Temporarily fixed Eastcoast causeway reopens

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 January 2005, 13:42 GMT]
Transport on the main coastal road between Kalmunai and Batticaloa resumed Monday, almost a month after the Tsunami ripped off sections of two causeways in Kallar, 28 kilometres south of the eastern town. The main gap in the Ondaatchi Madam-koddaikallar Causeway was spanned by a temporary bridge by the Road Development Authority (RDA). “The Sri Lankan government has to come up with big money to really repair this causeway. Otherwise this vital part of our district’s infrastructure would be damaged permanently”, an RDA engineer in Batticaloa told TamilNet.
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Don't include LTTE in post-tsunami rebuilding effort - JVP

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 January 2005, 05:36 GMT]
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a major coalition partner of President Chandrika Kumaratunga's Freedom Alliance government and a self styled radical marxist party that draws on Sinhala nationalist sentiments to augment its popularity, has expressed its strong opposition to the government's bid to include the Liberation Tigers in the post-tsunami relief, reconstruction and rehabilitation process using the outpouring international aid resources.
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Canadian army gives water, health care to Pandiruppu

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 January 2005, 04:48 GMT]
“We came here when we heard that people in the camps needed some medical assistance. We started setting up a medical facility here today. Our team can see about three hundred patients a day depending on the availability of Tamil interpreters”, Captain Scott Malcom of the Canadian army told TamilNet Sunday, explaining their mission in Tsunami devastated Pandiruppu, a densely populated town by the coast 38 kilometres south of Batticaloa. The Canadian military is supplying drinking water and health services to some villages devastated by the Tsunami on the southeastern coast of Sri Lanka which are yet to see any tangible aid from Colombo.
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"Colombo will mislead the world on aid distribution"- Kilinochchi paper

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 January 2005, 15:11 GMT]
The Tamil daily Eelanatham, published in Killinochchi, warned in its Sunday editorial that Chandrika Kumaratunge's government will again mislead the world on distribution of the aid received for tsunami relief. The paper called on the donors to also set up mechanisms and procedures to ensure an equitable distribution of aid to all those affected, among them two thirds are from the NorthEast of Sri Lanka.
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Colombo’s post tsunami development blueprint assailed

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 January 2005, 03:03 GMT]
Plan drawn up as a blueprint for post-tsunami development by the “Task force to Rebuild the Nation” (TAFREN), one of the three committees comprising the Center for National Operations (CNO) set up by Sri Lanka’s President Chandrika Kumaratunge, announced Monday, is assailed as being immoral, hastily produced, too centralized and conceived without adequate consultation with organizations whose support is vital for the plan's successful execution.
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Frustration of affected people growing high - Norwegian Minister

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 January 2005, 18:32 GMT]
Emphasizing on the need for wider co-operation between President Chandrika Kumaratunga's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) visiting Minister of International Development of Norway, Ms. Hilde F. Johnson said on Saturday night in Colombo that the frustration of the tsunami affected people was growing high as a result of their needs not being met by authorities.
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Earth tremor in Mannar evokes fears of tsunami

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 January 2005, 13:39 GMT]
An earth tremor in Muthariputhurai village, located 15 km north west of Murungan in Mannar, forced 1800 residents to move to safer areas of Potkerni, Sirukandal and Pariharikandal to spend the night Friday, sources in Mannar said. Offical Sri Lanka Government agencies have not yet acknowledge the incident in Muthariputhurai, sources added.
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Norwegian parliamentarians visit tsunami hit South

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 January 2005, 12:43 GMT]
Three Norwegian parliamentarians Julie Christensen of Conservative Party, Morten Holkend of Process Party and Bjorn Jacobson of Socialist Left Party visited five schools destroyed by the tsunami in Tangalee, south of Sri Lanka Friday evening, sources from Colombo said. The damaged schools are being rebuilt by Plan International with Norwegian aid.
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Government's call for unity is an empty ballyhoo, says JVP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 January 2005, 05:40 GMT]
Mounting an all-out attack against President Chandrika Kumaratunga's leadership, major coalition partner of her Freedom Alliance government, radical Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has said on Friday that the call by the government leadership for national unity was an "empty ballyhoo".
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Need 10,000 high-grade tents, says TRO Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 January 2005, 15:46 GMT]
The co-ordinating Colombo office of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), an NGO registered with Government of Sri Lanka and working exclusively in the NorthEast, told TamilNet that they need up to 10,000 tents that can hold a family of five to temporarily house displaced people in different areas of North East, and urgently need 200 tents within the next few days. “TRO offices in the United States are working to fulfill this need,” Chandru Pararajasingham, director of TRO Colombo office told TamilNet.
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Norway delegation meets SL President

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 January 2005, 14:00 GMT]
Norway's Ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Development Mr. Jan Peterson and Ms. Hilde F. Johnson met with Sri Lanka's President Ms Kumaratunge at President's House in Colombo Friday, a press release issued by Sri Lanka Government said.
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No elections for next five years, says President Kumaratunga

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 January 2005, 07:06 GMT]
Stirring yet another political calamity in the South, Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga, has said in Hambantota on Wednesday that there would be no elections for the next five years and therefore all political forces should sink their party differences and work towards rebuilding the tsunami-devastated country. President Kumaratunga has made these remarks on Wednesday while addressing the gathering after ceremonially launching the post-tsunami rebuilding plan in Kajuwatta in the Southern Hambantota district.
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NPC urges Colombo to adopt a socially legitimate public policy

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 January 2005, 11:32 GMT]
Pointing out that the Sri Lanka Government's attempts to "isolate LTTE-held areas and indeed the Tamil people from the international system," is straining the relationship between the parties and the "centralization of governmental decision making" is another unfortunate feature of post-tsunami situation, the National Peace Council (NPC) in a media release issued on wednesday advocated the need for a "sound public policy of social and economic recovery that is participatory, inclusive and socially legitimate."
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Balasingham to join Norwegian meet in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 January 2005, 11:30 GMT]
Liberation Tigers’ Political Strategist and Chief Negotiator, Mr. Anton Balasingham, and his wife Adele are scheduled to arrive in Kilinochchi on Friday, sources close to the LTTE told TamilNet. He is expected to participate in the meeting of LTTE leaders with Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen and Minister of International Development Hilde F. Johnson who are scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka on Thursday on a four-day visit to assess the damage and the needs of the people of Sri Lanka in the aftermath of tsunami disaster.
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US medical team functions in Point Pedro hospital

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 January 2005, 16:24 GMT]
Twenty - member US medical team commenced its services at Point Pedro government base hospital in Jaffna district Monday. Dr. Ton Davis, Head of the US medical team addressing a press briefing Tuesday said his team would be in Jaffna for two weeks, sources said.
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TNA MPs pay homage to Eelathunathan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 January 2005, 16:22 GMT]
Mr.R.Sampanthan, Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Mr.Mavai Senathirajah and Mr N. N.Raviraj, Jaffna District Tamil National Alliance (TNA) paid homage to the departed veteran Tamil activist late Mr.S.Pathmanathan, also known as Eelathunathan, who died last Wednesday in Colombo after a brief illness and funeral was held Sunday evening amid large crowd at the Trincomalee Hindu Cemetery, family sources said.
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Japanese MP to visit Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 January 2005, 17:49 GMT]
Japanese member of Parliament, Ms.Shinako Tsuchiya, is to visit Srilanka, to discuss the current situation in tsunami affected areas, said Embassy of Japan in a press release issued in Colombo Monday.
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Canadian PM meets with TNA, TRO delegations

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 January 2005, 14:30 GMT]
Mr. Paul Martin, Prime Minister of Canada, met with delegations of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) Monday at Colombo Hilton Hotel at 2.30 PM. The TNA delegation urged that all international aid, including Canadian aid, to be channeled through International Non-Governmental Organizations till a proper mechanism is set up to deal with the post Tsunami situation in the Northeast. The TNA told the Canadian Prime Minister that there was total centralization of all rehabilitation, resettlement, reconstruction and development activities in Colombo, and that this was totally inconsistent with the wishes expressed by the people of Northeast.
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US Marines will not stay any longer than wanted, says US Defence Secretary

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 January 2005, 10:03 GMT]
Visiting Deputy Defence Secretary of the United States of America, Paul Wolfowitz said in Colombo on Monday morning that the US Marine troops would not stay in Sri Lanka any longer than they were wanted. "We don't want to stay any longer than we are needed, most certainly not longer than we are wanted," he told both foreign and local reporters at a press conference at Ceylon Continental Hotel on Monday, before completing his short review visit to Sri Lanka.
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Canadian Red Cross visit Trincomalee Tsunami victims

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 January 2005, 06:19 GMT]
Secretary General and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Red Cross, Dr.Pierre Duplessis, and Ms.Sherine Xavier, Programme Manager of the organisation visited Trincomalee Sunday and met with Tsunami victims sheltered in welfare centres which are located in Adambodai, Periyakulam and Nilaveli, north of the district and saw the destruction caused to coastal villages, Vellore and Nilaveli in the natural disaster.
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