Gale force winds buffet Trincomalee coasts

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 August 2005, 17:51 GMT]
Coastal areas in Muttur division and some parts of Trincomalee division Friday evening experienced heavy rain with strong winds and lightning. In the LTTE held Sampoor area a youth was injured in lightning and he was admitted to the LTTE hospital, civil sources said.


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P-TOMS debate continues in parliament

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 August 2005, 13:32 GMT]
"We would create one hundred Pirapaharan instead of one in the North East if we allow the current political crisis situation without P-TOMS and with the stalled peace process to continue," said Mr.Maithiripala Sirisena, Minister of Irrigation and Rajarata Development participating in the P-TOMS debate, which began Thursday in parliament.
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"A dirty War of Attrition in the East" - LTTE blames Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 August 2005, 10:29 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Thursday blamed the Government of Sri Lanka for "covertly supporting a dirty war of attrition" against the Liberation Tigers in the Eastern Province in collusion with Tamil para-militaries that is gravely endangering the ceasefire. Criticising the SL Government’s armed forces, particularly the military intelligence, for the fast deteriorating security situation in the eastern province, Mr. Anton Balasingham, the chief negotiator and political advisor of the LTTE, warned that the increasing tension has the potential of exploding into a full-fledged armed confrontation, if the government failed in its truce obligation to disarm the para-militaries.
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P-TOMS fate confirms Tamils' grave skepticism- Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 August 2005, 02:57 GMT]
Mr. R. Sampanthan M.P. Leader Parliamentary Group TNA, speaking during the adjournment debate on the P-TOMS structure Thursday in the Sri Lanka Parliament said that JVP mounted a "high profile challenge levelled against the P-TOMS" because the "agreement was intended to substantially benefit the Tamil speaking people of the Northeast," and that the failure of P-TOMS has confirmed the "grave sense of skepticism amongst the Tamil people."


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IOM to assist displaced Jaffna fisher families

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 August 2005, 17:12 GMT]
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) agreed to construct semi-permanent houses for about five hundred displaced fisher families in a fifty acre plot located in the no-man zone in Valalai area close to Thondamannaru lagoon, east of Palaly high security zone, Jaffna district secretariat sources said.
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Two LTTE cadres shot and killed in Thirukkovil

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 August 2005, 04:38 GMT]
Two political cadres of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were shot and killed by unidentified gunmen who were riding in a blue colour van Wednesday around 7:30 a.m. The incident took place at Kanjirankuda junction on Akkaraipattu-Pottuvil Main Road, around 300 meters away from the Special Task Force (STF) base in Kanjirankuda, which is located 3 km south of Thirukkovil in Amparai district. Two of the gunmen, wearing military fatigues, were seen entering the STF base by the residents of the area.
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Sri Lanka parliament to debate P-TOMS

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 August 2005, 08:03 GMT]
The Sri Lanka's parliament reconvened Tuesday morning with the Speaker Mr.W.M.J.Lokkubandara in the chair. Mr.Lokkubandara informed the house that the ruling party United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) has appointed Mr.Nimal Sripala de Silva as the Leader of the House, filling the vacancy created with the resignation of Mr.Maithiripala Sirisena.
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SLA collects information on Nedunthivu resettlers

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 August 2005, 00:56 GMT]
Soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) have started collecting names of displaced persons who are resettled in Nedunthivu, one of the islets in Jaffna peninsula, after the ceasefire agreement came into operation, residents said.
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Rehabilitation of Mannar-Jaffna road begins

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 August 2005, 16:50 GMT]
Reconstruction of nine bridges on the 98 km long A-32 Navatkuli-Kerativu road connecting the districts of Mannar and Jaffna costing nearly 230 million rupees was initiated under the UK funded North East Bridges Reconstruction Programme (NEBRP). Of the nine bridges, seven are located in the areas controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and two in government-controlled areas, sources said.
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Private bus owner abducted in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 August 2005, 11:30 GMT]
Unidentified men abducted a private bus owner, Mr. Balachandran Karikaran, 40, at gun point on Goodshed Road, 1.5 km. west of Vavuniya town Sunday around 8:30 p.m., sources in Vavuniya said.
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Rebuilding Kaddaiparichchan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 August 2005, 11:36 GMT]
The Social Development Centre (SDC) headquartered in Killinochchi, has drawn up plans to rebuild the war-destroyed Kaddaiparichchan village in the Muttur east in the Trincomalee district, officials said. SDC has sought the assistance of non-governmental organizations to rebuild the village currently in an abandoned state with uncleared mines, shrub jungles covering residential areas which once flourished with coconut trees and banana cultivation with villagers gainfully employed in animal husbandry and other cottage industries.
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Civil group complains of new SLA camps in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 August 2005, 11:08 GMT]
Mr. Arthur Tveiten, Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Trincomalee district held discussions with the representatives of Trincomalee District Tamil Peoples' Forum (TDTPF) and Trincomalee heads of Sri Lanka government security forces regarding the allegation by the TDTPF that Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has built new mini-camps and sentry points in the east port and its suburbs after the erection of Buddha statue near the bus stand, sources said.
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Training school exhibition held in Ariviyal Nagar

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 August 2005, 15:17 GMT]
Exhibition and one year anniversary of Work Training School for war affected children located in Ariviyal Nagar, Kilinochchi was held Thursday. The school is administered by the Rural Economic, Education Research and Development Organization (REERDO) and was built with funding from International Labor Organization (ILO). Director of the Training School, Mr Sivarajah, presided the event.
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SLA-LTTE officials meet in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 17:41 GMT]
An LTTE delegation led by Mr.C.Ilamparithi, Jaffna district political head and Major General Sunil Tennekoon, Jaffna area commander of SLA, met at 6.45pm for nearly two hours in the presence of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Jaffna SLMM offices. They discussed in detail the current ground situation in the district following Thursday incidents and to take steps to restore normalcy, SLMM sources said.


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Time for donors to provide direct aid to NorthEast- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 11:20 GMT]
"Time has come for the International Community to provide direct aid to the Tamil homeland without waiting for Colombo," LTTE's Political Head Mr. Thamilchelvan told reporters in Kilinochchi after a meeting with the Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgesen and his delegation at LTTE's Peace Secretariat on Friday. "Joint Mechanism to deliver tsunami aid has been scuttled, internally displaced people continue to suffer due to Colombo's denial to let them return to their homes, and the Cease Fire Agreement is severely threatened by Colombo's shadow war using paramilitary groups in the East. The patience of the Tamil people is running out," Mr. Thamilchelvan told the press.
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CFA, P-TOMS discussed in Helgesen, Kumaratunga meeting

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 07:54 GMT]
The Norwegian Depurty Foreign Minister and the facilitator of the peace process Mr. Vidar Helgesen met Sri Lanka's President Ms. Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga at her official residence Thursday night, Presidential Secretariat sources said. The Norwegian Deputy FM discussed the current state of the peace process with the SL President along with the issues which confront the implementation of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA). Mr. Helgesen also discussed the issues related to the scuttled P-TOMS deal, sources added. The meeting which began at 9 p.m. continued till 10.30 p.m. The Norwegian Deputy FM is visiting Kilinochchi Friday to meet the LTTE's Political Head Mr. S.P.Thamilchelvan.
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Kaluwanchikudy LTTE political office attacked

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 06:10 GMT]
Unidentified men attacked Kaluwanchikudy political office of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Friday early morning. At least five hand grenades were lobbed inside the office premises, Kaluwanchikudy police said. Neighbouring residents said that the attackers, fleeing the scene after the attack, entered the Special Task Force (STF) camp located around 100 meters from the scene around 6:00 a.m. Five LTTE political cadres who were in the office narrowly escaped from the attack, LTTE sources said. Doors and windows in the front side of the building and the roof were damaged in the attack, Kaluwanchikudy Police conducting investigations said.
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JHU to protest against P-TOMS

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 August 2005, 04:58 GMT]
"We have decided to hold island-wide protests against the Post-Tsunami Operations Structure (P-TOMS), we demand holding of elections for Sri Lanka's presidency in 2005, and want immediate suspension of all talks with International community regarding P-TOMS," said Omalpe Sobitha Thera, parliamentarian from the extremist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) , an all monks party, to media persons Wednesday.
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AFTA calls for support to Tamil rights

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 August 2005, 13:16 GMT]
In a press release issued Thursday, Australian Federation of Tamils Association (AFTA) called on the International Community to recognize Tamils right to self-determination. AFTA said in the release that it fully endorses the proclamation made during the Tamil conference in Vavuniya on 27 July which called for recognition of “our basic right to a life of freedom with peace on the basis of our traditional homeland, our nationhood, self rule and struggle for sovereignty.”
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Helgesen to visit Colombo, Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 August 2005, 11:58 GMT]
Norwegian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Vidar Helgesen, will be arriving in Colombo on Thursday on a four day visit, according to a press release issued by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Colombo on Wednesday. Mr. Helgesen will have meetings with Sri Lanka's President Kumaratunga and with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
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