Lord Konesar procession begins in Trincomalee town

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 February 2006, 22:04 GMT]
Three-day procession of Lord Konesar with his consort Mathumai Ambal began Monday evening around 5 p.m. after the annual observance of Maha Sivarathiri day Sunday night in the historic Trincomalee Koneswaram Temple with heavy police security. The town was calm in contrast to the violence that plagued the town since the erection of Lord Buddha statue in the vicinity of the central bus stand, including the execution type killing of Tamil students on the second day of the New Year 2006.
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SLN seizes passes from Point Pedro fishermen

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 February 2006, 20:05 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) soldiers from a patrol craft in the Northern seas seized fishing passes from eleven Point Pedro fishermen, destroyed their nets and fishing accessories and chased them back to the shores Saturday, the fishermen said in a complaint to the Vadamaradchy North Fisheries Consortium.
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SLA permits Sivarathri celebrations in Naguleswaram temple

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 February 2006, 17:36 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has given permission for devotees to spend day and night at historic Keerimalai Naguleswaram Temple to participate in religious observances on Maha Sivarathiri day, which falls on Sunday, according to Chief Priest and Trustee of the temple Sri K.Naguleswarakurukkal. The annual THER (Chariot) festival of the temple is also to be held Sunday coinciding with Maha Sivarathiri. The temple is located in the high security zone, sources said.
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SLN attacks fishermen in Vadamaradchy seas

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 February 2006, 13:18 GMT]
Three fishermen from Sakkottai, Vadamaradchy were attacked and their fishing accessories including nets were damaged by Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) soldiers from a patrolling Dvora speed boat Point Pedro seas Friday 9.30 a.m., Sooriyakumaran, president of Vadamaradchy North fisheries consortium, told TamilNet. He added that even while the talks between Libertion Tigers and the Government of Sri Lanka are in progress, there are no indications that harassment of fishemen by SLN in the northern seas will decrease.
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Sri Lanka Government's opening statement at Geneva

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 February 2006, 12:21 GMT]
"Ceasefire Agreement entered into between the then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Mr. V. Prabhakaran, the leader of the LTTE on the 22nd February 2002 is contrary to our Constitution and law," declared Nimal Sripala De Silva, Head of the Sri Lankan delegation at the opening session of the talks between the Liberation Tigers and the Government of Sri Lanka.
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Mannar fishermen woes spotlighted

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 February 2006, 11:15 GMT]
In a memorandum issued to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Wednesday, the Mannar District Fisheries Community highlighted the deprivation of their livelihood due to the ban and restriction imposed by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) on fishing, and urged human rights organizations to take efforts to improve the livelihood of fisher families, sources from Mannar said.
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Ceasefire Agreement is foundation of peace and must be implemented - Balasingham

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 February 2006, 10:19 GMT]
Describing the February 2002 ceasefire agreement (CFA) as the “most constructive achievement” of the Norwegian peace process and “the foundation upon which the process has to be built,” the Liberation Tigers’ Chief Negotiator and Political Strategist, Anton Balasingham said Wednesday the CFA had been agreed upon by both the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE after “careful and meticulous scrutiny” and crafted with the skilled assistance of the Norwegian facilitators.
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Lankan Deep Penetration Unit retreats leaving behind Claymore mine - LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 February 2006, 14:31 GMT]
A team of Sri Lanka Army soldiers who entered LTTE controlled Mahilankulam 25 km southeast of Mannar near Iluppaikulam withdrew from the site when intercepted by an LTTE patrol, Media Coordinator of the Liberation Tigers, Daya Master told media Monday evening. The Sri Lankan soldiers had left behind a claymore mine when they withdrew from the site, he added.
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SLN harassment on the rise, say Jaffna Fisheries Officials

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 February 2006, 12:48 GMT]
Fishing boats, nets and other accessories belonging to more than hundred fishermen from Vadamaradchy North coastal villages were damaged by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) soldiers Sunday, Fisheries Union officials in Jaffna said. Fisheries union officials Monday morning handed over memoranda to several organizations in Jaffna urging them to take action to stop SLN from harassing the fishermen.
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Minister to facilitate reopening of Jaffna campus

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 February 2006, 12:16 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Minister of Education, Mr.Susil Premajayanth, who met with a delegation of Deans of the Jaffna University led by its Vice Chancellor Professor Mr. C.Mohanathas during the weekend has assured the delegation that he will make every effort to bring normalcy to the areas surrounding the Jaffna Campus enabling the Jaffna Campus to reopen within two weeks, University sources said. The delegation also handed over a memorandum from the Jaffna University Students which outlined the problems faced by the students to the Minister.
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Mannar civilian detained in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 February 2006, 16:23 GMT]
The Mannar Citizens Committee (MCC) has appealed to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) to take steps to obtain the release of a Tamil civilian Mr.Jesuthasan Kamalathasan of Pesalai who is being detained at the Terrorist Investigative Division (TID) of the Sri Lanka Police, sources said. The Police following a grenade attack at the army post located near Mannar hospital premises on January 16 took him into custody. An SLA soldier was killed in this incident.
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Remembrance day for slain students held in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 February 2006, 16:30 GMT]
Forty-fifth day remembrance of five Tamil students shot dead by State armed forces in execution style close to the Trincomalee beach on January 2nd this year was held at the same location Wednesday morning attended by large number of students, parents, teachers and members of public. The Trincomalee District Tamil Peoples' Forum and Students' Association organized the event, sources in Trincomalee said.
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Trincomalee fisher families suffer due to fishing ban

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 February 2006, 12:03 GMT]
Several hundred fishermen in the Trincomalee district are undergoing immense hardship to earn for their livelihood due to the fishing ban and other restrictions imposed by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) since second week of January, fisheries sources in Trincomalee said. SLN has banned fishing inside the inner harbor and the outer harbor between the Koneswaram rock and Fowl Point following an attack on naval gunboat.


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HSZ villagers face displacement due to SLA harassment

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 February 2006, 11:07 GMT]
Residents of villages located close to the Point Pedro harbor High Security Zone (HSZ) face imminent displacement due to increasing harassment by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers of the 52-4 Brigade located in Point Pedro, said civil society organizations in complaints registered with the Human Rights Commission and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission in Jaffna Monday, sources in Jaffna said.
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Kumarapuram massacre victims remembered

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 February 2006, 17:06 GMT]
People of Kumarapuram, a village in Killiveddy area, Saturday observed the 10th death anniversary of twenty four Tamil civilians, including children massacred by a group of soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army ( SLA ) on 11th February 1996. Thirty Tamil villagers were seriously injured in the incident. Kumarapuram, which lies about 32 km south of Trincomalee town by sea, comes under the administrative limit of the Muttur Divisional Secretariat.
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Trinco traders call off protest, open shops

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 February 2006, 17:28 GMT]
Traders in Trincomalee town called off their protest and opened their business establishments Tuesday following the arrest of three suspects, all of them from the majority community who were alleged to be involved in the assault of Muslim businessmen Sunday night. Muslim and Tamil traders in the Sinnakadai bazaar area closed their shops Monday in protest to the assault and went in procession to the Trincomalee Police Headquarters, sources said.
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Jaffna SLA investigates public complaints

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 February 2006, 03:07 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) 51-2 brigade command has voluntarily set up an investigating committee to look into complaints against its own soldiers filed at the Human Rights Commission (HRC) by Jaffna district residents after December 2005, SLA sources in Jaffna said. As the first phase, HRC has provided a set of 23 complaints of harassment, torture and property thefts by the SLA soldiers from its files to the SLA commanders.
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STF opens fire at hartal observers in Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 February 2006, 05:45 GMT]
Several civilians sustained minor injuries when Special Task Force (STF) soldiers opened fire at civilians observing hartal in Thirukovil area in Akkaraipattu Friday morning. The incident took place near Akkaraipattu-Pottuvil highway, sources said.
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Vavuniya traders face intimidation by armed groups- TNA MP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 February 2006, 19:48 GMT]
"Traders of Vavuniya have brought to my notice that they have become the target of intimidation by unidentified armed groups. The anonymous callers have demanded ransom of cash over the telephone. I am also informed that these men are using mobile phone for this purpose," said Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan, Wanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian in an urgent letter to the Sri Lanka President Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse.
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SLA ransacks, destroys LTTE Vadamaradchy political offices

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 February 2006, 16:35 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers cordoned off and searched central Vadamaradchy villages of Alvai, Vathiry and Karaveddy Thursday morning, sources from Jaffna said. During the house-to-house search operations SLA also ransacked and caused damages to the Liberation Tigers' Political office located in Vathiry area, sources added.
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