Six SLA soldiers killed, four wounded in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 December 2005, 08:49 GMT]
Six Sri Lanka Army soldiers were killed and four wounded when a claymore mine hit their tractor Sunday at 12:52 p.m. 200 meters south of Kondavil Junction on Palaly Road in Jaffna. Wounded soldiers were rushed to Palaly Military hospital, civilian sources said. SLA soldiers cordoned off the site, blocked all the traffic and started to attack the civilians in the area, sources added. Tension prevails in the area.
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SL Parliament to hold one-day debate on Govt's policy statement

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 December 2005, 10:04 GMT]
One-day debate on the policy statement of the new Sri Lankan President Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse is to take place when parliament meets on December 7 on a request made by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) at the leaders of political parties. Mr Rajapakse presented his policy statement in parliament last Friday.
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Two farmers shot dead, one wounded in Neerveli, Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 December 2005, 16:03 GMT]
Unidentified assailants shot and killed two farmers at a tea shop close to Athiyar Hindu College in Neerveli at 8 p.m. Thursday. A youth who was standing inside the tea shop was seriously wounded and was rushed to Jaffna Hospital, civilian sources said. Tension prevails in the area. The Tamil National Vigilance Association has called for a hartal in Jaffna on Friday to protest against the killings.
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Youth shot in Valaichenai after bungled abduction attempt

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 November 2005, 12:02 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen riding in a white van in Valaichenai shot and injured Suganthakumar Selvaratnam, 24, a Tamil youth when he tried to escape after the gunmen attempted to abduct him around 12:45 p.m. Saturday, police said. Selvaratnam, a civilian, was rushed to Valaichenai Hospital with serious gunshot wounds to his chest and head. He was later transferred to Batticaloa Hospital at 1:30 p.m., medical sources said.
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Sovereignty fears

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 November 2005, 01:33 GMT]
The definition "supreme authority within a territory," captures the essential notion of sovereignty used to describe political authority of modern nation states. The origins of Sri Lanka’s long festering conflict lie in its unitary constitution which vests the exercise of sovereignty solely in the hands of Sinhala Buddhists. But Colombo wields no sovereign authority over nearly seventy percent of the island’s NorthEast. Radical Sinhala groups view the denial of their state’s sovereignty in areas controlled by the Liberation Tigers with extreme chagrin. Over the years, other events too have challenged Sri Lanka’s sovereignty.
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Heroes' day commemorations begin

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 November 2005, 15:57 GMT]
Three days of events marking Heroes' day that falls on the 27 November began in Kilinochchi and other parts of the NorthEast Friday. Liberation Tiger cadres, officials, parents of fighters killed in war and workers participated in the newly opened Lt Col Malathy Memorial Hall, Charles Antony Memorial and at the Peace Secretariat building in Kilinochchi.
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Tigers two pronged strategy- Taraki, 1989

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 November 2005, 01:02 GMT]
On the 3 December 1989 issue of Sri Lanka's English daily, Island International, late Dharmeratnam Sivaram, popular journalist and Senior editor at TamilNet, writes on LTTE's ascendency after the collapse of the Indo-Lanka accord. Beginning of withdrawal of Indian troops, JVP insurrection in the South that made Sri Lanka a killing field, and the start of Premadasa-LTTE talks provide the political context to the article.
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Rajapakse to deliver vital policy speech Friday

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 November 2005, 17:03 GMT]
Newly elected Sri Lankan President Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse is set to deliver his first speech at the Lankan Parliament Friday where he is also expected to express his stand on the ethnic crisis, the Norwegian facilitation, economic policy and his foreign policy. A motion on re-imposing Emergency Regulations is also expected to be tabled in the Parliament Friday.
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Mangala Samaraweera appointed new SL Foreign Minister

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 November 2005, 07:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka's new President Mahinda Rajapakse has demoted former President Chandrika Kumaratunga's brother, Mr. Anura Bandaranaike, by removing the Foreign Ministry portfolio from him and appointing him as the Minister of Tourism in his new 25-member cabinet. Chief coordinator of Mr. Rajapakse's Presidential Campaign, Mangala Samaraweera, a JVP-friendly hardliner, has been appointed as the Foreign Minister, in addition to his portfolios, Ports and Aviation. The twice postponed- swearing in of the new cabinet of ministers took place at the Presidential Secretariat Wednesday. Rajapakse is likely to keep with him the Finance and Defence Ministries.
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Sri Lanka, a divided nation

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 November 2005, 02:21 GMT]
Predicting that if parliamentary elections were held and the LTTE encouraged Tamils to vote, the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) will likely lose the elections, and the United National Party (UNP) wll be able to form a coalition government with the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Robert C Oberst, Professor of Political Science at Nebraska Wesleyan University says Sri Lanka remains a divided nation, divided, not only between the Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims, but also divided among the Sinhalese. He adds that renegade LTTE commander, Mr. Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan (Karuna), is the biggest loser in the elections.
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Wickremanayake appointed new Lankan PM

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 November 2005, 07:09 GMT]
Mr.Ratnasiri Wickremanayake was sworn in as the fourteenth Prime Minister of Sri Lanka before SL President Mahinda Rajapakse Monday. At a ceremony held at the Temple Trees, Mr. Rajapakse sworn in him as the Prime Minister of his would-be appointed cabinet this morning. Ratnasiri Wickremanayake held the post of Deputy Minister of Defense and Minister of Buddhist Affairs till the election of Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse as the 5th executive president of Sri Lanka.
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Trincomalee experiences heavy rain, families displaced

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 November 2005, 17:28 GMT]
Torrential rain in Trincomalee has caused flood in several villages forcing hundreds of tsunami-affected families to seek refuge in schools and public buildings from their water inundated shelters. Several roads have gone under water interrupting smooth transport system between villages and outstations of the district, sources said.
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Thampalakamam women receive self-employment training

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 November 2005, 11:12 GMT]
Thirty-five rural girls and housewives who underwent six month training in sewing in the traditional Tamil village, Thampalakamam , under the auspices of Trincomalee Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) were awarded with certificates at an event held in the Thampalakamam divisional office of the TRO Monday evening. Thampalakamam is located about 24 km, southwest of Trincomalee town along Trincomalee-Kandy highway.


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LTTE: no change in our position on polls

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 November 2005, 09:06 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said Wednesday there is no change in their position on Thursday’s Presidential election from that taken last Friday. Denying newspaper reports that the LTTE was now actively encouraging people to vote in the Presidential elections, head of the LTTE’s Peace Secretariat, S. Pulidevan, said "the issue was discussed at length by the LTTE and the TNA (Tamil National Alliance) last week and the conclusion was the Tamils cannot place our trust on either of the parties or their candidates".
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SLA soldiers dishonor GA permits at checkpoint -TNA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 November 2005, 18:08 GMT]
Soldiers manning the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) checkpoints at Kaddaiparichchan and Mahindapura in Muttur east and Eachchilampathu division are not honoring permits issued by the Trincomalee Government Agent to non-governmental organizations and other agencies to take building materials to LTTE held areas to implement approved reconstruction and rehabilitation projects, said Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Trincomalee district parliamentarian in a letter faxed to President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Tuesday.
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"SL Government's speak soft, hit hard policy" - Taraki, 1992

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 November 2005, 03:33 GMT]
In the 10th June 1992 issue of Sri Lanka's English daily, Island International, late Dharmeratnam Sivaram, popular journalist and Senior editor at TamilNet, sheds light into the then Sri Lanka's President Premadasa and Leader of the House, Ranil Wickremesinghe's strategy of dealing with Tamil national question, a strategy of wooing Tamil votes with political rhetoric and to inflict military defeat on LTTE by planning to allow Sri Lanka forces to "smash their way into Jaffna."
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Vadamaradchy East, Kilinochchi voters can exercise franchise freely- GA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 November 2005, 12:42 GMT]
"We have made elaborate arrangements to ensure that voters residing in Liberation Tigers' controlled areas of Vadamaradchy east and Kilinochchi district can exercise their franchise with complete freedom without any requirement to produce identity cards," said Jaffna Government Agent and Jaffna District Election Returning Officer, K Ganesh, during a press meet held at the Jaffna Secretariat offices Sunday afternoon.
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Student resurgence convention concludes in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 November 2005, 12:43 GMT]
Students from Jaffna schools assembled Friday at the Kailasapathy Hall Jaffna Campus to discuss issues confronting Tamil students in NorthEast. Head of Jaffna Students Federation, Mr Gunendran, presided the event. Organizers said this was the first event of this type arranged by the students in the NorthEast.
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Cushnahan to visit Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 November 2005, 14:24 GMT]
John Cushnahan, chief obeserver of the EU Election Observation Mission, accompanied by Head of EU delegation to Sri Lanka, Ambassador Julian Wilson, are to visti Jaffna, Friday, a press advisory from the EOM offices in Colombo said Thursday.
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LTTE-TNA conference concludes: "Tamil people have no interest in SL Presidential elections"

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 November 2005, 11:56 GMT]
Emerging from the three and a half hour meeting with the Political Wing of the LTTE, Wednesday, R.Sampanthan, Leader of the TNA Parliamentarians, categorically declared to the media, "Nothing worthwhile would be achieved by supporting either of the two leading candidates in the Sri Lankan Presidential election." Mr Sampanthan, following discussions presided by S.P.Thamilchelvan, leader of the Political Wing of the LTTE, assured the press in Kilinochchi, that Tamil People are "not at all interested in the forthcoming Presidential election."
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