Tsunami affected families demand relief, protest continues

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 February 2006, 11:01 GMT]
The office of the Kalmunai Divisional Secretariat (Muslim division) is under siege for the second day, Thursday as several hundred tsunami affected families continued their sit-in-protest demanding that they should be provided with permanent houses and compensation, sources in Kalmunai said.
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Armed men beat MAG staffers in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 February 2006, 11:49 GMT]
Armed men in civilian clothes claiming to be belonging to paramilitary Karuna Group entered the offices of MAG (Mines Advisory Group) in Batticaloa at 2.55 p.m. Wednesday and beat a local staffer working at the office, and threatened the British national heading the Batticaloa office of MAG, sources in Batticaloa said.
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Tsunami affected families protest in Kalmunai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 February 2006, 10:46 GMT]
Hundreds of tsunami affected families in Kalmunai held a demonstration in front of the Kalmunai Muslim Divisional Secretariat (DS) Wednesday from morning demanding that they should be provided with permanent houses, compensation and other relief measures. Protestors cooked their food in front of the DS office while continuing the protest, sources said.
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Muted response to Amparai hartal call

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 February 2006, 10:38 GMT]
The general shut down call issued by an organization named as the Consortium of Southeast Muslims' Association on Wednesday in the Muslim areas in the Amparai district failed to receive enough response from the Muslim people, Muslim sources in Amparai district said.
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Mercy Corps organizes Food Processing Fair in Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 February 2006, 16:45 GMT]
Two day Food Processing Fair is to be held in Akkaraipattu in Amparai district on 25th and 26th of February, with the aim of forging market linkages between national-level service and equipment providers and small scale food processors involved in curd production, milling, spice production, baking, fish drying, and cashew roasting, sources said. Mercy Corps, an international humanitarian organization with main offices in US, UK and Hong Kong is organizing the fair.
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Risk awareness training for NorthEast journalists held

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 February 2006, 11:31 GMT]
Two sessions of two-day risk awareness training for journalists, the first session for 25 Jaffna journalists in Colombo, and the second for journalists from the Batticaloa, Amparai and Vavuniya, at Sigiriya village in the North Central Province, organized by the International News Safety Institute (INSI), concluded Sunday, sources said.
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105 nominations accepted, 26 rejected in Amparai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 February 2006, 16:37 GMT]
Twenty-six nomination lists out of 131 submitted by political parties and independent groups were rejected by the Amparai District Returning Officer Thursday for failing to furnish requirements as stated in the election law. Till noon Thursday 57 independent groups and fourteen registered political parties have submitted their nomination lists, election department sources said.
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JVP to contest in 11 local councils in Amparai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 February 2006, 12:58 GMT]
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the marxist alliance of Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse, has filed nominations to contest in 11 local councils of Amparai district, political sources in Amparai said. Amparai district has one Municipal council, one Urban council and 16 Pradeshya Sabahs. 396453 voters will use 391 polling booths for voting for during the local council elections.
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Ashraff wants Muslims to pray for Geneva talks success

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 February 2006, 18:33 GMT]
Ms Ferial Ashraff, leader of the National Unity Alliance and the Minister for Housing Friday appealed to Muslim to pray for the success of peace talks scheduled to be held in Geneva on February 22 and 23. She declared open of an office of the NUA Friday in Amparai. She is also the Amparai district parliamentarian, sources said.
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Muslim farmer shot, injured in Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 February 2006, 06:43 GMT]
Mr.W.L.Najeebdeen aged 44 of First Division in Akkaraipattu in the Amparai district was shot and injured Friday morning around 8.00 a.m. by unidentified person when he was going to see harvesting in his paddy field which is located in Aanaivilunthan in Alankulam area. He was immediately admitted to the Amparai general hospital, police sources said.
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Ashraff demands regional education office in Amparai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 February 2006, 15:56 GMT]
A regional office of the North East Education Ministry should be opened in Amparai without delay in order to facilitate teachers and principals of the district to fulfill their needs without traveling to Trincomalee and Colombo, said Minister Ms Ferial Ashraff at an event held in Amparai during the weekend, sources said.
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Rajapakse's Independence address avoids Geneva talks, Norway facilitation

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 February 2006, 16:24 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse, in his address at Galle Face on Sri Lanka's 58th Independence Day on Saturday, avoided mentioning Norwegian peace efforts and the critical talks in Geneva on strengthening implementation of Cease Fire Agreement. The Sri Lankan President, who promised "honorable peace" to the people of Northeast at his address, said the independence achieved 58 years ago from the British, was at stake. Meanwhile, districts of NorthEast observed widespread shutdown.
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Reconstruction of 13,000 houses in NorthEast to begin

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 February 2006, 03:13 GMT]
The World Bank funded North East Housing Reconstruction Programme (NEHRP) has commenced the second phase reconstruction of 13000 houses for the war victim families in the NorthEast. NEHRP officials started distributing forms to collect necessary data to select qualified beneficiaries affected by the two decade-old war in the province to be included in the second phase, a press release of the NEHRP said.
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Court begins inquiry into Jaffna students FR application

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 February 2006, 17:55 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court Thursday listed the Fundamental Rights (FR) application filed by fifteen Tamil students from the Jaffna district alleging discrimination in university admission for further hearing. The FR application came up for inquiry before a three member Bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justices Shiranee Bandaranaike, Raja Fernando and N.G.Amaratunge, legal sources said.
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STF opens fire at hartal observers in Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 February 2006, 05:45 GMT]
Several civilians sustained minor injuries when Special Task Force (STF) soldiers opened fire at civilians observing hartal in Thirukovil area in Akkaraipattu Friday morning. The incident took place near Akkaraipattu-Pottuvil highway, sources said.
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Tamil students allege discrimination in University Admissions

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 January 2006, 15:19 GMT]
Two Tamil female candidates who sat for the Sri Lanka Law College entrance examination have filed a Fundamental Rights (FR) application in the Supreme Court alleging discrimination against Tamil medium candidates. Both have begged the court to order for re-correction of their answer scripts, legal sources said. Meanwhile, fifteen Jaffna students filed another FR application challenging admission procedures to the Faculties of Engineering and Medicine, legal sources added.


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Four STF soldiers injured in grenade attack

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 January 2006, 15:54 GMT]
Four Special Task Force (STF) soldiers were seriously injured in a grenade attack by unknown assailants in Kannagi village in Akkaraipattu at 7.30 p.m. Sunday, security sources said. The STF soldeirs were on foot patrol along Akkaraipattu-Sagamam Road when the attack took place.
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Two LTTE supporters killed in Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 January 2006, 10:56 GMT]
Two Tamil youths Chandranathan Sasikumar, 23, also called Appuhami, a resident of Kurukkal Road in Akkaraipattu and Gopalakrishnan Suresh, 16, of RKM Road Akkaraipattu, were shot dead by unknown gunmen on Monday at 12 noon at Deans Road in Akkaraipattu Town, sources in the eastern province said. Both victims were said supporters of Liberation Tigers, Akkaraipattu residents said.
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Brick labourer shot dead in Kalmunai

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 January 2006, 11:58 GMT]
Mr Sulaimanlebbai Mohammed Esmail, 33, a labourer at a brick quarry in Nainakaddu Sammanthurai in Kalmunai was shot dead by unknown gunmen on Thursday night at 11-00 pm while he was sleeping in a shed near the quarry, sources said.
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SLA attack on LTTE sentry said repulsed

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 January 2006, 18:54 GMT]
The deep penetration unit of the Sri Lanka Army, backed by paramilitary groups, entered the no-man zone in Vavunatheevu and attacked the LTTE sentries in the area at 7:30 p.m. Monday night, but the LTTE returned fire and the attackers withdrew, LTTE sources in Batticaloa said, quoting Mr. Thayamohan, the political head of the LTTE for Batticaloa-Amparai.
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