Gunmen attack Tamil youths in East, two killed, eight wounded

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 October 2005, 16:36 GMT]
Two Tamil youths, one of them a 14 year old boy, were killed and eight others were seriously wounded when unidentified gunmen opened fire and charged grenade at them Friday around 6:45 p.m. in Valaichenai. The victims, a group of young carpenters and masons, were attacked when they went to collect their daily wages at a retail shop at Fourth Cross Street at Vinayagapuram, 32 km north of Batticaloa town. The attackers fled the area on push bicycles, eyewitnesses told TamilNet.
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Norwegian Ambassador meets LTTE Political Head

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 October 2005, 09:30 GMT]
Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar met with LTTE Head of the Political Wing, Mr S P Thamilchelvan, at the Liberation Tigers Peace Secretariat, Kilinochchi, Thursday, sources in Kilinochchi said. The discussions centered on the recent EU Statement and its effect on the peace process. Mr. Brattskar also explored the possibility of resuming peace negotiations early.
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Doyen of FP, uncompromising on Tamil National question

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 October 2005, 00:16 GMT]
Are leaders of Sinhala community prepared to share state power with Tamils? Mr. V. Navaratnam, the only surviving founder member of the Federal Party that provided political leadership to Tamils for more than three decades since it was formed in 1949, and described as the brain behind FP, shared with TamilNet his views on Tamil National struggle. The doyen of Tamil politics who negotiated with the father of the incumbent President Chandrika Kumaratunge and other Sri Lanka leaders for sharing state power within a federal framework for almost three decades turns 96-years this month in Montreal, Canada. He also inked the Bandaranaiyake Chelvanayagam pact.
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International children's day celebrated in Vanni

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 October 2005, 16:44 GMT]
Children from nine chidren's homes in Mullaitivu and Kiliochchi districts participated in International Children'day celebrations that included sports competitions and cultural events held in the Kilinochchi Central Play grounds Saturday, sources in Vanni said. Supporting events were also held in Akkarayan, Pooneryn and Vaddakachchi, according to event organizers.
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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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EU Declaration shatters peace hopes - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 September 2005, 09:18 GMT]
Warning that the European Union's declaration will be interpreted by Colombo as providing tacit support to its policies and therefore will likely harden Colombo's views and approach to the peace process, Political Head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, S. P. Thamilchelvan, told TamilNet Wednesday that the announced restriction on receiving LTTE delegations in EU countries, has ruined the trust Tamil people had in the EU, and has caused irreparable damage to prospects for peace.
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Thamilchelvan urges EU to reconsider stand on LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 September 2005, 12:26 GMT]
Political Head of the Liberation Tigers, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan appealed to the European Union for reconsideration of the recent decision made by the EU that "delegations from the LTTE will no longer be received in any of the EU Member States until further notice." At a news conference held at Kilinochi, Wednesday evening, Mr. Thamilchelvan pointed out that the EU's move is ill-timed to coincide with the "anti-Tamil" campaign advanced through political propaganda platforms in the South.
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Woman shot dead in outskirts of Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 September 2005, 11:06 GMT]
Jeyarasa Leelavathy, 37, from Oddumadam, was shot dead around 6.30 a.m. Tuesday by unidentified gunmen when she was coming out of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp located in the outskirts of Jaffna town, sources in Jaffna said.


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TNA parliamentarian detained at Omanthai SLA checkpoint

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 September 2005, 19:35 GMT]
Soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) manning the check point at Omanthai on A 9 highway Saturday afternoon detained Jaffna bound Mr.M.K.Eelaventhan, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) national list parliamentarian, for about one and a half hours even after he identified him as a lawmaker. Mr.Eelaventhan told Tamilnet that soldiers had told him that they were checking his documents and other related materials on the orders of the Sri Lanka government.
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Youths arrested for putting up posters against power project

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 September 2005, 12:42 GMT]
Five upcountry Tamil youths were arrested by the Nuwera Eliya police on Friday night at 11.30 pm for putting up posters on the conference to be held against the Upper Kotmale Power Project by the Peoples' Campaign at Talawakele Kathiresan Temple Hall on Sunday. The youths were produced in court Saturday and Nuwara Eliya acting Magistrate Ramraj remanded the youths till September 27, legal sources in Nuwara Eliya said.
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General shut down paralyzes normal life in Trinco

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 September 2005, 05:09 GMT]
Tamil speaking people observed a general shut down in Trincomalee town and its suburbs, Wednesday, putting forward 8 demands, including the immediate removal of the unlawfully erected Buddha statue in the vicinity of the central bus terminal, about five months, and to lift the military occupation of the town since then. Tamil civil groups in the east port town issued the general shut down call.
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"An embodiment of antinomy," – Thamilchelvan on Kumaratunga's speeches in New York

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 September 2005, 14:39 GMT]
"The LTTE is still ready for immediate talks on the implementation of the CFA, outside the island," reiterated Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, Political Head of the LTTE, in an exclusive interview to the TamilNet on Friday. "We see a lot of contradictions in the speeches of Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga, made abroad and in the south. The fact is the Tamil people have lost faith in Kumaratunga's statements, speeches and promises. It is high time the international community takes this into consideration," said LTTE's political head.
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Police say evidence exists to arrest Sivaram killers

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 September 2005, 10:55 GMT]
A Police officer of Colombo Crime Division (CCD) has informed the Kaduwela Magistrate court on Friday 16 September, that all information and location details regarding the killers and gun used in the murder of TamilNet senior editor Mr. Dharmaretnam Sivaram has been found, legal sources said. According to the police officer a suspect held in custody had disclosed details of the killers and gun to the investigating officer following a long period of questioning.


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Florida surgeons to help in Puthukudiyiruppu

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 September 2005, 03:58 GMT]
Florida based Rotarian Dr Ali Tahiri, plastic surgeon Dr Bart Rademaker, and an Occupational Therapist are scheduled to visit on post-tsunami aid mission to the NorthEast of Sri Lanka early October. The team will conduct counselling sessions and perform surgeries at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital and in Puthukudiyiruppu hospital, Dr Tahiri told TamilNet.
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Sun TV retransmission station attacked

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 September 2005, 06:17 GMT]
Unidentified attackers lobbed a handgrenade and opened fire at the Sun Television retransmission station in Vairavarpuliyankulam, located one kilometer west of Vavuniya town at 9:15 p.m. Monday, Vavuniya police said. No one was injured in the attack, according to an official of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation, the organisation that operates the retransmission station in Vavuniya. The station, located 50 meters away from a paramilitary camp belonging to Eelam People Democratic Party (EPDP) was also attacked in June 2005.
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SLA behind group fights in Jaffna, charges Ilamparithi

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 September 2005, 16:53 GMT]
Mr.C.Ilamparithi, Jaffna district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Monday charged that the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and its intelligence operatives are behind the group clashes, which are on the increase in recent weeks in the Jaffna district. He said this in an interview with Tamilnet from the new district political office of LTTE now located in the LTTE controlled Pallai division.


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Mannar civil groups meet SLMM

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 September 2005, 17:05 GMT]
Civil groups in Mannar district Friday appealed to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) to take immediate steps to bring back all withdrawn LTTE political cadres to the government controlled areas and provide necessary assistance enabling them to recommence their political activities.
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"Talks venue must be acceptable to both parties"- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 September 2005, 09:46 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Political Head, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, who met with Norwegian delegation in Kilinochchi Thursday morning told reporters that a southern venue, including the Colombo airport, does not provide the necessary conducive environment for direct talks. The venue for direct talks must be acceptable to both parties, he added. Thamilchelvan further said that while the Emergency Regulations is in force and in the prevailing unpredicatable political atmosphere with serious controversies in the South, LTTE finds the airport venue not conducive for serious talks. Colombo had declined to have talks in Kilinochchi.
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New Police division will address Women,
Children welfare- Nadesan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 September 2005, 09:30 GMT]
"We have established a new division in our Police Force to focus on the welfare of Women and children in the NorthEast. This division will play a visible role in ensuring that the rights of women and children are protected, and will augment and operate at the same level to the existing five divisions under my leadership," said Tamileelam Chief of Police, Mr Nadesan when TamilNet talked to him on the progress of law and order enforcement in the NorthEast.
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TRO-USA appeals for funds to help Katrina victims

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 September 2005, 12:37 GMT]
Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO-USA), head quartered in Cumberland, Maryland, posted an appeal in its website, soliciting funds to help the victims of hurricane Katrina which hit New Orleans, Louisiana displacing 220,000 people and killing several thousands. "TRO is very grateful of the tremendous help provided by American people during Tsunami and wishes to express its sympathy for the victims of Katrina and encourages all to help with Katrina relief efforts," the posting on the website said.
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