TELO's Vavuniya TV retransmission station attacked

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 June 2005, 01:07 GMT]
Sun Television retransmission station in Vairavarpuliyankulam in Vavuniya district operated by cadres of Tami Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) was attacked with hand grenades by unidentified attackers at 1.45 AM Thursday morning, causing damages worth Rs 1 million to equipment.
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SLA, Police agree to remove Buddha statue in Omanthai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 June 2005, 00:31 GMT]
After a visit to the Omanthai Pillaiyar Temple grounds Wednesday by Vanni district parliamentarians Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan, Mr.Sivasakthi Ananthan and Mr.Sivanathan Kishore and LTTE Vavuniya district deputy political head Mr.Dharmendra accompanied by Vavuniya Police Officer in charge Mr. Abeyasinghe Bandara, TNA parliamentarian Adaikalanathan said that the Police and the Army have agreed to remove the Buddha statue from the Hindu temple grounds, sources in Vavuniya said.
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Buddha statue installed in Omanthai Pillayar temple grounds

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 May 2005, 13:24 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers in Omanthai camp has erected a three foot statue of Buddha in the grounds of Omanthai Pillayar temple in Vavuniya last March, according to local residents. The custodian priest of the Pillaiyar temple fled the area after the soldiers harassed him to hand over the land deeds, residents further said. All residents living close to the temple have been forcibly photographed by the SLA and have been warned against tampering with the statue. Residents say that no one goes near the statue out of fear of the soldiers.


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Senior Military Intelligence officer shot dead in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 May 2005, 08:14 GMT]
A high ranking Sri Lankan Military Intelligence Corps (MIC) Commanding Officer, Major Thuwan Nizam Muthaliff, 39, was shot and killed Tuesday morning around 8.00 AM by unidentified gunmen at Polhengoda Junction in Narehenpitya, Colombo. The gunmen following him in a motorbike shot him at point-blank range while his car stopped at the Wijaya Kumarathunga signal crossing along the Baseline Highway. Muthaliff is the highest ranking Sri Lankan Military Intelligence officer to be killed since the signing of Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in February 2002.
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Military blocks LTTE commanders’ return

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 May 2005, 14:17 GMT]
Amid the continuing cycle of violence in Sri Lanka’s eastern province, hopes of improving trust between the Sri Lankan military and the Liberation Tigers are being undermined by Colombo’s refusal to provide safe passage to senior LTTE commanders and other cadres across Army-controlled areas, officials said. In the wake of the massacre of an LTTE political leader and his team when travelling by road through Army-controlled roads, there are accusations the use of helicopters is being denied to expose LTTE officials to paramilitary attack.
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Village Development discussions held in Sinnadampan

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 May 2005, 11:11 GMT]
Village development discussion organized by Vavuniya North Pre-School Development Organization and Nedunkerni Development and Rehabilitation Organization was held Thursday at 2 pm at the Sinnadampan Common Hall, sources said. Pre School teachers, Director of Social Welfare and other officials visited several households in Sinnadampan to discuss issues specific to the households between 8.30 am and noon before the general meeting.
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LTTE urges UNHCR over refugees in India

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 May 2005, 20:31 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Wednesday urged the UN's Refugee Agency to take steps to ensure the safe passage of Tamil refugees in India seeking repatriation to their homes in Sri Lanka. The matter was discussed when the Head of the LTTE Political Wing, Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan, met with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative in Sri Lanka, Mr. Rajiv Kapur, in Kilinochchi on Wednesday.
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Missing SLA soldier's remains found near Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 May 2005, 10:31 GMT]
The body of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) corporal Sunderadagage Wickremesinghe, who disappeared from Kokuveli Vavuniya SLA camp on 2 Februaray 2005, was discovered in a decomposed state in Notchchimoddai jungles, security sources in Vavuniya said Thursday.
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Jaffna protesters urge SLMM action on Santhiveli

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 May 2005, 10:38 GMT]
A demonstration was held in Jaffna town Thursday condemning the firing protesting civilians at Santhiveli by Sri Lankan security forces on Monday. An elderly person was killed and several others, including schoolchildren were wounded.
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Vanni journalists protest Sivaram killing

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 May 2005, 12:32 GMT]
A large number of journalists and several Vavuniya residents took part in a demonstration Tuesday organised by Vanni Journalists Association, condemning the abduction and murder of Tamil political columnist and military analysts, Mr. Dharmeratnam Sivaram in Colombo on 29 April. Vanni District Parliamentarians Sivanathan Kishore, Sivasakthi Aananthan, Selvam Adikalanathan and Vino Nokarathalingam, also participated.
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Northeast shuts down over checkpoint gunfire

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 May 2005, 10:59 GMT]
The normal life was disrupted in several parts of the districts of Jaffna, Mannar, Vavuniya, Killinochchi, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Amparai, in the Northeast province Tuesday following a hartal (general shut down) condemning the attack on protesting civilians by Sri Lankan security forces at Santhiveli in Batticaloa, Monday, in which one person was killed and more than 15 others, including 5 school children were injured.
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NorthEast pre-school teachers compete for honors

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 May 2005, 12:55 GMT]
Pre-school teachers from five regions in the NorthEast province vied for honors in general knowledge test conducted by the Pre-School Development Organization to mark its 10th anniversary since its establishment with a mission of improving the education standards of pre-school children in NorthEast, sources from Kilinochchi said. Pre-school development falls under the administration of Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), an NGO registered with the Government of Sri Lanka which works exclusively in the NorthEast.
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Pre-school opened in Paranthan-Puliyankulam

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 May 2005, 13:44 GMT]
Nedunkerni Development and Rehabilitation Organization (NDRO) Thursday opened a pre-school at Paranthan Puliyankulam village in Nedunkerni division in the Vavuniya district with the financial assistance provided by the FORUT.
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Father of four found dead with cut injuries in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 May 2005, 09:12 GMT]
Mr. Kandiah Sritharan alias Mahalingam, a 55 year-old father of four children was found dead with cut injuries on his neck Friday morning around 7.30 a.m in Vaarikutiyoor, a village about 13 km west of Vavuniya.
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SLA ban on cement spotlighted at Trinco tsunami event

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 April 2005, 01:18 GMT]
Speaking at a cultural event Wednesday organized by the Provincial Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs to mark the fourth month after tsunami disaster, Mr.Puratchi, Head of the Trincomalee District Students Front of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), said that Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has imposed ban on transporting cement, sand and other building materials to the LTTE controlled areas to rebuild houses destroyed in tsunami. NorthEast Province Governor, Mr.Tyronne Fernando, attended the event held in Trincomalee St.Joseph's College auditorium.
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Human Rights congress concludes in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 April 2005, 01:42 GMT]
Three-day Human Rights Congress held in Trincomalee town since Friday concluded Sunday night with the cultural programme of district delegations from Jaffna, Batticaloa, Mannar, Vavuniya, Puttalam, and Amparai. About one hundred seventy five human rights activists participated in the Congress organized by the National Protection and Durable Solution for IDPs' Project of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), sources said.
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Human Rights Congress on IDPs begins

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 April 2005, 12:43 GMT]
Three day Human Rights Animators Congress-2005 of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) began in Trincomalee Ehambaram Play Ground Friday night. About one hundred seventy five HR activists from the districts of Jaffna, Mannar, Vavuniya, Puttalam, Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Anuradhapura are participating in the Congress which is being held under the auspices of the National Protection and Durable Solution for IDPs (Internally Displaced People) Project (NPDIP) of the HRCSL, sources said.
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Workshop on tsunami reconstruction begins in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 April 2005, 10:34 GMT]
Three-day workshop for workers of Social Mobilization Unit (SMU) of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) began in Trincomalee Friday morning on the topic "Implementation of 3rd Phase of Tsunami Relief Programme." Tamils, Muslims and Sinhalese from districts of Amparai, Batticaloa and Trincomalee are participating in the workshop. Similar workshops were held earlier in Jaffna, Killinochchi and Vavuniya for SMU staff working in those districts, sources said.
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Nedunkerni schools receive free Solar Lighting Systems

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 April 2005, 10:07 GMT]
The Economic Consultancy House (TECH), a Sri Lanka Government registered NGO working exclusively in the NorthEast, provided eight schools without electricity in Nedunkerni region, Photo Voltaic (PV) lighting systems using funding from its US branch at an event held at Nedunkerni Maha Vidyalayam Monday, sources in Vanni said.
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Short stories on war suffering released in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 April 2005, 00:18 GMT]
"Thoorathu Kodaikala Iravukal" (Distant Summer Nights), a collection of short stories by a young writer Miss Maathumai Sivasubramaniam, a law student from Trincomalee, was released during a weekend event held at Trincomalee St.Mary's Girls College with Rev.Sister Theresa Ranee, former Principal of the institution as the chief guest.
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