LTTE issues 2 weeks ultimatum for ensuring travel safety

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 June 2005, 09:05 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Thursday in a crucial meeting with members of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) demanded that the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) should provide a clear response on procedures to ensure safety of travel for LTTE cadres in the east. Head of LTTE Political Wing told Scandinavian delegation that Tigers will resume their own armed escort if the GoSL fails to provide satisfactory response within two weeks, sources from Vanni said.
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Three SLA soldiers shot dead in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 June 2005, 06:05 GMT]
Three soldiers belonging to Sri Lankan Army (SLA) Intelligence were shot and killed in Urani, a suburb of Batticaloa, at 10.30 AM Thursday, Batticaloa Police said. The soldiers, attached to the Intelligence Unit at the Head Quarters of the 223 Brigade of the SLA, were killed by unidentified gunmen between a SLA mini-camp at Palameenmedu and a Police post at Periyaurani, while they were returing from Palameenmedu fish market in a three-wheeler, sources said.
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Welikande attack raises questions on Colombo's bona fides- paper

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 June 2005, 05:36 GMT]
Pointing out the Welikanda attack on the LTTE convoy in the presence of SLMM members as a qualitative change for the worse in the shadow war in the East, Eelanaatham, the popular daily published in Vanni, said in its editorial Wednesday that the attack has shattered hopes of peace after the signing of the aid deal and has further endangered the survival of the fragile Cease Fire Agreement.
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Tsunami hit Soodaikuda village relocated

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 June 2005, 02:58 GMT]
Tsunami destroyed Soodaikuda, a coastal village in the Muttur east in the Trincomalee district has been relocated two hundred meters away from the shore on a twenty-five acre land with each displaced family is given about twenty perch plot with a transition home constructed by the International Organization of Migration (IOM),
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World Bank funded Varothayanagar water supply scheme commissioned

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 June 2005, 02:35 GMT]
Mr.Tyronne Fernando, North East Governor Wednesday evening declared open the Varothayanagar water supply scheme constructed at a cost of 118 million rupees by the World Bank (WB) funded North East Emergency Reconstruction Programme (NEERP). The National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) implemented the project. Mr.R.Sampanthan and Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Trincomalee district parliamentarians also associated with the Governor in the event, sources said.
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Amparai tsunami affected get self-employment help

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 June 2005, 11:14 GMT]
Women from tsunami affected families in Amparai district are to receive self-employment help in the form of free sewing machines and associated training from Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), sources in Amparai said. Women have been organized into several groups and training in dress making classes are being conducted in Amparai district, officials added.
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Newspaper delivery agent shot dead in Kalmunai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 June 2005, 10:20 GMT]
Mr Arasakumar Kannamuthu, 38, a newspaper delivery agent for Batticaloa Eelanatham newspaper, was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen Wednesday morning around 8.45 am. The killing took place at Matupola in Kalmunai- Akkaraipattu road, a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) held place 50 km south of Batticaloa. The victim was on his route to Oluvil in a motorbike after delivering newspaper to Ninthavoor newspaper agent, sources said.
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Sambaltivu Boys Home gets new building

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 June 2005, 10:14 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Mr.R.Sampanthan, Mr.Mavai Senathirajah and Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Monday, laid the foundation stones for a new building for the Boys Home in Sambaltivu in Trincomalee district administered by the Trincomalee Welfare Association (TWA), sources said. The new building and facilities costing nearly Rs 3m is being funded by a group of expatriate Canadian Tamils and will replace the existing temporary building, sources said.
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US Peace Corps to assist Sri Lanka tsunami victims

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 June 2005, 01:55 GMT]
Thirty "Crisis Corps" volunteers sent by the United States Peace Corps will arrive in Sri Lanka over the next two weeks to help tsunami affected Sri Lankans rebuild their lives, homes and communities, sources said
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Sampoor court releases Sri Lanka policeman on bail

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 June 2005, 00:46 GMT]
Thamileelam Court in Sampoor, Muttur east, Tuesday released Mr.Amal Prasanna, a Sri Lankan police constable on surety bail for a sum of Rs 50,000, legal sources in Trincomalee said. LTTE cadres took the suspect into custody when he trespassed into Upparu, a village under the control of LTTE in Kinniya division on June 16, sources said.
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Colombo court to review Chemmani DNA evidence

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 June 2005, 00:12 GMT]
Colombo Chief Magistrate Ms Kusala Weerawardene Monday ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to produce to the courts DNA reports on the human remains exhumed from Chemmani salterns on the next date of inquiry fixed for September 30, legal sources said.
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Bhikku Front and Patriotic Movement file cases against P-TOMS

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 June 2005, 16:42 GMT]
The National Bhiku Front (NBF) led by Ven Dambara Amila Thero and the National Patriotic Movement (NPM) led by Venerable Elle Gunawanse Thero have filed separate cases on Tuesday asking the Colombo District Court to make the P-TOMS null and void, legal source in Colombo said.
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District Committees, key to deal's success- US Don

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 June 2005, 10:48 GMT]
For the Joint Mechanism to be successful, "It is important that the District Committee works for the betterment of the district, not a particular ethnic, religious group. Additionally, the Regional Committee has to ensure that the aid reaches those in the most need or those facilities that have the biggest impact on the people in the district, region," said Professor Brian Blodgett of American Military University when TamilNet asked for his views on the recently signed aid deal between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers.
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Investment climate unattractive in Sri Lanka – World Bank

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 June 2005, 10:39 GMT]
Four years after the guns fell silent in Sri Lanka’s conflict, the investment climate remains unattractive due to continued political instability, weak infrastructure, and poor access to finance, according to a recently completed study by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank.
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USAID to cleanup Batticaloa lagoon

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 June 2005, 10:27 GMT]
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has hired heavy equipment and assembled multi-disciplinary teams of engineers and technicians, including divers from the Sri Lankan Navy to remove the tsunami rubble and debris which has impeded the revival of the fishing industry, US Embassy in Colombo said in a press release on Tuesday. The livelihoods of more than 3,500 people in the local fishing community of Batticaloa will be restored through the project, it added.
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Housing scheme for Muttur east war affected

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 June 2005, 00:23 GMT]
Foundation stones were laid Monday to the first house in a housing project for war victim families sponsored by the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) in Pattalipuram village in the LTTE held Muttur east in Trincomalee district, sources said. 250 houses are to be built as part of this project.
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Court extends remand for Sivaram murder suspect

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 June 2005, 15:12 GMT]
The Kaduwela Magistrate Champa Janaki Perera extended the remand for the suspect Mr. Sriskandarajah alias Peter to 5 July in the assasination case of veteran journalist Dharmaratnam Sivaram, legal sources said. The scheduled identification parade for the suspect, an ex-PLOTE commander, did not take place as there were no witnesses present at the courts, sources added.
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Bhikku Front accuses Kumaratunge of betraying Buddhist Prelates

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 June 2005, 15:05 GMT]
"President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge is the number one enemy of Buddhism in Sri Lanka," said the National Bhikku Front (NBF), an organization of Sinhalese Buddhist monks of Sri Lanka in Colombo Monday. The NBF urged the top Buddhist Prelates to withdraw the blessings they gave Ms Kumaratunge as Head of the State and to declare her as a non-Buddhist.
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SLA blocks re-opening Amban dispensary

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 June 2005, 11:40 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army refused permission to open the renovated Amban central dispensary located in the high security zone of the Vadamaradchy east division of Jaffna district, sources in Jaffna said. Earlier army gave permission to repair the dispensary damaged during war period, sources said.
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Islets residents protest against SLA, SLN harassment

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 June 2005, 11:30 GMT]
Hundreds of civilians of islets in the Jaffna district Monday held a demonstration condemning the harassment by Sri Lanka Army (SLAN) and Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) personnel stationed in islets and the Sinhala Buddhist chauvinists' elements in the south. They went in a procession from Palakattu junction to Kayts Divisional Secretariat office, sources said.
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JVP files case against P-TOMS

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 June 2005, 10:54 GMT]
The former coalition partner of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), the marxist Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Monday filed a case against the Post-Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS) agreement signed between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers. The case was filed at the Colombo District Courts.
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Officials' lethargy said cause for under utilization of Samurdhi funds

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 June 2005, 10:40 GMT]
Nearly 40 lakhs rupees allocated to Jaffna district under the Samudri Development scheme of the Government of Sri Lanka are in danger of being returned back without being used for development in Jaffna, owing to lethargic attitude of Government officials in Jaffna, sources in Jaffna said.
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Mirusuvil residents demand to be resettled in own homes

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 June 2005, 10:23 GMT]
Displaced residents from Usan arean in Mirusuvil, Thenmaradchy protested from 10 am till 12 noon Monday demanding that they be allowed to resettle in their own homes, sources said. A9 highway was blocked for traffic for more than half an hour.
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US welcomes signing of agreement on Joint Mechanism

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 June 2005, 09:02 GMT]
Welcoming the signing of the agreement to create a joint mechanism on tsunami reconstruction, Embassy of the United States of America in Colombo in a press release ssued on Monday said that the mechanism, if implemented properly, will help to ensure efficient and equitable reconstruction assistance to those whose lives were devastated by the South Asia tsunami in the North and East of Sri Lanka. The US statement urged both parties to take all possible steps to see that the ceasefire is observed and strengthened.
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Trinco White Pigeon Prosthesis Institute to get own workshop

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 June 2005, 00:04 GMT]
Dr.N.Sathiamoorthy, Chairman of the London White Pigeon Prosthesis Institute Sunday evening laid the foundation stone for the construction of the workshop of the Trincomalee White Pigeon Prosthesis Institute at Nithiyapuri, a suburb about 4 k.m. north Trincomalee town along Uppuveli-Nilaveli Road. London White Pigeon Prosthesis Institute is to finance the project at an estimated cost of one hundred thousand Sterling Pounds, Dr.Sathiyamoorthy said.
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Dying to Kill: US Academic examines causes of suicide terror

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 June 2005, 22:44 GMT]
Author Mia Bloom, assistant professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati examines the external factors that provide motivation for sub-national groups to adopt suicide killings in a recently published book "Dying to Kill." Analysing the phenomenon in Palestinian groups, Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), Liberation Tigers (LTTE) and in insurgent groups in Iraq, she contends that "it is often social and political motivations rather than inherently religious ones that inspire suicide bombers."
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LTTE Pottuvil office attacked

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 June 2005, 14:00 GMT]
Three unidentified armed men entered Komari, Pottuvil political office of the LTTE around 4.30 pm Sunday and caused extensive damage to the office, LTTE sources in Komari said. The office is located in Akkaraipattu-Pottuvil main road in an SLA controlled area. There were no LTTE officials at the time of the attack, Mr Nilakaran, Udumpankoddam Political Co-ordinator told TamilNet.
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Businessman shot and wounded in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 June 2005, 13:43 GMT]
Mr Thambirajah Maheswararajah (31) was shot and wounded by unidentified gunmen at Lake Road in Batticaloa town. The incident took place inside a High Security area of Sri Lanka Army (SLA), close to paramilitary Razeek Group camp around 2.00 PM Sunday, sources said.
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Hisbullah resigns from Aviation Board in protest of P-TOMS

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 June 2005, 10:48 GMT]
Mr M S M Hisbullah, Senior Deputy Leader of the National Unity Alliance (NUA), led by Ms Ferial Ashraff and a close ally of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Government resigned Sunday from the post of Chairman of the Civil Aviation Services Board. Mr Hisbullah did not specify the reason in his resignation letter. However, at a press briefing held in his hometown Kattankudi in the Batticaloa district, Mr.Hisbullah stated that the Muslims have not been provided due place in the post-tsunami administrative structure in P-TOMS signed by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
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SLA escorted convoy with LTTE officials ambushed

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 June 2005, 09:18 GMT]
A convoy carrying Amparai Political Head of the Liberation Tigers, Mr. Kuyilinpan and other LTTE political staff, with Sri Lanka Army (SLA) escort facilitated by Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), was attacked at Welikanda at 2.55 PM Sunday, Welikanda Police said. The bus carrying around 40 eastern LTTE officials from Kilinochchi to Batticaloa was ambushed with a land mine, but none were killed as the vehicle narrowly escaped the impact of the bomb. One LTTE official was injured in the attack. The ambush took place between two Sri Lankan military camps, at Boaththe, around 1 km from Welikanda SLA base. The convoy resumed its journey towards Batticaloa with high security, Police said.
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Vigilance vital to reap benefits from aid deal- paper

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 June 2005, 01:30 GMT]
Calling on the Tamil people to temper the euphoria related to the successful signing of the post-tsunami aid deal by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) on Friday, popular dailies in Jaffna in editorials Saturday cautioned the NorthEast residents that serious challenges still remain in enforcing the agreement and to be vigilant against being misled.
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USAID sponsored Democracy workshop begins in Trinco

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 June 2005, 18:23 GMT]
Mr.Manickavasagar Ganesharajah, Trincomalee Magistrate and Additional District Judge Saturday inaugurated a two-day workshop on "Improving Local Democracy through Citizen Participation" which was organized by the Eastern Rehabilitation Organization (ERO) and supported by the USAID. Teachers, Poverty Alleviation Department Officials, representatives of local non-governmental organizations and religious dignitaries participated in the workshop, ERO sources said.
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Peace through cricket in Trinco

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 June 2005, 17:25 GMT]
Mercy Corps, an international non-governmental organization has signed an agreement with Trincomalee District Cricket Association (TDCA ) to sponsor multi-ethnic cricket tournament in the east port town with the goal of promoting peace, better mutual understanding between the ethnic groups and to alleviate the depression and shock which continues to affect tsunami victims, sources in Trincomalee said.
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EU reiterates pledge to support Trust Fund

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 June 2005, 12:15 GMT]
Welcoming the aid deal between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the European Union (EU) confirmed on Saturday its readiness to assist the parties in setting up the post-tsunami joint administrative structure and to make it work. The European Union also reiterated its pledge to commit substantial contribution to the Trust Fund set up for financing projects selected for implementation by the three tiered adminstrative committee.
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LTTE condemns grenade attack on Tamil official's house

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 June 2005, 12:06 GMT]
Trincomalee district political secretariat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Trincomalee District National Resurgence Forum (TDNRF) Saturday condemned the grenade attack on the house of Mr.V.Vigneswaran, President of the Trincomalee District Tamil Peoples' Forum (TDTPF), Friday night by an unidentified person, sources in Trincomalee said.
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Tamil students demonstrate in Chavakachcheri

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 June 2005, 09:41 GMT]
More than thousand students Saturday demonstrated in Chavakachcheri town, capital of Thenmaradchchi division in the Jaffna district condemning the activities of the Sinhala chauvinists against the legitimate aspirations of Tamil people, sources in Chavakachcheri said. Thenmaradchchi Students' Union organised the demonstration.
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Pottuvil fishermen march supporting aid deal

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 June 2005, 09:11 GMT]
Around three hundred Muslim and Sinhalese fishermen gathered in Pasaraichenai at 10 am Saturday morning supporting the signing of aid deal and demanding speedy implemention of post-tsunami reconstruction in Pottuvil, sources said. Demonstrators demanded speedy delivery of compensation, rebuilding of houses damaged by the tsunami and called for change in the policy of 200 meter buffer zone adopted by the Government of Sri Lanka.
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Annan welcomes Sri Lanka agreement on aid deal

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 June 2005, 21:22 GMT]
Welcoming the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) to establish a joint tsunami aid-sharing structure Friday, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, said through his spokesperson that he “hopes the agreement will help place Sri Lanka on the road to full recovery from this unparalleled tragedy," and that “he believes that this is an important day for the many tsunami-affected families and communities in the country.”
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Unite to help the tsunami affected, appeals SL President

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 June 2005, 17:20 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge appealed to all parties to "put aside divisive and confrontational politics and work as a team to alleviate the sufferings of those affected by the tsunami," in a press release issued Friday from President's House in Colombo.
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Grenade attack on Trinco Tamil official's residence

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 June 2005, 16:55 GMT]
An unidentified person Friday night around 8.30 p.m. lobbed two grenades at the house of Mr.V.Vigneswaran, President of the Trincomalee District Tamil People's Forum (TDTPF). His house is located at Anpuvallipuram, about 3 k.m. east of Trincomalee town on the Kandy road. Mr.Vigneswaran was not in the house at the time of incident, sources said.
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Norwegian Foreign Minister welcomes signing of aid deal

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 June 2005, 13:49 GMT]
Congratulating the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for officially reaching agreement on the joint management structure for the effective and equitable reconstruction and development of the tsunami-affected areas in the North and East, Norwegian Foreign Minister, Mr Jan Petersen, on Friday, urged the parties to rapidly establish the joint structure for the benefit of all affected by the tsunami, and to make judicious use of this opportunity to build mutual confidence to advance the peace process through their cooperation on reconstruction. Working closely with Muslims will key for effective implementation of the joint mechanism, Petersen said in his message.
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Police fire tear gas on JVP demonstrators in Trinco

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 June 2005, 12:31 GMT]
Sri Lankan riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at the supporters of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) when demonstrators started throwing stones at the Police who tried to block the procession, sources said. JVP supporters were holding the protest demonstration to condemn the government for signing the P-TOMS agreement with the LTTE. JVP is a former close ally of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA).
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JVP to take legal action against P-TOMS

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 June 2005, 09:11 GMT]
"We contemplate to take legal action against the Joint Mechanism agreement as it is signed violating the constitution of the country", said Mr.Wimal Weeravanse, parliamentary group leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) at a press briefing held in the Committee Room of the parliamentary complex held Friday, sources said.
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GoSL, LTTE sign P-TOMS

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 June 2005, 09:05 GMT]
Norwegian facilitators, Friday noon reached Kilinochchi with the signature of Mr. Mudiyanselage Sumanaweera Jayasinghe, Secretary of Ministry of Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation, who signed on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Post-Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS) sources in Colombo said. Mr. Shanmugalingam Ranjan, Deputy Head of Planning and Development Secretariat (PDS) on behalf of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) signed the MoU, after the Government representative had signed the treaty, sources in Kilinochchi said.
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SL Parliament adjourned for July 5 without debate on JM

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 June 2005, 04:47 GMT]
The Speaker Mr.W.M.J.Lokkubandara Friday adjourned the parliament for July 5 amid continued shouts and protest by JVP parliamentarians in the well of the House. Mr.Maithiripala Sirisena, Leader of the House moved for the adjournment of the parliament as protesting JVP parliamentarians surrounded him. A group of SLFP parliamentarians were seen providing security surrounding him, parliamentary sources said.
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JM tabled, pandemoniam in Sri Lanka Parliament

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 June 2005, 03:38 GMT]
As Minister Mr Maithiripala Sirisena, Leader of the House, began to read the Joint Mechanism proposal in Sri Lanka's Parliament at 9.45am Friday, parliamentarians belonging to marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), including its propaganda Secretary Wimal Weerawanse, started shouting disrupting the parliamentary session in progress. Parliamentary sources said the session has been suspended for ten minutes due to continuous disruption of the proceedings. Copies of the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Establishment of a Post-Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS) were distributed to all parliamentarians in three languages.
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Colombo tense, Norwegian Ambassador to visit Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 June 2005, 02:44 GMT]
Security has been tightened in Colombo as the city remained tensed amidst anticipated signing of aid deal Friday, sources in Colombo said. While Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunge kept the details of Friday's planned events private, informed sources said, Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr Hans Brattskar, is expected to travel to Kilinochchi to meet Mr S P Thamilchelvan, Political Head of the Liberation Tigers at 12.45 pm, indicating that signing of the aid deal is imminent. The sources in Colombo added that a "Deputy-level" official in the Ministry of Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation will sign the agreement on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka.
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Foundation stones laid for new children's homes

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 June 2005, 01:42 GMT]
Foundations stones for United Kingdom based charity, White Pigeon, funded new building for children home Gandhi illam for boys in 8th Canal, Kilinochchi district, and for another children home for girls, Barathi Illam in Mulliayavallai, Mullaitivu district were laid Thursday at 10.30am and 5.15 pm, sources said.
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Playwright, youths felicitated in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 June 2005, 00:31 GMT]
Sixty-eight -year-old Mr.Sithy Amerasingam who was conferred with "Elder Artist" by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs recently in Colombo was again felicitated in his hometown Trincomalee. Four Trincomalee youths who him four youths who excelled in education, sports, social service and literature were also honoured at the same event held at Trincomalee Hindu Cultural Hall Sunday organized by the Trincomalee Impeesa Scout Association.
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Navy arrests 25 Tamil refugees in Mannar Sea

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 June 2005, 16:58 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Wednesday morning arrested twenty-five Tamil refugees returning from Tamilnadu in South India and the two boatmen in the Mannar Sea, sources said. The Talaimannar Police produced all of the arrested in Mannar Court Thursday morning.
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Civil groups to agitate over Omanthai Buddha statue

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 June 2005, 15:32 GMT]
Vavuniya civil group leaders Thursday announced at a discussion held in the office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that they would launch an agitation if the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fails to remove the controversial Buddha statue erected in the Omanthai Pillaiyar temple premises within seven days. The discussion was held between the officials of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and representatives of the civil groups including the LTTE district political section and the Hindu priest of the Omanthai Pillaiyar Temple in the presence of SLMM monitors, sources said.
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Kumaratunge hands over JM document to Buddhist prelates

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 June 2005, 15:31 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Thursday handed over copies of the Joint Mechanism (JM) proposal to the Mahanayake Thera of the Asgiriya Chapter Most Venerable Udugama Sri Budddharakita Thera and Mahanayake Thera of Malwatte Chapter Most Venerable Thibbotuwe Sri Siddharatha Sumangala, sources said. The Joint Mechanism defines an administrative structure and aid disbursment protocols to facilitate rehabilitation and reconstruction of tsunami destroyed coastal areas in the northeast province.
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JVP to observe day of "Resistance" over PTOMS

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 June 2005, 14:50 GMT]
While Norwegian facilitators continued their shuttle diplomacy to get the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to come to an agreement on signing the aid deal, both supporters of aid deal and opposition groups intensified their campaigns in Colombo. Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the marxist extreme Sinhala nationalist party, said it will start an island-wide campaign against the aid deal beginning from capital Colombo Friday. Mr Wimal Weerawanse, the powerful propaganda secretary of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) declared Friday as a "Day of Resistance."
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Youth found shot dead in Navatkuda, Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 June 2005, 10:21 GMT]
An unidentified person, aged around 20-years, was found dead with three gunshot injuries in Navatkuda, 4 km south of Batticaloa, Thursday morning. Katankudy Police found a note left behind by the assassins at Kanapathipillai Road with the body. The note stated that the victim belonged to LTTE's "pistol group", Police said.
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JM to be tabled in Parliament on Friday

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 June 2005, 07:11 GMT]
"The joint mechanism proposal will be tabled in Parliament Friday. A debate on the JM will be following thereafter. The Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) will not sign the Joint Mechanism agreement before tabling it in parliament," said Minister Mr Maithiripala Sirisena, Leader of the House, Thursday in parliament in reply to a point of order raised by Mr Wimal Weeravanse, the JVP parliamentary group leader. Heated argument ensued between the JVP and SLFP parliamentarians.
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UPFA Chief Minister for Western Provincial Council

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 June 2005, 18:11 GMT]
Mr.Nandana Mendis of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Wednesday evening was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of the Western Provincial Council (WPC) before the Provincial Governor Mr.Alavi Mowlana. He was appointed following the resignation of Mr.Reginald Cooray from the Chief Minister post, sources said.
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Helgesen visits Kalmunai, stresses need for unity among Muslim leaders

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 June 2005, 14:07 GMT]
Norwegian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Vidar Helgesen who arrived in Kalmunai Wednesday afternoon 1.50 PM met Eastern Muslim community leaders and urged the Muslim leaders to present a united front to raise the concerns of the Muslim community. Talking to Muslim representatives, Mr Helgesen said that the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers, have expressed their committment to ensure a fair representation of Muslim community in the post-tsunami reconstruction process, sources in Kalmunai said.
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Muslim Clerics meet SL President, voice concerns on aid deal

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 June 2005, 11:52 GMT]
Senior Muslim clergymen from Batticaloa, Amparai and Trincomalee districts met with Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Tuesday and insisted that "the Muslim community be allowed to participate in the reconstruction of tsunami-affected areas through their representatives," according to a media release issued by the Office of the President Tuesday.
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"SL President bears responsibility for worsening situation"- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 June 2005, 08:52 GMT]
"Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge has the executive power to establish the Joint Mechanism. But she is using the aid deal as an instrument to advance her fortunes in the political chess game and has created a political storm opposing the Joint Mechanism in the South. Even for today's meeting Norwegian delegation has only brought verbal assurances from Colombo. The meeting has failed to make any concrete steps towards the establishment of a Joint Mechanism," said LTTE's Head of Political Wing, S P Thamilchelvan briefing the press at the LTTE peace secretariat after meeting Mr Vidar Helgesen in Kilinochchi Wednesday.
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Defeat the minority NGO clique, Weerawanse tells SLFP Ministers

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 June 2005, 07:23 GMT]
Mr.Wimal Weerawanse, parliamentary group leader of the JVP, in a special statement soon after the parliament reconvened on Wednesday, thanking the Ministers Anura Bandaranaike, Mangala Samaraweera, Lakshman Kadirgamar, Siripala de Silva, Susil Premajayanth, Jeyaraj Fernandopulle and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse for their co-operation, said: "We, on behalf of the inspiration of millions of people, wish that you will be able to defeat the minority NGO clique which has wriggled its way into the Alliance government to destroy it." Mr. Weerawanse added that the JVP will function as an independent group of the opposition as announced earlier.
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SL parliament meets, JM not tabled

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 June 2005, 06:13 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament reconvened Wednesday for the first time after Sinhala Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), withdrew its support to the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government last week over the Joint Mechanism structure to be signed with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which is to facilitate the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the tsunami destroyed coastal areas in the northeast province. The government did not table any document or statement in the parliament on the joint mechanism proposal as widely speculated in the political circles.
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SL Parliament to meet with JVP in opposition

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 June 2005, 00:29 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament is scheduled to meet Wednesday for the first time after the Marxist Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) withdrew its support to the 14-month-old United Peoples' Freedom Alliance government (UPFA). JVP, a major constituent of the ruling alliance, and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) signed an agreement to form UPFA on 20 January 2004 in Colombo.
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Amnesty condemns rights violations by GoSL, LTTE

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 June 2005, 20:20 GMT]
Amnesty International accused the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) of torture in police custody, continued impunity for security forces against rights violations and for the presence of threat to religious minorities, in its report covering events from January to December 2004. Amnesty drew attention to the "dramatic increase in politically motivated killings," after renegade commander Muralitharan's split and accused the LTTE of continued recruitment of children, acknowledging the LTTE released "large number of child soldiers...."
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Alliance faces test in WPC after JVP pullout

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 June 2005, 18:58 GMT]
The fate of the elected Western Provincial Council (WPC) will be decided by Governor Mr.Alavi Mowlana when he meets leaders of the United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA), United National Party (UNP) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), political sources said. JVP withdrew from the UPFA last week precipitating a crisis in WPC governing coalition.
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SLA accused of harassing Chavakachcheri fishermen

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 June 2005, 17:18 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has extended its firing practice in Chavakachcheri lagoon in Jaffna district thus depriving the livelihood of more than one hundred fisher families in the area, fisheries societies in Thenmaradchchi division said in a complaint to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Jaffna Tuesday.
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One killed, 25 injured as bus plunges into Jaffna sea

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 June 2005, 17:11 GMT]
Ms Mylvaganam Pushparanee, (51) died, twenty-five received serious injuries and another fifty sustained minor injuries when a bus returning with full load of passengers from Kurikadduwan jetty to Jaffna town went off the road and plunged into the sea Tuesday evening around 5.30 p.m. Passengers were returning from attending the Nagapooshani Amman chariot festival Temple held Tuesday morning, Jaffna Police said.
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Grenade attack on LTTE Valaichenai office

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 June 2005, 14:46 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen lobbed a grenade inside Liberation Tigers Political office in Puthukudiyiruppu, Valaichenai Tuesday evening at 5.45 PM, sources in Batticaloa said. The attackers fired shots towards the building before dousing the windows and the fence with gasoline and setting them ablaze. No one was injured in the attack. Tension prevailed in Valaichenai following the attack.
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Trinco after-school education gets funding boost

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 June 2005, 10:03 GMT]
Fifteen remote villages in the Sri Lanka government and LTTE controlled areas in the Trincomalee district will continue to receive financial support from the Trincomalee Children Fund (TCF-Canada), the organizers said after an assessment study into the working of the project, during an event held at Sambaltivu Tamil Maha Vidiyalayam Sunday. The project was initiated in 2002 to improve the educational standard of war-affected students in deprived areas of Trincomalee district.
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Tamil civilian shot dead in Muttur

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 June 2005, 09:23 GMT]
Mr. Sithiravel Sathiyanathan, 33, a Tamil civilian and a resident of Sampoor in Muttur east was shot dead by an unidentified gunman Tuesday afternoon around 12.30 in the heart of Muttur town near a petrol station, Police said.
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Gunmen loot travellers in Mannampitiya

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 June 2005, 08:41 GMT]
Two armed men in military fatigue blocked vehicles travelling towards Batticaloa via Polannaruwa-Batticaloa road around 3.30 AM Tuesday morning at Mannampitiya and looted money and valuables worth Rs 300,000 from passengers in at least two vehicles, sources said. The armed men were standing 200 meters away from a military checkpoint for almost two hours.
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CTTU calls for campaign demanding the removal of Buddha statue

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 June 2005, 07:38 GMT]
The working committee of the Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU) on Tuesday decided to extend its fullest co-operation to the campaign demanding the removal of the controversial Buddha statue located close to the Trincomalee central bus stand, CTTU sources said.
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Ex-PLOTE member killed in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 June 2005, 14:34 GMT]
Mr Tharmalingam Asokan, 26, an auto-rikshaw driver and an ex-PLOTE member was shot and killed inside his auto-rikshaw at 12.30 PM Monday in Thalikkulam 13 km west of Vavuniya. Police, tracing an eyewitness who has seen the assassins to escape from the scene, suspected that the assassins were also travelling in the auto-rikshaw.
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Home-made micro-hydro receives financial award

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 June 2005, 13:34 GMT]
Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) Saturday donated one hundred thousand rupees and a push bicycle to Mr.Radhakrishnan of Right Bank of Muthiankaddu in Mullaitivu district as an incentive to his successful effort in generating electricity from a hydro-power plant he constructed utilizing a three feet water head from Muthiankaddu tank to power a water turbine.
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Token fast held in Trinco in support of aid deal

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 June 2005, 12:37 GMT]
One-day token fast was held in Trincomalee town Monday from morning till evening demanding the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) to sign the joint mechanism with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to facilitate the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the tsunami destroyed coastal areas in the northeast province without any delay. Trincomalee District Tamil Peoples Forum (TDTPF) organized the event.
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Abandoned ammunition bag found in Maradana

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 June 2005, 11:42 GMT]
A bag containing at two hand grenades, bullets for T-56 rifle and Airforce camouflage uniforms was found abandoned at a bus hault near Maradana Technical College in Colombo Monday morning at 9.45 am, police sources said. Police suspect that the ammunition was taken from Katunayakka Airforce base.
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Protest march held in Vadamaradchchi supporting aid deal

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 June 2005, 11:28 GMT]
Thousands of people participated in the protest march held Monday in the Vadamaradchchi division in Jaffna district demanding the immediate implementation of the joint mechanism structure and withdrawal of the government troops from their land. The Vadamaradchchi fisheries societies federation organized the protest march, sources said.
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Helgesen arrives in Sri Lanka for talks on aid deal

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 June 2005, 10:55 GMT]
Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr Vidar Helgesen arrived in Colombo at 3.45pm today at the Bandaranayake International Air port and was received by the Norwegian Ambassador Hans Braksttar at the airport, sources from Colombo said. His flight arrived two hours late.
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CTTU plans protests over teacher shortage, error-filled text books

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 June 2005, 10:31 GMT]
The Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU) said Sunday that it will organize trade union action if the Ministry of Education fails to take constructive measures to implement several demands including setting up of a separate Tamil Administrative Unit in the ministry before July 25. As a first step the CTTU will hold a one-day token strike after the deadline expires, said Mr.N.Rajanathan, and Mr.T Mahasivam, President and General Secretary of the CTTU briefing the press after the conclusion of the Working Committee meeting held in Trincomalee.
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Paramilitary cadre killed in Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 June 2005, 07:04 GMT]
Mr Alagan Ravichandran, 38, a cadre attached to the Colombo office of the paramilitary Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP), was found dead with stab wounds to his head and leg Monday morning in Karunkodithivu, Akkaraipattu in Amparai District, Police said.
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Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union elects new President

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 June 2005, 18:12 GMT]
Mr.Rajanathan, Principal of the Trincomalee Vigneswara Maha Vidyalayam was Sunday elected as the president of the 20,000 member-strong Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU). He was unanimously elected to the post of President at the CTTU Working Committee meeting held at the Trincomalee Vigneswara Maha Vidyalayam.
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TNA, UNP discuss aid deal

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 June 2005, 17:15 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Sunday appealed to the main opposition United National Party (UNP) to openly declare its full support to the joint mechanism proposal and to insist that the Sri Lanka Government sign the agreement before tabling it in the parliament. TNA parliamentary delegation led by its leader Mr.R.Sampanthan met with Opposition Leader Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, Sunday afternoon and held discussions regarding the current political crisis following the withdrawal of the Sinhala Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) from the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, TNA sources said.
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Paramilitary cadre shot dead in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 June 2005, 16:17 GMT]
Mr. Uthayakumarasingam Vallipuram (42), a senior PLOTE cadre was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen Sunday at 8.30 pm in Kovilkulam - Therku Iluppaikulam Road, 4 km southeast of Vavuniya, Police said.
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"Rise to rout Buddhist Sinhala chauvinism"- Jaffna Undergrads

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 June 2005, 10:51 GMT]
"We, the Tamil people declare that we will defeat Sinhala Buddhist chauvinism and regain our traditional homeland from the occupation of armed forces. We will exercise our right to self determination in our land with our own strength," said a declaration of students of Jaffna campus read at the conclusion of a renaissance event "Voice of Tamil Nation" held Sunday at the Kailasapathy Auditorium.
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Mannar Magistrate inspects damaged LTTE political offices

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 June 2005, 09:17 GMT]
Mannar acting Magistrate, Mr.M.B.Farook, accompanied by a police team Sunday morning visited the two offices of the Liberation Tigers which were attacked by suspected members of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP), Saturday night.
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Sethusamudram canal project discussed in Kilinochchi workshop

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 June 2005, 03:25 GMT]
A workshop on social, economic and political impact of Sethusamudram canal project, organized by the The Economic Consultancy House (TECH), an NGO working mainly in the NorthEast, was held in Kilinochchi this week. The workshop was arranged as a follow-up to a successful international conference held in Thirunelvely, Jaffna held during December 2003 and to emphasize the growing importance of the canal project on the NorthEast environment, organizers of the workshop said.
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Tamil refugees rescued from sandbank in Mannar Sea

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 June 2005, 01:39 GMT]
Fourteen Tamil refugees including four children returning from Tamilnadu in South India were rescued from a sandbank in the Mannar Sea by Mannar fishermen Friday. The refugees were taken into custody by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and handed over to the Talaimannar police Friday evening, sources said.
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Mercy Corps assists pregnant mothers in Kinniya

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 June 2005, 18:58 GMT]
Mercy Corps, an international non-governmental organization headquartered in U.S. in collaboration with the Social Service Education Development Organization (SSEDO) in Kinniya is distributing materials necessary for expectant mothers including bath basin, blanket, mosquito net, food, and soaps for 475 tsunami affected pregnant mothers and mothers with infants in nine villages in the Kinniya divisional secretariat division, civil society sources said.
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Token fasts supporting aid deal planned in Trinco

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 June 2005, 17:18 GMT]
Trincomalee District Tamil Peoples Forum (TDTPF) is planning to stage a three day token fast in different towns in Trincomalee from Monday supporting the joint mechanism proposal and urging the Sri Lanka Government to sign the agreement with the LTTE without further delay, said Mr.S.G.Gowrimuhunthan, Secretary of the TDTPF at a press conference held Saturday. "People of all three communities, Tamil, Sinhalese and Muslim, who are supportive of the joint mechanism proposal are invited to participate in the token fast," he added.
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Mannar LTTE offices come under attack

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 June 2005, 16:51 GMT]
Two offices of the Liberation Tigers in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled area of Mannar have been simultaneously attacked by suspected gunmen belonging to Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) around 9.45 pm Saturday with grenades and gunfire, sources in Mannar said. Sounds of grenade explosions and gunfire were heard near the political office of the LTTE, located in Mannar-Thalaimannar Road and LTTE's administrative office located in Mannar Moor street. TamilNet has not confirmed whether a third office in Moor street of LTTE's financial division was also attacked, sources added.
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Hakeem woos renegade SLMC MPs

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 June 2005, 14:45 GMT]
Rauff Hakeem, leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), urged renegade Muslim parliamentarians, Risard Badiudin, Najeeb Abdul Majeed and Hussain Baila, who were expelled from SLMC on 30 May 2004 to join hands with SLMC in a press conference at party head office in Colpetty, Colombo Saturday. Mr. Hakeem added that he is talking with the Sri Lanka Government about the Muslim representation in Joint Mechanism between the LTTE and the Government. Mr Hakeem said that he wanted the Joint Mechanism to be a three party agreement between the Government, LTTE and the SLMC.
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New UNICEF chief meets Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 June 2005, 13:14 GMT]
The new executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Ann Veneman, on her first official visit to Sri Lanka Saturday met with Head of Liberation Tigers Political Wing, S.P Thamilchelvan at the LTTE Peace Secretariat building in Kilinochchi at 10.45am, sources in Kilinochchi said.
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Civil group plans agitation in NorthEast over Buddha statue

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 June 2005, 11:49 GMT]
Mr.V.Vigneswaran, President of the Trincomalee District Tamil Peoples Forum (TDTPF) Saturday said in a press conference that his organization will begin non-violent direct action after July 10 through out NorthEast if the Sri Lanka government fails to remove the controversial Buddhist statue which was erected close to the Trincomalee central bus stand on 15 May, sources in Trincomalee said.
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SLMM vehicle damaged in Trinco violence

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 June 2005, 11:15 GMT]
A vehicle belonging to Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Trincomalee was damaged by a group of persons around 8.30 a.m., Saturday, at Hali Oluwa, a predominantly Sinhala suburb, located south of Trincomalee. Meanwhile, police in the eastern port town said several violent incidents against Tamils had taken place in Serunuwara and Hali Oluwa areas in the wake of the the killing of Police intelligence officer, Friday. Several lorries transporting cadjan and fishing boats were attacked by Sinhala youth. Tamil civilians who were using the Hali Oluwa junction for travelling to their areas were also assaulted, civilian sources said.
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TNA urges Colombo to sign aid deal

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 June 2005, 09:06 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Saturday appealed to the Sri Lanka Government to sign the post-Tsunami agreement with the LTTE as agreed between the Government and the LTTE with Norwegian facilitation. Noting that the main barrier to signing the agreement, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), has quit the alliance, the TNA said it would support fully all steps taken in the right direction by the minority Government.
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Denmark to assist Jaffna Campus in Journalism training

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 June 2005, 02:26 GMT]
Danish Development Corporation (DDC) signed an agreement with officials of Jaffna Campus Friday to provide assistance in setting up a training facilty for journalists, sources said. President of DDC, Toni Michelson, and Vice Chancellor of Jaffna Campus, Professor S Mohanadas signed the agreement.
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Japan to rebuild tsunami destroyed schools in coastal belt

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 June 2005, 01:19 GMT]
Japanese Government will use funds from the $80m grant it provided to the Government of Sri Lanka for post tsunami reconstruction to rebuild fourteen schools destroyed by tsunami along the coastal belt, a press release issued by the Embassy of Japan in Colombo said Wednesday.
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Colombo Appeals Court stays order on Buddha statue case

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 June 2005, 18:10 GMT]
The Court of Appeals Friday issued restraining order on the Trincomalee Police and Trincomalee Urban Council preventing from temporarily removing the Buddha statue, erected in a State land located close to the Trincomalee central bus stand, as earlier ordered by Trincomalee Magistrate Mr.M.Ganesharajah, legal sources said.
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Police Sergeant shot dead in Serunuwara

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 June 2005, 17:25 GMT]
Police sergeant Mr.M.Muthubanda (35) of Kantalai Police was shot dead Friday night around 7.45 p.m.in Serunuwara by unidentified gunmen who came in a push bicycle, Police said. At that time of incident he was standing in front of the Serunuwara government hospital.
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Lanka customs slaps $1m duty on Oxfam relief vehicles

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 June 2005, 17:19 GMT]
British charity Oxfam had to pay Sri Lanka customs US$1 million as tax to clear 25 four-wheel drive vehicles imported for tsunami duty, a BBC report said.
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Police constable and paramilitary cadre injured in grenade attack

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 June 2005, 14:25 GMT]
A Police constable, Mr. Shiampala Vadagamage Sumatithilake (36), and a PLOTE paramilitary cadre, Mr. sathasivam Siththiravel, (32), were injured in an attack by unidentified gunmen when they were travelling in a tractor in Kallady, 3 km south of Batticaloa town, Friday around 4.15 pm, Police said.
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German TV station assists tsunami-orphaned children

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 June 2005, 13:15 GMT]
Relief assistance project for children affected by tsunami disaster funded by Saarlaendischer Rundfunk (SR), a German Television and Radio Network in collaboration with German Technical Co-operation (GTZ) of the German Government is to be implemented in all villages affected in the NorthEast province, sources said.
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SLAF helicopter takes LTTE commanders to Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 June 2005, 13:11 GMT]
Batticaloa-Amparai LTTE military commanders and Head of LTTE's Batticaloa-Amparai Political Wing, Mr. Ilanthirayan, returned to Batticaloa from Kilinochchi in a Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) Helicopter Friday morning, sources in Batticaloa said. LTTE's Batticaloa-Amparai Special Commander Col. Banu, Batticaloa-Amparai Commander Ram, Commander Janarathan of LTTE's armed forces in Amparai and Commander Shanthan of the Jeyanthan Regiment were held up in Kilinochchi for some weeks as Colombo earlier refused to provide transport arrangements.
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Third token fast held in Kodikamam

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 June 2005, 10:32 GMT]
About five hundred Tamil civilians including students and traders participated in a one-day token fast in support of the joint mechanism proposal Friday under a special structure constructed in Kodikamam junction in Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district. Similar events were earlier held in Chavakachcheri on Wednesday and in Kaithady on Thursday, sources said.
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Aid deal not final, says Kumaratunga

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 June 2005, 10:28 GMT]
Responding to a letter from the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) which listed JVP's reasons for quitting the alliance, Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunga said Thursday that a final document for the Joint Mechanism has not been formulated. She added that the proposed mechanism does not go beyond the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) signed by Ranil Wickremesinghe and that the mechanism will not in any way jeopardize the sovereignty or integrity of Sri Lanka. Political observers in Colombo noted that as no time frame has been fixed for signing the proposal, more political maneuvering and delay in finalizing the aid deal can be expected.
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Norwegian Deputy FM to visit Sri Lanka next week

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 June 2005, 07:27 GMT]
The Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr Vidar Helgesen, will arrive in Sri Lanka on Monday 20 June for a five day visit, said the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Colombo in a press statement issued on Friday. Helgesen will have meetings with President Kumaratunga and the Liberation Tigers. He will also meet with the Muslim community in Kalmunai, the representatives from other political parties and the civil society.
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Second fasting campaign held in Kaithady

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 June 2005, 01:23 GMT]
Second token fasting campaign, organized by the Thenmaradchchi Traders' Association, demanding the immediate establishment of the joint mechanism to rehabilitate and reconstruct the tsunami destroyed coastal areas in the northeast province, was held at Kaithady junction in Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district Thursday, sources said.
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German Foundation assists Veloor pre-school building project

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 June 2005, 01:09 GMT]
Juergen Wahn Stiftung (JWS), a German Foundation, is funding the construction of a new two-storied building for the Veloor pre-school located in Nilaveli, a predominantly Tamil village, north of Trincomalee, sources said. JWS Wednesday donated a tractor and a trailer costing about one million rupees to the Nilaveli Tamil Maha Vidiyalayam School Development Society and Veloor Pre-School Development Society, sources said.
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US trains Sri Lanka Police in interrogation techniques

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 June 2005, 11:17 GMT]
American law enforcement instructors completed two weeks of training Sri Lanka Police at the Police Higher Training Institute in Colombo on "Interview and Interrogation Techniques, Human Dignity and Ethics, and Community-based Policing," said a press release issued by the U.S. Embassy in Colombo Thursday.
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JM failure will boost prospects for direct aid to Tigers- SLFP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 June 2005, 10:31 GMT]
"If we fail to agree on the Joint Mechanism (JM) with the LTTE, it is likely that aid will go directly to the Tigers and LTTE controlled NGOs. The Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) will be left out of the decision-making for reconstruction," said a propaganda leaflet circulated by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, Wednesday evening when it launched an awareness campaign in eighteen districts in the south of Sri Lanka to win support for the Joint Mechanism proposal, political sources in Colombo said.
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JVP leaves coalition Government

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 June 2005, 05:14 GMT]
Mr. Somawanse Amerasinghe, leader of the marxist extreme Sinhala nationalist party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Thursday officially announced that his party has left the Government of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) with effect from Wednesday midnight. "There is no more talk with the Government. We had left from the United People Front Alliance (UPFA) Government", Mr. Amerasinghe underlined. "My party will sit in opposition in the Parliament," he said, addressing a two-hours long press conference at the Colombo National Library Auditorium Thursday morning. The JVP has 39 seats in the 225-seat Parliament of Sri Lanka.
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Joint Mechanism Bill to be tabled in parliament

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 June 2005, 03:09 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge has decided to table the Joint Mechanism proposal, which details the administrative arrangement with the LTTE to rehabilitate and reconstruct the tsunami destroyed coastal areas in the northeast province, in the parliament next week. The proposal will be signed after the Bill is passed, government sources said.
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Model library opened in Thampalakamam

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 June 2005, 02:25 GMT]
A model library for Potkerni, a village in Thampalakamam in Trincomalee district, funded by the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) and NGO mainly operating in NorthEast, was opened Wednesday morning at 10.30 am, sources said.
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Demonstrators urge SL President to sign aid deal, resume peace talks

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 21:39 GMT]
Representatives from 42 civil society organizations, leftist parties and trade unions, demonstrated in support of the proposed Post Tsunami Operational Management Structure (PTOMS), previously called Joint Mechanism (JM), opposite the state controlled Lake House, on Wednesday from 4.30 PM to 6.30 PM. The demonstrators shouted slogans against the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and demanded the Government to banish Mr. Somawanse Amerasinghe, the leader of the JVP, from Sri Lanka. The demonstration was oraganised by the HIRU Group that works against chauvinism in southern Sri Lanka.
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Two civilians shot dead in Kalmunai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 18:41 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen shot and killed Mr. Nallathamby Ravinthiran (28), a Tamil refugee, and Mr. A. Mohammed Galeel (39), a Muslim resident from Kalmunaikuddy Shivo road, at Kalmunai bus stand approximately 100 meters away from the Kalmunai Police station around 8.00 PM Wednesday, Kalmunai Police said.
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JVP leaves UPFA, calls press conference on Thursday

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 18:39 GMT]
Mr.Somawanse Amerasinghe, leader of the marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) said Wednesday evening in Kandy that the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) will not be in power on Thursday if Sri Lanka’s President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge does not revoke her decision to sign the joint mechanism proposal with the LTTE before 11.59 PM Wednesday. Mr.Amarasinghe made this remark when addressing the JVP district conference in Kandy this evening, sources said. In the meantime, JVP minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake told media in Colombo that JVP has dispatched letters informing their decision to leave the UPFA alliance to the President and to the Prime Minister, sources in Colombo said.
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Police move to stop fast to death campaign

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 17:36 GMT]
Sri Lanka Police moved to disrupt the fast unto death campaign led by Ven Dambara Amila Thera, the president of the extremist National Bhikku Front (NBF) Wednesday afternoon at 6.30 PM, sources in Colombo said. Police with the support of the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) carried the monk from his campaign location in front of Colombo Fort Railway station to a waiting ambulance and drove him to Colombo General Hospital for treatment.
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Civilian shot dead in Arayampathi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 14:33 GMT]
Two unidentified gunmen riding in a motorbike shot and killed Mr. Ponniah Chandrabavan (22), a civilian, who was on his way to a temple in his motorbike Wednesday at 5.45 PM, Katankudy Police said. The incident took place in Arayampathi, Batticaloa-Kalmunai Road.
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Divided polity, absence of trust, cause for stalled peace- Rocca

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 14:16 GMT]
Emphasizing that the goal of United States is to help Sri Lanka end the decades long bloody conflict, Christina B. Rocca, Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, during a hearing before the House International Relations Subcommittee for Asia and the Pacific, said, "This [the stalled peace process] is due in part to divisions within the Sri Lankan government and the absence of trust between the government and the LTTE..."
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GTZ provides fishing boats to Trinco fishermen

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 11:45 GMT]
The German Government through the German Technical Co-operation (GTZ) has been distributing fishing boats with outboard engines and fishing nets to tsunami affected fishermen in the Trincomalee district. As a first phase six boats, engines and fishing nets were handed over to beneficiaries in the Muttur division this week, sources said.
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Fasting campaign held in Chavakachcheri

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 11:10 GMT]
First of the series of fasting campaign demanding the establishment of Joint Mechanism structure to rehabilitate and reconstruct the tsunami destroyed coastal areas in the northeast province without further delay was held in Chavakachcheri bus stand Wednesday. Thenmaradchchi Traders' Association organized the event, sources said.
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JVP urged to reconsider decision to quit

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 10:55 GMT]
Mr.Susil Premajayanth, General Secretary of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and Mr.Maithiripala Sirisena, General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Wednesday sent urgent written messages to Mr.Tilvin Silva, General Secretary of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to reconsider the decision to leave the UPFA government over the controversial joint mechanism proposal, political sources said.
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Youths remanded in Talaimannar shooting

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 10:48 GMT]
Mannar Magistrate, Mr.N.M.M.Abdullah, Wednesday ordered remand till June 22 three suspects, Selliah Nimalanathan, Jeyanathan and K.Karthigesu, who were produced in Mannar Courts in connection with the shooting that took place Tuesday morning close to Talaimannar old bridge area. In this incident a soldier of the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Mr. Meegoda Japthige Jayalath was injured, police said.
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LTTE's Trincomalee commander returns

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 06:12 GMT]
Commander of the Liberation Tigers' forces in Trincomalee, Col. Sornam, arrived in Sampur in Trincomalee Wednesday at 10.30 AM in a in a SLAF Helicopter facilitated by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), LTTE officials said.
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Jaffna traders organize fasting campaign in support of JM

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 02:18 GMT]
Jaffna civil groups are organizing to conduct a series of fasting campaign demanding the establishment of Joint Mechanism structure to rehabilitate and reconstruct the tsunami destroyed coastal areas in the northeast province without further delay, sources said. This campaign supported by Thenmaradchchi Traders' Association is to begin Wednesday in Chavakachcheri town, sources said.
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New alliance with SLFP dissidents imminent- JVP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 01:29 GMT]
The Marxist coalition partner Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) warned Tuesday that there will not be a United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government in Sri Lanka after Wednesday midnight. "We would be forming a new alliance on Thursday with the support of some UPFA senior ministers opposed to the Joint Mechanism," said Mr.Tilvin Silva, General Secretary of the JVP, addressing the public meeting held Tuesday evening in Lipton's Square at the conclusion of the protest march, sources said.
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Kumarapuram massacre case exhibits destroyed in fire

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 June 2005, 19:58 GMT]
All material evidence, including weapons allegedly used in the killing of Tamil civilians in the Kumarapuram massacre, were destroyed when the office of the Government Analyst in Colombo was gutted by fire last year, State Counsel Mr.S.Halimdeen told the Trincomalee High Court Judge Mr.Anton Balasingham when the Kumarapuram massacre case was taken up for inquiry Tuesday, legal sources said.
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Japan donates generators for tsunami refugee camps

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 June 2005, 13:58 GMT]
Japanese Government is donating 100 generators for use in camps where tsunmi refugees have been given temporary shelter, a press release from the Embassy of Japan issued in Colombo Tuesday said.
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Sivaram murder suspect remanded till June 20

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 June 2005, 13:31 GMT]
One of the suspects in connection with the assasination of veteran journalist Dharmeratnam Sivaram was remanded till June 20 at the Kaduwela Magistrate courts on Tuesday, legal sources said. The suspect who is believed to be an ex-PLOTE cadre was brought to the courts Tuesday morning with heavy security and was produced before the Magistrate Champa Janaki Perera by a Special Police team investigating the murder.
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JVP leads protest march in Colombo against aid deal

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 June 2005, 12:14 GMT]
More than 10,000 supporters of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), extreme nationalist ruling coalition ally, participated in a protest Campaign against the Joint mechanism (JM) proposal today Tuesday at 2.00pm, sources in Colombo said. The march started from Borella Campel Grounds, passed through Maradana and ended near the Colombo Municipal Council offices. The protesters after shouting slogans against the aid deal proposal continued their march to the Lipton round about where they dispersed.
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Donors urge immediate signing of tsunami agreement

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 June 2005, 09:08 GMT]
The Co-chairs of the Sri Lanka Donor Group who met in Washington D.C Monday, urged immediate signing of the agreement on tsunami reconstruction in order to ensure proper flow of reconstruction aid to tsunami victims in the NorthEast. The Co-chairs called on the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure that killings are stopped and paramilitaries are disarmed immediately as required in the Cease-Fire Agreement and the Liberation Tigers to stop killing Tamil informants, members of other Tamil groups, and to stop the recruitment and use of child soldiers. The Co-chairs of the Donor Group hoped that an agreement on tsunami reconstruction would help to build confidence between the two sides.
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SLN soldier injured in gunfire

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 June 2005, 08:59 GMT]
Mr.Meegoda Jathika Jayalath (25), soldier of the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) was injured when an unidentified gunman shot at him Tuesday morning around 6.45 AM on a group SLN soldiers on patrol duty at Old Bridge junction in Talaimannar in Mannar district. According to preliminary investigation by the police, one of the two unidentified men clad in shorts had come across the SLN soldiers and fired at them. Injured soldier is a native of Ahangama in Galle district, police said.
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Batticaloa TRO Official injured in grenade attack

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 June 2005, 17:00 GMT]
Mr. Packiarajah Thanapalan (22), a Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) official attached to the Batticaloa office, was injured when the TRO office located in Dias Road in Batticaloa town was attacked by unidentified persons Monday night 8.50 PM, Batticaloa-Amparai TRO Director, Mr. Sebastian Sessar told TamilNet. Office entrance was damaged from the explosion of two grenades that were hurled by the attackers, he added.
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IOM funds pre-school teacher training project

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 June 2005, 13:47 GMT]
Five-day residential workshop for pre-school Tamil and Muslim teachers in the Trincomalee district funded by the International Organization for Migrants (IOM) began Sunday in Valluvar Kottam, which is located along Inner Harbour Road in the east port town. Pre-School Educational Development Council (PSEDC) of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) in collaboration with the Pre-School Division of the North East Provincial Ministry of Education has been implementing the project.
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Police use tear gas to breakup monks' protest in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 June 2005, 12:34 GMT]
More than hundred policemen Monday evening around 2.30 PM fired tear gas and used water canons to disperse monks and university students who were protesting in front of Colombo Fort railway station in support of Ven. Dambara Amila Thera, the leader of the extremist National Bhikku Front (NBF), who started a new fast unto death campaign on Saturday against the Joint Mechanism. Ven Amila Thera was forcibly removed from the location by the Police and rushed to the Colombo General hospital where he is being treated for exhaustion, medical sources said.
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Jaffna undergrads hold demonstration supporting JM

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 June 2005, 11:36 GMT]
Several hundreds of Jaffna undergraduates Monday held a protest demonstration condemning the opposition by Sinhalese nationalists and Buddhist monks to the establishment of a joint mechanism for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the tsunami destroyed coastal areas in the northeast province, sources said. The demonstration was organized by the Jaffna University Students' Union.
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Civil groups appeal to international community to intervene

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 June 2005, 11:25 GMT]
Jaffna District Civil Groups Consortium (JDCGC), in a statement in Jaffna Monday, appealed to the international community to exert pressure on the Sri Lankan government resist chauvinistic opposition to Joint Mechanism proposal and to move forward to find a permanent political solution to the Tamil national question, sources said.
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Sivaram murder vehicle, SIM card recovered - Police

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 June 2005, 09:31 GMT]
Former military wing leader of PLOTE, Arumugam Sriskandarajan, also known as Peter, who was injured in the unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the government of the Maldives in 1988 and another suspect were arrested by Sri Lanka Police in connection with the abduction and murder of Dharmeratnam Sivaram, 46, a senior TamilNet editor and a popular columnist, sources in Colombo said. The SIM card from the cellphone owned by Mr. Sivaram, was recovered by the Police in a house in Maharagama Monday morning, according to Colombo Crime Division (CCD) Director Senior SP Sarath Lugoda. A vehicle, which Police believes, was used by the assains who abducted Mr. Sivaram, was also seized by the Police from the house.
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One killed, 16 injured in grenade attack at funeral

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 June 2005, 08:46 GMT]
A sixty year old Sinhala civilian was killed and 16 Tamil civilians were injured when unidentified attackers lodged a grenade at the funeral of a former LTTE cadre, who was shot and killed on Saturday by unidentified gunmen in Sorivil in Polannaruwa district. The grenade attack took place around 10.30 PM Sunday night. Twelve of the 16 injured persons, 6 men and 6 women, are admitted to Polannaruwa hospital. Aralaganwela Police suspected Karuna Group for the killing of the former LTTE cadre and the grenade attack at funeral.
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SEDB provides loan facilities for small businesses

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 June 2005, 02:06 GMT]
Socio-Economic Development Bank (SEDB) headquartered in Killinochchi through its Trincomalee district branch Saturday started providing loan facilities to farmers and fisheries federations to develop agriculture and fisheries in Trincomalee and Muttur. It also provided loans to persons to start income generative activities. SEDB sources said.
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JVP reiterates threat to quit ruling coalition over aid deal

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 June 2005, 00:29 GMT]
Leaders of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), marxist coalition partner of the ruling allliance, demanded a written statement from Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge that the Joint Mechanism proposal will not be signed. "If this written assurance is not forthcoming JVP will leave the ruling coalition, the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), on 16 June. We will also agitate for the resignation of the President," said JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe at a meeting in Galle Saturday evening.
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SL Constable arrested for straying into LTTE held Upparu

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 June 2005, 18:13 GMT]
LTTE cadres arrested Mr.Amal Prasanna, a police constable posted to Chinabay police station in the Trincomalee district Saturday when a boat carrying Mr Prasanna and seven others strayed into the shores of Upparu, a village controlled by the Liberation Tigers, sources said.
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Koushalyan Medical Unit serves villagers

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 June 2005, 18:06 GMT]
Lt.Colonel Koushalyan Mobile Medical Service (KMMS) conducted its second medical camp in Vavuniya North on Thursday and Friday, sources said. KMMS was established to serve people in remote villages in the NorthEast where residents undergo untold hardships in obtaining access to basic medical care.
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South's opposition adds legitimacy to Tamil struggle- Elilan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 June 2005, 14:57 GMT]
"The hostile opposition shown by Sinhala nationalist movements, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) to derail the proposed joint mechanism aimed at helping people devastated by tsunami, has clearly demonstrated to the international community the moral foundation of the Tamil liberation struggle and has brought to focus the urgent need to satisfy aspirations of the Tamil speaking people in their traditional homeland in northeast," said Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the LTTE Saturday.
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TNA meets SL President on Joint Mechanism proposal

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 June 2005, 13:03 GMT]
A delegation of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians met with Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunge and discussed the state of the Joint Mechanism for post-tsunami rehabilitation and the rising tension among the communities in Trincomalee triggered by the Buddha statue, a press release from from TNA issued in Colombo Sunday said. The meeting was held between 11am to 3.00pm Sunday, at president house.
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Gurunagar mourns its two youths, observes Hartal

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 June 2005, 17:16 GMT]
General shut down was observed Saturday in Gurunagar, a coastal suburb of the Jaffna town condemning the killing of two youths of the area Mr.Francis Renecial (25) and his cousin Mr.Devadas Emmanuel (26) in Colombo near Ponnambalavanes- warar Temple on June 5th by unidentified men. Gurunagar residents and relatives of the dead demanded a judicial inquiry into the killings.
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ADB funds housing project for war displaced Kanniya families

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 June 2005, 17:01 GMT]
A ninety-unit housing project for the first group of resettled families in Kanniya, Trincomalee, implemented by Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) with financial assistance from Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded North East Community Restoration and Development (NECORD) project was inaugurated Friday, sources said. Kanniya is a traditional Tamil village located about 8 km off north of east port town along Trincomalee-Anuradhapura road.
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Thenmaradchchi displaced hold sit-in-protest

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 June 2005, 15:35 GMT]
Large number of displaced persons in Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district Saturday morning held a one-hour sit-in-protest in front of the 55 Brigade Sri Lanka Army camp located in Mirusuvil Asaipillaiyettam demanding to vacate their houses and agricultural lands. SLA has been occupying many houses in areas demarcated as high security zones. The sit-in protest blocked the traffic on A 9 Jaffna Kandy for about an hour, sources said.
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Claymore attack kills Intelligence officer, EPDP cadre in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 June 2005, 06:35 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Intelligence Officer, Lance Corporal Ellaperuma Rukman Edward,31, and an Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) cadre, Mr. Gnanakumar Kannan, 28, were killed when unidentified gunmen attacked Kurumankadu EPDP camp located 1.5 km west of Vavuniya Saturday at 11.16 AM. Five paramilitary cadres and another SLA intelligence officer, Mr. Ajith De Silva, 30, were injured in the attack. The attackers used a Claymore mine on the wall of the camp, Vavuniya Police said. The cadres and the camp belonged to EPRLF-Varathar Group until the cadres converted to EPDP a few weeks ago, sources in Vavuniya said.
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Parliamentarian monk withdraws fast unto death

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 June 2005, 06:21 GMT]
Ven. Omalpe Sobitha Thera, the parliamentarian monk from the Sinhala ultra nationalist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), gave up his fast unto death on Saturday at 9.15 AM following the assurances given by the Chief Prelates of the Buddhist order in the country. Meanwhile, a media release issued from the Presidential Secretariat on Saturday quoted President Kumaratunga as saying to the Chief Prelates that "the proposed Post-Tsunami Operations Management Structure (P-TOMS) does not threaten Sri Lanka's national security or territorial integrity".
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Human Resource Development course for NEPC officials held

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 June 2005, 17:05 GMT]
The Management Development and Training Department (MDTD) of the North East Provincial Council (NEPC) in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Institute of Training and Development (SLITAD) completed a six month Certificate Course in Human Resource Development (HRD) for the first group of NEPC officials, sources said. Currently the NEPC get its resource personnel from other provinces to conduct training and seminars for provincial officials, sources said.
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ICRC briefs press on post-tsunami effort

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 June 2005, 16:33 GMT]
Mr.Patrick Walder, Head of Sub-delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that during the last several months the ICRC been been working with tsunami victims and affected families, and has considerably increased its presence in the Trincomalee district. ICRC has also been implementing humanitarian assistance programme for tsunami victims, he said briefing the Trincomalee based media persons Wednesday at the Sri Shanmuga Boy's Home located along the Inner Harbour Road, Trincomalee.
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Monks march against Joint Mechanism

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 June 2005, 12:38 GMT]
More than 500 monks belonging to extreme nationalist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), party members and JHU parliamentarians held a protest campaign against the Joint Mechanism (JM) Friday evening at 4pm, sources in Colombo said. The protesters started the campaign near the Colombo Viharamahadevi park and marched through Maradana, and Pettah, and stopped in front of Sri Lanka President's house shouting slogans against the Joint Mechanism proposal before continuing their march.
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India to cooperate on defence, invest in energy, medical sectors

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 June 2005, 11:21 GMT]
Noting the excellent state of bilateral relations between India and Sri Lanka and the closer integration of the two economies, a joint press release issued in Colombo Friday after the 6th session of the Sri Lanka-India Joint Commission said that a Joint Working Group of Fisheries will be established and announced that India will extend its credit line, invest in power and energy sectors and offer defence assistance.
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World Bank funds housing reconstruction in NE

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 June 2005, 10:58 GMT]
World Bank (WB) funded North East Housing Reconstruction Programme (NEHRP) is to construct about 3,900 houses in the war affected fifty one villages in the Jaffna district under a four year plan commencing from 2005. About 1,600 houses will be constructed in 2005, said NEHRP officials at a discussion held with World Bank representatives Thursday in the Jaffna district secretariat .
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Fasting monk rejects President's assurance

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 June 2005, 10:56 GMT]
Venerable Omalpe Sobitha Thera, parliamentarian of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) Friday morning informed a team of government politicians that he is not prepared to give up his fast unto death against the implementation of the joint mechanism, as he is not satisfied with the assurance of the President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge that she would not take final decision on the JM without Buddhist prelates' consensus.
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Sri Lanka will accept India's Air Defence System- Kadirgamar

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 June 2005, 10:41 GMT]
"[India's Air Defence system] is very much under discussion. We will accept it. We are looking into means how it could be done," said Minister Kadirgamar at the joint press briefing at the Foreign Ministry office in Colombo Friday. Mr Natwar Singh, India's Foreign Minister concurred "Defence cooperation agreement is in the process of being finalised, we are going through some procedures." Senior Foreign Ministry officials of both countries were present at the briefing which was held soon after the 6th session of the Sri Lanka -India Joint Commission in Colombo.
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Civilian found dead with gunshot wounds in Thenmaradchchi

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 June 2005, 10:36 GMT]
Mr.S.Balakrishnan (60) father of four children was found dead Thursday night with gunshot injuries along roadside in Thotty Amman Kovil area in Mirusuvil north in Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district. On receipt of information a the Kodikamam Police rushed to the site and recovered the body, Police said
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JVP issues ultimatum for coalition break-up

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 June 2005, 05:53 GMT]
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the main political ally of ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Government, informed on Friday at a press conference in Colombo that it will leave the UPFA coalition on 16th of June unless President Chandrika Kumaratunga gives up the idea of signing a Joint Mechanism with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) before June 15th midnight. The announcement was made by the JVP leader, Mr Somavanse Amarasinghe at Sri Lanka Foundation Institute in Colombo. The JVP has 39 seats in the 225-seat Parliament of Sri Lanka.
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No final decision on JM proposal without Mahanayakas' consensus- SL President

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 June 2005, 05:05 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunge Friday early morning sent a special message to the Mahanayake Theras of three Chapters regarding the controversy over the signing of the joint mechanism structure with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). "Final decision to sign the proposed Joint Mechanism will not be taken without the consensus of the three Mahanayakas," the president assured in her letter, the State controlled Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) announced in its Friday morning news bulletin.
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Japanese students hold Sivaram memorial

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 June 2005, 00:06 GMT]
Students at a Tokyo university where Tamil political columnist and military analyst Dharmeratnam Sivaram was scheduled to speak shortly before he was abducted and murdered by unidentified gunmen in Colombo on April 28 held a memorial Tuesday this week.
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Buddhist High Priests issue ultimatum for abrogating JM

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 June 2005, 17:56 GMT]
High priests (Mahanayaka Theras) of all four Buddhist Chapters of Maha Sangha gave a 24-hour ultimatum to Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunge to make a clear statement on whether she intends to abrogate the Joint Mechanism proposal, Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), an extremist party of Buddhist monks said in a press release issued Thursday night in Colombo, sources said. Buddhist prelates who reach the position of Mahanayake Theras play a vital role in the thinking of the Government in power.
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LTTE, Muslims meet in Karadiyanaaru

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 June 2005, 13:49 GMT]
Officials of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) met with representatives from Kalkudah Muslim community at the Karadiyanaru Maha Vidyalayam, Chenkalady from 10 AM to 12 PM Thursday, sources from Batticaloa said. Discussions centered around land issues concerning muslim settlers in Oddamavady and Kalkuddah, according to officials attending the meeting.
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Indian FM Natwar Singh arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 June 2005, 13:22 GMT]
Mr. K.Natwar Singh, Indian External Affairs Minister, arrived in Colombo Thursday evening to attend the sixth session of the Indo-Sri Lanka Joint Commission scheduled to begin Friday. He told the press at the airport on his arrival that diplomatic relations between India and Sri Lanka will play a vital role in strengthening regional peace and stability.
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Danish Group funds Vavuniya preschool building

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 June 2005, 11:11 GMT]
Opening ceremony for a new preschool building in Kilavikulam in Vavuniya district, funded by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) was ceremonially opened at 1pm Wednesday. The 'Thamilenthi Preschool' was built at a cost of nearly Rs. 850,000 and will be administered by the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO).
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Civilian killed in gunfire at Chenkalady market

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 June 2005, 08:08 GMT]
A 40 year old civilian, Mr. Thadchanamoorthy Karunamoorthy, was killed on the spot as Sri Lankan Army soldiers returned fire on gunmen who shot at an EPDP cadre Thursday morning around 10.30 AM, according to eyewitnesses in Chenkalady market. The EPDP cadre, Mr. Tharmaratnam Elamaran Ravi, 30, who was in-charge of the Chenkalady EPDP office, and an SLA corporal Mr. Piremathilake, 35, were wounded in the attack by the gunmen.
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UN health officials visit Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 June 2005, 17:27 GMT]
Two member-delegation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Wednesday visited Jaffna and held discussion with the representatives of Jaffna District NGOs Consortium and the Federation of Displaced Persons Organizations in Jaffna regarding the improvement of health and medical facilities in tsunami affected coastal villages in the district, sources said.
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Japanese Minister to visit Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 June 2005, 13:58 GMT]
Japanese Senior Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Ichiro Aisawa, is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka for bilateral talks and to discuss post-tsuanmi relief matters, said a press release from Embassy of Japan, issued in Colombo Wednesday.
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Indian External Affairs Minister to visit Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 June 2005, 13:51 GMT]
Mr. K. Natwar Singh, the External Affairs Minister of India will lead his country's delegation to the 6th session of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission. He will arrive in Colombo on Thursday, 9 June, the Srilankan Government Information Department said in a press release, Wednesday.
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Two LTTE cadres killed in claymore attack in East

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 June 2005, 13:10 GMT]
Two LTTE cadres, Mr. Niveharan (22) and Mr. Sutharanjan (23), were killed in a claymore landmine attack in no-man zone at Sangamankandy, between Pottuvil and Komari at 12.35 PM Wednesday, sources said. The attack took place at Sangamankandy 2 km from Thandiyadi Sri Lanka Army (SLA) checkpoint while the cadres were walking with their punctured motorbike from Kanjirankuda LTTE base towards LTTE political office in Komari, Mr. Daya Mohan, Deputy Head of LTTE's Batticaloa-Amparai Political Division told TamilNet. Mr. Daya Mohan blamed Special Task Force (STF) soldiers and paramilitary cadres working with the STF for the attack.
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Vadamaradchy rural schools receive assistance

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 June 2005, 10:35 GMT]
The Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), a Sri Lanka Government registered NGO working mainly in NorthEast, donated Rs 400,000 to buy computing equipment for a school in Thumpalai, Point Pedro and gave another Rs 1200,000 to build a pre-school in the coastal town of Katkovalam located 5km east of Point Pedro, TRO officials said.
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Parliamentary proceedings disrupted second day

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 June 2005, 10:15 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament proceedings were disrupted again Wednesday when Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians protested that they cannot accept the statement Government of Sri Lanka made in the House on the pull out of additional troops deployed in Trincomalee town after the unlawful erection of a Buddha statue in the heart of town, sources said.
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Bikkhu Front begins fast in Colombo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 June 2005, 09:53 GMT]
National Bhikku Front (NBF) Wednesday morning started a fast unto death campaign in front of Fort Railway Station, Colombo, protesting against the signing of Joint Mechanism proposal between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The proposal spells out administrative and funds disbursement arrangement for rehabilitation and reconstruction of tsunami destroyed coastal areas in the Northeast province.
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JVP warns Kumaratunga not to be the last of Bandaranaikes

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 June 2005, 07:46 GMT]
Mounting a scathing attack on President Chandrika Kumaratunga and her family, Mr.Somawanse Amarasinghe, leader of the marxist extreme Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the main political ally of ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Government, warned on Tuesday that if Kumarathunga went ahead and signed the proposed joint-mechanism with the LTTE, she would be the "last of the Bandaranaikes".
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Search operation in Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 June 2005, 06:05 GMT]
Sri Lanka Police and Special Task Force (STF) soldiers conducted a cordon and search operation on Wednesday in Alaiyadivembu, a village in Akkaraipattu in Amparai district. The search operation which began at 8.00 AM went on till noon, sources said.
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Archaeologists enter Omanthai statue dispute

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 June 2005, 18:08 GMT]
The controversy over the Buddha statue installed by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in the historic Pillaiyar Temple premises in Omanthai, a strategic point located at the southern border of LTTE held Vanni region, took a perplexing turn when a group of three archaeologists visited the site on the direction of Sri Lanka government authorities in Colombo to investigate "archaeological findings" in the area. The group was given police protection, sources said.
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Samaraweera resigns from Media Minister post

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 June 2005, 14:46 GMT]
Mr.Mangala Samaraweera Tuesday gave up his Media Ministry portfolio, but continued to remain as Minister of Ports and Aviation, political sources in Colombo said. Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge has accepted Mr.Samaraweera's resignation sent on Tuesday, ruling party sources said.
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JHU threatens to boycott parliament

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 June 2005, 13:27 GMT]
Venerable Athuraliya Ratana Thera, parliamentary group leader of the all monks' Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) party Tuesday announced in parliament that his party has decided to boycott the House temporarily in protest of the Sri Lanka government's move to sign the joint mechanism proposal with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), parliamentary sources said.
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Colombo's transport refusal endangers CFA- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 June 2005, 08:52 GMT]
"Serious crisis has developed over Sri Lanka Government's continuing refusal to provide travel security to our military commanders across Government controlled areas forcing us to plan our own armed escort. We have pointed out to the Norwegian facilitators to urgently seek the response from Colombo on this matter. Failure to resolve this issue will call into question the continued observation of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA)," said Thamilchelvan in a press briefing to reporters in Kilinochchi, after meeting with Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar and Mr. Wagn Winkel, acting Head of the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Kilinochchi Tuesday morning.
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TNA MPs protest over SL Government's failure to pullout troops

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 June 2005, 08:40 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Tuesday brought the proceedings of Sri Lanka parliament to a halt twice staging a protest in the well of the House spotlighting the failure of the Sri Lanka government to keep its promise to withdraw government troops in deployed in the east port town after the unlawful erection of the controversial Buddha statue near the central bus stand in Trincomalee, parliamentary sources said.
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Trinco airstrip, a canard to justify Muttur embargo- Elilan

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 June 2005, 19:20 GMT]
Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Monday brought to the notice of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that reports published in a section of the media quoting a report from the state intelligence agency that LTTE is engaged in constructing an airstrip in Sampoor, Muttur east, is a figment of imagination, sources said.
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Human Rights Commission officials visit Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 June 2005, 16:30 GMT]
Five commissioners of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) led by its Chairperson Ms Radhika Coomaraswamy Monday visited Jaffna and held discussions with the Jaffna area commander of the Sri Lanka Army, Major General Sunil Tennekon, representatives of the Jaffna District Consortium of Non-Governmental Organizations (JDCNO), Civil Groups and Jaffna Bishop Rt.Rev Dr Thomas Soundaranayagam regarding several problems confronting the people of the district from high security zone to accidents involving army vehicles.
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JHU MPs fast against Joint Mechanism

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 June 2005, 16:24 GMT]
Monks belonging to Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), ultra-Sinhala nationalist party of Buddhist monks, began fast unto death in front of the historic Dalada Maligawa in the hill town of Kandy, demanding the government of Sri Lanka to reject signing the Joint Mechanism, the proposed agreement with the Liberation Tigers regarding the rehabilitation and reconstruction of tsunami destroyed coastal areas in the Northeast province, sources in Kandy said.
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Thousands march in Pottuvil against buffer zone

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 June 2005, 16:16 GMT]
Around ten thousand protesters from all three communities from Pottuvil to Panama, jointly marched Monday morning from 8.00 AM to 12.00 AM demanding the removal of the 200 meter buffer zone. Demonstrators shouted slogans against the different restrictions, 38 meter buffer zone in Hambantota in the South as opposed to the 200 meter buffer zone imposed in NorthEast. The protest march organised by Pottuvil All Community Forum was backed up by a widely observed hartal. All shops in Pottuvil remained closed. Residents setup road blocks and burnt tires across major roads. Security was beefed up in Pottuvil by the Police, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and the Special Task Force (STF) soldiers.
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LTTE official attacked by STF soldiers in Amparai

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 June 2005, 12:42 GMT]
A political division official of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eealm (LTTE) from Veeramunai Navithanveli, Mr. Sathees, was attacked by Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) soldiers Monday morning around 9.30 AM, LTTE said. STF soldiers hit Mr. Sathees with gun butts while he was standing in front of the Veeramunai LTTE political office, according to Mr. Atheeswaran Master, Political Head of the LTTE Veeramunai Koddam in Amparai.
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Memorial meetings for Sivaram held in US

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 June 2005, 10:09 GMT]
Memorial meetings for Dharmeratnam Sivaram, senior TamilNet editor and military analyst abducted and killed on 28 April, were held in Washington D.C and in Rutgers University Center Hall New Jersey, Saturday and Sunday respectively, sources said.
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Karuna Group cadre shot dead in Valaichenai

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 June 2005, 09:01 GMT]
Paramilitary Karuna Group cadre, Mr. Karuwathamby Packiyarajah (48), was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen Sunday night. Valaichenai Police recovered the dead body Monday morning in Aalankulam in Valaichchenai. The assailants had used a T-56 assault rifle to gun down the paramilitary cadre, according to the Police.
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Tamil youth killed in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 June 2005, 06:29 GMT]
Mr. Veerabahu Inthirakumar, 27, was shot by unidentified gunmen at Nelson Place, Wellawatte, Colombo Monday early morning 2.30 AM, Police said. The victim succumbed to gunshot injuries at Kalubowila Hospital in Colombo.
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Police blame political party for Sivaram murder - paper

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 June 2005, 14:17 GMT]
Sri Lankan Police have cracked the murder of journalist Sivaram Dharmaratnam but are keeping it under wraps until all suspects are arrested, The Sunday Leader newspaper claimed this week, adding a political party supportive of President Chandrika Kumaratunga's ruling coalition is to blame. The claim was echoed in by the Sunday Times’ defence column.
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EPDP cadre shot dead in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 June 2005, 10:28 GMT]
A resident of Naranthanai village in Kayts division in Jaffna district, Mr.Baskaran Preman Ashok (25), believed to be a paramilitary cadre of Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP), was shot dead Sunday morning around 10.45 a.m. by unidentified gunmen near Moothavinayagar Kovil in Anaikoddai in the Jaffna district. The deceased was riding a motorbike at that time of incident. Gunmen, who came in a motorbike, according to reports received by the Jaffna Police, stopped him behind the Kovil and shot him.
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Two Tamil youths killed in Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 June 2005, 05:22 GMT]
Two Tamil youths, identified as Mr. Francis Denisius and Mr. Thevathas Emmanuel from Gurunagar, Jaffna, were shot and killed by unidentified gunmen who followed the victims in a three wheeler in Kochchikkadai, Colombo. The incident took place in front of a Kali Temple located near the Ponnambalawaneswar Temple in Kochchikkadi Sunday morning around 5.50 AM, according to residents in the area.
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SLA soldiers search Batticaloa TELO office

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 June 2005, 04:11 GMT]
Around hundred Sri Lankan Army (SLA) soldiers entered the Batticaloa office of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), a constituent of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Saturday night at 12.00 AM and searched the office. Military Intelligence (MI) officers and paramilitary cadres from the Razeek Group participated in the search operation, Mr. Indrakumar Prasanna, Secretary General of TELO, told TamilNet.
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Veteran Tamil scholar 'Nanthi' dies

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 June 2005, 19:48 GMT]
Professor C.Sivagnanasuntheram, a veteran Tamil scholar passed away in Jaffna Saturday afternoon after a brief illness at the age of 77. He wrote several Tamil literary works under pseudonym 'Nanthi', sources said.
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SLA troopers attempt to enter LTTE office in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 June 2005, 18:32 GMT]
Around hundred Sri Lankan Army (SLA) soldiers together with paramilitary cadres from Razeek Group entered the premises of the LTTE administrative office at Thamaraikerni in Batticaloa town Saturday night around 11.30 PM. However, LTTE officials did not allow the soldiers to enter the office building till the arrival of truce monitors, Deputy Head of Batticaloa-Amparai Political Wing of the LTTE, Mr. Daya Mohan, told TamilNet. The sudden siege by the SLA soldiers with the presence of paramilitary cadres, "in contradiction to the terms of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) was aimed at provoking the Tigers", he charged.
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Civilian shot dead in Vadamaradchchi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 June 2005, 08:43 GMT]
Mr.Rajadurai Thangarajah (60) was shot dead Saturday around 12.30 p.m. at Udupiddy area in the Vadamaradchchi division in the Jaffna district. He was shot by one of the two persons who followed him on a motor bicycle, Valvettithurai Police said.
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Demonstration against Upper Kotmale Hydro-project held in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 June 2005, 04:58 GMT]
More than two hundred activists belonging to civil groups opposed to Upper Kotmale Hydro-power scheme demonstrated in front of Colombo Fort Railway station Friday afternoon, sources in Colombo said. Members of leftist political parties and other related civil groups including Sinhalese and Tamils participated in the demonstration. Upcountry Tamil political parties did not attend the demonstration.
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Respect the decision of the judiciary in Trinco dispute - NPC

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 June 2005, 04:04 GMT]
Urging the Sri Lankan Government to implement the decisions of the judiciary regarding the dispute in Trincomalee in an impartial manner and deploring any threats to use violence to resolve the issue, the National Peace Council (NPC), a Colombo based Sri Lankan peace group, in a media release issued on Friday, said that the focus of public attention has been shifting to very negative issues due to the lack of progress in achieving agreement on Joint Mechanism on tsunami recovery. The organiation warned that the widespread protest which brought ordinary life in the Northeast to a halt on Friday points to the danger of escalation.
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Army sentry burnt down in Thenmaradchchi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 June 2005, 03:57 GMT]
Unidentified group of youths Friday night around 7.30 p.m. set fire to a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) sentry located in Mirusuvil-Puttur junction in Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district, Chavakachcheri Police said.
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Buddha statue attacked in Kalmunai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 June 2005, 03:48 GMT]
A one meter tall statue of Buddha located in Kalmunai Sinhala Maha Vidyalaya School at Pansala Road was damaged by unidentified persons who entered the school premises Saturday early morning between 2.00 AM and 4.00 AM, Kalmunai Police said.
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EU delegation visits Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 June 2005, 03:30 GMT]
A delegation of the European Union (EU) visited Jaffna Friday and held discussion with the representatives of the Jaffna District Non-Governmental Organizations' Consortium (JDNOC) regarding the implementation of rehabilitation and reconstruction projects of the EU in the Jaffna district.
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ILO funds bakery training center in Mannar

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 June 2005, 23:58 GMT]
International Labor Organization (ILO) funded Bakery Training Center was opened in Illupaikadavai in Mannar district Thursday at 10 am sources in Mannar said. Ten teen aged boys and girls who dropped out of school due to war, and another ten women head of households were selected to receive training to build bakery skills in the center.
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Saving accounts opened for Vadamaradchi tsunami orphans

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 June 2005, 15:01 GMT]
Saving accounts were opened Friday in the Thamileelam Bank with initial deposit of five thousand per child in the names of twenty-six children who lost their parents in the tsunami in Maruthankerni area in Vadamaradchchi east division in Jaffna district, sources said. The financial assistance was provided by well-wishers in the area.
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Jaffna Islets' ferry service to use Indian boats

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 June 2005, 14:57 GMT]
Four of the fifty-two Indian fishing boats seized by the Jaffna High Court for poaching in the northern territorial waters are to be used for transporting passengers between islets of the Jaffna district. A team of engineers of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources recently visited Jaffna to finalise arrangement in this regard, Jaffna Fisheries Department official Mr.T. Tharmalingam said.
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STF lays siege to LTTE's Thirukovil political office

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 June 2005, 13:27 GMT]
Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) soldiers were stopped from forcibly entering the Political office of the Liberation Tigers in Thirukkovil, Amparai at 12.00 PM Friday, by Political Head of LTTE Veeramunai Koddam Mr. Atheeswaran Master who demanded the presence of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) officials, LTTE officials said. STF soldiers kept the LTTE office under siege till 18.20 PM till SLMM officials arrived at the scene. Mr. Aleeswaran Master told TamilNet that harrassment by Security Forces to provoke the LTTE cadres is escalating in Batticaloa, Amparai districts and the situation is rapidly deteriorating.
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Two Tamil youths shot by Sri Lankan Air Force in Trinco

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 June 2005, 12:46 GMT]
Two Tamil youths, identified as Mr.Ravi and Mr.Sathyaseelan, have been admitted to Trincomalee General Hospital with serious gunshot injuries after being fired on by Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) personnel at Mitsubishi Cement Factory in Chinabay, 10 km off Trincomalee town, sources said.
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Hartal paralyzes NorthEast

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 June 2005, 11:06 GMT]
Normal life in the northeast province was disrupted Friday following the one-day general shut down condemning the failure by the Sri Lanka Government to withdraw troops from Trincomalee town in large numbers. More than fifteen hundred troops are deployed in the east port town following the controversy over the erection of a Buddha statue in a land located close to the central bus stand.
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Three injured in Grenade explosion in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 June 2005, 08:10 GMT]
Three persons received minor injuries when unidentified persons lobbed a grenade inside the Anuradhapura - Anpuvallipuram junction market which is located about 2 km from east port town Friday morning around 10.30 AM.
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Two civilians injured in STF fire in Amparai

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 June 2005, 07:28 GMT]
Two civilians, Mr. Nadarajah Manickam (42) and Mr. Vijay Nadarajah (22), a father and his son, were injured when Special Task Force (STF) soldiers who had come to the EPDP office in Karaithivu fired at random Thursday night around 9.30 PM. The soldiers who opened fired had come to EPDP office after unidentified gunmen had fired behind the EPDP office, Police sources said. Injured civilians are admitted to Kalmunai Ashraff Memorial Hospital.
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NorthEast to shutdown as Colombo fails to withdraw troops from Trinco

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 June 2005, 19:16 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians, Representatives of Trincomalee District Tamil People's Forum (TDTPF) and other Tamil civil groups, in a meeting held Thursday, decided to hold a one-day general shut down in NorthEast protesting the continued presence of Sri Lanka troops in Trincomalee town despite the assurance given by the Ministerial team that troops will be withdrawn by Thursday, TNA sources said.
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Colombo holds key to restore normalcy, says LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 June 2005, 14:51 GMT]
Government of Sri Lanka has a moral responsibility to demonstrate its serious commitment to the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) and its will to maintain the integrity of the CFA by delivering on it in terms of its obligation to restore normalcy, Mr. Thamilchelvan, LTTE's Head of Political Division, told Swiss Ambassador Mr.Bernadino Reggazzoni on Thursday in a meeting in Kilinochchi. LTTE's Political Head expressed fear over the state of the CFA in the context of "fanatical elements" trying to cash in on a volatile situation in Trincomalee and Vavuniya, the LTTE Peace Secretariat website reported.
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Minibus carrying students escapes landmine blast

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 June 2005, 12:18 GMT]
A minibus carrying more than 70 students travelling to participate in Tamileelam Students Uprising Day in Kaludavalai from LTTE controlled Pankudaveli in Batticaloa narrowly escaped a Claymore landmine attack at 8.30 AM on Thursday. The incident took place 100 meters from a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) checkpoint at Koduvamadu in Chenkallady-Badulla Road.
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Sri Lanka's President urged to make Bindunuwewa massacre report public

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 June 2005, 11:02 GMT]
"The fact that that not a single person could be held guilty for the mass murder of 28 Tamils in the protective custody of the State at Bindunuwewa will further increase the distrust of even the moderate Tamil minorities with the democratic institutions of Sri Lanka" stated Mr. Suhas Chakma, Director of Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) in a 24 page report issued on Thursday titled "Sri Lanka:Miscarriage of Justice". On 27 May 2005, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka acquitted four accused who were earlier sentenced to death by the High Court.
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Rights Group condemns Bindunuwewa acquittals

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 June 2005, 10:55 GMT]
"These acquittals show a shocking failure of the police and judicial system in Sri Lanka to find justice for the dead and injured from this horrific incident," said Brad Adams, Asia Director of Human Rights Watch, a New York based international rights group. “As the victims were all Tamil, the government needs to move quickly to start fresh investigations and to prosecute the perpetrators, some of whom were police officers, or it will only further distance aggrieved Tamils,” Mr Adams added.
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LTTE invites donors to Kilinochchi - paper

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 June 2005, 06:24 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers have invited the four major donor agencies - World Bank, ADB JBIC and IMF - to Kilinochchi to discuss the outcome of the international aid conference held in Kandy last month and how future tsunami reconstruction and rehabilitation work could be carried out, the Daily Mirror reported Thursday.
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TRO official speaks at Select Committee meeting

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 June 2005, 02:59 GMT]
Mr S. Sivasupramanium, Head of the Colombo office of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), an NGO registered with the Government of Sri Lanka, addressed the Parliamentary Select Committee meeting of NGOs where views were shared on the role of the NGO sector in post-disaster rehabilitation held at the Sri Lanka parliamentary complex in Colombo, website of the Select Committee reported.
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TELO's Vavuniya TV retransmission station attacked

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 June 2005, 01:07 GMT]
Sun Television retransmission station in Vairavarpuliyankulam in Vavuniya district operated by cadres of Tami Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) was attacked with hand grenades by unidentified attackers at 1.45 AM Thursday morning, causing damages worth Rs 1 million to equipment.
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SLA, Police agree to remove Buddha statue in Omanthai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 June 2005, 00:31 GMT]
After a visit to the Omanthai Pillaiyar Temple grounds Wednesday by Vanni district parliamentarians Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan, Mr.Sivasakthi Ananthan and Mr.Sivanathan Kishore and LTTE Vavuniya district deputy political head Mr.Dharmendra accompanied by Vavuniya Police Officer in charge Mr. Abeyasinghe Bandara, TNA parliamentarian Adaikalanathan said that the Police and the Army have agreed to remove the Buddha statue from the Hindu temple grounds, sources in Vavuniya said.
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Conference decries escalating threat to freedom of expression

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 June 2005, 00:10 GMT]
Representatives of media organizations and Trade Unions, Civil society leaders, artists and members of leftist parties held a conference labelled "Living against murder," protesting against murders of journalists and the rising threat to freedom of expression in Sri Lanka. The conference was held at the Jayawardana Center in Colombo Town Hall.
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Ministerial involvement averts Trinco shutdown

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 June 2005, 00:01 GMT]
Trincomalee District Tamil Peoples' Forum (TDTPF) Wednesday agreed to postpone until June 15 its general shut down action scheduled to take place after June 2nd demanding the removal of controversial Buddha statue after a ministerial team assured the Tamil Forum that the Urban Development Authority (UDA) would take legal action against the unlawful structure and necessary steps will be taken to withdraw army troops from the east port town, sources in Trincomalee said.
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Funeral of Major Muthalif held in Colombo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 June 2005, 11:15 GMT]
Funeral of high ranking Military Intellligence Commanding Officer Major Mutalif (39), who was assassinated Monday by unidentified gunmen was held Wednesday morning at Dehiwela Mohideen burial grounds with full military honors, sources in Colombo said.
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USAID helps rebuild Jaffna psychiatric ward

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 June 2005, 10:56 GMT]
US Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided a grant of US$225,000 to rehabilitate a new psychiatric wing at the Tellipalai Hospital in Jaffna, a press release issued by the US Embassy in Colombo said. USAID is an independent agency that provides economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the foreign policy goals of the United States.
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Grenade attack on Akkaraipattu LTTE office

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 June 2005, 02:42 GMT]
Unidentified persons lobbed two grenades at the administration office of the Liberation Tigers in Akkaraipattu-Amparai road. The incident took place Wednesday morning around 2.00 AM. No one were injured in the attack, LTTE sources said.
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Attorney General files plaint in Buddha statue case

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 June 2005, 00:05 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Attorney General (AG) Tuesday filed plaint seeking the Trincomalee District Court Judge Mr.S.Thiagendran to declare the construction of the Buddha statue on the State land as unlawful and to issue enjoining order preventing the accused party from making further improvement, alteration and building any new additions in the disputed land till the matter is resolved by the court, legal sources said.
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