Search continues for missing fisherman

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 January 2003, 18:16 GMT]
The fisherman who went missing in the northern sea off Thondamanaru coast when a Sri Lanka Navy craft rammed his fishing boat on Monday night has not been traced till Thursday evening. Eight fishing boats were used to search from early morning till the evening Thursday, but the search was called off without success and will continue Friday, civilian sources said.
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3 fishermen missing, 2 injured as navy rams boats

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 January 2003, 15:08 GMT]
Three fishermen were reported missing and two others seriously wounded when Sri Lanka Navy Dvora gunboats rammed two fishing boats in the northern sea in two separate incidents, Monday night, Jaffna fisheries sources said.
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HSZ seriously affects displaced Tamils - Bishop

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 January 2003, 00:05 GMT]
The Bishop of Jaffna Tuesday told a government delegation led by a senior minister that the continuance of the high security zones (HSZ) in Jaffna peninsula will not affect the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) but would seriously affect the large number of displaced families living elsewhere under difficult conditions, sources said.
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Security forces tighten control over Nedunthivu

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 December 2002, 16:50 GMT]
Sri Lanka police have taken steps to set up camps in government buildings in Nedunthivu, an islet in Jaffna district, while the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) increased its control over the civilian movement to the village by sea, sources said.
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'Terrorist intentions will totally terminate resettlement' – Maj. Gen. Fonseka

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 December 2002, 08:53 GMT]
The furore over the Sri Lanka Army's High Security Zones (HSZs) in Jaffna orginated this week with a letter sent by its Jaffna commander to the Liberation Tigers, demanding the 'total disarmament' of the movement before Tamil civilians would be allowed back into occupied villages. In his hostile and belligerent letter, littered with grammatical and spelling errors, Maj. Gen. Fonseka addressed the Tigers as 'terrorists' and protested that easing the difficulties of the people of Jaffna would enhance the LTTE's image.
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SLMM support for Army over HSZs is 'unacceptable' - LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 December 2002, 15:17 GMT]
The LTTE Friday rejected the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission's justification of the Sri Lanka Army's High Security Zones on the grounds of security as "unacceptable," saying "this adjudication simply reinforces the SLA's position on the illegal military occupation of public property." Responding to a letter sent Thursday by SLMM head, Maj. Gen. Tronde Furuhovde, the LTTE's Chief Negotiator, Mr. Anton Balasingham, said: "This purely militaristic argument to support your thesis on balance of forces, has completely ignored and trivialised the grave humanitarian issue of the displaced population."
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LTTE rejects army's demand as 'unacceptable and unrealistic'

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 December 2002, 11:30 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in an official statement released from its headquarters in Killinochchi, northern Sri Lanka today, accused the state's military hierarchy of imposing unacceptable and unrealistic conditions for the resettlement of the internally displaced Tamils in their own homes and villages in Jaffna presently under heavy military occupation.
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TRO to compensate victims of Trinco 'hartal' violence

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 December 2002, 14:16 GMT]
The Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) will compensate the families of victims of the hartal (general shut down) violence on October 11 in Trincomalee town when three tamil civilians were killed and several injured, sources in the eastern town said.
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SLMM hands over SLA proposals on HSZ to LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 December 2002, 19:15 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Monday handed over a document containing proposals by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) regarding the normalization of High Security Zones (HSZs) in Jaffna peninsula to the representatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), sources in Jaffna said


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Agreement to rebuild A9 signed

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 December 2002, 15:06 GMT]
Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed an agreement Monday morning at the Kilinochchi political head quarters to provide a Rs.600m loan to rebuild 103km segment of Jaffna-Kandy road (A9) beginning from Vilakuvaithakulam in Omanthai to Jaffna Town, sources in Kilinochchi said.


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Rehabilitation, Development discussed in Trinco conference

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 December 2002, 05:27 GMT]
The political section of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) organized a conference Sunday to discuss proposed development and rehabilitation work in Trincomalee district and to establish a framework for the Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that promotes close coordination to avoid duplication of effort while facilitating the NGOs to function without any obstacles, sources in Trincomalee said.
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Military enclaves in civilian areas, a Rights violation - Judge

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 December 2002, 12:51 GMT]
Military camps in heavily civilian populated areas is a form of human rights violation, said M. Sittampalam, President of Vavuniya Attorneys Union and District Court Judge, in a meeting at Vavuniya Suthananda Hindu Youth Association building, celebrating the Human Rights Day.
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European Union to fund NE demining effort

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 December 2002, 02:56 GMT]
Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian affairs with the European Union (EU), Paul Neilson said in a report that the Internally Displace Persons from NE returning to resettle in their homes are facing severe hazards due to the buried land mines, and EU will do its maximum to provide financial support towards NorthEast demining effort.
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Floods cause A9 highway closure

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 December 2002, 17:14 GMT]
Torrential rain continued Wednesday in northeast province mainly Killinochchi, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara districts bringing transport through A9 high way to and from Jaffna came to a standstill Wednesday, sources said. The Elephant Pass Bridge, the gateway to northern district is under floodwater, sources in Jaffna said.
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ICRC officials visit Nedunthivu

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 December 2002, 18:12 GMT]
Officials of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Tuesday visited Nedunthivu Island in Jaffna district and met the residents who were picketing outside the Pradeshya Sabha and divisional secretariat buildings against the presence of members of para military group Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP), sources said. EPDP members are staying in the office buildings of the Pradshya Sabha and divisional secretariat since they entered the island with the escort of Sri Lanka Navy and the police.
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AG urged to file appeal against Mylanthanai acquittal

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 December 2002, 13:05 GMT]
A delegation of leading human rights lawyers led by President Counsel Mr.Desmond Fernando requested the Attorney General (AG) to consider filing appeal against the acquittal order by the Colombo High Court in the Mylanthanai massacre case in which eighteen soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army were charged with murder, attempted murder of thirty five Tamils including men, women and fourteen children under twelve years, legal sources in Colombo said.
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Police record statements from Nelliady victims

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 December 2002, 16:47 GMT]
The Jaffna Police Friday recorded statements from three traders in Nelliady area and an employee of the Janasakthi Insurance Corporation regarding the attack by the Police on last Tuesday on civilians when they were picketing the Eelam Peoples Democratic party (EPDP) office against its presence in Nedunthivu and elsewhere in the peninsula, sources said.
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Hartal paralyses Jaffna district

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 December 2002, 15:08 GMT]
All activities in the Jaffna district came to a standstill and normal life was disrupted Thursday as Hartal (general shut down) was observed in protest to the attack by the Police on unarmed civilians picketing against the presence of para military Eelam Peoples Democratic party (EPDP) in Nedunthivu and other places in the peninsula Tuesday, sources said.
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Vadamaradchy observes hartal

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 December 2002, 13:18 GMT]
All business activities in Nelliady, Puloly, Udupiddy, Valvettiturai and Manthikai areas in Vadamarachchi division in Jaffna district Wednesday came to a standstill as hartal (general shut down) was observed in protest against the Police attack on civilians who picketed the office of the para military Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) Tuesday afternoon, sources said. Picketing was held against the presence of EPDP cadres in Nedunthivu island others areas in the peninsula.
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Vadamaradchi traders to observe 'hartal' against police firing

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 December 2002, 18:36 GMT]
Nelliady and Puloly Traders Associations in the Vadamarachchi division in Jaffna district Tuesday decided to observe hartal (general shut down) in their respective areas Wednesday protesting against the police firing on traders this afternoon on hundreds of civilians picketed the office of the para military Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), sources said.
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