Tamil civil society urges Pope to call for de-militarisation of Tamil homeland

Military in Jaffna

The Tamil Civil Society Forum has handed over an appeal to Pope Francis on Sunday through Vatican's diplomatic representative to the island, urging the Pope to openly call upon Colmbo Government to stop militarising and colonizing Tamil lands, to restore the troop presence in the North and East to pre-war levels, end violence against women, honestly address the problems of the disappeared and the abducted including Rev. Fathers T. N. Jim Brown and G. A. Frances Joseph, accelerate the process by which surrendered detainees and all those who are in in communicado detention are released and allow people to remember the dead.

Respect the Right of the Tamil People to Exercise their Franchise in a Free and Fair Election - NPC

The burning of the printing press of the Uthayan newspaper in Jaffna comes shortly after an attack on its distribution point in Kilinochchi.  These targeted acts of violence perpetrated on the largest circulation newspaper in the Northern Province have taken place despite the very large presence of security forces.  They also follow another violent attack on a meeting of the largest opposition Tamil party, the Tamil National Alliance, in Kilinochchi where the security forces present on the scene remained inactive.

Appeal from the Tamil Civil Society to the International Community regarding the upcoming resolution in the UNHRC on Sri Lanka

The agenda of the present regime is to buy time to complete its agenda of Sinhalisation in the North and East

''Regarding the subject of accountability as noted earlier we endorse the call by HE Navaneetham Pillay in her report to the 22^nd sessions calling for international independent investigations. The LLRC it has been widely acknowledged is a failure on the question of accountability. No steps have been taken by the GOSL in installing a local process to deal with the accountability issues. We believe that the GOSL neither has the capacity or willingness to undertake any investigations. ''

SL military registers details of employees in businesses in Jaffna

The military of occupying Sri Lanka has been deployed in registering details of employees in businesses in the Jaffna peninsula. Three to four SL military intelligence personnel accompanied by one SL policeman visit the shops and other businesses to register details of the employees. The SL soldiers are particular in collecting details of former LTTE members employed in the businesses, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, the occupying Sri Lankan military has taken an upper hand over the Sinhala police in dealing with the civil affairs in recent weeks, NGO officials in Jaffna say.

Jaffna;Peace activist grilled by terrorism department in Jaffna

Rev. Fr. Praveen OMI

Sri Lanka’s Terrorist Investigation Department (TID) grilled Rev. Fr. Praveen OMI, Director of the Centre for Peace and Reconciliation (CPR) in Jaffna, for 7 hours on Tuesday, news sources in Jaffna said. TID personnel who went to the office of the centre at No 8, Grousseault Road in Jaffna by 8.30 am, subjected the priest to intense investigation until 3.30 pm. The entire office was searched and files and documents were scrutinized. In addition, Fr. Praveen has been ordered to go to the ‘Fourth Floor’ (CID headquarters) for further investigations on Friday.

Jaffna protests Sri Lanka’s oppression of Tamil civic bodies

Protest in front of Nallor Piratheasa Chapai (PS)

13 elected civic bodies in the Jaffna Peninsula organized parallel agitations in their respective areas on Monday, protesting against occupying Sri Lanka’s violent intimidation and machinations blocking the mandated functions of the elected bodies. The protestors condemned the recent brutal attack on the Nalloor divisional council (Predeasa Sapai) chairperson Vasanthakumar, allegedly by SL military intelligence operatives, while he was attending legal procedures for recovering a civic body land occupied by the SL military.