War affected women in North exploited by SL ministry agents

[TamilNet, Sunday, 31 October 2010, 06:04 GMT]
Sri Lanka government ministries affected by the slump in garment exports due to the loss of GSP Plus face an acute shortage of workers in the garment industries in the South. The workers, mostly women, have left due to drastic pay cuts. The ministries now attempt to lure war affected young women in the North to work in the garment factories in the South at much lower salary. In this context, two groups of young women from Thellippazhai and Uduvil Divisional Secretariat areas in Jaffna have been taken to Colombo Thursday by the agents of some ministries, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, an attempt to entice some war affected young women in Ki’linochchi in Vanni with employment by a company in Kandy with the intention of misusing them had been stopped with the timely intervention of local social activists.
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Uprooted Mullaiththeevu detainees in Vavuniyaa demand immediate resettlement

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 October 2010, 06:40 GMT]
The uprooted civilians from Mullaiththeevu detained in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Menik Farm camp staged a protest demonstration refusing food in front of the camp Monday demanding the authorities to immediately allow them to resettle in their places in Mullaiththeevu district, sources in Vavuniyaa said. The situation turned tense when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers tried to scare the protestors away but the situation was brought under control due to the efforts of UNHCR personnel, the sources added. The protesters were forced to demand resettlement as living conditions in the camp had worsened due to problems arising between the government administrators in Mullaiththeevu and Vavuinyaa on the issue of the responsibility of looking after the people of Mullaiththeevu.
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193 Sinhala families seek resettlement in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 October 2010, 05:12 GMT]
193 Sinhala families have arrived in Jaffna until Friday seeking resettlement in Jaffna claiming that their families had lived in Jaffna before 1983. They are occupying the old Jaffna Railway Station premises displacing the families of uprooted families from Valikaamam North Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zone (HSZ) who had been staying there, local media sources said. Some of these Sinhala families belong to SLA soldiers in Jaffna and SLA authorities are providing the basic needs for all the Sinhala families. Meanwhile, Jaffna Government Agent Ms. Imelda Sukumar said that no one had informed Jaffna Secretariat about the Sinhala families coming to Jaffna. The families handed Friday appeals to Jaffna GA and Sri Lanka minister Douglas Devananda requesting help to resettle them in Jaffna.
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Swindler from South arrested in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 October 2010, 04:30 GMT]
A person from southern Sri Lanka who tried to cheat the war-affected women in Changkaanai in Valikaamam Jaffna was caught by local government officers and handed over to Maanippaay police. He had announced in the local media that he would help to get compensation money from Sri Lanka government and that the applicants should pay an amount of money for registration. He was caught when he was about to organize a meeting for the registration of applicants in Changkaanai. The person is detained in Maanippay police station for interrogation.
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Resettlement in Valikaamam North HSZ not possible – Jaffna SLA Commander

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 October 2010, 07:12 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Commander, Major Gen. Mahinda Kathurusinghe, who had earlier admitted the possibility of resettling uprooted families in Valikaamam North SLA High Security Zone, however, said that resettlement is not possible due to the danger of landmines. He told the representatives of the Committee for Peace and Goodwill so in a meeting held in Jaffna Bishop House Sunday, presided by Bishop Rt. Rev. Thomas Saundaranayagam. Meanwhile, the Coordinating Committee for De-mining in Jaffna Secretariat said that SLA had not permitted de-mining in its HSZ in Valikaamam North. Mahinda Kathursinghe’s announcement has caused shock and despair among the families uprooted by SLA from their properties in Valikaamam North, sources in Jaffna said.
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SLA denies permission to reopen Central College in Palaali HSZ

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 October 2010, 05:51 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officials in Palaali High Security Zone did not permit the school administrators to reopen Vassavi’laan Maththiya Makaa Viththiyaalayam located in Palaali HSZ which was officially handed over Tuesday in a event held in the school in the presence of Northern Province Governor Major Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri, SLA Jaffna Commander Major Gen. Mahinda Kathurusinghe, Sri Lanka Minister Douglas Devandanda and Education Department officers. The school administrators who took the furniture and other necessary things from the temporary location of the school Thursday were sent back and directed to take all the things brought out of the HSZ. The SLA officials told them that the school could only be reopened in 2011, Jaffna Education Department sources said.
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Explosion kills SLA soldier, injures another in Valikaamam HSZ

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 September 2010, 18:06 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier was killed and another seriously injured when a device exploded Monday evening during a search operation conducted by SLA soldiers in Maaviddapuram area in the SLA High Security Zone (HSZ) in Valikaamam North occupied by SLA, a media report Monday night from Palaali SLA Head Quarter said. This incident has occurred in the context of Sri Lanka Government saying that people are to be allowed to resettle in their own properties in places excluding the areas around Palaali SLA base in Valikaamam North. Maaviddapuram is located in an area out of Palaali HSZ.
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Smuggling ancient religious statues from North to South escalates

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 September 2010, 07:30 GMT]
The people of Vadamaraadchi on finding ancient statues of Saiva temples hidden under a bridge in Vadamaraadchi informed the police and handed over the man who had stolen them from the Saiva temples in Vadamaraadchi East occupied by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Saturday, sources in Vadamaraadchi said. The man admitted that he had stolen the statues but information on where they were stolen from is yet not known. Historical artifacts from war affected Vanni by persons connected to occupying SLA soldiers and officers were taken to the South and sold to international antique dealers for large sums of money, sources in Vanni said.
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Resettlement possible in Valikaamam North HSZ: Jaffna SLA Commander

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 September 2010, 13:03 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Jaffna Commander Major Gen. Mahinda Kathurusinghe for the first time commented on the issue of resettling families uprooted by SLA in Valikaamam North saying that it is possible to resettle them in areas excluding Palaali High Security Zone (HSZ). The SLA commander admitted this Tuesday in Maanippaay Piratheasa chapai hall while participating as Chief guest in an event for school children organized by SLA. Many similar announcements had been made by Sri Lanka government ministers, officials and politicians during the Presidential and Parliamentary elections and in the following period but around 100,000 uprooted persons still live in camps and with their relatives and friends for the past twenty years, Welfare Organizations for Uprooted Families circles said.
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TNA parliamentarians to visit Valikaamam North HSZ

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 September 2010, 05:51 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) spokesman and Jaffna district parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran said that a group of TNA parliamentarians will be visiting Valikaamam North Sri Lanka Army (SLA) occupied High Security Zone (HSZ) once they get the permission from Sri Lanka Ministry of Defence. Meanwhile, Basil Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka minister and brother of SL President Mahinda Rjapaksa who is in Jaffna has again said that the families uprooted from Valikaamam North by SLA will be allowed to resettle in their places excluding the surroundings of Palaali Airport, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, SLA authorities have already marked places in Palaali to construct housing schemes for the colonization of Sinhala families in the lands of Tamils evicted by SLA, sources in Palaali said.
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Resettled families in Jaffna peninsula abandoned by SL government

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 September 2010, 05:56 GMT]
Non-government Organizations in Jaffna peninsula accuse Sri Lanka government to have abandoned most of the uprooted families resettled in Jaffna peninsula without providing them adequate assistance for rehabilitation. 82,000 uprooted persons had been resettled in Jaffna peninsula so far, according to Jaffna Secretariat statistics. Meanwhile, nearly 100,000 persons uprooted from Valikaamam North High Security Zone of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) twenty years ago continue to stay with their relatives, friends and in camps not allowed by SLA to resettle in their own properties.
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SL government ‘explores’ development of Jaffna district

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 September 2010, 15:21 GMT]
Sri Lanka government which had not contributed to the development of Jaffna district in any significant manner is showing off the development activities in Jaffna peninsula funded by World Bank and Asian Development Bank as if it is spending its own money on them, government officials who participated in SL government’s Jaffna District Development Meeting (DDM) held in Jaffna Secretariat Wednesday said. The meeting was similar to the earlier ones where on going development activities and future plans for development were just ‘explored’ into without any concrete allocation of funds for them. On the whole it was lip service paid to the ‘development of North’ Sri Lanka government claims to be interested in, they added.
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Danger of landmines in nearly half of Jaffna peninsula

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 September 2010, 07:30 GMT]
49,7 sq kms of Jaffna peninsula (44%) are identified infested with land mines sown during war, according to Jaffna District Secretariat survey statistics. The explosive devices so far removed in Jaffna peninsula excluding the outskirts of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zone (HSZ) in Valikaamam North are more than 120,000. The residents of Valikaamam North evicted by occupying SLA 20 years ago still live in interim camps as SLA refuses to permit them to resettle in their own properties.
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SL Army, Archaeology dept appropriate lands of uprooted Tamils in Maathakal

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 September 2010, 07:46 GMT]
Sri Lanka government’s archaeological department with the help of Sri Lanka Army is constructing more structures in Thirvadinilai in Maathakal in Vallikaamam North SLA High Security Zone (HSZ), in addition to a Buddhist temple erected in October 2009. This area had been the home of Tamil families living there since ancient times evicted twenty years ago when Valikaamam North HSZ was established by SLA. Now the families are not allowed even to see their own places in Maathakal while thousands of Sinhala Buddhist pilgrims visit the newly built temple daily which now has become a 'tourist attraction' in Jaffna peninsula, sources in Jaffna said.
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SLA Commander declines to comment on Jaffna GA’s announcement

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 September 2010, 05:30 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Commander Major Gen. Mahinda Kathurusinghe declined to endorse Jaffna Government Ms. Imelda Sukumar’s announcement that uprooted families from Valikaamam North SLA High Security Zone (HSZ) will be soon allowed resettlement in a recent meeting at Jaffna Veerasingham Hall, representatives of welfare organizations for uprooted families from Valikaamam North said. The GA is acting as if she is the spokesperson of Sri Lanka Defence Ministry, they accused. SLA Jaffna continues to deny permission for resettlement as Defence Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa is unyielding in his decision not to permit resettlement in Valikaamam North HSZ, they said.
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Uprooted families from Vadamaraadchi East, Pa’lai to be resettled

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 September 2010, 06:00 GMT]
Sri Lanka government authorities in Jaffna have announced that uprooted families from Pa’lai Divisional Secretary area and Vadamaraadchi East in Jaffna district will be resettled in their own villages 9 and 10 September. The announcement comes in the wake of the recent meeting held on this issue between Jaffna Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Commander and Jaffna Government Agent in Palaali Military head office. Though similar announcements had been made on resettling the uprooted families from Valikaamam North SLA High Security Zone earlier, so far they had not been allowed to resettle by SLA. The uprooted families now held in interim camps said that they will believe the announcement only when it becomes a reality.
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SLA closes Achchuveali-Tho'ndaimaanaa'ru road again

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 August 2010, 05:32 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) occupying Jaffna Friday closed Achchuveali-Tho'ndaimaanaa'ru road located at the outskirt of SLA High Security Zone (HSZ) in Valikaamam North for public use causing people to travel long distance spending more time to reach their destinations, sources in Jaffna said. The said road which had been closed fifteen years ago by SLA had been recently opened for public use with the beginning of the annual festivals of Chellach Channithi Murukan temple located on the shores of Tho'ndaimaanaa'ru lagoon.
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Chellach Channithi Temple Chariot festival held

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 August 2010, 07:35 GMT]
Thousands of devotees from all parts of Sri Lanka took part in the annual Thear (Chariot) festival Monday of the historic Tho'ndaimaanaa'ru Chellach Channithi Murukan temple located to west of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zone in Valikaamam North. During war SLA soldiers had set fire to the properties of the temple worth millions of rupees. The temple had been restored to its original state recently, sources in Jaffna said
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Rajapaksa appoints new SLFP organizer to North

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 August 2010, 08:23 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the leader of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), a constituent of ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), appointed Saturday Angkayan Ramanathan, a leading businessman from Valveddiththu'rai as the new SLFP organizer of North Sri Lanka, sources in Jaffna said. Angkayan Ramanathan is appointed in place of Thangarasa, who was charged in Jaffna Magistrate Court of swindling more than seven millions rupees promising Jaffna peninsula youths employment and imprisoned. Meanwhile, this appointment is seen as one of the measures taken by Rajapaksa family to sideline Sri Lanka minister and leader of Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), Douglas Devananda who acts as the sole representative of Sri Lanka government in the North, political observers in the peninsula said.
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Indian HC refuses visa to head of Northern fishermen society representatives

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 August 2010, 06:48 GMT]
Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka refused to issue visa to the president of the Northern Fishermen Societies Federation, S. Thavaratnam who was to head the delegation of 23 representatives from Northern Sri Lanka to hold talks with their counterparts in Tamil Nadu. The former secretary of Vadamaraadchi Fishermen Society, K. Sooriyakumaran is now leading the delegation which is engaged in the talks now, sources in Jaffna said.
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