Northeast development under military control

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 January 1999, 15:13 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government is expected to resolve soon that all development work in the North-eastern province in 1999 can be undertaken only with the permission of the Sri Lankan Army (SLA).
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News in Brief:

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 January 1999, 14:46 GMT]
'Lanka Muditha' sails from Jaffna; Anuradhapura detainees begin hunger strike; Kilinochchi flood victims yet to receive relief help from the Social Service Department; 75 artificial limbs distributed in the Vanni and Akkarayankulam hospital releases statistics.
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Three transformers blasted in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 January 1999, 05:32 GMT]
Powerful explosion destroyed three transformers in Kotahena in the capital Colombo this morning. The Police said transformers at Vasala Road, Jampettah Street and Ginthupity were destroyed between 4.30 and 4.40 a.m.
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Last UNP rally disrupted

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 January 1999, 19:18 GMT]
The last campaign meeting organised by the main opposition party, the United National Party (UNP), for the Northwestern provincial Council elections, at Kuliyapitiya, northwest of Colombo, had been disrupted by hooligans.
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SLAF Jaffna shuttle from Monday

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 January 1999, 17:29 GMT]
A commercial service to fly civilians between Colombo and Jaffna by the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) will begin on Monday January 25, the Civil Administration Office of the SLA in Jaffna announced today.
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10,000 extra Policemen for polls

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 January 1999, 14:45 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Police said today that it will deploy 10,000 additional Policemen in the northwestern province on January 25, the day of the polling. The army will also be put on special alert on the day.
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SLAF Hercules to fly passengers

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 January 1999, 22:04 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) will begin its own passenger service to fly civilians between Colombo and Jaffna. This service will be run as a commercial operation sources said. The flights were scheduled to begin this Friday, January 22.
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News in Brief:

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 January 1999, 22:03 GMT]
Tamil political detainees in Kalutara prison begin a hunger strike and logistic difficulties hinder the hand over of the bodies of five Liberation Tigers killed in Jaffna.
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Second election death

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 January 1999, 12:48 GMT]
Gamini Weerasinghe, the brother of a People's Alliance (PA) member of a Puttalam district Pradeshiya Sabah, was killed in a shoot out at Paalavi Junction in Aanamauwa last night. The crime division of the Puttalam Police said that they are investigating the killing.
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False bomb alarm prompts evacuation

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 January 1999, 10:17 GMT]
Students and staff at two schools in Colombo were evacuated following a false bomb alarm this morning. Anonymous callers had told the authorities at Ananda College in Maradana, close to downtown Colombo and another school at Muttuwal that powerful bombs were planted in the premises of their schools and could go off at any time.
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News in Brief:

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 January 1999, 23:48 GMT]
Ponnambalam to be interrogated tomorrow; Two arrested in Jaffna; Ex-EPDP cadre commits suicide and Varatharaajapperumal meets EPRLF leaders.
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PA supporters attack JVP meeting

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 January 1999, 19:57 GMT]
Eleven members and sympathisers of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) were injured when a large group of PA supporters and thugs attacked the party's meeting this afternoon at Pannala, about sixty five kilometers northwest of Colombo. The wounded have been admitted to the Kurunagala hospital.
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PA-Srimani deal?

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 January 1999, 13:06 GMT]
The General Secretary of the People's Alliance (PA) Minister, D.M.Jayaratne, today informed the secretary General of Parliament that Parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake is deemed to have vacated his seat in Parliament as he was expelled from the Lalith faction of the Democratic United National Front (DUNLF) with effect from Sunday 17.
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Mannar exit limited to fifty

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 January 1999, 20:26 GMT]
Only fifty civilians are now allowed to travel from Mannar to districts outside the northern province each day due to a new regulation introduced this week by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) says TamilNet's Mannar correspondent. The SLA has issued its own special identity cards to permanent residents who live in those areas of the Mannar district which are under its control.
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Postponed PC polls to be held

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 January 1999, 20:09 GMT]
Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunge has advised the Elections Commissioner to fix a date for the Councils polls in the Uva, Central, North Central, Sabaragamuwa and Western Provinces, sources in Colombo said today.
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Bank, SLA investigate theft attempt

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 January 1999, 15:14 GMT]
Officials from the head office of the Bank of Ceylon in Colombo and from the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) went to Mannar today to probe an attempt to rob fifty million Sri Lankan rupees sent by the bank's Mannar branch to the Thallaady army camp on Thursday for safe keeping.
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Many mediation offers are not genuine - Kadirgamar

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 January 1999, 14:03 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar said that sixteen countries are keen to mediate in the island's ethnic conflict. But only a few of these are genuine Mr. Kadirgamar added while speaking to journalists at a press conference in his ministry this afternoon.
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Blasts disrupt businesses' electricity

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 January 1999, 11:29 GMT]
Powerful blasts destroyed two large electricity supply transformers in the heart of Colombo's business district in the early hours of the morning today.
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Attack on UNP kills one

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 January 1999, 20:08 GMT]
A Tamil youth campaigning for the United National Party (UNP) was shot dead when gunmen suspected to be members of Sri Lanka's ruling People's Allaiance (PA) fired at the house of UNP candiadte, Mr.Gamini Dissanayaka, last night at Kuliyapitiya northwest of Colombo.
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Varatharajapperumaal back in Sri Lanka ?

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 January 1999, 20:04 GMT]
The EPRLF leader Suresh Premachandran denied reports in Colombo today that Varatharajapperumaal, the former chief minister of the Northeastern Provincial Council is in Sri Lanka.
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