'Hartal' in Mutur condemning Navy atrocities

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 May 2002, 21:06 GMT]
More than fifteen thousand people took part in demonstrations and public rallies held Saturday in Mutur east, south and west protesting against the shooting incident by the Sri Lanka Navy in Nilaveli, about 14 km north of Trincomalee town, wounding two Tamil women on April 29th night. A 'hartal' (general shut down of shops and other institutions) was also observed Saturday in the Mutur and Eechilampattai divisions covering LTTE held areas and army controlled areas, sources said.
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Muslim, Sinhala fishermen describe SLN attack

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 May 2002, 23:16 GMT]
"A shell fired by the Navy gunboat hit our trawler. Mohammed Sabeek was killed on the spot. The trawler blew up. Mohammed Hayath and I jumped into the sea and swam amid heavy firing by the Navy. Hayath who was seriously wounded in the attack died while swimming ashore around 1 a.m.
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Shun terrorism epithet says UNF minister

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 May 2002, 23:00 GMT]
"We must work hard to remove the word 'terrorism' from the dictionary. We should avoid using the word 'terrorism' in this atmosphere of peace", said Minister for Fisheries Mr. Mahinda Wijesekara, addressing fishermen in the Trincomalee Urban Council hall Friday. Minister Mahinda Wijesekara said he was able to visit Trincomalee without any security because of the cease-fire between the government and the Liberation Tigers.
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SLMM rules Sea Tiger convoy did not breach truce

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 May 2002, 17:01 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission has informed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leadership that it does not consider the sailing of a Sea Tiger convoy which was intercepted and challenged by Sri Lankan navy gunboats near Trincomalee seas Wednesday last week as a breach of the indefinite ceasefire agreement.
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Thousands at May Day rallies in Northeastern province

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 May 2002, 19:05 GMT]
More than ten thousand people took part in the May Day rally in Kumarapuram in southern Trincomalee Wednesday afternoon. Thousands also gathered for May Day rallies in Batticaloa, Vavuniya, Mannar, Mullaithivu, Kilinochchi and Jaffna. Mr. Karikalan hoisted the flag of the Liberation Tigers at the rally of more than fifteen thousand in Palugamam, 30 kilometres southwest of Batticaloa.
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Tamil journalists still face danger - RSF

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 May 2002, 19:02 GMT]
The Reporters Sans Frontiers, the French media watchdog, said in its annual report on press freedom released Wednesday that working conditions for Tamil journalists remain very dangerous in Sri Lanka, especially when they report on human rights violations. "They are easily accused of supporting the Tamil Tigers guerrilla movement. The 1998 Emergency Law allows security forces to arrest anyone suspected of maintaining relations with this banned separatist organisation. But how can anyone work in the north and east of the country without having contacts with the Tamil Tigers, who are everywhere?" the RSF report said.
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Civilians wounded in navy fire

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 April 2002, 23:41 GMT]
Two Tamil civilians were wounded in gunfire blamed on Sri Lanka Navy personnel lying in ambush in Nilaveli in the Trincomalee district, at 9.30 p.m. Monday night. Complaints have been lodged with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), in the eastern town. The Norwegian head of the SLMM in Trincomalee, Ms Victoria Lund, told TamilNet that steps have been taken to investigate into the complaint.
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Tigers open political office in VVT

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 April 2002, 18:40 GMT]
"The interim administration is a necessary condition for restoring normal life in our homeland that has been destroyed by more than eighteen years of war waged on us by the Sri Lankan state. Therefore it is also an absolutely necessary condition for sustaining our people's faith in this peace process, said Mr. M. K Sivajilingam, Tamil National Alliance MP for Jaffna, addressing the function at the opening of the political office of the Liberation Tigers for the Vadamaradchi division of the northern peninsula Monday morning.
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Soldiers-Tamil youths clash in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 April 2002, 21:22 GMT]
A clash between Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers and Tamil youths in Trincomalee town Sunday evening left three soldiers and a police constable in hospital and four youths under arrest. One of the arrested Tamil youths was later admitted to Trincomalee base hospital, with injuries sustained after a severe assault whilst in police custody according to sources.
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SLA re-imposes fishing restriction in Manalkadu

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 April 2002, 11:33 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army Sunday barred fifty fishermen of Manalkaadu, on the southeastern coast of Jaffna, from setting out to sea for fishing in the early hours of the morning. The fishermen's national identity cards were sized by the military. They were then taken to the SLA camp at Kudathanai.
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Indians bid for Trincomalee oil storage facility

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 April 2002, 18:53 GMT]
Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has submitted a bid to acquire oil storage facilities at Chinabay in the eastern port town of Trincomalee, Mr.Arjun Mahendran, Chairman of the Sri Lanka's Board of Investment (BoI) said Friday. The Public Enterprises Reform Commission (PERC) is now in the process of structuring the deal, he added.
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Sinhala nationalists plan more protests

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 April 2002, 14:21 GMT]
(News Feature) Efforts by Sinhala nationalists to mobilise public opposition to the Norwegian peace initiative are continuing with three opposition parties planning a joint protest campaign against Oslo's efforts and the division of the country, press reports said Thursday.
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JVP anti-peace protests kick off

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 April 2002, 19:18 GMT]
The Marxist Janata Vimukti Peramuna (JVP) held a demonstration at Lipton Square in down town Colombo Tuesday afternoon against the government's peace move. An estimated five-thousand JVP members and activists participated in the protest, led by the Sinhala nationalist party's general secretary, Mr.Tilvin Silva, which later travelled in a procession and ended with a protest meeting at Hyde Park.
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Monks protest against peace deal

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 April 2002, 19:29 GMT]
Hundreds of Buddhist monks protested against peace talks between Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's government and the Liberation Tigers in downtown Colombo Monday. "The interim administration is a ploy to hand over the northeast to the Tigers. The United National Front government is betraying the Sinhalese", said a spokes person for the protesting monks.
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Buddhist monk opens Annai Poopathi hall

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 April 2002, 22:45 GMT]
At an event attended by more than twenty five thousand people, Venerable Kurunagala Maha Galkadavela Punniyasara Thera Friday afternoon declared open the Annai Poopathi Memorial Hall constructed at Navalady in Batticaloa. Four other Buddhist monks from Kurunagala also participated at the fourteenth anniversary memorial services of Annai Poopathi held in the eastern town Friday.
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Koneswaram boat festival held after twenty years

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 April 2002, 14:20 GMT]
After a period of twenty years, the annual festival of historic Trincomalee Koneswaram Temple concluded Tuesday night with a 'Theppathiruvilzah' (boat festival). The ceremonies were witnessed by more than twenty thousand devotees from all over the eastern district. The 'Theppathiruvilzah' has not been held since the anti-Tamil riots in Colombo and other parts of the island in 1983 July.
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Large crowd at Koneswaram temple water-cutting festival

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 April 2002, 14:13 GMT]
The water-cutting ('Theertha Thiruvilah') festival of the historic Koneswaram Temple in the eastern port town of Trincomalee was held Sunday - the Tamil new year day- at the holy well 'Papanasachunai' (spring of evil destruction) which is in the custody of the Sri Lanka Army's Gajaba Regiment stationed in the Fort Frederick. The Sri Lanka Army, however, allowed devotees to use the holy well Sunday.
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"LTTE-TNA decide to work united"-Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 April 2002, 18:47 GMT]
"The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) have accepted the need to work unitedly,"said Mr.R.Sampanthan, leader of the TNA parliamentary group Saturday evening in a statement on his return to Colombo from Vanni. Mr.Sampanthan told Tamilnet that the three and a half hour meeting with the LTTE leader was a historic event.
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Pirapaharan commits to peace, self determination

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 April 2002, 09:30 GMT]
(News Feature) It was reportedly the largest media event ever held in the island. The scale of the international and local media interest reflected the impact Mr. Vellupillai Pirapaharan has on Sri Lanka’s politics. His first press conference in over a decade - announced just a week in advance - drew almost six hundred reporters, photographers and cameramen from around the world to the war devastated town of Kilinochchi.
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LTTE political group arrives Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 April 2002, 15:40 GMT]
Four members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam arrived east port town of Trincomalee, Tuesday around noon by sea from Mutur. The LTTE members led by Trincomalee district political administrative secretary Mr.Iynkaran were given an emotional welcome when they landed at the town civilian jetty.
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