Trinco veteran Muslim parliamentarian dies

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 January 2005, 09:41 GMT]
Mr.M.E.H.Mohamed Ali, veteran Muslim politician and a former parliamentarian of the Trincomalee district passed away Friday night at his residence in the east port town peacefully at the age of 77. His funeral was held Saturday morning around 11 a.m. in the Muslim cemetery in the midst of leading citizens, government officials, civil leaders and friends of all communities, family sources said.
Full story >>

Spill water floods Muttur villages, 3000 families left in the lurch

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 December 2004, 00:46 GMT]
About twenty Tamil villages in Eachchilampathu division in Muttur area are under water since December 19 following the opening of sluice gates of two major irrigation tanks -Kantalai in Trincomalee district and Minneriya in Pollonnorawa district, which are in full capacity. Irrigation authorities have opened the sluice gates of these two tanks to avoid breach to them following heavy rain and excess water flowing from Mahaweli ganga to these tanks. About three thousand families have been displaced, as their wattle and daub houses were washed away or damaged by the spill water.
Full story >>

“Budget ignores collective will of Tamil Nation”-Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 November 2004, 05:27 GMT]
Mr.R.Sampanthan, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group leader speaking during the Budget debate in Sri Lanka's parliament Thursday morning, said that it is outrageous that the Finance Minister did not even consult the legitimate representatives of Tamil Nation. "The right to internal self-determination has been consistently denied to the Tamil people. This budget is yet another manifestation of that denial...Nothing can be more humiliating to the Tamil psyche than the non-recognition of their collective will. This situation if continued can have serious repercussions," he said.
Full story >>

NESOHR chair addresses US event

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 November 2004, 19:15 GMT]
Rev Father Karunaratnam, Chairman of the NorthEast Secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR), delivered the key note address at the the Annual General Meeting of Ilankai Tamil Sangam (ITS), USA held in New York Saturday. He urged expatriate Tamils in the US to become politically more active to raise the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils in the US political fora. He described the human rights situation in the NorthEast and the efforts of the NESOHR to address rights issues. Two books related to Tamil struggle were also released at the event.
Full story >>

TNA rejects joining SL President's Advisory Council for Peace

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 October 2004, 10:42 GMT]
"It is our considered view that if the government takes clear and courageous action to recommence the negotiations, which the Government's has hitherto to failed do, the peace process can be taken forward... We would strongly urge you to implement what you enunciated at the meeting with the TNA parliamentary group on 10th June," Mr.R.Sampanthan, Tamil National Alliance parliamentary group leader said in a letter to Sri Lanka's President Ms Kumaratunge officially informing the TNA's decision of rejecting her invitation to attend the National Advisory Council for Peace and Reconciliation.
Full story >>

U.S Court curbs FBI powers granted in Patriot Act

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 September 2004, 00:12 GMT]
Federal judge Victor Marrero, who presides U.S. District Court in New York City, struck down Wednesday a key part of the U.S. Patriot Act, which granted to the FBI surveillance powers to demand company records from businesses without court approval, as unconstitutional, media reports in the U.S said.


Full story >>

TNA criticizes SL President's UN speech

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 September 2004, 01:11 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunge's speech at the United Nations General Assembly "does not reflect true factual position...We urge the President to refrain from making rhetorical statements and focus on resolute action that would enable the recommencement of talks and meaningful consensus-building that would ensure the success of the negotiations," said parliamentarians from Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in a press statement released Thursday.
Full story >>

US military assistance weakening peace process -TNA

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

Black Sea Tiger Major Puhalini remembered

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 June 2004, 00:10 GMT]
Major Puhalini, member of the Black Sea Tiger wing of the Liberation Tigers, who died on 30 July, 2003 in a boat mishap in international waters, was remembered Sunday evening in Muttur east in Trincomalee district. Her mother Ms Vadivelu unveiled the memorial plaque constructed at Alankulam Heroes Cemetary, sources said.
Full story >>

Speaker summons first party leaders’ meeting

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 May 2004, 12:03 GMT]
The new Speaker of the Sri Lanka Parliament Mr.W.J.M.Lokkubandara has officially summoned the first meeting of leaders of political parties represented in the parliament Monday 17th noon, political sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>

Snag over TNA MP's resignation removed

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 May 2004, 15:54 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Parliament Secretary General, Ms Priyani Wijesekara, said Wednesday she had forwarded the resignation letter of Batticaloa district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, Mr. Kingsely Rasanayakam, to the Commissioner of Elections for necessary action, after Mr. Rasanayakam tendered his resignation letter direct to her, parliamentary sources said.
Full story >>

Anandasangaree case goes to Supreme Court

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 April 2004, 16:12 GMT]
Mr.R.Sampanthan and Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, the Secretary General and the Senior Vice President of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) respectively, Friday filed an application in Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court, seeking an order to suspend the interim injunction issued by the District Court of Colombo preventing them from holding the central working committee or any other meeting of the TULF without the approval of Mr. V.Anandasangaree, President of the party, legal sources said.
Full story >>

"International community accepts LTTE as Tamils’ saviour”-Gajendran

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 April 2004, 15:24 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian from the Jaffna district, Mr.S.Gajendran, said Thursday that the international community has accepted that the Liberation Tigers’ military wing safeguards and protects the Tamil people. "Because of this," said the TNA MP, "the international community remained silent, watching the events that took place when the LTTE launched its military operation to retrieve the areas from its renegade commander ('Karuna')."
Full story >>

TNA nominates two national list MPs

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 April 2004, 16:38 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance Thursday nominated Mr.Jospeh Pararajasingham of Batticaloa and Mr.M.K.Eelaventhan of Jaffna for the posts of two national list parliamentarians through the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK), political sources said.
Full story >>

All 20 TNA Parliamentarians issue joint statement

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 April 2004, 04:42 GMT]
"In view of the speculative reports in the media, all Members of Parliament elected from the North-Eastern region in the name of Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi emphatically state that we are unequivocally and irrevocably committed to the political aspirations of the Tamil people for over the past fifty years for self rule in a unified north-eastern region, which has been the acknowledged as the area of historical habitation of the Tamil speaking people," said 20 Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians in a joint statement issued Wednesday night after two days of discussions held in Colombo.
Full story >>

"TNA solidly stands behind ISGA"-Sampanthan tells UNF

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 April 2004, 11:19 GMT]
"We have been closely watching the current political situation," Tamil National Alliance leader and the re-elected Trincomalee district parliamentarian Mr.R.Sampanthan told Mr.Bradman Weerakoon, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe in a telephonic conversation initiated by the latter Sunday morning, political sources said.
Full story >>

TNA leads by massive majorities in Jaffna electorates

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 April 2004, 23:45 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is leading all the electorates of the Jaffna District by vast majorities, elections officials in the north said in the early hours of Saturday morning. In the Udupiddy electorate of Jaffna, for which results were made available, the TNA (contesting as Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi) got 24176 votes. The paramilitary group EPDP polled 874 votes and the Independent Group No. 1 led by Mr. V. Anandasangaree got only 362 votes in the Udupiddy electorate in Jaffna.
Full story >>

"Thanthai” Chelva remembered on 106th birthday

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 March 2004, 04:15 GMT]
The 106th birthday of the late Tamil leader and the founder of the Federal Party (Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi -ITAK), Mr.S.J.V.Chelvanayakam, falls on Wednesday. Tamils in the country, who still fondly remember Mr. Chelvanayakam as “Thanthai (father) Chelva,” will celebrate the late leader's birthday Wednesday at a time when the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is contesting the forthcoming general elections on the ITAK ticket, with its HOUSE symbol revived after 37 years, political sources said.
Full story >>

Sampanthan concludes Jaffna election campaign

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 March 2004, 00:46 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader Mr.R.Sampanthan appealed to Jaffna district Tamil voters to return TNA candidates in all nine Jaffna parliamentary seats in the forthcoming general election while addressed several election meetings in the Jaffna district Tuesday. He left Jaffna by road Wednesday morning to Pulmoddai, a Muslim village in the Trincomalee district for election campaign, sources said


Full story >>

Navy prevents TNA candidate from entering Mandaitivu

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 March 2004, 23:37 GMT]
The General Secretary of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK) and the lead candidate of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in the Jaffna electoral district, Mr. Mavai Senathirajah, has requested the Commissioner of Elections to make necessary arrangements for TNA candidates to visit areas close to the high security zones in the Jaffna peninsula.
Full story >>