SLMM new head to visit Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 February 2004, 12:48 GMT]
The Norwegian head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Major General (retd) Trond Furuhovde is scheduled to visit Jaffna district Monday. This would be his first visit to Jaffna following his assumption of duties as SLMM head on February 1st for the second time after replacing Major General Triggve Teleffsen, sources said
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FSD completes training to deminers in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 February 2004, 07:59 GMT]
The Swiss Demining Federation (FSD), involved in demining in Vavuniya and Mannar districts, has given training to the third batch of 44 deminers in Vavuniya, and a ceremony to award certificates was held Friday at the FSD’s office in Vavuniya, sources said.
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Polling stations considered in no-man zones

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 February 2004, 00:26 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Commissioner of Elections, Mr.Dayananda Dissanayake, has summoned all District Returning Officers and District Assistant Commissioners of Elections for a top level conference on Saturday at his office in Colombo to finalize locating polling booths for voters in Liberation Tigers-held areas in the Northeast province and also other related matters, authoritative sources said.
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LTTE comments on Sri Lanka Parliament dissolution

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 February 2004, 16:17 GMT]
''The Tamil people and the Liberation Tigers wish a change of government in Sri Lanka that would provide a permanent political solution to the problems of the Tamils'', said Mr S Elilan, the head of the LTTE's Political divison in Vavuniya Sunday. His comment is the LTTE's first official reaction to the dissolution of the Sri Lankan Parliament Saturday.
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Jaffna schools said lacking basic facilities

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 February 2004, 00:44 GMT]
Educational International consultant Mr. Iyathurai Rajaguru, who is on a visit to Sri Lanka, described at a discussion held with representatives of the Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union and education officials in Trincomalee, Thursday evening, that he was shocked to see students studying in a school in Chavakachcheri sitting on broken furniture and without a blackboard.
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Tires burn in Mannar, A9 blocked in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 February 2004, 11:44 GMT]
Tires were burnt and black flags were flown in several parts of Mannar town Wednesday. Police said that some protestors had pulled down Sri Lanka’s lion flags that were hoisted by the army on the entrance to Mannar town Tuesday night to mark Independence Day. Meanwhile Vavuniya was deserted and buses from this northern border town to other parts of the island were cancelled. Protesters blocked the A9 highway to Jaffna north of Vavuniya town.
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Protesters to block A9 on Sri Lanka's Independence day

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 February 2004, 00:15 GMT]
Vavuniya North Consortium of Peoples' Organizations called upon all Tamils in Vavuniya to fly black flags and to observe 4 February, the Independence Day of Sri Lanka, as a day of mourning, civil sources said. Consortium also invited people to come forward to block the traffic along A9 to show people from the South that Tamil struggle will continue until fundamental rights of Tamil people are recognized and respected.
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TULF central working committee appoints nomination board

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 February 2004, 13:14 GMT]
The central working committee of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), main constituent of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Sunday appointed a seven-member nomination board to select its parliamentary candidates to face a snap general election, said TULF Administrative Secretary and parliamentarian Mr.N.Raviraj.


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UNICEF donates vehicles to education officials

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 January 2004, 16:43 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Country Representative of the UNICEF Mr. Ted Chaiban Wednesday handed over a consignment of vans, motorbikes and computers with printers valued at about Rs 17.7 million to the North East Provincial Ministry of Education, Cultural Affairs, Sports and Youth Affairs, as a step to support and strengthen the monitoring capacity of UNICEF's projects in education.


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Trinco students excel at national level exam

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 January 2004, 13:08 GMT]
Trincomalee students took the first, second and fourth places at the national level in Tamil medium in the Year-5 scholarship examination conducted by the Sri Lanka's Department of Examination. In addition Trincomalee district secured the first place for the second consecutive year, Commissioner General of Examinations Mr. Mahinda Wijesiri said.
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6000 families received aid from SLRC

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 January 2004, 12:13 GMT]
"5995 families resettled in the NorthEast have received assistance from Rs60m given by the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Organization (ECHO) and the Spanish Red Cross," said National Secretary to the Sri Lanka Red Cross (SLRC), Mr. Nimal Kumar, during a press conference held in Vavuniya Tuesday.
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UNICEF donates vehicles, computers to aid project supervision

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 January 2004, 14:18 GMT]
UNICEF Sri Lanka's representative Mr. Ted Chaiban on Wednesday will officially hand over twelve vehicles, six motorbikes and three computers with printers worth 17.7 million rupees to the North East Provincial Education Ministry Secretary Mr.R.Thiagalingam at a ceremony at the provincial ministry premises in Trincomalee, as a part of the assistance to strengthen monitoring and supervision of UNICEF funded special education development programmes in the war-torn province, sources said.


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SL train services canceled due to strike threat

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 January 2004, 15:05 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Railway Authority Monday cancelled all night passenger and mail train services to and from Colombo to Badulla, Vavuniya, Batticaloa and Trincomalee following the announcement by the United Railway Trade Union Alliance (URTUA) that about fifteen thousand employees would go on an indefinite strike from Monday midnight protesting against convertion of the Railway Department into Railway Authority, government sources said.
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NorthEast to get 1000 more Tamil medium teachers

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 January 2004, 18:59 GMT]
The Ministry of Human Resources Development, Education and Cultural Affairs has decided to recruit another batch of one thousand Tamil medium teachers from advanced leveled qualified persons to fill the vacancies exist in the northeast Tamil medium schools, Provincial Education Ministry Secretary Mr.R.Thiagalingam said Friday.


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NorthEast local government elections postponed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 January 2004, 13:29 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Commissioner of Elections Mr.Dayananda Dissanayake Tuesday issued a notice postponing the thrice-postponed local authority elections in the northeast province for later dates. Except elections to local authorities in Amparai district, elections to local authorities in other districts in the province have been postponed by another nine months. Elections to local authorities in Amparai district are rescheduled to be held on 21 February 2004, government sources said.


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NECORD conducts capacity building workshop for NE contractors

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 January 2004, 15:16 GMT]
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded North East Community Restoration Development project (NECORD) in collaboration with German Technical Co-operation (GTZ) is to hold seven capacity building workshops in the districts of NorthEast province for small and medium size contractors working in the northeast development projects. Workshops are aimed to enhance the knowledge of the local contractors about the construction industry, sources said.


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GoSL signs $80 million loan package from ADB for NE rehabilitation

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 January 2004, 09:01 GMT]
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Government of Sri Lanka Wednesday signed first part of an US$80 million loan package to address the immediate rehabilitation needs of almost 2 million conflict-affected people in the north and east of the country, said a press release issued by the Sri lanka Resident Mission of the Asian Development Bank.
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New Maternity ward opens at Nedunkerni Hospital

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 January 2004, 14:24 GMT]
Medical and Maternity wards of the Nedunkerni Hospital, renovated at a cost of Rs.2m, was ceremonially opened Monday by Secretary of Ministry of Health for NorthEast, Mr.R.M.S.Ratnayake, Health Commissioner for NorthEast, S.Kumaravetpillai and Secretary of Nedunkerni Pradeshya Sabha, K.Iyampillai, sources in Kilinochchi said.
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LTTE destroys Pornographic material found in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 January 2004, 16:54 GMT]
Liberation Tigers destroyed a set of pornographic books in Sinhala Language found in a package left unattended near the rest room at the Vavuniya Bus station Saturday, civil society sources in Vavuniya said.
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Nedunkerny hospital to recruit doctor

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 January 2004, 04:04 GMT]
A search is being conducted for a doctor to serve at the Nedunkerny hospital, in the Vavuniya district, under a scheme to recruit doctors funded by the World Health Organization (WHO), said Dr. Armugam Ketheeswaran, the Deputy Director of Health Services in Vavuniya.
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