Palmyrah Handicraft center opens in Pallai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 October 2005, 11:45 GMT]
A center for training unemployed women and youths in handicrafts from Palmyrah produce was opened in Maazar village in Pallai administrative district last week for a cost of Rs 460,000 funded by International Labor Organization (ILO) and local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), co-ordinated by Palmyrah Development Board and the Economic Consultancy House (TECH), sources from Pallai said.
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Grenade lobbed at SLA checkpost in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 October 2005, 09:46 GMT]
Two motorbike-riding men lobbed a hand grenade into a Sri Lanka Army post located in front of Narikkundu kulam on Rakka Road in Jaffna around 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sri Lanka Army said. The grenade fell into their bunker, the SLA sources added. No casualties were reported. Additional troops and riot police were deployed at the site following the incident, civilian sources said.
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Confrontation avoided as SLA lifts Thandikulam travel restrictions

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 October 2005, 02:55 GMT]
Tension between Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers manning the Thandikulam checkpoint and civilian escalated Friday as SLA soldiers blocked attendees to the Vavuniay Resurgence Convention to travel north into Vanni and youths who were prevented from attending the convention setup blockade across A9 north of SLA checkpoint, passengers affected by the blockade said.
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Puthur youth shot by SLA, dies

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 October 2005, 16:52 GMT]
Nirojan Tharmarajah (20), injured by SLA gunfire and shrapnel from grenades charged by the SLA soldiers Friday evening outside the Puthur East Vaharavathai SLA camp, succumbed to the injuries at 8.45 p.m. For more than an hour SLA blocked an ambulance that came to pickup the injured including Tharmarajah to Atchuvely hospital. Tharmarajah and two others with gunshot injuries were later transferred to Jaffna Teaching Hospital.
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SLA fires at Puthur protesters, seven injured

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 October 2005, 11:28 GMT]
Seven Tamil civilians injured and four of them were admitted to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital Friday evening following the shooting by soldiers of the SLA at Puttur junction at the angry crowd which pelted stones and threw a petrol bomb at the army sentry around 3.30 p.m. The crowd later is alleged to have set fire to an army vehicle, sources said. SLA soldiers fired at least 250 gunshots to bring the situation under their control. Monitors of the SLMM arrived at the site at 12.15 and remained there until late evening, Helen Olafsdottir of SLMM has told TamilNet.
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Villagers foil SLA rape attempt, Puthur tense, protesters beaten

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 October 2005, 04:56 GMT]
Villagers from Puthur East, 13 km north-east of Jaffna, protested in front of a camp of the SLA's 511 Division Friday morning after foiling an alleged rape attempt by a Sri Lanka Army soldier who entered a house at 3:00 a.m. Three soldiers in civilian dress were chased by the neighbours who rushed to the house upon hearing the women shout, sources said. The soldiers ran into the SLA camp, according to the protesting villagers. At least six protestors were wounded. Riot police and additional troops were deployed at the site. SLA soldiers opened fire when protesting youth burnt a checkpost at the camp. Many villagers have fled the area, sources said.
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Resurgence event emphasizes Vavuniya Declaration, urges EU to reconsider stand

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 October 2005, 18:04 GMT]
Thousands of people gathered in Vavuniya Urban Council grounds Thursday at 3:30 p.m. to reaffirm July 27 Vavuniya Declaration. Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians, academics, religious leaders and social activists attended the event which also urged the European Union to reconsider its stand on travel restrictions on Liberation Tigers officials on visiting EU member states. Vavuniya was the venue of the initial Tamil National Resurgence Conference that proclaimed that an environment must be created to enable Tamils to decide their political destiny calling for the Sri Lankan Armed forces to vacate the land and seas of NorthEast.
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Dhammaloka Thera extends support to Wickremasinghe

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 October 2005, 15:20 GMT]
Venerable Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera, the former General Secretary of the Sinhala extremist Buddhist Monks party opposed to the Cease Fire Agreement and the Post-Tsunami Jonit Mechanism deal, has extended his personal support as an independent parliamentarian to the Sri Lankan opposition leader and the presidential candidate, Mr. Ranil Wickramsinghe Thursday. Dhammaloka Thera said that he has signed an agreement of 13 proposals with Wickremesinghe on safeguarding the state religion Buddhism, and addressing to several key issues in the country. He informed about his decision to support Wickramsinghe at a press briefing held at the J. R. Jeyawardene Centre in Colombo.
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Mahinda Rajapakse addresses rallies in Trinco, Kantalai, Kinniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 October 2005, 17:18 GMT]
Prime Minister Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse, presidential candidate of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Wednesday addressed election rallies in the towns of Trincomalee, Kinniya and Kantalai in the district. Mr.Wimal Weeravanse, parliamentary group leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna accompanied him, sources said.


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Vavuniya prepares for concluding resurgence event, grenade explodes

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 October 2005, 11:26 GMT]
Unidentified men lobbed a hand grenade inside compound of the Tamil National Resurgence committee Wednesday afternoon around 4:30 p.m. No one was injured in the explosion. Witnesses said that two men who lobbed the grenade escaped in a motorbike. The incident happened while Vavuniya residents are making preparations for the third month anniversary celebrations of the 27 July 2005 Vavuniya Proclamation.
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TNA, SLMM meet in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 October 2005, 10:40 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Sivanathan Kishor , Sivasakthi Ananthan and Vino Noharathalingam met with Vavuniya Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) at the Vavuniya SLMM offices Monday morning, sources in Vavuniya said. The discussion centered on the National Resurgence Event scheduled to take place on the 27th of this month.
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Media speculation on cause of UAV crash rebuffed

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 October 2005, 00:05 GMT]
Media reports that the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) belonging to Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) that came down in Vanni on 19 October was downed either by radar-guided gun or by an air-borne attack by the Liberation Tigers were mere speculations not backed up by concrete evidence, experts contacted by TamilNet said. A Virginia (US) based science journalist who covers UAV developments, rebuffed a report that quoted a Sri Lanka Air Force official as saying: "engine failure, generator failure and communications failure warning messages appearing simultaneously at Ground control indicated sudden destruction of the UAV caused by enemy action."
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Three children, SLA soldier injured in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 October 2005, 07:58 GMT]
Three children were injured in Batticaloa Sunday morning when Sri Lanka Army soldiers opened fire on gunmen who fired at SLA soldiers manning a sentry wounding one soldier. The incident took place around 8:45 a.m. The soldiers were manning a sentry point at the Zahira College on Rosario Road, 2 km north of Batticloa town. The children were refugees stationed in the refugee camp at the Zahira College, civilian sources said.
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Jaffna fishermen demand removal of restrictions

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 October 2005, 15:50 GMT]
Representatives of Jaffna district fishermen unions, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officers including Jaffna Military Commander Major General Sunil Tennekoon met at the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) office in Nallur Jaffna Saturday at 3 p.m. in an effort to resolve the hardships faced by Jaffna fishermen due to the pass system, lack of light house facilities and the restriction on fishing times, sources in Jaffna said.
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Clustered Polling booths to be located 500 meters from SLA checkpoint

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 October 2005, 11:16 GMT]
Jaffna district Government Agent (GA), Mr K Ganesh, in a meeting with election officials and officers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) held at the Secretariat offices Friday, informed that the Election Commissioner has directed him to arrange clustered polling booths near Muhamalai area to allow the voters in the Liberation Controlled areas in Vanni district to exercise their franchise, sources from Jaffna said. Unlike in the previous elections, the polling booths are to be located 500 meters away from the Muhamalai Sri Lanka Army (SLA) checkpoint towards Eluthumattuval direction, he added.
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Trincomalee Declaration demands SL troops to vacate NorthEast

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 October 2005, 08:28 GMT]
Tamil speaking people in large numbers from north, west and south of the Trincomalee district attended the Tamil National Resurgence Convention held Saturday morning in the Playground located along the Inner Harbour Road in the east port city which is controlled by the Sri Lanka Army. Co-ordinating Committee of the Tamil national Resurgence in Trincomalee District, in the declaration, demanded the Sri Lanka troops to vacate the NorthEast land and seas and declared that the rally "demonstrates to the international community the thirst for freedom of the Tamil nation."
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SLA allows limited cultivation in Thenmaradchi HSZ lands

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 October 2005, 04:52 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Friday morning handed over a portion of agricultural lands in Thanankilappu in Thenmaradchy Jaffna coming within the purview of high security zone of Thenmaradchchi south division in Jaffna district for cultivation. Farmers who have obtained prior permission from the SLA will be allowed daily to the agricultural lands within the stipulated time, according to the restriction imposed by the SLA, civil sources said.
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Civilians given military training in Vadamaradchchi east

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 October 2005, 04:49 GMT]
The passing out parade of 6th batch of civilians from Vaththirayan village in the Vadamaradchchi east belonging to the Lt.Colonel Maravan Training Camp of the Tamileelam Navy was held Thursday night in the presence of Colonel Soosai, Special Commander of the Thamileelam Navy, LTTE sources in Jaffna said.
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Norwegian Tamils march for peace

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 October 2005, 19:41 GMT]
More than one thousand Norwegian Tamils participated in a march carrying torches in the Norwegian capital Oslo Thursday evening. The demonstration, organised by a task group of ten Norwegian Tamil organisations and held in "Pongu Thamil" fashion, urged Norway to promote neutrality in the Sri Lankan peace process that has attracted the attention and involvement of several members of the International community.
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US Ambassador meets SLMM, SLA in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 October 2005, 11:02 GMT]
Mr.Jeffry Lunstead, US Ambassador in Sri Lanka, paid a one-day visit to Trincomalee town Wednesday and held discussions with Trincomalee heads of State armed forces and Police and the members of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) based in the east port town. His Secretary, Defense Attache and Political Affairs Secretary accompanied him, diplomatic sources said.


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