Doyen of Sinhala nationalism passes away

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Gamani Jayasuriya, an ardent Sinhala nationalist and controversial politician died today. He was 74. He was Minister of Agriculture in J R Jayewardena's 1977 Cabinet from which he resigned in 1987, protesting against the Indo-Lanka Accord. Gamani Jayasuriya was also a stout champion of Buddhism and associated with many organisations such as the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress.
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Kalutara prison inquiry concludes

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The inquiry into the death of two Tamil and one Muslim detainees - Shanmugarajah Sivanesan, Mutthulingam Dharamalingam and Mohammed Jehan - at the Kalutara prison on December 12, 1997 was concluded yesterday. The Commission of Inquiry appointed by Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga, was headed by High Court judge Raja Fernando and comprised two others.
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Villagers protest over forcible eviction

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Between 500 and 1000 persons, forcibly evicted by the Sri Lankan army from Upparu, 15 km south of Trincomalee, staged a token fast at the nearby village of Aalenkerni today, between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. with the support of the Eelam Peoples' Democratic Party (EPDP), according to sources.
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Senior US official to visit Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Ambassador Bill Richardson, the most senior US official to visit Sri Lanka since 1972, will arrive in Colombo on Saturday April 18 with a special letter from President Bill Clinton to Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunge Bandranaike.
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Puttalam Sinhalese fear Muslim settlers - ULF

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Resettling refugees from the Muslim community in the Puttalam area and allowing them to register as voters there is perceived as a threat by members of the majority Sinhalese community who are native to those areas, said United Lalith Front's (ULF) Ms. Srimani Athulathmudali, MP, recently in Parliament.
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Local NGOs to cold shoulder Sarvodaya

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Jaffna NGO Consortium reacted with scorn at the proposed visit to Jaffna by the leader of Sarvodaya , the largest NGO in Sri Lanka, A.T. Ariyaratne, who pledged that he would acquaint himself with the problems of the people of Jaffna by visiting the peninsula on April 17 before reporting on the matter to Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga, said sources inJaffna.
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18 Tigers killed near Mankulam - MoD

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 March 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Contrary to earlier reports, the object found on the bus from Chavakachari to Varani this morning was not a bomb. SLA sources in Thenmaratchi confirmed that the object was the mini-parachute of a flare which had been fired by the SLA.
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Thirukkovil refugees' woes worsened by STF

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 March 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Eight hundred and nine refugee families, displaced from the interior villages of Thangavelayuthapuram, Kanjikudichcha Aaru, Alikkambai, Thandiady, Udumbankulam etc., in the south eastern sector of the Amparai district, have been living as refugees in Thirukkovil, a large ancient Tamil village, on the eastern coast of the Amparai District, since 1990.
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Corrupt practices of Sudu Nelum denied

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 March 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Peoples' Alliance (PA), which opened a branch office for the first time in the Jaffna Peninsula today, denied responsibility for the corrupt practices of the Sudu Nelum Movement during the run up to the local government elections held in the Jaffna Peninsula in January this year, said sources in Jaffna.
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EPRLF pursues compensation cases

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 March 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Eelam Peoples' Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) has requested Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga and the Governor of the North-East Province Council (NEPC) Mr. Gamini Fonseka, to intervene in the Palaly SLAF base expansion project in Waligamam to compensate residents of the area who lost their properties due to their lands being taken over for the project, said sources in Jaffna.
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UNP briefs diplomats on PA violence

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 March 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A delegation of United National Party (UNP), the main opposition party, met western diplomats in Colombo today to brief them about the political violence unleashed on them by the PA government in recent times.
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A decade of agony for families of the Disappeared

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 March 1998, 23:59 GMT]
On May 17, 1990, Special Task Force personnel from the Periyaneelavenai camp in the Batticaloa District, went from house to house in the villages of Periyakallar and Thuraineelavanai, rounding up youngsters. The villages are in the Batticaloa District. At Periyakallar the STF posed off as members of the LTTE.


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EPDP cadre sought on molestation charge

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 March 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Jaffna Magistrate M Thirunavukarasu, issued the second warrant on Tuesday for the arrest of Thiagarajah Srikanthan, a member of the Eelam Peoples' Democratic Party (EPDP), on the charge of molesting a young woman S. Pushpalatha (21).
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Mannar ferry service in limbo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 March 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The District Secretariat of Mannar, has requested the Commissioner General of Essential Services (CGES) permission to run a ferry service between Mannar and Kurikattuvan in the Jaffna Peninsula, for transporting over 7000 persons, now stuck in the Mannar island as refugees, back to their homes, said sources in Mannar.
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War to end this year - President

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 March 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunge said today that she will finish the war before the end of this year and that she will hold elections to the provincial councils in August. The Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge also said that a political solution will be implemented before the end of this year.
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Tigers, SLA exchange artillery fire - VoT

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 February 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Voice of Tigers (VoT) said this evening that from early morning yesterday till evening, the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lankan Army had exchanged artillery and mortar fire in the Mankulam area. Kfir aircraft of the SLAF also bombed civilian areas in the Mankulam area, the radio said.
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Government woos deserters again

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 February 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A meeting was held at the Galewella Madhya Maha Vidyalaya recently to discuss plans to persuade Sri Lankan Army (SLA) deserters from the Galewella Divisional Secretary's area to rejoin the security forces. Galewela town is on the high way from Colombo to Polannaruwa through Dambulla.
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Jaffna MOH unable to control malaria

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 February 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Dr. Deivendram, Medical Officer of Health, Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC), told ex-Eelam Peoples' Democratic Party (EPDP) Member of Parliament R.Ramamoorthy on Monday, that of the 24 malathion anti-Malaria spray-guns needed for JMC, only four were available, said sources in Jaffna.
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Lukewarm response to amnesty offer

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 February 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Despite the fresh amnesty offered by the Sri Lankan president Chandrika Kumaratunge to the SLA deserters, few are returning to their units, forcing the government further to extend the amnesty to February 25.
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Most plantation workers on strike today

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 February 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Sri Lankan plantation workers burnt an effigy of S. Thondaman, leader of the main trade union in the Sri Lanka's hill country, for reaching a compromise on the strike, and demanding 105 rupees as minimum daily wage.
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