Five Sri Lankan MPs who support the Tamil Tigers arrived here Thursday with a view to meet Indian leaders in a development that one of their most strident supporters said marked an 'important' policy change for New Delhi.The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MPs are expected to call on an array of political leaders here, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, said P. Nedumaran, speaking from Chennai.

Abducted VC's mother appeals for son's release
Mrs. Saraswathy Sivasubramaniam, 75, the mother of abducted Vice Chancellor of Eastern University appealed to the abductors to release his son without harm when TamilNet talked to her and her extended family in South London Thursday. "For the last 28 years my son and his family have been living in Batticaloa, the foremost thing in his mind was the development of Batticaloa, especially modernizing the agriculture in Batticaloa," she said. Prof. Raveendranath is 55.

By Peter Foster in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka - UK Telegraph
"..."The situation around Vakarai is dreadful," said Orla Clinton, the UN spokesman in Colombo..."
In pictures: Sri Lanka's forgotten victims
Sitting in her hospital bed, nursing an eight-month-old baby with a deep shrapnel wound in his left leg, the young Tamil woman is the forgotten face of Sri Lanka's increasingly violent ethnic war.

Vijaya and her injured son Vidushan

A team of five Sri Lankan Tamil MPs met Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi here on Wednesday and briefed him about the humanitarian crisis in Tamil-dominated areas of the island nation.

They told him that the prices of essential commodities were rising on a daily basis and all civilians were suffering because of the war. Medicines were not available in the north. They urged Mr. Karunanidhi to take a proactive stance to stop the killing of civilians. They also urged him to take steps to ensure the opening of A-9 highway on a permanent basis.