• Stones thrown at Ananthy Sasitharan's house

    Jan 04
    20:54 GMT

    Stones were thrown at the house of Ananthy Sasitharan, the TNA's popular Northern Provincial Councillor by unidentified persons during the early hours of Tuesday morning local time.

    "I was sleeping at my house in Vadakkamparai, Chullipuram with my three daughters and a lady who stays with us, when I heard stones smashing against the house at around 1.30am," Sasitharan told the Tamil Guardian shortly after the incident.

    "I got up and switched on the light and then they ran away," she said, adding that she had reported the incident to the police and the NPC chairman C. V. K. Sivagnanam via telephone.

    The house in Vadakkamparai was previously attacked ahead of the Northern Provincial Council election in 2013.

  • SL military placed on standby to 'control violence'
    The Sri Lankan military said that it will be on standby to prevent and control violence on and before election day.

    Speaking to the Sunday Leader, military spokesperson, Ruwan Wanigasooriya, said,

    "in the event that troops are needed, we are prepared to offer assistance of the police and civil authorities formally requested."
  • 9 years on from 'Trinco 5' killings, the struggle for justice continues

    Photograph TamilNet
    This week marks 9 years since the murder of five Tamils students, who were executed by Sri Lanka's Special Task Force, whilst they spent an afternoon on the beach in Trincomalee.

    The 'Trinco 5' case has been one of the highest profile killings in Sri Lanka to receive international attention, listed in 2014 by the then UN High Commissioner for Human Rights' report on the island as one of  four ‘emblematic cases’ of the government's failure to ensure accountability.

  • Sampanthan threatens disciplinary action against Ananthy if not toeing party line
    The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader, R. Sampanthan warned that the party would take disciplinary action against Northern Province Councillor Ananthi Sasitharan if she did not fall in line with the party's decision to endorse the common opposition's presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena at the election on January 8.

    Asked by the Daily Mirror about a split in the TNA over the election, following her decision not to endorse either candidate and boycott the election, Sampanthan said:
    "She is bound by the decision of the TNA. I am not aware of her having made any such statement. If she is not bound by the TNA decision, disciplinary action will be taken against her."
  • International election monitors raise concern over military involvement in elections
    International election monitors in Sri Lanka to observe the presidential elections raised concerns about election law violations and voter intimidation.

    The team of monitors told press that they had received complaints that the military were being used to discourage Tamil voters in the North.

    Dr S Quraishi, the head of the observer group of Association of Asian Election Authorities (AAEA) said they received complaints that the military had set up 400 roadblocks in Tamil areas, reports     Colombo Page.

  • SLMC is raising issue of Sinhala nationalism, says Rajapaksa
    Sri Lanka's president Mahinda Rajapaksa said that the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) is only raising the issue of Sinhala nationalism now after spending 10 years with the ruling coalition, following their defection last week.

    Speaking at a rally in Kaduwela earlier this week, Rajapaksa slammed the SLMC, saying,
    “They are auctioning their votes today. Leaders! Are they saviours of the Muslim people?... It's time for the Muslim community to think decisively. They should not go behind people who betray them and sell them. They should support those who represent them.”
    Rajapaksa went on to accuse the SLMC of “stirring up” the issue of Sinhala nationalism adding,
    “They were with us for 10 years and received all the benefits with us. And suddenly they move to the side and accuse us. Now they say we are against Muslims and against Tamils; didn't they know this when they were with us for 10 years?”
    “The era when the innocent people of this country, be it Muslim or Tamil, danced to their leaders' tunes has passed!”
  • Body found in Jaffna well
    The body of a man was found in the Neerveli region of Jaffna on Saturday. The body, which was discovered after local residents reported an offensive smell, was found in a decomposing state inside a well near the Neervali Kanthaswamy temple.
  • ‘Change nature of the state, not just government’ say 63 Tamil organisations worldwide

    Tamil organisations across the world called on the international community to recognise that both candidates in the Sri Lankan presidential election have rejected a United Nations investigation into mass atrocities and offered no political solution to the Tamil people.

    In a joint New Year message, 63 organisations pledged to work towards “dignity, freedom, justice, and peace” for the Tamil nation, adding they were hopeful the upcoming United Nations investigation into mass atrocities “will lead to accountability and remedial justice for genocide, war-crimes, and crimes against humanity committed against the Tamil people.”

    The statement went on to add,

    “As the Sinhala leaders campaign for the next Sri Lankan Presidential election scheduled for January 8th 2015, the International Community should be cognizant of the belligerent declarations by both major Sinhala candidates against the OISL investigation."

  • Minister warns of ‘powerful countries’ trying to destroy Sri Lanka

    Sri Lanka’s Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa warned that “powerful countries” were attempting to destroy Sri Lanka, in an apparent reference to the United States.

  • Maithri should face justice at UN, I cannot endorse him - Ananthy Sasitharan
    Reiterating her refusal to tow the party line and endorse the common opposition's presidential candidate, Maithripala Sirisena, the Northern Provincial councillor, Ananthi Sasitharan said she could not ask the Tamil people to vote for someone who was responsible for the genocide of the Tamil people.

    Stating that she went to the people and asked them to vote for me in order to voice the aspirations of homeland, nation and self-determination. Given this, it would be wrong for me to go and ask them now to vote for someone else.

    "Maithri was the minister responsible for defence during the end of the armed conflict in Mullivaikkal when most of the genocide [of the Tamil people] took place," Ananthi told journalists at a press briefing on Saturday.

  • Gunshots fired at Maithri election rally
    Gunshots were fired at an opposition rally as Maithripala Sirisena left the stage on Saturday.

    The shots were fired at the stage after a clash between ruling party supporters and opposition supporters broke out.

    The UNP MP of the North Central Province Janaka Samarasinghe was injured during the shooting and admitted to hospital reports, Colombo Page.
  • Third NPC councillor criticises TNA endorsement of Maithri
    A third Northern Provincial Council member has voiced his dissent over the Tamil National Alliance's (TNA) decision said the party should not have endorsed either candidate.

    Stating that both candidates did not represent the Tamil people's interests M. K. Shivajilingham told journalists at a press briefing on Saturday that he had called for the TNA to be silent and let the Tamil people decide what to do.

    "That bus has already gone however," he added. "They have decided to endorse Maithri and there is no point in signalling for a bus that has already departed."

    "I have no more to say on this now. I had previously said let us be silent and let the people decide, but now they [TNA] have announced [their support for Maithri]."

    "However at least now, lets acknowledge and ensure that our political decisions take into account our strengths: the Tamil Nadu people and our Tamil diaspora."

  • I was Defence Minister when LTTE leaders were killed' says Maithri

    Opposition presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena said that he is a “patriot” of Sri Lanka, stating he was the Acting Defence Minister during the final days of the armed conflict in May 2009.

    In an interview with the Daily Mirror, Maithri assured readers he is a “patriot” saying,

    “I was the Minister in Charge of Defence during the last two weeks of the war in which most of the leaders of the LTTE were killed with General Fonseka at the helm of the Army.”

    “Prior to that I have acted as the Minister of Defence five times during the height of the war.”

  • Rajapaksa calls on Tamils to ‘vote for the devil you know’

    Sri Lanka’s incumbent president Mahinda Rajapaksa has called on the Tamil people of the North-East to vote for him in the upcoming presidential elections, calling himself “the known devil”.

    Speaking in Jaffna through an interpreter, Rajapaksa said,

    "The devil you know is better than the unknown angel… I am the known devil, so please vote for me."

  • Sri Lanka slams EU for peaceful election call

    Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Ministry slammed the European Union (EU) after it called on the government to conduct elections without “fear and violence” on Friday.

    In response to the EU call, Sri Lanka released a statement saying,

    "Domestic elections are not for foreign government representatives to be prescriptive about, that too, a few days ahead of the polls."

    The statement went on to say,

    “It is therefore surprising that the EU Heads of Mission in Colombo should have resorted to a press statement on an issue of a strictly domestic nature. Such an initiative could bring into question the bona-fides and objectivity of their intervention.”

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