Teachers union deplores correspondence in Sinhala

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 July 2002, 18:08 GMT]
The Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU) Tuesday criticised education officials for sending letters and circulars to persons working in the Northeast in the Sinhala language despite a pledge by Colombo not to do so. "The Minister of Human Resources Development, Education and Cultural Affairs directed the relevant officials in his ministry to correspond with Tamil medium schools in Tamil or English. But education officials still correspond only in the Sinhala language," said Mr.S.Thandauthapani, President of the CTTU.
Full story >>

TNA to meet Ranil before Vanni visit

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 July 2002, 16:44 GMT]
The Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe has invited Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians for an important discussion about the current state of the peace process. The meeting comes a day ahead of the last deadline mentioned in the Cease-fire Agreement (CFA) between the Liberation Tigers and Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe's government.
Full story >>

Govt, LTTE ‘steadfastly preparing for peace’ - SLMM

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 July 2002, 15:26 GMT]
(News Feature) International monitors this week hailed the ceasefire agreement between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers and praised both sides for adhering to it. The agreement, which came into effect on February 23 (referred to as D-day in the document), has several deadlines by which specified actions to restore normalcy should be completed. The upbeat statement by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) comes as the last of the listed deadlines (D+160) looms on Friday, August 2.
Full story >>

SLA vacates Hartley College, Morakkoddanchenai School

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 July 2002, 13:34 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army Monday vacated the Morakkoddanchenai Ramakrishna Mission School in the Batticaloa district after twelve years of occupation and handed two buildings of the Point Pedro Hartley College in Jaffna. Students and parents who object that the SLA's continues to occupy several private homes and public buildings, including the local library and village council surrounding the school in the heart of Morakkoddanchenai, boycotted the event.
Full story >>

Tamil refugees rescued from mid-sea

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 July 2002, 16:20 GMT]
Nine Sri Lankan Tamil refugees who left Ramehswaram Wednesday night in a boat to Mannar were rescued by Talaimannar fishermen from a sandbank in mid-sea Saturday morning. The Mannar District Judge Mr.M.P.Mohideen Sunday ordered the Police to send these refugees to Jaffna district to be resettled in their own villages, Chavakachcheri and Ilavalai.
Full story >>

T. E, S. L Police investigate Madhu murder

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 July 2002, 12:21 GMT]
The Tamileelam Police service Sunday afternoon handed over to the Sri Lanka Police the bodies of three persons from Kandy, suspected to have been murdered in the Madhu region last week. The Government Agent for Vavuniya arranged the transfer, officials said. Mr. Manikavasakar Ilancheliyan, the Vavuniya district judge who inspected the bodies Sunday at the Vavuniya hospital, directed the Police to seek, through the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, evidence, productions, witnesses and suspects arrested in connection with the murder in the LTTE controlled Vanni region.
Full story >>

Kanniya resettlement begins after 12 years

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 July 2002, 10:11 GMT]
Displaced Tamil families from the predominantly Tamil village Kanniya, 7 km north of Trincomalee town are returning to their own land. More than one thousand families had been displaced since 1990 from Kanniya due to violence by the State armed forces. "Under the first stage, about one hundred displaced families are to be resettled ,"said Mr.Iynkaran, the Head of the LTTE’s Political Division for the Trincomalee district Sunday.
Full story >>

Moragoda meets Balasingham in London

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 July 2002, 16:16 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Minister Milinda Moragoda met Mr. Anton Balasingham, the chief negotiator of the Liberation Tigers at the Norwegian ambassadorial residence in London, Saturday. In a statement Saturday, the Norwegian Government hailed the meeting as a "new phase" in its peace initiative in Sri Lanka.
Full story >>

Tamileelam Police escorts Jaffna prisoners

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 July 2002, 15:19 GMT]
Prisoners from the Jaffna were taken on the A9 highway to the Anuradhapura jail Saturday for the first time in twenty years, Sri Lankan prison officials said. The Jaffna prisoners were escorted by the Tamileelam Police service from Muhamalai in Jaffna to the Sri Lanka army's Omanthai entry point, according to them.
Full story >>

Students demand demilitarisation of school environs

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 July 2002, 18:25 GMT]
More than a thousand protesting students blocked the A9 highway near the Chavakachcheri town in Jaffna Friday, demanding that their school environments be made free of Sri Lankan military presence and that Colombo should fully implement the cease-fire agreement. The protesting students stalled military and civilians traffic on the A9 for more than an hour.
Full story >>

Confession based convicted to be released

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 July 2002, 22:08 GMT]
Tamil political prisoners who have been indicted solely on their confessions should be released it was agreed at a top level conference held Thursday evening at Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence. It was also decided that immediate steps should be taken to dispose of all other cases within a month.
Full story >>

SLA re-opens Varani road

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 July 2002, 18:05 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army re-opened the main road through Varani in Jaffna this week. The SLA was encamped in the heart of the village, astride the Kodikamam - Pt. Pedro Road, occupying private property in the area, including many homes. Varani residents who were evicted from their homes and properties by the SLA wrote to Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe after he signed the Cease-fire Agreement with the Liberation Tigers, urging him to open the road and return the village centre to them.
Full story >>

Legislators trade blows in parliament

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 July 2002, 16:36 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliamentary sitting was suspended Wednesday morning for about fifteen minutes when a group of ruling and opposition members exchanged blows in the well of the House. Pandemonium erupted when the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse, made a statement calling for an apology from, and the resignation of, Commerce Minister Mr. Ravi Karunanayake on the grounds that he had accused the President of carrying a bomb in her handbag.
Full story >>

Trial-at-Bar inquiry for Mirusuvil massacre

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 July 2002, 16:28 GMT]
The Attorney General has decided to indict a group of Sri Lanka Army officials for the killing of eight Tamil civilians at Mirusuvil in Jaffna district before a three-member bench of the High Court. The Attorney General is to make a request to the Chief Justice shortly to name the judges for the Trail-at-Bar inquiry, legal sources said.
Full story >>

Jaffna cricket team in Britain

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 July 2002, 04:03 GMT]
A cricket team from Jaffna is touring Britain ahead of a guest appearance at a Tamil expatriate sports festival, according to a London press report. The Tamil team, comprising students from Jaffna university, beat a Welsh team last week, the Tamil Guardian reported.
Full story >>

LTTE political officials harassed

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 July 2002, 03:46 GMT]
A senior political cadre of the Liberation Tigers was assaulted by Sri Lankan troops last week whilst another was arrested and interrogated, Tamil press reports said. Protests were lodged with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), the reports said.
Full story >>

Tigers welcomed on Jaffna island

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 July 2002, 03:08 GMT]
Political cadres of the Liberation Tigers Monday landed in Analaitheevu, one of the islands off the Jaffna peninsula, and received an enthusiastic welcome from the residents, Tamil press reports said Tuesday.
Full story >>

Tigers’ armed struggle for justice - MP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 July 2002, 00:17 GMT]
The armed struggle of the Liberation Tigers has just objectives, Mr. R. Sampanthan, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group leader said Tuesday addressing a gathering at the conclusion of one day token fast held in Trincomalee Monday evening in protest at the continued detention of Tamil Nadu politician Mr. V. Gopalasamy.
Full story >>

Military blocking Valikamam resettlement - MP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 July 2002, 05:51 GMT]
By refusing to allow displaced civilians to resettle in Valikamam north in the Jaffna district, the Sri Lankan military is violating the ceasefire agreement the government signed with the Liberation Tigers, said Jaffna district parliamentarian Mr. G. G. Gajendrakumar, addressing a press conference Monday at the office of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC).
Full story >>

Defence Ministry Secretary concludes Jaffna visit

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 July 2002, 10:30 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Defence Ministry Secretary Mr. Austin Fernando accompanied by the Sri Lanka Army commander, Lt.Gen. Lionel Balagalle and Sri Lanka Navy commander, Vice Admiral Daya Sandagiri concluded his two-day visit to Jaffna district Sunday.
Full story >>