Economic progress in Northeast lacking - EU's Wilton

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 May 2003, 12:38 GMT]
European Union (EU) resident representative in Sri Lanka Mr.Wouter Wilton concluding his two-day fact finding tour in the Jaffna district announced at a press conference held Saturday that "although in overall the security situation of the country is improved considerably no visible progress is seen in the economic situation of the northeast as in the south."


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North to supply relief to flood victims in south

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 May 2003, 15:59 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has enlisted several Tamil social organizations in the northeast to collect dry ration, food items and other assistance that are deemed necessary to be supplied to victims in flood ravaged areas in the south of the country, government sources said.
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CPA holds peace-arts festival in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 May 2003, 11:43 GMT]
A three-day arts festival of the Centre for Performing Arts (CPA) inaugurated in Jaffna Wednesday is to conclude Friday evening. "The arts festival, the first event of its kind to take place in Jaffna, represents a bold, path-breaking move for CPA in its work for peace through creative arts," said a spokesman of the CPA.


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LTTE,TNA spell out basis for Tokyo meet participation

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 May 2003, 10:55 GMT]
“The LTTE is of the view that before it participates in the Tokyo Aid Conference currently fixed for 9th and 10th June, the administrative, financial and other structures with adequate powers need to be established in order to reconstruct the northeast and to rehabilitate and restore normal civilian life in the northeast province”, said the Tamil National Alliance in a press release issued Wednesday on the outcome of the talks its delegation had with the LTTE political leadership on Tuesday in Killinochchi.
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Tamil journalist receives death threat

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 May 2003, 00:02 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA) has brought to the notice of several world media organizations the death threat issued by an anonymous caller to a former president of SLMTA and senior journalist, Mr.V.Manikavasagam, and appealed for help in ensuring his safety, media sources said.


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LTTE's participation in Tokyo meeting crucial for peace process - Solheim

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 May 2003, 12:03 GMT]
“Participation of the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the International Aid conference to be held in Tokyo next month is crucial for obtaining much needed funds to develop both LTTE controlled areas in the Northeast and Sri Lanka south. If the LTTE fails to attend, international community will be reluctant to commit funds. Further, it will also be a setback to the peace process,” said Norway’s special emissary Eric Solheim in Vavuniya today.
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Japanese peace envoy in Killinochchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 May 2003, 10:59 GMT]
The Japanese special peace envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi arrived Killinochchi Wednesday morning by a special helicopter of the Sri Lanka Air Force to meet leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and was received by deputy political secretary of the LTTE Mr.S.Thangan, sources in Vanni said.
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GA demands action to improve Kilinochchi postal service

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 May 2003, 15:20 GMT]
Mail is not delivered to a third of the families in the Kilinochchi district, even a half-mile beyond the Kilinochchi town, and immediate action is needed to restore mail delivery, the district’s government agent (GA), Mr. T. Rasanayakam, told Sri Lanka’s Minister for Mass Communication, Mr. Imtiaz Bakeer Markar, at a meeting held at the Vavuniya secretariat, sources said.
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Jaffna to get daily mail delivery

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 May 2003, 11:42 GMT]
Imtiyaz Bakeer Markar, Minister of Communications, Government of Sri Lanka, is expected to ceremoniously open the Vavuniya Main Post Office renovated at a cost of Rs.3m at 9.30am tomorrow, sources in Vavuniya said. A modern communication center with e-mail, internet, and telephone facilities will also be opened in another event to be attended by the Lankan minister.
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North East celebrates May Day

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 May 2003, 01:05 GMT]
A four page joint statement declaring that a political solution should be found on the basis of a self-rule with self-determination to the Tamil national question was released at the combined May Day rally organized by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU), and several civil organizations held in Jaffna Central College grounds Thursday evening, sources in Jaffna said.


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Vavuniya news in brief

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 April 2003, 11:12 GMT]
Japanese medical team performs surgery, May day to be observed as peace day and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) blocks visitors to Pallai celebrations at Omanthai checkpoint.
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Muslim-Tamil amity crucial for peace - Ramesh

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 April 2003, 14:10 GMT]
Though the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has temporarily suspended participation at the peace talks, its talks with Muslim representatives will continue, as strengthening Tamil-Muslim amity is crucial to the two communities regardless of the state of the peace process, Mr. Ramesh, the LTTE’s special commander for Batticaloa-Ampara, told journalists after the second round of talks between the LTTE and Muslim representatives Tuesday.
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International aid necessary to rehabilitate NE hospitals - Minister

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 April 2003, 11:02 GMT]
Without interntational aid it will not be possible to renovate and rebuild hospitals damaged or destroyed by war in the Northeast province, said Minister of Health Services P. Dayaratne, addressing an event held in conjuntion with upgrading the Vavuniya General Hospital.


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Clergy appeal for resumption of peace talks

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 April 2003, 01:49 GMT]
Leading members of the clergy Friday appealed to the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) not to go back to war and to resume peace talks immediately to find a negotiated political settlement to the ethnic conflict.
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Trade Unions to hold joint May Day with LTTE, TNA in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 April 2003, 18:27 GMT]
Trade Unions in Vavuniya have agreed to hold a joint May Day with the TNA and the LTTE this year, and arrangements are being made for the May day event with the cooperation of the LTTE, sources said.
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Army volunteer killed in Vadamarachchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 April 2003, 13:27 GMT]
Fifty three year old Selliah Puvanendran, who is believed to be a member of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) volunteer force, was found dead Wednesday in Thunnalai, 3 km south of Point Pedro in Vadamarachchi division, Jaffna district, with hands tied, mouth stuffed with clothes and cut injuries in his neck, security sources said.
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Northeast celebrates Annai Poopathy anniversary

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 April 2003, 15:45 GMT]
Fifteenth year anniversary of Annai Poopathy memorial day was celebrated across the Northeast. Special events are being organized in Navalady, Batticaloa, on district basis in Trincomalee, Vavuniya, Mannar, Vanni and Jaffna, sources said. In Nallur, Jaffna the commemoration events started with a symbolic fast.


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SLA demands clarification on LTTE event held in school

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 April 2003, 00:02 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Army’s (SLA) regional headquarters in Vavuniya has sought clarification from the Director of the Vavuniya South Zonal Education Division and the principal of the Vavuniya Nelukulam Kalaimahal Maha Vidyalayam, as to how permission was granted to hold a commemoration ceremony of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam at the school on March 21, sources in Vavuniya said.
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‘Annai’ Poopathy remembered in North-East

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 April 2003, 00:05 GMT]
Ceremonies to mark the remembrance day of Mrs. Kanapathipillai Poopathy, a grandmother who fasted unto death against the atrocities of the Indian Peace Keeping Force and sacrificed her life in 1988, commenced on Thursday throughout the North-East, sources said.
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Ambulances converted for private use, MP complains

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 April 2003, 11:00 GMT]
Three of the eight ambulances given by the World Health Organization (WHO), have been converted to pleasure vehicles with their medical equipment removed and additional seats fitted, and are being used for private purposes by high level health officers of the Northeast Health Ministry, complained Vavuniya district parliamentarian, Sivasakthi Anandan, in a letter sent to Sri Lanka Government's Minister of health, P.Dayaratne, sources in Vavuniya said.


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