LTTE to close commercial vehicles section on 30, 31 December

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 December 2003, 18:23 GMT]
The heavy commercial vehicles section of the Liberation Tigers’ customs at the Puliyankulam entry point, 20 kilometres north of Vavuniya, would be closed on the 30 and 31 December, Mr. Daya Master, the LTTE’s media co-ordinator, told TamilNet Monday. He said that the Finance Division of the Liberation Tigers had decided to close the heavy commercial vehicles section of its customs department due to year-end work.


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Electricity Grid to extend to Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 December 2003, 14:12 GMT]
Kilinochchi district Electric Engineer Selvarajah Prabhakaran said that under a 2-year plan funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) the national electricity grid is to be extended to a new sub-station in Kilinochchi through a 132KV line. As precursor to this 2MV generators are to be installed in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu to provide electricity to key towns in the two districts, he added.
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Tigers to open more hours for X’mas , New year

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 December 2003, 10:51 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers will keep their entry points to the Vanni open until 9.30 p.m. for Christmas and New Year for the convenience of the people during the festive season, Mr. Daya Master, the LTTE spokesman told TamilNet Tuesday. The entry points are normally open from 7 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. The LTTE’s entry points at Muhamalai, Puliyankulam and in Mannar would be open to the public until 9.30 p.m. on 24 and 25 of and 31 December and on 1 January 2004.


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Most landmine accidents in Jaffna – UN group

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 November 2003, 06:49 GMT]
The United Nations Inter-Agency Working Group on Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in Colombo said Tuesday that most of the accidents caused by mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) occurred in Jaffna this year. UNDP supported de-mining began in Jaffna seven years ago. Today there are three international de-mining groups active in the peninsula, including one from the US army. The UNDP continues support. A year ago, the region controlled by the Liberation Tigers in the north had much larger and extensive concentrations of mines, minefields and UXOs than Jaffna.
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LTTE protests SLA's funeral restrictions

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 October 2003, 20:40 GMT]
Mr.S.Ezhilan, the Vavuniya district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE), Wednesday wrote to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, saying that he was concerned about the SLMM’s endorsement of the conditions laid down by the Sri Lanka Army on holding the funeral of an LTTE cadre in Vavuniya, as these conditions amounted, in his view, to interference in the political activities of the LTTE.


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Funeral of LTTE cadre held in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 October 2003, 03:38 GMT]
Mr. Aliventhan, a cadre of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, died in a motorcycle accident Sunday in Mullaithivu, and a large number of people attended his funeral held at the martyr’s cemetery in Eachankulam in Vavuniya Tuesday, sources in Vavuniya said.
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SLA buried 48,518 mines in Paranthan

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 August 2003, 03:26 GMT]
During the time the Sri Lanka Army was controlling Paranthan, the Army buried 48,518 land mines in the area, according to information provided to the Humanitarian De-mining Unit by the United Nations Development Plan, HDU sources said.
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LTTE’s political office in Vavuniya attacked

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 July 2003, 18:19 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers’ political officer for Vavuniya Town was wounded when a grenade was lobbed at the LTTE’s political office in the northern border town Monday night around 11.30 p.m. The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, the Sri Lanka army and Police rushed to the spot upon being informed of the grenade attack on the LTTE’s political office in the town.
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Slow progress in supplying electricity to Omanthai

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 July 2003, 03:03 GMT]
Work is currently underway to supply electricity to the Omanthai Sri Lanka Army checkpoint complex, but so far only 20 % of the project has been completed, said Mr. S. Pirabhakaran, Engineer, Vavuniya Region, the Ceylon Electricity Board.
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129 families resettled in Omanthai area

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 June 2003, 05:57 GMT]
Vavuniya Government Agent K. Ganesh said Friday at a meeting held in Vavuniya Secreatariat that in three villages adjoining the High Security Zone in Omanthai area 129 families have been resettled, according to Secretariat officials.


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UXOs hamper reforesting, forest inspection in Vanni

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 June 2003, 00:10 GMT]
The Tamil Eelam Forestry Division (TEFD) sources said that unexploded ordnances (UXOs) pose danger to the inspection of the destruction caused to forests in the Vanni during Operation JayaSikuru in 1997, when Sri Lankan military officers felled large trees, destroyed forests and profited by exporting them to the South.


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Trinco Vipulananda holds first prize giving in 56 years

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 May 2003, 19:33 GMT]
Trincomalee Vipulananda College located in the outskirts of east port town held its fifty sixth anniversary and first annual prize giving celebrations Thursday. The school was founded on 7th May 1947 in an abandoned military building left by the Britishers to provide education to the poor children living outside the Trincomalee town, sources said.
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EPS fall: reassessing LTTE's manoeuvre warfare prowess

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 April 2003, 21:26 GMT]
Three years ago, on April 22nd, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) hoisted their flag in the heart of what was once one of the most fortified military garrisons in South Asia. The fall of Elephant Pass, described as "impregnable" by a US army officer who visited the garrison months earlier, established the Tigers as the only non-state military force in the world today capable of complex manoeuvre war fighting.
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Resettlement to begin in Omanthai-Thandikulam HSZ

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 March 2003, 16:44 GMT]
In a meeting at the Government Secretariat presided by the Vavuniya Government Agent (GA), K. Ganesh, it was decided to resettle former residents of selected areas within the High Security Zone (HSZ) between Thandikulam and Omanthai centered around the A9 highway in Vavuniya district, starting from coming Monday, sources in Vavuniya said.


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Protest in Vavuniya condemns Manipay SLA assault

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 February 2003, 12:24 GMT]
More than thousand residents of Vavuniya and surrounding areas marched in Vavuniya Saturday wearing black belts in their waists protesting the attack on Wednesday 12 February on Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) unarmed female cadres in Manipay, Jaffna, by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers. The marchers handed over a memorandum to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), sources in Vavuniya said.


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Soil fertility, drainage affected by SLA bunds

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 February 2003, 14:08 GMT]
Extensive construction of earth bunds by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) at both sides of A9 highway between Puliyankulam and Mankulam during the 'Jeyasikuru' battles has adversely affected the fertility of soil and drainage pattern in surrounding areas, agricultural sources in Vanni said.
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A9 rebuilding to begin on Thai-Pongal day

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 January 2003, 14:11 GMT]
Although Asian Development Bank (ADB) has allocated Rs800 million towards rebuilding the A9 highway from Omanthai to Jaffna, no funds have been made available to clear mines that still lay buried in areas surrounding several segements of A9 which present a potential danger to residents who would want to resettle, a news report from Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) in Kilinochi highlighted.
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Lt.Col Thileepan death anniversary concludes in NE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 September 2002, 20:10 GMT]
"The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have begun peace negotiations with the United National Front government sincerely and with confidence that we can achieve full autonomy based on Tamil nationality, Tamil homeland and the right of self determination" said the Head of the LTTE's Judiciary Mr. Pararajasingham addressing the concluding ceremony of the week long observance in honour of the Tiger martyr Lt.Colonel Thileepan in Poonthottam, Vavuniya Thursday morning.
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SLMM office to open in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Sunday, 31 March 2002, 19:59 GMT]
The office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Vavuniya will start functioning from Monday, 1 April, at an office that has been established at Vairavar road in Vairavapuliyankulam, said the Government Agent for Vavuniya Mr.S.Ganesh.
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Vanni citizens committee slams block on reconstruction

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 January 2002, 05:11 GMT]
(News Feature) The Chairman of the Vanni Citizens’ Committee, Rev M X Karunaratnam, last week said the Sri Lankan government’s much publicized easing of its economic embargo on the region was “mere eyewash.” He said the Vanni region’s infrastructure was devastated and it was impossible to improve it by rebuilding, as the requisite materials were not being permitted.
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