Tamil representatives, Legal experts meet EU officials

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 October 2005, 11:16 GMT]
Francis Boyle, professor of international law at the University of Illinois and a leading practitioner and advocate of international law, Mr. V. Rudrakumaran, an attorney of law based in New York, U.S, and a legal advisor to the Tamil delegation at the peace negotiations, met a high level delegation of European Commission External Relations officials on Monday at 2:00 p.m. in Brussels following the Tamil diaspora rally, sources in Brussels told TamilNet.


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TNA, SLMM meet in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 October 2005, 10:40 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Sivanathan Kishor , Sivasakthi Ananthan and Vino Noharathalingam met with Vavuniya Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) at the Vavuniya SLMM offices Monday morning, sources in Vavuniya said. The discussion centered on the National Resurgence Event scheduled to take place on the 27th of this month.
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Thousands to attend rally near EU Secretariat in Brussels

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 October 2005, 20:59 GMT]
Thousands of diaspora Tamils in Europe are expected to participate in Eluthamil (Tamil uprising) rally near the European Union (EU) Secretariat Monday noon "to express solidarity with the Tamil people in NorthEast homeland in their search for peace with justice, and to urge EU to recognize Tamils right to self-determination and not to impose unilateral punitive measures on Tamils' only politico-military force, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam," according to organizers. More than 150 coaches will transport around 10,000 participants from European countries, mainly from Germany, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands, to Brussels, Belgium on Monday for the rally, organizers added.
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Electricity outages irk Mannar residents

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 October 2005, 11:22 GMT]
Frequent outages of electricity supply in Mannar and its suburbs are hurting residents and economic activity in Mannar, and industrialists are complaining that frequent breakdown and fluctuation in the supply are damaging industrial machinery, Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan, Wanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian said in a memorandum sent to the Minister of Power and Energy, Mr Susil Premajayantha.


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Jaffna fishermen demand removal of restrictions

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 October 2005, 15:50 GMT]
Representatives of Jaffna district fishermen unions, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officers including Jaffna Military Commander Major General Sunil Tennekoon met at the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) office in Nallur Jaffna Saturday at 3 p.m. in an effort to resolve the hardships faced by Jaffna fishermen due to the pass system, lack of light house facilities and the restriction on fishing times, sources in Jaffna said.
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Trincomalee Declaration demands SL troops to vacate NorthEast

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 October 2005, 08:28 GMT]
Tamil speaking people in large numbers from north, west and south of the Trincomalee district attended the Tamil National Resurgence Convention held Saturday morning in the Playground located along the Inner Harbour Road in the east port city which is controlled by the Sri Lanka Army. Co-ordinating Committee of the Tamil national Resurgence in Trincomalee District, in the declaration, demanded the Sri Lanka troops to vacate the NorthEast land and seas and declared that the rally "demonstrates to the international community the thirst for freedom of the Tamil nation."
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TNA headquarters opened in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 October 2005, 17:16 GMT]
The headquarters of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) was declared open Friday evening in Trincomalee town on the eve of the Trincomalee National Tamil Resurgence Convention to be held on Saturday morning. Mr.Mavai Senathirajah, Jaffna district TNA parliamentarian lit the flame of sacrifice. Mr.R.Sampanthan, TNA parliamentary group leader hoisted the Thamileelam national flag and Mr.Jospeh Pararajasingham, TNA National List parliamentarian unveiled the name board of the headquarters.


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Massacre anniversary commemorated in Jaffna Hospital

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 October 2005, 11:18 GMT]
Eighteenth death anniversary of twenty-one persons including medical specialists, nurses, attendants, patients and members of public who were massacred inside Jaffna Teaching Hospital (JTH) by Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) troops stationed in Jaffna Fort on 21st October, 1987 was held at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital Friday, sources in Jaffna said. Deputy Director of the Hospital, R Raviraj, presided the event.
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UN agencies briefed on Trinco resurgence convention

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 October 2005, 00:11 GMT]
Mr.R.Sampanthan, leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Thursday morning briefed the representatives of the UN agencies, international non-governmental organizations, and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) working in Trincomalee district on the reasons for holding the Tamil National Resurgence Convention on October 22 in the east port city.
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Norwegian Tamils march for peace

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 October 2005, 19:41 GMT]
More than one thousand Norwegian Tamils participated in a march carrying torches in the Norwegian capital Oslo Thursday evening. The demonstration, organised by a task group of ten Norwegian Tamil organisations and held in "Pongu Thamil" fashion, urged Norway to promote neutrality in the Sri Lankan peace process that has attracted the attention and involvement of several members of the International community.
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18th anniversary of IPKF Hospital massacre to be held

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 October 2005, 11:26 GMT]
Eighteenth death anniversary of twenty-one persons including medical specialists, nurses, attendants, patients and members of public who were massacred inside Jaffna Teaching Hospital (JTH) by Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) troops stationed in Jaffna Fort on 21st October, 1987 is to be observed Friday in the hospital premises, civil sources said.
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Rajapakse manifesto released

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 October 2005, 10:52 GMT]
Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse, presidential candidate of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) released his manifesto at an event held in the BMICH at an event held Tuesday morning in the Bandaranaike International Memorial Conference Hall (BMICH). The manifesto said that an ultimate solution to the ethnic crisis could only be reached through negotiations and not through war and that a settlement based on a unitary state is the basis to the ethnic crisis.


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Emergency rule in Sri Lanka extended

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 October 2005, 07:12 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament Tuesday evening adopted a motion to extend the State of Emergency for another month by a majority of sixty-one votes. Eighty parliamentarians of the ruling party and the main opposition UNP voted for the motion. Nineteen MPs voted against. This is the second extension of the State of Emergency which was reintroduced August 13 following the killing of Mr.Lakshman Kadirgamar on August 12 night, parliamentary sources said.
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CFA has failed to advance peace-Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 October 2005, 16:30 GMT]
The ceasefire (CFA) agreement signed by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) in the year 2002 with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam because of the military strength of the LTTE in the battlefield has not helped the Tamil speaking people to achieve their political aspirations even after four years, said Mr.R.Sampanthan, Tamil National Alliance parliamentary group leader and Trincomalee district parliamentarians addressing an awareness meeting in regard to the proposed Tamil National Resurgence Convention which is to be held on October 22, sources said.
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German NGO distributes boats to Veloor fishermen

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 October 2005, 20:11 GMT]
Juergen Wahn Stiftung (JWS), a German based non-governmental organization recently donated another consignment of five fishing boats to families affected by tsunami in Nilaveli and Veloor villages in the Kuchchaveli division, north of Trincomalee.
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Funeral for Kopay principal held

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 October 2005, 02:53 GMT]
Funeral for the slain Principal of Kopay Christian College, Mr Sivakadadcham, was held in Kopay Thursday. Students, public and School principals, teachers paid their last respects during the funeral ceremony at his Kopay residence and when the coffin was taken to Kopay Hindu cemetary in procession for cremation, sources said. Mr Sivakadadcham was gunned down by unknown assailants in front of his house Tuesday night.
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Vanni bank awards prizes to thrifty children

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 October 2005, 01:54 GMT]
Officers of the Social Economic Development (SED) bank awarded prizes for 127 children who managed to save more than Rs 2000/- in their piggy banks, as part of the bank's "Future charm" savings project in an event held at the Pradeshya Sabha building in Puthukkudiyiruppu Mullaitivu district at 10.30 a.m. Thursday.
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Trinco prepares to hold Resurgence Convention

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 October 2005, 16:54 GMT]
The Tamil National Resurgence Conventions (TNRC) are being held in the northeast province at district level to urge the international community to recognize the self determination right of Tamil people as Sri Lankan government has failed to find a satisfactory political solution to the Tamil national question, said Mr.R.Sampanthan, Trincomalee district parliamentarian and the parliamentary group leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) addressing one in a series of awareness meetings in Trincomalee during the weekend. The convention is to be held in Trincomalee on 22 October at the Youth Playground, from 9 a.m. till 12 noon.
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NESOHR releases 26 underage youths

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 October 2005, 11:02 GMT]
Twenty six underage youths who had volunteered to join the Liberation Tigers were released to their parents in the presence of Ian Martin, former President of Amnesty International and Human Rights consultant, by Rev M X Karunaratnam at the North East Secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR) building in Karadippoku Junction, Kilinochchi Thursday 10.30am, sources said.
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Trinco Fine Art Institute holds annual festival

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 October 2005, 00:41 GMT]
Trincomalee Fine Art Institute held its annual Art Festival-2005 during the weekend in Sri Muthucumaraswami Kovil Wedding Hall. The Sri Muthucumaraswami Thevasthanam runs the Institute free of charge for courses in fine art such as carnatic music and oriental dance to Tamil children in Trincomalee.
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