TNA, UPFA, SLMC to contest Mannar local council elections

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 February 2006, 16:27 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Wednesday submitted its nomination list to contest the Musali pradesiya Sabah in the Mannar district. Meanwhile the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) has decided to contest all the five local authorities in the Mannar district in the forthcoming local council election, sources said.
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TNA submits nominations for Trinco local poll

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 February 2006, 12:06 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Wednesday morning submitted nomination lists to contest eleven local authorities out of thirteen in the Trincomalee district in the forthcoming local elections. Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Trincomalee district parliamentarian handed over the nomination lists to the District returning Officer Mr.Bandara Mapa at the latter's office, sources said.
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Major political parties to file nominations Wednesday

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 February 2006, 15:59 GMT]
Major political parties, the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), main opposition United National Party (UNP), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), and Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) are to submit their nomination lists from Wednesday to contest the 330 local authorities, which include 18 municipal councils, 42 urban councils and 270 pradesiya sabahs, election department sources said.
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State of Emergency extended till March 7

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 February 2006, 15:53 GMT]
Sri Lankan parliament Tuesday extended the State of Emergency for another month till March 7. Mr.Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Prime Minister and the Deputy Defense Minister moved the extension motion when the parliament resumed its sitting Tuesday. The State of Emergency was declared last year on August 13, the day after Mr.Lakshman Kadirgamar, Foreign Minister was assassinated at his residence in Colombo. Since then the State of Emergency has been extended every month with the approval of the parliament, sources said.
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TNA to contest local council poll in Mannar district

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 February 2006, 12:01 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is to contest all the five local authorities, one urban council ( UC ) four pradesiya sabahs (PS), in the Mannar administrative district in the forthcoming local election, Mr.S.Vinoharathalingam, Wanni district TNA parliamentarian said Monday.
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TNA MPs to boycott parliament proceedings

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 February 2006, 11:37 GMT]
Mavai Senathirajah, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian for Jaffna district, told TamilNet Monday that all TNA parliamentarians, as part of the on-going protest against escalating violence in NorthEast, will abstain from participating in parliamentatry proceedings this week.
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TNA to contest eleven local councils in Trinco district

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 February 2006, 16:27 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is to contest eleven of thirteen local authorities in the Trincomalee administrative district in the forthcoming election to local councils. TNA will submit nomination lists for two urban councils (UC) and nine pradesiya sabahs (PS) under the election symbol, House, of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchchi (ITAK), TNA sources said.
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Swedish Tamils assist Muttur children's home

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 February 2006, 02:05 GMT]
Expatriate Tamils' Consortium in Sweden has provided financial assistance for the Mother Sarathathevi Girls Home in Mallikaitivu village in the Muttur division as part of an ongoing effort to support assist the administration in day to day running of the children's home. The Girls home was founded in 1994 to give shelter to children who lost their parents in the war. Sarathathevi Girls Home currently looks after 30 girls, sources said
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Minister assures phased troop reduction near NorthEast schools

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 February 2006, 13:54 GMT]
Mr. Susil Premajayanth, Minister of Education, at a meeting with a Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU) delegation held Thursday evening at his ministry office in Colombo, assured the CTTU officials that he would take action to reduce the presence of State armed forces and sentry points from the vicinity of schools in the North East in stages. He said that Sri Lanka government has to implement any changes regarding SLA troops without provoking the extreme elements in the South, CTTU officials attending the meeting said.
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Building for NE special educational projects opened

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 February 2006, 00:52 GMT]
Mr.S.Rangarajah, Chief Secretary of the North East Provincial Council (NEPC) Friday afternoon declared open a newly constructed three storied building at a cost of 11.6 million rupees by the Provincial Ministry of Education to house the offices of the five special educational projects now being implemented in the North East.
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TNA MPs meet British Deputy High Commissioner

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 February 2006, 12:06 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Members of Parliament, Mavai Senathirajah, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, S. Jeyanandamoorthy and Sithamparanathan Pathmini met the British deputy high commissioner Lesley Craig, at the British High Commission in Colomobo on Friday at 10:00 a.m. and discussed the current humanitarian situation following the abductions and the escalating number of assassinations in the NorthEast, TNA sources said.
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Five parties to contest in Jaffna Local Council elections

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 February 2006, 11:26 GMT]
Five political parties have expressed interest to contest in local elections in Jaffna district, Jaffna election officials said. Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP), Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), and Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK- Federal party), are expected to contest in all regions in Jaffna district whereas All Ceylon Muslim Congress and Muslim Congress will compete only in Jaffna Municipal Council, sources said.
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Batticaloa farmers discriminated in compensation payments-TNA MP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 February 2006, 16:40 GMT]
Mr.T.Kanagasabai, Batticaloa district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, made an urgent appeal to the Minister of Agriculture not to show racial discrimination in paying compensation to farmers whose paddy crops had been destroyed due to flood by heavy rain during the end of last year, sources said.
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Colombo lacks will to resolve Tamil National question, says Banu

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 February 2006, 11:49 GMT]
"Disarming the paramilitaries, their expulsion and the creation of normalcy in people's daily life are the essential prerequisites for the continuation of peace talks. But Sri Lanka is unlikely to agree," said Colonel Banu, Batticaloa district military commander of Liberation Tigers, in the first memorial anniversary held in remembrance of Kowsalyan on Tuesday in Kowsalyan Education Centre at Ampilan in the Paduvankarai region of the Baticaloa district. Tamil National Alliance M.P for Batticaloa, S. Jeyanandamoorthy also participated and spoke at the event.
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TNA MP spotlights irregularities in teacher appointment

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 February 2006, 17:27 GMT]
Mr.S.Jeyananadamoorthy, Batticaloa District Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian has complained to the Minister of Education that several qualified volunteer teachers have been ignored when permanent appointments were given recently in the North East. He appealed to the Minister to take immediate steps to make them permanent, sources said.
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NCP Chief Minister appointed to lead Trincomalee development

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 February 2006, 16:43 GMT]
The President Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse has appointed Mr.Bertilal Dissanayake, Chief Minister of the North Central Province in charge of the development activities in the Trincomalee district. Mr.Dissanayake Monday presided over the conference held in Trincomalee district secretariat pertaining to the development of the district, district secretariat sources said.
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Halo Trust employee missing in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 February 2006, 14:43 GMT]
An employee of Halo Trust, an NGO engaged in mine clearing operations in Jaffna, is reported missing from Saturday night, sources from Jaffna said. Gunaratnam Logithas, 23, from Kaithady in Jaffna district, was travellling to Chavakachcheri from his home in his motorbike when he was reported disappeared.
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TRO abductions, GoSL response may stall Geneva talks - TNA

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 February 2006, 14:10 GMT]
"We are concerned that the continued deterioration of ground situation in the NorthEast and the abduction of TRO staff members by paramilitaries can potentially prevent Liberation Tigers' participation in Geneva talks," said Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians after a meeting with Head of the LTTE Political Wing, S.P Thamilchelvan at the LTTE Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi at 11 a.m. Saturday. "Colombo has openly attempted to discredit the LTTE by making misleading statements to the International Community on the recent abductions of TRO staff by the paramilitary cadres," they added. The meeting lasted for more than three hours sources in Kilinochchi said.
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Vavuniya traders face intimidation by armed groups- TNA MP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 February 2006, 19:48 GMT]
"Traders of Vavuniya have brought to my notice that they have become the target of intimidation by unidentified armed groups. The anonymous callers have demanded ransom of cash over the telephone. I am also informed that these men are using mobile phone for this purpose," said Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan, Wanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian in an urgent letter to the Sri Lanka President Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse.
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SLA violates detainees rights- HRC

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 February 2006, 04:05 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers in Jaffna has grossly violated the fundamental rights of arrested Tamil youths by sending them to the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) in Colombo for interrogation without adhering to proper judicial procedures, said Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Jaffna Wednesday. In the past 45 days five Jaffna youths, presumed disappeared after arrests by the SLA, have been sent to the TID unit in Colombo, according to Jaffna Police.
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