Indian poaching sparks road protests in Mannar

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 November 2004, 07:46 GMT]
Traffic on the main artery of Mannar Island was blocked from early morning Sunday as hundreds of Tamil and Muslim fishermen piled their boats across the road to protest against large scale poaching by Indians in the waters off Pesalai and against the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) for taking no action to stop it. Hundreds of Indian fishing boats entered and fished in the sea off the Pesalai coast of the Mannar Island on Saturday night.
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TRO honors Sinhala pre-school teachers

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 November 2004, 01:00 GMT]
Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) through its Pre School Educational Development Council (PSEDC) Saturday honoured about forty three Sinhala pre-school teachers in the Trincomalee Town and Gravets Division at the invitation of Sinhalese parents and residents of Mihindupura, a Sinhala settlement located about three km off east port town, sources said.
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Balasingham Vanni bound to attend Norwegian FM meet

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 November 2004, 20:22 GMT]
Liberation Tigers’ Political Strategist and Chief Negotiator, Mr. Anton Balasingham, and his wife Adele are scheduled to arrive in Colombo Tuesday morning and will travel to Kilinochchi in Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) helicopter the same day afternoon, sources close to the LTTE told TamilNet.
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Grenade shatters brief peace in Muslim town

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 November 2004, 17:37 GMT]
Two days of relative calm in Kattankudy, a large Muslim town in Batticaloa torn by religious rioting since 31 October, was shattered Saturday when a man suspected to be a member of an armed Islamic group lobbed a grenade at a Sufi home. Police patrolling the riot afflicted area gave chase to the attacker and took him into custody. A spokesman for Abdur Rauf Mowlavi, the leading Sufi cleric of Kattankudy, repeated the charge that a Wahabi extremist group funded by powerful sources in the Middle East is responsible for the violence.
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Uyilankulam murder suspects further remanded

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 November 2004, 01:56 GMT]
Anuradhapura Magistrate Mr.Harsha Seirusinghe Friday forwarded a report of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Police to the Mannar Magistrate that more bodies of persons could be buried in a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Camp, which is located in Uyilankulam in Mannar district, legal sources said.
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SLA bars UC from using HSZ dumping ground

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 November 2004, 01:50 GMT]
Chavakachcheri Urban Council (UC) in Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district has been facing difficulties in disposing the garbage collected within the town limit following the refusal by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to allow UC workers to take lorries with garbage to the dumping ground in Kannadipitti area, which is located in the high security zone (HSZ). Hence UC workers daily remove all garbage to areas in close proximity to HSZ and burn, local authority sources said.
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Kottaikadu villagers suffer without drinking water

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 November 2004, 17:38 GMT]
About 300 families living in Kottaikadu village in Jaffna district undergo hardships without drinking water in their area as the only available well is overflowing with floodwater due to heavy rain. Kottaikadu village is located in Valigamam division. Sand bunds constructed by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers prevent rain water flowing into the sea resulted in flooding the village including the only well villagers use for drinking water, civil sources said.
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Chettikulam IDPs oppose forced resettlement

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 November 2004, 03:20 GMT]
Official are making efforts to move Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) living in welfare centers in Chettikulam and Adapankulam in Vavuniya district to Manikfarm area against their wishes, refugees say. The refugees allege that IDPs are being used as a protective shield to soldiers in three Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camps located near Manikfarm area.
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Sufis allege forced conversion in Muslim town

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 November 2004, 14:08 GMT]
Clerics of a Sufi sect of Islam in Kattankudy, a large Muslim town near Batticaloa riven by religious clashes which started four days ago, said Wednesday that more than six hundred of their followers were forcibly converted to orthodoxy under threat of violence and death. Sri Lanka army troops were also deployed in the troubled town along with special riot Police to prevent further violence.
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Soldiers, civilians clash in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 November 2004, 13:47 GMT]
A group of soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA)and members of public clashed at Madathady junction along Main Street in Jaffna town Wednesday noon that injured a soldier, police said. Jaffna Police arrested a Tamil youth after the incident.
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Tamils concerned over India's moves- TNA MP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 November 2004, 04:28 GMT]
"Visits of Indian military and naval chiefs to Sri Lanka and Indo-Sri Lanka defence agreement expected to be signed next week in India by both governments during the visit of Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge have caused apprehension among Tamils that preparations are underway for another war in the island," said Ms Pathmini Sithamparanathan, Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian in a press release issued Tuesday.


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President meets opposition leader

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 November 2004, 15:13 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga Tuesday urged opposition leader, Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe to participate in the all party parley to find a solution to end the island's ethnic conflict. Mr. Wickremesinghe and President Kumaratunga met in Colombo for discussions on Tuesday. All the main opposition parties, including the Tamil National Alliance and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress are boycotting the NACPR, charging that it is a time buying ruse by President Kumaratunga.
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Curfew reimposed in Muslim town

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 November 2004, 15:09 GMT]
Police Tuesday reimposed curfew in a large Muslim town on Sri Lanka's east coast torn since Sunday by religious clashes after an orthodox mosque was bombed and eighteen persons, including a reporter, were injured. Kattankudy, five kilometres south of Batticaloa, was generally deserted Tuesday, patrolled by Special Task Force(STF) commandos and Police. A girl was injured when STF allegedly opened fire on a mob that was on rampage in an orthodox neighbourhood of the town Tuesday morning. More than twenty houses were damaged in the clashes.
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NE Governor cancels visit to Jaffna after protest

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 November 2004, 13:20 GMT]
The North East Province Governor (retired) Major General Asoka Jayawardene Monday cancelled his official visit to Jaffna after civil groups in the peninsula warned that he would face public agitation as hundreds of thousands of internally displaced families are still languishing in refugee camps and welfare centres, district secretariat sources said Monday. The NE Governor was scheduled to visit Jaffna on Wednesday.
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Tamils must act to preserve cultural values- Semmanan

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 November 2004, 11:54 GMT]
"The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in occupation in Jaffna district is engaged in attempts to destroy our freedom struggle by degrading our cultural values. We should all be alert to defeat this enemy and join hands to safeguard our cultural identity and values" said Mr.Semmanan, Deputy Political Head of the Liberation Tigers in Jaffna district addressing the final event of the two-day Divisional Cultural Festival held Sunday at Karaveddy Predesiya Sabah hall, sources said.
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Human Rights Commissioner meets Jaffna journalists

[TamilNet, Sunday, 31 October 2004, 22:34 GMT]
Mr.N.Selvakumaran, Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), addressing a press briefing in Jaffna said HRCSL would not hesitate to take action against errand policemen and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers for violation of human rights if it receives complaints supported with evidence. He met with the Jaffna based journalists at the regional office of HRCSL Sunday.
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Mosque demolished as mobs attack sect in Kattankudy

[TamilNet, Sunday, 31 October 2004, 11:05 GMT]
Police Sunday declared unofficial curfew in Kattankudy, a large Muslim town 5 kilometres south of Batticaloa, after mobs demolished a mosque and several houses and buildings belonging to an Islamic sect. Special Task Force (STF) commandos were called in after Police failed to control crowds of orthodox Muslims armed with clubs and machetes stormed the main mosque and a computer centre of the influential Islamic sect led by the charismatic cleric known as 'Payilvaan'. Police said crowds were called up by muezzins from orthodox mosques in the thickly populated town.
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HRCSL Commissioner visits Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 October 2004, 13:21 GMT]
Mr.S.Selvakumaran, a member of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) Saturday paid a visit to Jaffna and held talks with the political leadership of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Jaffna district. Mr.C.Ilamparithi, Jaffna district LTTE political head expressed dissatisfaction over the actions taken by the HRCSL in regard to the disappeared youths after the arrest by the Sri Lanka Army during 1996-1997 period during the discussion which was held at the HRCSL Jaffna regional office, human rights sources said.
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Mirusuvil massacre case inquiry to resume

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 October 2004, 02:09 GMT]
The stalled inquiry into the Mirusuvil massacre case is to resume before the Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar (TAB) on the instruction of the Supreme Court that TAB could continue its proceedings although the confession made by one of the accused soldier Mr.R.M.S.Ratnayake was declared inadmissible, legal sources said.
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Protest against opening of liquor shop in Inuvil

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 October 2004, 12:52 GMT]
Several civil groups Monday held a demonstration and a sit-in-protest in front of the Uduvil Divisional Secretariat demanding the closure of a liquor shop that opened from businees Monday morning in Inuvil area in Valigamam division in Jaffna district, civil sources said.
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