TNA condemns Chelvanayakapuram killings

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 July 2005, 17:14 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Sunday condemned the Chelvanayakapuram killings and said that the motive of the attack is the disruption of the ceasefire agreement. "The government cannot be unmindful of its obligation to take the maximum possible measures to ensure that such incidents do not recur. It is necessary for the Government to take steps to erase the impression of collusion or complicity in such attacks," said in the press release signed by Mr.R.Sampanthan, TNA parliamentary group leader.
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Estate Tamils' security is tied to NorthEast's strength- Chandrasekaran

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 July 2005, 23:52 GMT]
"Recognition of the fundamental rights and the right of citizenship of Hill country Tamils is imperative for long term sustainable peace and stability in Sri Lanka," said Parliamentarian and Leader of Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF), Mr Periyasamy Chandrasekaran, when he talked with TamilNet Saturday in Washington D.C. On the future security of the people of Indian origin, Mr Chandrasekaran said, "As a minority community powerless to defend itself against discrimination and repression, the security is tied closely to the security framework to be established by the NorthEast Tamils under the political and military leadership of the Liberation Tigers."
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NorthEast Governor visits Mannar

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 July 2005, 16:24 GMT]
Fishermen from Pesalai and Talaimannar in Mannar district Friday complained to NorthEast Governor Mr.Tyronne Fernando that deepening of the Palk Straits under the Sethusamudram Canal Project (SSCP) would destroy the breeding ground of fish in the sea territory close to Mannar shore. Mr.Tyronne Fernando during his one-day visit to Mannar Friday afternoon met with groups of fishermen in Pesalai and Talaimannar separately and inquired about their grievances and difficulties, Mannar district secretariat sources said.
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GTZ funds Elephant Pass Girl's Hostel

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 July 2005, 11:15 GMT]
A Hostel for more than 50 women employees working at the Elephant Pass salterns and salt packing plants was ceremonially opened last week, sources in Kilinochchi said. The facility was built with financial support of the German Government through the German Technical Co-operation (GTZ).
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SL government destroys weapon collection

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 July 2005, 10:52 GMT]
15, 000 of about 26,000 lethal weapons collected by the Sri Lankan government since 1985 during the insurrection by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and from criminal gangs were destroyed Friday morning in the presence of Mr.Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Deputy Defence Minister, and Mr.Chandra Fernando, Inspector General of Police, sources in Colombo said. This event took place to mark the International Weapons Destruction Day
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SL Parliament approves Terrorist Financing Suppression Bill

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 July 2005, 11:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament Thursday adopted the Draft Bill to give effect to the Convention on the Suppression of Terrorist Financing with a majority of sixty votes, 81 parliamentarians including ruling party, United peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), main opposition United national Party (UNP), National Unity Alliance (NUA), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the four dissidents of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) voted for the bill. 21 parliamentarians including 20 Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MPs and one UNP MP Mr.T.Maheswaran voted against the bill. parliamentary sources said.
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Ambepitya murder accused sentenced to death

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 July 2005, 16:19 GMT]
All the five accused in the High Court Judge Sarath Ambepitiya murder were sentenced to death Monday by the three-member bench High Court comprising Judges Mr.Upali Abeyaratne (President), W.A.T.Ratnayake and I.M.Abeyaratne. The Chief Justice had constituted trial-at-bar to hear this high profile murder case, legal sources said.
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Grenade attack on a house in Eravur leaves one wounded

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 July 2005, 08:00 GMT]
Mr Mahadevan Ratnasigamany, 29, was seriously wounded when unidentified persons lobbed a grenade into his residence at Sithandy in Eravur. The attack took place around 9.30 PM Sunday night, Police said.
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Tsunami hit Soodaikuda village relocated

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 June 2005, 02:58 GMT]
Tsunami destroyed Soodaikuda, a coastal village in the Muttur east in the Trincomalee district has been relocated two hundred meters away from the shore on a twenty-five acre land with each displaced family is given about twenty perch plot with a transition home constructed by the International Organization of Migration (IOM),
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World Bank funded Varothayanagar water supply scheme commissioned

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 June 2005, 02:35 GMT]
Mr.Tyronne Fernando, North East Governor Wednesday evening declared open the Varothayanagar water supply scheme constructed at a cost of 118 million rupees by the World Bank (WB) funded North East Emergency Reconstruction Programme (NEERP). The National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) implemented the project. Mr.R.Sampanthan and Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Trincomalee district parliamentarians also associated with the Governor in the event, sources said.
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Sambaltivu Boys Home gets new building

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 June 2005, 10:14 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Mr.R.Sampanthan, Mr.Mavai Senathirajah and Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Monday, laid the foundation stones for a new building for the Boys Home in Sambaltivu in Trincomalee district administered by the Trincomalee Welfare Association (TWA), sources said. The new building and facilities costing nearly Rs 3m is being funded by a group of expatriate Canadian Tamils and will replace the existing temporary building, sources said.


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Court extends remand for Sivaram murder suspect

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 June 2005, 15:12 GMT]
The Kaduwela Magistrate Champa Janaki Perera extended the remand for the suspect Mr. Sriskandarajah alias Peter to 5 July in the assasination case of veteran journalist Dharmaratnam Sivaram, legal sources said. The scheduled identification parade for the suspect, an ex-PLOTE commander, did not take place as there were no witnesses present at the courts, sources added.
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Islets residents protest against SLA, SLN harassment

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 June 2005, 11:30 GMT]
Hundreds of civilians of islets in the Jaffna district Monday held a demonstration condemning the harassment by Sri Lanka Army (SLAN) and Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) personnel stationed in islets and the Sinhala Buddhist chauvinists' elements in the south. They went in a procession from Palakattu junction to Kayts Divisional Secretariat office, sources said.
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SLA escorted convoy with LTTE officials ambushed

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 June 2005, 09:18 GMT]
A convoy carrying Amparai Political Head of the Liberation Tigers, Mr. Kuyilinpan and other LTTE political staff, with Sri Lanka Army (SLA) escort facilitated by Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), was attacked at Welikanda at 2.55 PM Sunday, Welikanda Police said. The bus carrying around 40 eastern LTTE officials from Kilinochchi to Batticaloa was ambushed with a land mine, but none were killed as the vehicle narrowly escaped the impact of the bomb. One LTTE official was injured in the attack. The ambush took place between two Sri Lankan military camps, at Boaththe, around 1 km from Welikanda SLA base. The convoy resumed its journey towards Batticaloa with high security, Police said.
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SL Parliament to meet with JVP in opposition

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 June 2005, 00:29 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament is scheduled to meet Wednesday for the first time after the Marxist Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) withdrew its support to the 14-month-old United Peoples' Freedom Alliance government (UPFA). JVP, a major constituent of the ruling alliance, and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) signed an agreement to form UPFA on 20 January 2004 in Colombo.
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Amnesty condemns rights violations by GoSL, LTTE

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 June 2005, 20:20 GMT]
Amnesty International accused the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) of torture in police custody, continued impunity for security forces against rights violations and for the presence of threat to religious minorities, in its report covering events from January to December 2004. Amnesty drew attention to the "dramatic increase in politically motivated killings," after renegade commander Muralitharan's split and accused the LTTE of continued recruitment of children, acknowledging the LTTE released "large number of child soldiers...."
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CTTU calls for campaign demanding the removal of Buddha statue

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 June 2005, 07:38 GMT]
The working committee of the Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU) on Tuesday decided to extend its fullest co-operation to the campaign demanding the removal of the controversial Buddha statue located close to the Trincomalee central bus stand, CTTU sources said.
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Token fast held in Trinco in support of aid deal

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 June 2005, 12:37 GMT]
One-day token fast was held in Trincomalee town Monday from morning till evening demanding the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) to sign the joint mechanism with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to facilitate the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the tsunami destroyed coastal areas in the northeast province without any delay. Trincomalee District Tamil Peoples Forum (TDTPF) organized the event.
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Protest march held in Vadamaradchchi supporting aid deal

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 June 2005, 11:28 GMT]
Thousands of people participated in the protest march held Monday in the Vadamaradchchi division in Jaffna district demanding the immediate implementation of the joint mechanism structure and withdrawal of the government troops from their land. The Vadamaradchchi fisheries societies federation organized the protest march, sources said.
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TNA, UNP discuss aid deal

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 June 2005, 17:15 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Sunday appealed to the main opposition United National Party (UNP) to openly declare its full support to the joint mechanism proposal and to insist that the Sri Lanka Government sign the agreement before tabling it in the parliament. TNA parliamentary delegation led by its leader Mr.R.Sampanthan met with Opposition Leader Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, Sunday afternoon and held discussions regarding the current political crisis following the withdrawal of the Sinhala Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) from the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, TNA sources said.
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