USAID to cleanup Batticaloa lagoon

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 June 2005, 10:27 GMT]
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has hired heavy equipment and assembled multi-disciplinary teams of engineers and technicians, including divers from the Sri Lankan Navy to remove the tsunami rubble and debris which has impeded the revival of the fishing industry, US Embassy in Colombo said in a press release on Tuesday. The livelihoods of more than 3,500 people in the local fishing community of Batticaloa will be restored through the project, it added.
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Bhikku Front accuses Kumaratunge of betraying Buddhist Prelates

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 June 2005, 15:05 GMT]
"President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge is the number one enemy of Buddhism in Sri Lanka," said the National Bhikku Front (NBF), an organization of Sinhalese Buddhist monks of Sri Lanka in Colombo Monday. The NBF urged the top Buddhist Prelates to withdraw the blessings they gave Ms Kumaratunge as Head of the State and to declare her as a non-Buddhist.
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JVP files case against P-TOMS

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 June 2005, 10:54 GMT]
The former coalition partner of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), the marxist Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Monday filed a case against the Post-Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS) agreement signed between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers. The case was filed at the Colombo District Courts.
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US welcomes signing of agreement on Joint Mechanism

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 June 2005, 09:02 GMT]
Welcoming the signing of the agreement to create a joint mechanism on tsunami reconstruction, Embassy of the United States of America in Colombo in a press release ssued on Monday said that the mechanism, if implemented properly, will help to ensure efficient and equitable reconstruction assistance to those whose lives were devastated by the South Asia tsunami in the North and East of Sri Lanka. The US statement urged both parties to take all possible steps to see that the ceasefire is observed and strengthened.
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Hisbullah resigns from Aviation Board in protest of P-TOMS

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 June 2005, 10:48 GMT]
Mr M S M Hisbullah, Senior Deputy Leader of the National Unity Alliance (NUA), led by Ms Ferial Ashraff and a close ally of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Government resigned Sunday from the post of Chairman of the Civil Aviation Services Board. Mr Hisbullah did not specify the reason in his resignation letter. However, at a press briefing held in his hometown Kattankudi in the Batticaloa district, Mr.Hisbullah stated that the Muslims have not been provided due place in the post-tsunami administrative structure in P-TOMS signed by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
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Vigilance vital to reap benefits from aid deal- paper

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 June 2005, 01:30 GMT]
Calling on the Tamil people to temper the euphoria related to the successful signing of the post-tsunami aid deal by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) on Friday, popular dailies in Jaffna in editorials Saturday cautioned the NorthEast residents that serious challenges still remain in enforcing the agreement and to be vigilant against being misled.
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Unite to help the tsunami affected, appeals SL President

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 June 2005, 17:20 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge appealed to all parties to "put aside divisive and confrontational politics and work as a team to alleviate the sufferings of those affected by the tsunami," in a press release issued Friday from President's House in Colombo.
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Norwegian Foreign Minister welcomes signing of aid deal

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 June 2005, 13:49 GMT]
Congratulating the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for officially reaching agreement on the joint management structure for the effective and equitable reconstruction and development of the tsunami-affected areas in the North and East, Norwegian Foreign Minister, Mr Jan Petersen, on Friday, urged the parties to rapidly establish the joint structure for the benefit of all affected by the tsunami, and to make judicious use of this opportunity to build mutual confidence to advance the peace process through their cooperation on reconstruction. Working closely with Muslims will key for effective implementation of the joint mechanism, Petersen said in his message.
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GoSL, LTTE sign P-TOMS

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 June 2005, 09:05 GMT]
Norwegian facilitators, Friday noon reached Kilinochchi with the signature of Mr. Mudiyanselage Sumanaweera Jayasinghe, Secretary of Ministry of Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation, who signed on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Post-Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS) sources in Colombo said. Mr. Shanmugalingam Ranjan, Deputy Head of Planning and Development Secretariat (PDS) on behalf of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) signed the MoU, after the Government representative had signed the treaty, sources in Kilinochchi said.
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Colombo tense, Norwegian Ambassador to visit Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 June 2005, 02:44 GMT]
Security has been tightened in Colombo as the city remained tensed amidst anticipated signing of aid deal Friday, sources in Colombo said. While Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunge kept the details of Friday's planned events private, informed sources said, Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr Hans Brattskar, is expected to travel to Kilinochchi to meet Mr S P Thamilchelvan, Political Head of the Liberation Tigers at 12.45 pm, indicating that signing of the aid deal is imminent. The sources in Colombo added that a "Deputy-level" official in the Ministry of Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation will sign the agreement on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka.
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Playwright, youths felicitated in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 June 2005, 00:31 GMT]
Sixty-eight -year-old Mr.Sithy Amerasingam who was conferred with "Elder Artist" by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs recently in Colombo was again felicitated in his hometown Trincomalee. Four Trincomalee youths who him four youths who excelled in education, sports, social service and literature were also honoured at the same event held at Trincomalee Hindu Cultural Hall Sunday organized by the Trincomalee Impeesa Scout Association.
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JVP to observe day of "Resistance" over PTOMS

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 June 2005, 14:50 GMT]
While Norwegian facilitators continued their shuttle diplomacy to get the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to come to an agreement on signing the aid deal, both supporters of aid deal and opposition groups intensified their campaigns in Colombo. Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the marxist extreme Sinhala nationalist party, said it will start an island-wide campaign against the aid deal beginning from capital Colombo Friday. Mr Wimal Weerawanse, the powerful propaganda secretary of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) declared Friday as a "Day of Resistance."
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Helgesen visits Kalmunai, stresses need for unity among Muslim leaders

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 June 2005, 14:07 GMT]
Norwegian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Vidar Helgesen who arrived in Kalmunai Wednesday afternoon 1.50 PM met Eastern Muslim community leaders and urged the Muslim leaders to present a united front to raise the concerns of the Muslim community. Talking to Muslim representatives, Mr Helgesen said that the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers, have expressed their committment to ensure a fair representation of Muslim community in the post-tsunami reconstruction process, sources in Kalmunai said.
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"SL President bears responsibility for worsening situation"- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 June 2005, 08:52 GMT]
"Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge has the executive power to establish the Joint Mechanism. But she is using the aid deal as an instrument to advance her fortunes in the political chess game and has created a political storm opposing the Joint Mechanism in the South. Even for today's meeting Norwegian delegation has only brought verbal assurances from Colombo. The meeting has failed to make any concrete steps towards the establishment of a Joint Mechanism," said LTTE's Head of Political Wing, S P Thamilchelvan briefing the press at the LTTE peace secretariat after meeting Mr Vidar Helgesen in Kilinochchi Wednesday.
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SL Parliament to meet with JVP in opposition

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 June 2005, 00:29 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament is scheduled to meet Wednesday for the first time after the Marxist Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) withdrew its support to the 14-month-old United Peoples' Freedom Alliance government (UPFA). JVP, a major constituent of the ruling alliance, and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) signed an agreement to form UPFA on 20 January 2004 in Colombo.
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Gunmen loot travellers in Mannampitiya

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 June 2005, 08:41 GMT]
Two armed men in military fatigue blocked vehicles travelling towards Batticaloa via Polannaruwa-Batticaloa road around 3.30 AM Tuesday morning at Mannampitiya and looted money and valuables worth Rs 300,000 from passengers in at least two vehicles, sources said. The armed men were standing 200 meters away from a military checkpoint for almost two hours.
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Abandoned ammunition bag found in Maradana

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 June 2005, 11:42 GMT]
A bag containing at two hand grenades, bullets for T-56 rifle and Airforce camouflage uniforms was found abandoned at a bus hault near Maradana Technical College in Colombo Monday morning at 9.45 am, police sources said. Police suspect that the ammunition was taken from Katunayakka Airforce base.


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Helgesen arrives in Sri Lanka for talks on aid deal

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 June 2005, 10:55 GMT]
Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr Vidar Helgesen arrived in Colombo at 3.45pm today at the Bandaranayake International Air port and was received by the Norwegian Ambassador Hans Braksttar at the airport, sources from Colombo said. His flight arrived two hours late.
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Paramilitary cadre killed in Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 June 2005, 07:04 GMT]
Mr Alagan Ravichandran, 38, a cadre attached to the Colombo office of the paramilitary Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP), was found dead with stab wounds to his head and leg Monday morning in Karunkodithivu, Akkaraipattu in Amparai District, Police said.
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Hakeem woos renegade SLMC MPs

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 June 2005, 14:45 GMT]
Rauff Hakeem, leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), urged renegade Muslim parliamentarians, Risard Badiudin, Najeeb Abdul Majeed and Hussain Baila, who were expelled from SLMC on 30 May 2004 to join hands with SLMC in a press conference at party head office in Colpetty, Colombo Saturday. Mr. Hakeem added that he is talking with the Sri Lanka Government about the Muslim representation in Joint Mechanism between the LTTE and the Government. Mr Hakeem said that he wanted the Joint Mechanism to be a three party agreement between the Government, LTTE and the SLMC.
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