Welikande attack raises questions on Colombo's bona fides- paper

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 June 2005, 05:36 GMT]
Pointing out the Welikanda attack on the LTTE convoy in the presence of SLMM members as a qualitative change for the worse in the shadow war in the East, Eelanaatham, the popular daily published in Vanni, said in its editorial Wednesday that the attack has shattered hopes of peace after the signing of the aid deal and has further endangered the survival of the fragile Cease Fire Agreement.
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Amparai tsunami affected get self-employment help

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 June 2005, 11:14 GMT]
Women from tsunami affected families in Amparai district are to receive self-employment help in the form of free sewing machines and associated training from Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), sources in Amparai said. Women have been organized into several groups and training in dress making classes are being conducted in Amparai district, officials added.
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Investment climate unattractive in Sri Lanka – World Bank

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 June 2005, 10:39 GMT]
Four years after the guns fell silent in Sri Lanka’s conflict, the investment climate remains unattractive due to continued political instability, weak infrastructure, and poor access to finance, according to a recently completed study by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank.
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JVP files case against P-TOMS

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 June 2005, 10:54 GMT]
The former coalition partner of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), the marxist Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Monday filed a case against the Post-Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS) agreement signed between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers. The case was filed at the Colombo District Courts.
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Police fire tear gas on JVP demonstrators in Trinco

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 June 2005, 12:31 GMT]
Sri Lankan riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at the supporters of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) when demonstrators started throwing stones at the Police who tried to block the procession, sources said. JVP supporters were holding the protest demonstration to condemn the government for signing the P-TOMS agreement with the LTTE. JVP is a former close ally of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA).
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GoSL, LTTE sign P-TOMS

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 June 2005, 09:05 GMT]
Norwegian facilitators, Friday noon reached Kilinochchi with the signature of Mr. Mudiyanselage Sumanaweera Jayasinghe, Secretary of Ministry of Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation, who signed on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Post-Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS) sources in Colombo said. Mr. Shanmugalingam Ranjan, Deputy Head of Planning and Development Secretariat (PDS) on behalf of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) signed the MoU, after the Government representative had signed the treaty, sources in Kilinochchi said.
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Foundation stones laid for new children's homes

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 June 2005, 01:42 GMT]
Foundations stones for United Kingdom based charity, White Pigeon, funded new building for children home Gandhi illam for boys in 8th Canal, Kilinochchi district, and for another children home for girls, Barathi Illam in Mulliayavallai, Mullaitivu district were laid Thursday at 10.30am and 5.15 pm, sources said.
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Civil groups to agitate over Omanthai Buddha statue

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 June 2005, 15:32 GMT]
Vavuniya civil group leaders Thursday announced at a discussion held in the office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that they would launch an agitation if the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fails to remove the controversial Buddha statue erected in the Omanthai Pillaiyar temple premises within seven days. The discussion was held between the officials of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and representatives of the civil groups including the LTTE district political section and the Hindu priest of the Omanthai Pillaiyar Temple in the presence of SLMM monitors, sources said.
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Trinco after-school education gets funding boost

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 June 2005, 10:03 GMT]
Fifteen remote villages in the Sri Lanka government and LTTE controlled areas in the Trincomalee district will continue to receive financial support from the Trincomalee Children Fund (TCF-Canada), the organizers said after an assessment study into the working of the project, during an event held at Sambaltivu Tamil Maha Vidiyalayam Sunday. The project was initiated in 2002 to improve the educational standard of war-affected students in deprived areas of Trincomalee district.
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Token fasts supporting aid deal planned in Trinco

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 June 2005, 17:18 GMT]
Trincomalee District Tamil Peoples Forum (TDTPF) is planning to stage a three day token fast in different towns in Trincomalee from Monday supporting the joint mechanism proposal and urging the Sri Lanka Government to sign the agreement with the LTTE without further delay, said Mr.S.G.Gowrimuhunthan, Secretary of the TDTPF at a press conference held Saturday. "People of all three communities, Tamil, Sinhalese and Muslim, who are supportive of the joint mechanism proposal are invited to participate in the token fast," he added.


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Mannar LTTE offices come under attack

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 June 2005, 16:51 GMT]
Two offices of the Liberation Tigers in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled area of Mannar have been simultaneously attacked by suspected gunmen belonging to Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) around 9.45 pm Saturday with grenades and gunfire, sources in Mannar said. Sounds of grenade explosions and gunfire were heard near the political office of the LTTE, located in Mannar-Thalaimannar Road and LTTE's administrative office located in Mannar Moor street. TamilNet has not confirmed whether a third office in Moor street of LTTE's financial division was also attacked, sources added.
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Civil group plans agitation in NorthEast over Buddha statue

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 June 2005, 11:49 GMT]
Mr.V.Vigneswaran, President of the Trincomalee District Tamil Peoples Forum (TDTPF) Saturday said in a press conference that his organization will begin non-violent direct action after July 10 through out NorthEast if the Sri Lanka government fails to remove the controversial Buddhist statue which was erected close to the Trincomalee central bus stand on 15 May, sources in Trincomalee said.
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German TV station assists tsunami-orphaned children

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 June 2005, 13:15 GMT]
Relief assistance project for children affected by tsunami disaster funded by Saarlaendischer Rundfunk (SR), a German Television and Radio Network in collaboration with German Technical Co-operation (GTZ) of the German Government is to be implemented in all villages affected in the NorthEast province, sources said.
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GTZ provides fishing boats to Trinco fishermen

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 11:45 GMT]
The German Government through the German Technical Co-operation (GTZ) has been distributing fishing boats with outboard engines and fishing nets to tsunami affected fishermen in the Trincomalee district. As a first phase six boats, engines and fishing nets were handed over to beneficiaries in the Muttur division this week, sources said.
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Civil group fights against Upper Kotmale Hydro Project

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 June 2005, 05:10 GMT]
Mr E Thambiah, an opponent of the Upper Kotmale hydropower scheme and organizer of People's Campaign Against Upper Kotmale Project (PCAUKP), a countrywide grassroots organization with members from all communities, recently spoke to TamilNet on the reasons for their campaign to stop the project. The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), however, believes that the project is necessary to fuel economic growth of Sri Lanka.
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ADB funds housing project for war displaced Kanniya families

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 June 2005, 17:01 GMT]
A ninety-unit housing project for the first group of resettled families in Kanniya, Trincomalee, implemented by Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) with financial assistance from Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded North East Community Restoration and Development (NECORD) project was inaugurated Friday, sources said. Kanniya is a traditional Tamil village located about 8 km off north of east port town along Trincomalee-Anuradhapura road.
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ICRC briefs press on post-tsunami effort

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 June 2005, 16:33 GMT]
Mr.Patrick Walder, Head of Sub-delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that during the last several months the ICRC been been working with tsunami victims and affected families, and has considerably increased its presence in the Trincomalee district. ICRC has also been implementing humanitarian assistance programme for tsunami victims, he said briefing the Trincomalee based media persons Wednesday at the Sri Shanmuga Boy's Home located along the Inner Harbour Road, Trincomalee.


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Sri Lanka will accept India's Air Defence System- Kadirgamar

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 June 2005, 10:41 GMT]
"[India's Air Defence system] is very much under discussion. We will accept it. We are looking into means how it could be done," said Minister Kadirgamar at the joint press briefing at the Foreign Ministry office in Colombo Friday. Mr Natwar Singh, India's Foreign Minister concurred "Defence cooperation agreement is in the process of being finalised, we are going through some procedures." Senior Foreign Ministry officials of both countries were present at the briefing which was held soon after the 6th session of the Sri Lanka -India Joint Commission in Colombo.
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Danish Group funds Vavuniya preschool building

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 June 2005, 11:11 GMT]
Opening ceremony for a new preschool building in Kilavikulam in Vavuniya district, funded by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) was ceremonially opened at 1pm Wednesday. The 'Thamilenthi Preschool' was built at a cost of nearly Rs. 850,000 and will be administered by the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO).
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Archaeologists enter Omanthai statue dispute

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 June 2005, 18:08 GMT]
The controversy over the Buddha statue installed by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in the historic Pillaiyar Temple premises in Omanthai, a strategic point located at the southern border of LTTE held Vanni region, took a perplexing turn when a group of three archaeologists visited the site on the direction of Sri Lanka government authorities in Colombo to investigate "archaeological findings" in the area. The group was given police protection, sources said.


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