Youth shot dead in Arayampathi

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 May 2004, 02:06 GMT]
Ponniah Jeevaratnam, from Arayampathi in Batticaloa district, was shot dead at the 5th mile post junction in Batticaloa-Manmunai road at 6.40 pm Sunday by an unknown gunman, Jaffna's daily Uthayan reported.
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Sri Lanka's bona fides critical to peace talks- TNA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 May 2004, 19:21 GMT]
“We are militarily and politically strong that no Sri Lanka Government will be able to deceive the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) or the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) with cosmetic gestures or by engaging us in disingenous peace talks. Our future attitude towards having a constructive dialogue with the Sri Lanka Government depends on its next move towards the peace process," said the TNA parliamentary group leader Mr.R.Sampanthan addressing a large gathering of TNA activists and local leaders held at Trincomalee Hindu Cultural Hall Sunday morning.


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Ex-PM tipped to be Deputy Defense Minister

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 May 2004, 11:25 GMT]
A former Prime Minister and a Sinhala hardliner in the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Mr.Ratnasiri Wickremanayake is tipped to be appointed as Minister for Buddhasasana Affairs and the Deputy Minister for Defense next week, government sources said.
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LTTE, trade unions to hold May Day in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 April 2004, 20:37 GMT]
Trade unions, public organizations and the Liberation Tigers in the Batticaloa district will jointly hold the May Day at 4:00 p.m. Saturday at the Kaluthavalai public sports grounds, 22 km south of Batticaloa town, sources said.
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Suspects in Analaitivu EPDP camp fire allowed bail

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 April 2004, 14:42 GMT]
The Kayts Magistrate, Mr.A.Premashankar, Thursday released 22 residents of Analaitivu in the Jaffna district, arrested by the police in connection with the torching of a camp of the paramilitary Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) in the village on April 11th, on cash bail with two sureties, legal sources said.
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JVP ministers sworn in, attend first cabinet meeting

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 April 2004, 10:46 GMT]
Eight parliamentarians of the Sinhala nationalist, Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), one of the two major constituents of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) were sworn in before Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge as cabinet rank ministers and deputy ministers Wednesday morning around 9.30. Later they attended their first cabinet meeting at about 10 .30 a.m, political sources said.


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Kalmunai Tamils prepare to welcome Amparai TNA MP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 April 2004, 03:05 GMT]
The Tamil residents of Kalmunai are making arrangements to honor and welcome the newly elected Tamil National Alliance MP from Amparai (Digamadulla), Mr. Kanagasabai Pathmanathan, on May 5, according to Mr. E. Sivanandanayagam, a retired teacher who is the organizer for the event, sources said.
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“Sinhalese political leadership lacks maturity” - Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 April 2004, 21:20 GMT]
“The late Tamil leader, Mr.S.J.V.Chelvanayakam, laid the path for the freedom struggle, advocating Tamils should be recognized as a distinct nationality with their traditional homeland and right of self determination,” said the Tamil National Alliance parliamentary group leader, Mr.R.Sampanthan, addressing a meeting to mark the 27th death anniversary of the late Tamil leader in Trincomalee town Monday evening.
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Escapee details 18-year detention, torture in STF camp

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 April 2004, 15:17 GMT]
A Tamil youth arrested in 1986 by the Special Task Force of the Sri Lanka Army at Kaluwanchikudy in the Batticaloa district, and assumed dead, has escaped last week from an STF camp where he was held incommunicado for 18 years, and has detailed the torture and killings by the STF that took place in the camp and elsewhere to Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Commission and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), sources in Batticaloa told TamilNet.
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SL Government assistance to IDPs nil - Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 April 2004, 20:15 GMT]
"I dare say that the [Sri Lankan] government has no right to rule our people as it has failed to provide assistance to hundreds of thousands internally displaced who have been languishing in refugee camps and welfare centres to return to their lands and resettle," said the Tamil National Alliance parliamentary group leader, Mr.R.Sampanthan, addressing a meeting in Kanniya village Monday morning.
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NECORD funded development projects launched in Kanniya

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 April 2004, 19:35 GMT]
Foundation stones were laid Monday morning for the construction of a pre-school and a multi purpose hall in the resettled Kanniya village, located on the Trincomalee- Anuradhapura road about 8 km north of Trincomalee town. The Asian Development Bank(ADB) funded North East Community Organization for Restoration Development (NECORD) under the Community Rehabilitation Development Project (CRDP) has allocated a sum of 6.8 million rupees for these development works, and the implementing agency is the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) of Trincomalee district, sources said.
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Violence against JHU monks increases

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 April 2004, 18:25 GMT]
The attack on Buddhist shrines and intimidation against monks of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) is on the increase in the southern part of the country since the election of new Speaker of Sri Lanka's parliament. JHU leadership has accused the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) activists are encouraging such incidents for voting for the opposition candidate in the Speaker's election, sources said.


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JHU parliamentarian complains of intimidation by unidentified group

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 April 2004, 10:22 GMT]
Venerable Omalpe Sobitha Thera, Deputy Leader of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) parliamentary group Saturday lodged a complaint with the Embilipitya Police, down south of the country that a group unidentified persons covering their faces came to his Bodhirajarama Dharmajaye Vihare, tied black flags in the temple premises and intimidated the inmates, police said.
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Youth arrested with grenade in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 April 2004, 04:49 GMT]
A youth carrying a hand grenade and live ammunition in a fertilizer bag was arrested Thursday by Sri Lanka Army and Police personnel in Main Road at Mavadivembu, about 22 km northwest of Baticaloa town, sources said.
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UPFA accuses JHU of joining hands with TNA

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 April 2004, 16:52 GMT]
The leaders of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the main constituents of the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), jointly addressing a press conference Friday, said that the "true form" of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) has been revealed in parliament when its two parliamentarians voted in the Speaker's election with the main opposition United National Front, thereby "joining hands" with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), media sources said.
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Anandasangaree case goes to Supreme Court

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 April 2004, 16:12 GMT]
Mr.R.Sampanthan and Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, the Secretary General and the Senior Vice President of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) respectively, Friday filed an application in Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court, seeking an order to suspend the interim injunction issued by the District Court of Colombo preventing them from holding the central working committee or any other meeting of the TULF without the approval of Mr. V.Anandasangaree, President of the party, legal sources said.
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Unidentified persons torch TNA MP’s office in Amparai

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 April 2004, 00:01 GMT]
The Karaitivu office of the Amparai district Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian, Mr. M. Pathmanatahn, was set fire by unidentified persons on Wednesday night, sources in Amparai said.
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Procedure prevents TNA MP from attending parliament

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 April 2004, 20:18 GMT]
Mr. Pakiaselvam Ariyanethiran, who will be replacing Mr. Kingsley Rajanayakam, the TNA MP elected from the Batticaloa district who resigned his seat last week, did not attend Sri Lanka’s parliament when it opened on Thursday, as the Elections Commissioner will have to officially gazette his name, sources said.
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Uproar in parliament follows election of Speaker

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 April 2004, 14:49 GMT]
Pandemonium reigned in Sri Lanka’s parliament Thursday night after the election of the new Speaker and when the leaders of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) made speeches congratulating the new Speaker, Mr.W.J.M.Lokkubandara.
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Missing Bhikku parliamentarians attend new Parliament opening

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 April 2004, 04:50 GMT]
The first session of the thirteenth Parliament of Sri Lanka began Thursday morning around 10 am in a tense atmosphere to elect its sixteenth Speaker since independence.
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