Former Minister of Central Province among the four killed in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 July 2005, 00:07 GMT]
Mr. Mohammad Ameen, 39, a former agricultural minister of Central Province, was among the 4 persons found dead by the Police in Colombo Saturday morning, sources said. Mr Ameen was kidnapped last Friday in Pusalawa in Gampola. A Land Cruiser vehicle with the four bodies was located at Malalasekara Mawatha, near the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), in Colombo-7 Saturday morning. Police suspected involvement of an underworld gang for the killings.
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SL government destroys weapon collection

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 July 2005, 10:52 GMT]
15, 000 of about 26,000 lethal weapons collected by the Sri Lankan government since 1985 during the insurrection by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and from criminal gangs were destroyed Friday morning in the presence of Mr.Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Deputy Defence Minister, and Mr.Chandra Fernando, Inspector General of Police, sources in Colombo said. This event took place to mark the International Weapons Destruction Day
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US says legal restrictions hinder its contribution to P-TOMS Trust Fund

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 July 2005, 07:23 GMT]
Because of legal restrictions, the USA will not be contributing to the Trust Fund associated with P-TOMS, a press release issued by the Embassy of the United States of America in Colombo said Friday. However, the US welcomed other donor's participation in the Trust Fund.
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Sri Lanka sends condolence message to Londoners

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 July 2005, 01:33 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Thursday sent a condolence message to the British Government expressing her and Sri Lanka's citizens' grief over the death and destruction caused by bomb blasts, sources in Colombo said.
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SL Parliament approves Terrorist Financing Suppression Bill

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 July 2005, 11:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament Thursday adopted the Draft Bill to give effect to the Convention on the Suppression of Terrorist Financing with a majority of sixty votes, 81 parliamentarians including ruling party, United peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), main opposition United national Party (UNP), National Unity Alliance (NUA), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the four dissidents of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) voted for the bill. 21 parliamentarians including 20 Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MPs and one UNP MP Mr.T.Maheswaran voted against the bill. parliamentary sources said.
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US lends remote-controlled de-mining machine

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 July 2005, 10:28 GMT]
Government of the United States has lent Sri Lankan de-miners a "remotely operated, self-propelled brush-clearing machine," that will "eliminate the risk of horrible injury when teams go out to clear some of the thousands of mines still active in the country," said a US embassy press release issued in Colombo Thursday. "Three American trainers from the U.S. Army are in Vavuniya to conduct the training," the release further said.
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SLMM waiting for positive response from Colombo, says Haukland

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 July 2005, 07:28 GMT]
Mr.Hagrup Haukland, Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), who arrived Thursday in Trincomalee on a two-day visit, said that he is waiting for a positive response from the Defence Ministry with regard to ensuring safety passage to Liberation Tigers officials through SLA held areas. The Scandinavian monitors have discussed the issue with the Peace Secretariat and with the Defence Ministry in Colombo, the Head of Mission told reporters in Trincomalee. The Liberation Tigers, a week ago, told the monitors that they would resume their own armed escort if Colombo failed to provide satisfactory response within two weeks.
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SLMM head to visit Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 July 2005, 16:26 GMT]
Mr.Hagrup Haukland, Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), is scheduled to visit Trincomalee district from Thursday, July 7. On the first day he is expected to hold discussions with naval monitors at the SLMM Trincomalee district office, SLMM sources said.


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Two policemen shot in Kalmunai, one succumbs to injuries

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 July 2005, 07:32 GMT]
Two policemen from the Counter-Subversive Unit (CSU) were shot and seriously wounded when they were riding in a motorbike from Kalmunai Police station to Amparai. Both the policemen were initially rushed to Kalmunai Ashraff memorial hospital in critical condition. One of the policemen, A Kapila (25) from Badulla, succumbed to injuries while being transported to Colombo Hospital by helicopter, sources said. The shooting incident took place in front of a National Savings Bank branch in Kalmunai, 400 meters from the Kalmunai Police station, at 11.25 AM on Wednesday.
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National Patriotic Movement protests against SLMM

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 July 2005, 21:50 GMT]
Mort than three-thousand supporters of the National Patriotic Movement (NPM) protested in front of the Norwegian Embassy in Ward Place, Colombo, Monday against the slaying of three Sri Lankan Army (SLA) soldiers attached to the Intelligence Unit of 223 Brigade Head Quarters in Batticaloa last Thursday, sources in Colombo said. The National Patriotic Movement, a broad coalition of extreme Sinhala Buddhist nationalists, led by monk Ven. Elle Gunawansa Thero, also accused the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) for its failure to stop the killings.
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Gurunagar observes hartal

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 July 2005, 11:09 GMT]
A general shut down (Hartal) was observed Monday in Gurunagar, a suburb in Jaffna town, in protest of the death of a fisherman Saturday early morning when he got entangled into the live electric fence of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) which is located at the entrance to the jetty. Shops, schools and public markets were closed. Fishermen did not go to sea, sources said
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SLMM, SLA officials to meet to discuss LTTE ultimatum

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 July 2005, 12:10 GMT]
Mr.Hagrup Haukland, Norwegian Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and top officials of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and the Sri Lanka Navy will meet in Colombo Wednesday to discuss the ultimatum issued by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) demanding the government to ensure safety passage for LTTE cadres by road through army controlled areas, security sources in Colombo said.
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UNP's foot march continues for second day

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 July 2005, 11:52 GMT]
162 km long foot march organized by the main opposition United National Party (UNP), which began Saturday morning from the Vishnu Shrine, Dondra head in south of Sri Lanka, arrived Koggala Sunday evening. UNP organized the march called "Peoples Power Movement " demanding that Presidential election must be held in 2005. Protesters also demanded that the United Peoples Front Alliance government must reduce the cost of living. The first phase started from Dondra and concluded at Mirrisa from where the second phase started Sunday morning.
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Sri Lanka's Security Council to discuss LTTE ultimatum

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 July 2005, 17:11 GMT]
Following the discussion held Friday between Mr.Hagrup Haukland, Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and Dr.Jayantha Dhanapala, Secretary General of the Government Peace Secretariat, Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge has arranged to meet the National Security Council to take a decision regarding the ultimatum issued by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to ensure security of the LTTE cadres when travelling through the government controlled area as mandated by the Cease Fire Agreement, political sources in Colombo said.
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Navy's live fence electrocutes Gurunagar fisherman

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 July 2005, 03:52 GMT]
Mr. Tharman Raju (21), a fisherman from Gurunagar, a coastal suburb in Jaffna town, was killed instantly Saturday early morning around 3.30 a.m. when he got entangled in the live fence put up by the Sri Lanka Navy and was electricuted, sources said. Gurunagar jetty area is declared as high security zone by the Sri Lanka security forces. The incident took place when the Mr Raju was returning to the shore with his catch after fishing in Jaffna lagoon during the night, Jaffna Police said.
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Tamils appeal to UNESCO to safeguard Tamil heritage

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 July 2005, 17:23 GMT]
Expatriate Tamil activists in France held an awareness vigil in front of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Headquarters in Place de Fontenoy, Paris, at 10 AM Friday urging UNESCO to safeguard the cultural heritage of Tamils in their homeland against unlawful and politically motivated erection of Buddha statues in Hindu temple sites, sources in Geneva said.
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Welikande attack raises questions on Colombo's bona fides- paper

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 June 2005, 05:36 GMT]
Pointing out the Welikanda attack on the LTTE convoy in the presence of SLMM members as a qualitative change for the worse in the shadow war in the East, Eelanaatham, the popular daily published in Vanni, said in its editorial Wednesday that the attack has shattered hopes of peace after the signing of the aid deal and has further endangered the survival of the fragile Cease Fire Agreement.
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Colombo court to review Chemmani DNA evidence

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 June 2005, 00:12 GMT]
Colombo Chief Magistrate Ms Kusala Weerawardene Monday ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to produce to the courts DNA reports on the human remains exhumed from Chemmani salterns on the next date of inquiry fixed for September 30, legal sources said.
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Bhikku Front and Patriotic Movement file cases against P-TOMS

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 June 2005, 16:42 GMT]
The National Bhiku Front (NBF) led by Ven Dambara Amila Thero and the National Patriotic Movement (NPM) led by Venerable Elle Gunawanse Thero have filed separate cases on Tuesday asking the Colombo District Court to make the P-TOMS null and void, legal source in Colombo said.
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District Committees, key to deal's success- US Don

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 June 2005, 10:48 GMT]
For the Joint Mechanism to be successful, "It is important that the District Committee works for the betterment of the district, not a particular ethnic, religious group. Additionally, the Regional Committee has to ensure that the aid reaches those in the most need or those facilities that have the biggest impact on the people in the district, region," said Professor Brian Blodgett of American Military University when TamilNet asked for his views on the recently signed aid deal between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers.
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