LTTE slams Mosque attack, urges calm

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 November 2005, 10:20 GMT]
A communiqué issued by the LTTE Political Division, Amparai District, Friday, has condemned the attack on innocent Muslim civilians congregated for prayers at the Grand Mosque, Akkaraippattu, during early hours, Friday. The communiqué said that "the LTTE expressed its deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the victims of the atrocious grenade attack." The LTTE message has pointed out that the grenade attack was aimed at disrupting peace and understanding between Tamils and Muslims and creating "division and animosity" among them. Appealing for calm and patience, the LTTE has vowed to help expose soon, the "surrogate paramilitary elements of the crime".
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Muttur east, Eachchilampathu voters ignore poll

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 November 2005, 18:39 GMT]
No votes were cast in the clustered polling stations located in the army controlled area beyond the Kaddaiparichchan army camp for Tamil voters registered in the villages in the LTTE held Muttur east at the presidential poll held Thursday. Only one vote was cast at a clustered polling station located beyond the Mahindapura army camp in the government controlled area for Tamil voters registered in the LTTE held Eachchilampathu division, sources said.


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Tamil Eelam TV coverage extended for Heroes Day

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 November 2005, 13:03 GMT]
National Television of Thamil Eelam (NTT) will extend coverage during Heroes day celebrations on the 27 November from 5.00 p.m. to 7.30 p.m, Tamileelam time, and will broadcast live the speech of LTTE Leader Pirapaharan, media unit of the Liberation Tigers said from Kilinochchi.
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Less than one percent cast vote in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 November 2005, 12:28 GMT]
Election officials in Jaffna secretariat said in a low voter turnout only 2168 votes (0.3% out of 701,938 registered) were cast in Jaffna district. Low number of incidents of violence were reported during the election day where Jaffna district voters appeared to have heeded the call for total boycott by several student organizations.
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Muttur residents hold demonstration against SLA embargo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 November 2005, 11:52 GMT]
Hundreds of Tamil residents of LTTE held Muttur east and Eachchilampathu division in Trincomalee district Thursday held demonstrations against the embargo imposed by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on transporting essential food items, fuel and building materials through Kaddaiparichchan and Mahindapura army camps, sources in the east said.
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SL Presidential Polls: Near Fizzle-Out in North East

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 November 2005, 10:14 GMT]
Very low attendance of voters was reported at the cluster-polling booths in the North-East as the voting in Sri Lanka to elect the fifth executive president began at 7:00 a.m Thursday. Situation in Jaffna remained calm in complete contrast to the polls eve marred with grenade attack incidents in the peninsula. At least six grenade incidents were reported in Batticaloa-Amparai. Two Tamil civilians were killed in Kalmunai. The voting continued till 4:00 p.m. Security was tightened throughout the country.


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Jaffna election irregularities on voting eve

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 November 2005, 12:55 GMT]
Reports from Jaffna reveal intimidating and underhand activities of the Eelam People Democratic Party (EPDP) cadres in organising vote-rigging in Sri Lanka Presidential election. Groups of armed EPDP cadres were seen visiting house to house forcibly collecting the 'ballot-tokens' from residents in islets off Jaffna peninsula, TamilNet learns. With armed protection from the State armed forces, Douglas Devananda's EPDP is holding unannounced short-meetings at market places and actively campaigning for Mahinda Rajapakse, the candidate of the ruling party.
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LTTE: no change in our position on polls

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 November 2005, 09:06 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said Wednesday there is no change in their position on Thursday’s Presidential election from that taken last Friday. Denying newspaper reports that the LTTE was now actively encouraging people to vote in the Presidential elections, head of the LTTE’s Peace Secretariat, S. Pulidevan, said "the issue was discussed at length by the LTTE and the TNA (Tamil National Alliance) last week and the conclusion was the Tamils cannot place our trust on either of the parties or their candidates".
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Two LTTE cadres said shot dead in Valaichenai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 November 2005, 05:12 GMT]
Unidentified assailants shot and killed two Tamil youths at Palainagar Junction on Batticaloa Polannaruwa road, 5 km north of Valaichenai Wednesday morning at 4:00 a.m. The victims were LTTE cadres, according to the Police. One of the victims was identified as Mr. S. Suresh, 28, who was allegedly arrested by the Sri Lanka Army at Chenkalady Black-Bridge Tuesday. The parents of Suresh said he was not a member of the LTTE.
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SLA soldiers dishonor GA permits at checkpoint -TNA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 November 2005, 18:08 GMT]
Soldiers manning the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) checkpoints at Kaddaiparichchan and Mahindapura in Muttur east and Eachchilampathu division are not honoring permits issued by the Trincomalee Government Agent to non-governmental organizations and other agencies to take building materials to LTTE held areas to implement approved reconstruction and rehabilitation projects, said Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Trincomalee district parliamentarian in a letter faxed to President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Tuesday.
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Two LTTE cadres shot and killed in Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 November 2005, 06:00 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen shot and killed two political cadres of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eealm Monday night in Pallikudiyiruppu, a Muslim suburb in in Sri Lanka Army controlled Akkaraipattu in Amparai district, police said. The cadres, Mr. Suresh, 26, and Mr. Vellai, 22, who use to come to the village to purchase meat, were kidnapped by the gunmen, residents said.
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Kilinochchi court extends remand for Sri Lanka policemen

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 November 2005, 13:00 GMT]
Tamil Eelam district court, Kilinochchi ordered further remand for three Sri Lankan policemen until 28 November. Prosecution assured the Court there was progress in investigations and that evidence was emerging that the accuesd entered Tamil eelam areas for purposes other than trying to arrest a child molester as was earlier claimed by the defendents. The case was taken up before District Judge Sathana, Monday, 14 November at 12.30 pm when bail was denied.
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"SL Government's speak soft, hit hard policy" - Taraki, 1992

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 November 2005, 03:33 GMT]
In the 10th June 1992 issue of Sri Lanka's English daily, Island International, late Dharmeratnam Sivaram, popular journalist and Senior editor at TamilNet, sheds light into the then Sri Lanka's President Premadasa and Leader of the House, Ranil Wickremesinghe's strategy of dealing with Tamil national question, a strategy of wooing Tamil votes with political rhetoric and to inflict military defeat on LTTE by planning to allow Sri Lanka forces to "smash their way into Jaffna."
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Literary competitions to mark Heroes day begin

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 November 2005, 13:38 GMT]
Event marking fine arts and literary competitions among the different fighting divisions of the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) was inaugurated at the Lt Col Rajan Education Center organized by the Center's staff in Vanni Saturday, media section of the LTTE said. LTTE cadre, Ahanalagan, also a member of the Education Center, presided the event.
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Two Muslims killed, four wounded in claymore attack in Vaharai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 November 2005, 05:19 GMT]
A Claymore mine exploded Friday midnight at Kirimichchai in Vaharai, 44 km north of Batticaloa, killing two Muslim timber workers, Mr. Mohammed Munas, 28, and Mr. Athambava Mohammed Lebbe, 35. Four persons were rushed to Batticaloa Hospital with wounds, Police said. The crew that had gone to the jungle area to cut timber three days ago, was returning from Kirimichchai to Valaichenai through the Welikanda area in a tractor with woods, civilian sources said.
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LTTE exhorts NEPC to help impoverished Muttur East

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 November 2005, 03:33 GMT]
Colonel Sornam, Trincomalee district military commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district LTTE Head of the Political Wing, Thursday urged North East Provincial Council (NEPC) administration officials to channel funds to build proper roads, bridges, hospitals, schools and other essential services to the people of the neglected Muttur east region.
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Court ruling may impact voter turnout- EOM

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 November 2005, 19:35 GMT]
Ruling by Supreme Court Wednesday that election officials can demand identity cards from voters "deemed suspicious," may have a crippling effect on the voter turnout, Election Obeservation Mission (EOM) officials said Friday. The Supreme Court ruled that voters need not carry an identity card but made the above exception to prevent fraud by voters from LTTE controlled areas, sources said. Since many residents in the LTTE areas may not have identity cards, "this could become harassment of the electorate," Reuters quoted Chairman of Peoples' Action for a Free and Fair Election (PAFFREL), Kingsley Rodrigo, as saying.
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Two LTTE suspects escape from Jaffna jail

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 November 2005, 12:01 GMT]
Two suspects alleged to be members of Liberation Tigers kept in remand in Jaffna jail escaped with two accomplices who entered the jail posing as spectators and threatened prison officials with hand guns at 4.30 p.m. Friday, security sources in Jaffna said. The four escaped in motorbikes along Columbuthurai Road.
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GTZ supplies boats, engines to Muttur east fisher families

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 November 2005, 08:22 GMT]
German Technical Co-operation (GTZ) of the German Federal Government with the funding of World Vision-German inaugurated the first phase of handing over fishing boats, engines and fishing nets and related materials to tsunami affected fishermen of four villages in the Muttur east in Trincomalee at an event held at Kadatkaraichchenai Thursday. Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) is the implementing partner. The TRO Trincomalee District Secretariat organized the event.
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SLA tightens restriction on food, fuel transport to Muttur

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 November 2005, 17:57 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) tightened their restriction on transport of goods including eggs, meat and fuel into Muttur east from army controlled areas through the checkpoint of the SLA Kaddaiparichchan army camp from this week. SLA has also barred Muttur east fishermen from fishing after 6 p.m. as they have to pass through the high security zone for deep sea fishing, Mr.S.Elilan, LTTE Trincomalee district political head said Thursday. Muttur east is held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).


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