Buddhist monks mind their language

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 January 2004, 19:18 GMT]
A leading Sri Lankan Buddhist monk, Ven.Ellawala Methananda, slammed Norway Saturday for funding a program to teach English to Buddhist clergy.
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Ilamparithy meets Norway Foreign Ministry Officials in Oslo

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 January 2004, 11:53 GMT]
Liberation Tigers' Head of Jaffna District Political Wing, Mr.Illamparithy, who is currently on a tour of European countries met with Norwegian Foreign Ministry officials at the Oslo Foreign Ministry Building Tuesday, 6 January at 11 am, sources in Oslo said. Norway's special peace envoy, Eric Solheim, Advisor to Norway Foreign Ministry, Lisa Golden, and Official of Foreign Ministry, Erik Giercshy were involved in the discussions, sources added.
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New SLA commanders said no panacea for normalcy

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 January 2004, 09:02 GMT]
“Normalcy is yet to be restored in Jaffna despite the Sri Lankan government appointing new military commanders for the peninsula," said Mr. Semmanan, the deputy leader of the LTTE’s political division in Jaffna, speaking to the press at the conclusion of a meeting with the Sri Lanka army and Police at the office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission in the northern town Friday. “We positively assured the Sri Lankan armed forces’ delegation that nobody in the LTTE had ever threatened to bring harm to the person of Maj. Gen. Chandrapala," Mr. Semmanan said.
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SLA builds camp in de-mining showcase

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 January 2004, 09:01 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army is constructing a new camp in the Kandalkaadu area of Sarasaalai in Jaffna. The region was often presented as a singular showcase for the prolonged de-mining projects supported by the UNDP and the US army in Jaffna. The Federation of Public Organisations in Thenmaradchi on Friday condemned the construction of the new garrison. “Sarasaalai is going to be unsafe again”, a spokesperson for the Federation said.
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Vadamarachi mooring points can be dredged - Maj. Gen. Chandrapala

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 January 2004, 03:58 GMT]
The Commander of the Sri Lankan security forces in Jaffna, Maj. Gen. Susil Chandrapala told fishermen's organisations on the peninsula's Vadamaradchi coast Thursday that they can dredge and rebuild mooring points for their boats from this month.
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Pro-Peace, United Sinhala leadership unlikely to emerge soon - Balakumaran

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 January 2004, 00:06 GMT]
"Our expectations of resuming peace talks with the Government of Sri Lanka under a united leadership with clear authority to command Sri Lanka's security forces are fast receding," said V.Balakumaran, a senior member of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, speaking at the Kumar Ponnambalam commemoration ceremony held at the Kailasapathy Hall of Jaffna Campus Monday, local media in Jaffna reported.
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Sports ministry drops Sinhala only policy due to protest

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 January 2004, 16:31 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Sports Ministry has decided to award certificates in English language to winners of national level sports competitions organized by the ministry from this year onwards. This change will be strictly adhered to in the 30th National Sports Festival scheduled to be held later this year, ministry sources, said.
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Mannar human rights activist Fr Mary Bastian remembered

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 January 2004, 14:56 GMT]
Tamils of Mannar district and Vankalai residents Tuesday remembered their parish priest Rev.Fr. Mary Bastian who was gunned down by the soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army nineteen years ago on 6th January 1985 early morning around 12.30 a.m. Fr. Bastian worked for the poor and powerless citizens throughout his life and was instrumental in bringing atrocities and human right violations committed by the SLA in Mannar district to the notice of international human rights organizations.


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SLA officer threatens to shoot Jaffna journalist

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 January 2004, 06:07 GMT]
Jaffna journalists Monday refused to cover the visit of two senior Buddhist monks to the northern peninsula after a Sri Lanka army officer threatened to shoot Mr. Veluppillai Thavachelvam, a leading local correspondent for Sri Lankan and international Tamil media.
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Pullumalai bunker is closed - SLMM

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 January 2004, 20:19 GMT]
Members of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) said that the bunker in Pullumalai, which the Sri Lanka Army alleged was a violation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by the Liberation Tigers, is in a closed state, security sources said.
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Tamils should secede if Colombo impasse persists - ACTC

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 January 2004, 16:02 GMT]
'The Tamil people will have to exercise their right to self determination and secede if the political impasse in Colombo were to continue' the All Ceylon Tamil Congress, the oldest Tamil party in Sri Lanka, declared at its annual convention in Jaffna town Sunday.
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Thondamannar sluice gate to be reconstructed

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 January 2004, 17:55 GMT]
Thondamannar lagoon sluice gate which was built to prevent sea water entering the villages of Karaveddy, Mandan, Kapputhoo, Udupiddy, Velvety, Kerudavil and Thondamannar and which was blown off in 1985 by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) is to be rebuilt by the Department of Irrigation, sources said. The sluice gate is located within the Karaveddy South and West Divisional Secretary's (DS) division.
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Jaffna Hindu priests urge Vajpayee to change stand

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 January 2004, 15:46 GMT]
Hindu priests in Jaffna have appealed to India’s Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee that his government should change its stand on the Tamils in the northeast and should fully contribute to the process of achieving their rights, a spokesman for their body told TamilNet Saturday. He said the Jaffna based International Hindu Priests’ Forum sent a letter Friday to Mr. Vajpayee, expressing distress that Delhi is siding with Sinhala leaders while following an adverse policy towards the aspirations of the Tamils.
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Sri Lanka President’s ally slams Armitage

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 January 2004, 16:25 GMT]
The Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the main political ally of President Kumaratunga, slammed US Assistant Secretary of State Mr. Richard Armitage for interfering in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs in a strongly worded statement Friday. The Sinhala nationalist party was reacting to Mr. Armitage’s comment Monday that “the current political impasse in Sri Lanka cannot be allowed to continue”. The JVP said that Mr. Armitage’s statement was made in a threatening manner.
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SLA to construct Buddhist Vihare on private property

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 January 2004, 15:55 GMT]
Seventy eight year old father of five children, Mr Vethavanam Varathalingam of 3rd Mile Post, Mulliayadi has appealed to the Human Rights Commission (HRC) to help him to get his five acre paddy land from Sri Lanka Army occupation, civil rights sources said. Mulliayadi is located along Thampalakamam-Kinniya road in Trincomalee.


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SLA allows restricted use of Koilamani access road

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 January 2004, 13:11 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Friday opened the only access road to a farming village Koilamani near Kodikamam in Jaffna district subject to restrictions that the residents could use the road from six in the morning till the seven in the evening and thereafter they should obtain prior permission from the army sentry located at the entrance of the access road, civil sources said.


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President, PM should work jointly for peace - Jaffna Bishop

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 January 2004, 14:26 GMT]
The Bishop of Jaffna Rt Rev.Thomas Saundranayagam Thursday in a New Year message appealed to Sri Lanka's President and the Prime Minister to jointly work together for the dawn of permanent peace in the country in the New Year adopting a policy of give and take, said officials of Jaffna diocese.
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Thampalakamam market reopens after thirteen years

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 January 2004, 13:39 GMT]
The public market in the traditional Tamil village Thampalakamam, which is located 27 km southwest of Trincomalee town, was re-opened Thursday after about thirteen years. Thampalakamam divisional head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Mr.Thirumalai declared open the public market.


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Jaffna village asks SLA to open access road

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 January 2004, 12:02 GMT]
Men, women and children from Koilamanai, a farming village near Kodikamam in Jaffna, sat in protest at the entrance of the Thenmaradchi Divisional Secretary’s (DS) office in Chavakachcheri Thursday demanding that the Sri Lanka army should vacate a camp blocking the only access road to their area. Koilamanai residents say that since the SLA completely blocked off the road in 2000, they have been using a footpath through private properties. This footpath has to be closed soon because owners of the properties are now resettling there, they say.
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Tigers say lifting tariffs to improve Vanni economy

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 January 2004, 09:24 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said they are lifting all tariffs on equipment, machinery and other inputs for agriculture, fisheries and livestock from 1 January with the aim of promoting the growth of these sectors and achieving self-sufficiency in the regions they control. They said tariffs on books, newspapers, cooking gas, infant food, computers, educational accessories, and livestock feed have been completely removed with effect from Thursday.
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