TNA meets with German Minister

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 February 2005, 17:34 GMT]
A delegation of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) compring TNA Parliamentary Group Leader, Mr. R.Sampathan, and parliamentarians Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, Mr. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, and Mrs. Padmini Sithambaranathan, met with German Economic Cooperation and Development Minister Ms. Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul at the German Embassy in Colombo, Monday, political sources in Colombo said.
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ER can arbitrarily deny Personal Liberty, Rights- NESOHR

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 February 2005, 12:42 GMT]
The Northeast Secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR) in a media release issued Monday said that it "views with serious concern recently declared Emergency Regulations (ER) under the Public Security Ordinance," and pointed out that "people of Northeast of the island [Sri Lanka] have valid fear that these regulations may be applied against them arbitrarily to deny their personal liberties and property rights."
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US Seventh Fleet flagship Blue Ridge on a visit to Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 February 2005, 08:06 GMT]
Barely a few hours before the grand and maiden arrival of the US former Presidents, Bill Clinton and H.W. Bush to Sri Lanka, the flagship of the US Seventh Fleet, USS Blue Ridge, arrived in Colombo harbour this morning on what is described as "a brief goodwill visit". According to a press release from the US embassy, USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19), which was commissioned on November 14, 1970, at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard as the most sophisticated command and control platform in the Navy, has been forward deployed from Yokosuka, Japan as the flagship of Commander Seventh Fleet since October 1979.
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UNICEF, GTZ assist to restore education in tsunami hit Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 February 2005, 14:29 GMT]
German Technical Co-operation (GTZ) on behalf of the German Government and UNICEF Thursday inaugurated a project to provide learning and teaching materials to a total of 21,500 students in 95 schools in the Trincomalee district as a part of the joint effort to restore education for children in the tsunami affected areas. The event was held at the Nilaveli Tamil Maha Vidiyalayam, a school that lost 32 students in the tsunami disaster in the Trincomalee district, sources said.
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Vocational Training Center opened in Muttur

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 February 2005, 02:42 GMT]
The Social Development Centre (SDC) headquartered in Killinochchi, opened the first vocational training centre (VTC) at Navaratnapuram, Sampoor in the Liberation Tigers controlled Muttur east, south of the Trincomalee district with the assistance of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) Wednesday morning. Colonel Sornam, Trincomalee district military commander ceremonially declared open the main building of VTC, sources in Muttur said.
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Jaffna civil groups hold protest march

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 February 2005, 16:58 GMT]
Jaffna district co-operative sector, Jaffna District Confederation of Women Organizations, Jaffna Women Cultural Centres, Federation of Community Centres and social groups Tuesday held a protest march from Muththiraisanthi in Nallur to the office of the Jaffna office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) condemning Sri Lanka Government's discriminatory practices in the delivery of relief to tsunami victims in the coastal areas, and the killings of LTTE senior political leader Mr.Kousalyan, former TNA parliamentarian Mr.Chandra Nehru and four others during last week, sources said.


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Jaffna transport sector holds protest march

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 February 2005, 11:18 GMT]
Convoy of vehicles joined the Jaffna district transport sector protest march Monday condemning the discrimination shown by the government in providing relief to tsunami victims in coastal areas and the recent killings of LTTE Batticaloa Amparai district political head Mr.Kousalyan and former TNA parliamentarians Mr.A. Chandra Nehru, sources in Jaffna said.
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Nehru, a fearless Human Rights campaigner- NESOHR

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 February 2005, 13:43 GMT]
Eulogizing Mr. A. Chandra Nehru, founder member of NorthEast Secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR), as a champion of peoples rights and as one "who steered through the highly militarized and inhospitable environment that prevails in the NorthEast to defend and protect the Human Rights of those who were voiceless and helpless..," Rev Father Karunaratnam, Chairman of NESOHR, said in a press release issued Sunday that Nehru's tragic death "is an irreparable loss for NESOHR, the HR fraternity, both local and International, and the down trodden and helpless citizenry of the NorthEast."
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Grenade attack on Mannar LTTE political office, one dead

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 February 2005, 14:54 GMT]
Two civilians and an LTTE political worker were wounded when unidentified persons lobbed a grenade at the Liberation Tigers' political office in Mannar town Saturday night around 7.45 PM. Mannar hospital sources said one civilian identified as M. Callister (32) who was admitted at the Mannar Hospital succumbed to wounds.
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Ship begins medical work under SLN restrictions

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 February 2005, 14:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) permitted the Greek Hospital ship to start providing medical services Saturday morning with conditions imposed on number of patients treated per day and mandatory use of a temporary shelter where patients are to be transported before batches of maximim six patients are taken inside the ship for treatment, medical sources in Trincomalee said.
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Pirapaharan honours slain TNA MP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 February 2005, 12:39 GMT]
Leader of the Liberation Tigers, Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan Saturday posthumously honoured Mr. Ariyanayagam Chandra Nehru as Maamanithar, the highest honour granted by the LTTE. The citation signed by the LTTE leader was given to Mr. Nehru's widow and son at a special ceremony in Pavattah, in the interior of Sri Lanka's southeast coast. Nehru's body, draped in the LTTE flag was taken from Thirukkovil to the LTTE conference centre in Pavattah, in the Kannjikudichcha Aaru region which is controlled by the Tigers.
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Jaffna, Vavuniya shut down in hartal, protesters clash with SLA

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 February 2005, 10:05 GMT]
The entire districts of Jaffna and Vavuniya Saturday came to a standstill following a general shut down, condemning the killings of Mr.Kousalyan, LTTE political head for Batticaloa Amparai district, his colleagues and Mr.Chandra Nehru, former Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian for Amparai district. In several areas civilians blocked roads and burnt tyres. Clashes took place at the junctions of Puttur and Kaithady in Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district Saturday afternoon between groups of civilians and soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army when the latter attempted to remove the roadblocks. Soldiers fled from their sentry points when the angered civilians threw stones at them.
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Colombo should disarm all unauthorized armed groups- NPC

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 February 2005, 17:55 GMT]
The National Peace Council in a media release issued Friday in Colombo said that "there needs to be confidence building and positive action at this time is imperative in view of consistent accusations by the LTTE of alleged military connivance in the activities of the Karuna group. We call on the government to ensure that all unauthorised armed groups are disarmed as required by the Ceasefire Agreement."
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Violence endangering CFA stability, TNA tells Akashi

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 February 2005, 15:10 GMT]
"The violence unleashed against senior LTTE cadres and others on Monday the 7th in government controlled territory situated between two Army Camps, and in an area which has a strong armed forces presence, has raised grave questions in regard to the continued stability of the ceasefire," the Tamil National Alliance delegation led by its parliamentary group leader Mr Sampanthan told Mr Yasushi Akashi, the special envoy of the Japanese Government, when they met him Friday, a press release issued by the TNA in Colombo said.
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Government's ability to prevent killings limited, says Mangala Samaraweera

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 February 2005, 07:46 GMT]
Cabinet Spokesman of President Chandrika Kumaratunga's Freedom Alliance government Minister Mangala Samaraweera said Friday that although the government was taking all steps to prevent killings in the future, there was a limit to which it can prevent them. The killings took place between Sri Lanka army garrisons at Welikanda and Punanai on the Pollonnorawa-Batticaloa road Monday.
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Thamilchelvan slams Colombo for Kousalyan's slaying

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 February 2005, 14:35 GMT]
"The cowardly act of the Sri Lankan government has taken away Kousalyan and his colleagues from us. Kousalyan came back to Batticaloa with many dreams. He came back with ambitious plans to rebuild this land, devastated by the Tsunami and impoverished by the war imposed by the Sinhala chauvinist state", said Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, head of LTTE's political division on Thursday, speaking at the funeral of Mr. E. Kousalyan, at Thandiyadi Martyr's Memorial in Batticaloa.
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Cortege of slain Tigers in Batticaloa, Kiran

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 February 2005, 08:44 GMT]
Slain LTTE political leader, Mr. Kousalyan’s body was taken to Kiran, 28 kilometres north of Batticaloa, Wednesday afternoon for the people of the village to pay their last respects to him and his colleagues who were killed by gunmen suspected to working with the Sri Lanka military. Hundreds of people filed past the Tiger flag draped coffins which lay at Kiran Government School. “The Sri Lankan government is fully responsible for this heinous crime. Murdering these men who were working for people affected by the Tsunami is an unpardonable act. It reveals the true face of the racist Sinhala regime”, said Mr. Nadarajah Raviraj, Tamil National Alliance MP, addressing the mourners.
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Colombo cannot disclaim responsibility for Kausalyan killing- TNA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 February 2005, 11:41 GMT]
The killings of LTTE Political Head for Batticaloa and Amparai districts Mr.E.Koushalyan, TNA former parliamentarian Mr.A. Chandra Nehru and four others on February 7 raise question as to "how such an attack was carried in an area, which has a strong Armed Forces presence. The question also arises as to who could have carried out such an attack without being deterred by the strong presence of Armed Forces," said Mr.R.Sampanthan, TNA parliamentary group leader in a statement made in parliament Wednesday morning, parliamentary sources said.


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Batticaloa shuts down for Kousalyan, funeral Thursday

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 February 2005, 09:33 GMT]
A total shutdown was observed in the Batticaloa district and the coastal areas of the Amparai district Wednesday to mourn the death of Mr. Kousalyan. LTTE officials in Batticaloa said that his funeral would take place Thursday afternoon and that he would be buried at the martyr’s memorial in Thandiyadi, about ten kilometers west Batticaloa town. Muslim towns in the region were also shutdown. Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, head of the LTTE’s political division and Col. Bhanu, commander of the LTTE’s military forces in Batticaloa-Amparai are expected to arrive in the eastern district Wednesday afternoon.
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Trinco shuts down in protest of Kausalyan killing

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 February 2005, 05:11 GMT]
Trincomalee district Wednesday shutdown completely as members of all communities responded to the call of general shut down (hartal) condemning the killings of Mr.E.Kousalyan, LTTE Political head for Batticaloa-Amparai district, Mr. Ariyanayakam Chandra Nehru former Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian and four others including three LTTE cadres Monday night at Pilaiyarady in Pollonnorawa district in the North Central Province, sources said.
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