Most landmine accidents in Jaffna – UN group

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 November 2003, 06:49 GMT]
The United Nations Inter-Agency Working Group on Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in Colombo said Tuesday that most of the accidents caused by mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) occurred in Jaffna this year. UNDP supported de-mining began in Jaffna seven years ago. Today there are three international de-mining groups active in the peninsula, including one from the US army. The UNDP continues support. A year ago, the region controlled by the Liberation Tigers in the north had much larger and extensive concentrations of mines, minefields and UXOs than Jaffna.
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Roundtable on salination of Jaffna lands, water sources

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 October 2003, 15:58 GMT]
Means of preventing salination of arable lands and fresh water sources in the Jaffna peninsula were explored at a roundtable organised by the National Water Supplies and Drainage Board at the Jaffna District Secretariat Tuesday. Thousands of acres of fertile lands have been rendered barren and many fresh water sources in Jaffna have turned brackish due to saltwater permeation from the inland lagoon system across the Vadamaradchi and Thenmaradchi divisions of Jaffna.
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Munai fisher folk march in protest

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 October 2003, 09:30 GMT]
Hundreds of fishermen and women from Munai carrying placards and shouting slogans against the Sri Lanka army marched into Pt. Pedro town in Jaffna Saturday. They handed over memoranda to local Parliamentarians, the Pt. Pedro Divisional Secretary and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission demanding the abolition of the military pass system and condemning the attack on men and women in the village of Munai last Wednesday.
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NECORD opens new building in Trinco Nalanda College

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 October 2003, 04:30 GMT]
The Country Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Mr.John R. Cooney Tuesday evening declared open a two-storied block at the Chinabay Nalanda College in Trincomalee, which had been constructed at a cost of about four million rupees under the ADB funded North East Community Restoration Development (NECORD) project.


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Raalkuli celebrates inauguration of ferryboat service

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 October 2003, 18:59 GMT]
Residents of Raalkuli in the Trincomalee district were in a jubilant mood Tuesday morning, saying it was a day of special significance in their lives when the Country Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Mr.John R.Cooney, made his first ever visit to the Raalkuli village using the new ferry boat supplied by the ADB funded North East Community Organization for Restoration Development (NECORD).
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SLA lays down new condition for NECORD work

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 October 2003, 16:54 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army Sunday told the Vadamaradchi north fisheries co-operatives representatives that they could deepen the 26 fisheries landing points on the Vadamaradchi coast but only under their supervision, fisheries sources said.
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Foundation stone laid for Karadiyanaaru school building

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 October 2003, 14:42 GMT]
T. Ramesh, Batticaloa-Ampari Special Commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), laid the foundation stone for a three-storey school building in Karadiyanaaru Saturday during a ceremony organized by the school officials, sources in Batticaloa said.
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NECORD reinstates ferry service to Muttur village

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 October 2003, 10:34 GMT]
Raalkuli, a Tamil village in Muttur division, south of Trincomalee town, which is separated from the mainland by Mahaweli gangai, is to get a ferry service from Tuesday after nearly ten years, residents of Ralkuli said.


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SLA’s flip-flop puts NECORD project in jeopardy

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 October 2003, 16:30 GMT]
The northern command of the Sri Lanka Army Monday officially informed the Jaffna Government Agent that it would allow the deepening of only those fisheries landing points in the peninsula that are located outside the high security zones, thus denying permission for work on the project on the Vadamaradchi north coast, district secretariat sources said.
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SLA agrees Vadamaradchi NECORD work can go ahead

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 October 2003, 19:43 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army Wednesday said it would allow the deepening of fisheries landing points in the Vadamaradchi north coastal areas, from Kerudavil to Katkovalam east, after fisheries societies representatives and Divisional Secretariat (DS) officials brought to the notice of the army officials present at the conference held Wednesday that they had already sought permission from the SLA in this regard, sources said.
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Future of VVT NECORD project uncertain

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 September 2003, 19:26 GMT]
Representatives of the Vadamaradchi North Fisheries Societies decided in a meeting Tuesday to walk out if the Sri Lanka Army failed to provide a satisfactory solution on allowing the project on deepening of fisheries landing points at the conference scheduled to be held Wednesday at the 52-4 brigade headquarters of the SLA, located in the Point Pedro high security zone, sources said.
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SLA again stops work on NECORD project in VVT

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 September 2003, 18:12 GMT]
Vadamaradchi fishermen Monday began work on micro breakwater for mooring fishing boats and deepening boat-mooring space inside these in Valvettithurai (VVT), Inbaruty and Thumpalai coastal areas, defying the ban on the project by the Sri Lanka Army, and tension arose when the SLA rushed to the area, and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) had to intervene to keep the situation under control, sources said.
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Valvettithurai fishermen to defy SLA order

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 September 2003, 15:49 GMT]
The Fisheries Co-operative Society officials in Athikoviladi, Valvettithurai, Sunday said they would commence work Monday on micro breakwater for mooring fishing boats and deepening boat mooring space inside these, regardless of whether the Sri Lanka Army allows it. The SLA had Thursday stopped the fishermen from starting the work, fisheries sources said.
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SLA stops NECORD work in Valvettithurai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 September 2003, 16:53 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army Thursday stopped an Asian Development Bank funded project to assist fishermen on Jaffna’s Vadamaradchi coast even though the fisheries societies had obtained permission for the project from the SLA, fisheries sources in Vadamaradchi said.
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Staff struggles as students labor to learn

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 September 2003, 00:04 GMT]
The sight of frolicking school children in clean white, blue uniforms playing inside the fences of Kilinochchi Maha Vidyalayam along the A9 highway provides a sense of normality to a visitor travelling near Kilinochchi town. However, this blurred picture fails to reveal the background of many children who have lost years of schooling due to war, now struggling to fit-in, and more ominously, does not expose the deficient education the school provides due to lack of facilities and shortage of teachers.
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SLA blocks resettlement in Meeravodai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 September 2003, 13:14 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has refused permission to 352 displaced Tamil families to resettle in their former homes and land in Meeravodai in Valaichenai Pradeshya Sabai in Batticaloa district, said Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO).


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NECORD supported Irrigation project to begin in Amparai

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 September 2003, 03:36 GMT]
Rehabilitation efforts of the Kanchikudichaaru Irrigation development project under the North East Community Restoration Development (NECORD) plan are expected to start Monday, according to NECORD officials. The Asia Development Bank (ADB) has allocated Rs.30m and World Food Program (WFP) has given Rs.8m for this project.
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SLA stops resettlement in Swamimalai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 August 2003, 16:06 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Saturday stopped a group of internally displaced persons making arrangements to resettle in their abandoned Tamil village Kachchakodi Swamimalai in the Pattipalai division in Batticaloa district, civil group sources said. The Kachchakodi Swamimalai village is located on the border of Batticaloa and Amparai districts in the eastern province about 25 km off southwest of Batticaloa town.
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‘LTTE not involved in Ampara violence’ - Alisahir Moulana

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 August 2003, 21:46 GMT]
Mr. Alisahir Moulana, a former United National Party parliamentarian from Batticaloa and currently an advisor to the Sri Lankan Ministry of Policy Planning and Implementation, said Sunday that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are not in any way involved in the incidents of violence in the Ampara district where two Muslim youths were killed and another two Muslims have disappeared, sources said.
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3350 persons await resettlement in Trincomalee district

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 August 2003, 19:18 GMT]
Around 3350 people from 920 displaced families have been staying in thirteen refugee and welfare camps in the Trincomalee district awaiting resettlement in their own villages, said the North East Community Restoration Development (NECORD) Deputy Project Director, Mr.N.Puhendran, addressing a gathering at the opening of a new building at Mahavelipura Vidiyalaya in Kantalai, Trincomalee district, Tuesday.
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