USTR explores investment possibilities in Jaffna peninsula

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 October 2010, 06:52 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Ambassador to United States, Jaliya Wicramasuriya brought a team of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) for South and Central Asian Development Tuesday to Jaffna to explore into the possibility of trade investments in Jaffna peninsula. The USTR team met the representatives of Jaffna Traders Association and Sri Lanka National Chamber of Commerce in Jaffna Public Library Tuesday. Northern Province Governor Major Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri, Sri Lanka minister Douglas Devananda and Jaffna Mayor were some of the persons who were present in the meeting. US is also trying to initiate its trade activities in Jaffna peninsula which is already teeming with show rooms displaying Indian products while imported Chinese goods are available in large quantities in Jaffna peninsula and Vanni, Jaffna Traders Association circles said.
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Northern ‘Development’ Meeting to be held in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 October 2010, 05:40 GMT]
Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa is to hold the ‘Development’ Meeting of North in Vavuniyaa 19 October and a meeting to discuss arrangement for the Vavuniyaa meeting was held Monday in Jaffna Secretariat by Northern Province Governor, Major Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri and Sri Lanka Minister, Douglas Devananda. The Government Agents of the districts of Jaffna, Ki’linochchi, Mullaiththeevu, Vavuniyaa and Mannaar participated in the meeting.
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193 Sinhala families seek resettlement in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 October 2010, 05:12 GMT]
193 Sinhala families have arrived in Jaffna until Friday seeking resettlement in Jaffna claiming that their families had lived in Jaffna before 1983. They are occupying the old Jaffna Railway Station premises displacing the families of uprooted families from Valikaamam North Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zone (HSZ) who had been staying there, local media sources said. Some of these Sinhala families belong to SLA soldiers in Jaffna and SLA authorities are providing the basic needs for all the Sinhala families. Meanwhile, Jaffna Government Agent Ms. Imelda Sukumar said that no one had informed Jaffna Secretariat about the Sinhala families coming to Jaffna. The families handed Friday appeals to Jaffna GA and Sri Lanka minister Douglas Devananda requesting help to resettle them in Jaffna.
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Swindler from South arrested in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 October 2010, 04:30 GMT]
A person from southern Sri Lanka who tried to cheat the war-affected women in Changkaanai in Valikaamam Jaffna was caught by local government officers and handed over to Maanippaay police. He had announced in the local media that he would help to get compensation money from Sri Lanka government and that the applicants should pay an amount of money for registration. He was caught when he was about to organize a meeting for the registration of applicants in Changkaanai. The person is detained in Maanippay police station for interrogation.
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Police security to Jaffna Tamil daily strengthened

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 October 2010, 08:07 GMT]
Following threats to a Tamil daily in Jaffna by Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) led by Sri Lanka minister Douglas Devananda the editors had sought extra protection from Jaffna police and security to the office of the daily has been strengthened, media sources in Jaffna said. The daily had published Sunday, news related to the illegal sand excavation by EPDP firm ‘Maheswary Funds’ highlighting the appeal by the residents of Vadamaraadchi East to Jaffna District Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians to stop the sand excavation destroying large areas in Kudaththanai and Ma’natkaadu. EPDP men arriving in two buses had gathered in front of the daily’s office to demonstrate against the daily and to attack its office, sources in Jaffna said. However, the situation was brought to normalcy following the talks held between the editors of the daily and some of the EPDP men.
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EPDP Thinamurasu published as daily paper in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 October 2010, 03:14 GMT]
Thinamurasu, the Eealam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) weekly that was published in Colombo and issued in Jaffna peninsula by EPDP leader and Sri Lanka minister Douglas Devananda was released in Jaffna Friday as a daily when he opened his press located in Chu’ndikkuzhi on Jaffna main road. It is alleged that Douglas Devananda had coerced the editors and workers of former ‘Namathu Eezhanaadu’ daily which had stopped publishing, into working in his newly opened press, local media sources said.
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Douglas Devananda pays homage to SLA soldiers killed in demining

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 September 2010, 05:20 GMT]
Sri Lanka Minister Douglas Devananda paid homage to the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers killed in demining operations in the North in an event held in Vassavi’laan Maththiya Makaa Viththiyaalayam Tuesday. Paying homage to SLA soldiers by Douglas Devananda is an attempt to please Major Gen. Mahinda Kathurusinghe, SLA Jaffna Commander who had openly criticized him for exploiting the sacrifices of SLA soldiers to attain selfish interests, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, Northern Province Governor, Major Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri is keen in improving relations between Douglas Devananda and Mahinda Kathurusinghe, the sources added.
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Reopening Vasaavi’laan School in Palaali HSZ not immediately possible

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 September 2010, 20:19 GMT]
Reopening Vasaavi’laan Maththiya Makaa Viththiyaalayam caught in Palaali High Security Zone (HSZ) of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) for the last twenty years is not immediately possible due to the danger of landmines in the school precincts, the school administration said. The school is functioning in a private property in Urumpiraay area since it was forced to displace in 1990 due to SLA offensives. The roof and the furniture of the school had been plundered during SLA occupation.
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Colombo Crime Division arrests press owner in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 September 2010, 18:25 GMT]
A special team of Colombo Crime Division arrested the owner of Churapi Achchakam (printing press), C. Kuruthev, in Jaffna Tuesday and took him to Colombo for inquiry, sources in Jaffna said. Kuruthev’s brother, the General Manager of the Tamil daily Namathu Eezhanaadu, C. Sivamaharajah, had been assassinated at his house in Thellippazhai in August 2006. Sri Lanka Minister Douglas Devananda, the head of Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), had sought to acquire Churapi Achchakam to print a Tamil Daily in the name of Thinamurasu to which Kuruthev had not consented, media circles in Jaffna said.
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SL government ‘explores’ development of Jaffna district

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 September 2010, 15:21 GMT]
Sri Lanka government which had not contributed to the development of Jaffna district in any significant manner is showing off the development activities in Jaffna peninsula funded by World Bank and Asian Development Bank as if it is spending its own money on them, government officials who participated in SL government’s Jaffna District Development Meeting (DDM) held in Jaffna Secretariat Wednesday said. The meeting was similar to the earlier ones where on going development activities and future plans for development were just ‘explored’ into without any concrete allocation of funds for them. On the whole it was lip service paid to the ‘development of North’ Sri Lanka government claims to be interested in, they added.
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Jaffna peninsula fishermen exploited by SL government men

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 September 2010, 02:26 GMT]
Some influential Sri Lanka government politicians and Sinhala traders from South are exploiting the fishermen of Jaffna peninsula not allowing them to take their catches South for sale, Fisheries Societies in Jaffna peninsula accuse. Fish now being caught in large quantity exceed local consumption and the fishermen are forced to dry them as the export to South is a monopoly of SL government politicians like SL Minister Douglas Devananda and his supporters, they said.
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Jaffna MPCS employees agitate against political interference

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 September 2010, 05:09 GMT]
The General Manager of Jaffna Multi Purpose Cooperative Society (MPCS) resigned his post Monday due to pressure by Sri Lanka minister Douglas Devananda and his supporters, sources in Jaffna said. Sri Lanka government has scrapped the democratically elected Board of Directors of MPC societies appointing its own persons as directors who are alleged of corruption, Jaffna MPCS members said. A case against the former President of Jaffna MPCS, Kiritharan, appointed by Douglas Devananda, for misappropriating millions of rupees is pending in Jaffna High Court in which Douglas Devananda is also involved, the members said. Jaffna MPCS handles various services to people of Jaffna peninsula including the distribution of relief dry food rations.
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TNA attends SL District Development meeting in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 September 2010, 04:48 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna district parliamentarians Suresh Premachandran and Sarvanabavan participated in the Sri Lanka government’s Jaffna District Development meeting Sunday in Jaffna. This is the first time TNA parliamentarians are participating in the District Development Meeting in Jaffna district. Suresh Premachandran had issued a message to local media Saturday night that TNA will attend the Sunday meeting. Sri Lanka Minister of Disaster Management A. H. M. Fowzi and SL Minister of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development Douglas Devananda jointly chaired the Sunday meeting.
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SL National Defence Day to be held in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 September 2010, 06:17 GMT]
Sri Lanka Minister of Disaster Management A. H. M. Fowzie will hold a meeting in Jaffna Sunday with government departmental heads and representatives of public organization to discuss arrangements of the Sri Lanka National Defence Day that is to be celebrated in Jaffna 26 December, Jaffna Secretariat sources said. This is another event like Sri Lanka Cabinet meeting held in Ki’linochchi and the Government Agents conference staged in Jaffna by the Sri Lanka government to show the world as if it is genuinely interested in the 'development' of the North, civil society organizations in Jaffna said.
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Nirupama faces civil society outburst in North

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 August 2010, 17:31 GMT]
India provided arms and logistical support to Colombo in the Vanni war. It didn’t take any effort to stop the war. Even after one year of the war, India didn’t act on rehabilitating the incarcerated people, accused members of the confederation of citizens’ forums in Jaffna while meeting the visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Menon Rao on Tuesday. Resettlement is a hoodwink in Vanni, said retired Senior Professor S.K. Sitrampalam of the University of Jaffna, expressing the strong sentiments of Eezham Tamils. Army has occupied the Tamil lands and people have strong doubts whether India would be of any help in Tamils getting a political solution, the civil society representatives told the visiting Indian diplomat.
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Rajapaksa appoints new SLFP organizer to North

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 August 2010, 08:23 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the leader of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), a constituent of ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), appointed Saturday Angkayan Ramanathan, a leading businessman from Valveddiththu'rai as the new SLFP organizer of North Sri Lanka, sources in Jaffna said. Angkayan Ramanathan is appointed in place of Thangarasa, who was charged in Jaffna Magistrate Court of swindling more than seven millions rupees promising Jaffna peninsula youths employment and imprisoned. Meanwhile, this appointment is seen as one of the measures taken by Rajapaksa family to sideline Sri Lanka minister and leader of Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), Douglas Devananda who acts as the sole representative of Sri Lanka government in the North, political observers in the peninsula said.
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Nalloor Kanthasuvaami temple annual festival begins

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 August 2010, 06:06 GMT]
The annual festival of the historic Nalloor Kanthasuvaami temple in Jaffna will begin Sunday with the Sacred Festival Flag hoisting ceremony (Kodiyeattam) and will continue until 8 September. An unprecedented number of devotees are expected to attend the festival and transport and other necessary arrangements have been made by Jaffna Municpal Council (JMC) authorities which said that women attending the festivals should wear saree, sources in Jaffna said.
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EPDP monopoly in the distribution of relief ration hits uprooted familes in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 August 2010, 05:24 GMT]
Seventy percent of the familes uprooted during war and resettled in Jaffna peninsula depend on the dry food relief ration redistributed by agencies which obtain the contract of distribution through Sri Lanka government tenders. Jaffna Traders' Assocaition (JTA) circles allege that a particular trader acting as an agent of Sri Lanka minister Douglas Devananda, leader of Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), has obtained the distribution tenders using the letter heads of more than three agencies and that the procedure of calling for tenders by Jaffna Secretariat is explotied by him to the disadvantage of other bidders. The dry food relief ration distributed to the uprooted families by the said trader is very poor in quality as the food items supplied by Jaffna Secretariat to him are sold in black market, JTA sources said.
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Indiscriminate sand excavation in Vadmaraadchi causes seepage of seawater

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 August 2010, 07:46 GMT]
Sri Lanka Department of Geological Survey & Mine Bureau (GSMB) officials who arrived in Jaffna to conduct a survey in Vadamaraadchi East where indiscriminate excavation of sand causes seepage of sea water had to stop their work due to interference by Sri Lanka minister Douglas Devananda, leader of Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP), sources in Vadamaraadchi said. The EPDP firm called ‘Maheswary Funds’, named after assassinated EPDP organizer Maheswaray Vealautham, has procured exclusive rights to excavate sand in Vadamaraadchi and is alleged of making huge profits, the sources added.
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Valikaamam uprooted families abandon protest demonstration due to death threats

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 August 2010, 07:21 GMT]
Welfare organizations of Valikaamam North residents expelled by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) from their properties twenty years ago cancelled a human chain protest demanding resettlement in their places due to death threats to the key persons of the organizations, sources in Jaffna said. The persons threatened wish anonymity as they fear for their lives. Meanwhile, conflicts between the SLA Jaffna Commander, Major Gen. Mahinda Kathurusinghe and Sri Lanka Minister Douglas Devanda on the issue of resettlement in the outskirts of SLA High Security Zone (HSZ) in Valikaamam are causes for the delay in resettlement, the sources further said.
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