Sinhala books on Tamil struggle to be released

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 June 2004, 13:14 GMT]
Two books written in Sinhalese, "A letter from Vanni (Vanniye sita liyuma)" and "Voice from the heart of the Silent (Handak Nathiyunge Hathawatha Sakshiye Handa)," describing the Tamil liberation struggle for the first time, are to be released in Vavuniya, Sunday, at the Hindu Youth Hall, media sources said.
Full story >>

General shut down paralyses Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 June 2004, 17:39 GMT]
The normal life of Trincomalee town was disrupted Wednesday due to a one-day hartal (general shut down) observed against the killing of a senior Tamil journalist Mr. Iyathurai Nadesan on May 31 in Batticaloa, TamilNet sources in the eastern port town said.
Full story >>

NorthEast observes day of mourning, hartal for Nadesan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 June 2004, 10:46 GMT]
Areas of NorthEast from Point Pedro to Amparai observed a day of mourning and general shut down (hartal) Wednesday to protest against the killing of a leading Tamil journalist Mr. Iyathurai Nadesan, media sources said.


Full story >>

SL Govt. fails to implement State language policy- Minister

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 May 2004, 17:27 GMT]
"In the sixty thousand-member strong Sri Lanka Police force only about 1600 are Tamil speaking. Several ministries and government departments are not implementing the official language policy of the 1978 constitution. I will make my ministry as a model to other ministries in this regard," said the Sri Lanka's new Constitutional Affairs Minister Mr.D.E.W.Gunasekara after assuming duties at his ministry office in Kollupitya Friday.


Full story >>

Six provincial councils go for poll, JHU stays out

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 May 2004, 12:14 GMT]
Elections to six Sinhalese dominated provincial councils, Southern, Western, Sabragamuwa, Uva, Central and North Central will be held on July 10th Saturday. About 3200 candidates are in the fray, Elections Commissioner Mr.Dayananda Dissanayake said.


Full story >>

Kandapola affected to get compensation

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 May 2004, 10:50 GMT]
Sixty five persons from Kandapola who were injured or whose properties suffered damages during the ethnic violence in Kandapola, Nuwara Eliya district on the 28 August 2004, when Sri Lanka police opened fire, are to be compensated by the Sri Lanka Government, local media reported.
Full story >>

Divided Sinhala leadership poses danger to peace process- TNA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 May 2004, 23:25 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Sunday expressed pessimism that it would be difficult to find a lasting political solution to the ethnic conflict through negotiations as the Sinhala political leadership is sharply divided on the question of resuming peace talks on the basis of Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) put forward by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).


Full story >>

US condition to LTTE to lay down arms unacceptable - Sinhala journalist

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 May 2004, 07:45 GMT]
''The condition laid by the US government for the LTTE to lay down arms is not acceptable. The question of handing over arms would cease automatically when an acceptable political solution to the Tamil people is found through talks, accepting the self determination of Tamils and their traditional homeland concept,'' said Mr.Ranath Kumarasinghe, Feature Editor of Haraya, a Sinhala political paper, addressing a seminar on Peace and Media Saturday evening held at Trincomalee Town Hall.
Full story >>

Balasingham's book 'Viduthalai' released in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 May 2004, 17:25 GMT]
The launch of 'Viduthalai' (Liberation), collection of articles written by Liberation Tigers' theoretician and political strategist Mr.Anton Balasingham was held in Jaffna University Kailasapathy Auditorium Sunday evening. The book was first released in London six months ago and this was the first time the book was released in the Northeast, sources said.
Full story >>

Trincomalee fishermen demonstrate to preserve sea resource

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 May 2004, 04:35 GMT]
Hundreds of fishermen of Trincomalee district from all communities under one wing Saturday held a one hour demonstration in the round-about of the Clock Tower junction in the heart of Trincomalee town demanding that the Fisheries Ordinance of the Ministry of Fisheries that prohibits dynamiting fish and using prohibited nets should be implemented to safeguard the sea resources of the district, sources said.
Full story >>

"ISGA needed as confidence building measure for final solution" - Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 May 2004, 17:09 GMT]
"The establishment of the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) in the northeast province is urgently needed as a confidence building measure to take forward the peace process to achieve a final and lasting political solution to the Tamil national question," said the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group leader and Trincomalee district parliamentarian Mr.R.Sampanthan addressing a public meeting attended by Tamil people of Kanthalai.
Full story >>

Trinco May Day rally spotlights discrimination against Tamil workers

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 May 2004, 15:00 GMT]
"Tamil speaking workers are not given all the rights that are enjoyed by the majority community workers in the country," said Mr. S.Thandayuthapani, President of the Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU), presiding over the May Day meeting held in Trincomalee Vigneswara Maha Vidiyalayam Saturday.
Full story >>

Kandapola killings create suspicions on UPFA’s complicity - EPRLF

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 April 2004, 15:48 GMT]
“The ethnic violence directed against the Tamil people in Kandapola, in the Nuwara Eliya district, by thugs and Sri Lanka Police resulting in the killing of Tamils, has created suspicions in the minds of the Tamil people that the violence was instigated and by the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government of Sri Lanka, in retaliation for its failure to win the support of the major Tamil parties in the election of the Speaker," charged Mr. S. Premachandran, the Secretary General of the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF-Suresh Wing) Thursday.
Full story >>

Curfew in hill town, three Tamils shot dead

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 April 2004, 07:30 GMT]
Three Tamils were killed and four were wounded when Police opened fire on crowds in Kandapola, 16 kilomtres from Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka's main hill country town and holiday resort, on Wednesday night. Curfew has been declared in the area following clashes between Tamils and Sinhalese which flared up late Wednesday afternoon over a vehicle accident in Kandapola. A senior Tamil MP of the Ceylon Workers' Congress slammed the Police for precipitating the communal violence. "The Police acted in a very partial manner", he said. Fourteen Tamil shops in Kandapola were smashed up and ransacked.
Full story >>

“Sinhalese political leadership lacks maturity” - Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 April 2004, 21:20 GMT]
“The late Tamil leader, Mr.S.J.V.Chelvanayakam, laid the path for the freedom struggle, advocating Tamils should be recognized as a distinct nationality with their traditional homeland and right of self determination,” said the Tamil National Alliance parliamentary group leader, Mr.R.Sampanthan, addressing a meeting to mark the 27th death anniversary of the late Tamil leader in Trincomalee town Monday evening.
Full story >>

LTTE releases Sinhalese worker arrested with T-56

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 April 2004, 03:40 GMT]
The Tamil Eelam Police Service (TEPS) has released a Sinhalese contract worker arrested last year for carrying a concealed T-56 rifle in Paranthan to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), sources said.
Full story >>

‘TNA should speak up for upcountry Tamils’ – UPF

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 April 2004, 19:49 GMT]
The leader of the Upcountry People’s Front (UPF), Mr. Periyannan Chandrasekaran, speaking to the Press after he met with the political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, on Tuesday, said that on behalf of the UPF, he would request the 22 Tamil National Alliance MPs to speak up about the problems of the Upcountry Tamil people, and that he would come to an understanding with the TNA in Sri Lanka's parliament without supporting any Southern parties, sources said.
Full story >>

CMEV sends all Sinhala monitors to Jaffna district

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 April 2004, 00:35 GMT]
A thirteen member-team of the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) arrived in Jaffna Wednesday to monitor the April 2nd general election in the Jaffna electoral district. All monitors are from the major community and would be staying in Jaffna until the election is concluded, civil society sources said.


Full story >>

Pongu Thamil demonstration to UN

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 March 2004, 13:02 GMT]
The International Co-ordinating Committee of the Liberation Tigers is organizing a 'Pongu Thamil (Tamil Uprising)' march to the United Nations Head Office, Geneva on 5 April, and has called support of expatriate Tamils. "This is the time when the united strength of the Tamils is poised to become the decisive factor in Sri Lanka's history. Once again it has become a vital necessity for the Tamils of the world to show their united strength," the organizers said in a memorandum released to the press Friday.
Full story >>

Trincomalee UNP Tamil contestant withdraws candidacy

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 March 2004, 14:06 GMT]
Mr. Nagarajah Sambasivamoorthy, one of the seven candidates put forward by the ruling United National Party to contest the forthcoming general election in the Trincomalee electoral district, said Thursday that he has withdrawn from the contest, political sources in Trincomalee said.


Full story >>