SL President meets Co-Chairs, World Bank Director

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 January 2006, 11:15 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse met with Ambassadors of Co-chairs of Tokyo Donor Conference at the President's office on Monday. Separately, Mr Dhanendrakumar, World Bank's Executive Director for Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Bhutan made a courtesy call on the SL President Monday, parliamentary sources in Colombo said
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SL Navy orders Trinco residents to hoist white flags

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 January 2006, 18:51 GMT]
Several Tamil residents of Trincomalee and its suburbs Sunday complained to civil right leaders and parliamentarians that soldiers of the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) manning checkpoints in the eastern port town are harassing them to hoist white flags to observe mourning for the SNL personnel who died in the Dvora gunboat blast, sources said.
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SLN bans fishing east, west of KKS harbor

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 January 2006, 00:09 GMT]
Sri Lanka Security Forces have banned fishing on seas east and west of Kankesanthurai Harbor High Security Zone (HSZ), stripping nearly six hundred fisher families from their livelihood, said K Thavaratnam, president of Jaffna District Consortium of Fisheries Unions. According to Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) officials the ban will be lifted only when violents incidents subside and Jaffna district returns to normalcy, Mr Thavaratnam further said.
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Civil group calls for general shut down, demands SLA vacate Trinco town

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 January 2006, 17:36 GMT]
Trincomalee Tamil Resurgence Forum has called for a general shut down and to bring civil administration in the eastern port city to a standstill until the removal of all Sri Lanka Army (SLA) sentries and checkpoints. The orgainzers is also demanding the withdrawal of Sri Lanka armed forces from Trincomalee town. In a statement released Tuesday the Resurgence Forum has condemned the killing of Tamil students on Tuesday by Sri Lankan government armed forces.
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Canadians mourn loss of Pararajasingham

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 January 2006, 06:41 GMT]
Canada’s Minister of Defence and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bill Graham, together with four parliamentarians from the Canadian Government, five representatives from the opposition and a number of Canadian Human Rights and Peace activists joined the expatriate Tamil community in Toronto, on Monday, to mourn and pay tribute to "Mamanithar" Joseph Pararajasingam, the senior Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian who was slain at Batticaloa St. Mary's Church on Christmas Day. "Joseph Pararajasingham was a man of peace, but he also a man of steely determination, of great courage, a man who was willing to risk his life for his people," the Canadian Defence Minister said in his tribute.
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LTTE markspersons compete in New Year competition

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 January 2006, 12:57 GMT]
Sharp shooters from Liberation Tigers fighting brigades participated in a shooting competition to mark the New Years day held in an undisclosed shooting range in Vanni supervised by the Northern Region Commander, Col Theepan, and organized by the the LTTE Military Academy Sunday, LTTE media office in Kilinochchi said.
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102 families seek safer areas outside Jaffna, Campus to reopen

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 January 2006, 18:44 GMT]
Following escalating violence and disruption to normal life by the activities of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in the Jaffna district, one hundred and two families have travelled through the Muhamalai checkpoints from Jaffna to safer areas in Vanni and other districts taking their belongings, Political office of the Liberation Tigers in Pallai said Sunday. More than 50 families are from the coastal areas of Vadamaradchy including Valvettiturai according to entries made in the Muhamalai customs offices of the Liberation Tigers.
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SLN's restrictions strip Mannar fishermen of livelihood- Selvam

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 December 2005, 10:50 GMT]
Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan, Wanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Thursday appealed to Sri Lanka's President Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse by a memorandum to take immediate steps to lift the ban on using boats with 30 HP engines and restrictions in taking kerosene by fishermen of Mannar district. He said the restrictions imposed by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) after the violent incidents of December 22 have deprived the livelihood of many local fishermen.


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TamilNadu CM cancels Rajapakse meeting

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 December 2005, 19:16 GMT]
"Dinathanthi," a Tamil daily based in Tamil Nadu, India, in its print edition Thursday quoted India's Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Navtej Sarna, as saying that the meeting scheduled for Friday between the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu state, Ms. Jayalalitha Jayaram, in Chennai was cancelled due to the SL President's "full schedule in Delhi," and the Chief Minister not being available that day. Disclosing that the Sri Lankan President was scheduled to visit the bordering state of Kerala to attend a pooja at the Thiruvayoor temple on Friday, the paper said that the cancellation is more due to the increasing concerns being expressed in Tamil Nadu on the Sri Lankan Tamils' situation.
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Pararajasingham slaying has endangered direct talks - TNA MPs

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 December 2005, 16:33 GMT]
Addressing the mourners who had gathered to pay the last tribute to the slain Tamil National Alliance MP, Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, TNA parliamentarians Mavai Senathirajah and M.K. Sivajilingam said that the Government of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan President, in his capacity as Defense Minister, are responsible for the continued engagement of paramilitary cadres and for the killing of the MP. "The whole affair of resuming the peace process has been placed at maximum risk by the brutal act," Mr. Sivajilngam told the gathering.
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Grenade attacks in Inuvil, VVT, Nallur

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 December 2005, 11:54 GMT]
One Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier was seriously injured when unknown gunmen attacked an SLA foot patrol in Inuvil area, Jaffna, at 6 p.m Thursday. Inuvil has been isolated after the incident as the SLA has cordoned off the area. No other details of the injured soldier are available.
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Film, book released to mark tsunami anniversary

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 December 2005, 01:15 GMT]
North East Provincial Education and Cultural Ministry released a short film "Thuduppu" (Oar) and a compilation of selected paintings of students in the province to mark the first year anniversary of the tsunami. Mr. R. Thiagalingam, Provincial Education Ministry handed over the first copy of the book to Mr.S.Amirthalingam, Secretary to the Provincial Governor, and lawyer and film critic Mr.K.Sivapalan handed over a copy of the film to the chief guest at an event held at Trincomalee Sri Koneswara Hindu College Monday evening, sources said.


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Two youths shot and killed in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 December 2005, 12:01 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army soldiers manning the checkpoint at Mutthirai Junction, located on Jaffna - Point Pedro Road near Nallur, stopped two youths who came in a motorbike and shot dead both of them after beating one of them against a wall. The incident took place Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. Civilian sources said that the youths were inebriated after a party, and stopped only at a distance from the checkpoint when the soldiers ordered them to stop. Jaffna Police said that the SLA soldiers had recovered a grenade from the killed youths but witnesses said the youths were unarmed. Meanwhile, two SLA soldiers were wounded in two different grenade attacks in Jaffna Wednesday.
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Pirapaharan pays tribute to slain TNA MP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 December 2005, 22:43 GMT]
The leader of the Liberation Tigers, Mr. V. Pirapaharan, on Tuesday, paid tribute to the slain senior Tamil politician Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham in the Vanni. The body of the Tamil National Alliance paraliamentarian, who was shot inside Batticaloa St. Mary's Co-Catherdal during Christmas mass on Sunday, was taken to LTTE controlled Kokkadicholai on Monday and to Kilinochchi on Tuesday. The funeral service of the MP is to take place in the church where he was slain Thursday after receiving Holy Communion from Bishop Kingsley Swampillai.
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NorthEast remembers victims on Tsunami Anniversary

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 December 2005, 17:34 GMT]
Rev. Fr. James Pathinathar declared St. Peters Church in Mullaitivu a Tsunami Memorial as thousands gathered in Mullaitivu and Maruthankerni coast in Liberation Tigers held areas to mark the first anniversary of the devastating tsunami Monday. Mourners paid floral tributes, garlanded and placed food offerings in makeshift burial sites of their loved ones. A year after the disaster, promises of International reconstruction aid remains largely unused amidst Colombo's objections to allow aid flow to the NorthEast.
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SLMM member denied entry to tsunami event

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 December 2005, 17:07 GMT]
Soldiers manning the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) check point Monday morning refused permission for a woman monitor of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) based in Mannar to attend the one year tsunami remembrance religious event held at Madhu church in the LTTE held area, sources said.
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Two three-wheeler drivers killed in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 December 2005, 11:19 GMT]
Unidentified men shot dead Mr.Ramanan and knifed Mr.Wijeseelan to death Sunday night in two separate incidents in Trincomalee, security sources said. The body of Mr.Wijeseelan was recovered from the Kanniya-Wilgam Vihare junction, and the body of Mr.Ramanan was recovered near fourth milepost along Trincomalee-Kandy highway with gunshot injuries. Both were three-wheeler drivers, Police said.
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Housing for war, tsunami affected Trinco families

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 December 2005, 17:20 GMT]
Twenty-six war affected Tamil families among several hundreds displaced from villages in the Kuchchaveli division, north of Trincomalee district and sheltered in a refugee camp, located in Alles Garden, sea coast of Trincomalee, moved to permanent houses built under the tsunami rehabilitation at Kumburupiddy east village Saturday. Some families have been living in temporary accommodation for more than twenty years, officials said.
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SLA Corporal killed, six soldiers injured in Kilaly ambush

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 December 2005, 13:50 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Corporal was killed and six soldiers including two SLA majors were injured when unknown gunmen ambushed a SLA military vehicle along Kachchai-Kilali road in Thenmaradchy at 6.30 p.m. Wednesday, sources in Jaffna said. Gunmen used light machine guns and grenades in the attack, according to sources. Three SLA soldiers were injured in two other grenade attacks in Ariyalai and Kalviyankadu.
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GoSL handling of paramilitaries, LTTE violence, key issues for Sri Lanka peace, say Co-Chairs

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 December 2005, 21:39 GMT]
The Co-Chairs of the Tokyo Donor Conference in the final statement after the conclusion of their meeting in Brussels Monday said they recognized that activities of the paramilitary groups are among the causes for the deteriorating situation and urged “the Government to ensure that such groups cease their paramilitary activities, as a demonstration of its commitment to a peaceful way forward.” They also called on the LTTE “to put an immediate end to their on-going campaign of violence and again urge the LTTE to demonstrate their commitment to the Ceasefire Agreement and the peace process,” and warned, “Failure to demonstrate a willingness to change would not be without serious consequences.”
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