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8 STF commandos killed in Thirukkovil ambush [TamilNet, Saturday, 27 January 2007, 11:18 GMT] Eight Sri Lankan Special Task Force commandos were killed and 12 wounded at Thangavelauthapuram in Thirukkovil division of Amparai district where a STF vehicle was ambushed, Saturday around 9:30 a.m. with Claymore attack and gunfire. The attack, believed to be carried out by an elite guerilla unit of the Tigers, had targeted the STF logistics supply to STF personnel located in areas vacated by the Tigers, according to initial reports from Thirukkovil. STF personnel fired mortar shells and opened fire following the attack that has taken place 41 km south of Kalmun…

By M.R. Narayan Swamy, IANS, [RxPG] New Delhi, Feb 25 - Describing the situation in Sri Lanka as 'serious', the US envoy to the island nation has warned against attempts to underestimate the Tamil Tigers and asserted that they cannot be defeated militarily. Ambassador Robert Blake also said in a telephonic interview from Colombo that his country 'respectfully disagreed' with those in Sri Lanka who feel a military solution was possible to end the dragging Tamil separatist campaign. The ambassador, who took charge in September 2006, made it clear that only devolution of powers that satisfy the 'legitimate aspirations' of the Tamil minority could be the basi…

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/video.aspx?destinationID=0kNEP6F6kkacBBFK9A4jRw&contentID=8TJoMYpjC0SzjbBKDaDcNA

Dec. 15, 2007, 5:50PM Sri Lanka relishing recent gains against Tamil Tigers But many doubt long war will end anytime soon By LAURIE GOERING Chicago Tribune COLOMBO, SRI LANKA — In its all-out bid to finally defeat the country's Tamil Tiger separatists by military force, Sri Lanka's government has made some undeniable gains. It has seized the Tiger-held east of the country, sunk supply ships carrying arms to the rebels and, last month, it managed to drop a precision bomb on a meeting in the rebel's northern stronghold, killing the Tigers' top political leader. The message has not been lost on the rebels: When Velupillai Prabhakaran, the group'…

New Zealand Expresses Regret over Sri Lanka’s unilateral Ending of CFA Jan 17, 2008, 00:15 Digg this story! Wellington - New Zealand’s Duty Minister Rick Barker, expressed regret over the Sri Lanka’s decision of unilateral abrogation of the internationally supported, Norway inspired, February, 2002 Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the government of Sri Lanka (GoSL). He said through a Media Statement that, New Zealand is concerned about the deterioration of the security situation in Sri Lanka and the very serious implications for the civilian population. "New Zealand is concerned about the…

Life in Vanni; Then & Now By: K.Mylvaganam Courtesy: TamilCanadian - January 22, 2008 Life in Vanni is both a bed of Roses and Thorns. It all depends to a great extent as to how one perceives things. For example if one were to miss watching the TV and other related facilities due to the lack of electricity and if one were to get terrified at the thundering noise of the KFir bombers and the frequent fall of artillery shells, then life becomes a Bed of Thorns. But on the other hand if we were to pat our backs and say that we are safe from all the ill effects of the TV; particularly the brain washing by the south Indian films and soap operas that ruins our…

6TH LEAD 9 killed, 101 wounded in Colombo train blast [TamilNet, Sunday, 03 February 2008, 08:45 GMT] Nine people were killed and 101 wounded in a bomb explosion inside Matara-Vavuniyaa train while it reached the 3rd platform of Colombo Fort Railway station, situated in the High Security Zone in Sri Lanka's capital Sunday at 2:10 p.m. All train services have been suspended, the Fort station was cordoned off and a search operation by the Sri Lankan armed forces was launched. The blast comes a day before Sri Lanka's 60th Independence Day celebrations amid speculations of Colombo embarking on a full fledged war on Vanni, stepping up aerial bombardment and artillery …

There was once a time in Sri Lanka when even despite the dictatorial rule of the Rajapakasas there was a glimmer of hope for the people because a law operated in the country. Continuing from that dark era, when democracy was virtually nonexistent, people saw the law receiving its deserving status as one of the three pillars on which democracy exists. At present under the Wickremesinghe government any person having a grievance has the right to seek the assistance of the law. This is what Prof. Chandragupta Thenuwara and Gamini Viyangoda did when they raised abjections about the citizenship status of president hopeful Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The issue here is that they ha…

Longtime "Jeopardy" host Alex Trebek doesn't need more than half a minute to end his 35-year tenure on the TV series. In an interview with ABC News, Trebek said he may not host the long-running game show for much longer. He didn't disclose when he'll stop appearing on the series, but he knows how he'll say goodbye to his loyal viewers. "I've kind of, in my mind, rehearsed it already, and what I would do on that day is tell the director, 'Time the show down to leave me 30 seconds at the end. That's all I want,'" he said. He went on: "Don't ask me who's going to replace me because I have no say whatsoever…

This week will probably be a week of destiny for Sri Lanka when we face the moment of truth and what our leaders and we do or do not do could reshape Sri Lanka’s history. Our country – devastated by a thirty-year war, two insurrections and racial riots – is facing its gravest constitutional, legal and political crisis with democracy itself at stake. It is no longer a case of personalities, personal conflicts or power struggles, but a tsunami that is threatening the foundations of the people’s sovereignty – good governance, accountability and a balance of power among the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. The Constitution emphasises that people are sovereign…

13th Amendment and Provincial Councils By Prof. Vickramabahu Karunarathne COLUMNS By Prof. Vickramabahu Karunarathne The rhetoric against the 13th Amendment to the Constitution and the resultant Provincial Councils, by the Government Ministers’ seems to be waning away. The reason or reasons for the calls for the abolition of the Constitutional amendment by ministers and various Sinhalese nationalist groups not being heard for about two weeks so far. Also the Government’s stance on the 13th Amendment and Provincial Councils even seems to be softening. If it is not an illusion, the reason for it may be the concern repeatedly expressed by Indian G…

APMahinda Rajapaksa TOPICS World Sri Lankadiplomacy India-Sri Lanka politics government A recent statement by President Mahinda Rajapaksa that there will be no withdrawal of the army from the north has raised concerns about the Sri Lankan government’s intention as regards its demilitarisation. Explaining his position, the President, in his interview to Al-Jazeera, asked: “Then, if the other Provincial Councils also asked me to withdraw their army camps all over the country where can I have the army?” Ever since the ethnic war ended in 2009, different sections in the country have repeatedly raised issues of heavy militarisation in the north and east and the i…

KILINOCHCHI, Sri Lanka—In a villa surrounded by tall jak fruit trees and a squad of cadres toting T-56 assault rifles, S.P. Thamilselvan, the political leader of the Tamil Tiger guerrillas, sits pondering the political missteps of Stephen Harper's rookie government. "We know the complexity of the political problems any party would normally come across during a period of transition or a change from one party to another," he says. Thamilselvan says he's been searching for a plausible reason Harper's government ignored Canada's 200,000-strong Tamil community and placed their "freedom-fighting organization" alongside Al Qaeda, Hamas and Hezbollah on a list of crim…

Some say terror label prolongs Sri Lanka war By jared ferrie Publish Date: 28-Sep-2006 The streets of Jaffna were lined with government soldiers. Posted every 50 metres, leaning up against pockmarked walls, or standing in the thin shadow of a tree in the blazing sun. They rode slowly by on bicycles, in the back of tractor trailers, and cruised past in truck convoys. Within months of this early summer scene, the uneasy calm would erupt into open battle with the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (the Tamil Tigers, or LTTE). There were checkpoints all the way from Jaffna town southeast to the peninsula’s narrow Elephant Pass. Since 1998, …

Sri Lanka exports flat in November, imports down ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka has exported 979 million dollars of goods in November 2019, unchanged from last year, and earned 332 million US dollars of tourism revenue down 9.5 percent, central bank data showed. Migrant workers had also remitted 515 million US dollars down 7.2 percent, totaling 1.8 billion rupees of external current income to import goods and consumer services and travel abroad. Tourism however is an estimated figure. Merchandise imports fell 1.3 percent to 1.74 billion rupees amid weak credit, giving deficit in the merchandise account of 762 million US dollars down fro…

Ceylon Today (17.04.2020) had a story headlined “Gen Election 2020. Could be held in May.” We all know that since this date has been suggested by government sources. What is alarming however are the following three extracted paragraphs from the body of the article: “According to sources at the Election Commission (EC), with the approval of both Director General of Health Services, Dr. Anil Jasinghe and Head of the National Operation Centre for the Prevention of the spread of the coronavirus, Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, the postponed General Election could be held on the last week of May. […] “The meeting is scheduled to be held on Monday, 20 April, with…

எரிசக்தி அமைச்சு மீது கொண்டுவரப்பட நம்பிக்கையில்லா தீர்மானம் மீதான விவாதத்தில் தமிழ் தேசிய மக்கள் முன்னணி தலைவரால் ஆற்றப்பட்ட உரை

The great diversity of Indian religious beliefs and the varied cultured traditions of the different states are very interesting and this is seen in the festival of Pongal. "May the pot of prosperity boil over May the Pongal that we cook, the fragrance of turmeric the taste of sugarcane, ginger and honey Bring the joy of Pongal into our homes May the blessings of the Sun God flood our lives. With many other verses like this the people of Tamil Nadu greet the great festival of Pongal celebrated all over the South as Makar Sankranti, in Tamil Nadu it has an additional significance as Pongal welcomes the occasion of the incoming harvest. The Puranas,…

Canadians Embrace Royal Couple in First Official Foreign Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHDFes5Ex5s&feature=player_embedded

Ban Ki-moon urges dialogue to halt violence in Sri Lanka following latest attacks UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon 16 January 2008 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned the attacks which occurred in Sri Lanka today, killing and injuring dozens – including children – and coinciding with the formal end of a truce between the Government and Tamil rebels. “The only way to stop further violence in Sri Lanka is through dialogue,” Mr. Ban said in a statement issued by his spokesperson. He also urged the parties concerned “to undertake genuine efforts to achieve a peaceful negotiated solution.” Earlier this month, Mr. Ban had expressed his c…

To this day the victims of #WARCRIMES & #CRIMESAGAINSTHUMANITY have not received #JUSTICE, most of the #disappeared never accounted for or found, but at least there was a tenuous peaceful, if not marginalized, existence for the #Tamil & #Muslim survivors of #CivilWar. Until today. Today's presidential election results are, needless to say, devastating for the Tamil & Muslim communities. #Rajapaksa et al return reign of terror is horrifyingly assured. Attached are #WarCriminal's #MahindaRajapaksa's media release announcing his brother, War Criminal #GotabhayaRajapksa, as #SriLanka's new president. You'll find the media release is insulting hypocrisy, …

How Russia is outsourcing its 2020 election meddling to Ghana

Act Now, Tamil Health Organisation (THO), Tamil Aid, White Pigeon, Technical Association of Tamils (TAOT) and The Tamil Support Foundation (TTSF), TSSA, Hindu Temples and Churches are preparing to send more than 500 tons of food, medicine and medical teams to help the civilians in the Vanni affected by the ongoing war in Sri Lanka. This mission aims to provide desperately needed medical supplies for thousands of sick and injured people, and raise awareness of the suffering of the civilians in the conflict zone.

 Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a statement on 13 March 2009 stated that bombing and shelling by the Sri Lanka Armed Forces in th…

நாங்கள் மற்றவர்கள் வருத்தப்படகூடும் என்பதால் “ இல்லை/செய்ய முடியாது” என்ற சொல்லைபயன்படுத்த யோசிப்போம்.. ஆனால் அவற்றை பயன்படுத்த வேண்டிய இடத்தில் பயன்படுத்தாவிட்டால் கஷ்டங்களை அனுபவித்த சம்பவங்கள் அதிகமாக இருக்கலாம்.. ABC Everyday / By Megan Blandford Many of us struggle to say no, but writing a 'no list' could be the answer to setting those boundaries.(: Pexels: Tim Samuel) It's a tiny word, but it can be hard to say. 'No' is a challenge: like many people, I suffer from guilt when I say no, because I feel like I'm letting people down. In truth, thoug…

Official guide to media training for Tamil journalists in Sri Lanka 1 August 2014 Can civil society conduct media training workshops for Tamil journalists? No, it’s suspect and leads to some citizens exercising their democratic right to protest. Why is the Government opposed to media training workshops for Tamil journalists? Because training focussed on Tamil journalists is inherently suspect. Can Tamil journalists travel for training? No, because they are usually suspected drug addicts. Can journalists work freely in Jaffna? Completely, so long as they follow the Army’s understanding of media freedom. Can Tamil journalists…