Vadamaradchy East, Kilinochchi voters can exercise franchise freely- GA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 November 2005, 12:42 GMT]
"We have made elaborate arrangements to ensure that voters residing in Liberation Tigers' controlled areas of Vadamaradchy east and Kilinochchi district can exercise their franchise with complete freedom without any requirement to produce identity cards," said Jaffna Government Agent and Jaffna District Election Returning Officer, K Ganesh, during a press meet held at the Jaffna Secretariat offices Sunday afternoon.
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Mannar court releases refugee returnees from TamilNadu

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 November 2005, 16:38 GMT]
Mr.A.S.Johnthasan, Mannar acting Magistrate Saturday ordered surety bail for one person and released ten others when Talaimannar Police produced eleven refugees who were taken into custody by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) when they were returning to Sri Lanka from South India Friday, legal sources said.
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Cushnahan to visit Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 November 2005, 14:24 GMT]
John Cushnahan, chief obeserver of the EU Election Observation Mission, accompanied by Head of EU delegation to Sri Lanka, Ambassador Julian Wilson, are to visti Jaffna, Friday, a press advisory from the EOM offices in Colombo said Thursday.
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NPC urges LTTE to make public it's not opposed to voting

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 November 2005, 11:38 GMT]
National Peace Council (NPC), in a press release issued in Colombo Thursday said that it will be a "postive gesture in the part of the LTTE to continue to make it known that they are not opposed to the people casting their votes in the Presidential elections." The release said that the various leaflets being distributed in Jaffna district calling for boycott is causing "anxiety amongst the people who are concerned about LTTE's stance with regard to elections."
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Sri Lanka's Peace Chief quits post

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 November 2005, 12:32 GMT]
Dr Jayantha Dhanapala, Secretary General of the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) in Sri Lanka resigned his post Wednesday to ''devote time to other obligations,'' media reports in Colombo said.
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PAFFREL invites more than 100 foreign election monitors

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 November 2005, 11:28 GMT]
Peoples Action For Free and Fair Election (PAFFREL), a Colombo based election monitoring Non Governmental Organization said in a press release issued in Colombo Wednesday that more than one hundred foreign obeservers are arriving on 9 November to monitor elections in the twenty two electoral districts. More than 40 obervers are to be sent to NorthEast including to the cluster polling stations, the release added.
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SL Presidential candidates' asset details to remain private

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 November 2005, 14:31 GMT]
Free Media Movement expressed its "grave concern" on the decision made by the Election Commissioner to refuse to make public the assets, liabilities declarations of Sri Lanka's presidential candidates, in a press release issued in Colombo Tuesday.
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SL President to attend Dhaka SAARC summit

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 November 2005, 15:43 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge will lead the Sri Lanka delegation to the forthcoming thirteenth South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) Summit at Dhaka, Bangladesh, scheduled for 12-13 November 2005. The delegation includes Mr.Anura Bandaranaike, Foreign Minister and senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Commerce and the Presidential Secretariat, said a press release issued Monday in Colombo.
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Hakeem raises election concerns with EU EOM

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 November 2005, 14:33 GMT]
Members of the European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission (EOM) to Sri Lanka met with leader of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Mr Rauf Hakeem Monday at Mr Hakeem's residence in Colombo. Mr Hakim raised concerns related to activities that undermine democracy during the forthcoming Sri Lanka presidential elections, and also discussed election related issues in the east, a press release from EOM issued in Colombo Monday said.
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Explain clandestine acts against Tamils, UPF asks UNP

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 November 2005, 11:04 GMT]
"If the United National Party (UNP) has plans to undermine the NorthEast struggle by using paramilitaries or by inviting foreign military forces, then Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF) will not only withdraw its support to the UNP but will work against its candidate in the forthcoming presidential elections," said Periyasamy Chandrasekaran, leader of UPF, in a media release issued in Colombo Monday.
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Tamil businessman shot, wounded in Puttalam

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 November 2005, 06:06 GMT]
Two unindentified gunmen entered a jewellery shop located on Puttalam Mannar Road in Puttalam town Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and shot the shop owner. The victim, Mr. K. Pathmalingam, 39, was wounded and rushed to Puttalam hospital, police said.


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Realignment of Sinhala Nationalist forces spells trouble for SL Peace- Gajendrakumar

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 November 2005, 00:05 GMT]
"Radicalisation of Sri Lanka polity resulting in the realignment of Sinhala Nationalist forces as witnessed by the new coalitions formed for Sri Lanka's presidential elections, raises the spectre of nationlist politics of the 50s and is leading towards imminent collapse of the peace process," said Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, addressing a forum on Sri Lanka's Peace prospects, held in Washington D.C Friday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
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SLA restricts civilian travel to Muttur east

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 November 2005, 17:42 GMT]
Civilians entering the Liberation Tigers controlled Muttur east territory in the Trincomalee district are now subjected to severe checking and interrogation by soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) manning the Kaddaiparichchan army camp checkpoint located on the border of the SLA and LTTE controlled areas. The defense establishment since last week has imposed this new security alert. In several instances civilians going to Muttur east were refused entry, sources said.


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Journalists assaulted at slain Intelligence officers house

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 November 2005, 11:17 GMT]
Ms. Ranee Mohamed, a feature editor and Mr. Berty Mendis, a photographer at the English weekly Sunday Leader in Colombo, were assaulted by a group of men armed with batons and swords Tuesday morning at the residence of the slain Sri Lankan senior Intelligence officer, Lt. Col. Tuwan Rizwi Meedin, in Kiribathgoda in Colombo when they went to obtain interviews from Meedin's family members, media sources in Colombo said. The attackers had alleged that the Sunday Leader was supporting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
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Trinco Anbu Illam students excel in religious competitions

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 November 2005, 00:07 GMT]
Three students of the Trincomalee children home "Anbu Illam" who excelled in an island-wide Hindu religious competitions held in Colombo to mark the fifth All Ceylon Sekkilar Conference were honored at an event in Trincomalee Vigneswara Maha Vidiyalayam during the weekend.
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Japan gifts $1.3m medical equipment to hospitals

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 October 2005, 12:49 GMT]
Government of Japan handed over Rs. 130 million worth of Medical Equipment to improve the healthcare facilities in 33 hospitals in tsunami affected areas, a press release from Embassy of Japan issued in Colombo today said.
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SLMM condemns Meedin killing

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 October 2005, 12:15 GMT]
In a press release issued Monday, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) condemned the killing of Lieutenant Colonel Meedin in Colombo Saturday and urged "the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to work together to end the violence in the country so that the confidence between the two Parties can be restored and the Peace Process continued."
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EU, Election Commissioner discuss NorthEast poll arrangements

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 October 2005, 11:54 GMT]
A delegation from the European Union Election Observation Mission led by Mr. Cushnahan and accompanied by the Head of the EU Delegation to Sri Lanka, Ambassador Julian Wilson, and by the EU EOM Election Expert Ms. Idoia Aranceta met the Election Commissioner today, at 11.30 am at the Election Secretariat. Issues related to polling arrangements in NorthEast was one of the main issues discussed in the meeting, a press release from EOM issued in Colombo Monday said.
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Senior Intelligence officer shot dead in Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 October 2005, 02:44 GMT]
A high ranking Sri Lankan Military Intelligence officer, Lt. Col. T. Rizvi Meedin, shot by unknown gunmen Saturday around 10:30 p.m. and rushed in an unconscious state to the Colombo Hospital, succumbed to his injuries at 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Police said. The intelligence officer, attached to the Military Intelligence Corps (MIC) in Colombo, was shot in his head while he was returning home in his car.
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US, SriLanka sign MoU on combating terrorism

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 October 2005, 17:02 GMT]
Government of Sri lanka and the United States of America signed a Memorandum of Understating (MoU) in Colombo Thursday to assist Sri Lanka to enhance its abilities to fight terrorism and to strengthen the co-operation between the two countries in tackling international terrorism, diplomatic sources said.


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