Two LTTE cadres shot and killed in Thirukkovil

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 August 2005, 04:38 GMT]
Two political cadres of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were shot and killed by unidentified gunmen who were riding in a blue colour van Wednesday around 7:30 a.m. The incident took place at Kanjirankuda junction on Akkaraipattu-Pottuvil Main Road, around 300 meters away from the Special Task Force (STF) base in Kanjirankuda, which is located 3 km south of Thirukkovil in Amparai district. Two of the gunmen, wearing military fatigues, were seen entering the STF base by the residents of the area.
Full story >>

Labor shortage hampers paddy harvest

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 August 2005, 02:25 GMT]
Farmers in the three districts of eastern province, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Amparai, are unable to harvest their crops due to acute shortage of labourers. The farmers fear that monsoon rain expected during the end of August would destroy their crops if not harvested in time, sources said.
Full story >>

Five major irrigation tanks in NorthEast to be renovated

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 August 2005, 16:56 GMT]
World Bank funded the North East Integrated Agricultural Programme (NEIAP) 2 has allocated about 16 million rupees to renovate five major tanks in the districts of Mannar, Killinochchi, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Amparai bringing a total of about 37,749 hectares of land under paddy for both seasons and the beneficiaries will be about 30,811 farming families, NEIAP sources said.


Full story >>

Time for donors to provide direct aid to NorthEast- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 11:20 GMT]
"Time has come for the International Community to provide direct aid to the Tamil homeland without waiting for Colombo," LTTE's Political Head Mr. Thamilchelvan told reporters in Kilinochchi after a meeting with the Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgesen and his delegation at LTTE's Peace Secretariat on Friday. "Joint Mechanism to deliver tsunami aid has been scuttled, internally displaced people continue to suffer due to Colombo's denial to let them return to their homes, and the Cease Fire Agreement is severely threatened by Colombo's shadow war using paramilitary groups in the East. The patience of the Tamil people is running out," Mr. Thamilchelvan told the press.
Full story >>

Tamil Conference begins in Batticaloa amidst bomb explosion

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 August 2005, 10:35 GMT]
A district level conference supporting the Tamil National Resurgence convention held in Vavuniya on July 27, ceremonially began at 4:15 p.m. at the grounds of Batticaloa Hindu College in Batticaloa town Tuesday. More than 1500 participants from various parts of the districts, comprising Tamil national activists including academics, writers, religious dignitaries, representatives of civil organisations and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MPs are participating in the conference amidst threats from paramilitary cadres operating in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) held Batticaloa town. A powerful time-bomb exploded 50 meters from the grounds at 2:30 p.m., according to the Batticaloa Police.
Full story >>

SLMM meets LTTE, TNA parliamentarians in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 July 2005, 23:47 GMT]
Members of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) met with Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Sivanathan Kishor and Sivasakthi Ananthan at 2.30 pm Friday at the SLMM offices in Vavuniya, and had another meeting with Vavuniya district Head of LTTE political wing Gnanam and Peace Secretariat co-ordinator for Vavuniya Mr Kumaravel at 3.30 pm at the LTTE political offices, sources in Vavuniya said. Discussions centered on Thursday's Thirunavatkulam grenade explosion and the recent increase in threats of violence, according to sources.
Full story >>

Kalmunai Muslims protest against SL Minister Athaulla

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 July 2005, 12:30 GMT]
More than one thousand Muslims from three different mosques in Kalmunai town marched Friday in protest against the Minister of Infrastructure Development in the Eastern Province, Mr. A.L.M Athaulla, a leader of one of the breakaway factions of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), accusing the lankan minister of "betraying Muslims in Kalmunai" and favouring his native town of Akkaraipattu in securing governmental facilities. Demonstrators also carried placards supporing Tamil - Muslim relations in Kalmunai.
Full story >>

Tamil National Resurgence Convention begins in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 July 2005, 09:37 GMT]
A Tamil national resurgence conference with more than one thousand Tamil national activists comprising academics, writers, religious dignitaries, representatives of civil organisations and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MPs from Amparai, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Jaffna, Vanni and Mannar, began in Vavuniya at 10:30 a.m on Wednesday at Vairavapuliyankulam Children's Park. Leaders of the Up-Country Peoples Front (UPF) and the Western Province Peoples' Front (WPPF) are also participating in the conference, sources in Vavuniya said.
Full story >>

286 Tamil medium teachers to be posted to NE schools

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 July 2005, 16:45 GMT]
286 GCE Advanced Level qualified Tamil medium teachers are to receive their appointment letters from zonal education offices in their respective districts in the northeast province Wednesday. These teachers have been selected by the Colombo Ministry of Education based on the results of the competitive examination held in December last year and the list has been handed over to the North East Provincial Ministry of Education for posting, education department officials said.
Full story >>

IOM provides transition homes to Kallady villagers

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 July 2005, 03:50 GMT]
Ms Mary Sheehan, Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Friday handed over 148 transition homes to tsunami hit villagers of Kallady, a fishing hamlet in the Eachchilampathu division, down south of Trincomalee district. In addition the IOM has provided livelihood assistance to these families, sources said.
Full story >>

Social mobilization workshop begins in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 July 2005, 02:18 GMT]
Opening event of a residential nine-day workshop for nearly 30 staff engaged in social mobilization in different districts of NorthEast was held in Kanagapuram in Kilinochchi Saturday at 3.30 pm, sources said. Director of the Socilal Mobilization section of the Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), Mr M Selvarajah, presided the event.
Full story >>

One civilian, policeman killed in Pottuvil

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 July 2005, 06:08 GMT]
A civilian was killed when the Police opened fire after an unidentified gunman shot and killed a Police constable in Pottuvil town around 11.00 p.m. on Thursday. The civilian victim, identified as Mr. Kanagasabai Ranjithkumar, is a 21 year old Tamil youth from Kundumadu.
Full story >>

Two STF soldiers, policeman injured in grenade attack

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 July 2005, 07:56 GMT]
Two Special Task Force (STF) soldiers and a police constable were injured when two unidentified attackers lobbed a grenade into a checkpoint close to a tsunami-refugee camp at Tharmsangari playground near Ramakrishana Mission School in Akkaraipattu at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday. Tension prevailed in the area following the attack as STF soldiers opened fire and stopped civilian vehicles passing by the area and attacked the travellers following the incident, residents said. Handbills issued in Akkaraipattu in the name of "Amparai District Seerum Padai" (Roaring Force in Amparai) claimed responsibility for the attack.
Full story >>

SLA bans transporting batteries, wires in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 July 2005, 12:00 GMT]
Sri Lakan Army (SLA) soldiers manning the check points between LTTE controlled and SLA held areas in the eastern districts of Batticaloa and Amparai imposed restrictions on transporting batteries, wires and electric devices from SLA held areas towards Vaharai and other LTTE held areas in the East since Saturday. Civilians were subjected to severe questioning and and body searcj by SLA, Special Task Force (STF) soldiers and the Police. Security is tightened in Batticaloa, Amparai districts, Police sources said.
Full story >>

LTTE responds to GoSL proposals, calls for immediate action

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 July 2005, 06:58 GMT]
In a letter addressed to Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) on Friday, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, Political Head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eealm (LTTE), rejected the conditions stipulated by Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) restricting the number of journeys and the number of persons. The letter said that the GoSL has the responsibility to ensure the safety of LTTE's unarmed members in military controlled areas and urged that the proposals sent to GoSL on 30 June 2005 need to be accepted in full in order to ensure safe travel of their cadres. It further said that the time frame set by the LTTE was consequent to the long delay incurred.
Full story >>

Police post attacked in Kalmunai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 July 2005, 17:21 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen attacked Veeramunai Police post in Samanthurai, Kalmunai at 8:40 p.m. Thursday. Gunmen fled the scene after firing continuously at the post for five minutes under heavy rain, sources said. There were no casualties according to the information available at the moment, Police sources said.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka military pushing for war- Batticaloa LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 July 2005, 15:01 GMT]
"Sri Lankan military is visibly pushing for a war. Sri Lanka Military Intelligence personnel is deployed all over the borders monitoring our cadres. Heavily armed Sri Lankan soldiers are being deployed in SLA held areas of Batticaloa. The situation is getting tense and our political officials in SLA held areas are under threat. If this situation continues, we will be forced to relocate all our political cadres and officials," said Deputy Head of LTTE's Batticaloa-Amparai Political Division, Mr. Dayamohan Thursday.
Full story >>

Two policemen shot in Kalmunai, one succumbs to injuries

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 July 2005, 07:32 GMT]
Two policemen from the Counter-Subversive Unit (CSU) were shot and seriously wounded when they were riding in a motorbike from Kalmunai Police station to Amparai. Both the policemen were initially rushed to Kalmunai Ashraff memorial hospital in critical condition. One of the policemen, A Kapila (25) from Badulla, succumbed to injuries while being transported to Colombo Hospital by helicopter, sources said. The shooting incident took place in front of a National Savings Bank branch in Kalmunai, 400 meters from the Kalmunai Police station, at 11.25 AM on Wednesday.
Full story >>

Civilian killed in grenade attack on rice mill workers

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 July 2005, 07:20 GMT]
One civilian was killed and two were seriously wounded when unidentified gunmen lobbed a grenade into a rice mill in Pattiyadipitty, Akkariapattu Sunday night around 11.30 PM, Police said. Gunmen entered a room where six employees were sleeping and fired into the room after lobbing a grenade, sources said.
Full story >>

TRO provides temporary housing for Pottuvil Muslims

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 July 2005, 11:32 GMT]
Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), an NGO registered with the Government of Sri Lanka, has funded building temporary shelters for seventy tsunami affected Muslim families in Kalappukkatu village in Pottuvil, Amparai district, officials said.
Full story >>