Jaffna youths disinterested in joining police force

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 September 2009, 05:23 GMT]
Despite efforts made by Minister Douglas Devananda to recruit Tamil young men and women from Jaffna district to serve in the police stations in Jaffna district only a few of them have shown interest, sources in Jaffna said. The minister made a public request in the media again Wednesday calling the Tamil youths to join the police force. Meanwhile, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) including its parliamentary leader R. Sampanthan and civil society representatives in Jaffna expressed strong protest against this scheme pointing out that the government, without placing a just political solution for the Tamils, is using this as a ploy to deceive the Tamils showing that it is sharing police powers with the Tamils in Jaffna.
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SL Government intends to detain IDPs in camps indefinitely

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 September 2009, 10:13 GMT]
Northern Province Governor, Major. Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri and Minister Douglas Devananda directed government officials in Jaffna to take immediate steps to bring Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Jaffna detained in Vavuniyaa camps to the detainment camps in Jaffna district and to send IDPs from Vanni detained Jaffna district to Vavuniyaa camps, according to the decision taken in the Jaffna District Coordination Committee held Tuesday in Jaffna Secretariat, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, the IDPs from the islets of Jaffna brought to Kaarainakar and Veala’nai Monday, on the assurance that they will be settled in abandoned houses, are kept in school buildings and Saiva temples until new detainment camps are established for them to move in, the sources added.
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British High Commissioner visits Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 August 2009, 17:24 GMT]
British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Dr. Peter Hayes, visited Jaffna Thursday on an invitation by Basil Rajapakse, Senior Advisor to the President and his brother, to visit the bridge being built at Changuppiddi-Kearatheevu causeway on A32 land route to Jaffna with British Government’s aid. After visiting the building site the High Commissioner participated in an event along with Basil Rajapakse, Minister Douglas Devananda and Northern Province Governor, G. A. Chandrasiri, where Sri Lanka Army (SLA) authorities officially handed over 1100 acres of paddy land in Thenmaraadchi back to the farmers for cultivation, sources in Jaffna said.
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Thenmaraadchi farmers to be allowed to resume cultivation

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 August 2009, 06:45 GMT]
An event, where the farmers of Thenmaraadchi who had been refused permission to cultivate their lands in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zone (HSZ) in Thenmarraadchi for nearly ten years are to be allowed to resume cultivation Thursday, has been announced by Sri Lanka government. Meanwhile, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Allaippiddi who had fled their village due to SLA artillery attacks in August 2006 and now living in Jaffna town have been asked to be present at Duraippah Stadium Thursday to participate in an event where action will be taken to resettle them, according to another announcement. Basil Rajapakse, parliamentarian and Senior Advisor to the President, Northern Province Governor, G. A. Chandrasiri and Minister of Social Services, Douglas Devananda, will be present at both events, the announcements said.
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JTC students to launch boycott against principal

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 August 2009, 15:51 GMT]
Jaffna Technical College (JTC) students Friday announced that they are to boycott classes protesting against JTC principal alleging him of misappropriation of college funds and using JTC as the office of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), a constituent in the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, sources in Jaffna said. JTC students had met Minister Douglas Devananda with their demands and the minister has promised to look into their demands, a press release by the media coordinator of Social Services Ministry informed.
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NP governor announces lift of SLA restrictions in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 August 2009, 17:29 GMT]
Former Northern Province (NP) Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Commander and present governor of NP, G. A. Chandrasiri, who had been the author of several SLA restrictions in Jaffna peninsula during his tenure in Jaffna, announced Thursday that he would take steps to lift several SLA restrictions that have been imposed in Jaffna peninsula for the last thirteen years, sources in Jaffna said. The governor who met the key officers of SLA, Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and police in Jaffna Public Library Wednesday, visited Vadamaraadchi and Thenmaraadchi Thursday accompanied by Minister Douglas Devananda, the sources added.
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Another batch of Vanni IDPs in Jaffna to be released

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 August 2009, 15:27 GMT]
Sri Lanka government has announced that it will release the second batch of Vanni Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) held in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) detainment camps in Jaffna district soon, sources in Jaffna said. The first batch of Vanni IDPs released with much publicity by Basil Rajapakse and Minister Douglas Devananda recently in Duraiappa Stadium are left without any help from the government or any other organization, local NGOs said.
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EPDP member demands Jaffna Mayor post

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 August 2009, 18:45 GMT]
The Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) candidate, who got more preferential votes than Ms. P. Yogeswari who had been proposed to the post of Jaffna Mayor by Minister Douglas Devananda, is said to demand being appointed as the Mayor, sources in Jaffna said. Apputhurai Manuel Mangaleswaran alias Nesapriyan, the member in question, had obtained 1394 preferential votes while Yogeswari had only polled 1250 preferential votes attaining fifth rank, the sources added.
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Patkunam Yogeswary appointed Mayor of JMC

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 August 2009, 17:29 GMT]
Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) in Jaffna said in a press release Tuesday that Ms. Patkunam Yogeswary has been appointed as the Mayor of Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC), and its senior member Thurairajah Illango, alias Regan, as Deputy Mayor by Social Service Minister Douglas Devananda. Civil society sources in Jaffna, however, said Ms. Yogeswary was appointed Mayor though Thurairajah Illango had polled more preferential votes than Ms. Yogeswary, mainly to due to pressure from Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), one of the coalition member party in the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA).
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Final arrangements for JMC election completed

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 August 2009, 10:48 GMT]
The final arrangements to conduct Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) election have been completed, Jaffna Secretariat sources said. The arrangements included the transport of ballot boxes to the seventy poling booths with police escort and appointing Polling Centre Officers and their assistants. Police have taken in charge of the pooling booths which are guarded by Sri Lanka Army (SLA).
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3112 Vanni IDPs in Jaffna camps released

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 August 2009, 14:46 GMT]
3112 persons belonging to 1057 families brought from Vanni and held in the six detainment centres in Jaffna district were released and allowed to go with their relatives Wednesday in an event which the government conducted as an election campaign stunt in Duraiyappa Sports Stadium in Jaffna, sources in Jaffna said. The IDPs, brought to the venue from 3:00 a.m from their camps, had to wait in the broiling sun until 3:30 p.m as Basil Rajapakse, the brother of President Mahinda Rajapakse and his advisor, arrived at Jaffna only after 2:30 p.m to take part in the event, the sources added.
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EPDP men violate human rights – ITAK chief candidate Remediyas

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 August 2009, 14:16 GMT]
“Minister Douglas Devananda’s men are intimidating the fishermen in Jaffna that the ban on fishing will be imposed again if they vote for Ilankai Thamizh Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) in Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) election and this is an obvious violation of human rights,” Mudiyappu Remediyas, the principal candidate of ITAK, said in the press conference held Tuesday in ITAK office in Jaffna.
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President Rajapakse will give nothing to Tamils – Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 August 2009, 06:49 GMT]
“Tamils should be vigilant of Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse’s intentions. He says that there is no minority race in the country but only a majority race. It is clear that his intention is to assimilate the Tamil race into the Majority Sinhala race in Sri Lanka,” Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna district parliamentarian, told TamilNet Saturday in an interview in Jaffna.
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Ruling party supporters confiscate voting cards in Jaffna – TNA

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 August 2009, 17:11 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna district parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran alleged that the ruling party contestants in Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) election had forcibly confiscated more than 1500 voting cards from residents in Kozhumpuththu’rai, Ariyaalai and Eachchamoaddai area in Jaffna, in a press meet held in his Jaffna office Saturday. TNA parliamentarians Gejendrakumar Ponnambalam and Solomon Cyril along with Thamizharsuk Kadchi (TK) chief candidate Mudiyappu Remedias attended the press meet.
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Minister accused of lifting ban on trawler fishing in Jaffna for political gain

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 July 2009, 20:37 GMT]
Fisheries societies in Jaffna accused Minister Douglas Devananda for lifting the ban on trawler fishing in the peninsula seas for his political gain. Meanwhile, incidents of Sinhalese trawler fishermen, now allowed to fish in the peninsula seas, attacking local fishermen and damaging their fishing boats and equipments have increased in the last few days, fisheries societies sources in Jaffna said.
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'Sathosa' opened in Jaffna for the third time

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 July 2009, 18:10 GMT]
Bandula Gunawardena, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Trade, Marketing Development Cooperative and Consumer Affairs, declared open a branch of Lanka Sathosa, a branch of the CWE, in Jaffna Windsor Theatre Tuesday, sources in Jaffna said. Sathosa was opened in Jaffna twice before but had been closed down as the government failed to send goods to keep it functioning, the sources added.
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JMC election candidates complain of police malpractice

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 July 2009, 13:01 GMT]
Candidates contesting Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) election raised complaints about police and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Jaffna assisting ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) persons pasting election campaign wall posters displaying the images of President Mahinda Rajapakse and Minister Douglas Devananda even during SLA imposed curfew hours in Jaffna town, in a meeting held by police authorities in Jaffna Sunday at Vembadi Girls’ College in Jaffna to discuss security arrangements for the contestants, sources in Jaffna said.
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Government trying to win JMC election using unfair means – TNA parliamentarian

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 July 2009, 16:20 GMT]
“Sri Lanka government plans to bring 80 Sinhalese officers from South to serve as Junior Polling Officers in the forthcoming Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) election while there are sufficient Tamil speaking government officers in Jaffna to conduct the election; it is obvious that the government intends to win the election by rigging as it had done in the East,” Suresh Premachandran, Jaffna District Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, said in a press meet held in the TNA Thamizharasuk Kadchchi (TK) office in Jaffna. TNA chief candidate Mudiyappu Remedias participated in the press meet.
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Opening A9 route, an election gimmick – Mudiyappu Remedias

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 July 2009, 19:23 GMT]
“Though the Government of Sri Lanka had control of the A9 land route to Jaffna eight months ago it had kept it closed until now when it opens the route for public use as an election gimmick to lure voters in but no one can fool the people of Jaffna, Mudiyappu Remedias, the chief candidate of Tamil National Alliance (TNA), contesting Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) election, said in an interview to TamilNet Wednesday
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5 buses take passengers from Jaffna through A9 route

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 July 2009, 11:23 GMT]
Basil Rajapakse, the brother and advisor of Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse, inaugurated the opening of A9 route to public use Wednesday around 10:30 a.m by waving a flag for the convoy of five buses that carried 210 passengers from Jaffna to Mathavachchi, heavily escorted by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in an event held at Duraippa Stadium in Jaffna. Minister Douglas Devananda and the Governor of Northern Province, Major Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri were present on the occasion, sources in Jaffna said.
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