Catholics denied burial rights

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 June 1999, 07:40 GMT]
Burial in the cemetery adjoining the Catholic church in Vakarai, Batticaloa district has been banned by the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) which has its camp in the central section of the village, said sources. This has forced the Catholic population to use the cemetery traditionally used by the Hindus.
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Devotees disappointed

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 June 1999, 18:29 GMT]
Hundreds of devotees returned home disappointed this morning after the SLA refused them permission to attend the annual ‘pongal’ festival of the Iyakkachchi Thiriyai Amman temple, residents said.
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Three arrested in Gurunakar

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 June 1999, 18:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army soldiers cordoned off a house at Gurunakar in Jaffna this afternoon and arrested three people, including a father and his son. They are being detained at the Gurunakar SLA camp, said sources.
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Gandhi appointed as new Razeek group leader

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 June 1999, 09:22 GMT]
Mr. Sivaguru Navaratnam alias Gandhi, 33, was appointed the new leader of the Razeek group yesterday. He was sworn into his new post in front of the Sri Lankan Army Commander for Batticaloa.
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Torture prevails despite reforms - Amnesty International

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 June 1999, 15:01 GMT]
In a news release published today titled, " Torture prevails despite reforms", the human rights pressure group Amnesty International said that "despite several positive steps in recent years, torture continues to mar Sri Lanka's human rights record."
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Eleven civilians killed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 June 1999, 07:11 GMT]
Military officials said today that eleven civilians were killed and 6 injured last night, around 8.30 p.m, in an attack by the LTTE at Kiri Ibanwewa a remote settlement in Weli Oya area.
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Thirukovil refugees ask to go home

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 May 1999, 16:10 GMT]
One thousand and sixty seven Tamil families who for the past nine years have been living in four refugee camps in the Thirukovil division of the Amparai district have asked the authorities to take immediate steps to resettle them in their own villages.
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PS Deputy Chairman killed

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 May 1999, 12:34 GMT]
The Deputy Chairman of the Nallur Pradheshiya Sabha (PS), Thiyakarajah Rajkumar,32, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen at Kantharmadam, about 2 km. north of Jaffna town, around 10.00 a.m. this morning.
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News in Brief:

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 May 1999, 20:34 GMT]
Almost 3000 petitioners sue Police; NGO's urge release of Sri Lanka Red Cross (SLRC) official and Identity Cards taken from bus passengers.
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Razeek killed in blast

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 May 1999, 09:29 GMT]
P.Ganeshmoorthy, also known as Razeek, leader of the military wing of the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) and one of his assistants, Chandran Jeyakumar were killed in a bomb explosion at about 1.05 p.m. today. A civilian, Ali Mohamed Thahir of Eravur was also killed, along with the attacker.
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SLA-LTTE clash in Vadamaradchi

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 May 1999, 11:26 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were wounded in a clash with the Liberation Tigers in Vadamaradchi East in the Jaffna peninsula this morning around 11 a.m. police sources in the northern town said.
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Forced labour said exacerbating poverty

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 May 1999, 16:42 GMT]
"My family is dependent on my day-to-day earnings. My children will stave if I do not work even for a day", said a refugee who was among a group of men who were compelled by the Sri Lanka Army to clean its camp at Valaichenai last week.
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India-bound refugees detained

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 May 1999, 06:08 GMT]
Seventy-seven Tamil refugees, including 25 women and 11 children, were detained by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) yesterday when they attempted to cross over to India to seek refuge there.
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PLOTE - EPDP tension in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 May 1999, 23:05 GMT]
An EPDP member and his wife were seriously wounded when they were assaulted by armed PLOTE cadres in Batticaloa at around 6.15 p.m. this evening.
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Batticaloa farmers protest against discrimination

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 May 1999, 16:25 GMT]
Farmers in the eastern district of Batticaloa will stage a demonstration on Thursday, May 27, protesting at discrimination in the implementation of development projects under the DERBA scheme (Development and Rehabilitation of Batticaloa).
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Army recruitment deadline extended

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 May 1999, 12:02 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army extended the deadline for the recruitment of Jaffna youths in to its ranks as no one had turned up for the walk-in interviews until yesterday evening.
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Magistrate calls for emergency regulations compliance

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 May 1999, 20:59 GMT]
Mr. M.Ilancheliyan, the Mannar district magistrate, has written to the military official in charge of Madhu and Iranai Iluppaikulam asking for the details of any civilians who have been arrested from the area.
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PLOTE disbands intelligence unit

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 May 1999, 20:57 GMT]
The military wing leader and the second in command of PLOTE, Mr.N.Manikathasan, said that the group's intelligence division was dissolved today. The announcement was by Mr. Manikathasan's secretary, Mr. Baskaran, during a press conference called today at the PLOTE office in Vavuniya.
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NEPC Governor to visit Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 May 1999, 16:53 GMT]
The North-east Provincial Governor, Major General (ret.) Asoka Jayawardana, will pay an official visit to northern Jaffna district during the latter part of June or first week of July, said sources at the Provincial Secretariat.
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LTTE shells SLA convoy

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 May 1999, 12:04 GMT]
A Special Task Forces commando soldier was wounded when the Liberation Tigers ambushed a STF foot-patrol at Sorikkal Munai, 2 km. south of Samanthurai, in the south-eastern Ampara district, last night.
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