Bomb rips through school in Mannar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 March 2004, 11:02 GMT]
A powerful bomb exploded in a school in Mannar Tuesday afternoon, Police in the island town on Sri Lanka's northeastern coast said. The explosion caused severe damage to the school's roof. But no one was hurt as the school had closed for the day, Police said.
Full story >>

Vanni franchise issue awaits resolution

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 February 2004, 02:20 GMT]
91,864 Tamil voters residing in Vavuniya, Mannar and Mullaitivu adminstrative divisions comprising the Vanni electoral district live in areas controlled by Liberation Tigers (LTTE) and face the prospect of being denied their franchise if the Election Commisioner fails to provide a suitable arrangement to locate the polling booths in accessible areas, political sources said.
Full story >>

UNICEF's Chaiban opens Paediatric ward in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 February 2004, 21:44 GMT]
Country Director for UNICEF in Sri Lanka, Mr.Ted Chaiban, Friday opened the Isolation Unit of the Paediatric Ward in Vavuniya Hospital, health officials in Vavuniya said.
Full story >>

SLMM head to meet LTTE leadership Saturday

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 February 2004, 18:11 GMT]
The head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, Major General (retd.) Trond Furuhovde, is to visit Kilinochchi Saturday to meet the political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan. This will be his first visit to Kilinochchi after he assumed office for the second time on February 1, SLMM sources said.
Full story >>

Ten groups compete in elections for Vanni district

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 February 2004, 10:26 GMT]
Vavuniya Government Agent (GA) and Vavuniya election officer, K.Ganesh, accepted nominations papers from three independent groups and seven different political parties for the Vanni electoral district comprising Vavuniya, Mannar and Mullaitivu districts, sources in Vavuniya said.
Full story >>

"Sinhala Only" election materials irk NorthEast officials

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 February 2004, 17:54 GMT]
NorthEast officials responsible for conducting the forthcoming elections are irked at their Colombo counterparts for sending instructions and other election materials in "Sinhala only," thereby causing procedural snarl at the NorthEast election offices, officials in Jaffna said. Neither English copies nor Tamil translations accompany the received election material, according the same sources.
Full story >>

Elections commissioner says no to polling stations in LTTE areas

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 February 2004, 15:34 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Commissioner of Elections said Thursday he won’t allow polling booths in areas held by the Liberation Tigers where more than two hundred thousand Tamil voters live. The polling stations would instead be clustered in places controlled by the Sri Lankan armed forces he said. Addressing a press conference at his office in Colombo Thursday at his office he said that he decided to do so for reasons of security, transport problems and land mines.
Full story >>

SLMM new head to visit Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 February 2004, 12:48 GMT]
The Norwegian head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Major General (retd) Trond Furuhovde is scheduled to visit Jaffna district Monday. This would be his first visit to Jaffna following his assumption of duties as SLMM head on February 1st for the second time after replacing Major General Triggve Teleffsen, sources said
Full story >>

FSD completes training to deminers in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 February 2004, 07:59 GMT]
The Swiss Demining Federation (FSD), involved in demining in Vavuniya and Mannar districts, has given training to the third batch of 44 deminers in Vavuniya, and a ceremony to award certificates was held Friday at the FSD’s office in Vavuniya, sources said.
Full story >>

Tires burn in Mannar, A9 blocked in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 February 2004, 11:44 GMT]
Tires were burnt and black flags were flown in several parts of Mannar town Wednesday. Police said that some protestors had pulled down Sri Lanka’s lion flags that were hoisted by the army on the entrance to Mannar town Tuesday night to mark Independence Day. Meanwhile Vavuniya was deserted and buses from this northern border town to other parts of the island were cancelled. Protesters blocked the A9 highway to Jaffna north of Vavuniya town.
Full story >>

Teachers proficient in 'Marine Fishery' needed - MP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 February 2004, 18:46 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian Mr.K.Thurairetnasingham and North East Provincial Education Ministry Secretary Mr.R.Thiagalingam Tuesday appealed to the Minister of Human Resources Development and Cultural Affairs to recruit Tamil medium teachers who are qualified to teach Marine Resources as a subject in the NorthEast schools, civil society sources said.


Full story >>

UNICEF donates vehicles to education officials

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 January 2004, 16:43 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Country Representative of the UNICEF Mr. Ted Chaiban Wednesday handed over a consignment of vans, motorbikes and computers with printers valued at about Rs 17.7 million to the North East Provincial Ministry of Education, Cultural Affairs, Sports and Youth Affairs, as a step to support and strengthen the monitoring capacity of UNICEF's projects in education.


Full story >>

UNICEF donates vehicles, computers to aid project supervision

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 January 2004, 14:18 GMT]
UNICEF Sri Lanka's representative Mr. Ted Chaiban on Wednesday will officially hand over twelve vehicles, six motorbikes and three computers with printers worth 17.7 million rupees to the North East Provincial Education Ministry Secretary Mr.R.Thiagalingam at a ceremony at the provincial ministry premises in Trincomalee, as a part of the assistance to strengthen monitoring and supervision of UNICEF funded special education development programmes in the war-torn province, sources said.


Full story >>

NorthEast to get 1000 more Tamil medium teachers

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 January 2004, 18:59 GMT]
The Ministry of Human Resources Development, Education and Cultural Affairs has decided to recruit another batch of one thousand Tamil medium teachers from advanced leveled qualified persons to fill the vacancies exist in the northeast Tamil medium schools, Provincial Education Ministry Secretary Mr.R.Thiagalingam said Friday.


Full story >>

NorthEast local government elections postponed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 January 2004, 13:29 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Commissioner of Elections Mr.Dayananda Dissanayake Tuesday issued a notice postponing the thrice-postponed local authority elections in the northeast province for later dates. Except elections to local authorities in Amparai district, elections to local authorities in other districts in the province have been postponed by another nine months. Elections to local authorities in Amparai district are rescheduled to be held on 21 February 2004, government sources said.


Full story >>

Jaffna district observes Kittu death anniversary

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 January 2004, 15:38 GMT]
Jaffna district Friday observed the eleventh death anniversary of LTTE senior commander Colonel Kittu and other nine LTTE cadres who sacrificed their lives on 15th January 1993 when the Indian Navy intercepted their vessel in the Indian Ocean. The main event was held Friday at Theeruvil Commemoration Square in Jaffna district, sources said.
Full story >>

GoSL signs $80 million loan package from ADB for NE rehabilitation

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 January 2004, 09:01 GMT]
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Government of Sri Lanka Wednesday signed first part of an US$80 million loan package to address the immediate rehabilitation needs of almost 2 million conflict-affected people in the north and east of the country, said a press release issued by the Sri lanka Resident Mission of the Asian Development Bank.
Full story >>

Trinco women rights activist passes away

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 January 2004, 17:38 GMT]
Miss Harsini Antonysamy (26), a leading women rights activist in Trincomalee, died of cancer in a Colombo hospital Friday. She has been the Trincomalee district organizer of the Theatre Action Group of the Jaffna University, sources said.


Full story >>

Catastrophic fire averted in Vavuniya town

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 January 2004, 03:14 GMT]
A potentially catastrophic fire at the petrol station located at the intersection of Jaffna-Kandy road and Mannar road in Vavuniya town, Thursday night, was prevented by the timely action of alert Police officers, sources said.
Full story >>

Tigers launch drive to stop drug abuse in Mannar

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 January 2004, 13:45 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers have launched a concerted campaign against drug abuse and AIDS in the Mannar District, Mr. S. Thangan, deputy leader of the political division of the Liberation Tigers, said Thursday. “Drug abuse has been on the increase in this district in recent times. It will ruin the moral fabric of our society. The problem is acute here because Mannar has become a key transit point for drug smuggling between India and Sri Lanka”, Mr. Thangan told TamilNet. He is currently in Mannar to expedite the campaign.
Full story >>