211 Reports

Sri Lanka in precarious political uncertainty- Uyangoda

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 July 2004, 18:44 GMT]
Warning that extended stalemate between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers may be leading Sri Lanka in a slippery slope towards war, Professor Uyangoda, in a political analysis column in Friday's Daily Mirror, says that "without partnership building premised on mutual trust and respect, there is no way for the UPFA [United Peoples Freedom Alliance] and the LTTE to return to the negotiation table in the foreseeable future."
Full story >>

"LTTE will emerge victorious if SL Government launches war"- Ilamparithi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 July 2004, 16:59 GMT]
"We are certain of victory if the Sri Lanka Government launches a war to occupy our traditional homeland," said Mr.C.Ilamparithi, Jaffna district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) addressing "Confluence (Sangamam)" event of the Jaffna District Tamil Resurgence Forum (JDTRF) held in Nelliyady, a residential town 25km northwest of Jaffna, Saturday.
Full story >>

Danish de-mining group recommences operation in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 July 2004, 15:58 GMT]
The Danish de-mining group resumed its operation in Point Pedro-Katkovalam area in the Jaffna district Thursday after suspending demining in the area following the theft of a consignment of mines removed and stored there, sources said.
Full story >>

White elephant spotted in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 July 2004, 11:31 GMT]
A rare albino elephant has been spotted roaming Sri Lanka's Ruhunu National Park, the first recorded sighting in the country, the website nature.com reported.
Full story >>

Key paramilitary operative shot dead in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 July 2004, 07:50 GMT]
A person believed to be a senior paramilitary operative working with the Sri Lanka military intelligence was shot dead Saturday around 12.15 p.m. by unidentified gunmen in the heart of Colombo. Paramilitary sources in the capital identified the dead man as the dreaded 'PLOTE Mohan'.
Full story >>

Jaffna onion farmers face financial hardship

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 July 2004, 04:08 GMT]
Market watchers warned that unplanned cultivation and increasing use of artifical fertilizers to grow onions are leading Jaffna farmers to face a tough market where the price of onions has plunged to less than Rs.12 per kilo in Colombo due to oversupply, Jaffna daily Uthayan reported.
Full story >>

Karuna associate remanded in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 July 2004, 02:17 GMT]
Sri Lanka army in Batticaloa Friday arrested a youth who identified himself as an associate of renegade LTTE commander 'Karuna'. The SLA, which found a 9 mm pistol in the youth's possession, handed him over to the Eravur Police. Batticaloa magistrate remanded him until 13 August later on Friday.
Full story >>

Pre-schools exhibition begins in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 July 2004, 01:36 GMT]
A two-day exhibition of the Child Friendly Development Centres (pre-schools) organized by the Early Childhood Development Unit of the North East Provincial Ministry of Education began Friday morning in the auditorium of the Trincomalee St.Joseph's College. This is the first time an exhibition of art works and other creations of students and teachers of pre-schools is being held in the northeast province.
Full story >>

Court to decide on constitutionality of anti-conversion bill

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 July 2004, 01:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court, this Friday 6 August, will conduct the inquiry into the forty-seven petitions filed in support and against the bill "Prohibition of Conversions through Unethical Means" which was presented in parliament last week and included in the order paper of the House. The Speaker referred the Bill to the Supreme Court to determine the bill's constitutionality, legal sources said.
Full story >>

Anura blames UNP for planting Karuna story

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 July 2004, 00:44 GMT]
Minister and Sri Lanka President’s Advisor Mr.Anura Bandaranaike today castigated former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe for attempting to make him earn the wrath of the Liberation Tigers by planting a concocted story in Colombo media that he transported LTTE renegade leader Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan (Karuna) to Singapore.
Full story >>

Another 'Karuna' associate shot dead in Welikanda

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 July 2004, 17:26 GMT]
A person identified as an associate the renegade LTTE commander V. Muralitharan alias Karuna, was shot dead Friday in the general area of Welikanda, 70 kilometres northwest of Batticaloa.
Full story >>

SLA accused of distributing porn in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 July 2004, 17:12 GMT]
''Sri Lanka military leadership in Jaffna is engaged in weakening the Tamil liberation struggle by introducing obscene literature and blue films to students and youths to corrupt their minds,'' said Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Mr.S.Gajendran addressing a meeting of the International Thamileelam Students Federation (ITSF) Thursday, sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka Navy establishes camp in Nedunthivu

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 July 2004, 12:50 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) has been engaged in establishing a camp in Nedunthivu, one of the islets in the Jaffna peninsula, since last week. This has caused apprehension among the residents of the village, civil sources said.
Full story >>

Two killed in Colombo Police garage explosion

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 July 2004, 10:42 GMT]
A jilted Policeman killed himself and a Woman Police Constable (WPC) by exploding a hand grenade at the Police garage in Narahenpita, a suburb of Colombo Friday around 4 p.m. The WPC had rejected the Policeman's efforts to win her love.
Full story >>

Jaffna Police to serve summons on SLA officials

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 July 2004, 00:29 GMT]
The Chavakachcheri Magistrate Mr.P.Subramaniam Thursday directed his Registrar to serve summons through Jaffna district police on Lt. Colonel Dumminda Kepptigollawa, the Jaffna area commander of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and another SLA commander who have been cited first, second and third respondents respectively in the Habeas Corpus applications filed on behalf of missing seven Tamil youths, legal sources said.
Full story >>

UNP to support peace talks based on ISGA proposal

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 July 2004, 00:18 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) said Thursday in a press briefing that it would support the resumption of peace talks by the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the basis of LTTE's Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) proposal.
Full story >>

British HC official to visit Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 July 2004, 17:45 GMT]
Mr.David Waring, First Secretary for Investment and Trade in the British High Commission in Sri Lanka is scheduled to visit east port town of Trincomalee on a fact-finding mission on August 5, Colombo sources said.
Full story >>

Peace process is a rudderless boat - Kousalyan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 July 2004, 17:25 GMT]
''Sri Lanka's peace process is like a rudderless boat. We can achieve our political aspirations only if we have exceptional military power. We had only 17 female fighters in Batticaloa ten years ago. Anbarasi was one of them. Today we have a regiment in her name that fought tough battles to defeat Op. Jeya Sikurui'', said Mr. E. Kousalyan, head of LTTE's political division for Batticaloa, Thursday, addressing a ceremony to mark the 9th death anniversary of Lt. Col. Anbarasi.
Full story >>

Mullaithivu fishermen still at risk- MP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 July 2004, 16:50 GMT]
''The fishing community of Mullaithivu suffered immensely during the war. But the Sri Lanka Navy continues to terrorise them even after two years of peace'', Mr. Sathasivam Kanakaratnam, Tamil National Alliance MP for Vanni, told TamilNet Thursday. He said two Mullaithivu fishermen were dragged around at mid sea in their boats by SLN speed craft last week on 21 July.
Full story >>

RSF urges Norway to press for journalists' safety in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 July 2004, 11:07 GMT]
Reporters Without Borders Thursday urged Norway to press Sri Lankan authorities to fight impunity with which journalists are attacked in the island, particularly on its east coast. ''Since the killing of a correspondent in Batticaloa region at the end of May, without any condemnation from a single minister, two other journalists have been forced to flee the area and take refuge in the capital'', RSF said.
Full story >>

SL Government ready to resume peace talks- Cabinet Spokesman

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 July 2004, 10:25 GMT]
The minority United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government said Thursday that it is prepared to commence peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at any time and anywhere. Speaking at the post Cabinet press briefing held Thursday Media Minister Mr. Mangala Samaraweera said that the LTTE should adopt a policy of flexibility in its stand, sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>

New Killings Threaten Ceasefire- HRW

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 July 2004, 03:01 GMT]
Human Rights Watch, a U.S. based independent nongovernmental organization said in a media release Wednesday, "A spate of killings between factions of the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) threatens Sri Lanka’s ceasefire...More than a dozen people have been murdered over the last month in apparently politically motivated killings attributed either to the LTTE or a faction led by the LTTE’s former eastern commander, Colonel Karuna, who broke away from the LTTE in March 2004."
Full story >>

SLA commander ordered to appear in Jaffna courts

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 July 2004, 00:48 GMT]
The Jaffna Magistrate Mr.R.T.Viknarajah Wednesday instructed his Registrar to issue notice on the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to appear in court on September 7 when it was brought to the notice of the court that the accused military officials in three Habeas Corpus (HC) applications failed to attend inquiry without reasons, legal sources said.
Full story >>

JPMGA expresses concern over delay in HC inquiry

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 July 2004, 00:43 GMT]
Jaffna Missing Persons Guardians' Association (JPMGA) said Wednesday in a statement that it has started losing confidence that Habeas Corpus (HC) applications filed by several members of the association would be inquired with out delay. The JPMGA accused the Attorney General and the Sri Lanka government's security establishment for not extending constructive co-operation in conducting the inquiry into the HC applications, sources said.
Full story >>

Mannar GA says refugee influx unprecedented

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 July 2004, 15:53 GMT]
''Hundreds of refugees are risking their lives, paying high fares to unscrupulous boatmen, to return from India to their homes in the northeast. The influx of refugees is increasing by the day. It is hence imperative that MPs of the Vanni District should persuade the governments of India and Sri Lanka to let these refugees return legally by ferry or by boats from Mannar,'' said the Government Agent for Mannar Wednesday.
Full story >>

Trinco sanitary workers demonstrate for land rights

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 July 2004, 15:52 GMT]
Sanitary workers employed by the Trincomalee Urban Council (UC) Wednesday held a five-hour demonstration in front of the UC office demanding that they should be provided with deeds and permits for the lands they are living in for more than half a century. More than five hundred people, men and women including family members of the workers, participated in the protest demonstration, which was organized by the Community Leaders' Consortium (CLC).
Full story >>

Mannar Thamileelam Court complex opened

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 July 2004, 14:36 GMT]
The court complex of the Thamileelam Mannar District Court was declared open Wednesday morning in Vattakandal in the Liberation Tigers controlled Vanni region by Mr.Pon Thiyagam, Head of the Thamileelam Martyrs Department who cut the ceremonial ribbon at the event, sources said.
Full story >>

Mannar farmers hit by drought

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 July 2004, 14:19 GMT]
Severe drought has hit the Mannar district affecting several hundreds of farming families and civil authorities are taking steps to provide relief to the affected people, sources said.
Full story >>

Corporal Rajapakse remanded in Jaffna prison

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 July 2004, 13:04 GMT]
The Jaffna High Court Judge Mr.K.P.S.Varatharajah Wednesday ordered remand in Jaffna prison till August 4 for Corporal Rajapakse who was cited as the first respondent in seven Habeas Corpus applications filed by relatives of missing persons in Jaffna district during the period 1996-1997 and the inquiry into these cases were fixed for September 6, legal sources said.
Full story >>

Jaffna IDP families struggle to survive without relief

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 July 2004, 00:11 GMT]
Civil groups in Jaffna are concerned about the plight of thousands of internally displaced families in the Jaffna whose dry ration relief supply has been suspended by the Sri Lanka Government from February this year. Most of the families depended fully on the relief, according to the civil groups.
Full story >>

Tamil police officers transferred from Mannar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 July 2004, 17:12 GMT]
Vanni District Tamil National Parliamentarian Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan Tuesday brought to the notice of the Sri Lanka's Inspector General of Police the injustice in transferring four Tamil police officers out of eight without any replacement, sources in Mannar said.
Full story >>

Helgesen meets SLMC leader

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 July 2004, 16:07 GMT]
Mr. Vidar Helgessen, Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister is reported to have told Mr.Rauff Hakim, Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Tuesday that renegade Karuna's affair has become a stumbling block in taking forward the stalled peace talks between the Government Of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), according to SLMC sources.
Full story >>

Pre-school exhibition to be held in NE

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 July 2004, 14:44 GMT]
North East Provincial Ministry of Education, Cultural Affairs, Sports and Youth Affairs has organized a two day exhibition, where artistic material produced by pre-school students, teachers and parents of Child Friendly Development Centres in the province are to be displayed. This is the first time such an exhibition is to be held in the northeast, said Mt.S.Mahalingam, Senior Assistant Secretary.
Full story >>

Usan IDPs complain harassment by SLA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 July 2004, 14:38 GMT]
Several displaced persons from Usan village in Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district Tuesday complained to civil authorities that soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army are threatening them for organizing a picketing campaign demanding the return of their houses and other properties now under their occupation, civil group sources said.
Full story >>

Police action threatens freedom of expression- IFJ

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 July 2004, 12:06 GMT]
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), a global organisation representing over 500,000 journalists worldwide, has today condemned recent actions by the Sri Lankan police threatening freedom of expression in Sri Lanka.
Full story >>

Donald Camp to visit Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 July 2004, 11:20 GMT]
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, Donald Camp, is expected to arrive in Sri Lanka this week as part of his tour of South Asian countries, local media reported.
Full story >>

Jaffna Hospital Association opens website

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 July 2004, 10:40 GMT]
Dr.S.Sathurmugam, the Director Teaching Hospital, and Dr.Ambalavanar, president of Jaffna General Hospital Development Association (JGHDA) launched a website for JGHDA on 19 July, sources in Jaffna said. A message posted on the website said that the site is not the official website of the Hospital but of the JGHDA which is registered with the Sri Lanka government as a Non-Governmental Organization.
Full story >>

FMM voices concern over intimidation of journalists

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 July 2004, 10:07 GMT]
In media release distributed in Colombo today the Free Media Movement (FMM) said that it viewed with concern "the police search of the residence of journalist Dharmaratnam Sivaram for the second time in a short period of time," and the statement by the Sri Lanka Government that "Mr. Sivaram will be interrogated on the news item posted on the Tamil Net" to reveal the source of the news. "FMM requests you to halt the tactics of intimidation," added the media release.
Full story >>

"LTTE will remain militarily strong"- Semmanan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 July 2004, 00:00 GMT]
"Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) will defeat government's hidden agenda to weaken our military and political strength," said Mr.K.Semmannan, Deputy Political Head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Jaffna district said when speaking at a meeting of the Thamileelam Resurgence Forum held in Karainagar Subramaniam Vidiyalayam Monday.
Full story >>

Usan villagers to picket against SLA occupation

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 July 2004, 18:12 GMT]
Villagers of Usan area in Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district are to launch a picketing campaign from August 5 demanding the return of their houses and school grounds. Currently the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers occupy these houses and school playground since the SLA captured the peninsula in 1996.
Full story >>

Outbreak of typhoid reported in Karainagar

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 July 2004, 16:04 GMT]
An outbreak of typhoid fever has been reported from Karainagar in Jaffna district. About three hundred residents have been affected with the fever, medical sources in Karainagar said.
Full story >>

Helgesen meets Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 July 2004, 09:47 GMT]
Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister, Vidar Helgesen, met with LTTE Head of Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan, at the LTTE Political Head Quarters in Kilinochchi Monday morning, for discussions on the stand of the LTTE regarding the recommencement of peace negotiations with the Government of Sri Lanka, LTTE's peace secretariat website said.
Full story >>

Not a principled apology- Elilan

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 July 2004, 01:33 GMT]
"We regard Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge's public apology for the 1983 pogrom against the Tamils as a deceptive attempt, driven by political expediency rather than principles, to placate the Tamils," said Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) speaking as the chief guest at a public meeting in Trincomalee Sunday evening held at the Welikada Martyrs Memorial Hall in Trincomalee to remember the 21st anniversary of Black July.
Full story >>

LTTE releases audio CD in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 July 2004, 00:38 GMT]
“ At a time when forces against Tamil unity are conspiring to destroy the Tamil nationalist movement, we have to unite and awaken Tamil national consciousness,” said Mr. K.V. Balakumar, a senior member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, speaking at an event to mark the release of an audio CD by the LTTE in Vavuniya Saturday with a view to raising Tamil national consciousness, sources said.
Full story >>

Dissidents within Karuna group killed associates –LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 July 2004, 15:01 GMT]
In a media release Sunday, the Liberation Tigers said that dissidents within the renegade Karuna group killed seven associates of Mr. Vinyagamoorthy Muraleetharan (“Karuna”) because of differences within the group. The dissidents then escaped and surrendered to the Tigers in the Amparai district on Sunday morning, the release said.
Full story >>

Tamil conference slams Indo-Lanka defence pact

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 July 2004, 13:11 GMT]
The World Tamils Confederation came out strongly Sunday against any move for a defence pact between India and Sri Lanka, cautioning that New Delhi was being lured into a "trap to use its army to crush" Tamils in the island.
Full story >>

World Bank to avoid LTTE - paper

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 July 2004, 10:58 GMT]
The World Bank would not provide direct funding to the LTTE and would continue its stance that all funding would be channeled through the Sri Lankan government, the Sunday Times reported this week. The Bank was responding to concerns raised by Sinhala nationalists, the paper said.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka Police find eight dead in safe house

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 July 2004, 07:46 GMT]
Sr Lanka Police Sunday afternoon found eight bodies of persons believed to be close associates of renegade LTTE commander Karuna in a safe house in the interior of Kottawa, an outer suburb of Colombo. The house in Kristal Terrace, Malabe Road, Kottawa, Pannipittiya, was rented by the persons believed to be key Karuna associates two weeks ago residents said. A car belonging to the dead men was parked in front of the house, journalists said.
Full story >>

North East Tamils mourn ‘Black July’

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 July 2004, 07:12 GMT]
Tamils in northeast province Sunday observed a day of mourning to mark the pogrom against Tamils by Sinhala extremists assisted by the then Sri Lanka Government twenty one years ago on 23rd July, 1983. Several Tamil and civil group organizations in Jaffna called for people to close down shops and conduct prayers. More than thousand innocent Tamils in the southern part of the country, majority of them in Colombo were killed, many burnt alive or hacked to death, in daylight in the presence of State security forces during the ‘Black July’.
Full story >>

Karuna associates said killed in Colombo attack

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 July 2004, 02:45 GMT]
More than six key associates of the renegade LTTE commander Mr. Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan (Karuna) were killed in a pre-dawn attack on their safe house in the outskirts of Colombo Sunday, well informed sources in the eastern town of Batticaloa said. However, a senior Police officer in Colombo denied knowledge of any such attack in the city. But journalists from local and foreign media said they located the safe house that was attacked in the general area of Kottawa, an outer suburb of Colombo, around noon.
Full story >>

India turns back TNA MP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 July 2004, 15:41 GMT]
Mr. Eelaventhan, a nominated Tamil National Alliance MP was turned back by Indian immigration authorities Saturday. Indian government officials confirmed that the TNA MP was refused entry to India at the Chennai International Airport Saturday.
Full story >>

Another youth shot dead in east

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 July 2004, 13:05 GMT]
A youth was found shot dead Saturday morning in Pandiruppu, 40 kilometres south of Batticaloa. Police identified him as Mr.Sithamparapillai Thushyanthan, 25, of Mandur, about 32 kilometers southwest of Batticaloa. He was an employee of the Kalmunai branch of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO), Police said.
Full story >>

"Medical development, key to our success"- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 July 2004, 12:50 GMT]
"Our leader's emphasis on developing the needs for our medical division from early days of our struggle, laid the firm foundation that saved the lives of our people and our fighters during the dark periods of war," said LTTE Head of the Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan, during the opening ceremony of a modern ward at the Dr.Ponnambalam Memorial Hospital in Puthukudiyiruppu in Vanni Friday, sources said.
Full story >>

USAID Director opens Festival for Disabled in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 July 2004, 12:12 GMT]
USAID Mission Director Carol Becker lit the ceremonial lamp during the opening ceremony of a sport, music and dance Festival for the Disabled held in Jaffna Saturday in celebration of the 17th Anniversary of the Jaffna Jaipur Centre for Disability Rehabilitation (JJCDR), sources said.
Full story >>

SLA turns down request to handback homes

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 July 2004, 09:43 GMT]
Sri Lanka army Saturday turned down a request by displaced residents of Eluthumadduval North in Jaffna to reclaim their homes occupied by troops since 2000. The area was taken over by the SLA after the fall of the Elephant Pass base in April that year.
Full story >>

RSF fears for Tamil journalist's safety

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 July 2004, 00:35 GMT]
"A dozen [Sri Lanka] police without a warrant searched the Colombo home of Dharmaretnam Sivaram, editor of the news website TamilNet.com for the second time in three months on 23 July," said Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in a press release published on its website. "Reporters Without Borders deplored the post-midnight raid as unjustified and said it was worried about his safety," the report added.
Full story >>

Jaffna to hold sportsmeet for disabled

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 July 2004, 16:59 GMT]
USAID Mission Director Carlo Becker will attend a sport, music and dance Festival for Disabled Individuals in Jaffna. The Festival will be convened on July 24, to celebrate the 17th Anniversary of the Jaffna Jaipur Centre for Disability Rehabilitation (JJCDR), sources said.
Full story >>

LTTE cadre shot dead in Batticaloa north

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 July 2004, 14:36 GMT]
An LTTE cadre identified as Mr. Seenithamby Mahalingam, 28, was shot dead in Kandaladi, near Vakarai, 64 kilometres north of Batticaloa.
Full story >>

LTTE leader Lt Sellakili remembered

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 July 2004, 14:20 GMT]
21st death anniversary of senior leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Lt. Sellakili was observed Friday in Jaffna, sources said. Lt Sellakili led the guerilla attack on a group of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers on 23rd July 1983 at Thirunelvely in Jaffna town. 13 SLA soldiers were killed in the attack.
Full story >>

EPDP protests against Norway

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 July 2004, 13:27 GMT]
More than a hundred persons demonstrated in front of the Norwegian Embassy in Colombo Friday. The demo was organised by the EPDP, a close ally of Sri Lankan President Kumaratunga, to protest against the killing of one of its cadres in Akkaraipattu on the island's Southeastern coast Wednesday. The protestors brought the body of the dead cadre in a coffin.
Full story >>

Tamils cannot be divided and ruled -TNA

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 July 2004, 08:31 GMT]
"The Sri Lankan state and military are using armed groups to divide and rule Tamil society in Batticaloa. They did it in the past. My people will never fall prey to the machinations of divisive forces because they have made immense sacrifices for the Tamil cause", said Mr. Senathirajah Jeyanandamoorthy, Tamil National Alliance MP for Batticaloa, speaking at a press conference by TNA regarding the current situation in the east.
Full story >>

NECORD funds road rehabilitation in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 July 2004, 03:13 GMT]
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded North East Community Restoration Development (NECORD) is planning to fund rehabilitation of internal roads in two pradeshya sabha divisions in Jaffna district, local media in Jaffna reported.
Full story >>

SLA condemned for opposing student participation in LTTE events

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 July 2004, 22:23 GMT]
Several peoples' organizations including leading student groups in Jaffna district have condemned the request made by Major General Susil Chandrapala, Jaffna area commander of the Sri Lanka Army, to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) to stop students participating in events organized by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), civil sources said.
Full story >>

Trader complains of SLA intimidation

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 July 2004, 17:20 GMT]
Mr.S. Sasikumar, a trader residing in the Liberation Tigers controlled village Thalaiyadi located in Vaththirayan north of Vadamarachchi east in Jaffna district Thursday complained to the Jaffna regional office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) that he is intimidated and threatened by Sri Lanka Army soldiers manning Muhamalai checkpoint whenever enters the Sri Lanka government controlled Jaffna to buy provisions for his shop, civil sources said.
Full story >>

Australian High Commissioner visits Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 July 2004, 16:43 GMT]
Mr.David Binns, High Commissioner for Australia in Sri Lanka Thursday morning paid a surprise visit to Jaffna, sources in Jaffna said. Accompanied by the First Secretary, Mr.Binn arrived at Palaly main military air base by a special aircraft and later held discussion with the Jaffna District Secretary and Government Agent Mr.S.Pathmanathan and local heads of government departments, secretariat sources said.
Full story >>

Curb activities of paramilitaries, SLMM urges SL Government

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 July 2004, 12:01 GMT]
''The SLMM has strongly urged the government to take meaningful and effective action to curb the activities of paramilitary groups including that of Karuna faction and the EPDP'', Major General (retd) Trond Furuhovde, Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission told LTTE Head of Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan, when both met in Kilinochchi Thursday morning, LTTE peace secretariat website said.
Full story >>

SLA officer says he arrested missing Jaffna youth

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 July 2004, 09:43 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Attorney General (AG) Thursday informed the Jaffna High Court that Lt. Col. T. M Mahindarathne, a Sri Lanka army officer who is the first respondent in a habeas corpus application, has written to the AG’s department acknowledging that he had indeed taken into custody Mr. Velupillai Uthayakumar on 17 June 1997 in Kodikamam, a town in the northern peninsula. Mr. Uthayakumar is among more than 600 Tamil persons who went missing after they were arrested by the Sri Lanka army in 1996-97.
Full story >>

Insurance salesman shot dead in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 July 2004, 05:03 GMT]
An insurance salesman was shot dead by unidentified gunmen Wednesday night around 8.30 p.m. at Muthiraiyadi on the A5 highway, 22 kilometres northwest of Batticaloa. The gunmen might have mistaken the insurance salesman for an LTTE cadre, sources in the area said.
Full story >>

Police oppose granting bail to Gurunagar fishermen

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 July 2004, 23:52 GMT]
The Jaffna Additional Magistrate Ms Srinithi Nandasekaran Wednesday put off the inquiry for Thursday, into the bail application filed on behalf of the four local fishermen who were arrested by Sri Lanka Police officers for allegedly transporting explosives last week, legal sources said. Police objected to the bail application and stated that they would be filing plaints against the suspects on the next date, according to sources.
Full story >>

SLMM head to meet LTTE political leadership Thursday

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 July 2004, 23:31 GMT]
The Norwegian Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Major General (retd) Trond Furuhovde, is scheduled to hold talks with Political Head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan, Thursday morning at Killinochchi Peace Secretariat, SLMM sources said.
Full story >>

Jaffna fishing production increases amid poaching, security restriction

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 July 2004, 19:13 GMT]
Jaffna district last year recorded a fish production of about 21,206 metric tones amid poaching and restrictions imposed by the Sri Lanka security forces on fishing by local population. Currently about 14,515 fishermen from 14,780 families are engaged in fishing in the peninsula, fisheries sources said.
Full story >>

INGOs' funds not fully utilized in Jaffna district

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 July 2004, 16:37 GMT]
Less than fifty percent of the funds allocated by the international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) for the implementation of several welfare projects in Jaffna district was spent last year, civil sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Journalists thwart Police attempt to stop demo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 July 2004, 10:11 GMT]
Journalists Wednesday thwarted an attempt to prevent them from holding a demonstration against Sri Lanka Police brutality in Kosgoda, a town in Sri Lanka’s southern coast. Several media organisations led by the Free Media Movement protested in front of the Kosgoda Police station Wednesday afternoon for brutally assaulting four journalists who were covering a public protest against the Police in the southern town last week.
Full story >>

EPDP cadre shot dead in Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 July 2004, 09:30 GMT]
A senior EPDP cadre in the east was shot dead by an unidentified gunman around 2.05 p.m. Wednesday in Akkaraipattu town, 64 kilometres south of Batticaloa on Sri Lanka's southeastern coast. The gunman who came on a motorbike shot the EPDP cadre six times with a pistol while armed Police guards stoodby in the town's busy public bus stand area.
Full story >>

Navatkuli SLA Commander to appear in Court

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 July 2004, 01:50 GMT]
Captain Duminda Kepattipola who was in charge of the Navatkuli Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp will appear in Chavakachcheri Court when a case related to 1995-1997 disappearances in Jaffna is scheduled to begin hearing, local media in Jaffna reported.
Full story >>

SLA opposes student participation in LTTE events

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 July 2004, 00:46 GMT]
Major General Susil Chandrapala, Jaffna area commander of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), has requested the Human Rights of Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) to take steps to stop students participating in events organized by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in future, sources said.
Full story >>

Six new Parliamentarians sworn in

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 July 2004, 00:32 GMT]
Six new parliamentarians were sworn in when the fifth session of the Sri Lanka's thirteenth parliament began Tuesday morning at 10 a.m with Speaker Mr.W.J.M.Lokkubandara in the chair. Three of the parliamentarians were from the ruling minority United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and the rest were from the main opposition United National Front (UNF), parliamentary sources said.
Full story >>

Two men shot in Eravur

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 July 2004, 15:20 GMT]
Two persons were shot by unidentified gunmen around 8.30 p.m. Tuesday in Eravur, 16 kilometres north of Batticaloa town. Police said the two were left for dead by their assailants. Both survived the shooting with wounds, they said. One of the wounded was formerly a member of the LTTE, according to Eravur Police.
Full story >>

Tamil MPs slam SLA, paramilitaries for threats to media

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 July 2004, 14:14 GMT]
“Journalist Nadesan was murdered because the Sri Lankan government did not disarm paramilitary groups working with the military as it agreed to do under the cease-fire agreement. A paramilitary group in Batticaloa killed Nadesan and is threatening other independent journalists with death. This group cannot roam Batticaloa with weapons and intimidate and murder journalists without the military’s permission”, said Mr. Senathirajah Jeyanandamoorthy, Tamil National Alliance MP for Batticaloa speaking Tuesday during a debate in the Sri Lankan Parliament on the state of the media in the island.
Full story >>

Japan funds Surgery Unit in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 July 2004, 10:15 GMT]
Japanese Government funded new Intensive Care Unit (ICU)was opened at the Kilinochchi Hospital Tuesday, sources from Vanni said. Dr. Yugi Miahara from the Economic Division of the Japanese Embassy unveiled the name plate and opened the new building during the opening ceremony.
Full story >>

Fall of SLA’s Mullaithivu base remembered

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 July 2004, 03:36 GMT]
The public in Mullaithivu conducted a special rally Sunday to mark the capture eight years ago of the Sri Lanka Army’s Mullaithivu base by the Liberation Tigers, press reports from the North said.
Full story >>

SL soldiers in Jaffna train for special operations

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 July 2004, 03:00 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army headquarters in Jaffna has announced that its soldiers are being trained in special operations in small groups, and the training, conducted over a period of two months, will significantly improve the SLA’s attack capability, sources quoted the SLA headquarters in Jaffna as saying.
Full story >>

No date fixed for parliamentary debate on ISGA

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 July 2004, 17:12 GMT]
No date has been fixed for the proposed three day debate on the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) proposal of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the fourth session of the parliament which is scheduled to begin Tuesday amid confusion and controversy as the minority United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government is still struggling to secure parliamentary majority, political sources said.
Full story >>

HRC attends problems of Thenmaradchchi fishermen

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 July 2004, 17:11 GMT]
The Jaffna regional office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) Monday invited the Jaffna area commander of the Sri Lanka Army Major General Susil Chandrapala for a discussion on the problems confronted by fishermen of Kohilakandy in Thenamaradchchi south division in Jaffna district, fisheries societies sources said.
Full story >>

PTA was big blunder by Tamil politicians - TNA MP

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 July 2004, 16:46 GMT]
“Tamil Parliamentarians committed a great blunder by not opposing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). It was wrong on our part for not objecting or raising our voices against the draconian bill”, said Mr. Nadarajah Raviraj, Tamil National Alliance MP for Jaffna, speaking Monday at a public meeting in Colombo to mark the 25th anniversary of the PTA and to launch a campaign for its repeal. The meeting was organised at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute in Colombo jointly by the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) and the Centre for Human Rights and Development (CHRD).
Full story >>

World Bank team holds workshop in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 July 2004, 10:50 GMT]
World Bank Country Director for Sri Lanka, Mr. Peter Harrold, and a team of World Bank officials held a workshop on humanitarian delivery at the Planning and Development Secretariat in Kilinochchi Monday, LTTE's peace secretariat website said. Head of LTTE Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan also separately met with Mr.Harrold, the report added.
Full story >>

Batticaloa jail murder accused transferred to Moneragala

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 July 2004, 02:10 GMT]
Mahendran Puvitharan, the Batticaloa jail inmate accused of killing 'Satchi Master,' and another a key associate of renegade commander Karuna was transferred to a prison in Moneragala, Uva province, local media reported.
Full story >>

Paper examines growing relevance of Tamil Diaspora

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 July 2004, 23:19 GMT]
A policy paper prepared for the Berghof Foundation for Conflict Management, Germany by the Department of Sociology and Centre of Refugee Studies, York University, Toronto, Canada, recommends diaspora circulation "as an effective tool for engaging the diaspora in a meaningful way in the reconstruction and development of war-torn areas in Sri Lanka," and urges home countries to reformulate "citizenship, migration and development policies in order to facilitate the constructive involvement of diaspora."
Full story >>

CWC blows hot and cold

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 July 2004, 12:46 GMT]
The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), a member of Sri Lanka’s opposition, blew hot and cold on joining the President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s minority government, according to reports in the Tamil press last week. Meanwhile, the Sunday Times said that the plantation workers’ party was still undecided on the switching sides, while the Sunday Leader said this week “joint opposition was buoyed by information the CWC for the foreseeable future will not join the government.”
Full story >>

Dates for parliamentary debate on ISGA to be decided Monday

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 July 2004, 11:32 GMT]
The dates for the three-day debate on the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) proposal submitted by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) last year, will be decided at the Monay meeting of the leaders of political parties represented in the current Sri Lanka parliament, parliamentary sources said.
Full story >>

Six Pt. Pedro fishermen said missing

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 July 2004, 09:44 GMT]
Six fishermen who set out to sea on Friday, 16 July, from Inparutty, a coastal suburb on the outskirts of Pt. Pedro town in Jaffna, are missing relatives said. A search party returned empty handed, said a spokesman for the local fisheries society.
Full story >>

SLA returns 450-acres paddy fields back to Thenmaradchchi farmers

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 July 2004, 19:55 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Saturday handed over 450 acres of paddy lands in Maravanpulo village, which come under the high security zone of Thenmaradchchi south division, to the Jaffna District Government Agent Mr.S.Pathmanathan, civil sources said. According to records maintained by the GA, SLA is currently occupying more than three thousand acres of paddy lands in this division for the last four years.
Full story >>

German FM in Colombo to lobby for UN security council seat

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 July 2004, 17:39 GMT]
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer arrived in Sri Lanka Saturday night for a two-day visit as part of his ten- day tour in Asia. He is scheduled to meet several Sri Lankan leaders, including President Kumaratunga, during his short visit. Garnering support for Germany's bid for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council is on top of Fischer's agenda, a press note on his visit said.
Full story >>

SL Prime Minister leaves for India

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 July 2004, 16:17 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse Saturday night left for India on a two day official visit at the invitation of his counterpart Dr.Manmohan Singh. This is Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse's first official visit abroad after he became the Prime Minister.
Full story >>

Children's Home Director, aide arrested on child abuse charge

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 July 2004, 14:46 GMT]
The administration of ''Anpu Illam,'' a leading institution providing shelter for children, majority of them victims of war in the Trincomalee district, has been handed over to the North East Provincial Department of Probation and Child Care on the orders of Trincomalee Magistrate and Additional Judge Mr.S.Thiagendran following complaints of child abuse and other irregularities, legal sources said. The Director and one of his aides have been arrested on charges of child abuse, according to the same legal sources.
Full story >>

Indian fishermen rescue refugees, get jailed

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 July 2004, 13:09 GMT]
Mannar judge Saturday remanded until 30 July two Indian fishermen who had rescued a group of refugees stranded at midsea in an overloaded boat. The judge released the thirty four refugees after reprimanding them for giving contradictory statements to hide the identities of the 'refugee smugglers' who had brought them in the overloded boat from the South Indian coast for a fee.
Full story >>

Chinese Opera rendered in Tamil

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 July 2004, 11:22 GMT]
Tamil version of a Chinese Opera from Peking, The Red Lantern, was staged by Veruveli Drama Group of the Fine-Arts Department of the Arts Faculty of University of Jaffna Saturday. The theme of the drama centered around a Chinese activist family that contributed to preserving and sustaining the Chinese struggle through three generations of Japanese occupation.
Full story >>

Batti-Amparai TNA MPs meet Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 July 2004, 11:22 GMT]
Batticaloa-Amparai Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians met with LTTE Head of Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan in the LTTE Peace Secretariat premises Saturday morning, source in Vanni said. Matters related to currently prevailing situation in Batticaloa district were the focus of the discussions according sources.
Full story >>

Two Muttur Muslim traders shot dead

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 July 2004, 04:01 GMT]
Two traders in Muttur division in Trincomalee were shot Friday night around 8.30 p.m in the Sri Lanka government controlled area by unidentified gunmen. One died on the spot and the other succumbed to gunshot injuries in the Muttur district hospital later on admission, Muttur Police said.
Full story >>

UPFA, UNF draw battle lines to prove Parliamentary majority

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 July 2004, 00:53 GMT]
With three days to go for the next session of parliament, the minority ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and the main opposition United National Front (UNF) are making frenzied efforts to prove their majority. The UNF still claims it has 114 members of the 225 member parliament. But the ruling UPFA says that there would be a dramatic turn in the power struggle in favour of the government after its sweeping victory in the six provincial councils' poll last Saturday, political sources said.
Full story >>

India extends credit line to Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 July 2004, 17:23 GMT]
The Government of India has extended a special credit line with a value of US$150 million to Sri Lanka on request from Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga enabling Sri Lanka to import petroleum products from India, a statement from Ms.Kumaratunge's office said today.
Full story >>

SL Govt. is preparing for war-Jaffna undergrads

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 July 2004, 15:57 GMT]
''Main aim of the Deputy Defense Minister Mr.Ratnasiri Wickremanayake's visit to Jaffna district was to put the security forces on red alert for another war. His inspection of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) forward defense lines of Muhamalai has proved Sri Lanka government's intention beyond any doubt,'' said the Jaffna University Students Forum (JUSF) in a statement issued to the media today.
Full story >>

US military assistance weakening peace process -TNA

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 July 2004, 15:52 GMT]
Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians told Ms Cody Taylor, political officer of the United States (US) embassy, that the progress made during the peace talks in affording equal status to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) with the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) has been weakened by the military training and assistance given by the U.S. Government to the Sri Lanka armed forces. Ms Taylor arrived in Jaffna Friday afternoon and met with the TNA parliamentarians at the office of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) in Jaffna town, sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

US-Sri Lanka to jointly strengthen Colombo port security

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 July 2004, 14:41 GMT]
The United States (US) and the Sri Lanka will soon enter discussions regarding the island’s participation in ‘Mega Ports,’ a US Department of Energy (DOE) initiative to curb the illicit movement of radioactive materials worldwide. Representatives from DOE’s ‘Mega Ports’ initiative will visit Colombo to discuss the program with Sri Lankan officials, said the US embassy press release issued Friday.
Full story >>

USAID launches English teaching program in NE

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 July 2004, 14:37 GMT]
Mr. Justin Sherman, Country Representative of USAID's Office Transition Initiatives (OTI) Thursday launched a US funded training of trainers program to enhance the standard of English teaching in the districts of Jaffna and Trincomalee.
Full story >>

SL President committed to peace despite Batticaloa fears - Dhanapala

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 July 2004, 12:54 GMT]
The delay in restarting peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers is due the preparation of the agenda, said Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala, chairman of the GOSL peace secretariat, speaking to journalists at the conclusion of his visit to Batticaloa Friday. Speaking in Sinhala, he said the situation in the east is bad after Karuna split from the LTTE and that there is a concern that this could adversely affect the peace. President Kumaratunga, however, remains committed to taking forward the peace process, Dr. Dhanapala said.
Full story >>

Hundred thousand drop in Jaffna student population - GA

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 July 2004, 11:34 GMT]
Jaffna's student population has dwindled by more than a hundred thousand since 1995, Government Agent for the northern district said Friday, speaking at a meeting on development priorities in the peninsula. Educationists in Jaffna say prolonged war, poverty, displacement and garrisioning of entire towns and villages by Sri Lankan armed forces caused the huge drop in the peninsula's student population.
Full story >>

Campaign to repeal PTA to be launched

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 July 2004, 09:23 GMT]
The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) and the Centre for Human Rights and Development (CHRD), which have their headquarters in Colombo, are to launch a campaign to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), which is in operation for the last 25 years.
Full story >>

New ambulance boat service for Jaffna Islets

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 July 2004, 02:10 GMT]
The Ambulance Boat service to be inaugurated early August to serve the residents of Jaffna islets will operate the Boat out of Kurukkadduvan Jetty in Punguduthivu, said Deputy Health Service Commissioner for Jaffna district, Dr.E.Theivendram, local media reported..
Full story >>

GOSL Peace Secretariat head to visit Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 July 2004, 16:40 GMT]
Mr.Jayantha Dhanapala, Secretary General of the Peace Secretariat of the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) is scheduled to visit Batticaloa Friday to hold talks with the local heads of State armed forces and Police and representatives of civil organizations to study the ground situation of the volatile Batticaloa district, sources said.
Full story >>

Indian trawlers continue poaching in northern sea

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 July 2004, 16:38 GMT]
Vadamarachi North Fisheries Societies Federation in Jaffna district Thursday complained that hundreds of Indian trawlers are daily engaged in poaching in the Sri Lankan northern territorial waters. These Indian trawlers are seen about 12 km from the shore of Vadamarachchi, Federation sources said.
Full story >>

EPDP says party paper burnt

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 July 2004, 14:30 GMT]
Copies of a Tamil weekly 'Thinamurasu'', published in Colombo by Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) were burnt in Jaffna by unidentified persons Wednesday evening, EPDP sources said.
Full story >>

Police say fishermen arrested with explosives in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 July 2004, 11:31 GMT]
Four fishermen accused of smuggling explosives were produced in the Jaffna court Thursday. Police told the court that the four were arrested at the CeyNor Jetty in Gurunagar, a coastal suburb of the northern town, with four 250 gram packets of TNT and four detonators.
Full story >>

Lt.Col.Senathi's body buried

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 July 2004, 03:31 GMT]
Body of Lt.Col.Senathi, LTTE political head of Batticaloa town, who succumbed to gun shot injuries received on 5 July at Arasady junction in Batticaloa, was buried in Thandiyadi Heroes Cemetary Wednesday afternoon, reports from Batticaloa said.
Full story >>

Key Karuna associate shot dead in Batticaloa jail

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 July 2004, 03:13 GMT]
A key associate of the renegade commander was assassinated inside the Batticaloa prison in the early hours of the morning Thursday. Police and army surrounded the prison as the gunman who shot dead 'Satchi Master' and another associate of Karuna climbed the jail roof with his handgun and a grenade. He surrendered to Police in the presence of the ICRC and truce monitors later around 10.45 p.m.
Full story >>

Soccer tournament in Trinco in memory of Lt Seelan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 July 2004, 18:33 GMT]
Trincomalee district sports section of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) sponsored Foot Ball tournament under the auspices of Trincomalee Foot Ball League to mark the twenty first death anniversary of senior military leader Lt.Seelan (Charles Antony) was inaugurated Wednesday in Trincomalee Mc Heyzer Stadium.
Full story >>

Government bent on creating war-phobia - Elilan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 July 2004, 17:53 GMT]
''Statements made by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and chauvinist political parties on the question of finding a political solution to the Tamil national question are aimed to create disharmony among communities and to unleash violence in Sri Lanka,'' said Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) addressing a meeting held at Eachchilampathu Sri Shenabaga Maha Vidiyalayam in the Muttur east division Tuesday. The meeting was organized by the Thamileelam National Resurgence Forum, sources said.
Full story >>

Police arrest Myanmar nationals in Mannar

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 July 2004, 15:58 GMT]
Sri Lanka Police produced in the Mannar courts Wednesday two Myanmar nationals who had escaped from a detention centre for foreigners near Colombo. The two men were arrested while loitering in the shrub around the long abandoned Thalaimannar railway station on Tuesday morning.
Full story >>

Karuna cadre killed, two injured

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 July 2004, 12:56 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers in Batticaloa said that a key associate of renegade commander 'Karuna' was killed in an ambush by one of their special jungle warfare units in Batticaloa Wednesday afternoon around 2.45 p.m. "We ambushed a small group of the paramilitary Karuna Group carrying small arms upon information provided by civilians. We recovered the body of a key person of the Karuna Group. A search is on to apprehend the others", an LTTE military officer said.
Full story >>

Colombo promoting Karuna to destroy LTTE – US think tank

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 July 2004, 12:35 GMT]
Former LTTE Commander Karuna's defection was supported at the highest levels of the Sri Lankan government with tacit US approval, press reports quoted US geopolitical analysts as saying this week.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka, LTTE urged to sign anti-landmine treaties

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 July 2004, 11:23 GMT]
Landmine Ban Advocay Forum, a group of Humanitarian Organizations, including the UNDP and UNICEF, called on the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers to sign treaties Banning Anti-Personnel Landmines in Colombo Wednesday.
Full story >>

Large demo in Mannar against govt officials

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 July 2004, 11:05 GMT]
More than six thousand persons including catholic priests marched and demonstrated in Mannar town Wednesday against senior Sri Lankan government officials. A memorandum stating that senior officials in Mannar are neglecting development work in the district, giving preference to outsiders in settlement schemes and are discriminating on the basis of religion.
Full story >>

SLA promises rent payment on occupied Valigamam buildings

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 July 2004, 10:39 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army's (SLA) public liason officier, Mr.S.Sriwardene, in Manipay Jaffna told a Valigamam West co-operative club meeting that the SLA will soon start paying rents for all public building and houses it occupies in Vali West Pradeshya sabha, local media reported Wednesday.
Full story >>

Foundation stone laid for new Jaffna Court complex

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 July 2004, 10:21 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Chief Justice Mr.Sarath N.Silva laid the foundation stone for a modern court complex in Jaffna Wednesday. The complex is to be constructed at a cost of 160 million rupees with financial assistance from the International Development Agency (IDA) of the World Bank under the Legal and Judicial Reforms Project, sources said.
Full story >>

CWC empowers Thondaman to decide on next political move

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 July 2004, 18:22 GMT]
The politburo of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), a constituent of the main opposition United National Front (UNF) Tuesday empowered its leader Mr.Arumugam Thondaman to study the current political situation following the defeat of the UNF in the Saturday's provincial council and to take a decision whether to join the minority United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government or not, CWC sources said.
Full story >>

Terror Stalks journalists in the East - RSF

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 July 2004, 17:48 GMT]
The French media watchdog Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF) said Tuesday in special report on threats faced by journalists in Sri Lanka's eastcoast: "The impunity which prevails in cases involving the murder and assault of journalists is seriously jeopardizing press freedom and the peace process in Sri Lanka."
Full story >>

JVP wants police promotions probed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 July 2004, 16:00 GMT]
The Sinhala Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government Tuesday requested Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge to order a full scale probe into the alleged irregularities in the recent promotion of police officers made by the National Police Commission (NPC), sources said.
Full story >>

SLA objects to hoisting Tiger flag

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 July 2004, 12:05 GMT]
Tension prevailed between the soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army and members of the public Monday evening in Vathiri area in Vadamarachchi division in Jaffna district over the question of hoisting Tiger flag in a public function when organizers refused to bring down the flag, residents said.
Full story >>

Peace process in great crisis- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 July 2004, 11:12 GMT]
"The peace process is in great crisis. The Sri Lankan government should take constructive steps to stabilize the cease fire. But a cabinet minister in the government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) is openly aiding 'Karuna' to attack us. The manner in which the GOSL and its armed forces are backing Karuna is jeopardising peace," said Mr. S.P Thamilchelvan, speaking to the press after meeting Norway's ambassador to Sri Lanka Tuesday in Kilinochchi.
Full story >>

Nainativu student reported missing

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 July 2004, 10:17 GMT]
Mr.Rajagopal Gajendran (18),a student of Nainativu Maha Vidiyalayam is reported missing since July 5, according to a complaint lodged with the Jaffna regional office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) by his parents Monday, sources said.
Full story >>

Wounded LTTE official dies

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 July 2004, 09:52 GMT]
Mr. Senathirajah, the head of the LTTE's political divison for Batticaloa town succumbed to his injuries Tuesday around 1.30 p.m. He was shot and wounded by gunmen suspected to be associates of renegade LTTE commaner 'Karuna' on 5 July.
Full story >>

CFA is in jeopardy- Gajendrakumar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 July 2004, 03:30 GMT]
"...Ceasefire agreement [CFA] itself is in grave jeopardy, and without the ceasefire, there cannot be a peace process at all," said Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian from Jaffna district, when TamilNet caught up with him in Washington D.C. and asked him for his views on the steadily deteriorating situation in Sri Lanka. Gajendrakumar is currently on a U.S. tour meeting with U.S. officials and addressing Tamil expatriates in different States.
Full story >>

Security Forces, LTTE meet in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 July 2004, 00:14 GMT]
Liberation Tigers agreed to cooperate with Sri Lanka Security Forces to bring the violence and murders in Vavuniya district under control in a meeting attended by Senior LTTE officials and Security Forces commanders at the offices of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission in Vavuniya Monday, security sources said.
Full story >>

Eastern lecturers ‘planning to flee’ - paper

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 July 2004, 00:01 GMT]
Frightened by possible death threats due to the increasing violence in the east, around ten senior lecturers of the Eastern University are planning to flee the country on Sabbatical leave, the Daily Mirror reported in its Tuesday edition.
Full story >>

JVP declines to accept post in Provincial Council

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 July 2004, 18:05 GMT]
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), coalition partner of the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government said Monday that it would not accept post of chief minister or minister in the newly elected six provincial councils.
Full story >>

Katkovalam fisherman say SLA retarding trade

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 July 2004, 17:03 GMT]
Fishermen of Katkovalam, a coastal village south of Pt. Pedro in Jaffna, Monday complained that a Sri Lanka army (SLA)checkpoint at their beach market is scuttling sales.
Full story >>

Deputy Defence Minister visits Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 July 2004, 16:23 GMT]
Mr.Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Deputy Minister for Defence and the Minister of Public Security, Law and Order and Buddha Sasana Monday paid a visit to Jaffna accompanied by the Service Chiefs of three armed forces. He arrived in Palaly by a special aircraft, security sources said.
Full story >>

CWC leaders meet Tuesday to decide future political strategy

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 July 2004, 16:19 GMT]
Senior leaders of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), a constituent of the main opposition United National Front (UNF) are scheduled to meet Tuesday to map out their political strategy following the capture of six provincial councils by the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) at the Saturday polls, political sources said.
Full story >>

Norwegian ambassador to visit Killinochchi Tuesday

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 July 2004, 14:35 GMT]
Norwegian ambassador in Sri Lanka Mr. Hans Brattskar is scheduled to hold discussions with the Political Head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan Tuesday, sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>

JVP mounts poster campaign against Peace Talks

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 July 2004, 10:56 GMT]
Jantha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), ultra leftist and Marxist coalition partner of United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government today began a poster campaign in Colombo and suburbs against pursuing peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelalm (LTTE), political sources from Colombo said.
Full story >>

Captain Vanathy memorial prizes awarded at literary event

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 July 2004, 00:05 GMT]
Literary prizes from Captain Vanathy memorial competition (2004) were awarded and Senior women writers were felicitated in a ceremony, organized by Capt. Vanathy Publications, and held in District Cultural Hall in Kilinochchi Sunday at 10.00 am, sources in Vanni said. The event was presided by Thamilaval, a director at the publishing organization sponsoring the event.
Full story >>

SLA hands over Nelliady occupied lands to owners

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 July 2004, 16:45 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) after eight years of its occupation Sunday handed over a section of the agricultural land used for cultivation of subsidiary crops located in Nelliyady area in the Vadamarachchi division in Jaffna district to their owners in the presence of representatives of Nelliyady Farmers Society led by its President Mr.S. Ratnasabapathy. SLA official T.Jayantha of 52-4 Brigade located in the area participated in the event, civil sources said.
Full story >>

UPFA sweeps provincial council elections

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 July 2004, 16:19 GMT]
The ruling United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA) took control of the administration of all six provincial councils, Central, Western, Southern, Sabragamuwa, Uva and North Central, which went for polls, Saturday, election department sources said.
Full story >>

LTTE slams Colombo for open support to renegade

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 July 2004, 14:44 GMT]
Head of the Liberation Tigers' political division for Batticaloa, Mr. E Kousalyan, Sunday slammed the Sri Lankan government for "openly promoting" renegade commander Mr. Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan (Karuna) by "providing him state radio facilities to attack the Tigers with the obvious aim of destroying the mutual goodwill on which the cease fire is based."
Full story >>

Four Tamil youth arrested with weapons near Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 July 2004, 13:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka Police arrested four Tamil youth with weapons Saturday night in a town near Colombo. One of them is from Batticaloa, Police said.
Full story >>

Petersen says ‘too early’ to predict talks

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 July 2004, 12:09 GMT]
It is "too early" to say when the peace talks between the Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers would start again, Norway's Foreign Minister, Jan Petersen, said last week in an interview to The Hindu newspaper. Mr. Petersen expressed confidence that the two year old cease-fire would continue to hold but said “it would probably be unrealistic to think that we will not have any more incidents.”
Full story >>

Thamilchelvan meets SLMM Head

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 July 2004, 11:06 GMT]
Major General (Retd.) Trond Furuhovde, Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) met with Head of LTTE Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan in the Peace Secretariat building in Kilinochchi Sunday, LTTE's website said. Director of the Peace Secretariat, Pulithevan, accompanied Mr. Thamilchelvan for the discussions.
Full story >>

Sharp drop in tourist arrivals

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 July 2004, 10:52 GMT]
The outbreak of the dengue epidemic in Sri Lanka has resulted in a sharp drop in tourist arrivals this week, The Sunday Leader quoted government officials as saying.
Full story >>

Top monks: ‘a strong army is an asset’

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 July 2004, 10:51 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s most senior Buddhist monks last week called for a strong army, saying it would be an asset to the country, whether there is war or peace, press reports said Friday. The top monks of the powerful Asgiriya and Malwatte chapters, made their comments when bestowing official blessing on the new Army Commander Lt. Gen. Shantha Kottegoda last Wednesday, reports added.
Full story >>

US military intelligence team visits Palaly

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 July 2004, 10:38 GMT]
A top US military intelligence team visited the sprawling Sri Lankan armed forces base of Palaly-Kankesanthurai in Jaffna for high level discussions on security and defence issues, according reports in the Tamil press Sunday.
Full story >>

"View ISGA as the prelude to reunion"- Uyangoda

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 July 2004, 01:58 GMT]
"Many UPFA critics have argued that the LTTE's ISGA proposals are a stepping-stone to secession. But, a government that is serious about negotiated peace in Sri Lanka should also be able to see a negotiated ISGA as the prelude to reunion after years of a secessionist war," said Professor Jeyadeva Uyangoda in a political analysis column that appeared in Friday's Daily Mirror, a daily broadsheet published in Colombo.
Full story >>

Jaffna wins crown in first NorthEast athletic meet

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 July 2004, 17:51 GMT]
Jaffna district emerged champions in the first Thamileelam Junior Track and Field meet held in Jaffna during the weekend. Trincomalee district became the runners-up and the third place went to Mannar district. However the Trincomalee district bagged the highest gold medals with 19, Jaffna district 15, Amparai 09, Kilinochchi 07, Mannar and Mullaitivu 5 each, Vavuniya 6 and Batticaloa 3, sources said.
Full story >>

Claymore mine recovered near Jaffna secretariat

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 July 2004, 17:21 GMT]
A live claymore mine was discovered by members of public Saturday afternoon near an abandoned Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp situated near the Jaffna district Secretariat. On receipt of information the SLA bomb disposal squad rushed to the site and removed the explosive, civil group sources said.
Full story >>

Smugglers arrive in Mannar among refugees

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 July 2004, 14:36 GMT]
The Mannar magistrate Saturday remanded until July 22 four boatmen and their assistants for illegally ferrying twelve refugees and two alleged smugglers from South India. Talaimannar Police arrested the smugglers with gold jewellery and clothes, legal sources in Mannar said.
Full story >>

SLN refuses students entry to explore Mandaitivu Corals

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 July 2004, 14:04 GMT]
Advanced level students from Vembadi Girls school, Jaffna, and teachers who were on a science expedition to study coral developments along shallow waters along Mandaitivu beach were refused permission to enter the shores by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) checkpoint at the Mandaitivu junction Thursday, Jaffna daily Uthayan reported.
Full story >>

EU urges parties to restart talks

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 July 2004, 11:43 GMT]
European Union (EU) in a statement issued Saturday expressed its concern about the escalation of violence and urged all parties to continue to respect the Cease-fire Agreement and to work towards resuming the peace talks.
Full story >>

Flag Day to commemorate Welikada prison massacre victims

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 July 2004, 11:02 GMT]
The Flag Day jointly organized by the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) and Tamil People Forum (TPF) to commemorate the massacre of 53 Tamil political activists in Welikada jail twenty one years ago in July 1983 was inaugurated in Trincomalee town Saturday morning at the office of the TELO presided by a TELO enior activist Mr.Anpumani. Mr. Indrakumar Prasanna, general secretary of the TELO inaugurated the flag week in Batticaloa town.
Full story >>

Voter turn out low for PC polls

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 July 2004, 08:52 GMT]
Voter turn out for elections to six provincial councils in Sri Lanka on Saturday was the lowest in the island's polls history, officials said. ''Only 45 percent of the voters cast their votes today'', a senior election official in Colombo said. "Disgust with the current political confusion appears to be the cause behind this voter apathy", said a columnist for a Sinhala daily in Colombo. TamilNet confirmed with the election officials the final voter turn out for the elections was 45 percent.
Full story >>

'Denial of rights basis of our struggle'- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 July 2004, 04:43 GMT]
"The denial of our human rights is the basis of our struggle. We have not effectively conveyed this message to the world... We will also bring about greater awareness of human rights and related international conventions among our people," said Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, head of the Liberation Tigers' political division, addressing the opening of the LTTE's Human Rights Secretariat Friday in Kilinochchi.
Full story >>

Career guidance seminar held in Trinco

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 July 2004, 01:13 GMT]
The Chamber's Biz College Trincomalee held a one day Career Guidance Seminar for Trincomalee students supported by CIMA Sri Lanka Division, Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM), Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) and Impact House of Advertising. The event was co-sponsored by Emerald International Ltd.
Full story >>

IDA funds modern Court complex for Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 July 2004, 00:37 GMT]
On July 14 Wednesday Sri Lanka's Chief Justice Mr.Sarath N.Silva will lay the foundation stone for the modern court complex in Jaffna to be constructed at a cost of 160 million rupees with financial assistance from the International Development Agency (IDA) of the World Bank under the Legal and Judicial Reforms Project. The construction work would be completed in October 2005, sources said.
Full story >>

HRC commences investigation into SLA harassment

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 July 2004, 18:13 GMT]
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) Thursday commenced inquiry into complaints made by resident-fishermen of Kovilakandy in Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district against the harassment by Sri Lanka Army soldiers (SLA) located in the area, civil sources said.
Full story >>

Court issues notice to SLA official

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 July 2004, 16:57 GMT]
The Chavakachcheri Magistrate Mr.P.Subramaniam Friday issued notice on the first respondent, Sri Lanka Army official Dumminda Keppetipola, in a Habeas Corpus application through SLA counsel to appear on the next date without fail. The Magistrate made this order when it was brought to his notice Mr. Dumminda Keppetipola had failed to appear in court for the last six months, legal sources said.
Full story >>

Village official shot dead in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 July 2004, 15:14 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen Friday shot dead a village officer in Kalladi Uppodai, on the southern outskirts of Batticaloa town. Mr. Kunjithamby Sivarasa 47, was killed at his home around 5.30 p.m. by two gunmen who came on motorbike, Police said. Mr. Sivarasa was the village officer for Karadiyanaaru in the LTTE controlled hinterland of the Batticaloa District.
Full story >>

Navaly massacre of 147 Tamil civilians remembered

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 July 2004, 13:26 GMT]
The ninth death anniversary of 147 Tamil civilians including men, women and children who were killed in the indiscriminate bombing by the Sri Lanka Air Force bombers and artillery attack by the Sri Lanka Army on Navaly St Peters Church and Navaly Murugamoorthy Kovil in the Jaffna district falls Friday. Several commemorative events were held Friday in Navaly by relatives of those dead and other civil groups in these areas, sources said.
Full story >>

Two Karuna militants executed

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 July 2004, 12:51 GMT]
Two militants belonging to the Karuna group were executed by the Liberation Tigers in Illupadichchenai in Batticaloa, local Tamil media said.
Full story >>

ISGA critical to peace, Tamil MPs tell US Think Tank

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 July 2004, 02:14 GMT]
In a panel session organized by Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C., Mr.R.Sampanthan and Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians, told the audience that implementation of Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) proposed by the LTTE is critical to sustainable peace. Ms.Teresita Schaffer, former U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and CSIS Director of South Asia program presided the meeting.
Full story >>

USAID workshop on ethnic conflict held in Trinco

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 July 2004, 01:19 GMT]
USAID sponsored two-day workshop organized by the Trincomalee Social Development and Research Organization (SDRO) on Ethnic Conflict and its related issues concluded Thursday at Trincomalee New Silver Star Hotel. Representatives of about thirty non-governmental organizations in the east port town participated in the workshop, SDRO sources said.
Full story >>

Bubulla Vihare Chief Incumbent injured in grenade attack

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 July 2004, 17:12 GMT]
Venerable Lendigele Sudassi, Chief Incumbent of the Bodhirukkaharamaya Temple in Bubulla in Hingurakgoda where last Tuesday midnight the Hingurakgoda Police arrested fourteen suspected Karuna faction Tamil youths with automatic weapons, was seriously injured in a grenade attack that took place Thursday around 7.30 p.m., police said.
Full story >>

WFP, Japanese teams visit Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 July 2004, 17:09 GMT]
The World Food Programme (WFP) has come forward to provide financial assistance to launch fisheries development projects in the Jaffna district. As a prelude, a team of officials comprised Mr.M.Mazlan Jusoh, Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) resident representative for Sri Lanka and Maldives and his Programme Officer Mr.K.P.Sugathapala arrived in Jaffna Thursday to conduct a feasibility study, Jaffna district secretariat sources said.
Full story >>

"Stop constructing Buddhist shrines in Tamil villages"-TNA MP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 July 2004, 17:06 GMT]
"The construction of Buddhist Vihares on lands in traditional Tamil villages in the Trincomalee district would cause serious impact on the current peace process and would disturb the mutual understanding and co-existence that prevails among various communities in the district," said Trincomalee District Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Mr.K.Thurairetnasingham in a letter to the Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge.
Full story >>

Tigers deny involvement in suicide attack

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 July 2004, 05:29 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Thursday denied any involvement in the suicide attack in Colombo on Wednesday in which four Sri Lankan Police were killed. Mr. S. P Thamichelvan, head of the LTTE’s political division told TamilNet Thursday that the Tigers had “absolutely no connection in the suicide bombing in Colombo”.
Full story >>

Nirupama Rao, new Indian Envoy to Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 July 2004, 00:01 GMT]
Nirupama Menon Rao, currently additional secretary in charge of administration in the External Affairs Ministry of the Government of India has been appointed as the High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Indian media sources reported. She becomes the first Indian woman to hold this post in Sri Lanka.
Full story >>

Missing fishermen return safe

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 July 2004, 23:20 GMT]
Three fishermen Mr.S.Ruban and Mr.T.Sriskandarajah of Inbaruty and Mr.T.Subramaniam of Viyaparimoolai in Vadamarachchi division who were reported missing since Sunday returned safely Tuesday around midnight, fisheries sources said.
Full story >>

"Kollupitya bomb blast won't affect peace process"- SLFP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 July 2004, 17:38 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), a major constituent in the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance government said in a statement issued Wednesday evening that the suicide bomb blast in the Kollupitya police station will not cause any adverse impact on the peace process and the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, political sources said.
Full story >>

Trincomalee Town Lions Club appoints new President

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 July 2004, 14:45 GMT]
Mr.B.Uthayashankar, an Accountant by profession was appointed President of the Lions Club of Trincomalee Town recently for the ensuing year 2004-2005 at an event held at Silver Beach Hotel, Allesgarden, and Trincomalee. Vice District Governor Professor Luxhmen Wijeweera was the chief guest.
Full story >>

Three fishermen missing in Vadamaradchi Sea

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 July 2004, 11:08 GMT]
Three fishermen Mr.S.Ruban (21), Mr.S.Sriskandarajah (20) and Mr.T.Subramaniam (52) of Inbaruty and Viyaparimoolai who went for fishing in the Vadamarachchi Sea in the Jaffna district are reported missing since Sunday night. The missing persons were displaced from Myliddy village in the Valigamam north division and were temporarily residing in Vadamarachchi division, civil sources said.
Full story >>

Woman suicide bomber explodes in Colombo killing 4 police officers

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 July 2004, 09:13 GMT]
A woman suicide bomber who was allegedly on a mission to assassinate Minister Mr. Douglas Devananda exploded herself killing four police officers when she was to be subjected to a body check in the Kollupitya Police station Wednesday morning around 11 a.m., police said. The Kollupitya Police Station is located in the heart of the Colombo city next to the Prime Minister's residence "Temple Trees," sources said.
Full story >>

"LTTE emerged militarily strong because of Black Tigers"- Elilan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 July 2004, 05:08 GMT]
"Because of the sacrifice by the Black Tigers, the LTTE has emerged as a strong liberation force in the world and even now we prepared to face a war if it is thrusted on us. However we do not want to be responsible for the outbreak of the fourth Eelam War," said Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the LTTE addressing the Black Tigers Day celebrations held in the Trincomalee Sivankoviladi grounds Monday night.
Full story >>

LTTE releases surrendered SLA soldier in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 July 2004, 03:09 GMT]
A soldier of the Sri Lanka Army who surrendered to the Liberation Tigers in Jaffna on Tuesday was handed back to the SLA by the LTTE through the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission and the Human Rights Commission, reports from Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Opposition leaders to meet Prime Minister

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 July 2004, 20:14 GMT]
Leaders of joint opposition parties are scheduled to meet the Prime Minister Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse of the minority ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government Thursday to discuss the possibility of advancing the date of next session of the parliament, which is scheduled for 20 July, political sources said.
Full story >>

Fishermen say soldiers stealing catch

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 July 2004, 19:34 GMT]
Fishermen in the garrisoned coast of Jaffna's Thenmaradchi division Tuesday complained to Jaffna Sri Lankan security forces commander that his soldiers were stealing valuable lobsters and cuttlefish from traps they lay near the shore in the shallow waters of the lagoon. The Jaffna SF commander Maj. Gen. Susil Chandrapala visited some garrisoned coastal villages of Thenmaradchi Tuesday morning.
Full story >>

Suspected Karuna cadres released on bail

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 July 2004, 14:27 GMT]
The Hingurakgoda magistrate Tuesday released fourteen Tamil youth who were arrested with assault rifles and bombs by Sri Lanka Police in a village Buddhist temple in Hingurakgoda Monday evening. They were enlarged on personal surety bail, Police said. Possession of illegal weapons is a unbailable offense under Sri Lankan law.
Full story >>

Black Tigers Day celebrated in Trincomalee, Muttur

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 July 2004, 13:49 GMT]
Black Tigers Day was celebrated in Trincomalee district Monday at two places, one at Chenaiyoor Central College ground in the Liberation Tigers controlled Muttur east in morning and in evening in the government controlled east port town. Political and military activists of the LTTE in Trincomalee district addressed the event held in Sivankoviladi grounds in Trincomalee town Monday night, sources said.
Full story >>

District Ayurveda Hospital opened in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 July 2004, 03:31 GMT]
Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), speaking after the ceremonial opening Monday of the Trincomalee District Ayurveda Hospital said that he was pleased that the opening was held on Black Tigers Day which he said was an important day for the liberation struggle of Tamil people. The Ayurveda Hospital is located at Kappalthurai, a resettled Tamil village along the Trincomalee-Colombo highway, about eight km off the east port town.
Full story >>

Trinco Rotary Club appoints new President

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 July 2004, 00:14 GMT]
Mr.S.I.R.Croos, a Civil Engineer was appointed as the 26th President of the Trincomalee Rotary Club Saturday night at an event held in Hotel Club Oceanic in Allesgarden Trincomalee. Mr.R. Renganathan, Deputy Chairman of Seylan Bank was the chief guest and the Trincomalee District Government Agent Mr. Gamini Rodrigo was the keynote speaker, according to sources who attended the event.
Full story >>

Norway to discuss Sri Lanka with India

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 July 2004, 00:02 GMT]
Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen is on a three-day visit to New Delhi, to discuss the deteriorating situation in Sri Lanka with Indian leaders, IANS quoted diplomatic sources as saying Monday.
Full story >>

Japanese doubts about Indian deminers - report

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 July 2004, 23:18 GMT]
The Japanese government has turned down a request for additional funds for two Indian mine clearing organisations - Sarvatra and Horizon - citing doubts about their competence, The Island newspaper reported Sunday. The funds were requested from Japan by the Milinda Moragoda Institute for People’s Empowerment (MMIPE), the paper said.
Full story >>

Arrests over Halo Trust vandalism

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 July 2004, 23:14 GMT]
Six former employees of the HALO Trust have been arrested over their involvement in the recent attack on the British mine clearing agency’s vehicles in Jaffna, The Island newspaper reported Sunday.
Full story >>

LTTE warns Security Forces to stop East killings

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 July 2004, 19:50 GMT]
"Once more, fully aware of our people's desire for peace, we emphasise our continued commitment to the Memorandum of Understanding. We also want to express in no uncertain terms that if war is thrust on us, we are prepared to respond," said a press release issued by the LTTE's Political Division of Batticaloa-Amparai, following two shooting incidents in Batticaloa Monday morning.
Full story >>

Armed Tamil youth arrested in Buddhist temple

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 July 2004, 18:36 GMT]
Hingurakgoda Police said Tuesday morning that the arrested youth had in their possession three T- 56, three T - 84 type assault rifles and a T - 81 special assault rifle. They also had six hand grenades. A van and a car in which they had traveled were also seized from the Bubula temple, Police said.
Full story >>

First Black Tiger commemorated in Nelliyadi

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 July 2004, 15:38 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Monday observed Black Tigers' Day at the Nelliyadi Central College in Jaffna where on 5 July 1987, Capt. Miller, the first Black Tiger, drove an explosives filled truck on Sri Lanka army troops that were garrisoned in the school. Hundreds of people including parents of Black Tigers killed in the war took part in a procession from Nelliyadi Juntion to the Central College to mark the commemoration.
Full story >>

LTTE political activist shot dead

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 July 2004, 05:42 GMT]
A political division cadre of the Liberation Tigers was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Vanthaarumoolai, about 20 kilometres north of Batticaloa, Monday morning around 10 a.m. A person who was riding with him on a motorbike was wounded in the attack. He was rushed to the hospital. Residents said that the body of the dead LTTE political activist was lying on the Batticaloa – Valaichenai main road which is regularly patrolled by the Sri Lanka army.
Full story >>

Gajendrakumar on U.S. visit

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 July 2004, 04:30 GMT]
Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, joined Mr. Sampanthan, Parliamentary Group leader of TNA who arrived in the U.S. a week earlier, to address Tamil audience at the annual convention of the Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America (FeTNA) Sunday evening in Baltimore U.S., sources in U.S. said.
Full story >>

LTTE political official shot in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 July 2004, 04:11 GMT]
An official of the political division of the Liberation Tigers was shot and wounded by unidentified gunmen in Batticaloa town Monday morning around 9.15 a.m. The gunmen shot Mr. ‘Senathy’, LTTE’s political division head for Batticaloa town and its environs at the busy Arasadi Junction while he was riding a motorbike with a colleague who was also injured. Mr. Senathy was rushed to the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital. Mr.Senathi's condition is serious, hospital sources said.
Full story >>

Talks prospect dim, sustaining CFA uncertain - Elilan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 July 2004, 15:54 GMT]
Mr.C. Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said Saturday that recent talks between Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Norwegian facilitator Mr. Erik Solheim gave no indication that the stalled peace process would resume in the near future. "Instead sustaining the current envioronment of peace is becoming uncertain," said Mr.Elilan addressing the 'Sangamam' event organized by the Thamileelam Resurgence Forum in Nilaveli, about 8 km off north of eastern port town Saturday.
Full story >>

Upcountry leaders readying to prop failing govt says editor

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 July 2004, 13:21 GMT]
"Upcountry Tamil parties are preparing to make opportunistic deals to prop up this government as soon as the provincial polls are over this month. What do the people of upcountry gain by their politicians joining each government that comes to power? Nothing", said Mr. Vadivel Devaraj, editor of the Sunday edition of the Tamil daily Virakesari, speaking at a book launch in Colombo Sunday.
Full story >>

‘Jailed Karuna associate in SLA psy-ops’ - LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 July 2004, 07:18 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers in Batticaloa Sunday charged that the Sri Lanka army intelligence was providing telephone facilities to an associate of renegade commander Mr. Vinayagamoorthy Muraleetharan (Karuna) who is in prison in the eastern town for possessing weapons illegally. “We have clear proof now that ‘Satchi Master’ is giving phone interviews from his cell in the Batticaloa jail to a Tamil weekly and a radio station which are backed by Sri Lanka military intelligence," a senior LTTE official in the eastern district said Sunday.
Full story >>

Trinco readies to celebrate Black Tigers Day

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 July 2004, 02:24 GMT]
Arrangements are being made to celebrate Black Tigers Day in the Trincomalee district on July 05. Main event will be held on Monday morning at Chenaiyoor Central College in Liberation Tigers controlled Muttur east and in the evening at Sivan Kovil grounds in Trincomalee town, organizers said.
Full story >>

BBC launches Tamil online news service

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 July 2004, 00:57 GMT]
Popularity of the BBC's Tamil service, "Thamil Osai," broadcasting to listeners in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, North America, Western Europe and Australia, has prompted the BBC to start an online news service www.bbctamil.com.
Full story >>

Kumaratunga ally rejects LTTE proposal for restarting talks

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 July 2004, 13:35 GMT]
A senior leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, the main coalition partner of President Chandrika Kumaratunga's minority government Saturday declared that his party would not allow Colombo to restart Sri Lanka's long stalled peace talks on the basis of interim proposals submitted by the Liberation Tigers.
Full story >>

Navy arrests 29 Tamil refugees in Talaimannar Sea

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 July 2004, 09:13 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Friday early morning arrested 29 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees and four boatmen in the Talaimannar Sea when they were returning from Rameswaram in South India. Refugees and boatmen were later handed over to the Talaimannar Police.
Full story >>

CTTU charges Director of Pension chauvinistic

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 July 2004, 16:17 GMT]
Twenty thousand member strong Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU) complained to Sri Lanka’s President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge that the Director of Pensions has been showing racial discrimination towards Tamil teachers in attending their pension related problems, sources said.
Full story >>

MP highlights woes of garrisoned island

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 July 2004, 10:32 GMT]
Three hundred families living in Mandaitheevu are still suffering without basic ameneties and ready access to drinking water despite two years of peace and promises by Sri Lankan military authorities to ease their burden, an MP who visited the area told TamilNet Friday. Mandaitheevu is an island south of Jaffna town heavily garrisoned by the Sri Lanka Navy since 1990.
Full story >>

SLA stops Elilan at checkpoint from visiting Pulmoddai

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 July 2004, 10:14 GMT]
Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Friday lodged a complaint with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in the east port town that the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers stationed at the north of the district had prevented him from going to Pulmoddai village to carryout political work on Thursday, sources said.
Full story >>

Supreme Court takes up TULF interim injunction case

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 July 2004, 16:51 GMT]
The three member bench of the Supreme Court chaired by Chief Justice Sarath N.Silva fixed the inquiry for August 25 into the appeal filed by the Secretary General and Senior Vice President of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) Messrs R.Sampanthan and Jospeh Pararajasingham against the interim order issued by the Colombo District Court and later affirmed by the Court of Appeal preventing them from summoning the central committee of the TULF without the consent of the President Mr. V.Anandasangaree, legal sources said.
Full story >>

New Sri Lanka Army Commander assumes duties

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 July 2004, 14:06 GMT]
Lt. Gen. Shantha Kottegoda who took his duties as the 17th Army Commander today (Thursday) admitted at a press conference that the statement by the Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera that Army personnel were involved in Karuna’s issue, was “an embarrassment to the Army”.
Full story >>

Kumaratunga says talks should restart without delay

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 July 2004, 12:29 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President Chandrika Kumaratunga Thursday told Norwegian facilitators of the the island’s peace process that peace talks between her government and the Liberation Tigers should be resumed without further delay. She denied accusations by the Liberation Tigers that the SLA was engaged in activities in support of renegade commander Karuna in the eastern province.
Full story >>

Four sea tigers memorialized in Kopay Heroes' Cemetary

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 July 2004, 11:26 GMT]
Memorial stones for four sea tigers killed during an incident in International waters on 27 June 2003 were ceremonially laid in Kopay Heroes Cemetary Monday media sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Indian fishermen escape from Mannar lockup

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 July 2004, 10:58 GMT]
Six Indian fishermen remanded over poaching in the seas off Talaimannar escaped from prison in the early hours of Thursday morning, Police said. One of the escapees, Mr. Muniyasamy Murukesu was apprehended inside St. Lucia’s Church in Mannar town Thursday afternoon. The six Indian fishermen escaped from the remand lockup in Uppukkulam in Mannar town during a general blackout in the area from around 3 a.m. Police said. An Indian fisherman who refused to escape with his colleagues was produced in Mannar courts Thursday.
Full story >>

Canadian expatriates assist Trinco Children's Shelter

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 July 2004, 10:35 GMT]
Expatriate Tamils in Canada gifted a consignment of food, clothes and learning materials to about sixty students sheltered in "Happy Home," a children's shelter, located in Chenaiyoor Central College in the Liberation Tigers controlled Muttur east in the Trincomalee district.
Full story >>

 

     

 

Latest 15 Reports
21.09.24 16:12   Photo
JVP always denied Eezham Tamils’ inalienable self-determination: Anthropology scholar
18.09.24 21:30   Photo
Sinhala leftists need careful perusal of Lenin’s definition of Right to Self-Determination
30.08.24 15:27   Photo
Viraj exposed West’s criminalization of Tamil struggle
30.08.24 09:08  
‘பொதுச்சபை’ நகர்வை ‘சிவில் சமூக அமையம்’ தரும் படிப்பினைகளின் கண்கொண்டு நோக்குதல்
20.08.24 17:59   Photo
Viraj teaches Zone of Peace, Peace Process, Crimes Against Peace
18.08.24 21:23   Photo
Viraj Mendis: A beacon of international solidarity and a pillar in the Eelam-Tamil liberation struggle
18.08.24 16:47   Photo
Viraj in Tamil Radical Politics
18.08.24 11:27  
மூலோபாயத்தையும் தந்திரோபாயத்தையும் தொலைத்த தேர்தல் அரசியலைத் திருத்த இயலுமா?
17.08.24 12:15   Photo
விராஜ் மெண்டிஸ் விட்டுச் செல்லும் நிரப்பவியலா இடைவெளி
04.02.24 15:40   Photo
சியோனிசம் காணும் தோல்வி ஈழத்தமிழருக்குப் பலன் தரவல்ல படிமை மாற்றத்தின் அறிகுறி
24.04.22 05:44  
தீவின் நெருக்கடிச் சூழலில் ஈழத்தமிழர் தேசம் கடைப்பிடிக்கவேண்டிய நிலைப்பாடுகள்
09.04.22 14:44   Photo
குறிதவறும் ஈழத்தமிழர் தலைமைகளுக்கு வரலாறு தருகின்ற எச்சரிக்கை
21.01.22 07:24   Photo
ஈழத்தமிழர் தேசத்தின் தலைமைத்துவம் தேர்தல் அரசியற் கட்சிகளுக்கு அப்பாலானது
02.11.21 15:32   Photo
13 ஆம் சட்டத்திருத்தத்தால் கட்டமைக்கப்பட்ட இன அழிப்பை எதிர்கொள்ள முடியுமா?
15.09.21 08:19  
English version not available