterday. President in a discussion with all southern parties President Mahinda Rajapaksa held a discussion with all southern political parties today (9) at Temple Trees with a view to forge a consensus for initiating direct talks with the LTTE on a final solution. All parties represented in Parliament except for the
Tamil National Alliance participated at the discussion. It was decided at today's meeting to fix another meeting on 19th to extensively discuss matters related to a final solution. In addition to political parties, civil and religious organizations too will be invited to join this discussion. While the President was today engaged in discussions with southern parties to forge a consensus, he yesterday said that no one should consider his patience as a sign of weakness. In the wake of the President's comments, posters sprung up today in Colombo and the suburbs with the caption "Should Tiger Terrorism be tolerated or destroyed?" The poster has been put up by the National Movement Against Terrorism which is linked to the Jathika Hela Urumaya. Army patrol ambushed A soldier was killed and an army sergeant seriously injured when an army patrol was ambushed by suspected LTTE cadres at Mainathivu in Trincomalee on Sunday night, police said yesterday. The body of army private Ranjith Kumara 22 of Balangoda is at the Muttur hospital mortuary while the sergeant with head injuries was rushed to the Trincomalee hospital. According to reports one of the attackers was also killed when the troops returned fire. During a search operation launched soon after a machine gun was recovered from the scene. Meanwhile earlier on Sunday suspected LTTE cadres had attacked the Pansalwatte army detachment at Muttur. Two soldiers were seriously injured and admitted to the Navy Hospital. Sri Lanka cancels nominations for North East poll The Sri Lankan government says the nominations for the local government polls in the North and East, which were postponed twice, have to be cancelled. Speaking at a press conference, Minister of Local Government Janaka Bandara Tennekoon said this decision was taken at a meeting at his Ministry, attended by Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake, Ministers Dinesh Gunawardena and D.E.W. Gunasekara and Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga. Mr. Tennekoon also said the draft Cabinet paper on this matter will be presented at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow for approval. Emotional family reunion for couple following daughter's visit Vellore, Tamil Nadu: It was an emotional family reunion for the couple, Nalini and Murugan, who were serving detention in the Central Prison here in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, when their only daughter visited them last week, after a gap of nearly nine years. Fourteen-year-old Arithra alias Megara, who was presently under the custody of Murugan's mother in Sri Lanka, arrived here last week after the Indian Government granted her visa following a legal battle waged by Nalini. The teenager, accompanied by Nalini's mother and brother, visited her parents on Thursday last. her visit had been kept a close-guarded secret. The meeting was very emotional as both the mother and daughter broke into tears on seeing each other, prison sources said. While Nalini was serving a life term after the President commuted her death sentence following Congress President Sonia Gandhi's intervention, Murugan was awarded capital punishment in the assassination case. His mercy petition was still pending before the President. Arithra was born at a Government maternity hospital in Chennai in 1992 when Nalini was detained at the Poonamalle Prison during the trial proceeding. Gnanakone to sue Sri Lanka’s Defense Ministry, IGP Mr. Charles Gnanakone, an Australian citizen who was arrested while in Colombo and detained by the Colombo Crimes Division of the Sri Lanka Police in connection with the murder of Mr.Lakshman Kadirgamar, before being released by an order of the Court of Appeal, has given notice through his lawyer to the Defense Secretary and the Inspector General of Police of Sri Lanka, that he intends to sue them for millions of rupees in damages for unlawful arrest and detention, legal sources said. Mr. Gnanakone is seeking rupees one hundred million as damages from the State. Ms. T.Gowry Shangary, Attorney-at-Law, has sent notice to the Defense Secretary and the Inspector General of Police Monday in regard to this. The Defense Ministry arrested Mr. Gnanakone. Later the IGP ordered his detention. In the notice sent to the Defense Secretary and IGP Monday, the lawyer states: ”I am instructed by my client that you with other officers of the Colombo Crimes Division detained my client on 10th October 2005 illegally, unlawfully and without any cause whatsoever, until he was released consequent to an order of the Court of Appeal on 30th November 2005. The detention is not only unlawful and unjustified, but also malicious and without any reasonable or probable cause. I am further instructed to state by reason of the aforesaid acts my client sustained damages, which he reasonably estimates at Rupees one hundred million. ”I am instructed to give you notice and I do hereby give you notice that my client will be instituting action in the District Court of Colombo after the expiry of the period of one month from the receipt hereof against you and the Attorney General as representative of the State, for the recovery of the said sum of Rupees one hundred million as damages, interest thereon and cost of the lawsuit.” Media associations to hold demonstration against harassment The Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association, Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance, Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum and Media Employees Trade Union Federation have decided to hold a demonstration in front of the Fort Railway Station in Colombo Thursday evening against the security forces for harassing Tamil media persons and media institutions using the Emergency Regulations, sources said In recent times search operations at media institutions and arrest of journalists and other harassment, particularly targeting Tamil media institutions and media persons, are on the increase. Security forces refuse to accept media accreditation cards by the Department of Information when they arrest Tamil media persons. The security forces had assaulted Tamil media persons who were covering a demonstration in Jaffna recently and were not accepting their media accreditation card. Photographers of two Tamil dailies have been subjected to inquiry for taking photographs of Tamil people when they were arrested and detained in Colombo police stations. Security forces searched offices of two Tamil dailies published in Jaffna recently, said a press release issued by these five media associations Monday. "Hence we have decided hold a demonstration in front of the Fort railway station on Thursday evening to oppose using the Emergency Regulations against the Tamil media institutions and Tamil media persons and demanding the security forces to accept the government media accreditation cards," said the press release. SLA attack on LTTE sentry said repulsed The deep penetration unit of the Sri Lanka Army, backed by paramilitary groups, entered the no-man zone in Vavunatheevu and attacked the LTTE sentries in the area at 7:30 p.m. Monday night, but the LTTE returned fire and the attackers withdrew, LTTE sources in Batticaloa said, quoting Mr. Thayamohan, the political head of the LTTE in Amparai. The sources said that there were no LTTE casualties. Sri Lanka Army sources claimed, however, that two LTTE cadres died and four were injured.LTTE sources said that there were ten LTTE cadres manning the sentries at the time of the attack.Vavunatheevu is about 5 km west of Batticaloa town.Earlier in October, a convoy of LTTE vehicles faced an attack by the paramilitaries backed by the SLA close to the same location, the sources said. Youth shot dead in Jaffna Pancharatnam Pranavan, 24, was shot dead by unknown gunmen in front of a video store located in Aadiyapatham Road that links Thirunieveli and Kalviyankadu near Jaffna town Monday at 2 p.m., sources in Jaffna said. Pranavan was followed by the gunmen while he was on his way to obtain copies of video tapes. The motives for the killing is not yet known.Kopay Police has transferred Pranavan's body to Jaffna Teaching Hospital for postmortem examinations, medical sources said. Maize vendor shot, injured in Akkaraipattu Mr Ratnam Karunakaran, 32, also known as Sinappodiyan, was shot and seriously injured by unknown gunmen on Monday evening 3.30 p.m. at Piscal Junction, a predominantly muslim area in Akkaraipattu along the Akkaraipattu-Kalmunai main Road. Karunakaran was selling maize at the time gunmen shot him, sources said. Karunakaran was initially rushed to the Akkaraipattu Hospital and later transferred to Kalmunai Base Hospital, medical sources said.Motives for the shooting are not clear, Akkaraipattu police said.Akkaraipattu Police is conducting investigations.Akkaraipattu is locagted 64 km south of Batticaloa town. FMM condemns
SLA searches of Jaffna press Another Newspaper office in Jaffna searched by Sri Lankan Army Free Media movement express its disappointment and condemns the search of the office of Jaffna Tamil daily Yal Thinnakkural. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers cordoned off and searched the office of Jaffna daily Yarl Thinakkural on 05th Friday 2.45 p.m. According to information received by FMM SLA searched editorial section, press section, administrative section and advertisement section. According to Tamil Net, SLA came after a photographer who was taking pictures of events unfolding after a grenade attack on military sentry point but the man escaped. Angered by this SLA troopers claimed that the said photographer worked for the Thinakkural daily and decided to search the office. In any case, cordon and search operations of newspaper offices will have an adverse effect of freedom of expression and journalist rights in Jaffna. This is the second such operation conducted by SLA in Jaffna within short period. In the mean while Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance in a statement issued today complained that senior photographer Tamil daily Veerakesari Mr. Joy Jeyakumar was summoned to the office of the Colombo CID on January 5th for inquiry. He was questioned by CID officials from 10.30 a.m. till 11 a.m. on whether the photographs published on the arrest and detention of Tamil residents in Wellawatte Police Station in Colombo in the Sunday issue of Veerakesari of January 1st were taken by him or supplied by others. This also a clear violation of journalists right to information and could be regarded as another instance of intimidation of Tamil journalists by government security forces. FMM urge the authorities to look in these complains without delay and instruct security forces to respect freedom of information rights of all and journalist right to cover all issues of public interest. Sunanda Deshapriya - Stop this killing for killing Church leaders make strong plea for immediate end to
senseless violence The Church Leaders said: “The people of this country must take serious note that the culture of violence is spreading dangerously and indiscriminately. No one seems to be able to stop the spiral of killing for killing. No one even takes responsibility for wanting to stop this trend. Different but equally tragic incidents are reported almost daily from various parts of the country, and the North and East in particular. As if by design, the centre shifts from Jaffna, to Colombo, to Batticaloa, to Mannar, and now after a period of some calm, to Trincomalee. “The recent deaths of young students in Trincomalee have filled the hearts of people with deep sorrow and even indignation. Some newspapers reported that the post mortem verdict stated that they had died of gunshot injuries. Other versions claim that they died of a hand grenade explosion. The truth will emerge only through an independent commission acceptable to all parties. But whatever the truth, this heinous act that has snuffed the lives of young men in their prime must be condemned without reservation by all just and peace loving persons. “These were Sri Lankan young men who died in an area under the control of the Government of Sri Lanka. Consequently we welcome the decision of the President to inquire into these killings. We urge that this inquiry be comprehensive and that the families, friends and teachers of these young men as well as competent forensic experts be heard and the public informed of its findings. For a start the post- mortem report should be released. Such immediate and impartial action brings some sense of justice to loved ones who can never be fully compensated for their loss. To know how and why their sons were killed helps the
process of mourning and healing. “We reiterate and totally agree with the several voices that have condemned all killings whether innocent civilians, service personnel, LTTE cadres or cadres of other groups. We similarly call for an end to these continuing and senseless killings in our country. The killing of any human is a judgment on us all. Whatever the rationale or ideology, any killing is an indication of our failure to live with differences and our inability to find a non-violent, inclusive and civilised way to deal with grievance and conflict. We are sorry that decades of bloodshed, deprivation and suffering have not provided the counter spirituality and resolve to respect human life and the dignity of our brothers and sisters of the other ethnic group, religion or political ideology”. The Statement of the Ecumenical Intervention for Peace has been approved by the following Church Leaders. Catholic Bishop’s Conference President and Kandy Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Vianney Fernando, CBC Vice President and Mannar Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Rayappu Joseph, Colombo Archbishop Most Rev. Dr. Oswald Gomis, Chilaw Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Frank Marcus Fernando, Jaffna Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Savundranayagam, Trincomalee/Batticaloa Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Kingsley Swamipillai, Kurunegala Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Raymond Peiris, Rt. Rev. Colombo Auxiliary Bishop Dr. Manus Peiris, Badulla Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Winston Fernando, Galle Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Harold Anthony, Anuradhapura Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Norbert Andradi, Chilaw Coadjutor Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Valence: Mendis, Ratnapura Diocese Administrator Very Rev. Fr. Damian Fernando, Administrator. Church Leaders of the National Christian Council of Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka Baptist Sangamaya Chairperson and SL National Christian Council President Rev. Kingsley Perera, Kurunegala Bishop Rt. Rev Kumara Illaugasinghe, Colombo Bishop Rt. Rev Duleep de Chickera, Methodist Church President Rev. W P Ebenezer Joseph, Dutch Reformed Church President Rev. C.N. Jansz, Presbyterian Church Moderator Rev. K Piyadasa, Moderator’s Commissary Church of South India – Jaffna Diocese, Rev. P.R. Navendrananugoolan, Salvation Army Territorial Commander Colonel Roy Frans, and SL National Christian Council General Secretary Rev. Dr. Jayasiri Peiris.. 09 January 2006 Sri Lankan MP seeks India's involvement in peace talks India should directly involve itself in the peace talks between the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE, Upcountry Tamils Front of Sri Lanka, a party of Sri Lankan Tamils of Indian origin, has said. Its president and Sri Lankan MP, P Chandrasekaran told reporters here on Saturday that India, which had close cultural and ethnic relationship with Sri Lanka, should not shirk from its "responsibility of finding a solution to the ethnic strife in the island republic". When Norway, which had no stakes in Sri Lanka, had engaged itself in the peace talks there, why India, which was the closest neighbour of Sri Lanka, should not involve itself in the peace process, Chandrasekaran, a former Sri Lankan Minister, asked. Don’t mistake my patience for weakness: President President Mahinda Rajapakse yesterday vowed to ensure the safety of all citizens of the country while cautioning that his patience should not be misinterpreted for weakness. Addressing a ceremony in Horna, the President said patience was instilled in him due to the influence of Buddhism and the Daham Pasalas he attended and his patience should not be seen as a sign of weakness. The President said the LTTE should realize that he was not ruling the country in a naïve or careless manner.“It is my responsibility to guarantee the safety of all citizens of this country. As the Head of State I am dedicated to peace in the country and I will do my best to achieve this goal,” the President said. The President also said we should create an environment where the Sinhala, Tamil, Muslims and others could live without fear or suspicion. “At the last Presidential elections we said that we would work towards that goal. I assure you that we will go the extra mile to fulfill that pledge. I stressed that I was prepared to solve the ethnic conflict through discussions in a peaceful manner. I even said that I was prepared to meet LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran personally for talks. My stand has not changed today,” President Rajapakse said. “Nobody should think that I could be pressurized by acts of violence or terrorism. I am firm in my pledge, “ he said. The President said illegal activities and ceasefire violations should be brought to the notice of the international community. “Since I am bound to ensure a peaceful atmosphere in the country, I will not allow any elements to create confusion in the country by indulging in illegal activities. In this country there is one faction which is happy when soldiers and armed forces personnel are killed in action. They even blame me for those acts. But they should realize that the attacks are aimed at our motherland and not at an individual,” he said. The President was speaking at a ceremony held to mark the conferring of the Chief Adikarana Nayake post of the Raigam Salpiti Hewagama Korale Ven. Danbara Amila Thera. Abducted men found dead in Vavuniya The bodies of two men who were abducted by unidenfied
persons, Sunday night were found with gun shot injuries at Skanthapuram
cemetary, 6 km. southwest of Vavuniya, Monday morning, police said. Mr. A.M.C. Abeysinghe Bandara, OIC, Vavuniya Police said the bodies are yet to be identified. Shots fired by men in army uniforms- Survivor The students were fired at last Monday (2) in Trincomalee by a group wearing uniforms similar to the Army, one of the two students who survived the attack was reported to have told Trincomalee magistrate P.Kamalan. The Magistrate visited the hospital last week end and
recorded the statement from the student. Five students were killed in the incident. Security forces initially claimed that the students died when a bomb they had brought went off accidentally. However at the magisterial inquiry into the deaths, it was revealed that the students died from gun shot wounds. It is reported that the condition of the other student remains critical. Battered and bruised reporter appeals to President for redress A Provincial Journalist, Vincent Jeyan, Jaffna correspondent for Associated Press, Lake House and Shakthi FM, alleges that members of the Security Forces assaulted him, while two others fired at him, alleging that he was a member of the LTTE, when he was covering a protest rally. In letters to President Mahinda Rajapakse and all frontline media organisations, he states that he was assigned to cover a protest rally of the Jaffna University on December 19, last year, where he was taking photographs from the front of the moving crowds and all the photographers felt assured that they would be able to carry out their duties without fear as the members of the Armed Forces stationed at the Parameswara junction had retreated. Jeyan, in his letter states that, contrary to his belief, suddenly, the soldiers started firing and moved towards the crowd, while ordering him to run. He states that he was not willing to run, as he feared he would be in the firing line. It was then, that he identified himself to the soldier, after which the soldier who had fired at him, went to a nearby building to take cover! When the firing had stopped, he returned to the road, when another soldier had ordered him to run and an officer, standing nearby, had attacked him with poles, chains and rifles. He had also been kicked and shoved, and his bag had also been torn. His cellular phone, his wallet containing Rs. 2200, an Automated Teller Machine Card and a diary containing telephone numbers, had also been taken away. His camera worth Rs. 80,000 and other equipment had been badly damaged. Right throughout the assault, the soldier had accused him of being a member of the LTTE. There was no due regard for the Media Accreditation Card issued by the Director of Government Information. The media personnel who had been present, had been asked to run in front of military vehicles as cannon fodder. He also alleged that he had been attacked previously in 2005, but similar complaints to former President Chandrika Kumaratunga, during her tenure as head of state, had been of no avail. The letter has been copied to the Prime Minister, the Media Minister, the Justice Minister, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, the Press Complaints Commission and the Free Media Movement. Tigers have no control over Lankan waters : SLMM THE Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) yesterday reiterated that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has no control over the territorial waters in any part of the island. SLMM Chief Hagrup Haukland told the Daily News that following the Navy complaint on the attack on their Israel-built fast attack Dvora vessel on Saturday, the SLMM was investigating the incident. "The Navy has complained that the attack has been carried out by the LTTE. SLMM monitors had met the LTTE 's representative Elilan in Sampur, Trincomalee on Saturday and inquired about the attack in Trincomalee. However the LTTE representative denied their involvement. The SLMM has even contacted Killinochchi and urged their explanation over the incident. "Unlike in the land areas in the North and East, the LTTE has no control at all over the territorial waters around the island. The LTTE has its militant wing called Sea Tigers and claim that they have control over the North-Eastern waters. But that claim is against international law and nothing is mentioned about the LTTE having control over the North and East waters in the Ceasefire Agreement," Haukland said. The Navy yesterday launched a search for the missing 13 crewmen. The Navy top brass were in Trincomalee yesterday overseeing search operations. Air Force aircraft were making reconnaissance flights in the area where the vessel went down. Meanwhile, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) had a lengthy meeting with President Mahinda Rajapakse on the current situation in the North and East Saturday. The TNA delegation requested President Rajapakse to do his best to resume the talks with the LTTE to create a trouble-free North and East. The President expressing concern over recent incidents in the North and East said he would take steps to bring the situation under control. The TNA delegation led by TNA Parliamentarian R.Sampanthan comprised other TNA Members of Parliament Suresh Premachandran, N. Raviraj and Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam. LTTE should be exposed says JVP The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna in a press release issued on the suicidal attack on the Dora Fast Attack Craft Friday night of says that the Tigers launched this attack while publicly pretending to stand by the ceasefire agreement. In fact recently when the terrorist leaders met the envoys of countries named as co-chairs at Killinochchi they had assured that they would protect the CFA and will abide by it. Any body in his proper senses could understand that the Tigers were breaking the agreement since the day it was signed. The statement further says that the administration of the Mahinda Rajapakse should give due weight to this violent massacre and should explain to countries the true nature of the incident and take decisive steps to defeat the Tiger terrorists in what ever form deemed necessary "Prabakaran and I will both die in Sri Lanka"-President The President is reported to have eased his hard line stand on conducting peace talks in Oslo at a discussion held yesterday with Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians. The President has requested TNA members to send a group to talk with the LTTE to persuade them to return to the negotiating process. "Both Prabakaran and I are going to die in Sri Lanka So there shouldn't be any arguments over holding talks in Sri Lanka", " No way will I go to Oslo" President has said However when TNA parliamentarians proposed that Oslo should be the venue of the first round of talks, even though the President did not agree, he has not shown much dissent either. The TNA MPs have appealed to the President to look into long term benefits that could be gained from holding talks in Oslo. Meanwhile the President has also given an assurance to TNA legislators that he would not let murderers of Pararajasingham and five students to get away. The TNA was represented at the meeting by R.Sampanthan, Suresh Premachandran, N. Raviraj and Gajendra Ponnambalam. Associated with the President were Minister maithreepala Sirisena and Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga. Cancel CFA If You Can – Ranil Challenges JVP and JHU The leader of the opposition in a rally addressing UNP supporters in Gamapaha challenged the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and Jathika Hele Urumaya to cancel the ceasefire and come out with their alternatives to the CFA. He said these comments yesterday while addressing a rally organized by the UNP deputy leader Karu Jayasuriya in Gamapaha. “During the time of UNP government, we were sinking LTTE ships. Today the LTTE is sinking our ships. We condemn these LTTE attacks, however, government must come forward with a plan to prevent these attacks” he said. He also said that peace process should be continued by the government with the support of international community. He blamed that the agendas of JVP and JHU are hindering the process even though several Ministers in the government actively seek the continuation of the peace process. He said that government has rights to destroy illegal boats coming to the country. He said his attacks against LTTE boats and ships were carried with the support of Indian Navy. He also questioned the JVP silence on LTTE killing. “Those days, JVP was going in streets against LTTE killings, why are the silent now?” he questioned. A Presidential Commission to probe 400 million fraud of Sandagiri-another shady deals bared The President has decided to appoint a presidential commission to probe a transaction to procure fifteen 30 mm guns from Israel which resulted in a loss of 400 million rupees to the government by former Navy Commander and present Chief of Defense Staff Vice Admiral Daya Sandagiri. Guns over 20 years old were to be purchased as brand new guns under the procurement agreement entered into by Admiral Sandagiri with an Israel Company. However the deal was called off by the present Navy Commander Vice Admiral Wasanatha Karannagoda soon as he assumed office. He had briefed the Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa on the threat posed to the national security if these outdated guns were fitted into naval boats to fight with ultra modern weaponry of the LTTE. When the proposed commission is established several other shady deal of Sandagiri also come into light. Some of the are listed below. 1. Paying 3 billion rupees to a Colombo company to manufacture 10 high speed boats. (No technical assessment report or proper consultation has been made in hi regard,) 2. Spending 22 million rupees to renovate the official residence of navy commander located at Bullers road. ( This house was occupied by President Kumartunga's Secretary,Kusumsiri Balapatabndi until his appointment as Australian High Commissioner, then new pantry cupboards and bathroom fittings have been fixed and the roof had been repaired using staggering 22 million rupees which would have sufficed to construct two new luxury houses) 3. Dubious expenses Rs. 10 millian on reconstructing navy buildings damaged by the tsunami. Meanwhile an English weekend today reported that the India's Research and Analysis wing (RAW) has alerted local intelligence services that a highest ranking defense officer is assisting a plan hatched by the LTTE to assassinate Navy Commander rear admiral Wasantha Karannogoda. The report further said that RAW has informed government intelligence services that the defense officer in question has passed vital information on the movements of the Navy Commander to an LTTE cadre known as 'Rajan' through a woman of Puttalam who has direct contacts with the LTTE hierarchy. Take Kachatheevu on lease, Jaya tells Centre CHENNAI: Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today demanded that the Centre take Kachatheevu on lease in perpetuity, even as she drew Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s attention to the recent attack on four Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lankan Navy personnel in the small hours of Sunday. The Chief Minister pressed for this demand as a long term and permanent solution to the persisting and indiscriminate attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy. Jayalalithaa who shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday asked the Prime Minister to take up the issue of indiscriminate attack on poor fishermen belonging to Tamil Nadu on the high seas with the Government of Sri Lanka and register a strong protest against this inhuman act perpetuated by the Sri Lankan Navy. She further stated in the letter, “You will agree that such indiscriminate and murderous attacks on poor fishermen who venture into the seas in search of their livelihood is against all canons of natural justice and violates human rights. The Government of India must therefore find a final and lasting solution to this problem since it involves the question of the traditional rights of our Tamil Nadu fishermen.” In the letter she has stated, “It was brought to my notice that four fishermen of the Rameswaran Coast of Tamil Nadu who set out into the sea in a mechanised boat on Saturday while fishing near Kachatheevu were attacked by Sri Lankan Navy personnel who opened fire at them at about 3 am on Sunday and even took away their fish catch. One fisherman namely Andrews, sustained bullet injuries even while the remaining three escaped. The wounded fisherman is undergoing treatment at the Government Hospital, Rameswaram. Jayalalithaa reminded Manmohan Singh the number of occasions she has written to him about the indiscriminate attack on Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy taking place in the Palk Bay Region where the island of Kachatheevu is located. “I am distressed to write to you again about yet another such incident which took place on Sunday.” The fishermen of Tamil Nadu depend essentially on fishing in the waters around Kachatheevu for their livelihood, Jayalalithaa said and added, “I have been repeatedly drawing the attention of the Government of India to the incidents of violence against Indian fishermen in the Palk Bay around Kachatheevu island urging that the traditional rights and privileges of the Indian fishermen to carry on their normal occupation of fishing in these waters must be recognised early and a suitable working arrangement devised.” No militarily
assistance to Sri Lanka without a federal constitution Former India’s Minister of Justice and the Leader of the Janata Party has attached two conditions for the Indian Government to support Sri Lanka militarily, which is on the vege of a renewed civil war. Dr. Swamy’s preconditions are as follows : First, the Lanka government must now unilaterally implement an India-type devolved Constitution, loosely called a federal Constitution. This will satisfy the Tamils. Second, the Lanka government permits India to have in Colombo a cantonment area for two divisions of Indian troops and a squadron of the IAF so that Sri Lanka will not be able to betray India as President Premadasa did in 1989. In a statement made to the press, Dr.Swamy slammed the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha for having cold feet in meeting with the President of Sri Lanka. He further alleged that the Tamil Nadu CM did this simply to appease the pro-LTTE parties in the state. He said, "The TN CM Ms. Jayalalitha, according to uncontradicted media reports, made the Centre cancel President Rajapakshe’s proposed visit to Chennai." "This was, it is said, to appease the pro-LTTE parties in the state. This action was retrograde and cowardly on part of the Chief Minister," Janata Party leader lashed out. Dr. Swamy pointed out, "Why should she have been afraid when DMK nominee in the Union Ministry, T.R.Balu did not feel ashamed to meet the Sri Lanka President?" In his statement he further revealed that the former External Affairs Minister, Mr. Natwar Singh should not take submissively his unceremonious dumping [being removed from the Congress Working Committee] by Ms. Sonia Gandhi. He urged. "Instead he should become 'a whistle blower' in the national interest. Taking money from the terrorist dictator, Saddam Hussein, by accepting oil vouchers is a heinous anti-national act that should be exposed." Dr Swamy further said, "Moreover, not a drop of the allotted oil came to oil-starved India, but instead went to Italy through subsidiaries of Masefield AG Company. If Mr. Singh performs this national duty, then opposition parties will stand up for him." 08 January 2006 Two SLA soldiers injured in Kopay grenade attack Unknown gunmen riding in a motorbike hurled grenaded at a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) foot patrol near the Sub office of Valigamam east Pradeshya sabha building along the Jaffna Point Pedro road in Kopay at 1.15 p.m. injuring two soldiers, sources in Jaffna said. Military sources said that the condition of one of the soldiers remains serious. The injured soldiers have been moved to Palaly Military Hospital.Soldiers fired at the assailants after the grenade attack but both of them escaped unhurt, sources said.All vehicular traffic was suspended for mor than two hours following the attack, Kopay residents said.SLA troops have cordoned off the area and are conduct searches. Meanwhile, SLA soldiers are forcing the households between Kopay and Nallur along the Jaffna Point-Pedro road to fly white flags, residents said. Civil society sources said that since the widespread attacks on the army troopers are being blamed on citizen malitia in Jaffna, the SLA wants civilians to show they are not involved in the attacks by flying white flags. Jaffna district magistrate Ms Srinithi Nanthisekaran told the press that SLA Commander in Jaffna Major General Chandrasiri had told her that the flags are being flown voluntarily by the residents and that SLA has not forced the households to fly the flags. No Defence Pact with Sri Lanka-Indian Defence Minister India says it has no intention of signing a Defence pact with Sri Lanka. On behalf of the Indian government, this statement has been made by Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherji.After a meeting with Dravida Munnethra Kalaham Party leader M.karunanidhi, Mukherji told reporters in Chennai that India has no intention of intervening in internal affairs of SriLanka or other countries in the region. Two influential constituent parties oft the ruling Indian coalition, the DMK and MDMK parties have voiced their strong disapproval to any kind of defence agreement with SriLanka. White Pigeon delegates meet EU parliamentarian Executive Director of Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), K.P. Regi, Chairman of White Pigeon, Dr N S Moorthy, and Evelyn Rodriguez, a volunteer at White Pigeon met with Jean Lambert Member of European Parliament (MEP). at her offices in London Friday, sources in UK said. The delegation briefed Ms Lambert on the details of the displaced Tamils in the NorthEast due both to war and the tsunami, and updated her on the recent developments where TRO is assisting the families fleeing violence in Jaffna into LTTE controlled areas.Ms Lambert appreciated the humanitarian work by TRO and the White Pigeon helping landmine victims, thanked the delegation for keeping her informed and assured the delegation that she will make the information available to other EU parliamentarians.White Pigeon is a registered British Charity and TRO is an NGO registered with the Government of Sri Lanka and works exclusively in teh NorthEast. Sri Lankan Navy bars Tamil fishermen to go to sea, say rebels –Source:AP The Tamil Tiger rebels accused the Sri Lankan Navy Sunday of barring Tamil fishermen from going to the sea, a day after suspected insurgents rammed a fishing boat packed with explosives into a navy vessel, killing 13 sailors. ``The Sri Lankan Navy has banned fishing for Tamil fisherman in most sections of the north seas'' off the Jaffna Peninsula, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam said on their Web site. The blockade forced about 1,000 families to move to rebel-held areas and was reminiscent of the navy's tactics before the government and the Tigers signed a truce four years ago to halt the island's civil war, it said. Navy officials couldn't be immediately reached for comment. The government has blamed the rebels for Saturday's attack on the navy vessel off the northeastern coast, the most serious of recent attacks that has put the truce of the verge of collapse. ``The incident has brought the cease-fire under pressure like never before,'' Hagrup Haukland, chief of the Norwegian-led Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission overseeing the Oslo-brokered 2002 truce, told The Associated Press on Saturday. ``The question is how long the Sri Lankan security forces can take it,'' Haukland said. The rebels began fighting in 1983 for a homeland for Sri Lanka's 3.2 million ethnic minority Tamils, claiming discrimination by the island's 14 million Sinhalese. The war claimed 65,000 lives. Saturday's attack killed 13 sailors and brought the death toll of security forces to 58 since Dec. 4, when a wave of anti-government attacks began. Authorities have blamed the Tigers, who have denied responsibility. A similar 1995 attack in Trincomalee harbour _ near Saturday's incident _ shattered a brief truce between the two sides. Defense Ministry spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe, said the two survivors told investigators the attacking boat emerged from a fleet of fishing boats. ``They say that the attacking craft emerged and collided with their vessel, triggering a huge explosion.'' Samarasinghe said. Erik Solheim, the Norwegian official who brokered the Feb. 2002 cease-fire, was scheduled to visit Sri Lanka in late January to try restarting government-rebels peace talks, stalled due to disagreements over rebel demands for autonomy. SLA informant shot dead in Point Pedro Sinnarasa Rasaiah, 47, from Vinayaga Mudaliyar (VM) Road in Point Pedro town, and owner of a bakery, was shot and killed at 3.30 pm.m Sunday by unknown gunmen who forced entry into the bakery located within 100 meters of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) 52-4 Brigade Head Quarters within the High Security Zone (HSZ) encompassing the Point-Pedro harbor, sources said. Residents allege that Rasaiah was a military informant. Point Pedro Police has taken the body to the Point Pedro General Hospital in Manthikai for postmortem examinations. The brazen killing within the HSZ, the third murder to take place in the last two days, has shocked the residents of the town. Tension prevails in Point Pedro town and suburbs. Iyathurai Baskeran, 27, an LTTE supporter displaced from Kudathanai was found shot to death in Katkovalam Saturday, and on Thursday night Mathan, an EPDP supporter was found stabbed to death in Thumapalai, Point Pedro. Postpone polls or hold in LTTE areas too, says TNA The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) criticising the government's plan to hold elections in the north and east says the government should either postpone elections or hold them in the LTTE controlled areas as well. TNA Convener and Jaffna Parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran told The Sunday Leader that the climate to hold local authority polls was not conducive and if the government insisted on holding polls it should do away with the cluster system and move into the LTTE areas to hold free and fair elections. "It is utterly unwise to hold elections in the north and east. The government knows it well that it is not practicable. But still plans to go ahead. We are strongly opposed to it," he said. He said the dire need of the hour is peace talks and not elections in the country. He said the people of north east were not interested in participating in any polls and added they opted for peace. "Why can't Mahinda Rajapakse's administration focus on peace talks. We feel the plan to hold elections is an attempt to divert the attention of the public. This is very unfair," he said. Newspaper Society calls for security The Newspaper Society in a statement on the alleged conspiracy to assassinate Maharaja Group chairman Killi Rajamahendran said it was concerned for the safety of the media personnel and called on the government to ensure the rule of law in the country. The Newspaper Society is dismayed at the several attacks on and threats to journalists and media houses in the recent past. The latest is the revelation of a conspiracy to assassinate the chairman of a media organisation controlling both TV and radio stations. If the details are true then it bodes ill for media freedom in Sri Lanka. We hope that the government will take serious cognizance of the statements allegedly made according to the report, and spare no pains in verifying the truth of these statements. The Newspaper Society expresses its concern for the safety of all media personnel and calls upon the government to ensure that the rule of law prevails in this country, in keeping with the democratic liberties and rights enshrined in the Constitution, stated the media release Man shot dead by SLA in Eravur Kandasamy Shanmuganathan, 31, a civilian, was shot dead by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops Sunday morning at 10.30 a.m. in Eravur Vantharumoolai in Batticaloa. The incident took place in front of the Pathini Amman Temple iin Thevapuram sources said. SLA said they killed the man in self-defence when he tried to attack them, but the residents of the area said that Mr Shanmuganathan was on his way to buy provisions in a shop when he was killed. Police took the body to Chenkalady Hospital at 4 p.m. for postmortem examinations.Vantharumoolai lies 18 km north of Batticaloa town. Govt. wants TRO banned in US Sri Lanka has formally raised a red flag about the functions of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) in the United States, setting in motion a process that is hoped to slap a ban on the pro-LTTE outfit, senior government officials said. The alarm bells about TRO operations were rung at the highest level during meetings Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera had with State Department officials in Washington over the past few days. TRO is listed as a ‘charity,’ but also functions
as the LTTE's main aid arm. The TRO operates in over a dozen other countries, including Britain, Canada and Australia, where the LTTE is banned or there are restrictions on fund raising for the group. The TRO raised millions of dollars in donations for tsunami relief and rehabilitation efforts in the north and east, with special focus on areas controlled by the LTTE. But doubts have been cast if all the millions of dollars were indeed channelled for much-needed tsunami recovery. The organization began operations in 1985 and its headquarters is now based in the rebel capital of Kilinochchi. A special team of officials were included in Mr. Samaraweera's delegation to Washington to take up this issue with state authorities. The background of the TRO, its operations and links to the LTTE were presented at several forums. TRO operations were also taken up at the functional level with US legal and justice departments. Colombo had prepared a dossier with details of activities of the TRO with the help of local intelligence officials and diplomats. Among them was documentation to indicate that some of the funds channelled to TRO had ended up in Ukraine, a nation from where the LTTE purchases some of its weaponry. Details were also provided about how much money the TRO claimed to have channelled to Sri Lanka and how much actually ended up in the island, the officials said. The details were handed over to State Department officials and discussed extensively during talks between the Lankan delegation and Stuart Levey, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Crimes of the US Department of Treasury on Thursday. The issue was also taken up with Frank Urbancic, deputy coordinator for Counter-Terrorism, Department of State the same day, which was followed by Mr. Samaraweera having a two-hour meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The deteriorating security situation in Sri Lanka was also discussed with Ms. Rice. Mr. Samaraweera had assured the US of President Mahinda Rajapakse's commitment to a negotiated settlement, efforts to lessen rising tensions with the LTTE and efforts to build a southern consensus. There was concern among State Department officials about Mr. Rajapakse's perceived hawkish administration and its path toward peace, especially in the light of how much influence hardline nationalist parties like the JVP and JHU can have on policy. According to Washington sources, several American officials who were present in Sri Lanka during the two JVP insurrections are now holding high office in the State Department, and were eager to ascertain the direction Sri Lanka's new leader hoped to take. The Lankan delegation also held an hour long meeting with Eric S. Edelman, Under Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon. Mr. Samaraweera also met with Assistant Secretary for South Asia Christina Rocca. Although the TRO did execute some valuable work in Sri Lanka's north and east, there were doubts cast if all the money raised, was indeed utilized for tsunami recovery or channelled elsewhere. In November last year, almost a year after the deadly tsunami struck Sri Lankan shores, a TRO branch office in Melbourne, Australia, was raided and investigated over allegations that it was funding terrorism propagated by the LTTE. After the probe, the allegations were referred to the federal police. Another fundraising group, the Tamils Co-ordinating Committee, believed to be linked to the TRO, was also raided. The amount of money collected by Australia's Tamil Sri Lankan community, many of whom support the LTTE's cause, increased markedly following the tsunami. Federal police were examining evidence seized in the raids to see if any donations collected were channelled into terrorism. The TRO's executive director, Melbourne Rajan Rasiah, said at the time, that $1.1 million raised by the TRO in the wake of the tsunami was distributed in northern Sri Lanka with the ‘permission, approval and support’ of the Tamil Tigers. The raids were conducted despite the fact that the LTTE is not a proscribed terrorist organization under the criminal code. However, because a United Nations charter lists the Tigers as a terrorist group, Australian authorities can act to prohibit an organization dealing with funds that are declared by the UN to be ‘freezable assets’. In an interview with the Washington Times, Mr. Samaraweera said he had urged the US to shut down front groups and charities as well as take measures against Tamil exiles financing the Tigers. Referring to the LTTE as the ‘godfather of modern terrorism’ Mr. Samaraweera said, "The United States must realise that it is not dealing with a liberation movement but a ruthless killing machine more dangerous than al-Qaeda." Colombo wants Washington to clamp down on financing of the LTTE, a move it hopes would be followed by Europe. "Tea and sympathy are no longer enough," Mr. Samaraweera was quoted as saying. TRO currently operates offices in Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Malaysia, Canada and New Zealand. The tough moves by the Government comes amid escalating violence by the rebels against the armed forces, with fears of full-scale war breaking out sooner rather than later. Tamil Resurgence Convention to be held in Muttur east Tamil Resurgence Convention (TRC) is to be held on January 10 evening at Kadatkaraichchenai, a village in the LTTE held Muttur east. This is the first convention to be held in the New Year 2006 in the northeast. The main objective of the TRC is to seek the international community to recognize the self-determination rights of the Tamil-speaking people in the northeast province, organizers said.Tamil people living in villages in the LTTE held Muttur east, Eachilampathu division and Vakarai division are expected to participate in the event in large numbers, sources said.Organizers of the TRC are currently conducting awareness campaign at village to village level to mobilize support for the TRC, sources said. Dalai Lama’s visit: President tells organisers to reconsider plan An emissary from President Mahinda Rajapakse’s office yesterday requested the organisers of the 2550 Buddha Jayanthi celebrations to desist from inviting the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader Dalai Lama to take part in the celebrations in the country later this year. The official who visited the organisers had said inviting the Dalai Lama to the country at a time like this could cause an embarrassment to the Government given the high profile nature of the Dalai Lama. In response, the organisers had requested a meeting with
President Rajapakse shortly to explain to him the thinking behind inviting
the Dalai Lama to the country and were assured of a meeting shortly with
the President. The visit by the Presidential emissary came days after an official of the Chinese Embassy in Colombo called on the organisers of the event and requested them to re-think the decision to invite the Dalai Lama. An Embassy spokesman said they had taken up the issue with the organisers of the event and not the Government as the “Government is aware of the position of the Chinese Government on the matter.” The official who met the organisers last Thursday said
that relations between the two countries could suffer if the Dalai Lama
was allowed to visit Sri Lanka. The Dalai Lama, who lives in India, is due to attend a ceremony in Buddha Gaya next month with President Mahinda Rajapakse and Chief Justice Sarath Silva also scheduled to attend the same ceremony. 07 January 2006 Suicide attack sinks Sri Lankan navy gunboat –Source: France-Presse Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels blew up a Sri Lankan navy
gunboat Saturday with 15 sailors aboard in a suicide attack that inflicted
the single biggest loss on the military since a truce was declared in
2002, the defense ministry said. "There were two gunboats in the area and one saw the other being attacked," defence ministry spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe said. "The boat exploded and we believe it is an LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) suicide attack." Two officers and 13 sailors were aboard the Israeli-built Dvora class gunboat that was on a routine patrol outside Trincomalee harbor, a main base for the island nation's navy, the spokesman said. A search was still underway for the bodies of the 10
missing sailors, officials Tamil Tiger guerrillas are known to have carried out suicide attacks against dozens of naval craft in the past using small boats packed with explosives. Saturday's attack was the first sinking of a high-powered naval gunboat since a Norwegian-brokered truce between Colombo and the LTTE went into effect from February 23, 2002. There was no immediate reaction from the Tigers to the latest attack against the navy, which added to a string of losses suffered by the security forces since last month, when violence spiked in the island's troubled northeast. Three sailors aboard a smaller naval patrol craft were killed 16 days ago in a sea battle with rebels off the northwestern town of Mannar. Following that incident, the Tigers accused the navy of attacking them first and maintained they acted in self-defense. However, Scandinavian truce monitors said the rebels had violated the fragile ceasefire. In April 1995, the Tigers infiltrated the tightly guarded naval facilities in Trincomalee, located 260 kilometers (160 miles) northeast of the capital Colombo, and blasted two craft that were anchored there. On Saturday, two gunboats -- P473 and P476 -- were out together on patrol when P476 was attacked while it communicated with ground-based commanders about a flotilla of fishing boats in the area, officials said. Tensions have been running high in the region since the killings of five students, allegedly by government forces, on Monday. Residents said shops and offices were shut and public transport at a halt in Trincomalee on Friday, a day after the funerals for the five students. A local group known as the Pongu Thamil Organization had called the strike to protest the killing, residents said. The government has ordered a full-scale probe into the killings "to establish if there had been an accident or any excess by the security forces." Colombo has pledged "stern action" if there was any wrongdoing. Military officials said the strike was peaceful, but an army foot patrol was attacked with a hand grenade in the heart of the town late Thursday, wounding three soldiers. There has been a spate of deadly bomb attacks against troops and police in the embattled northeast since last month in violence linked to the decades-old conflict between the majority Sinhalese population and minority Tamils. Saturday's attack raised to 115 the number of people killed since December in the latest upsurge in violence. Scandinavian truce monitors warned last month that war may not be too far away in Sri Lanka unless the violence was halted immediately. "This spiral of violence is not conducive to a badly needed high-level meeting between the parties," truce monitoring chief Hagrup Haukland said. "If the trend of violence is allowed to continue, war may not be far away." Two LTTE cadres die in SLA's claymore attack in Trincomalee The Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) of the Sri Lanka Army
(SLA) in Thambalakamam jungle has killed two cadres of Liberation Tigers
Friday early morning around 2 a.m in a claymore mine attack. The attack
took place inside the LTTE held area, Elilan, Political Head of the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for Trincomalee district, told TamilNet Saturday.
Senior PLOTE cadre shot, injured in Jaffna A senior member of Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), Kennedy, was shot and seriously injured by two unknown gunmen at the bicycle park in front of Jaffna Teaching Hospital at 10.15 a.m. Saturday, sources in Jaffna said. He was immediately admitted to the emergency operating unit of the Jaffna Teaching Hospital with life threatening gunshot injuries, medical sources said. Hospital sources said that Kennedy received injuries to this chest and neck areas.The gunmen came in bicycles and used micropistol to shoot at the victim before escaping in bicyles, sources said. Protest
against arbitrary arrests Hundreds of peace activists and trade unionists gathered in Colombo on Friday urged the authorities to stop violence against civilians. The protest against ‘arbitrary arrests under Emergency Regulations’ was organised by Western Province Peoples Front (WPPF). Stressing that the Tamil people do not need another war, WPPF leader Mano Ganeshan urged the authorities to let the Tamils in the capital to live without harassment. Some 900 people have been detained in the capital last week in searches in five predominantly Tamil dominated districts. All but 50 of them released without charges, later on the day. Inspector General of Police (IGP), Chandra Fernando, however denied that the government targeted minority Tamil community. He told BBC Sandeshaya (bbcsinhala.com) that the police were looking for criminals and underworld gangsters. However, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Nadarajah Raviraj said the police should abide by the law of the country in their security operations. TNA, New Left Front, New Democratic Party, USP, Muslim United Liberation Front and a number of trade unions participated in the protest on Friday. Security forces are accused of shooting dead five Tamil students in Trincomalee, a charge the Sri Lanka military deny. Tamil Tigers are accused of killing more than 40 security service personnel since President Mahinda Rajapaksa came to power in last November. The LTTE deny any involvement but the analysts say few
believe their denial. President Mahnda Rajapaksa has cast doubts whether the widespread killings and attacks in the Eastern province are an attempt by the militar | ||
