CWC ministers resign from UPFA cabinet

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 October 2005, 16:30 GMT]
Parliamentarians Mr.Muthu Sivalingam and Mr.M.S.Sellasamy of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) Monday evening handed over their resignation letters to Mr.W.J.S.Karunaretna, Secretary to the President from the ministry posts. Mr.Muthu Sivalingam was holding the post of Minister of Community Development and Estate Sector Infrastructure and Mr.Sellasamy the post of Deputy Minister.
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Court orders final police report on Sivaram murder

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 October 2005, 10:48 GMT]
Ms Champa Janaki Rajaratne, Kaduwela Magistrate Tuesday directed the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) of the Sri Lanka Police to submit full report on the investigation held into the murder of popular Journalist and senior editor at TamilNet, Mr Dharmaretnam Sivaram, with out any excuse on the next date, October 25. The only suspect Mr. Sriskandarajah arrested in connection with the murder was not brought to courts Tuesday when the case was taken for further inquiry, legal sources said.
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Two persons abducted, one dead, other injured in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 October 2005, 19:44 GMT]
Mr. Muthulingam Chandrakumar (24) of Alvai North was found Sunday early morning with injuries and his hands tied in an abandoned land in Vadamaradchchi area. Nelliyady Police on receipt of information rushed to the site and removed the youth to the Point Pedro Base Hospital, police said.
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Trinco TRO felicitates Sinhala, Muslim, Tamil pre-school teachers

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 October 2005, 00:05 GMT]
About six hundred pre-school teachers from all communities, Sinhalese, Muslims and Tamils, in the Trincomalee district were felicitated by the Pre-School Educational Development Centre (PSEDC) of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) at an event held Thursday in Trincomalee New Silver Star Hotel to mark the World Teachers' Day.
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Doyen of FP, uncompromising on Tamil National question

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 October 2005, 00:16 GMT]
Are leaders of Sinhala community prepared to share state power with Tamils? Mr. V. Navaratnam, the only surviving founder member of the Federal Party that provided political leadership to Tamils for more than three decades since it was formed in 1949, and described as the brain behind FP, shared with TamilNet his views on Tamil National struggle. The doyen of Tamil politics who negotiated with the father of the incumbent President Chandrika Kumaratunge and other Sri Lanka leaders for sharing state power within a federal framework for almost three decades turns 96-years this month in Montreal, Canada. He also inked the Bandaranaiyake Chelvanayagam pact.
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CWC ministers to resign, extend support to Ranil

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 October 2005, 05:13 GMT]
Mr.Armugam Thondaman, CWC leader said at a media briefing Wednesday morning that the party's two ministers would tender their resignations from the UPFA government. He said the CWC has decided to support UNP leader Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe in the forthcoming presidential election. The CWC further announced the 19 proposals that should be included in the agenda by the new Government. One of the proposals has urged the new government to resolve the ethnic problem through extensive power-sharing mechanism. Mr.Thondaman said that the UNP has accepted the 19 demands of the CWC in this regard.
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Will EU declaration help Sri Lanka's peace?

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 October 2005, 02:54 GMT]
The European Union’s (EU’s) announcement that it "will not receive members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in its member states until further notice," and is considering formally listing the LTTE as a terrorist organization has raised both controversy and questions over whether the move will aid or hurt the island’s stalled peace process.
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CWC to support Wickremasinghe for President

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 October 2005, 12:40 GMT]
The decision of the Ceylon Workers Congress led by Arumugam Thondaman to support the Presidential candidate of the UNP, Ranil Wickremasinghe, is almost conclusive, informed sources said.
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Pongu Thamil event to be held in Trinco 22nd October

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 October 2005, 18:37 GMT]
About hundred Tamil activists and representatives of Tamil organizations attending a discussion held at Trincomalee Vigneswara Maha Vidiyalayam Sunday decided to hold the next Tamil National Resurgence Convention (Pongu Thamil) in Trincomalee town before the end of October, sources said.
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Trincomalee community leaders felicitated

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 October 2005, 03:47 GMT]
Four leading citizens of Trincomalee town, three of them octogenarians who have rendered selfless services to their language, religion and community were felicitated at the 2005-Literary Festival of the Trincomalee Divisional Secretariat held Friday evening at Trincomalee Town Hall.
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SLFP to begin work on manifesto

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 October 2005, 00:28 GMT]
The Central Committee of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Friday appointed a nine-member committee to draft the manifesto for the presidential election at a tensed meeting presided by Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge held at the Presidential House Friday, political sources said. The Manifesto has to be ratified by the Central Committee before it is officially released.
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Thousands attend Jaffna Pongu Thamil rally, seek Army withdrawal

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 September 2005, 14:51 GMT]
An estimated two hundred thousand people attended the Tamil Resurgence celebrations in Jaffna Friday at Jaffna University Grounds, calling for the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to vacate the Tamil homeland and declaring that the Tamils right to self-determination is non-negotiable. Speakers at the rally said the event recognizes the Vavuniya proclamation and condemned the one-sided punitive measures taken by the European Union against the Liberation Tigers.
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Jaffna gets ready for sixth Tamil Resurgence Convention

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 September 2005, 15:00 GMT]
All roads in Jaffna district will lead to University Grounds Friday September 30 where the Tamil Resurgence Convention, is to be held. This is sixth in the series of such conferences held in recent months, first Vavuniya, second in Batticaloa, next in Killinochchi, fourth in Mullaitivu and fifth held at Mannar Wednesday.
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SLA's failure to honor agreement, leaves thousands stranded

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 September 2005, 01:43 GMT]
About five thousand Tamil people who came from LTTE controlled areas through Uyilankulam checkpoint to attend Tamil Resurgence Convention Wednesday were stranded in Mannar town when the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) failed to honor the agreement to reopen the checkpoint from 8 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. Wednesday, civil society sources said. During talks held earlier at Thallady main camp SLA agreed to Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians' request to keep the checkpoint open through extended hours.
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TNA MPs meet Japanese envoy

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 September 2005, 17:09 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Mr. R.Sampanthan and Mr. Joseph Pararajasingam told the Japanese envoy in Colombo, Mr Akio Suda, Tuesday that International Community must play an unbiased role in advancing the the Sri Lankan peace process and expressed their concern over the stalled peace process between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Government, sources in Colombo said.
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Heavy SLA presence in Mannar on Resurgence Day

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 September 2005, 09:38 GMT]
Citizens of Mannar woke Wednesday morning to witness a heavy SL army presence in the town and in the vicinity of the Tamil Resurgence Convention venue where deliberations were scheduled to commence at 4.30 p.m. Large number of heavy vehicles including armoured cars were seen patrolling the area.
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SLN allows students entry into Mandaitivu after protest

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 September 2005, 18:49 GMT]
Soldiers of the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) manning the checkpoint at the Pannai junction who had earlier blocked a group of Jaffna University students from entering Mandaitivu Tuesday allowed the group in, after the students held a three-hour sit-in-protest commencing from 9.30 a.m., sources in Jaffna said.


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SLA extends checkpoint hours to assist Convention attendees

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 September 2005, 00:32 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) authorities in Thallady main camp in Mannar district Monday agreed to extend Uyilankulam checkpoint opening time by more than 2 hours on September 30 for the people from LTTE controlled area to enter Mannar town through Uyilankulam to attend Tamil Resurgence Convention. The SLA agreed to the request when Vanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Mr.Sivanathan Kishore, Mr. Noharathalingam and Mr.Sivasakthi Anandan Monday morning met with Colonel Kariyakarawanse and sought assistance, sources said. The SLA also agreed not to deploy soldiers in the vicinity of the convention.
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Thileepan's 18th anniversary celebrated in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 September 2005, 11:58 GMT]
Lt.Col.Thileepan's eighteenth death annivasary celebration was held at the Batticaloa Palugamam Throupathy Amman Kovil grounds between 10am and 3pm Monday, sources in Batticaloa said. Batticaloa district Liberation Tigers military commander Ramanan raised the Thamileelam national flag and LTTE Head of Administration Thangaiya lit the traditional oil lamp to begin the celebrations where several hundred Batticaloa residents and LTTE cadres attended.


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Thousands attend Kilinochchi, Jaffna Thileepan commemoration

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 September 2005, 11:47 GMT]
Thousands congregated at Murugan temple, Kilinochchi, Monday morning for the commemoration rally in memory of Lt.Col.Thileepan who died after a 12 day old hunger-strike protesting against the Indian IPKF and the Sri Lankan armed forces occupying the North-East.
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