SL parliament approves State of Emergency

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 August 2005, 12:43 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament Thursday adopted a government motion to extend the State of Emergency for a month after a one-day debate with a majority of 103 votes. 124 MPs voted for the motion and 21 against. President Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge declared the State of Emergency soon after the killing of Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister, and summoned the special session of the parliament to approve it on Thursday. According to the Constitution, the State of Emergency should be approved by parliament after ten days of its declaration.
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TNA MP casts doubt on assassination theory

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 August 2005, 12:01 GMT]
Mr. Mavai Senathirajah, Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, speaking during the debate on the motion for the extension of the State of Emergency in Sri Lankan parliament on Thursday, said that the killing of Lankan Foreign Minister, Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar, had taken place at a time when the international community had changed its position in favor of contributing funds direct to the NorthEast. This has created a reasonable suspicion on the theories about the assassination that Colombo wants the International Community to believe, he said.  
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SL Parliament begins debate on ER amid chaos

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 August 2005, 05:51 GMT]
SL Deputy Minister of Defense, Mr. Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, in his opening speech in Sri Lankan Parliament on the special debate on Emergency Regulations on Thursday declared that "the alternate way" would be considered, if failing to find solution to any problem through negotiations with his government. Following his opening remarks, Mr. M.K. Eelavenathan, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, followed with his comments. TNA MP's speech was disturbed by Mr. Mervyn Silva, Deputy Minister, and Mr. Wimal Weeravanse, JVP's parliamentary group leader. Pandemonium prevailed for about fifteen minutes in the Lankan parliament.
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Policemen shot in Iruthayapuram

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 August 2005, 01:34 GMT]
Unidentified persons fired on two Sri Lankan policemen, wounding them on Tuesday night around 8:30 p.m. in the Iruthayapuram suburb of Batticaloa town, Police said. The attackers used T 56 rifles and shot from a long distance, Police said.
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SLA blocks civilian movement, LTTE tells SLMM

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 August 2005, 16:29 GMT]
Mr.Semmanan, Trincomalee District Deputy Political Head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Tuesday urged the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) to take immediate steps to provide relief to thousands of residents who are prevented from traveling to and from the LTTE controlled areas in the district by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) since the declaration of State of Emergency Saturday, LTTE sources said.


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Buddhist rituals mark Kadirgamar's State Funeral

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 August 2005, 15:55 GMT]
The funeral of slain Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was held with full state honours at the Independence Square at 6 p.m. Monday. Late Kadirgamer's son Ravi lit the funeral pyre after sunset according to Buddhist tradition. Several thousand people paid their last respects as the remains of kadirgamar was taken in procession to the Independence Square from his official residence at the Wijerama Mawatha. From the beginning of the drive of the Independence square to the venue where the funeral orations were made by the religious leaders and the Prime minister on behalf of the Sri Lanka government, the military parade accompanied the cortage.
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Blockade to LTTE held areas in Trinco - MP complains

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 August 2005, 07:17 GMT]
Security forces are still enforcing the ban on the movement of people and vehicles to and from the LTTE controlled areas in Muttur east division and Eachchilampathu division in the Trincomalee district causing untold suffering since Saturday morning, said Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Trincomalee district parliamentarian in a letter to Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunga.
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STF soldier, policeman, homeguard injured in Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 August 2005, 17:18 GMT]
An STF soldier, a policeman and a homeguard were seriously injured at 9:30 p.m. Sunday, when unidentified attackers lobbed a grenade into their checkpost located on RKM Road in Akkaraipattu, 64 km. south of Batticaloa, Police said. The injured men were rushed to Akkaraipattu Hospital and later transferred to Amparai Hospital. Tension prevails in Akkaraipattu following the attack.
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Political cadres blocked at Omanthai checkpoint - Vavuniya LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 August 2005, 09:47 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers at the Omanthai checkpoint, the main entry point to the LTTE controlled Vanni, slamed the doors for all traffic without any prior notice at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday. The traffic resumed at 12:25 p.m. travellers said. However, political cadres of the Liberation Tigers were not allowed to cross the Omanthai SLA checkpoint, said Mr. Gnanam, LTTE's Vavuniya district political head. Also, LTTE's political cadres from Vanni were not allowed to cross the border-point, he added.


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TNA statement on Kadirgamar killing

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 August 2005, 06:49 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Sunday expressed shock and consternation on the killing of Mr.Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister. "We urge that the peace process be recommenced in a meaningful way. That would be the only way to sustain the Ceasefire Agreement and discourage all forms of violence," said the TNA in its press release.
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Police arrests Tamil owners of Bullers Road house

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 August 2005, 08:07 GMT]
Police has arrested a Tamil couple, Mr. Lakshman Thalaiyasingam, 58, and Mrs. Vipiyan Selvalogini Thalaiyasingam, the owners of the house located at 42, Bullers Lane where the sniper had taken position to strike at Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar. Mr Thalaiyasingam, an executive officer in a leading Colombo business establishment, and his wife were at the house at the time of the incident and have told Police that they had no knowledge that the assassin had taken position at the top floor of their house. The couple told the Police that the top floor was rarely used by them.
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P-TOMS fate confirms Tamils' grave skepticism- Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 August 2005, 02:57 GMT]
Mr. R. Sampanthan M.P. Leader Parliamentary Group TNA, speaking during the adjournment debate on the P-TOMS structure Thursday in the Sri Lanka Parliament said that JVP mounted a "high profile challenge levelled against the P-TOMS" because the "agreement was intended to substantially benefit the Tamil speaking people of the Northeast," and that the failure of P-TOMS has confirmed the "grave sense of skepticism amongst the Tamil people."


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Labor shortage hampers paddy harvest

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 August 2005, 02:25 GMT]
Farmers in the three districts of eastern province, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Amparai, are unable to harvest their crops due to acute shortage of labourers. The farmers fear that monsoon rain expected during the end of August would destroy their crops if not harvested in time, sources said.
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SLA urged to reopen Powerhouse Road to ease congestion

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 August 2005, 17:09 GMT]
Dr.S.Gunarasa, Jaffna Municipal Commissioner, during a conference held at the Jaffna district secretariat Tuesday afternoon, requested the authorities to take steps re-open the Powerhouse Road for public use to ease traffic congestion in Jaffna town, sources said. The Power House Road in the heart of the town has been declared high security zone where the headquarters of the 51-2 Brigade of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) is located, district secretariat sources said.


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Sri Lanka parliament to debate P-TOMS

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 August 2005, 08:03 GMT]
The Sri Lanka's parliament reconvened Tuesday morning with the Speaker Mr.W.M.J.Lokkubandara in the chair. Mr.Lokkubandara informed the house that the ruling party United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) has appointed Mr.Nimal Sripala de Silva as the Leader of the House, filling the vacancy created with the resignation of Mr.Maithiripala Sirisena.
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Up-Country Tamils protest against Sri Lankan Minister

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 August 2005, 13:43 GMT]
More than five-thousand protesters demonstrated Monday in front of Colombo Fort Railway station from 3:00 p.m till 4:30 p.m. against the Sri Lankan Deputy Minister of Labour Relations and Foreign Employment, Mr. Mervyn Silva, over his recent racial slurs directed at the Up-Country Tamils of Indian origin. Mr. Silva, while verbally abusing journalists who went to cover a court case where his son was involved, also insulted the Up-Country Tamils, according to journalists in Colombo.
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Rebuilding Kaddaiparichchan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 August 2005, 11:36 GMT]
The Social Development Centre (SDC) headquartered in Killinochchi, has drawn up plans to rebuild the war-destroyed Kaddaiparichchan village in the Muttur east in the Trincomalee district, officials said. SDC has sought the assistance of non-governmental organizations to rebuild the village currently in an abandoned state with uncleared mines, shrub jungles covering residential areas which once flourished with coconut trees and banana cultivation with villagers gainfully employed in animal husbandry and other cottage industries.
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Inquest held into the death of Jaffna SP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 August 2005, 16:45 GMT]
Jaffna Police Superintendent Mr.Charles Wijeratne's body is to be taken to his native place Kurunagala in the south Friday. Ms. Sarojini Ilankovan, Mallakam Magistrate held the inquest into the death of Mr.Wijeratna Thursday evening and directed the authorities to take the body to Colombo and to hold autopsy examination by Colombo Judicial Medical Officer.


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SLMTA commemorates slain journalist

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 August 2005, 11:01 GMT]
"Mr. Sivaram played an important role as a journalist highlighting the gravity of the NorthEast political and military situation with his in-depth analysis," said Professor Karthigesu Sivathamby, in a tribute to the slain popular military analyst and senior editor at TamilNet, Mr. Dharmeratnam Sivaram, on Tuesday during a commemoration event organised by the Sri Lankan Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA) at Colombo Tamil Sangam in Wellawatte marking the third month of the journalist's death.
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OFERR assists affected Trincomalee students

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 August 2005, 15:19 GMT]
Organization For Eelam Refugees Rehabilitation (OFERR- Ceylon)has donated thirty-three bicycles to students of Vellaimanal Al-Asker School as a part of a project to bring normalcy in the lives of tsunami affected students in Trincomalee district.
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