Tamils in Trincomalee score high

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 December 2001, 08:57 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance scored 56119 votes in the Trincomalee district. The Tamil United Liberation Front, Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation and the All Ceylon Tamil Congress, the main constituents of the TNA, were able to garner only 19110 votes between them at the general elections in October 2000. Polling was very high in the Tamil strongholds of the eastern district Wednesday. There are four seats in Trincomalee. The UNP, SLMC coalition got two seats by scoring 62, 915 votes here. If the UNP and the SLMC had contested separately them the TNA would have got the bonus seat for the district, officials said. The massive surge in support for the TNA in Trincomalee was largely due to the stand it took on the Liberation Tigers and the war. The EPDP was ignominiously routed despite offering jobs and cash to thousands of voters.
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TNA wins Jaffna, Vanni, Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 December 2001, 02:13 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) won in the Jaffna, Vanni and Batticaloa electoral districts, according to results announced until Thursday morning. It came second in the Trincomalee district. Election officials said, according to the votes counted so far TNA would get six seats in Jaffna, four in the Vanni and three in Batticaloa.
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SLA allows EPDP, PA to rig at bridge

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 December 2001, 16:30 GMT]
A lecturer at the Jaffna University and three undergraduates were attacked by an armed gang of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party on the Palam Road near Arasadi junction close to Jaffna. In Batticaloa, a grenade was lobbed at the residence of the Tamil National Alliance candidate Indrakumar Prasanna in the heart of the high security zone in the eastern town. Election officials in Batticaloa said that although the Sri Lanka army claimed that it had barred Tamils from coming through the entry point at Vavunathivu near the eastern town for security reasons, goons of the People’s Alliance and the EPDP rigged thousands of votes at the clustered booths here from morning.
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EPDP rigs polls in Jaffna, Mannar

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 December 2001, 09:15 GMT]
Police sources in Jaffna said that the Eelam People’s Democratic Party fired on an opposition candidate and lobbed a grenade at his vehicle near Vaddukoddai junction this morning around 9 a.m. They said that the EPDP had also fired on a bus in which voters were travelling near Chankanai and had smashed a Tamil National Alliance van on Stanley Road in the heart of Jaffna town. Meanwhile, an observer with the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), an independent monitoring group, in Jaffna said that the EPDP cadres were seen rigging the polls in the island of Kayts, Velanai and at the polling centres at the Jaffna Hindu College, St. John’s College and the Nelliyadi Maththiya Maha Viththiyalayam. Some voters who went to these centres found their ballots already cast, the PAFFREL source said.
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SLA bars thousands of Tamils from voting in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 December 2001, 05:44 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army barred thousands of Tamil voters in Batticaloa Wednesday from casting their votes. SLA sources in the east claimed that the main entry points from the district's western hinterland were closed on a special directive from President Chandrika Kumaratunga. More than 45,000 voters would not be able to cast their ballot because of the Presidential directive to shut down the entry points, Mr. Pon Selvarasa, ex-MP for Batticaloa and a candidate of the Tamil National Alliance said.
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Polling agents, coffins sent to EPDP stranglehold

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 December 2001, 14:26 GMT]
An opposition party candidate in the north said Tuesday that he would defy the stranglehold of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP), a key coalition partner of Sri Lanka’s ruling People’s Alliance regime, on the island of Neduntheevu (Delft) off the Jaffna peninsula by sending six polling agents along with six coffins and a doctor to thwart en bloc rigging there. Neduntheevu is held by the EPDP under the aegis of the Sri Lanka security forces. The EPDP attacked the TNA in the island of Kayts November with assault rifles and swords on 28 killing two and wounding four candidates.
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EPDP on rampage in southeastern village

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 December 2001, 08:31 GMT]
Two Tamil National Alliance campaign offices were set on fire and three TNA supporters' houses were damaged by a group of heavily armed cadres of the Eelam People's Democratic Party, a major coalition partner of Sri Lanka's ruling People's Alliance regime, in Komari, about 96 kilometres south of Batticaloa, Sunday night, Police sources in Ampara said.
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Large crowds attend final TNA election rallies

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 December 2001, 23:25 GMT]
Large crowds attended the final election rallies of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in Jaffna and Trincomalee held Sunday evening. About 15,000 people attended the TNA meeting held close to Nallur Kandaswamy Temple, said sources in the peninsula.
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EPDP fires on women's march, four injured

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 December 2001, 10:51 GMT]
Four supporters of the Tamil National Alliance were wounded when gunmen from the Eelam People's Democratic Party opened fire on a march by more than a thousand women at Vinayagapuram, 78 kilometres south of Batticaloa, on the island's southeastern coast Saturday afternoon. People in the villages of Thirukkovil, Thambiluvil, Vinayagapuram, angered by the attack, burnt tires across the main road and smashed an EPDP campaign auto rickshaw. The wounded persons were admitted to the Thirukkovil hospital. The march was organised by a women's group in support of the TNA.
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Explosion at Batticaloa EPDP office

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 December 2001, 09:34 GMT]
At least twenty people were wounded in an explosion at the District Head Office of the pro-government Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) in Batticaloa town around 10.15 a.m. Saturday, said sources in the eastern town.
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Jaffna Magistrate orders seizure of illegal weapons, vehicles

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 November 2001, 16:10 GMT]
The Jaffna Magistrate Friday instructed the Police to seize all illegal weapons and vehicles which play without number plates in the peninsula. Mr.R.T.Viknaraja, Magistrate made the order at the conclusion of the inquests held into the deaths of two Tamil National Alliance (TNA) supporters by armed cadres ofthe Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP).
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Jaffna students burn Tamil minister’s effigy

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 November 2001, 14:02 GMT]
The effigy of Mr. Douglas Devananda, Minister for Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (North) in Peoples' Alliance Government who is the leader of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party was set on fire Thursday around 1.30 p.m. by Jaffna undergrads on the campus grounds of the Jaffna University in Tinnelvely, Jaffna. Meanwhile, people in the village of Pannaikattaiadi in Pt. Pedro in Jaffna beat up an armed gang of EPDP cadres who had allegedly attempted to kill a United National Party candidate Thursday morning around 11 a.m. The villagers seized two assault rifles and a pistol from the EPDP cadres and handed them over to the Police, sources said.
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General shut in NE against EPDP atrocity

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 November 2001, 08:32 GMT]
Schools, shops, government offices and banks were closed in the districts of Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Vavuniya, Mannar and Jaffna in response to a call by the Tamil National Alliance for a general shut down in the north and east to protest against the Eelam People's Democratic Party, a major coalition partner of President Chandrika Kumaratunga's regime, for killing two civilians and attacking and grievously wounding four TNA candidates in Kayts, an island off the northern peninsula.
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Villagers attack EPDP camps

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 November 2001, 07:43 GMT]
Angry villagers attacked two EPDP camps at Neliyaddy and Valvettithurai in Vadamaradchi in Jaffna Wednesday night and completely destroyed them, said sources in the northern town.
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Grenade attack on Jaffna Univ. hostel

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 November 2001, 04:46 GMT]
Two grenades were lobbed at the male students’ hostel of the Jaffna University Wednesday night around 9 p.m. Both grenades exploded inside the hostel compound. An undergraduate was wounded, student sources said. Windows in building and a section of the hall ceilings were shattered by the explosions. “The attack is clearly the work of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party goons. The EPDP is attacking us for opposing their terror tactics to intimidate the people in this election”, a Jaffna University Students’ Union spokesman said.
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Hartal call after EPDP assault kills 2

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 November 2001, 00:13 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance Wednesday appealed for a general shut down protest ('Hartal') in the northeast province condemning the brutal attack on its candidates and supporters at Naranthanai; Jaffna by armed cadres of the pro-government Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP). Mr. Anandasangaree, acting President of the Tamil United Liberation Front TULF), a constituent of the Tamil National Alliance made the appeal at a press conference held at the party's office in Jaffna at 3 p.m., Wednesday afternoon.
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Four TNA candidates wounded in EPDP attack

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 November 2001, 07:24 GMT]
A group of Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance candidates and supporters who had gone to Naranthanai in Jaffna for campaigning were attacked by armed cadres of the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), Wednesday morning around 11 a.m with knives and other weapons. One TNA supporter, an employee of the Jaffna University was killed and about twenty others, including four TNA candidates were wounded in the incident, police sources said.
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Court dismisses EPDP petitions against TULF

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 November 2001, 18:16 GMT]
The Court of Appeal Friday dismissed two petitions filed by the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) seeking to order the Returning Officer to reject the nomination list of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) contesting the Colombo district.
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Ten TNA offices attacked in Ampara

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 November 2001, 12:04 GMT]
Ten campaign offices of the Tamil National Alliance in the Ampara district were attacked between 8 p.m. Wednesday night and 3 a.m. Thursday morning. Three were burnt. Mr. Henry Mahendran, spokesman for the TNA in Ampara blamed the Eelam People’s Democratic Party for the attacks. He said that the number plates of the vehicles in which the assailants came were covered. The TNA has complained to the Police in Kalmunai about the attacks.
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UNP, EPDP clash in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 November 2001, 14:04 GMT]
Police in Jaffna arrested two United National Party candidates and detained a vehicle of the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) Wednesday in Jaffna following clashes in which a car was attacked and about seven persons were injured. Armed cadres of the EPDP, a major coalition partner of the ruling People's Alliance regime, attacked a campaign car of the UNP on Stanley Road in Jaffna town. The UNP car was damaged and three persons in it were assaulted by the EPDP cadres, Police sources said.
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