Karuna’s accusations are cover up for guilt and betrayal - Karikalan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 March 2004, 19:58 GMT]
In a wide ranging interview from Vanni to the London, UK-based International Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) Radio, Mr. Karikalan, a senior leader of the Liberation Tigers and former head of the political division in Batticaloa-Ampara, said that Karuna, the renegade former LTTE commander from Batticaloa-Ampara, was spreading false stories to the international media to justify his betrayal and to prevent the international Tamil community from calling Mr. Karuna a “traitor.”
Full story >>

PMG urged re-open Point Pedro post office

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 March 2004, 14:23 GMT]
Jaffna District Superintendent of Post Offices Mr.S.Sivarajasingham appealed to the Post Master General (PMG) to take steps to relocate the Point Pedro General Post Office (GPO) in its own building located in the high security zone. The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) is occupying the post office buildings, sources said.


Full story >>

Batticaloa crisis temporary - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 March 2004, 09:56 GMT]
Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Major General (retd.) Trond Furuhovde and his deputy Hagrup Haughland met Head of the LTTE Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan in Kilinochchi Thursday morning, LTTE peace secretariat website said. LTTE Batticaloa district Head of the Political Wing, Kousalyan, and Director of LTTE Peace Secretariat Puleedevan also participated in the discussions.
Full story >>

TNA holds election meeting in Trinco Muslim village

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 March 2004, 21:08 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader, Mr.Sampanthan, launched the village level campaign for the forthcoming general election in the Trincomalee district from Pulmoddai, a traditional Muslim village, about 60 km north of the eastern Trincomalee town Tuesday. Two meetings were held in Pulmoddai in support of the sole Muslim candidate in the Trincomalee district list, Mr. A.H.Sahul Hameed, sources said.
Full story >>

Lagoon fishing ban irks Thondamanar fishermen

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 March 2004, 17:36 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army agreed Tuesday to permit a limited number of fishermen to wade for prawns in the Thondamanar lagoon in Jaffna after fishermen’s organisations in the region threatened to launch a mass struggle. SLA prohibited fishermen from entering the Thondamanar lagoon from 26 February. More than 200 families in the villages of Thondamanar and Kerudavil in Jaffna’s Vadamaradchi Division depend on this lagoon for their livelihood during prawn season from mid February to April.
Full story >>

SLRCS youth camp concludes in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 March 2004, 13:13 GMT]
Three-day youth camp organized by the Youth Wing of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) in collaboration with the Trincomalee branch of the SLRCS concluded Sunday evening at the banks of Mahaidivulewea in Morawewa division in Trincomalee district. Country Delegate of the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC), Mr.Alasdir Gibson, participated and distributed certificates to participants on the final day of the event.


Full story >>

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 >>

EPDP cadre shot dead in east

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 March 2004, 05:55 GMT]
Unidentified gunman shot dead a cadre of the EPDP, a paramilitary group operating with the Sri Lankan army Monday night in Valaichenai, 32 kilometres north of Batticaloa, Police said. Mr. Ponnaiah Yogendran, 25, was walking towards the EPDP camp in the SLA Valaichenai fisheries harbour garrison around 10 p.m. when he was shot, according to Police sources in the eastern town.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka President’s Marxist ally slams devolution again

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 March 2004, 17:44 GMT]
The leader of President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s main political ally, Mr. Somawansa Amarasinghe categorically rejected the concept and practice of devolution in an interview published in the latest issue of ‘Business Today’, a monthly magazine from Colombo. “ On the national question, people are talking about devolution, division or sharing of power or other formulae. But everyone has become prisoners of devolution....What we say is please stop talking about devolution,” states Mr. Amerasinghe in the interview.
Full story >>

Protest paralyses Human Rights Commission office in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 March 2004, 15:52 GMT]
The Mothers Front and Missing Persons Guardians’ Association of Jaffna Monday began a sit in protest at the entrance of the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission demanding that Colombo should make a concrete response regarding the fate of their children, spouses and relatives who went missing after they were arrested by the Sri Lanka army in Jaffna in 1996-97. The protesting organizations said that Maj. Gen (ret) Janaka Perera, currently Sri Lanka’s ambassador for Australia should be brought to justice as the officers and troops who carried out the massacres were acting under his orders.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka army declines to lend a hand to EPDP

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 March 2004, 06:53 GMT]
Sri Lanka army refused to allow the paramilitary EPDP to take a group of refugees inside the Palaly military base to see their homes during the weekend. “We already had a problem in Chavakachcheri where the group claimed that it was responsible for persuading us to vacate a sector of our high security zone there. We want better relations with the public. But we don’t want politics. Our only duty is to defend our country”, a Sri Lanka army officer in Jaffna told TamilNet.
Full story >>

LTTE official criticizes child rights double standards

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 February 2004, 15:51 GMT]
"More than twenty five thousand Tamil children, from a three month old infant to eighteen years old youth, were killed in massacres and murders during the two decades of war against our people. No one raised their voice against it then. But today the Sri Lankan state and representatives of some foreign organizations are accusing us of violating children’s rights. You should understand the politics behind this crass hypocrisy," said Mr. S. Elilan, the head of the LTTE’s political division in Vavuniya addressing a function Sunday to gift equipment to the school in Othiyamalai in Mullaithivu.
Full story >>

Colombo appoints Police officer to deal with election violence

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 February 2004, 16:08 GMT]
Colombo appointed a senior Police officer to deal with election violence for the first time in Sri Lanka’s post independence history as more than 30 persons were reported injured in clashes between supporters and members of political parties campaigning for the 2 April polls to the island’s Parliament. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Mr. Jayantha Wickremaratna has been put in charge of the special desk for election violence at the Sri Lanka Police Headquarters in Colombo. The officer has been appointed in addition to the DIG who is normally in charge of elections.
Full story >>

Clustered booths near SLA camps for Trinco voters - GA

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 February 2004, 14:26 GMT]
The Trincomalee District Government Agent (GA) and the Returning Officer Mr. Gamini Rodrigo said Saturday that clustered polling booths will be located in the no man zones close to the outer perimeter of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camps at Kattaiparichchan and Mihindupura enabling voters from Liberation Tigers controlled areas of Muttur east and Eachilampathu division in the Trincomalee district to exercise their franchise, sources said.
Full story >>

Vavuniya refugee camp on fire

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 February 2004, 08:31 GMT]
One of the main refugee camps in Vavuniya caught fire and is burning, Police in the northern border town said Saturday afternoon. The camp in the outer suburb of Poonthottam houses more than five hundred families that were displaced from villages north of Vavuniya due to Sri Lanka army operations.
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 >>

Sri Lanka army donates wheelchairs to Jaffna disabled

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 February 2004, 11:40 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army’s 52-4 Brigade in Pt. Pedro Friday donated eleven wheelchairs to disabled persons in Jaffna. The SLA held a special function at the Vallipuram Temple near Pt. Pedro on Friday morning to mark the occasion. Addressing the function after donating the wheelchairs, Commander of the SLA’s 52-4 Brigade, Col. K. S Ratnayaka, said it was a goodwill gesture by the Sri Lankan military to foster better relations with the Tamil people.


Full story >>

USAID funds training center for war-affected women

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 February 2004, 16:41 GMT]
Regional Programme Manager of the USAID Ms.Brenda Barrett Thursday declared open a bi-lingual sewing training centre in the Trincomalee Government Technical College to assist war affected girls of three communities to find gainful employment. The project is financed by the USAID at an estimated cost of one million rupees, USAID sources said.


Full story >>

Protest continues, SLN to help locate missing fisherman

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 February 2004, 15:01 GMT]
Hundreds of Vadamarachchi fishermen did not go fishing for the third day and participated in a protest meeting held in the premises of Sakkottai St. Francis Xavier Church Wednesday morning condemning the recent attack on local fishermen by Indian poachers in the northern waters, fisheries sources said.


Full story >>

UPFA, UNP to launch election campaign Thursday

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 February 2004, 14:48 GMT]
Two major Sinhala political parties, United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) led by President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge and United National Party (UNP) led by Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe are to launch their election campaign with rallies scheduled to be held in Anuradhapura in the north central province and Kandy in central province on February 26 Thursday, political sources said.


Full story >>