Grama Sevaka officer shot dead in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 October 2005, 13:05 GMT]
A Grama Sevaka (village level) officier, Mr. Perera Weerasingham, 53, was shot and killed in Kankankulam, 18 km northwest of Vavuniya town, Vavuniya Police said. The GS of Kankankulam village was on his way home from work in a motorbike when two unidentified motorbike-riding gunmen gunned him down on Poovarasankulam - Chettikulam Road 4:45 p.m., police said.
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Sri Lankan UAV comes down in Vanni

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 October 2005, 10:01 GMT]
An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) launched from the Joseph camp in Vavuniya for surveillance mission into the Liberation Tigers controlled area has come down in Vanni Wednesday afternoon, sources in Kilinochchi said. A UAV was seen coming down in Vignanikulam between 9th Mile and Karappukuththi, around 20 km northeast of Omanthai, according to civilian sources in Vanni. Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) sources in Colombo also confirmed that an UAV was missing.
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Consortium distributes leaflets for Trinco Resurgence Convention

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 October 2005, 12:26 GMT]
Consortium of Tamil organizations in Trincomalee began distributing leaflets announcing the Tamil Resurgence Convention scheduled to be held on 22 October Saturday at the Children's Park in front of the Youth Cultural Hall, from 9 a.m. till 12 noon, sources in Trinco said.
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Monitors should adopt a pro-active role, says LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 October 2005, 08:53 GMT]
In a letter addressed to the Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Mr. Hagrup Haukland on Friday, LTTE's Political Head Mr. Thamilchelvan alluded that the Scandinavian cease fire monitors in the island should adopt a proactive role by intervening in matters that pose serious challenges to the mandate vested with the role of the SLMM. Accusing Colombo and the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) for operating with a "political agenda" to disrupt the Cease Fire Agreement and the peace process at large, the letter referred to the recent attacks on the LTTE in the east and the spate of killings of Tamil academics in Jaffna.
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Wickremasinghe begins election campaign in NorthEast

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 October 2005, 16:37 GMT]
Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, presidential candidate of the opposition United National Party (UNP) Friday began his election tour in the Northeast province, with first rally in Vavuniya town. Mr.Noordeen Mashor, former Minister and Vanni District Sri Lanka Muslim Congress organizer presided the meeting held at Vavuniya Urban Council grounds Friday afternoon.
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Armed men, LTTE cadres clash in Vavunathivu

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 October 2005, 08:01 GMT]
A group of men in military fatigues launched an ambush on an LTTE convoy in Vavunathivu, 5 kilometers west of Batticaloa Monday night. LTTE sources in the East said three of their cadres sustained injuries in the counterstrike. The clash took place at the entrance to the LTTE controlled area in Vavunathivu around 10:00 p.m. on Monday. Vavunathivu is located 5 km west of Batticaloa.
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CTTU to strike on Teachers Day

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 October 2005, 18:24 GMT]
The Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU) gave notice to Dr Tara de Mel, Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher education, that its members will go on one day sick leave as a token trade union action on October 5 as the Education Ministry has failed to fulfill its promises regarding its twenty five demands. The CTTU said that it will be compelled to go on continuous strike from October 24 if the demands are not met.


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Thousands attend Jaffna Pongu Thamil rally, seek Army withdrawal

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 September 2005, 14:51 GMT]
An estimated two hundred thousand people attended the Tamil Resurgence celebrations in Jaffna Friday at Jaffna University Grounds, calling for the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to vacate the Tamil homeland and declaring that the Tamils right to self-determination is non-negotiable. Speakers at the rally said the event recognizes the Vavuniya proclamation and condemned the one-sided punitive measures taken by the European Union against the Liberation Tigers.
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Danish group declares areas in Kanniya, Thiriyai mine free

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 September 2005, 05:34 GMT]
About 10,000 square meter area in Kanniya and about 8,000 square meter area in Thiriyai in the Trincomalee district have been declared mine free by the Danish Demining Group (DDG), civil society sources in Trincomalee said. Mr.Magnus Johansson, Technical Advisor of the DDG Wednesday and Thursday handed over "Release of Land Certificates" to the civil authority in these villages.
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Jaffna gets ready for sixth Tamil Resurgence Convention

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 September 2005, 15:00 GMT]
All roads in Jaffna district will lead to University Grounds Friday September 30 where the Tamil Resurgence Convention, is to be held. This is sixth in the series of such conferences held in recent months, first Vavuniya, second in Batticaloa, next in Killinochchi, fourth in Mullaitivu and fifth held at Mannar Wednesday.
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Tamil businessman kidnapped in Colombo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 September 2005, 17:24 GMT]
A 35-years-old Tamil businessman from Vavuniya, Mr. Thirukumar Kalimuthu, 35, who was visiting Colombo on business has been abducted from a lodge on Colombo Dam street. Four unidentified person who entered the lodge Wednesday evening around 2:00 p.m. kidnapped the victim, occupants at the lodge said.
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Displaced threaten hunger strike

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 September 2005, 10:54 GMT]
More than one hundred Tamil families evicted from their traditional village Gothandar Nochchikulam Vavuniya six years ago by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) have demanded immediate resettlement in their villages and have threatened to go on hunger strike if the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) does not facilitate resettlement in one week. The villagers who met the SLMM in Vavuniya Monday morning pointed out that all 109 families were forcibly evicted and made internally displaced refugees (IDP), by the SLA on 14 November 1999 during a military operation, civil groups said.
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Jaffna gets new High Court Judge

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 September 2005, 17:41 GMT]
Mr.S.Thiagendran, Trincomalee District Judge has been promoted High Court Judge. He is to assume duties as High Court Judge of Jaffna with effect from September 26, filling the vacancy created following the retirement of Mr.K.P.S.Varatharajah from judicial service.
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Democratic Freedom of Expression under threat in Jaffna - Gajendran MP

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 September 2005, 08:27 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance Member of Parliament, Mr Selvarajah Gajendran has raised alarm at the detention of a university student and has protested to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission at the "intimidating tactics" of the Sri Lankan armed forces in Jaffna. Arrest of a Jaffna University student, Friday morning, at the "Crossings” at Muhamalai, sparked off a protest by student community. Gajendran MP and hundreds of students from the University of Jaffna rushed to the spot, freed the student and protested to the SLMM officials supervising the activities at the check-point.
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Ex-PLOTE cadre shot and killed in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 September 2005, 08:21 GMT]
Motorbike-riding gunmen shot and killed Mr. Yoganadarajah Sellathurai, 45, an ex-PLOTE cadre, in Pattakadu, 3 km west of Vavuniya town Monday at 8:45 a.m. The victim, who was riding in a bicyle, was shot thrice with a 9 mm handgun, Vavuniya Police said.
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Preparations underway for Jaffna Resurgence Convention

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 September 2005, 22:22 GMT]
Large number of women, majority of them internally displaced currently sheltered in welfare centres and refugee camps across Jaffna district, took oaths at an event held Sunday at the Jaffna University Kailasapathy Auditorium to make the Tamil Resurgence Convention scheduled to be held on 30 September in Jaffna town a success, sources said.


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Buddha statue erected in Chunnakam SLA camp

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 September 2005, 22:14 GMT]
A new Buddha statue was erected, and an opening ceremony with special prayers was held Poya day, Saturday inside the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) 513 brigade camp located in Chunnakam on Kankesaturai Road, residents of the area said.
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EPRLF cadre shot dead in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 September 2005, 22:50 GMT]
R. Loganathan (45), a cadre of Eelam People Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF - Varathar faction) was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in front of Vavuniya Maha Vidyalayam along A9 highway at 9.15pm Friday, sources said.
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NorthEast graduate trainees suspend protest campaign

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 September 2005, 02:42 GMT]
Graduate trainees holding demonstrations in front of education offices in Jaffna, Mannar, Vavuniya, Batticaloa and Trincomalee since Monday demanding permanent appointments Thursday evening decided to call off their protest from Friday following an assurance by Mr.R.Thiakalingam, Secretary North East Provincial Education Ministry, that he would attend to their grievances urgently, sources said.
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Tens of thousands attend resurgence event in Mullaithivu

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 September 2005, 17:11 GMT]
Tens of thousands of people from Mullaitivu district, including the tsunami ravaged coastal areas participated in the Tamil Resurgence event held at Malathi Sports Ground, Puthukudiyiruppu, Wednesday evening at 3:30 p.m. The event was organised by the Tamil National Resurgence Task Force to bolster the Vavuniya Declaration. Red-Yellow bi-colour flags were seen flying in all parts of Mullaithivu.
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