Compensation demanded for SLA's use of estate produce

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 October 2003, 16:31 GMT]
Owners of coconut estates in High Security Zones (HSZ) in Thenmaradchi Jaffna, through the Northern Province Coconut Estate Owners Association (NPCEOA), requested the Government of Sri Lanka to pay compensation for the loss of trees used to construct SLA bunkers and for the revenue lost due to the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers' use of estate produce, sources said.


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SLA rejects IDP's resettlement in Jaffna HSZ

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 September 2003, 04:20 GMT]
A conference held Sunday in Jaffna between the Sri Lanka Army, representatives of the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies in Jaffna (CHA-J) and some peoples' organizations ended without reaching a consensus on the question of resettlement of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in their lands that come under the high security zones (HSZ) in the peninsula, civil sources said.
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IDPs launch campaign demanding resettlement

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 September 2003, 14:32 GMT]
The Valigamam Peoples’ Associations’ Consortium Sunday decided to launch agitation campaign in the Jaffna district demanding that the internally displaced families should be allowed to resettle in their lands which come under the high security zones of the government security forces, civil sources said.


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A life as rough as coir

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 September 2003, 18:09 GMT]
Few would dare to make a living on Jaffna’s ‘forgotten coast.’ Layers of concertina, sentry points, fences, bunkers and watch towers seal the lagoon shore for about 12 kilometres between Koilakandy and Kilaly, southeast of the Jaffna town. But for the coir makers and fishermen who survive here, it is home – the waters and soil where their forbears made their livelihood for centuries.
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SLA fails to release Thenmaradchchi fields for cultivation

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 September 2003, 11:32 GMT]
Displaced farmers of Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district complained Tuesday that the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has not released paddy fields yet as promised although the farmers have made necessary arrangements to plough and sow their fields, civil group sources said.


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SLA disallows resettlement close to HSZ

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 September 2003, 10:53 GMT]
The Jaffna regional office of the Human Rights Commission (HRC) of Sri Lanka informed its headquarters in Colombo that the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) authorities are not in a position to allow internally displaced families to resettle in their own lands which are close to the High Security Zones (HSZ) in the Valigamam north of the Jaffna district, authoritative sources said.


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SLA bars cafetaria in HSZ Cancer hospital

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 September 2003, 14:23 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has refused permission for continued operation of the cafetaria run by the Tellipalai Multi-purpose co-operative society (MPCS) in Tellipalai Cancer Hospital located in the High Security Zone (HSZ), said S.Sivamaharajah, the president of the MPCS, Jaffna daily Uthayan reported.


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Jaffna HSZ to remain - Marapone

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 September 2003, 01:27 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Defense Minister, Mr.Tilak Marapone, said Thursday that until a permanent solution to the ethnic conflict is found, no concrete decision could be taken regarding the removal of high security zones in the Jaffna district, political sources said.
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SL Defense Ministry to hold conference on Jaffna HSZ

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 September 2003, 19:45 GMT]
The controversy over the resettlement of internally displaced people (IDP) in their lands and houses located in the high security zones in the Jaffna district is to be discussed at a high level conference scheduled to be held in Colombo at the Sri Lankan defence ministry office Thursday, security sources said.
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SLA bars Halo Trust from de-mining HSZ paddy fields

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 September 2003, 15:35 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army said Tuesday that it would not allow demining groups to de-mine the released paddy fields for cultivation in the high security zones in Thenmaradchi south division in Jaffna district, and instead would use its own soldiers for the de-mining, security sources said.
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'HSZ prevents resettlement of 80,408 Jaffna families'

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 September 2003, 03:33 GMT]
In the Jaffna district, 80,408 families have been unable to resettle in their own lands for the last 13 years as the Sri Lanka Army has been occupying their lands in areas it has declared as High Security Zones, said the Consortium of Non-Governmental Organizations in Jaffna in a statement Saturday.
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'SLA destroyed houses in HSZ during ceasefire'

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 September 2003, 18:50 GMT]
Peoples' Organizations in Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district Monday accused the Sri Lanka Army of destroying their houses and other buildings in the villages of Maravanpulo and Kovilankandy, located in the high security zones, after the ceasefire between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam came into operation, sources said.
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Jaffna IDP Federation to boycott NGO activities

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 September 2003, 21:17 GMT]
The Valigamam Federation of Internally Displaced Welfare Associations in the Jaffna district Saturday informed the authorities concerned that it would not allow representatives of non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to enter welfare centres where Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) live as NGOs are exploiting the IDPs for NGOs' benefit, civil group sources in Jaffna said.


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Atchuvely residents demand opening of Sannithi Temple Road

[TamilNet, Sunday, 31 August 2003, 11:17 GMT]
Residents of Atchuvely town in Jaffna has asked the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officials through the Asistant Government Agent of the district to open the Thondamanaru-Selvachannithi road for public use, civil sources from Jaffna said. SLA has closed this road segment from Idaikkadu to Thondamanaru for the past several years as this segment lies within the SLA's demarcated High Security Zone (HSZ).
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The garrisoned rice bowl

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 August 2003, 13:22 GMT]
Thenmaradchi was Jaffna's rice bowl until three years ago. Today most of the region's fertile rice fields are enclosed by the Sri Lanka army's concertina and mine laden defence perimeter. Thenmaradchi’s main farming villages lie derelict inside this vast garrisoned area hemmed in by the A9 and the Jaffna lagoon. Local farmers have been waging, collectively and individually, what increasingly appears to be a hopeless struggle to gain access to their homes and fields since the Liberation Tigers and Colombo signed a ceasefire agreement in February last year.
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SLA restricts civilian visit to Point Pedro schools in HSZ

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 August 2003, 15:59 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army Wednesday said civilians would be allowed to visit Hartley College and Methodist Girls High School in the high security zone of Point Pedro town in Jaffna district only on Wednesdays and they will need prior permission obtained from the security forces, civil sources said.
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Farmers await SLA's permission to clear mines

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 August 2003, 12:02 GMT]
The Jaffna Government Mr.S.Pathmanathan Saturday requested the Sri Lanka Army's (SLA's) Jaffna area commander located at Palaly main base to grant permission to remove landmines and other unexploded ordnance from the paddy fields released from the Thenmaradchchi High Security Zone (HSZ) for rain fed cultivation this year, district secretariat sources said.
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SLA restricts video, camera equipment inside Weber stadium

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 August 2003, 10:40 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) 23-3rd brigade commander Brigadier Rajitha De Silva has barred public and journalists from taking camera and video equipment inside Weber sports stadium in Batticaloa, security sources in the east said. The Brigadier said that the order was issued due to the security sensitive nature of the location which falls within the High Security Zone (HSZ).


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SLN arrests LTTE women cadres in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 August 2003, 10:18 GMT]
Soldiers of Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) arrested two women cadres of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who were engaged in political activities in Thiruperunthurai village in Batticaloa district yesterday, local reports said. After the intervention of LTTE’s Batticaloa political section head E. Senathirajah, the women cadres were released after 45 minutes of interrogation.


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Thenmaradchi farmers ordered to obtain new IDs from SLA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 August 2003, 16:31 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army Thursday said farmers who are allowed to do cultivation in the released paddy fields in the high security zone in Thenamaradchi division of the Jaffna district should obtain fresh military identity cards to enter their lands, and that the military identity cards already issued and national identity cards will not be accepted, sources said.
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