Brother punishes his own sisters for supporting 'Karuna Faction' & the condition of Iniyabarathy reported stable By Udara Soysa

Colombo, 09 December, (Asiantribune.com): A brother supporting the LTTE – Prabhakaran faction murdered his own sisters for supporting the TamilEela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (Karuna's faction) in Batticaloa.

Yogarasa Yogeswary, 26, and Thurairasa Vathany, 17, were shot dead, Wednesday night, by the suspected LTTE cadre, at Palacholai in Batticaloa.

According to report, a two years old child was seriously wounded in the incident.

Meanwhile, pro- LTTE Tamil media claimed that the attack was carried out by the TamilEela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (Karuna faction).

Contradicting the LTTE claims, Ganeshpullai Yogarasa, the husband of the slain Yogarasa Yogeswary, who survived the attack in a statement to police, had claimed that the attack was carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for his family support for the Karuna faction in Batticaloa.

According to residents, suspected killer and the brother of the slain sisters, Surerasa Sivalingam (15) had fled the scene after the killing.
,br> Tamil media reported a sensationalized story of a "Puhalventhan" claiming to have joined the LTTE from the Karuna faction. However, in the most recent reports t claimed that their "Puhalventhan" is the 15 years old Surerasa Sivalingam and the Karuna faction had killed his sisters in revenge.

Contradicting the LTTE claim, civilian sources claim that the 15 years old Surerasa Sivalingam had always been a strong Prabhakaran supporter and had no contact with his family who supported the Karuna group. Relatives of Surerasa Sivalingam claim that the 15 year old youth was also known for hasty decisions and violant behaviour since from his childhood.

The family had recently moved out from the LTTE areas of Kokadicholai to the government control areas of Palacholai because of possible LTTE threats against their lives.

In the meantime spokesperson for TamilEela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal told “Asian Tribune” that they strongly deny any involvement in the killing by their cadres. He told that the family of the two slain ladies were their strong supporters and added that they send in their condolences to Ganeshpullai Yogarasa who survived in the attack.

The spokesman also said that the condition of Iniyabarathy one of their commanders is stable and recuperating from his gunshot injury.

- Asian Tribune -

(http://www.asiantribune.com/show_news.php?id=16377)

President instructs Security Chiefs to strengthen security in Muslim and Tamil border villages by Munza Mushtaq

Colombo, 09 December, (Asiantribune.com): President Mahinda Rajapakse has directed the Security Chiefs to urgently strengthen the security of Muslim and Tamil border villagers in the East, following an urgent appeal made by National Unity Alliance Leader Ferial Ashraff, during a meeting with the President.

Mrs. Ashraff briefed Mr. Rajapakse on the volatile situation prevailing in Kalmunai after the killing of a father and son in Maruthamunai.

She also explained to the President that the ethnicity amity between Tamils and Muslims are very high after the tsunami last year. "Some vested elements are working overtime to destroy this enhanced ethnic amity between the two communities in the east," she pointed out during the meeting.

The NUA leader also stressed the need to stop the sporadic killings taking place in Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara districts from November 18 onwards, soon after the Presidential election.

Sources further said that President Rajapakse has also directed all those relevant authorities to intensify the security in all trouble prone areas of the east.

Deputy Media Minister Cegu Issadean also participated in the talks.

- Asian Tribune -

(http://www.asiantribune.com/show_news.php?id=16374)

Pro-LTTE Norway, with only 2% public approval, is called back to negotiate peace in Sri Lanka

Colombo, 08 December, (Asiantribune.com): President Mahinda Rajapakse has caved into international pressure and asked Norway to continue as the "facilitator" in arranging peace talks with the LTTE. The President has asked Ambassador Hans Brattskar to resume their former role.

This contradicts the election pledge given by him to remove Norway from the peace process. One of the key issues on which the JVP and the JHU joined in the election campaign was on keeping Norway out of Sri Lankan internal affairs.

President Rajapakse made this u-turn after meeting the envoys of Co-chairs -- USA, Norway, Japan, and EU.

Commenting on this new development Erik Solheim told AFP: "Our initial reaction is that it is positive that we have been asked to continue our work. This is a vote of confidence." Erik Solheim, Norway's Minister of International Development, has been involved in mediation in the Sri Lankan conflict for more than five years.

"But we want to make sure we agree with the government as well as with the LTTE (Tamil Tigers) on the conditions before we accept to take on that role again," he told AFP .

Ranjith Soysa, of the Society for Peace Unity and Human Rights, said that this is nothing new for Norway because they have been laying down conditions for the Sri Lankan governments’ form the time they were asked to be the "facilitator".

He added: "Instead of Norway laying down conditions for the Sri Lankan government it is the government that should lay down conditions for Norway. One of the first conditions should be that Norway should not play its partisan role in funding and providing aid for the LTTE to carry out its crimes against humanity and war crimes with impunity. Norway which pretends to be the solution has become the problem. Public opinion is against Norway as seen in a recent survey. Norway came last with only 2 per cent approval of the Sri Lankan public."

Norway has come in for severe criticism mainly because of its partisan approach to the peace process. First, it began on the wrong foot by assuming that peace negotiations should only be with the LTTE leaving out other key communities like the Muslims and dissident Tamil parties. Second, Norway has been accused of financing the LTTE activities. New Times (Ny Tyd) reported last week that Norway government has bankrolled the LTTE, in the name of promoting peace. Ny Tid reported that LTTE was handed out 25 million kroners since 2002.

- Asian Tribune -

(http://www.asiantribune.com/show_news.php?id=16367)

EU under pressure to ban LTTE by M Rama Rao

New Delhi , 08 December, (Asiantribune.com): As the post-presidential election scene continues to be a period of uncertainty and anxiety in Sri Lanka with LTTE sending conflicting signals, European Union is coming under pressure to follow the American lead and declare the Tigers as a terrorist organization.

The EU leadership is expected to take up the issue at their next meeting on December 19.

Already for the past three months Tigers are barred from entering the EU member states; they have been asked to 'demonstrate their commitment to the peace process and their willingness to change'

New Delhi is impressing upon the EU to ban the LTTE. A formal diplomatic note has been delivered by the Indian foreign office. A dossier prepared by the Indian interior ministry highlighting how the Tigers had assassinated charismatic Rajiv Gandhi in May 1991 and its links with Indian Left extremists was sent along.

Indian case appears to rest on the fact that LTTE has been using the continent for resource mobilization and for spreading its 'disinformation' besides arms procurement.

A ban by EU would mean tough time in 25 –European nations and it will have a crippling blow on LTTE. It will hit fund collection and fund transfer.

The Indian document is understood to have dealt at length the growth and reach and ideology of the Tigers while highlighting how the LTTE has been indulging in gross violation of human rights in the areas where it holds sway in the island and within its own network.

United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, and Malaysia have banned the LTTE besides India considering it as 'a lethal and well-organized terrorist group' in South Asia, which believes in gun culture.

Last week the EU has declared Hizbul Mujahideen, (HM) as a Kashmiri terrorist outfit.

- Asian Tribune -

Revenge killing by suspected paramilitaries

Two sisters of Puhalventhan, Mrs. Yogarasa Yogeswary, 26, and Thurairasa Vathany, 17, were shot dead, Wednesday night, by suspected paramilitaries, at Palacholai in Batticaloa. Puhalventhan, a renegade paramilitary cadre from Karuna Group, had surrendered along with Gnanatheepan, his colleague, to the LTTE in Amparai, Tuesday. The sisters were shot as they emerged from their door to greet two callers who had entered the compound around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. A two years old child was seriously wounded.

Puhalventhan and Gnanatheepan claimed responsibility for the killing of Iniyabharathy, a senior Karuna operative, allegedly responsible for a series of recent attacks on Muslims with the intention of provoking Tamil-Muslim riots and Muslim-LTTE dissension.

The two claimed that the Karuna Group to which they belonged was attached to a Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) camp in the area, from which the group conducted raids on Muslim and Tamil villages.

Eravur Police, investigating the case, said that Yogeswary’s child, Usha, 02, seriously wounded and rushed to the base hospital at Batticaloa, was still in critical condition.

Palacholai, a village in Vantharumoolai, is located 18 km north of Batticaloa town.

The assailants had lobbed a grenade into the house before leaving the place, civilian sources said.

(http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=16502)

Quick revenge assumed by suspected paramilitaries

Two sisters of Puhalventhan were shot dead, Wednesday night, by suspected paramilitaries, at Palacholai in Batticaloa. Puhalventhan, a reneged paramilitary cadre from Karuna Group, had surrendered along with Gnanatheepan, his colleague, to the LTTE at Amparai, Tuesday. Mrs. Yogarasa Yogeswary, 26, and Thurairasa Vathany, 17, the sisters of Puhalventhan were gunned down as they emerged from their door to greet two callers who had entered the compound around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. A two years old child was seriously wounded.

Puhalventhan and Gnanatheepan claimed responsibility for the killing of Iniyabharathy, a senior Karuna operative, allegedly responsible for a series of recent attacks on Muslims with the intention of provoking Tamil-Muslim riots and Muslim-LTTE dissension.

The two claimed that the Karuna Group to which they belonged was attached to a Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) camp in the area, from which the group conducted its raids on Muslim and Tamil villages.

Eravur Police, investigating the case, said that Yogeswary’s child, Usha, 02, seriously wounded and rushed to the base hospital at Batticaloa, was still in a critical condition.

Palacholai, a village in Vantharumoolai, is located 18 km north of Batticaloa town.

The assailants had lobbed a grenade into the house before leaving the place, civilian sources said.

(http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=16502)

LTTE "intensifies" killings: Sri Lanka heading for war?

Colombo, 06 December, (Asiantribune.com): Sri Lanka is edging closer to war with LTTE further "intensifying" its violence in Jaffna and in the east. In Jaffna the LTTE launched its second attack today on a Sri Lankan Army (SLA) tractor in Irupalai (5 km North east of Jaffna town) killing seven soldiers and one seriously injured.

The victims of the incident have been identified as Lieutenant D V Muthugalage, Corporal B K Samarasinghe, soldiers S A Sumith Kumara, K M P Attanayake, K B Dayawansa, W G I N Wijetunge and H A Thilakasiri.

The seriously injured soldier, Private P.L. Senaratne was immediately airlifted to Colombo National Hospital for immediate surgery as his condition was deteriorating.

Simultaneously, LTTE "intensified" its attacks on the second front today in the east by attacking and killing Muslims and the rebel cadres of Col. Karuna.

Following the escalation of violence by the LTTE, the police and armed forces have been placed on high alert in and around Colombo city. The next step after attacks in Jaffna and in the east is for the LTTE suicide bombers to go on the rampage in the city of Colombo, according to security forces. .

As in the first attack on Sunday, today’s Claymore mine attack in Jaffna was launched on Sri Lankan soldiers returning in a tractor after delivering breakfast to the soldiers on the streets. The targeting of today’s SLA tractor has brought the total killed to fifteen soldiers.

In the east, LTTE cadres ambushed three of Col. Karuna’s cadres near the border of the Moneragala and Amparai Districts. In this ambush Iniyabarathy was killed with three other paramilitary cadres.

The military has blamed the Tamil Tiger rebels for attacks that killed the soldiers on Sunday and Monday. These two incidents are the most serious violence since the two sides signed a truce three years ago.

These unprovoked attacks violate the Ceasefire Agreement and Prabhakaran’s own pledge given at the Hero’s Day Speech (November 27, 2005) where he stated that he would "wait and observe" before "intensifying" his next round of violence, according to political analysts.

The United States has condemned renewed violence in Sri Lanka that threatens the country's fragile cease-fire.

In particular, the statement specifically condemned Sunday's attack, saying "such violence is inconsistent with (the Tigers') claims to be committed to the peace process.'' Amnesty International too has issued an urgent warning to deescalate the tensions .

In the meantime, DIG Colombo Pujitha Jayasundara said the city and its surroundings had been placed on alert after an LTTE cadre, amongst a number of suspects arrested, was found to be in possession of two passports bearing two different names and addresses.

The Tiger suspect had arrived in Colombo from Muttur, but the addresses and names in the passports were fictitious, DIG Jayasundara said.

Under the security alert, surveillance by the police and the armed forces has been increased at Orugodawatte, Bloemendhal Road and in the vicinity of the Kolonnawa oil storage tank complex. Special checkpoints manned by the police and armed forces personnel have been set up at important points of the city, he said.

- Asian Tribune –