Refugees, robbed, molested on sandbank in Mannar sea

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 March 2005, 15:39 GMT]
A group of fifty Sri Lankan Tamil refugees abandoned on a sandbank in the seas off Thalaimannar were assaulted and robbed of all their belongings and savings by five armed men, the victims told Mannar courts Monday. The armed men had stripped and molested the women in the group at gun point. The refugees told Mannar magistrate Mr. N.M.M Abdullah they had left from camps in South India where they had been living for the last fifteen years.
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GoSL, LTTE must grasp opportunities for reconciliation- Prof Oberst

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 March 2005, 23:08 GMT]
While stressing the importance of "the Norwegian effort to create a joint government-LTTE mechanism to be successful" for Sri Lanka to recover from the tsunami disaster, and expressing hope that "UN special ambassador and former U.S. president Bill Clinton will be able to bring the two sides together to work towards rebuilding of the devastated areas," Professor Oberst pointed out that "[The] sad reality of the Sri Lankan conflict has been the remarkable ability of both sides to allow opportunities for peace and reconciliation to slip away from their grasp," when he talked to TamilNet this week commenting on post-tsunami development in Sri Lanka.
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UNICEF has erred - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 March 2005, 18:47 GMT]
The question of child soldiers continues to vex strained relations between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers. That the matter has been raised against the Tigers by the UN and other rights organizations is considered by Colombo as a feather in its foreign policy cap. "The Government of Sri Lanka is more interested in cynically exploiting the child soldiers issue for its black propaganda war against us than in finding a political solution to the conflict", said Mr. S. P . Thamilchelvan in an interview with the TamilNet this week. He said there were serious errors in the UNICEF report on child recruitment by the LTTE.
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Sinhala nationalists vow to oppose west, 'neo colonialism'

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 March 2005, 16:59 GMT]
Sinhala nationalists Wednesday declared 2 March as national ‘Anti-neo-colonialism Day’ at a rally to mark to commemorate Ven. Wariyapola Sumangala, the Buddhist monk who pulled down the Union Jack and hoisted the Sinhala lion flag 190 years ago. A widely publicized rally to mark the day was organized in Colombo by Patriotic National Movement (PNM), an alliance of Sinhala nationalists formed and backed by President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s main coalition ally, Janatha Vimukthi Permamuna (JVP).
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Police allege Kuveni shooting suspect from paramilitary

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 March 2005, 16:09 GMT]
Sri Lanka Police said Tuesday evening they took into custody a suspect who had allegedly shot Ms. Kuveni and her two colleagues near Akkaraipattu Monday evening. Police sources in Kalmunai, 40 kilometres south of Batticaloa, told TamilNet that the man was identified as 'Pratheepan', a member of a paramilitary working with the Sri Lanka army. He was arrested by the Special Task Force Tuesday afternoon at the Carmel Fatima College Tsunami refugee camp in Kalmunai town, Police said.
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German Minister meets with TRO officials

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 February 2005, 06:15 GMT]
German Economic Cooperation and Development Minister Ms. Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul who is currently in Sri Lanka on a fact finding visit to see the tsunami damages met with Director of Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) Colombo office, Mr Chandru Pararajasingham, at the Pan Asia Hotel, Monday, TRO officials in Colombo said. TRO is an NGO registered with Government of Sri Lanka and works exclusively in the NorthEast.
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TNA meets with German Minister

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 February 2005, 17:34 GMT]
A delegation of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) compring TNA Parliamentary Group Leader, Mr. R.Sampathan, and parliamentarians Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, Mr. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, and Mrs. Padmini Sithambaranathan, met with German Economic Cooperation and Development Minister Ms. Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul at the German Embassy in Colombo, Monday, political sources in Colombo said.
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Mullaitivu Institute targets producing skilled workers

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 February 2005, 17:41 GMT]
The Economic Consultancy House (TECH), a Non-Governmental Non-Profit Sharing Organization registered with the Government of Sri Lanka, is building a new Technical Institute in Mullaitivu to train Masons, Carpenters, Electricians, Fitters, Machine operators and other skilled workers to fulfil the current need of workers for building of houses and infrastructure in theTsunami affected areas. Training will also include outboard motor repair and fibre glass boat repair, TECH officials said.
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Baby Abilash and parents reunite, visit tsunami destroyed home village

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 February 2005, 05:52 GMT]
Baby Abilash, popularly known as Baby 81, was handed over to his mother Mrs. Jenita Jeyarajah and father Mr. Jeyarajah in a joyful reunion Wednesday morning at Kalmunai District Court. Mr. M. S. M. Nazeer, Registrar of the Court, received the barely 4 months old baby from Kalmunai Base Hospital Doctor Gopal Muhunthan. The District Court Magistrate, Mr. M. P. Mohideen read out 22 pages long report. The family, after praying at the temple close to the hospital and thanking the doctors and the staff at the hospital, visited their native place at Kalmunai-1, Beach Road. The village was completely destroyed by the giant waves of the December 26 Tsunami.
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Kousalyan, a symbol of Tamil unity - IFT

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 February 2005, 12:53 GMT]
The Geneva based International Federation of Tamils (IFT) recalling Mr. Kousalyan's address to thousands of Tamils from the Tamil diaspora in front of the United Nations Building last year, said in a press statement issued Thursday that Kausalyan was a symbol of Tamil unity. IFT appealed to International governments and donors to act decisively to prevent escalation of hostilities as it feared that continued "covert operations" will "wane the mutual trust, goodwill and confidence" between the Liberation Tigers and the Government of Sri Lanka. IFT called upon the countries giving Sri Lanka military assistance to desist from doing so and instead to pressure them to seek a peaceful solution.
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Restrictions hinder revival of Jaffna fishing

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 February 2005, 03:30 GMT]
President of Fishermen Association, Valigamam North, Mr Pius Logathas, talking to TamilNet on the predicament of displaced fisher families of his district said that for the families to rebuild their lives, the Sri Lanka Government, in addition to providing compensation to buy boats, nets and other tools of trade, should also stop harassment by the Security Forces, remove restrictions on fishing time and allow deep sea fishing.
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Tigers mourn, cancel crucial donor meeting

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 February 2005, 15:20 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Tuesday cancelled a crucial meeting with the World Bank and the Asian Deveopment in Kilinochchi as their leadership had emergency consultations on the implications of Mr. Kousalyan's killing. The Tiger flag was flown at half mast at all LTTE institutions and buildings in Kilinochchi. White flags were flown and in Batticaloa town and in the LTTE held areas of the east.
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A question of land

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 February 2005, 03:04 GMT]
“We appealed to the President, we appealed to the Special Task Force, we wrote to the Government Agent and we wrote to several ministers in the government. We pleaded with all of them to find us suitable land to restart our lives. We explained to them why we wanted to leave the camp for Tsunami refugees in Akkaraipattu. But no one responded. That’s why we packed our belongings and came here when we heard of this opportunity”, Ms. Pathmanathan Seetha, told TamilNet, explaining her decision to move to Kavudaapuddi, a mound overlooking the lagoon behind her Tsunami destroyed village on Sri Lanka’s remote southeast coast.
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Lack of tents, military meddling trouble Mankerni refugees

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 February 2005, 09:51 GMT]
“There are thousand seven hundred persons belonging to four hundred and eighty one families in this refugee camp. But we have only hundred and ninety eight tents to house them. Hundred and forty five tents were given by UNHCR and ICRC. The government gave us only forty eight tents. It is very difficult for the refugees. But we have asked them to cope”, Mr. Kandasamy Mahtikaran, village officer for Mankerni told TamilNet, describing the travails of this Tsunami devastated coastal settlement about 48 kilometres north of Batticaloa.
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Kalmunai District Court orders DNA test for "Baby 81"

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 February 2005, 08:47 GMT]
The Kalmunai District Judge Wednesday ordered DNA test for Mrs Jenita Jeyarajah who claimed to be the biological mother and the baby, popularly called "Baby 81" by the admission number to the Hospital on the Boxing Day. Mrs. Jenita Jeyarajah together with her husband Mr. Jeyarajah were the only couple to appear before the court on Wednesday. The couple were later arrested by the Police together with two of their supporters who stormed the hospital and attacked the employees in an attempt to bring the baby under their custody.
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TNA slams NE Governor’s visit to Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 February 2005, 07:20 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance Wednesday boycotted a meeting with Governor of the Northeast Province, Mr. Tyronne Fernando, at the Vavuniya district secretariat in protest against what the TNA described as “gross discrimination by the Sri Lankan state in delivering Tsunami aid to Tamil and Muslim areas affected by the disaster”. At the meeting, Government Agents for Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu informed the Governor that no heavy machinery for clearing Tsunami destruction was sent to their districts.
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No sunny times for east coast idyll

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 February 2005, 10:50 GMT]
Pasikudah was a tourist’s paradise. Clear blue waters and white sands of the bay attracted thousands. War completely ruined the booming tourist industry here in the mid eighties. The beautiful beach, dotted with the bombed out shells of star class hotels, became a no go zone. Today the beach has vanished, ripped by the giant Boxing Day waves. The hamlet that gave its name to the area is a heap of rubble and debris. There is no warning about mines from destroyed defenses of the Sri Lanka army garrison bordering Pasikudah village.
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Washington residents ship relief supplies

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 January 2005, 23:35 GMT]
Braving inclement weather, a group of expatriate Tamils in Washington Metropolitan area sent a 3200 cubic foot container with medicines, tents, toys and clothings to the warehouse at the Norfolk, Virginia shipyard, destined for Tamils Rehabilitation Organization's (TRO's) Colombo office for distribution to disaster victims in Sri Lanka. "What started as a small scale effort soon expanded as families and organizations called in to contribute their donations and to offer their services for free," organizers of the effort told TamilNet.
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WHO aids CHC with medical supplies towards relief efforts

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 January 2005, 11:55 GMT]
The Centre for Health Care (CHC), an NGO based in Kilinochchi, said that the World Health Organization (WHO) has come forward with donations of medical supplies to CHC relief efforts towards the Tsunami affected victims on Saturday. Dr. Kan Tun, the WHO Representative to Sri Lanka, presenting the donations to representatives of CHC Saturday at the CHC Head office in Kilinochchi has assured CHC that the WHO would consider aiding the training programme for psycho-social counsellors conducted by the centre, sources in Kilinochchi told TamilNet.
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Eastern LTTE Commanders in Kilinochchi to consult with Pirapaharan

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 January 2005, 08:34 GMT]
LTTE's Special Commanders from Trincomalee and Batticaloa, Col. Sornam and Col. Banu arrived in Kilinochchi Friday morning for consultations with the LTTE leader Mr. V. Pirapaharan, sources in Kilinochchi told TamilNet. Commander Nagesh also accompanied Col Banu for the Kilinochchi discussions, sources added.
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