EPDP abandons attempt to regain Delft

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 November 2002, 13:54 GMT]
The para military Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) is said to have abandoned its attempt Sunday to regain its position in Delft Island in the Jaffna peninsula following vehement protest by villagers.
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EPDP return to Delft draws protest

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 November 2002, 20:42 GMT]
Forty cadres of the paramilitary Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) landed on the island of Delft, Saturday, travelling in a Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) craft. The people of the Delft immediately lodged a complaint with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Jaffna opposing the presence of EPDP cadres.
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Parliament adopts UNF second budget

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 November 2002, 07:49 GMT]
The second budget of the United National Front government was passed Thursday in parliament by a majority of thirty-six votes. One hundred twenty nine parliamentarians voted for the budget and ninety three voted against. Parliamentarians of the main opposition People's Alliance (PA), Sinhala hardliner party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the National Unity Alliance (NUA), the breakaway group of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress voted against the budget.
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SLA asked for EPDP weapons over journalist's murder

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 November 2002, 19:13 GMT]
The Jaffna Magistrate Monday directed the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army to hand over to court all firearms received from the paramilitary group EPDP under the provisions of the Ceasefire Agreement between the Liberation Tigers and Colombo to identify the weapon allegedly used for murdering journalist Mr. Mylvaganam Nimalarajan on 19th October 2000.
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Kanjirankuda inquiry one sided - Chandra Nehru

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 November 2002, 02:40 GMT]
"The Committee appointed to investigate the Kanjirankuda violence has produced a grossly one-sided report. I have no faith in this Committee. I urge the Prime Minister to appoint a new Committee that can maintain its independence and conduct an impartial and thorough investigation of the recent violence," said Chandra Nehru, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Member of Parliament (MP) for Ampara district while speaking in the Parliament on 8 October.
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Accused in Devananda attempted murder released

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 November 2002, 01:55 GMT]
Colombo High Court Friday discharged Kathirgamathamby Jeyapalan who was charged under the Prevention of terrorism Act (PTA) with attempting to kill Douglas Devananda, Secretary General of the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), by poisoning him in February 1996, legal sources said.


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Alleged abductors in Akkaraipattu allowed bail

[TamilNet, Thursday, 31 October 2002, 20:35 GMT]
Akkaraipattu magistrate M.I.M. Issadeen, released on bail, two suspects arrested for abducting a Muslim youth, S.M.Abdul Wajeed (24), from his home on 15 October. The youth was later found at his home three days after he disappeared. The alleged abduction, initially blamed on Liberation Tigers, provoked widespread protests and hartal in Trincomalee town and nearly precipitated Tamil Muslim clashes in the eastern province.
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Nimalarajan remembered

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 October 2002, 17:10 GMT]
The second death anniversary of journalist Mr. Mylvaganam Nimalarajan was observed in Jaffna Friday under the auspices of International Thamileelam Students Forum ( ITSF ) and Jaffna district Media Association.
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‘Unmask political forces behind staged abduction’- Nehru

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 October 2002, 16:22 GMT]
The Amparai district Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian Mr. A. Chandra Nehru asked the secretary to Sri Lanka’s Interior Ministry to take all possible steps unravel the mystery and identify the political forces behind the alleged ‘abduction’ of the Muslim youth who was found in his home Friday.


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'Douglas Devananda not questioned over journalist’s murder' - RSF

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 October 2002, 03:50 GMT]
The international media watchdog, Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF) Friday slammed Police investigators inquiring into the murder of Jaffna journalist Mayilvaganam Nimalarajan for never questioning persons who might have been behind the murder. Gunmen suspected to be members of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) murdered Nimalarajan at his residence on October 19 2000.
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Muslim leaders call to abandon 'hartal', curfew re-imposed

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 October 2002, 21:38 GMT]
The Federation of Mosques in Akkaraipattu Thursday evening issued an appeal to Muslims of the area to abandon their 'hartal' (general shut down) from today. Meanwhile the Police re-imposed a fifteen-hour curfew in Akkaraipattu, a Muslim dominated town in the eastern province Thursday afternoon from three p.m. to diffuse tension between the Tamil and Muslim communities following the abduction of a Muslim youth.
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EPDP cadres, ammunition handed over to SLMM

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 October 2002, 11:36 GMT]
Six members of the paramilitary Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) whose camp in Delft was attacked Sunday by angry residents following the stabbing of a local shop keeper were handed over to international monitors Monday, local press reports said.
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EPDP knifes shopkeeper, Delft tense

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 October 2002, 12:04 GMT]
Tension prevailed in Delft (Neduntheevu) Sunday as locals prevented a paramilitary group working with the Sri Lanka army and Navy from landing on the island southwest of Jaffna. Angry islanders smashed the paramilitary’s office in Delft and set fire to office furniture after armed members of the group knifed a local shopkeeper during an altercation Saturday night. The islanders stoned a boat carrying the paramilitary’s cadres that had tried to go ashore Sunday morning.
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TNA urges PM to put off NE local polls

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 September 2002, 16:00 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance Wednesday urged Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to postpone elections to local government bodies in the northeast scheduled to be held on 25 September. The polls were postponed in March this year upon a request by the TNA that the situation was not conducive at the time. The Elections Commission said last week that the polls to the local authorities will have to be held as scheduled unless the law is amended.
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EPDP controlled PS building damaged

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 September 2002, 12:19 GMT]
The new building of the Karaveddy Southwest Pradeshya Sabah (local authority) built at a cost of nine million rupees was damaged by unidentified persons Saturday night, police sources in Jaffna said. The Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) controls the Karaveddy Southwest PS administration. The ceremonial opening of the office is scheduled for Monday with the participation of UNF senior Minister Dr.Jayalath Jayawardene and EPDP Secretary General and Jaffna district parliamentarian Mr. Douglas Devananda, EPDP sources said.
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Nimalarajan murder suspects further remanded

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 August 2002, 18:11 GMT]
The Jaffna acting Magistrate Tuesday allowed an application made by the Police seeking permission to send the 9 mm pistol and two spent bullets which had been recovered from the office of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) to Colombo for forensic examination and report. The Police recovered the pistol and bullets when they raided the EPDP office, August 9.
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Relatives of disappeared persons demonstrate in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 August 2002, 22:09 GMT]
Hundreds of relatives of the disappeared persons in Jaffna district Monday held a demonstration in front of the Jaffna district secretariat, demanding that Colombo investigate the fate of more than 600 youth who went missing after being arrested by the Sri Lanka army in Jaffna in 1997-96. The demonstration was organised by the Missing Person's Guardian Association (MPGA).
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Murder weapon in Nimalarajan case seized

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 August 2002, 22:25 GMT]
The Police have claimed that the weapon allegedly used for killing journalist Mylvaganam Nimalarajan on 19th October 2001 has been recovered from Jaffna EPDP office. The seized weapon is of 9 mm category, the State run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) night reported Sunday quoting police sources.
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Another EPDP member arrested in Nimalarajan murder

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 August 2002, 17:45 GMT]
The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of the Jaffna Police Wednesday arrested another member of the Eelam People Democratic Party (EPDP), in connection with the murder of journalist Mylvaganam Nimalarajan. The arrest had been made consequent to the warrant obtained by the Police from the Jaffna Magistrate Tuesday to search the offices of the EPDP in Jaffna and Kayts.
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Police to search EPDP offices

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 August 2002, 16:33 GMT]
The Jaffna Magistrate Tuesday allowed an application by the Police to search two offices in Jaffna of the paramilitary Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), in connection with the murder two years ago of journalist Mylvaganam Nimalarajan.
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