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30-06-2006 Mahinda takes over SLFP
"On this memorable occasion I would like to make three pledges. The first is that I will resign the leadership of the party simultaneously with leaving the presidency. Secondly I undertake to promote the SLFP to be the most leading party in the forefront of politics in this country. [More] 30-06-2006 Tigers stand self-condemned: DR Kaarthikeyan Meenakshi Iyer It took 15 long years for one of the world's most dreaded terrorist groups -- the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam -- to come out with the truth on former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination in 1991. The LTTE's chief negotiator, Anton Balasingham, told an Indian TV channel that his organisation "deeply regretted" the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and described it as a "monumental historical tragedy".[More] TULF president: Indian model will suit Sri Lanka CHENNAI: The Indian model of Centre-State ties is best suited for Sri Lanka, according to Tamil United Liberation Front president V. Anandasangaree. He said the Indian model satisfied those opposed to the idea of a federal constitution and also those against a unitary type of constitution. "First and foremost you [Indians] do not call it federal or unitary. A lot of people in our country are allergic to the one word [federal] or the other [unitary]," he said in an interview on Wednesday.[More]
30-06-2006
28-06-2006 No room for terrorism to ruin economy - President
Shirajiv Sirimane COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's accelerated development process will not be allowed to be slowed down by acts of terrorism, President Mahinda Rajapaksa asserted yesterday. Speaking at the inauguration of the Lankaputhra Development Bank (LDB) at Temple Trees yesterday, President Rajapaksa said that terrorists want to destabilise the economy which is now surging ahead at a commendable pace. "This should not be allowed to happen and development must go on leading the country to prosperity." The President said that the Government would not bow down to terrorism. [More] 28-06-2006
28-06-2006 Govt participation must for CFA amendments - SCOPP Rashomi Silva COLOMBO: The Peace Secretariat yesterday observed that talks between the Government and the LTTE are mandatory before any amendments are made to the Ceasefire Agreement on the composition of the truce monitors. Norway is scheduled to hold crisis talks tomorrow (29) with EU members (Finland, Sweden, Denmark) in the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) over their future role in the monitoring mission in the wake of LTTE 's insistence on their withdrawal following the LTTE ban in EU countries. Deputy Head of the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process, (SCOPP) Kethesh Loganathan said the Government was open to negotiations, but rejected the LTTE's reason to oust the European Union monitors from the SLMM as unreasonable and unacceptable. [More]
27-06-2006 Pushing for peace in Sri Lanka.Official praises Canadian efforts Says banning rebel funding right move Jun. 27, 2006. 01:00 AM GRAHAM
FRASER OTTAWA—Canada has done the right thing by banning the Tamil Tigers and must follow up by making sure there is no more fundraising, a former Sri Lankan peace negotiator said yesterday. "The financing must stop," said Jayantha Dhanapala, the former secretary-general of the Sri Lankan peace process that negotiated with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).[More] 27-06-2006 Another example of LTTE's commitment to terror - President
President Rajapaksa said: "This unabated violence by the LTTE should attract the opprobrium of the entire civilised world. It is a reminder to the international community, and to the Tamil people, that the LTTE remains an organisation dedicated to pursue violent means, especially the use of terror to achieve its objectives, which are far removed from the actual needs of the Tamil people."[More] 27-06-2006 Annan appeals for peace talks in Sri Lanka
In a statement released by his spokeswoman, Annan condemned the latest suicide bomb attack in Sri Lanka which killed Major General Parami Kulatunga, the third-highest ranking officer in the Sri Lanka army, and three other people near the capital, Colombo. He expressed his
heartfelt condolences to the families of the bereaved and the government
of Sri Lanka. Meanwhile,
Annan reiterated that no cause can justify such acts of violence, and
appealed to the parties to redouble their efforts to resume peace talks
under the facilitation of the Norwegian Government.-
Source-Peoples Daily online
27-06-2006 Renegade rebels kill 4 Sri Lanka Tamil Tigers - police Tue Jun
27, 2006 4:34 AM BST The attack in an area controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the restive east came a day after a suspected Tiger suicide bomber assassinated the army deputy chief of staff, stoking fears of a return to civil war. "There was an attack in Vakarai in Batticaloa," said Nihal Karunaratne, deputy inspector of police for the eastern districts of Batticaloa and Ampara. "Four Tiger cadres were killed." He blamed the attack on a breakaway group led by a former rebel commander called Karuna who is locked in a bitter, deadly feud with the mainstream group. The LTTE accuses the army of helping Karuna. The LTTE confirmed an attack had taken place, but blamed the army. They had no comment on the death toll. A military spokesman said a soldier was shot dead by suspected Tigers in a separate incident in the district of Trincomalee, further north. Source-Reuters 27-06-2006 India unreservedly condemns killing of Sri Lankan General ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka. June 26, Colombo: While unreservedly condemning the assassination of a top Sri Lankan army officer, India today urged Sri Lanka to solve the ethnic conflict through negotiations and offered to share their constitutional experience in the process. Indian Foreign ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said “The government of India unreservedly condemns the terrorist bombing outside Colombo”. “This incident is the latest in a series of recent attacks which are aimed at undermining the ceasefire and vitiate the environment for a political dialogue,” he said. “India is determined
to stand by the people of Sri Lanka in our common struggle against terrorism.
It is our view that political processes must be activated through sincere
dialogue to arrive at a settlement which takes into account the aspirations
of all sections of the Sri Lankan society while upholding the unity,
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka,” he said. Low rate
credit card loan 26-06-2006 Sri
Lanka general killed in blast Hospital sources said Gen Kulatunga, one of Sri Lanka's most senior military figures, died in the suspected bombing. Sri Lanka has been gripped by growing conflict between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels in recent weeks. Passengers in a pick-up truck, a taxi and a van were also taken to hospital after the explosion, reports said. Source-BBC
25-06-2006 Indian
PM calls for dialogue to solve Sri Lankan conflict "But we also recognise that there is no military solution to this conflict. It (the solution) has to be through dialogue, discussion and give-and-take," Singh said. Singh's comments came days after a visit by Sri Lankan Foreign Mangala Samaraweera to the Indian capital New Delhi to brief the Indian premier on escalating tensions between Colombo and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). A truce between Colombo and the LTTE brokered by Norway in February 2002 has been severely strained by violence that has claimed more than 815 lives since December. India -- which has a sizeable Tamil population -- has been supportive of the peace process in Sri Lanka. But New Delhi has sought to steer clear of the Sri Lankan conflict after its disastrous military involvement during the 1980s when it dispatched a peacekeeping force to Tamil-held regions but ended up battling the rebels. New Delhi withdrew
its forces after more than 1,200 Indian troops died. Source-LB 25-06-2006 Political solution imperative with or without the LTTE by Namini Wijedasa Even if every last member of the LTTE were militarily eliminated, the Tamils of Sri Lanka would still need a political solution to their grievances, says Jayampathy Wickramaratne, senior advisor to the ministry of constitutional affairs. He also urges political parties to draft basic principles for a new constitutional order that would be too good for the LTTE to reject: "If the solution is attractive to the ordinary Tamil people and if the international community also sees it as a reasonable offer, this would go against the LTTE. I keep repeating this message at every opportunity." Wickramaratne is a member of an advisory group that has been formed to counsel a future committee of all-party representatives that will "work out the formalities for a lasting solution to the ethnic conflict".[More]
LTTE demand regrettable, says Solheim V.S. Sambandan COLOMBO: The Norwegian Minister for International Development, Erik Solheim, on Friday said the demand by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to replace ceasefire monitors from the E.U. countries as "deeply regrettable" and one that would "weaken" the monitoring of the four-year old truce accord. "The LTTE's demand that Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission monitors from E.U. countries be replaced is deeply regrettable and will weaken the SLMM in a critical period," a Norwegian statement quoted Mr. Solheim as saying. Mr. Solheim is involved in the Sri Lankan peace process since the late 1990s when Norwegian facilitation commenced. Replies received The LTTE's insistence on the removal of ceasefire monitors from the E.U. came in its reply to five questions posed by the Norwegian Government to the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE after the Tigers refused to hold talks with Colombo in Oslo on the role to be played by the SLMM. Oslo said it had received answers from both sides. "The Government of Sri Lanka has responded affirmatively to all five questions." The questions related to the commitment of the two parties to the ceasefire agreement (CFA), view on the composition of the SLMM and the procedure for a transition plan in case of changes in the membership of the truce monitoring team. A meeting is to be hosted by Norway in Oslo on June 29 is to discuss "the safety and future role and function of the SLMM," with other Nordic countries. Source- The Hindu 24-06-2006 Govt. concerned over replacement of EU monitors SCOPP questions LTTE's contradictory stance on Anton Balasingham COLOMBO: The Secretariat for Co-ordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) in a release yesterday scoffed at the LTTE demand for the removal of SLMM monitors from European Union countries as LTTE theoretician and head of the peace delegation Anton Balasingham is himself an EU citizen, residing in an EU country. It is surprising that the LTTE does not find his citizenship not detrimental to its notion of EU countries having 'disturbed the neutrality', the statement said. [More] 23-06-2006 End killings of innocent Tamils, India tells Lanka By M.R. Narayan Swamy, Indo-Asian News Service New Delhi, June 22 (IANS) India Thursday politely but firmly told Sri Lanka to end the killings of innocent Tamils while combating the Tamil Tigers and pressed Colombo to speed up plans to devolve powers to the country's minorities. India's political leadership gave the unambiguous message to Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, who flew in overnight from London on a previously unscheduled visit. An informed source told IANS: "The minister was told that civilian casualties should be avoided... and we hope that Sri Lankan security forces will not respond to provocations and be restrained." New Delhi is committed to Sri Lanka's unity but is bothered by increasing reports of attacks on innocent Tamils in the island's north and east, where violence that has claimed over 800 lives since December has been blamed on security forces, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and anti-LTTE Tamil groups.[More] 23-06-2006 Lankan Govt and LTTE should evolve devolution package: PM New Delhi, June 22. (PTI): Emphasising the need to strengthen the ceasefire between the Sri Lankan Government and LTTE, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the two sides should work towards a devolution package that could command a consensus among major political parties and restore ethnic harmony. During a briefing by visiting Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraveera on the latest developments on the situation in the island nation, Singh affirmed India's commitment to the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of that country. [More] 23-06-2006 Lankan Tamils want crisis to end CHENNAI: The low-intensity war between the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and the LTTE and the resultant influx of refugees into Tamil Nadu have caused serious concern among the Sri Lankan Tamil community in the State. The spectre of the genocidal attacks and the full-scale wars of the 1980s once again seem to cast a shadow over some of these Lankan Tamils, who had fled the island nation and now settled in Tamil Nadu. Though not necessarily pro-LTTE, for many of them nothing less than ensuring equal rights and status to Tamils on a par with Sinhalese is the only solution to the long-pending ethnic crisis in Sri Lanka.[More] 23-06-2006 LTTE earns over Rs 40m in taxes on goods sent to civilians Duminda Senerath PALALI: The LTTE has earned over Rs. 40 million by way of taxes imposed on goods sent to the North for civilians in Jaffna passing through the LTTE checkpoint in Puliyankulam during the last four months, Lt. Col. A. G. N. P. Ehelamalpe, Commanding Officer in charge of the Muhamalai road told a visiting group of journalists from the print and electronic media at Muhamalai on June 21. Lt. Col. Ehelamalpe said nearly 200 to 300 lorries carrying goods to the North, passed through Puliyankulam daily. The LTTE imposed a 20 per cent tax on essential goods, seven per cent tax on infant milk food and a 25 per cent tax on liquor passing through it. [More] 22-06-2006 TULF leader’s points to ponder In a very thought-provoking observation, veteran politician and TULF leader V. Anandasangaree has said that only the present Government could find a solution to the country’s conflict. There is no doubt that the TULF leader has found President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s approach to resolving the issue, highly inspirational. This is hardly surprising because President Rajapaksa has chosen the advisable course of consulting every significant political party and force in the country for the formulation of a solution. [More] 22-05-2006 Sri Lankan Rebels Want EU Cease-Fire Mission Members Withdrawn June 22 (Bloomberg) -- Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam told international monitors of a 2002 cease-fire that European Union members should be withdrawn after the EU last month declared the LTTE a terrorist group. The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission should be formed by countries that are ``absolutely neutral to both parties to the conflict,'' S.P. Thamilchelvan, the head of the rebels' political wing, said yesterday after meeting Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar, TamilNet reported. Norway leads the SLMM with EU members Sweden, Denmark and Finland, as well as Iceland. [More]
22-05-2006 Lanka feelers to India OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Samaraweera will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tomorrow and also hold talks with national security adviser M.K. Narayanan. Narayanan will later fly to Chennai to brief Tamil Nadu chief minister M. Karunanidhi, who is concerned over the situation in Sri Lanka. The state is facing an influx of Sri Lankan refugees who fear a war with the LTTE could break out any moment. Karunanidhi and Tamil Nadu’s political leaders want India to play a pro-active role in ending the crisis.[More] Lanka
crisis: TN asks Centre to intervene Sam Daniel Tuesday, June 20, 2006 (Chennai): The effects of renewed fighting between the Sri Lankan army and the Tamil Tigers are being felt not only in the Island nation but in India also. Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu has been swamped with refugees who're not only eating into the state's resources but also hampering the local economy. But the state government wants Centre to intervene and bring an end to the Sri Lanka conflict. Political parties in Tamil Nadu including the ruling DMK have begun to exert pressure on the central government to intervene. 'Do something to bring peace in Sri Lanka' is the demand from DMK led DPA in the state. A warlike situation prevailing in pockets of the island nation has witnessed an influx of more that 4000 refugees over the past five months in Rameshwaram. The DMK is seen as a party having a soft corner towards Lankan Tamils. A majority of the refugees came after the DMK regained power in the state while there are reports of killing of Lankan Tamils. "We've asked the Prime Minister to take appropriate action to bring the Lankan conflict to an end," said M Karunanidhi, CM, Tamil Nadu. Fishing community The Tamil fishing community has once again become the target of Lankan Navy mid sea, while over 200 fishermen have lost their lives in mid sea. The chief minister dismissed claims that Indian fishermen trespass and fish in Lankan waters. "The Lankan Navy claims that our fishermen trespass into their waters. We don't know whether it's true. It is also possible that they attack our fishermen and claim that they trespassed," Karunanidhi said. While the opposition in Tamil Nadu demands intervention in the Lankan issue, it's a carefully worded statement by Chief Minister Karunanidhi not to embarrass the UPA government and to satisfy pressure groups within the DPA. Source-http://www.ndtv.com/
19-05-2006 DPA
demands India 'do the needful' for bringing peace in Lanka
Chennai, June. 19 (PTI): The DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance in Tamil Nadu today demanded that the Centre "do the needful" for bringing peace in strife-torn Sri Lanka. "India must do the needful for peace in Sri Lanka," a resolution adopted at the meeting of the alliance partners at the DMK headquarters here said. The war-like situation in Sri Lanka with clashes occurring between the armed forces and the Tamil militants has severely affected the lives of the people in that country. "Considering these undesirable incidents taking place, India must do the needful for peace in Sri Lanka," the resolution said. Source- The Hindu
18-05-2006 Three
dead in Sri Lanka 'ambush' The latest deaths come amid escalating violence in Sri Lanka. Government forces were accused of firing artillery shells at a church on Saturday. The same day, more than 30 people died in land and sea clashes. Earlier in the week, 64 people died when a mine attack blew up a bus carrying civilians. The Tigers denied
responsibility for the attack, but the government responded with air
strikes against Tamil strongholds in the north and east of Sri Lanka.
[More] Red Cross, Crescent
and Crystal: what's in a humanitarian emblem? However, during the Russo-Turkish war of 1876-1878 the Ottoman Empire made it known that ambulances displaying a cross offended Muslim soldiers. The Red Crescent was created as a result, although it did not gain formal recognition under the Geneva Conventions until 1929. [More] Tigers
clash with navy in Sri Lanka "The confrontation is still (going) on at Mannar," navy spokesman P. D. K. Dassanayake said, adding that there were no immediate details of casualties. [More]
17-06-2006
17-06-2006 Entire world community vehemently condemns most horrendous, savage LTTE attack - President COLOMBO: In a message of condolence President Mahinda Rajapaksa said : "I consider this the most horrendous crime perpetrated by the LTTE in recent times. The Government and I, together with the entire world community have totally condemned this savage act of the LTTE, brutally killing unarmed innocent people," said President Mahinda Rajapaksa in a message of condolence sent to the families of the victims of the LTTE's bomb attack at Kebithigollewa.[More] 17-06-2006 TULF President whole heartedly condemns heinous LTTE crimes COLOMBO: Tamil United Liberation Front leader V. Anandasangaree while condemning the Kebithigollewa landmine blast as a most barbaric act by the LTTE, expressed his deepest sympathies to the members of the victims families. The TULF President's message further reads: "I strongly condemn the massacre of 65 innocent civilians in the most barbaric manner at Kebithigollewa by a claymore attack. I express my deepest sympathies to the members of the victims families. I find no words to express my grief at this great loss.[More] 16-05-2006 64
civilians killed in LTTE claymore attack 15 children killed in Fathers' Day massacre Manjula Fernando in Kebithigollewa and Ranil Wijayapala Kebithigollewa: Sixty four innocent civilians including 15 children were killed and 87 others injured as the LTTE detonated twin claymore mines targeting a jam-packed civilian bus plying from Kanugahawewa to Kebithigollewa yesterday around 8 a.m., Police and Military said. "Innocent villagers from the Sinhala villages of Yakawewa, Halmillewa, Kanugahawewa, Thalgahawewa and Nikawewa in the far end of the Anuradhapura district were killed in this claymore attack," Acting Kebithigollewa HQI Sarath Kumarasinghe told the Daily News. Fifty eight of them died on the spot. At least 160 persons had been inside the bus. [More] 16-06-2006
15-06-2006 Explosion
hits passenger bus in northeast Sri Lanka , killing 58 Associated
Press, Thu June 15, 2006 01:04 EDT . - - COLOMBO,
Sri Lanka - (AP) A powerful land mine detonated under a passenger bus
packed with commuters and school children in Sri Lanka - on Thursday,
killing at least 58 people, the army said. A doctor at the
hospital where the victims bodies were taken, S. B. Bothota, said that
15 school children were among the 58 killed. Another 45 people were
reportedly wounded.
15-06-2006 University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna) Sri Lanka - UTHR(J) Information Bulletin No. 40 Date of Release: 15th June 2006 Flight, Displacement
and the Two-fold Reign of Terror
14-06-2006 REPORT OF FACT-FINDING VISIT TO WELIKANDA: JUNE 2, 2006
We reached Welikanda town at about 11 a.m. One group visited the Police Station, the other went to the office of the Mahaweli Development Agency. We visited the villages of Dimbulana, Sinhapura, Maitrigama and Bo Atta. The context: Welikanda is an area that has traditionally been part of the so-called border area between the Eastern province and the North-Central Province. The Welikanda army cap is the last big security forces encampment until one reaches the outskirts of Batticaloa.[More]
14-06-2006
13-06-2006 Sri Lanka appoints think tank to draft final solution to separatist conflict Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse has appointed a think tank to assist him in formulating a draft framework towards a final solution to the country's long drawn-out separatist armed conflict, presidential secretariat sources said Monday. A 12-member think tank comprising of constitutional legal experts are to draw from the outcomes of the deliberations of an all political party parley convened by the president, the sources added. The think tank is to be headed by H. L. De Silva, an eminent civil and constitutional lawyer with wide experience in dealing with the separatist armed conflict waged by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels. Rajapakse from the inception of his presidential term has strived to reach an all political party consensus on the final outcome of the Norwegian backed peace process with the Tiger rebels.[More]
13-06-2006 CPI urges safe arrival of refugees Tuesday June 13 2006 00:08 IST CHENNAI: CPI national secretary D Raja on Monday urged the Centre to impress upon the Sri Lankan Government to jointly work out an arrangement for the safe arrival of Tamil refugees from the Island to Tamil Nadu. Addressing a news conference here, Raja said the number of refugees coming to the State had increased over the last few months in view of the fear of a war outbreak in Sri Lanka Source-newindpress 13-06-2006 UNICEF statistics: Sri Lanka has 40,000 child prostitutes June 12, 2006 at 6:25 am · Filed under Human Rights, News Quoting UNICEF and ILO, NCPA reveals shocking statistics By Gagani Weerakoon The National Child Protection Authority revealed shocking statistics, quoting the UNICEF and ILO, that Sri Lanka has nearly 40,000 child prostitutes in the country while 5,000 to 30,000 Sri Lankan boys are used by Western paedophile sex tourists, as the world celebrates day against child labour today. Nearly 10,000 to 12,000 children from rural areas are trafficked and prostituted to paedophiles by organised crime groups, according to the statistics of UNICEF and the ILO. Source- Tamil Week [More] 13-06-2006 Two injured in LTTE claymore mine blast NELUMKULAM: One soldier was killed and a civilian injured when the LTTE detonated a claymore mine in Rasendrakulam, Nelumkulam on the Vavuniya Mannar, military sources said. The injured soldier was part of a route clearing patrol in the area when LTTE detonated the claymore mine. The injured civilian was a passenger in a bus that was passing the spot at the time near the Rasendrakulam tank. The injured person was hospitalized, military sources added. Meanwhile, the Army media unit reported that one Senior Government Administrative Official, his driver and three others were also injured in a LTTE claymore mine explosion in Nedunkerni, Puliyankulam in uncleared areas around 9.15 a.m. yesterday. Troops on a cordon and search operation at Kopay, Jaffna, recovered one 9 mm pistol with ammunition, hidden in a jungle area yesterday, Army sources added. In another incident one Home Guard on duty at the Serunuwara Police Post was injured by LTTE small arms fire at the Police Post, at 4 a.m. The LTTE on Sunday fired grenades using a 40 mm grenade launcher at troops at Ariyakandakulam in Welioya. Troops
also retaliated but no injuries or damages were reported, Army sources
added.-Source-DN 12-06-2006 Soldier
killed in Sri Lanka blast A bus carrying civilians was also hit, with three passengers wounded. Police said the attack was similar to ones carried out by separatist Tamil Tiger rebels. The rebels have not commented on the incident. There have been a series of mine attacks in Sri Lanka in recent weeks. Last week, at least 10 Tamils were killed in a mine explosion in rebel-held territory near the town of Batticaloa in eastern Sri Lanka. [More]
12-06-2006
11-06-2006 War clouds spark fear in Sri Lanka’s northeast New Delhi - Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger guerrillas are preparing for war, telling people living under their control that the internationally-brokered peace process cannot resolve the dragging ethnic conflict. Civilian sources in the island’s turbulent east say guerrillas from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are beefing up bunkers and checkpoints in the areas they administer. ‘People coming from LTTE areas have seen sandbags being piled up and frontline positions being strengthened,’ a resident in the eastern town of Batticaloa told IANS over telephone.[More] 11-06-2006 Norway cites EU as hurdle to Sri Lankan peace STOCKHOLM: Norway said Saturday that it would continue to act as peace broker between Sri Lanka and Tamil Tiger rebels despite the recent breakdown in talks between the two sides. The rebels aborted a two-day meeting in Oslo with Colombo representatives arranged by Norway to discuss the safety of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), which is overseeing a fragile truce in the island nation. "It's not all negative, we stand ready to help both parties in any way to take the peace process forward," said Jon Hanssen-Bauer, Norway's special envoy to the peace process.[More]
10-06-2006 Pottu Amman’s man in police custody Last evening (8th June 2006) a group of LTTE thugs led by Sethuruban Nadarajah alias Nitharsanam Sethu , Thamotharampillai Anusrikumar alias Rajan and Sutharan Tharmalingam alias Sutha try to break into the studios of the Thamil Broadcasting Corporation (TBC). They threatened to kill Vivekanandan, who was at the time participating in a weekly current affairs discussion. They also threatened to molest women employees working at the TBC and abused them in filth. After this group of goons repeatedly tried to break into the TBC studios, the police were called. The police arrested and detained Sethu, Rajan and a third person believed to be the brother of Sutha while the most vociferous of the thugs, Suthaharan ran away as fast as his feet could carry.[More] 10-06-2006 Family of four killed in northwest Sri Lanka
Associated Press, Fri June 9, 2006 08:38 EDT . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ An entire family of four was found hacked to death in northwestern Sri Lanka on Friday, a crime both the government and Tamil Tiger rebels blamed on each other. More
10-06-2006 Govt rejects LTTE's lame excuses Saturday, June 10,2006 COLOMBO: Dismissing the LTTE's reasons for pulling out from Oslo talks as lame excuses, the Government on Friday called upon the international community to help push the Tigers back to the negotiating table. Addressing reporters at the weekly Cabinet press briefing at the Information Department, Government Spokesman and Media Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said that despite the "Oslo tantrums" the Government will remain committed to the peace process, upholding the ceasefire. He said the LTTE move was "unexpected, inexplicable and shocking" for both the Government and the facilitators. [More] 10-06-2006
10-06-2006 India concerned at failure of Lanka-LTTE meet New Delhi, June 10. (UNI): India on Friday expressed "deep concerns" over the failure of the proposed meeting between the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE, aimed at strengthening the role of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission and ensuring the security of its members, and hoped that the dialogue process would resume at the earliest to avoid any further worsening of the situation. "It remains our conviction that the ethnic issue in Sri Lanka must be resolved through peaceful dialogue and, in this context, any weakening of the role of the SLMM is likely to have adverse consequences," an official statement said. It said India had supported the role of the monitoring mission and believed that it had made a significant contribution to the maintenance of the ceasefire and in preventing and limiting the violations of the ceasefire, which had, unfortunately, become more frequent in the recent past. The statement said the Indian Government appreciated the willingness of the Sri Lankan Government to engage in the talks in Oslo facilitated by Norway. Source-Hindu 09-06-2006 Norway seeks Lanka commitment BBC-Norwegian mediators have asked both the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels to reiterate their commitment to the four-year-old ceasefire.More
09-06-2006 LTTE take Norway, International Community for a ride OSLO: The scheduled talks between the Government and the LTTE in Oslo was a non-starter yesterday with the LTTE refusing to attend the parley. The LTTE had refused to meet with the Government delegation after arriving at the conference venue in Norway, a Government media release stated. Peace observers in Colombo described the LTTE's sudden volte-face as an unacceptable behaviour. They said it was clear that the LTTE was having other agendas.[More]
09-06-2006
09-06-2006 PBS
Airs No More Tears Sister on June 27, 2006 By Rajika Jayatilake
09-06-2006 Norway
blames Tamil Tigers for failed talks
08-06-2006 70,000 Lankan children risk exploitation Ruwanthi Abeyakoon COLOMBO: Approximately 70,000 children (aged between five-14 years) are in a high risk category for exploitation as child labourers in Sri Lanka. This was disclosed at the commemoration of the World Day Against Child Labour yesterday organised by the ILO in its 1999 report. According to Director ILO Colombo, Tine Staermose the figure does not include children categorised as unpaid family workers who may also be exposed to hazardous forms of child labour due to ignorance and negligence of their families.[More]
08-06-2006
07-06-2006 Tamil Tiger bomb threatens peace hopes By Peter
Foster, South Asia Correspondent Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka delivered a reminder of their menace ahead of peace talks tomorrow when a roadside mine was detonated outside a naval base just 10 miles from the capital, Colombo. The attack, which injured the driver and conductor of a bus, is seen by some analysts as a worrying marker ahead of the fresh round of talks between Tiger leaders and Norwegian ceasefire monitors in Oslo. A return to the campaign of bombings would drive away the tourists and foreign investors who returned to Sri Lanka after a ceasefire agreement was signed in 2002. 12 May 2006: Tamil Tiger naval raid brings war closer to Sri Lanka Source-Telegraph.co.uk 07-06-2006 Britain stands shoulder to shoulder with Lanka to fight terrorism COLOMBO: British High Commissioner Dominic Chilcott reiterating Britain's support in combatting terrorism, said Britain could stand shoulder to shoulder with Sri Lankan forces in the fight against terrorism, not least because Britain and Sri Lanka share a democratic tradition, and because terrorism is a rejection of the democratic method. British envoy Dominic Chilcott was speaking at a reception marking the visit of the first Sea Lord and Commander of the Royal Navy, Admiral Sir Jonathan Band. A large number of senior officers of the Sri Lankan armed forces attended the event, on Saturday. [More] 07-06-2006 Sri Lanka: Testing Times on Human Rights A seat on the Human Rights Council must spur better behavior at home On 9 May 2006 the
United Nations General Assembly (GA) elected 47 member States to the
newly created Human Rights Council. In Asia 18 countries ran for 13
slots on the Council. Of those elected, Sri Lanka, a country wracked
by internal armed conflict, presents what may be the most interesting
outlook on these human rights standards.[More] 06-06-2006 SLDF Calls on Norwegian Facilitators to Address Human Rights and Humanitarian Concerns at Upcoming Talks in Oslo
06-06-2006 Karunanidhi defines Tamil Nadu role in Sri Lanka By M.R. Narayan Swamy, Indo-Asian News Service New Delhi, June 6 (IANS) In one stroke of a sentence, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi has made it clear that he has no intention of whipping up passions over violence in Sri Lanka or the refugee flow from that country to his state. On May 25, Karunanidhi, freshly elected to power in Tamil Nadu, home to the largest concentration of Tamils in the world, held a 15-minute one-to-one meeting with Arumugam Thondaman, leader of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) and a special envoy of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse. On Monday, after calling on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and separately meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi, Karunanidhi revealed to reporters what he had told Thondaman: "The central government's policy (on Sri Lanka) will be the state government's policy."[More] 06-06-2006 Oviliamadu massacre 'firing practice' for child cadres Welikanda: The LTTE has carried out the Welikanda civilian massacre with the intention of provoking a communal backlash and stopping development work in uncleared areas, Police sources said. Police have also firmly established that the perpetrators of the May 29 crime were from the LTTE child brigade. Although around 15 LTTE cadres have come to the Oviliamadu village, three child soldiers among them had shot the civilians who were engaged in an irrigation project. "The LTTE made use of this opportunity to give rehearsals or firing practice for the children being trained by them," a senior Police officer said. [More] 06-06-2006
06-06-2006 Killings continue in NE By Sunil Jayasiri Hours after both the government and the LTTE delegations left for talks in Oslo, suspected Tigers yesterday carried out two attacks against the military resulting in the deaths of at least one soldier and two LTTE cadres. Military Spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe said a group of suspected LTTE men opened fire at soldiers, who were manning an Observation Point at Nanattan in Mannar killing a soldier on the spot. In the second incident, three LTTE cadres had exploded an Improvised Explosive Device targetting army personnel engaged in mine-clearing operation duty around 4 pm yesterday at Kalmadu on the Kumburumull-Valachchenai road. The spokesman said security forces personnel who escaped unhurt had to retaliate after the device laid on the roadside went off before they reached the location. He said after a search operation the bodies of the two LTTE cadres were found along with a 9 mm pistol and a remote control device in their possession. In another incident, the bullet riddled body of an unidentified person was found on Sunday night at Navakkudah, Batticaloa. The victim’s hands had been bound before he was shot dead. Brigadier Samarasinghe said the SLMM had been informed of the incidents. Meanwhile, on Saturday evening, at least eight Wanni cadres were believed to be killed, after the Karuna faction ambushed two tractors carrying LTTE members in an uncleared area in Perarai in Trincomalee. Source-Daily
Mirror 05-06-2006 Sri Lanka, Tamil Rebels Send Delegations to Talks in Norway The Tamil Tigers' five-member team, led by S.P. Thamilchelvan, head of the LTTE's political wing, left yesterday, TamilNet reported. Palitha Kohona is heading the government's delegation to the June 8-9 talks in Oslo. [More] 04-06-2006 Remarks to the American Chamber of Commerce Colombo, Sri Lanka Richard A. Boucher, Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia Colombo,
Sri Lanka (As prepared for delivery) Thank you very much for that kind introduction, Gordon [Glick] and to all the members of AmCham for inviting me here today. I’m very happy to be in Colombo on my first visit as Assistant Secretary, though this is not my first trip to Sri Lanka. I was here a little over a year ago with Secretary Powell under much sadder circumstances, in the wake of the Tsunami. That trip will stay in my memory for so many years to come. We saw people whose homes were destroyed and lives were devastated and yet within a few days of the terrible wave they were banding together to help each other. I admire them and often think of their example.[More] 04-06-2006
04-06-2006 Press Conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka Richard Boucher, Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Colombo,
Sri Lanka ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: Good Afternoon ladies and gentlemen. It’s a pleasure to be here with you. It’s a pleasure to be here again in Sri Lanka. I had good meetings this morning with President Rajapakse and Foreign Minister Samaraweera in which we discussed a whole range of issues, most notably, of course, the political and security situation in the country. We also discussed with the Foreign Minister some of the areas of bilateral cooperation and in fact our international cooperation on issues such as Iran and other things coming up in the area.[More]
03-06-2006 Total
count of refugees stands at 2,333 Saturday
June 3 2006 16:45 IST RAMESWARAM: A total of 203 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees reached Rameswaram coast in Tamil Nadu on Friday from different parts of violence-hit northern Sri Lanka, official sources said. With this, the number of refugees arriving from Sri Lanka since January 12, has reached 2,333. The refugees,who belong to 56 families from Trincomalee And Tirukadaiyur, were sent to the Mandapam Transit Camp here after police verification. Source-newindpress.com 03-06-2006 Consensual
framework for final solution
A panel comprising intellectuals and other eminent persons will also be appointed to advise the Committee. President Rajapaksa urged political parties to nominate their members to the Committee. He outlined the importance of the Committee at this critical juncture, saying that all political parties have a responsibility to adapt a framework that would lead to a suitable solution. He pointed out that achieving peace was not the responsibility of a single individual or a political party. It should be a joint effort. The future generations should be spared of this agony. The President expressed the hope that the quest for peace would be facilitated by the Committee. [More]
03-06-2006
02-06-2006 Join
hands
to resolve national issue
"We are ready [to find a solution]. I am not going to do this alone. I will go on this path together with all other parties," President Rajapaksa told senior newspaper editors. "Please join hands with me to find a solution to this problem. It is our problem. We will discuss with all," said the President, making a fervent appeal to all sections of the socio-political spectrum.The President emphasised the need for a Sri Lankan model to resolve the ethnic conflict, noting that the All Party Conference has led to a Southern unity and consensus on the issue.[More]
02-06-2006
02-06-2006 Go for peace or face international marginalization, warns Dutch envoy By Shakuntala Perera The Dutch Ambassador in Colombo yesterday warned that Sri Lanka runs the risk of being internationally marginalized if the government and the LTTE failed to commit themselves to peace. Ambassador Reynout Van Dijk said this in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mirror in his capacity as representative of the EU Presidency in Sri Lanka. “We are still committed to a peace process but we can’t commit ourselves to parties who are not confirming in their deeds and willingness to come to peace. I don’t think this message is well understood so far, because I don’t see it in any headline,” he said.[More] 01-06-2006 Govt to attend Oslo talks on truce monitoring PK Balachandran Prospects of the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE meeting in Oslo on June 8 and 9, brightened on Wednesday, when the government said that it was appointing Dr Palitha Kohona, Director General of the Peace Secretariat, as its delegate. The talks are to be on the role of the Nordic truce monitors, who have been under attack from both the government and the LTTE for a long time now. The private channel MTV said that Dr Kohona had been appointed at the suggestion of the Norwegian Peace Facilitator, and Norwegian minister, Erik Solheim. The LTTE is yet to formally announce its decision on attending the talks, but its chief negotiator, Anton Balasingham, told The Morning Leader on Wednesday, that it would attend despite the European Union slapping a ban on it on Monday. The LTTE, he said,
was only waiting for the government to arrange safe and secure transport
for its delegation between Kilinochchi and Colombo. 01-06-2006
01-06-2006 The EU ban and the next step By K. Godage The countries of the European Union (EU) and also the US (for its support), should be thanked for imposing this ban on the LTTE; it is the first time that the EU has acted meaningfully, for it did not assert itself when our President Premadasa was assassinated or, when President Kumaratunge was almost assassinated or, when Foreign Minister Kadirgamar was assassinated; that travel ban was a gentle tap on the wrist. It is hoped that this ban would make the LTTE more amenable to seeking a negotiated settlement of this issue and putting an end to the misery of the Tamil people in particular and the misery of all the other people of this island country.[More] 01-06-2006 Meeting with President significant - Jaffna Bishop Ananth Palakidnar COLOMBO: President Mahinda Rajapaksa assured the Bishop of Jaffna Rt. Rev. Thomas Saundranayagam and Mannar Bishop Rt. Rev. Rayappu Joseph that he would make every effort to ensure the safety of the people of the North and East and would not allow another confrontation to errupt in the area. The Catholic Bishops of Jaffna and Mannar met President Rajapaksa at Temple Trees on Tuesday and detailed him on the current disturbing conditions in the Jaffna Peninsula and Mannar. Jaffna Bishop Thomas Saundranayagam commenting on the meeting he had with President Rajapaksa along with Bishop Rayappu Joseph said that the meeting was very significant at this juncture. |
COLOMBO:
This position is the people's second mandate to defeat terrorism decisively
and usher in peace and prosperity to the country, President Mahinda
Rajapaksa stated yesterday after being unanimously elected as the Leader
of the SLFP. 
COLOMBO:
The assassination of Major General Parami Kulatunge, the Deputy Chief
of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army, is another example of the LTTE's continued
commitment to terrorism and its cowardly use of suicide killers, deserving
of contempt and condemnation, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said in a
special message on the LTTE's assassination carried out last morning.
UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Monday condemned the latest bomb attack
in Sri Lanka, and urged parties in that country to resume peace talks.
An
explosion near Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo, has killed a top army general
and three soldiers, reports say. 
New
Delhi, June 21:
Sri Lankan foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera arrived here tonight
on his second visit in a month to brief the government about the rapidly
deteriorating situation in the island nation.
In
a post-9/11 world intolerant of terrorism, instances of inhumanity anywhere
come under microscopic scrutiny as never before. The movie No More Tears
Sister, focused on Sri Lanka’s Dr. Rajini Thiranagama who stood up to
the brutality of the LTTE, to be aired by PBS stations all over the
US at 10 p.m. on June 27, 2006, strikes home this point in the most
telling manner.
COLOMBO:
The All Party Conference (APC) yesterday endorsed a proposal by President
Mahinda Rajapaksa to appoint a Constitutional Committee to evolve a
political settlement ideally suited for Sri Lanka.