SL military harasses Tamil activists engaged in election campaign: TNA MP

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 September 2013, 19:58 GMT]
Violating the election rules, and intervening into the civil affairs, the occupying Sri Lankan military is threatening the Tamil activists campaigning for the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in the North, said TNA parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran at a press conference held in Jaffna on Friday. Further, the SL military, that doesn't even understand what is written in the leaflets, is levelling false allegations against the TNA activists that they are distributing leaflets to start ‘another war’. Following that, 40 TNA supporters were detained by the SL Police. At least four people are still under police detention, Mr Premachandran said demanding their immediate release.



If Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is serious about conducting a free and fair election, he should immediately send the SL military into barracks, the Tamil parliamentarian said.

The TNA has conveyed the message to the Sri Lankan election commission.

The TNA has also written to SL president urging him to confine the military to the barracks at least till the elections are over, Mr Premachandran said.

Forty persons were detained by the occupying SL Police at Kodikaamam in Thenmaraadchi on Friday. Four of them are yet to be released.

The detention by the SL police came after the episode of SL military threatening the campaigners alleging that they were distributing leaflets to start a new war.

Sri Lankan TID harasses ex-LTTE members in East

Sri Lankan TID harasses

 ex-LTTE members in East

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 February 2013, 22:28 GMT]
Tension and fear continues to prevail among the families of former LTTE members, who have rejoined their families in the East, especially in Vaakarai in Batticaloa and in Moothoor East of Trincomalee district as the SL military thinks any resistance coming from the uprooted families that demand resettlement originates from people who were associated with the LTTE in the past. The SL TID squads have been visiting several houses in Kathirave'li and Puchchangkea'ni in Koa'ralaip-pattu North (Vaakarai) DS division in the Batticaloa collecting details of former LTTE members through Village level (GS) officers.

When the occupying SL State observed ‘independence day’ celebrations in Trincomalee, posters appeared in Trincomalee condemning the Sinhala celebration in the country of Eezham Tamils.

A Special team of ‘Terrorist Investigation Department’ in Colombo was dispatched to Moothoor East in Trincomalee and to Vaakarai in Batticaloa to monitor former LTTE members or those who voice for Tamil rights to be labelled as former LTTE members and harassed with SL ‘military rehabilitation’.

It was already reported that similar TID squads that arrived in Moothoor East had ‘arrested’ seven Tamil youths, sending them all for ‘military rehabilitation’. All of them are family members and two among them were from temporary sheds where uprooted Champoor families reside.

The uprooted families of Champoor have been demanding resettlement in their own village.

The arrested sent out of the district to a destination elsewhere and have been put on ‘military rehabilitation’.

Chronology:

21.02.13  Sri Lankan TID harasses ex-LTTE members in East

09.02.13  Uprooted Champoor families live in fear following ..

07.02.13  SL ‘Terrorist’ squad arrests 7 Tamils in Moothoor ..

24.01.13  SL military presence beefed up in Trincomalee

SL military removes Kuddimani remembrance posters, harasses former MP in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 July 2012, 09:38 GMT]
The occupying Sri Lanka Army (SLA) together with the SL Police on Thursday arrested former Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian and the political coordinator of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation, a registered political party in the TNA alliance, for having put up posters remembering 54 Tamil political prisoners, including pioneer TELO leaders Kuddimani and Thangathurai, who were massacred inside the Welikade prison in Colombo in the SL state-sponsored pogrom against Eezham Tamils in July 1983. Mr. Sivajilingam was later released by the SL police at Nelliyadi, with the warning that he should not ‘antagonize’ the military officers of the SL military.

Despite the explanation given by the former parliamentarian, the SLA has been harassing the former Tamil parliamentarian and the political activists of TELO for the past three days.

The posters they had put up at various places of Jaffna district were removed by the military.

Mr Sivajilingam, as in his capacity of the political coordinator of the TELO, had explained to the SL military that it was unjust on the part of the SL military to block a political party from remembering its slain leaders. It is a violation on the freedom of expression, he argued when the SL military confronted him at Nelliyadi Thursday evening.

Eyewitnesses told TamilNet that the Sinhala soldiers assaulted the TELO activists who accompanied Mr Sivajilingam while instructing the SL police to arrest them all.

After detaining for a few hours, the SL police released Mr Sivajilingam and fellow activists, telling them that the military officers were angry and that they should go home avoiding activities that could ‘antagonize’ the SLA controlling the area.

The founder of the TELO, Thangathurai, and its senior leaders Kuddimani and Jegan were among the 54 Tamil political prisoners who were massacred in the Welikada prison during the violent pogrom against Tamils in July 1983. Thirty-five Tamil political prisoners were killed on 25 July and 19 on 27 July.

Chronology:

27.07.12  SL military removes Kuddimani remembrance posters,..

24.07.12  Tamil politicians urge global action in releasing ..