Rajapakse concludes visit to India

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 December 2005, 10:29 GMT]
The Prime Minister of India and the President of Sri Lanka reached bilateral understanding on identifying joint ventures, amongst others, for the development of the eastern port city of Trincomalee, and its surrounding region, according to the Joint Statement. Both countries are to prepare a Master Plan for realizing the project, the statement said. The statement stressed the importance of a negotiated settlement between the parties to the conflict through the internal processes that promote consensus and reconciliation, and said both sides emphasized the need for the strict observance of the ceasefire and immediate resumption of talks aimed at strengthening the ceasefire.
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Legal Aid Centre for tsunami victims opened in Trinco

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 December 2005, 00:29 GMT]
Legal Aid Commission of Sri Lanka Wednesday morning opened its Free Legal Aid Centre in Trincomalee district to provide free legal assistance to victims of tsunami disaster. Asia Foundation is funding the project tsunami victims in obtaining relief for their hardships. Mr.S.S.Wijeratne, Chairman of the LACSL and Mr.Anton Balasingham, High Court Judge, Trincomalee district jointly declared open the office of the Trincomalee centre on the second floor of the Trincomalee Court Complex. Mr.K.Sivapalan, Attorney-at-Law has been appointed co-coordinating officer of the centre.


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HRCSL to formulate Rights education policy for Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 December 2005, 16:52 GMT]
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has been conducting a series of seminars with the aim of formulating a national level human rights education policy. The first seminar was held in Vavuniya Thursday, the second in Trincomalee Friday and the third in Batticaloa Saturday, HRCSL sources said.
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Vadamaradchy East, Kilinochchi voters can exercise franchise freely- GA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 November 2005, 12:42 GMT]
"We have made elaborate arrangements to ensure that voters residing in Liberation Tigers' controlled areas of Vadamaradchy east and Kilinochchi district can exercise their franchise with complete freedom without any requirement to produce identity cards," said Jaffna Government Agent and Jaffna District Election Returning Officer, K Ganesh, during a press meet held at the Jaffna Secretariat offices Sunday afternoon.
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Japan gifts $1.3m medical equipment to hospitals

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 October 2005, 12:49 GMT]
Government of Japan handed over Rs. 130 million worth of Medical Equipment to improve the healthcare facilities in 33 hospitals in tsunami affected areas, a press release from Embassy of Japan issued in Colombo today said.
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Southern journalists on goodwill mission to Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 October 2005, 02:15 GMT]
About fifty sinhalese journalists and three Buddhist monks from Hambantota, Galle and Matara from south of Sri Lanka arrived in Trincomalee Saturday evening on a four-day good-will mission to obtain first hand information about problems faced mainly by Tamil people and others in the Trincomalee district and in areas held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The National Peace Council (NPC) of Sri Lanka organized this visit, sources said.


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CWC ministers to resign, extend support to Ranil

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 October 2005, 05:13 GMT]
Mr.Armugam Thondaman, CWC leader said at a media briefing Wednesday morning that the party's two ministers would tender their resignations from the UPFA government. He said the CWC has decided to support UNP leader Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe in the forthcoming presidential election. The CWC further announced the 19 proposals that should be included in the agenda by the new Government. One of the proposals has urged the new government to resolve the ethnic problem through extensive power-sharing mechanism. Mr.Thondaman said that the UNP has accepted the 19 demands of the CWC in this regard.
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Trincomalee community leaders felicitated

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 October 2005, 03:47 GMT]
Four leading citizens of Trincomalee town, three of them octogenarians who have rendered selfless services to their language, religion and community were felicitated at the 2005-Literary Festival of the Trincomalee Divisional Secretariat held Friday evening at Trincomalee Town Hall.
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WUSC assists youths in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 August 2005, 18:07 GMT]
World University Service of Canada (WUSC) donated twenty sewing machines to the first batch of girls and boys who have completed six months' sewing training course in the Government Technical College in Trincomalee. The course was conducted under the Project for Rehabilitation through Education and Training (PRET) of the WUSC.
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Helgesen to visit Colombo, Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 August 2005, 11:58 GMT]
Norwegian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Vidar Helgesen, will be arriving in Colombo on Thursday on a four day visit, according to a press release issued by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Colombo on Wednesday. Mr. Helgesen will have meetings with Sri Lanka's President Kumaratunga and with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
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IOM provides transition homes to Kallady villagers

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 July 2005, 03:50 GMT]
Ms Mary Sheehan, Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Friday handed over 148 transition homes to tsunami hit villagers of Kallady, a fishing hamlet in the Eachchilampathu division, down south of Trincomalee district. In addition the IOM has provided livelihood assistance to these families, 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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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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UNP in major drive for activists - paper

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 May 2005, 02:51 GMT]
Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party (UNP), which is gradually building up its campaign for the next presidential election, has launched a major campaign to mobilize a 150,000 strong activist force to bolster its vote base, Sunday Times reported this week.
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Donors meet in Kandy

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 May 2005, 11:44 GMT]
International donors met Monday at a key conference to discuss post-tsunami and post-conflict assistance for Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Development Forum (SLDF), meeting in central hill country town of Kandy will deliberate for two days.
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India, Sri Lanka foreign office consultations held

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 May 2005, 17:06 GMT]
Indian participation in post-tsunami construction, bilateral trade, economic cooperation and Sethusamudram project are some among the issues discussed Monday during the Foreign Office consultations between the Governments of Sri Lanka and India, a joint press release issued in Colombo said.
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President Kumaratunga's top aide calls for establishment of Joint Mechanism

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 April 2005, 11:04 GMT]
President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s Senior Economic Advisor, Mano Tittawella, who is also the head of the Presidential Task Force For Rebuilding the Nation (TAFREN) said Thursday that the establishment of a Joint Mechanism was necessary to "equitably distribute the tsunami relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction" to the affected people living in the areas that are not coming under the writ of the Government.
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Joint-mechanism with LTTE only way out, says Kumar Rupasinghe

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 April 2005, 05:09 GMT]
Dr. Kumar Rupasinghe, a leading peace activist in Sri Lanka, said Tuesday that the proposed joint-mechanism between the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE is the only way out in the decision making process to carryout the much-needed rebuilding and resettlement program for tsunami-affected people in the worst-hit North-East region.
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UK medical team concludes tsunami mission

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 March 2005, 04:57 GMT]
London medical team comprising 152 members and sponsored by London Sai Samithi after completing its humanitarian mission in tsunami affected coastal areas in the northeast and south, left Colombo Friday, sources said. London medical team conducted clinics in Mullaitivu, Killinochchi, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Kalmunai in the northeast and in Kamburupitya, Matara and Galle in the south lasting fourteen days since its arrival, one of its three co-ordinators Mr.Anis Patel said.
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Bid to convert French humanitarian fishing boat into SL Navy vessel exposed

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 March 2005, 04:19 GMT]
A concerted move bid by the Sri Lankan Navy to convert a French deep sea fishing trawler, SIMON KEGHIAN, which was gifted on humanitarian ground by a French Subsidiary company to help tsunami-devastated Sri Lankan fishermen in the South, has been widely exposed in French media. A leading French news site, Lorient Maville, reported on Thursday that the Sri Lankan Admiral-Commodore who inspected the ship was "very much impressed by the boat", which was later joined in the Sri Lanka Navy's boat squadron fleet for deep sea naval training and related exercises.
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