New Mankulam DMZ proposed

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 July 1999, 13:10 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army officials said yesterday that they have suggested a new demilitarised zone, 5 km long and 1 km wide along the Mankulam- Thunukkai road, through which relief supplies may be taken into the Vanni.
Full story >>

Peace before development -World Bank told

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 July 1999, 12:06 GMT]
Leaders of Tamil groups in Colombo told a World Bank team that the war in the Northeast should be brought to and end before any development projects are initiated in the province.
Full story >>

Sea transfers for stranded travellers

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 July 1999, 08:26 GMT]
Arrangements are underway today, to send by sea from Mannar island, those travellers from the Vanni who are stranded in Vavuniya and Mannar due to the closure of the access route to the areas not held by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), officials in Mannar said.
Full story >>

Body of Ida Hamilitta exhumed

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 July 1999, 18:21 GMT]
The body of Ida Hamilitta, a Tamil woman who was allegedly raped and killed by Sri Lankan Army soldiers, on July 11 at Pallimunai, was taken to Colombo this afternoon by a CID team for further investigation.
Full story >>

Bomber ruse to disrupt protest ?

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 July 1999, 18:17 GMT]
The Sri Lankan state media published the photograph of a woman today claiming that she had come to Colombo to carry out a suicide mission. However sources said that the photograph, released by the Ministry of Defence, was that of a woman who had already died.
Full story >>

Journalists demonstrate over assaults

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 July 1999, 12:33 GMT]
A large number of journalists demonstrated in Colombo today, protesting against several of their colleges being assaulted last week, allegedly by personnel from the Presidential Security Division (PSD).
Full story >>

Patients await Vanni access route

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 July 1999, 12:26 GMT]
Four seriously ill patients who are awaiting treatment at hospitals in the south were taken yesterday by protesters to the ICRC's sub-delegation at Puthukudiyiruppu in the Mullaithivu district, to highlight the difficulties faced by ordinary people since the Vanni access route was closed, the Voice of Tigers(VoT) said this morning.
Full story >>

Two detained in Ida Hamilitta case

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 July 1999, 21:10 GMT]
The Mannar Court today ordered the detention of U.Dayananda Upul Gurusinghe and N.K.H.D.Rjah Somaratne, two soldiers from Pallimunai army detachment, in connection with the rape and murder of Ida Hamilitta, a Tamil woman who was killed on July 11.
Full story >>

Strike total success - CTTU

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 July 1999, 17:54 GMT]
The General Secretary of the Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU), Mr.T.Mahasivam, said today that the one-day strike by the teachers, principals and non-academic staff in schools in the north east province was a one hundred percent success.
Full story >>

UNP plans public opinion study

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 July 1999, 16:14 GMT]
Sri Lanka's main opposition party, the UNP, said today that it will formulate a national plan for the millennium in consultation with a wide cross section of island's population and political parties. While addressing a press conference in Colombo to explain the national plan, the leader of the UNP, Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe said that the views of the Liberation Tigers would also be obtained for preparing the national plan.
Full story >>

SLA arrests ICRC employee

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 July 1999, 08:39 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops cordoned off the offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at Kovinthan Road in Batticaloa yesterday evening and arrested a local employee of the organisation around 7 p.m. said sources.
Full story >>

Teacher's Union prepares for strike action

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 July 1999, 20:35 GMT]
The Ceylon Tamil Teacher's Union has asked the student community of the North-east to stay at home on July 19 when teachers, principals and non-academic staff boycott schools by sending sick notes in support of the nine demands put forward by the CTTU to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
Full story >>

SLMC supporters show displeasure for defector

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 July 1999, 19:55 GMT]
Supporters of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) threw stones and burnt tyres when Myown Mustapha, a former SLMC politician who joined the UNP last week, was taken in a motorcade from Amparai to Thuraineelavanai this evening, said residents.
Full story >>

Three held on chemicals charge

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 July 1999, 20:14 GMT]
The Special Task Force (STF) arrested three civilians today, on the charge of possessing some chemicals which could be used for manufacturing explosives. Two of the detainees were Tamils of Periya Porathivu and the third person was a Muslim from Kattankudy in the Batticaloa district, residents said.
Full story >>

Police fire tear gas at Colombo demonstrators

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 July 1999, 12:28 GMT]
Sri Lankan riot police fired tear gas to disperse thousands of demonstrators who participated in a procession today, demanding the government to abolish the Presidential system in the country.
Full story >>

Youth arrested for photographing vehicle

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 July 1999, 02:55 GMT]
A muslim youth was taken into custody by the Trincomalee Police on Monday evening when he was taking a photograph of the vehicle of the Governor of the North East province, Major Asoka Jeyawardene.
Full story >>

Parties call for abolition of presidential government

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 July 1999, 23:01 GMT]
Four political parties the JVP, MEP, NSSP and the MULF have planned to hold a fast in front of the Fort Station in Colombo on Friday to protest at the continuation of the Presidential system of government by the PA coalition government.
Full story >>

Hindu parents dissatisfied with Buddhist Principal

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 July 1999, 19:55 GMT]
The All Ceylon Young Hindu Federation has requested the Minister of Education and Higher Education and the north western provincial council administration to appoint a Hindu principal to the Kurunegala Hindu Maha Vidyalayam.
Full story >>

Failure to honour talk commitments prompts CTTU action

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 July 1999, 19:50 GMT]
The Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU) has now renewed its call for trade union action, claiming that the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education has failed to honour his assurances given during the talks he had with the deputation of the CTTU on June 30.
Full story >>

Protests over government textbooks

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 July 1999, 17:30 GMT]
(News Feature) At a two-day workshop jointly organised by the World Bank and the Department for International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom, the Samshakthi Teachers' Forum presented its report on the role of school textbooks for multi social reconciliation in Sri Lanka.
Full story >>