Police escort TNA MPs after meeting with Mahanayake Thero

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 October 2004, 10:26 GMT]
TNA MPs called on the Mahanayake Thero of the Malwatte Chapter Thibbottuwe Sri Siddharatha Sumangala Thero Monday 9am and drew his attention to the historial failure thus far to find an equitable solution to the Tamil national question, and impressed on him the necessity for an interim administration for the North East, sources said. At the end of the meeting, when the TNA MPs came out, Kandy police had to intervene when opposing buddhist monks and members of extremist Sinhala organizations attacked the TNA MPs, police sources said.


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TNA to inaugurate political awareness campaign in northeast

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 October 2004, 16:28 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is to inaugurate district level political awareness campaign in the northeast province next week, said TNA parliamentary group leader and Trincomalee district parliamentarian Mr.R.Sampanthan. The three-day campaign will be inaugurated in Trincomalee district on October 16 with a public rally in Trincomalee town, TNA sources said.
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TNA rejects joining SL President's Advisory Council for Peace

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 October 2004, 10:42 GMT]
"It is our considered view that if the government takes clear and courageous action to recommence the negotiations, which the Government's has hitherto to failed do, the peace process can be taken forward... We would strongly urge you to implement what you enunciated at the meeting with the TNA parliamentary group on 10th June," Mr.R.Sampanthan, Tamil National Alliance parliamentary group leader said in a letter to Sri Lanka's President Ms Kumaratunge officially informing the TNA's decision of rejecting her invitation to attend the National Advisory Council for Peace and Reconciliation.
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"Thennamaravadi IDP's lands being encroached"- Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 September 2004, 16:29 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Mr.R.Sampanthan complained in a letter to the Sri Lanka Goverment's Peace Secretariat officials that they should take immediate steps to stop the encroachment of paddy lands belonging to displaced Tamil families located in Thennamaravadi village in Trincomalee district, sources said.


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TNA criticizes SL President's UN speech

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 September 2004, 01:11 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunge's speech at the United Nations General Assembly "does not reflect true factual position...We urge the President to refrain from making rhetorical statements and focus on resolute action that would enable the recommencement of talks and meaningful consensus-building that would ensure the success of the negotiations," said parliamentarians from Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in a press statement released Thursday.
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U.S. urged to adopt balanced approach to peace

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 September 2004, 10:17 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group leader and the Trincomalee district parliamentarian Mr.R.Sampanthan in a press release issued Monday in Trincomalee said that a meeting Ambassador J.Cofer Black, had with a group of Sri Lankan media representatives in Colombo, has "caused much concern to wide sections of the Tamil people," and cautioned that "failure to adopt an even handed approach could cause immense harm to the peace process." Ambassador Black is U.S. State Department's Co-ordinator for Counter Terrorism.
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TECH district office opened in Trinco

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 September 2004, 02:06 GMT]
The Trincomalee district office of The Economic Consultancy House (TECH), a Non-Governmental Non-Profit Sharing Organization registered with the Government of Sri Lanka, and a computer training center was opened Friday morning at No 16, Green Road, Trincomalee. TECH has its headquarters in A9 Road, Iranaimadu Junction in Killinochchi.
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TNA meets new Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 September 2004, 06:49 GMT]
A Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary delegation Thursday morning met with the new Indian High Commissioner for Sri Lanka Ms Nirupama Rao at the Indian High Commission office. The discussion centred on the current situation of the peace process since the signing of the ceasefire agreement by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), TNA parliamentary group leader Mr.R.Sampanthan told TamilNet.
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TNA urges President to commence talks with LTTE

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 September 2004, 08:00 GMT]
“The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) would strongly urge the Government to commence talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) without delay, on the basis of the Interim Self-Governing Authority proposals of the LTTE. and thereby implement the position enunciated by the President on 10 June, when she met the TNA delegation”, said Mr.R.Sampanthan, TNA parliamentary group leader in a statement made in the parliament Tuesday morning.
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Kantalai Sivan Temple "Kumbabishekam" held

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 September 2004, 14:06 GMT]
The consecration (Kumbabishekam) ceremony of the historic Kantalai Sivan Temple in Trincomalee district, which was built by the Chola King Rajendra Cholan around A.D.1010 was held Friday with Bramasiri S.Ravichandrakurukal, Chief Priest of the historic Trincomalee Paththirakali Amman Temple, conducting the ceremony officiating as the chief of a group of Hindu priests.
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Training for unemployed graduates

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 September 2004, 19:45 GMT]
One hundred fifty two graduates selected from the Trincomalee district in the first phase of the graduate employment scheme of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) began their three months training with the inaugural event held in Trincomalee Town Hall Thursday.
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Bill criticized as disenfranchising many Tamils

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 September 2004, 14:28 GMT]
''The passage of 'Elections Special Provisions' Bill in Sri Lanka's parliament compelling citizens of Sri Lanka to produce National Identity Cards (NIC) to exercise his or her vote would tantamount to disenfranchising a large number of Tamil people, and would cause them irreparable political harm,'' said Mr.R.Sampanthan, parliamentary group leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in a letter faxed to Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse through the Secretary General of the Parliament Thursday.
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Plan afoot to build new Trinco Campus

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 August 2004, 22:48 GMT]
Eastern University administration has prepared a master plan to rebuild the Trincomalee Campus of the East University at a new site at Konesapuri, seven km off north of Trincomalee town towards Nilaveli, where two hundred acres of land located has been allocated for the project. The Trincomalee campus is now functioning in buildings in the heart of Trincomalee town, without sufficient space to conduct classes and with substandard residential facilities to students, sources said.
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Special education project for resettled students in Trinco inaugurated

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 August 2004, 17:57 GMT]
Trincomalee Children Fund (TCF), supported by Trincomalee Tamil expatriates in Canada, last weekend inaugurated a free education project for resettled students in the villages of Sampalthivu, Salli and Aththimoddai, north of Trincomalee town. This project would provide special classes to students of Salli Ambal Vidiyalayam, Aththimoddai Tamil Vidyalaym and Sampalthivu Tamil Maha Vidyalayam in three subjects Maths, English Language and Science by specialized teachers in the subjects.
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TNA to promote ISGA awareness and advocacy

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 August 2004, 14:27 GMT]
"We have created three different action groups for the tasks of promoting awareness in the Parliament, awareness in the South and advocacy in the diplomatic circles," Mr. R. Sampanthan, Secretary General of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) told the press in Kilinochchi Monday. LTTE Political Head Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan and Mr. Sampanthan met press briefly after TNA's meeting with the LTTE's Political Head at the Planning Secretariat of the Liberation Tigers in Kilinochchi.
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ISGA critical to peace, Tamil MPs tell US Think Tank

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 July 2004, 02:14 GMT]
In a panel session organized by Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C., Mr.R.Sampanthan and Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians, told the audience that implementation of Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) proposed by the LTTE is critical to sustainable peace. Ms.Teresita Schaffer, former U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and CSIS Director of South Asia program presided the meeting.
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Gajendrakumar on U.S. visit

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 July 2004, 04:30 GMT]
Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, joined Mr. Sampanthan, Parliamentary Group leader of TNA who arrived in the U.S. a week earlier, to address Tamil audience at the annual convention of the Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America (FeTNA) Sunday evening in Baltimore U.S., sources in U.S. said.
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Supreme Court takes up TULF interim injunction case

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 July 2004, 16:51 GMT]
The three member bench of the Supreme Court chaired by Chief Justice Sarath N.Silva fixed the inquiry for August 25 into the appeal filed by the Secretary General and Senior Vice President of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) Messrs R.Sampanthan and Jospeh Pararajasingham against the interim order issued by the Colombo District Court and later affirmed by the Court of Appeal preventing them from summoning the central committee of the TULF without the consent of the President Mr. V.Anandasangaree, legal sources said.
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Sampanthan to address U.S. Tamil meet

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 June 2004, 02:25 GMT]
Secretary General of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Parliamentary Group leader, R.Sampanthan, is scheduled to address the Annual Convention of the Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America (FeTNA) at the Carl J. Murphy Fine Arts Center, Morgan State University, in Baltimore during the 4th July weekend, sources said.
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Sri Lanka President urged to establish ISGA immediately

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 June 2004, 20:33 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Thursday told Sri Lanka President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge that Tamils couldn't depend any more on the Sinhala political leadership to enjoy their rights. ''The Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) should be established in the northeast without delay so that Tamils could enjoy self rule in their homeland,'' Mr.R.Sampanthan, leader of the TNA parliamentary group, told the President during a discussion held Thursday night in the Presidential House at the latter's invitation, TNA sources said.
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