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.
Full story >>

Civil group fights against Upper Kotmale Hydro Project

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 June 2005, 05:10 GMT]
Mr E Thambiah, an opponent of the Upper Kotmale hydropower scheme and organizer of People's Campaign Against Upper Kotmale Project (PCAUKP), a countrywide grassroots organization with members from all communities, recently spoke to TamilNet on the reasons for their campaign to stop the project. The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), however, believes that the project is necessary to fuel economic growth of Sri Lanka.
Full story >>

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.


Full story >>

Economic embargo imposed in Batticaloa, Vaharai residents protest

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 May 2005, 17:14 GMT]
Large number of residents of Vaharai division in the Batticaloa district Tuesday morning staged a peaceful protest march demanding the withdrawal of economic embargo imposed recently by the Sri Lankan military, sources said. Last several days soldiers manning checkpoints in Batticaloa have been blocking civilians from transporting cement, building materials, fuel and other essential materials to the villages of Panichchankerni, Paalchenai, Kathiraveli, Kandalady, Uriyankattu and Mankerni which are located in LTTE controlled Vaharai division.
Full story >>

Children's home conducts annual sports event

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 May 2005, 09:42 GMT]
Kalaimagal Children's Home located in the Thorangandal village in Thunukai region held its annual sports event for more than 150 children being looked after during the day in the children's home Saturday, officials said. The Children's home is funded by the Switzerland based expatriate Tamil Rehabilitation Organization and administered by the Village Upliftment Project.
Full story >>

SLA to hold Vesak celebration in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 May 2005, 18:09 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army in Jaffna is making elaborate arrangements to conduct Vesak celebration in in the northern town, next week. Vesak is a festival of lights celebrated by Buddhists to mark the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha.
Full story >>

Buddhist monks say joint mechanism only over their dead bodies

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 April 2005, 11:58 GMT]
Norway’s special peace envoy, Mr. Eric Solheim and US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca have no right to ask the Government of Sri Lanka to set up a joint mechanism with the Liberation Tigers for distributing Tsunami aid in the northeast, said Ven. Kalawalgale Chandaloka Thero, general secretary of the National Bikkhu Front, an ultra Sinhala nationalist organization of Buddhist monks, addressing a press conference in Colombo Wednesday. “The joint mechanism can be established only over our dead bodies”, he declared. The National Bikkhu Front (NBF) said it will launch a campaign from Thursday to collect signatures from the public against the joint mechanism.
Full story >>

Army desecrates Muslim cemetery, Pulmoddai villagers protest

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 March 2005, 15:41 GMT]
Residents of traditional Muslim village of Pulmoddai closed their shops, set up road blocks, and burnt tyres Saturday protesting against the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) for forcibly digging their cemetery and removing human remains out of the burial sites, sources said. Pulmoddai village is located about 65 km, north of Trincomalee town on the border area close to Mullaitivu district.
Full story >>

Thamilchelvan visits tsunami affected Vaakarai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 February 2005, 12:03 GMT]
Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, Head of Political Division of the LTTE, on Thursday visited Tsunami affected coastal areas in Vaakarai, the main village south of the Verugal River, 65 km to the north of Batticaloa town, and discussed post-tsunami relief and resettlement efforts with the affected people and relief workers, sources said.
Full story >>

NRC to rebuild majority tsunami-destroyed schools in NE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 February 2005, 11:18 GMT]
Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has undertaken the rebuilding of 65 schools of 122, which have been destroyed or badly damaged in the tsunami disaster in the northeast province. 16 schools in Batticaloa, 20 in Amparai, 17 in Trincomalee, 9 in Mullaitivu and 3 in Jaffna is the district-wise breakdown said Ms. Bente Sandal-Aasen, Education Advisor and Co-ordinator of the NRC in Sri Lanka during her stay in Trincomalee Saturday.
Full story >>

Earth tremor in Mannar evokes fears of tsunami

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 January 2005, 13:39 GMT]
An earth tremor in Muthariputhurai village, located 15 km north west of Murungan in Mannar, forced 1800 residents to move to safer areas of Potkerni, Sirukandal and Pariharikandal to spend the night Friday, sources in Mannar said. Offical Sri Lanka Government agencies have not yet acknowledge the incident in Muthariputhurai, sources added.
Full story >>

Tsunami victims of Vakarai division suffer without basic facilities

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 January 2005, 00:08 GMT]
Tsunami victims in several villages in the Vakarai divisional secretariat division in the Batticaloa district, now being cut off with their mainland as the Panichchankery Bridge collapsed in Sunday's calamity, suffer without adequate food supply and other essential items such as dry ration, kitchen utensils, milk food, feeding bottles and good drinking water, civil sources said.
Full story >>

Landmines fear hampers rescue work in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 December 2004, 09:31 GMT]
Five villages Devastated by Saturday's Tsunami are marooned as causeways and bridges have been damaged by the tidal waves. "The newly built government hospital, public buildings, schools, LTTE political offices, homes, churches and temples have been completely destroyed by the sea," Mr. S. Jeyanandamoorthy, Tamil National Alliance MP for Batticaloa, told TamilNet Tuesday. He said that relief and rescue work in the former popular tourist resorts of Pasikudah and Kalkudah has been hindered by thousands of landmines uprooted by the Tsunami from the defenses of the local SLA garrison.
Full story >>

Efficient deployments benefit thousands in Batticaloa - TRO

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 December 2004, 23:08 GMT]
Many villages have been marooned under flood water preventing people from returning to their homes though rain has stopped for the last two days in Batticaloa district. Vaharai divisional secretariat division was the worst affected area by the floods in the Batticaloa district. Hundreds of families had sought refuge at schools and other public buildings. Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) was there providing urgently needed assistance to the flood victims, civil sources in Vakarai told TamilNet. 4505 Vakarai villagers have benefited by this timely help, according to a TRO official.
Full story >>

World Bank concludes NEIAP assessment study

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 October 2004, 10:40 GMT]
A World Bank team comprising foreign experts and Sri Lanka task leader Mr.Nihal Fernando concluded its four-day assessment study regarding the first stage of the North East Irrigated Agriculture Project-I (NEIAP-I) works carried out in three districts Manner, Vavuniya and Mullaitivu in the north province and the border district Anuradhapura district, sources said.
Full story >>

Carpentry-training centre opened in Kandawalai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 September 2004, 05:21 GMT]
Killinochchi Technical College with the support of World University Service of Canada (WUSC) recently opened a carpentry-training centre in Kandavwalai, in Vanni region. Project Co-ordinator WUSC Mr.S. Jeyarajasingham, ceremoniously inaugurated the training programme at the newly opened centre.
Full story >>

Thileepan death anniversary observance begins in NE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 September 2004, 10:34 GMT]
The Tamil people in the North-East Wednesday began observing the seventeenth death anniversary of Lt. Col. Thileepan, a senior leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam who died after twelve days' fasting unto death due to the failure of the Indian government in fulfilling five demands put forward by him to meet the aspirations of the Tamil people soon after the signing of the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement.
Full story >>

Jaffna IDPs oppose move to reduce relief

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 September 2004, 17:11 GMT]
Internally displaced people (IDPs) living on relief assistance provided by the Sri Lankan government are planning to launch a protest campaign if the authorities failed to suspend their decision to cut down the number of recipients by half, warned Valikaamam Fisheries Societies Federation in the northern Jaffna peninsula in a memorandum handed over to Point Pedro Divisional Secretary, Friday.
Full story >>

Mannar Thamileelam Court complex opened

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

LTTE cadre shot dead in Batticaloa north

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