Dead cranes cause bird-flu scare in Mannar

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 March 2006, 11:55 GMT]
Four cranes found dead in the premises of official bungalow of the Government Agent in Mannar Wednesday afternoon have been sent to Kandy to be examined by veterinary surgeons to determine the cause of death, Mannar hospital sources said.
Full story >>

NECORD funded school buildings opened in Mannar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 March 2006, 08:33 GMT]
Mr.V.Visuvalingam, Mannar Government Agent, Monday declared open three new class room buildings in three Tamil schools in the LTTE held area in the Mannar district. The building were constructed at a cost of about 6.4 million rupees with the funds provided by the North East Community Restoration Development (NECORD) programme. Asian Development Bank (ADB) funds the NECORD, sources said.
Full story >>

Floating container explodes injuring Mannar fisherman

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 March 2006, 08:30 GMT]
A fisherman, P.Shanthan Fernando, 42, of Mannar lost his two hands above the wrists when a mystery container he found floating in the Thalvupadu Sea in Mannar Monday afternoon exploded when he tried to open it, Mannar Police said.
Full story >>

SLA troopers' desecration of Hindu Temples condemned

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 March 2006, 19:21 GMT]
The Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Front (EPRLF-Suresh wing) of Mannar district condemned willful descretion of Hindu Temples by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers who enter inside temple buildings and at times inside the inner sanctum with their boots on, sources in Mannar said. Mr.Ratnasigham Kumares, District Secretary of the Mannar EPRLF, urged the Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Mannar to advice the SLA to obey Hindu customs when entering Temples and to withdraw soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army from the Mannar hospital premises, sources said.
Full story >>

Blast in seas off Kalpitti, 14 feared dead

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 March 2006, 11:22 GMT]
Six persons, on board a boat which was being intercepted by a Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) vessel, have blown themselves sinking their boat and causing extensive damage to the approaching Dvora Fast Attack Craft with 19 SLN troopers on board, Sri Lanka military sources in Colombo said. At least eight Sri Lanka Navy sailors are reported missing. The blast occured 17 nautical miles off Kuthiraimalai in Kalpitti, 145 km north of Colombo Saturday afternoon, the sources added. A press statement issued by the Government of Sri Lanka said that the "magnitude of the expolsion and the damage it caused to the approaching Navy vessel indicated that the trawler was transporting a large quantity of explosives."
Full story >>

Mannar fisherman in SLN custody

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 March 2006, 19:09 GMT]
Mr.Antony Thomas, 33, who left Pallimunai in Mannar district on 14 March is reported to have been arrested by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) while fishing in Palaithivu sea and being detained by the SLN sailors, according to a complaint lodged with Mannar Citizen Committee.
Full story >>

Japan funds development projects in Mannar, Puttalam, Monaragala

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 March 2006, 12:45 GMT]
Japan has provided US$191,365 for three rural development projects, Integrated Programme for Rasamadhu and Kattaspathri Cluster Villages in Mannar District, Integrated Development through Sustainable Livelihood and SocioEconomic Development in Puttalam, and Livelihood Improvement for Identified Seven GN Divisions in Siyambalanduwa, Moneragala District, a press release from the Embassy of Japan issued Wednesday in Colombo said.
Full story >>

Local elections in Trincomalee, Amparai to be held

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 March 2006, 19:27 GMT]
Elections to 12 local authorities in Trincomalee district and 17 in the Amparai district are to be held on March 30. Elections to forty-six local authorities in the other six districts of Jaffna, Killinochchi, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya, Mannar and Batticaloa in the North East are to be postponed by six months, Colombo media sources reported Monday evening quoting an official of the Department of Elections.
Full story >>

Three hundred police trainees begin training in Vanni

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 March 2006, 00:31 GMT]
Three hundred officers newly recruited for Thamileelam Police started training on Saturday in Vanni. The recruits, under the coaching of Police Trainer S. Thamilarasan, were the second unit to be trained in 2006, said T. Kanahan, the head of administration of the Police.
Full story >>

Thiruketheeswaram war affected families receive houses

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 March 2006, 12:38 GMT]
Seva Lanka, a non-governmental organization handed over twenty-four houses constructed in Thiruketheeswaram area in the Mannar district to beneficiaries on Wednesday. Mr.T.Lankaneson, Project Director of the NECORD ceremonially opened the housing scheme, sources said. Funding for the housing projecte was praovided by the North East Community Restoration Development (NECORD) project.
Full story >>

Mannar Bar Association elects new president

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 March 2006, 12:27 GMT]
Mr. Emmanuel Gius Beldano, senior attorney-at-law was elected unanimously the President of the Mannar District Bar Association for the year 2006-2007 at the annual general meeting held Thursday in the Mannar court complex. Mr.M.B.Farook was elected General Secretary and Mr.M.Sathakathullah Treasurer, sources said.
Full story >>

Aussie minister visits Mannar, assesses ground situation

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 March 2006, 18:35 GMT]
Australian Minister of Emigration and Multi-Culture, Ms.Amanda Vanstone, accompanied by Dr. Greg French, Australian envoy in Colombo, Thursday visited Mannar and held discussions with top officials of civil authority and military regarding the ground situation. She arrived in Sri Lanka Navy base in Talaimannar by a special helicopter of the Sri Lanka Air Force Thursday morning around 9 a.m. where Mr.A.Neekilaspillai, Additional Government and Mr. Stanley de Mel, Mannar Divisional Secretary, received her, sources said.
Full story >>

EU provides housing aid for NorthEast war affected families

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 March 2006, 11:30 GMT]
European Commission agreed to finance E$ 22 Mn (European Dollars) for housing of conflict affected families in the Vavuniya and Mannar Districts through the World Bank, North East Housing Reconstruction Programme (NEHRP) officials said.
Full story >>

"Accusations, not negotiations" in Geneva - Nadesan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 March 2006, 22:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s delegation to the Geneva talks had no understanding of negotiation and set about hurling accusations at the Liberation Tigers rather than contributing to a constructive discussion that could lead to a resolution of the prevailing problems, Thamileelam Police Chief B. Nadesan said Tuesday in an extensive interview with TamilNet. He also discussed the multi-functionary expansion of the Thamileelam Police, including the use of DNA forensics. The Tamil Eelam Police Chief also said that the detention of three Sri Lankan police had been deliberately portrayed as arbitrary arrests by the LTTE but was based on specific intelligence on the individuals.
Full story >>

SLN relaxes fishing ban in Thondamannar-VVT seas

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 March 2006, 12:07 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) announced relaxation of restrictions on fishing to the east of Kankesanthurai harbor from Thondamannar to Valvettiturai shores, during a meeting between Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Jaffna representatives, SLN officers and Jaffna Fisheries Union representatives at Chithampara College, Valvettiturai, held around noon Sunday, sources from Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Defunct committees cause hardships to fishermen, farmers

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 March 2006, 11:51 GMT]
Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan, Wanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, expressed serious concern over the lethargic attitude of the Mannar District Secretariat for not holding monthly meetings of the District Fisheries Committee (DFC) and the District Agricultural Committee (DAC) regularly to address problems faced by Mannar farmers and fishermen when they are undergoing severe difficulties due fishing ban and violence, sources in Mannar said.


Full story >>

Mullaitivu fishermen receive fishing nets, accessories

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 March 2006, 17:39 GMT]
The Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) under its accelerated rehabilitation project after tsunami with the funding of the Church of South India handed over a consignment of fishing nets to affected fishermen in Mullaitivu district at an event held Friday. Mr.Maraiyarasa, President of the Fisheries Co-operative Federation presided over the event, sources said.
Full story >>

International Women's Day observed across NorthEast

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 March 2006, 00:00 GMT]
International Women's Day was observed in several parts of NorthEast on Wednesday, sources said. Local women's organizations and Non-governmental organization participated in events held in Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Jaffna and Mannar.
Full story >>

Newly constructed Adampan hospital opened

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 March 2006, 16:58 GMT]
The newly constructed district government hospital complex in the village of Adampan in the Liberation Tigers controlled area of Mannar district was decalred open, Monday morning. The hospital was construvted at a cost of 22.4 million rupees by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded North East Community Restoration Programme (NECORD).


Full story >>

Japan provides US$185m development loan to Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 March 2006, 11:58 GMT]
Japanese Government Thursday announced a new package of loan of US$185 million (Yen 21,560m) for three projects, Galle Port Development (US$125m)), Infrastructure Development of Eastern Province (US$38m), and Tourism Resources Improvement (US$22m). This 37th yen brings the total loan provided by Japan to Sri Lanka in the last 14 months to $370m.
Full story >>