Environmental Commission formed in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 July 2005, 11:25 GMT]
The inaugural event of the Thamileelam Commision for Environmental Governance (TCEG) was held at the Planning and Development Secretariat (PDS) located in Kilinochchi presided by Liberation Tiger's Head of Political Wing S P Thamilchelvan at 10 am Saturday, sources in Kilinochchi said. The main mission of the Commission is to ensure environmental protection in the NorthEast, PDS officials said.
Full story >>

Army searches Punguduthivu hospital

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 July 2005, 19:03 GMT]
LTTE Jaffna district political secretariat Wednesday complained to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Jaffna that soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army had forcibly entered the Thileepan memorial hospital in Pungudutivu on Monday and conducted a search operation. Soldiers surrounded the hospital stopping people from going out of the premises before moving in, sources said.
Full story >>

Disarming paramilitaries vital for peace - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 July 2005, 10:34 GMT]
LTTE's Political Head Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, after meeting with a Norwegian delegation Wednesday morning in Kilinochchi told the press that the ceasefire monitors did not bring any new message that will improve the deteriorating ground conditions in the NorthEast. He accused Colombo and the Sri Lankan armed forces for nurturing and promoting paramilitary groups in the SLA held areas of the NorthEast in violation of clause 1.8 of the CFA. "We stressed to Norwegian delegation the urgency of disarming the paramilitaries according to the terms of the CFA," Thamilchelvan told the reporters.
Full story >>

TNA seeks govt. stand on Trinco Buddha statue issue

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 July 2005, 06:06 GMT]
Mr.R.Sampanthan, Tamil National Alliance ( TNA ) parliamentary group leader and Trincomalee district parliamentarian made a statement in parliament Wednesday morning seeking the Government to reveal its stand on the Trincomalee Buddha statue issue following the withdrawal of the case filed by the Attorney General in the Trincomalee District Court for the removal of the statue.
Full story >>

P-TOMS to be debated in SL parliament

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 July 2005, 16:58 GMT]
A debate on P-TOMS signed by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is scheduled for August 11 and 12 in Sri Lanka Parliament, political sources said. The decision was taken at the party leaders meeting held Tuesday evening with the Speaker Mr.W.M.J.Lokkubandara in the chair.
Full story >>

Peace co-chairs call for end to violence

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 July 2005, 11:25 GMT]
In a press release issued by the US Embassy in Colombo Tuesday, the Co-chairs for Sri Lanka Peace Process expressed alarm at the escalating violence called on the LTTE to stop killings, and the Government of Sri Lanka to disarm all paramilitaries and to guarantee security to unarmed LTTE cadres.
Full story >>

New Institute to boost Tamil education in NorthEast

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 July 2005, 01:30 GMT]
In an event held in the Killinochchi zonal education office in Kilinochchi Sunday, The Education Development Institute of North East (EDINE) was inaugurated to develop Tamil medium education in the northeast province, education sources said. Professor C.Mohanathas, Vice Chancellor of the Jaffna University, unveiled the name board of the office and Mr.R.Thiakalingam, from North East Provincial Education Ministry, declared open the office.
Full story >>

Peoples agitation campaign planned in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 July 2005, 14:14 GMT]
About five hundred representatives of civil groups in the Jaffna district Monday decided to hold one-day peoples' agitation campaign mustering several thousand people to seek the support of the international community to recognize the self-determination rights of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka, civil sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Parliament to meet Tuesday after Court ruling on P-TOMS

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 July 2005, 05:42 GMT]
The Secretary General of the parliament has summoned a meeting of leaders of political parties for Monday evening at 4 p.m., which is to be presided by the Speaker Mr.W.M.J.Lokkubandara in his chamber. The meeting has been called to finalize the business of the Parliament, which is to meet Tuesday for the first time after the Supreme Court ruling on the P-TOMS.
Full story >>

Colombo's political drama shatters hopes for peace- LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 July 2005, 03:14 GMT]
"As Tamil people have repeatedly witnessed in their tortuous history of the past several decades, Colombo has shown its reluctance to provide remedies to Tamil people even after humanitarian disasters of colossal proportions. Sinhala leaders under severe international pressure, signed the deal after dragging for six long months, the Sinhala chauvinists then staged protests to derail the deal, and when all techniques were exhausted Sinhala nationalists engaged the willing apex court to use constitutional reasoning to scuttle the deal," said S P Thamilchelvan after a 4-hour long meeting with the TNA leaders in Kilinochchi Sunday.
Full story >>

SLA bans transporting batteries, wires in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 July 2005, 12:00 GMT]
Sri Lakan Army (SLA) soldiers manning the check points between LTTE controlled and SLA held areas in the eastern districts of Batticaloa and Amparai imposed restrictions on transporting batteries, wires and electric devices from SLA held areas towards Vaharai and other LTTE held areas in the East since Saturday. Civilians were subjected to severe questioning and and body searcj by SLA, Special Task Force (STF) soldiers and the Police. Security is tightened in Batticaloa, Amparai districts, Police sources said.
Full story >>

Elilan calls for eradication of child marriage

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 July 2005, 08:29 GMT]
"Child marriage is still common in some areas in Eachchilampathu division. We are taking action to stop this social ill. It is the duty of every responsible citizen to eradicate this menace," said Mr.S.Elilan, LTTE Trincomalee district political head participating as the chief guest at the Women Confluence organised by the Eachchilampathu Women Development Organization Saturday. Trincomalee District Fund for Affected Students collaborated in holding this event at Eachchilampathu Sri Senbaga Maha Vidiyalayam.
Full story >>

Methodist Church assists Kallady villagers

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 July 2005, 15:09 GMT]
The Trincomalee Methodist Church distributed one million rupees worth household implements to 204 families and 500,000 rupees worth push cycles to 70 students in Kallady in Eachchilampathu division, who were afftected by tsunami that hit the village in December 2004.
Full story >>

Vavuniya not safe for doing political work, says LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 July 2005, 11:20 GMT]
Vavuniya district Head of LTTE Political Wing, Mr Gnanam, in a meeting held at the District Secretariat Friday 3 p.m., protested to the members of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that harrassment by the Sri Lanka Security forces on LTTE cadres engaged in political work has increased and requested the SLMM to take steps to ensure LTTE cadres' safety, sources said.
Full story >>

Ilamparithi meets with SLMM after Kilinochchi visit

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 July 2005, 16:54 GMT]
Mr.C.Ilamparithi, LTTE Jaffna district political head, Friday returned to Jaffna after consultation with LTTE leadership in Killinochchi. The LTTE leadership invited him for a discussion on the current political and ground situation of the northeast province, sources said.
Full story >>

LTTE responds to GoSL proposals, calls for immediate action

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 July 2005, 06:58 GMT]
In a letter addressed to Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) on Friday, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, Political Head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eealm (LTTE), rejected the conditions stipulated by Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) restricting the number of journeys and the number of persons. The letter said that the GoSL has the responsibility to ensure the safety of LTTE's unarmed members in military controlled areas and urged that the proposals sent to GoSL on 30 June 2005 need to be accepted in full in order to ensure safe travel of their cadres. It further said that the time frame set by the LTTE was consequent to the long delay incurred.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka's Supreme Court issues stay order against P-TOMS

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 July 2005, 06:24 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court (SC) Friday issued a stay order on four main points of the Post-Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS) signed between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), legal sources said. Fund management, location of Regional Committee in Kilinochchi, Project approval and implementation issues in Regional Committees are the issues being mentioned in the stay order, according to the information available at the moment. The marxist Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the Buddhist Sinhala nationalist JHU filed cases seeking the Court to make P-TOMS null and void.
Full story >>

Colombo names P-TOMS high level representative

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 July 2005, 16:50 GMT]
Constitution Affairs Minister D.E.W.Gunasekara has been appointed as Sri Lanka Government's representative to the High Level Committee of the Post Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS), said Cabinet spokesperson Nimal Siripala De Silva at a post Cabinet press briefing in Colombo Thursday. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is scheduled to rule on Friday on the validity of the P-TOMS after it was challeneged in Courts by the JVP and the JHU.


Full story >>

One LTTE cadre killed, two Navy soldiers injured in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 July 2005, 16:21 GMT]
One Liberation Tiger cadre was killed and two Sri Lankan Navy soldiers were injured in a shooting incident that took place near Perkar area in Kumburupiddy division north of Trincomalee, according to Police sources. The incident took place near the German radio relay station Deutche Velle around 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Meanwhile, Kumburupiddy villagers, who have taken refuge in the Methodist Church, said that two Tamil civilians are missing in the area following the shooting incident.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka military pushing for war- Batticaloa LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 July 2005, 15:01 GMT]
"Sri Lankan military is visibly pushing for a war. Sri Lanka Military Intelligence personnel is deployed all over the borders monitoring our cadres. Heavily armed Sri Lankan soldiers are being deployed in SLA held areas of Batticaloa. The situation is getting tense and our political officials in SLA held areas are under threat. If this situation continues, we will be forced to relocate all our political cadres and officials," said Deputy Head of LTTE's Batticaloa-Amparai Political Division, Mr. Dayamohan Thursday.
Full story >>