WFP to continue relief activity in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 March 2008, 16:27 GMT]
World Food Programme (WFP), which had earlier considered suspension of its food assistance projects in Jaffna peninsula due to a critical shortage of cash contributions, brought relief to peninsula residents when it announced Friday the continuance of the projects during a meeting convened by Jaffna Government Agent (GA) at Jaffna Secretariat.
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Fact finding civil groups want elections stopped in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 February 2008, 10:55 GMT]
"Batticaloa elections seem to be about legitimizing brutality through forced political authority and participation," said a group of 9 civil society organisations that undertook a fact finding mission to the district between February 16 and 18. The mission, issuing a report titled "Afraid to even say the word: Elections in Batticaloa," in a press conference held in Renuka hotel on Wednesday, said despite the possibility of International and independent election monitors generally having a positive influence on the electoral process, the presence of monitors inherently risks legitimizing elections despite sincere efforts to expose any violations.
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Ganesan protests Kane's failure to meet Tamil, Muslim party leaders

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 February 2008, 12:31 GMT]
Civil Monitoring Commission Convener and Western People Front leader Mano Ganesan expressed his protest over the failure of United Nation's Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, Ms Angela Kane to meet with Tamil or Muslim party leaders during her week long visit to Sri Lanka. Ganesan said the visit, where she met only Sri Lanka Government officials, opposition party leaders, and the extremist JVP leaders, was a "one-sided affair" and "too political."
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Moves afoot to convince reluctant Allaippiddi IDPs to return

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 February 2008, 14:23 GMT]
The Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Allaippiddi from the islets of Jaffna who were displaced due to Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) offensives in Allaippiddi in August 2006 and presently staying in Jaffna, are reluctant to return to their villages according to arrangements made by Jaffna Secretariat because fishing, their main means of living, in their areas is banned by Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), IDP related welfare organization sources in Jaffna said.
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UN envoy visits Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 February 2008, 16:59 GMT]
Ms. Angela Kane, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs who is on a seven day visit to Sri Lanka, visited Batticaloa Saturday afternoon 2:00p.m. and met various dignitaries at the Batticaloa secretariat and learnt about the current situation prevailing in the district.
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SLA trooper assaults NGO staffer in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 February 2008, 15:03 GMT]
A female Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier denuded and assaulted a female Non-government Organization (NGO) staffer coming from the islets of Jaffna at the SLA check post at Pa’n’nai Bridge entry point early this week, according to a complaint made to the SLA High Command in Jaffna. The staffer from World Vision was on her way to participate in an NGO work-shop and had photos and an article related to tsunami disaster in Allaipiddy in her possession when the said female SLA troop checked her.
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Keerimalai Nakuleasvara temple festival begins Friday

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 February 2008, 05:27 GMT]
The annual festival of the historical Keerimalai Nakuleasvara Saiva temple located in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zone (HSZ) will begin on Friday and continue until 7 March, and the SLA command in Jaffna will allow devotees to go through its check posts in Cheanthaangku’lam and Thellippazhai SLA Front Defence Line (FDL) area in Valikaamam north, the chief priest of the temple, Rajaraja Sri K. Nakuleaswara Kurukkal said.
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Ministry reshuffle impacts relief supplies for Jaffna IDPs

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 February 2008, 16:46 GMT]
The distribution of relief supplies for Internally Displaced People (IDPs) within Jaffna peninsula has been seriously affected due to shifting of the responsibility from the Ministry of Nation Building to the Ministry of Resettlement and Disaster Relief services, Jaffna Government Agent (GA) K.Ganesh said, Sunday.
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SLA push fails in Paalaikkuzhi, SLAF bombs Madu area- LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 February 2008, 22:05 GMT]
Attempts by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers to push forward in Paalaikkuzhi, Mannaar Saturday morning 7:00 a.m. was foiled according to Mannaar Operations Command of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE).
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SLN imposes restrictions on NGOs assisting Allaipiddy IDPs

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 February 2008, 13:29 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) stationed in the Jaffna islets has imposed severe travel restrictions for Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) assisting the residents of Allaipiddy to resettle in their own village, civil society sources in Jaffna said.
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SLAF bombs Visuvamadu, 3 civilians wounded

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 February 2008, 08:06 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked Eazhaalaik Kudiyiriuppu in Visuvamadu in Mullaiththeevu district Thursday around 10:30 a.m., wounding 3 civilians and destroying two houses of a settlement of IDPs.
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IDP abducted in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 February 2008, 05:40 GMT]
Unidentified armed men arriving in a white van at a camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in Chavukkadi area in Batticaloa district forcibly abducted an IDP from the camp Wednesday around 3:00 p.m, Batticaloa police said.
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4 Thenmaraadchi civilians seek protection, IDP reported missing

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 February 2008, 16:31 GMT]
Three persons from the same family and a driver from Thenmaraadchi sought protection with Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna due to death threats from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops and SLA-backed paramilitaries. Meanwhile, an Internally Displaced Person (IDP) from Thellippazhai Cheeriyam Pu'liyadi IDP refugee camp is feared to have disappeared after entering the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) check point in Thellippa'lai, according to a complaint made with HRC Jaffna Wednesday.
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430 Moothoor IDP families resettled

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 February 2008, 19:33 GMT]
The members of 430 families internally displaced from areas under the administration of Moothoor District Secretary (DS) due to clashes between Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and living in various welfare centres in Batticaloa District were transported back to their original areas of residence, Batticaloa District Government Agent (GA) Suntharam Arumainayagam, said Sunday.
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2 civilians abducted, 2 seek HRC protection in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 January 2008, 15:30 GMT]
Two civilians, one from Oore’lu and the other from Changkaanai, are feared abducted according to complaints made Monday by the family members with the Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna. Meanwhile, two civilians from Jaffna and Kaithadi north have sought protection with HRC due to death threats by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops and SLA-backed paramilitaries, Monday.
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Sovereignty implies responsibility to protect citizens- UN's Deng

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 January 2008, 00:44 GMT]
"[T]he idea of “R2P” was principally meant to stress that sovereignty implies the responsibility of states, first and foremost, to protect their own citizens, with the international community providing support when governments prove incapable of doing so," said Francis Deng, United Nation's Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide and other Mass Atrocities, in the Winter 2007 Bulletin of UN's Department of Political Affairs
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SLA attack injures four civilians Mannaar

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 January 2008, 00:16 GMT]
Four civilians residing in Thadchanaa Maruthamadu refugee camp for Internally Displaced People (IDP) Mannaar district were injured when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched an artillery attack Sunday morning 11:00 a.m. targeting the IDP camp, source in Mannaar said.
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'Canadian Tamil Village' foundation stone laid

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 January 2008, 05:03 GMT]
The foundation stone laying ceremony for a project costing $625K to build 250 houses and associated village infrastructure for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Raasapuram, Mulankaavil in Kilinochchi district was held Thursday at 12:45 p.m., sources from Kilinochchi said. The foundation stone was laid by the Government Agent (GA) of Kilinochchi District Mr. Vethanayakam, and Mr. Thangan, Deputy Head of Political Division.
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SLAF bombing raid injures 3 civilians in Vanni

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 January 2008, 17:07 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLA) fighter jets dropped 12 bombs in 3 sorties Friday morning on civilian settlements in Va'l'lipunam in Vanni, injuring three civilians including a woman, besides completely destroying a settlement, sources in Vanni said. An event enrolling new students to Grade I in Udaiyaarkaddu Mahavithtiyaalayam was disrupted when the bombs fell and exploded near by. Chentha'lir Children Home for girls, relocated from Mullaitheevu coast to Va'l'lipunam after Tsunami, narrowly escaped the air-strike.
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IDP shot dead in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 January 2008, 15:24 GMT]
An unidentified gunman shot injured Monday around 7:00 p.m a male Internally Displaced Person (IDP) in a refugee camp in Kalliyangkaadu area in Batticaloa and the victim, rushed to Batticaloa Teaching hospital, succumbed to his wounds at the hospital, Batticaloa police said.
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