Rebuilding bridges, roads key to swift recovery- Gajendran

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 January 2005, 05:15 GMT]
Speaking to TamilNet after visiting Batticaloa and Ampara Districts, Tamil National Alliance, Jaffna District MP Mr.Selvarajah Gajendran said: "LTTE has the capability to build bridges and lay roads. I request the international community to provide them with equipment and materials through NGOs so that recovery can be swift."
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Counselling programme for Tsunami Trincomalee victims

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 January 2005, 14:12 GMT]
Dr.T.Kadambanathan, a leading specialist in psychiatry currently serving in the mental heath division of the Ratnapura government hospital in the south Sunday held a pilot study visiting various refugee camps in Nilaveli, Adambodai and Kinniya in Trincomalee district among Tsunami victims to prepare an integrated psychological counselling programme for immediate implementation on parallel with relief efforts.
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TNA to brief international community on northeast devastation

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 January 2005, 15:49 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) will soon brief the international community about the massive needs of the north-east that suffered the worst in December 26 Tsunami disaster, TNA sources said Sunday.
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Trincomalee Tsunami victims face health hazard in camps

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 January 2005, 02:18 GMT]
"Sunday's Tsunami has killed lot of our children and mothers. Our national leader Mr.Pirapaharan has issued a clear instruction to us that we should not lose our children anymore in the future. He fears that our children are facing danger of being succumbed to epidemic after Tsunami devastation,"said Mr.Thooyavan, Head of LTTE Planning Department addressing representatives of international and national non-governmental organizations in Trincomalee district now engaged in relief works in Tsunami affected coastal areas.
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President Kumaratunga briefs tsunami crisis to Colombo-based diplomats

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 December 2004, 16:44 GMT]
President Kumaratunga Friday met Colombo based diplomats and members of the International Agencies to brief them on the crises faced by Sri Lanka in the aftermath of Sunday's disaster. Commenting on the long term needs of the country she has said that the country "would welcome the assistance of all friendly nations", adding that the damaged road network would be given the first priority followed by telecom, hospitals, schools, housing.
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"Hijacking relief supply to Trincomalee should be stopped"-Elilan

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 December 2004, 15:26 GMT]
A District Task Force (DTF) was established in the Trincomalee district Friday to co-ordinate all relief supplies to victims of Sunday's Tsunami and take steps for the rehabilitation of the coastal areas destroyed in the calamity with the Government Agent Mr.Gamini Rodrigo as its chairman. Mr.S.Elilan, head of the Trincomalee district political secretariat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Major General Sumith Balasuriya, Commanding Officer of Sri Lanka Army for the Trincomalee district and representatives of international and national non-governmental organizations are other members of the DTF, sources said.
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NorthEast death toll nears 10,000, Amparai badly hit

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 December 2004, 15:07 GMT]
"More than 10,000 people are dead in areas across NorthEast. In Amparai alone there were 5350 dead," said Liberation Tigers, Tuesday afternoon. Cadres of Liberation Tigers and local non-Governmental organizations are working round the clock to provide rescue and relief effort to people in Mullaitivu, said Col.Soosai, Head of the Sea Tiger Wing of the Liberation Tigers. "No international aid from Donor agencies have reached Vanni, and we are using our own resources and assistance provided by the expatriate Tamils which is beginning to reach us," Soosai added.
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Tamil MP slams Colombo for ignoring Northeast plight

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 December 2004, 19:37 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Monday slammed the Sri Lankan government and Sinhala parties in Parliament for "callously ignoring the plight of thousands in the northeast hit by Saturday's Tsunami. Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, senior TNA MP who took part in a conference Monday on urgent disaster management convened by Sri Lanka's Prime Minister told that the nonchalant attitude of the government and Sinhala parties towards the suffering in the Northeast is "appalling".
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Governor meets NEPC officials on relief work

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 December 2004, 16:30 GMT]
Mr.Tyronne Fernando, North East Provincial Governor Monday issued directive empowering all Deputy Provincial Directors of Health Services (DPDHS) in the districts of Northeastern Province to purchase medicines urgently needed to treat Tsunami victims without waiting for the drugs from central supply store of the Health Ministry, NEPC sources said. The conference held by Mr.Tyronne Fernando was abandoned in half way when he was informed of another Tsunami wave was to hit coastal area. Discussions came to an abrupt end when Mr.Tyronne Fernando left the conference hall suddenly, sources said.
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Tsunami death toll expected to increase

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 December 2004, 17:10 GMT]
Around 3100 persons in Northeast and 1400 in South have died due to tsunami waves that hit NorthEast coast Sunday, according to government sources in Colombo. In the Northeast alone, nearly 12000 people have suffered injuries and around 200,000 people have been affected, administrative sources in Colombo said. Government sources added that death toll is expected to rise significantly. In the meantime, Tamil National Alliance (TNA)parliamentarian Mr. Joseph Pararajasingam has urged the Prime Minister Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksha, to attend to immediate needs of the affected public in the east.
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South gambles with Sri Lanka's destiny- NLF

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 December 2004, 11:40 GMT]
"The most urgent need today is not to cave in to the antics of the [Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna] JVP," said Mr. Thirunavukarasu, polit bureau member of the New Left Front (NLF) Saturday, political sources in Colombo said. He noted that the deadlock reached in the peace process is not of recent origin, but represents the "cumulative effect of the manner in which the ruling classes have handled the Tamil National issue since the 1950s" and said that the time has come for the two main parties to "shed their predilection just for power and one-upmanship."
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TNA condoles Narasimha Rao death

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 December 2004, 14:05 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Friday expressed grief over the demise of Shri P.V.Narasimha Rao, former Prime Minister of India. Shri Narasimha Rao died Thursday in New Delhi in India at the age of 83 following a heart attack.
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Kodikamam residents hold human chain agitation

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 December 2004, 12:53 GMT]
Several hundreds of Tamil civilians Friday participated in the third phase human chain protest held at Kodikamam junction in Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district urging the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) to resume peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) without any more delay, sources said.
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SL President leaves for UK

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 December 2004, 19:10 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge left for United Kingdom Wednesday after noon on a private visit, Presidential secretariat sources said.
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Eeachilampathu villagers without food, medicine - Trinco MP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 December 2004, 16:43 GMT]
Trincomalee district parliamentarian Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham who has been visiting flood stricken Eachchilampathu division in Muttur area, down south of Trincomalee district told TamilNet by telephone Tuesday night that all roads connecting more than twenty villages have been washed away by the spill water flood and villagers are using plastic boats and catamarans to travel from one village to another.
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The price of peace for the Sinhala rural poor

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 December 2004, 19:42 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s recent massive defence budget allocation, whilst preparing the military for a renewed war against the Liberation Tigers, has another vital role in domestic politics: the economy of the Sinhala rural poor is three times more dependent on military remittances than official poverty alleviation schemes. Earlier this month, Sri Lanka’s ruling party and the main opposition party, in a rare show of unity, joined together to vote in favor of the country's defense allocations for 2005. Only the main Tamil party, the Tamil National Alliance, opposed the defence budget.
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Thousands form human chain protest in Chavakachcheri

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 December 2004, 11:13 GMT]
Thousands of Tamil civilians in Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district held a human chain agitation campaign on either side of A-9 highway Monday morning demanding the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) to resume peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the basis of Interim Self Governing Authority proposals (ISGA) by the latter. Protestors carried placards and shouted slogans holding hands along the A 9 Jaffna-Kandy road from Kodikamam to Kaithady, sources said. The campaign has been organized by the civil groups federation in Thenmaradchchi.
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Drama spotlights problems of war-widows in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 December 2004, 03:06 GMT]
A drama program held at the Kailasapathy Auditorium of the University of Jaffna on Sunday at 10:30 am for the plan by the Tamil Refugees Rehabilitation Organization (TRRO) to benefit the women widowed by war, sources in Jaffna said.
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UNP MP files contempt charge against Anura Bandaranaike

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 December 2004, 16:44 GMT]
Mr.Johnston Fernando, Kurunagala district United National Party (UNP) parliamentarian filed a petition in the Supreme Court requesting it to issue a rule against Mr.Anura Bandaranaike for alleged contempt of court for predicting the jail sentence on Mr.S.B.Dissanayake one month ahead of his conviction, legal sources said.
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"LTTE important component in NE affairs"- Tyronne Fernando

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 December 2004, 15:08 GMT]
"Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is a very important component in the North East affairs. The LTTE is not prohibited in the island. As such there is no reason to oppose for working with that organization" said Mr.Tyronne Fernando, newly appointed Governor of North East Province Thursday when addressing provincial secretaries, heads of provincial departments and other related officials for the first time after he assumed office Wednesday.
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