UNICEF book on mine risk education launched

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 October 2003, 03:53 GMT]
The UNICEF launched a book on Mine Risk Education (MRE) at the Puthukulam Maha Vidiyalayam in Vavuniya with the support of the Department of Education, and the book will be included in the curriculum of Vavuniya schools to create an awareness among children of the dangers posed by land Mines, booby traps and unexploded ordnances, sources in Vavuniya said.
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Spanish Red Cross assists Trinco returnees

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 October 2003, 18:48 GMT]
The Spanish Red Cross (SRC), with the assistance of Sri Lanka Red Cross (SLRC) and funded by the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), Wednesday began distributing agricultural inputs and implements to the returnees and war affected communities in the Trincomalee district, sources said.
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Soldier deserts SLA, wants to join LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 October 2003, 17:22 GMT]
A soldier of the Sri Lanka Army, who deserted the SLA and surrendered to the political division of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, was handed over to the Human Rights Commission (HRC) at the HRC’s office in Vavuniya Tuesday night, sources said.
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SLMM, LTTE meet focuses on strengthening CFA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 September 2003, 21:26 GMT]
Members of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) lead by Maj. General Tryggve Tellefsen met with Head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Political Wing S.P.Thamilchelvan and LTTE regional political leaders at the LTTE political head quarters in Kilinochchi Sunday between 11am and 2pm to discuss issues related to strengthening the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) between the LTTE and the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL), sources in Vanni said.
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Literary meet promotes Muslim Tamil relations

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 September 2003, 12:19 GMT]
“A Tamil student would come every year to our house with a gift for my father when I was a little boy. He would seek my father’s blessings on the day of his father’s death anniversary. His esteem for my father’s Tamil scholarship was such that although he had many uncles he honored my father as his own. This is but an instance of the great and deep bond between Tamils and Muslims in the east”, said Mr. Jinnah Serifudeen, the well regarded poet speaking at a literary meet Sunday to promote Tamil Muslim relations in Kattankudy, near Batticaloa town.


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SLMM, LTTE district political heads to meet in Killinochchi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 September 2003, 19:10 GMT]
Members of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and political heads of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from different districts of northeast province are scheduled to holdl talks at 10 a.m. Sunday at the peace secretariat in Killinochchi, SLMM sources said.


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Hazing, clashes in Jaffna Campus injure freshmen

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 September 2003, 00:11 GMT]
Clashes which erupted between freshmen and Junior year students of the Jaffna University over a ragging incident Monday continued for the fourth day Thursday. Arts faculty freshman, Mr.P.Thanaraj of Kalmadu in Vavuniya, was injured in Thursday’s clash inside the premises of Jaffna Campus, police sources said.


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Madhu road opened for civilian use

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 September 2003, 19:28 GMT]
The Madhu road in Mannar district was opened Thursday for the use of over 13,000 villagers living in 11 villages around the historic Madhu church by the Sri Lanka Army after several years, with restrictions on the type of vehicles that can travel on the road, civil sources said.
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'GOSL should listen to IDP’s demands' - Ezhilan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 September 2003, 15:11 GMT]
"Those who say that the Ceasefire has brought peace and all problems are solved should go to the refugee camps and see the refugees who cannot return to their homes because of the Sri Lanka Army’s occupation of their lands. Only then they will understand the plight of the internally displaced people (IDP) and the fairness of their demands," said Mr. S. Ezhilan, the political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Vavuniya, speaking at the Pongu Thamil event in Vavuniya town Wednesday, sources said.
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Pongu Thamil calls for IA with 'adequate' powers

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 September 2003, 19:11 GMT]
At the Pongu Thamil event held in Vavuniya Wednesday, the participants made a declaration emphasizing Tamil people's aspirations, and said that to restore the people's normal life, an interim administration (IA) with adequate powers should be established. "The IA should include powers to deal with Land, Finance, Police and Judicial services," the declaration said.
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Pipe explosion kills mother and child in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 September 2003, 16:50 GMT]
A mother and her child were killed in Vavuniya Wednesday as a pipe exploded when another child was playing with the pipe at their home in Sekkadipilavu-Selvanagar on Vavuniya-Mannar road, 11 km west of Vavuniya town, sources said.
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Vavuniya Pongu Thamil festival draws thousands

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 September 2003, 11:44 GMT]
Thousands of Tamil men, women and students from all walks of life thronged the urban council grounds in Vavuniya Wednesday evening from five corners of the town to attend the Pongu Thamil festival meeting, sources said.
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Festival atmosphere marks Vavuniya Pongu Thamil

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 September 2003, 03:38 GMT]
"If we desire permanent peace let us negotiate a permanent solution to the conflict," said many of the yellow-red banners in the Pongu Thamil celebrations being held in a festival atmosphere in Vavuniya Wednesday, sources in Vavuniya said.
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Pongu Thamil event in Vavuniya tomorrow

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 September 2003, 15:21 GMT]
The preparations for the Pongu Thamil (Tamil upsurge) event in Vavuniya have been completed, and the event will be held at the Vavuniya Urban Council grounds on Wednesday at 2 p.m. The theme of the event is, "We want to live in our own homes. The Sri Lanka Armed forces occupying our homes should go back to their homes. An interim administration with full authority should be created toward a permanent solution for permanent peace. We shall tell the world about our aspirations,” organizers of the event said.
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Conference on Eastern rural development held

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 September 2003, 04:13 GMT]
A conference on rural development and progress for the Batticaloa district was held Thursday at 9:30 am at the Kannankuda Maha Vidyalayam, sources in Batticaloa said.
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Vavuniya MP says SLA disrupts Pongu Thamil

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 September 2003, 17:02 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army in Vavuniya has beefed up its checkpoint outside the Pongu Thamil (Tamil Upsurge) office, and SLA personnel are checking and video taping those who visit the office. Such actions are intended to disrupt the Pongu Thamil event in Vavuniya, said Mr.N.Sivashakthi Anandan, the Vanni district Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian, Thursday.
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UNICEF's training on mine risk concludes

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 September 2003, 13:47 GMT]
The integrated Training of Trainers under the UNICEF sponsored Mine Risk Education (MRE) programme, which commenced in April this year, concluded Tuesday at the Hotel Club Oceanic in Trincomalee, with the awarding of certificates to participants who are field officers of non-government organizations, the White Pigeon, Sarvodaya and Tamil Refugees Rehabilitation Organization in the northeast province, UNICEF sources said.
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'HSZ prevents resettlement of 80,408 Jaffna families'

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 September 2003, 03:33 GMT]
In the Jaffna district, 80,408 families have been unable to resettle in their own lands for the last 13 years as the Sri Lanka Army has been occupying their lands in areas it has declared as High Security Zones, said the Consortium of Non-Governmental Organizations in Jaffna in a statement Saturday.
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Plans for Pongu Thamil in Vavuniya moving ahead

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 September 2003, 00:04 GMT]
The organizers of the The Pongu Thamil (Tamil upsurge) event in Vavuniya are moving ahead with plans to hold the event on September 24, and have earned widespread support from the Tamil and Muslim people of the area, including strong support from the merchants in Vavuniya and the Vanni district Tamil National Allaince parliamentarians, sources in Vavuniya said.
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Tamil women's event concludes with plan of action

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 September 2003, 19:35 GMT]
The gathering of Tamil women’s associations at the Vavuniya Town Hall concluded its three-day event Saturday with a serious plan of action that seeks to identify and solve problems of women through village level associations and empower them with education and self-employment skills, sources said.


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