TNA MPs, LTTE activist attend Ifthar in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 November 2004, 05:42 GMT]
Mr.R.Sampanthan and Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians from the Trincomalee district, Mr.M.S.Thowfeek, former parliamentarian and a leading member of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Mr.Puratchi, head of the Trincomalee District Thamileelam Students Unit of the Liberation Tigers participated at the 'Ifthar' function held Friday evening at the Trincomalee Mohaideen Andavar Mosque, sources said.
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TRO honors Sinhala pre-school teachers

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 November 2004, 01:00 GMT]
Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) through its Pre School Educational Development Council (PSEDC) Saturday honoured about forty three Sinhala pre-school teachers in the Trincomalee Town and Gravets Division at the invitation of Sinhalese parents and residents of Mihindupura, a Sinhala settlement located about three km off east port town, sources said.
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Human Rights Commissioner meets Jaffna journalists

[TamilNet, Sunday, 31 October 2004, 22:34 GMT]
Mr.N.Selvakumaran, Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), addressing a press briefing in Jaffna said HRCSL would not hesitate to take action against errand policemen and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers for violation of human rights if it receives complaints supported with evidence. He met with the Jaffna based journalists at the regional office of HRCSL Sunday.
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Akashi visits Trincomalee, meets community leaders

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 October 2004, 11:53 GMT]
Mr.Yasushi Akashi, Japanese special peace envoy Saturday visited Trincomalee and held discussions with the delegations representing Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims in the Trincomalee district separately at the residence of Parish Priest of Trincomalee St Mary's Cathedral. "Trincomalee district has showed to the world that there is a possibility for co-existence and co-operation between the three communities in Sri Lanka," said Mr.Akashi after the discussion.
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Sinhala pre-school teachers join TRO's scheme

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 October 2004, 03:23 GMT]
Twenty two pre-school teachers from eleven schools in the Gomarankadawela division of the Trincomalee district Sunday arrived at the office of Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) to join the scheme of the Pre School Educational Development Council (PSEDC), which has its headquarters in Killinochchi, TRO sources said. Gomarankadawela is a traditional Sinhalese village in the east port district.
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Vavuniya hosts all island netball tournament

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 October 2004, 13:13 GMT]
Inauguration of the all ceylon women's netball championship in Vavuniya was delayed by more than an hour Saturday morning after some local groups objected to hoisting Sri Lanka's national flag and singing its national anthem at the two day sports event, Police said. Ms. Shiranthi Rajapaksha, wife of Sri Lanka's Prime Minister, was the chief guest at the inauguration of the tournament. The function, scheduled to start at 9.30 a.m. began late sans the Sri Lankan national flag and anthem.
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150 farmers honoured in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 October 2004, 17:07 GMT]
Northeast Provincial Department of Agriculture Thursday honoured 150 best farmers in the Trincomalee district at an event especially held at Divisional Agriculture Extension Office, which is located in Chelvanayakapuram settlement about three km off east port town. The event was organized by the Trincomalee District Department of Agriculture and sponsored by the Innovative Pesticide Marketing (PVT) Ltd. (IPMP).
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JVP supporters hold demo in Trinco

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 October 2004, 08:02 GMT]
A group of supporters of the Sinhala Nationalist cum Marist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), major constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) held a demonstration in front of the Trincomalee office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Commission (SLMM) Thursday around noon demanding the release of two Sinhala home guards who are in remand in Thamileelam prison on the orders of Thamileelam courts. The LTTE cadres arrested both home guards when they infiltrated into the LTTE controlled areas in the north of Trincomalee district on September 27, sources said.
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Education Ministry invites CTTU for talks to avert strike

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 October 2004, 14:31 GMT]
Ms Tara de Mel, Secretary to the Ministry Education in the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government has invited the Ceylon Tamil Teachers’ Union (CTTU) for talks on 13 October at her office in Colombo to resolve problems confronting the Tamil medium education and Tamil medium teachers and students in the northeast and in other provinces. President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge is also holding the portfolio of Minister of Education. Her deputy Minister for Education is Mr.Mangala Samaraweera who is also the Minister for Media.
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U.S Congressman speaks on Sri Lanka violence

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 October 2004, 02:06 GMT]
Republican Iowa Congressman James A. Leach, chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific of the House International Relations Committee, expressed concern about the rising level of political violence in Sri Lanka and called for a resumption of the peace talks between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, in a statement before the U.S House of Representatives issued October 7 and distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State.
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Dhanapala visits Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 October 2004, 12:05 GMT]
Dr.Jayantha Dhanapala Secretary General of Sri Lanka's Government Peace Secretariat Friday visited Trincomalee and held discussion with the local and expatriate members of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in the office of the SLMM located along the Inner Harbour Road, Trincomalee. The discussions mainly centred on the question of obtaining the release of two Sinhalese home guards who are now in remand on the orders of Thamileelam courts, SLMM sources said.
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Trinco refugees protest demanding resettlement

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 October 2004, 10:40 GMT]
A group of Tamil refugees sheltered in UNHCR run Allesgarden camp located about three km north of Trincomalee town Friday morning around 7.30 a.m.held a sit in protest obstructing the traffic on the Trincomalee Nilaveli road stating that they are unable to return their villages of Kanniya and Kuchchaveli as their lands are still occupied by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), civil sources in Trincomalee said.


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General shut down paralyses Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 October 2004, 07:52 GMT]
The entire Trincomalee town except few settlements where Sinhalese live in majority was paralysed Friday when Tamils and Muslims observed a general shut down (‘hartal’) responding to the call of the Trincomalee Tamil People’s Forum (TTPF). The ‘hartal’ is organised to express opposition to construction of new Buddhist shrines (vihares) and Sinhala settlements in traditional Tamil villages in the Trincomalee district after the ceasefire came into operation about two and half years ago and chauvinist elements making Trincomalee a centre for their racist activities, organisers said.
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JHU launches signature campaign to oust Norway

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 September 2004, 10:31 GMT]
Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), the party of ultra Sinhala nationalist Buddhist monks, launched a signature campaign Tuesday in Kandy vowing to collect five million signatures against the Norwegian facilitation in the Peace Process. Venerable Omalpe Sobhitha Thera, the Deputy Leader of the JHU, addressing a meeting at the Central Market in Kandy, vowed that he personally would be campaigning for three days in Colombo, Kandy, Gampaha, Galle, Matara and Polannaruwa districts, sources said.
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Use new understanding to recommence peace talks - NPC

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 September 2004, 11:19 GMT]
Referring to the assurance of support given by the main opposition party UNP, to the Sri Lanka Government if it commences peace talks on the basis of LTTE's ISGA proposals, the National Peace Council in a Press Release issued on Monday, urged the Sri Lanka government to "build upon this implicit understanding with the opposition to take the peace process forward by engaging in peace talks with the LTTE".
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Tamil Students condemn foreign military assistance

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 September 2004, 15:26 GMT]
The International Students' Association of Thamileelam (ISAT), in a press release issued Tuesday, said that the military and financial assistance of United States to the Government of Sri Lanka and the visit of Indian Navy Commander to Sri Lanka would not help in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict but would lead to renewed hostilities.
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Monks demand SL Govt to declare Buddhism as 'state religion'

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 September 2004, 06:32 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s hardline monks took another step towards creating their ideal of a Buddhist state this week with their parliamentary party calling for a Constitutional change to make Buddhism the state religion.
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"Weakening LTTE, main aim of SL Govt"- Balakumaran

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 September 2004, 13:57 GMT]
"Absolutely nothing fundamental has changed on the ground. There can be absence of war, there can be prospects of peace talks, or involvement of the International community, or there can be press releases issued by Chandrika Kumaratunge. But, precious little has changed in the feelings or nationalistic thinking of our people. War has not ended yet," said K.V.Balakumaran, a Senior Leader of the Liberation Tigers, in an interview with the Sydney Tamil Radio Thamil Muzhakkam's "Mannin Mainthargal" program during his recent visit to European countries.
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Catholic youths hold peace rally in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 September 2004, 10:41 GMT]
"We are perturbed by the absence of any signs or efforts for strengthening peace. Instead we only see increasing violence in all parts of Sri Lanka. We have assembled here to pray for peace," said Rev.Rayappu Joseph, Bishop of Mannar, addressing the youth, at the conclusion of a youth conference in Vavuniya Saturday, sources said.
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"Civil society, key to advancing a Federal solution"- Rupesinghe

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 September 2004, 00:46 GMT]
"The people in North and East want to control and plan their own future and develop their part of the country. This is the primary impulse behind the ISGA. An interim administration should be seen as a win-win solution to both sides... ISGA proposal has been developed and is the result of 25 years of civil war. The LTTE has presented its proposals for the first time. This has to be respected and acknowledged," said Dr. Kumar Rupesinghe, Civil Socieity Forum Chairman, talking to TamilNet this week.
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