Mobs attack Tamil estate

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 July 2005, 22:51 GMT]
Sinhala mobs armed with batons attacked Tamil plantation workers in Panthi tea estate near Mathugama, a small town in Western Province, 61 km. from Colombo, Mr. Mano Ganesan, leader of the Western Province Peoples' Front (WPPF) told TamilNet. Two Tamil civilians were injured in the attack that took place around 10:30 p.m. Monday.
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New Ministers take oath

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 July 2005, 10:22 GMT]
Five Cabinet Ministers, a non Cabinet Minister and six Deputy Ministers took their oaths today Monday, 18th July 2005, before Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga, a media release from the Presidential Media Unit issued in Colombo said Monday.
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Colombo's political drama shatters hopes for peace- LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 July 2005, 03:14 GMT]
"As Tamil people have repeatedly witnessed in their tortuous history of the past several decades, Colombo has shown its reluctance to provide remedies to Tamil people even after humanitarian disasters of colossal proportions. Sinhala leaders under severe international pressure, signed the deal after dragging for six long months, the Sinhala chauvinists then staged protests to derail the deal, and when all techniques were exhausted Sinhala nationalists engaged the willing apex court to use constitutional reasoning to scuttle the deal," said S P Thamilchelvan after a 4-hour long meeting with the TNA leaders in Kilinochchi Sunday.
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SLA to construct new access road to Tellipallai hospital

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 July 2005, 23:39 GMT]
Mr.Tyronne Fernando, North East Governor Saturday declared open the renovated Tellipalai District Hospital and commissioned the newly installed Cobalt Cancer Treatment Plant in the cancer unit of the hospital. Meanwhile, a decision was taken at a conference held in Sri Lanka Army Jaffna headquarters in Palaly and attended by the Mr.Tyronne Fernando and Major General Sunil Tennekoon, Jaffna SLA commander, to open a new access road to the Cancer Treatment Unit enabling the patients and employees to have easy access to the hospital, sources said.
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Man shot dead in Chilaw

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 July 2005, 10:22 GMT]
Arumugam Kuhendran, 28, an alleged member of Karuna Group, was shot and killed by an unknown gunman while he was visiting a hotel in Chilaw, a town located in the West coast 50km south of Puttalam Saturday around 12:30 p.m, Police said. Police apprehended a man with a revolver fleeing the scene after the shooting incident.
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Armed forces chiefs visit Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 July 2005, 16:29 GMT]
High-level defence team headed by Rear Admiral Daya Sandagiri, Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy and the Joint Chief of Staff of three armed forces Friday evening visited Trincomalee on the instruction of President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge and held discussions with top officials of the Army, Navy and Air Force and Police based in the east port town to bring the tense situation under control. Defence team comprised Commanders of the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Air Force the Sri Lanka's Inspector General of Police, security sources said. Ms.Chandrika Kumaratunge briefed the high level defence team Friday morning before it left Colombo to Trincomalee, Colombo sources said.
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Graduates protest, demand permanent jobs

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 July 2005, 10:43 GMT]
Thousands of unemployed graduates and those who hold temporary teaching jobs protested in front of the Fort Railway station in Colombo demanding the Sri Lanka Government provide them with peramanent employment, civil source said.
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Campaign to locate illegal arms to begin in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 July 2005, 00:48 GMT]
Officers from nineteen police stations in Colombo, led by Deputy Inspector General (D.I.G), Poojith Wijeysundra, will begin the "Operation Cleanup" campaign Friday to confiscate to illegal firearms in possession of criminal elements including underworld gangs, sources from Police Head Office, said Thursday.
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Colombo names P-TOMS high level representative

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 July 2005, 16:50 GMT]
Constitution Affairs Minister D.E.W.Gunasekara has been appointed as Sri Lanka Government's representative to the High Level Committee of the Post Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS), said Cabinet spokesperson Nimal Siripala De Silva at a post Cabinet press briefing in Colombo Thursday. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is scheduled to rule on Friday on the validity of the P-TOMS after it was challeneged in Courts by the JVP and the JHU.


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Security beefed up in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 July 2005, 10:05 GMT]
Sri Lanka President's Official residence and adjoining streets have been declared as high security zone, The Deputy Inspector General of Police (IGP) Poojitha Jayasundera who is in-charge of the Colombo's security said that the declaration of the high-security zone areas around the President's official residence has been already gazetted last Friday.
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Thamilchelvan to meet TNA parliamentarians on Sunday

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 July 2005, 05:07 GMT]
Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan, Political Head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is to meet all twenty-two Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians of the northeast province on Sunday evening at Killinochchi political secretariat. Mr. Thamilchelvan is expected to brief TNA parliamentarians about the thinking of LTTE leadership on the present volatile situation in the northeast, TNA sources said
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Ten soldiers injured, security beefed up in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 July 2005, 04:52 GMT]
Security has been beefed up in the Trincomalee district following a grenade attack on a truck of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) injuring ten soldiers including a Lieutenant Wednesday night around 8.30 p.m. at Palathoppur in Muttur division. The attack took place when the army truck was on its way distributing meals to soldiers located in the area, military sources said.
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Tamil youth shot dead in Puttalam

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 July 2005, 16:49 GMT]
Mr Krishnan Ravichandran,23, a Tamil, was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen Thursday around 2:30 a.m. at Sempattai, Mathuramkuli in Puttalam district, sources said.


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Trinco district secretariat conference hall opened

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 July 2005, 16:03 GMT]
Mr.Pandu Bandaranayake, Deputy Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs declared open the new conference hall built at a cost of 12.7 million rupees in the Trincomalee District Secretariat built inside the Fort Frederick in the east port town last weekend. The District Secretariat has been functioning in a two-century-old building constructed during the British rule. The conference hall is the first new building constructed in the District Secretariat premises after about two hundred years, said Mr.Gamini Rodrigo, Government Agent and District Secretary at the opening event, sources said.
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CSU policeman succumbs to injuries

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 July 2005, 12:20 GMT]
Kalmunai police station Counter Subversive Unit (CSU) police constable Mr. M. Rafaideen,35, who received serious injuries on 06 July in a shooting incident in Kalmunai town, succumbed to injuries in Colombo Hospital Tuesday night, hospital sources said.


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More than 200 000 participate in UNP march, Colombo at standstill

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 July 2005, 08:20 GMT]
The final lap of the protest march organised by the opposition United National Party (UNP) drew around two hundred thousand anti-government protesters in Colombo on Tuesday as it reached the final destination. The protest demanding the UPFA Government and President Chandrika Kumaratunge to hold the Presidential polls this year crippled the traffic in Colombo city. The march commenced at 9 am in Dehiwala along the main Galle road was led towards Lipton's circle in the heart of Colombo. Armed forces and the Police were deployed to guard Government institutions and departments which remained closed. Routes leading to the President's residence were shut down.
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Colombo responds to LTTE ultimatum

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 July 2005, 13:43 GMT]
"...Government has requested SLMM personnel to be present on the buses with the LTTE cadres and SL Army escorts," said a media release by the Government of Sri Lanka in response to LTTE's request to ensure security to LTTE cadres when they are transported in the east. The LTTE also demanded a response before 15 July.
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UNP march reaches Dehiwela

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 July 2005, 10:46 GMT]
"Sri Lanka's President and the Government have ruined the peace process, which the United National Party (UNP) started, and have brought Sri Lanka to the brink of war. The term of office of President ends this year and the electorate should be given the opportunity to elect a new President this year," said UNP and opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe at Panadura inauguration of his party's Janabala Meheyuma (Operation People's Power) meeting. Tenth day of the UNP foot march is expected to reach Dehiwela Monday evening.
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European Commission Vice-President to visit Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 July 2005, 07:25 GMT]
The Vice-President of the European Commission Mrs. Margot Wallström will visit Sri Lanka from 11th to 14th July 2005. The Vice-President is responsible for Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy.
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Estate Tamils' security is tied to NorthEast's strength- Chandrasekaran

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 July 2005, 23:52 GMT]
"Recognition of the fundamental rights and the right of citizenship of Hill country Tamils is imperative for long term sustainable peace and stability in Sri Lanka," said Parliamentarian and Leader of Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF), Mr Periyasamy Chandrasekaran, when he talked with TamilNet Saturday in Washington D.C. On the future security of the people of Indian origin, Mr Chandrasekaran said, "As a minority community powerless to defend itself against discrimination and repression, the security is tied closely to the security framework to be established by the NorthEast Tamils under the political and military leadership of the Liberation Tigers."
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