Piling coal in Thampalakamam said cause of pollution

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 November 2003, 17:42 GMT]
Many thousand metric tons of coal unloaded at the Trincomalee harbor and piled on a plot of land located in a residential area at Thampalakamam, a Tamil village about 24 km west of the Trincomalee town, before being taken to the Puttalam cement factory, has caused environmental problems to the residents of the village and crops, said Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian for Trincomalee, Mr.K.Thurairetnasingham, in a letter faxed to Environment and Natural Resources Minister, Mr.Rukman Senanayake, Monday.


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Sampanthan to address seminar on ISGA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 November 2003, 18:03 GMT]
The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) is organizing a one-day seminar on Friday, November 7, on the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) proposed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for the Tamil dominated NorthEast province. Mr. R. Sampanthan, the parliamentary group leader of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is expected to speak on behalf of TNA, sources in Colombo said.


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Sangaree's attempt to pass confidence motion foiled

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 November 2003, 12:42 GMT]
The attempt made by the President of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), main constituent of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Mr.V.Ananadasangaree to pass a vote of confidence on him at a prayer meeting held at the Jaffna district secretariat of the TULF Sunday was foiled when the participants walked out of the hall, sources in Jaffna said.


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Amparai TULF calls for Sangaree's resignation

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 November 2003, 11:34 GMT]
At a special meeting of the Amparai district Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), main constituent of the Tamil National Alliance held Sunday it was unanimously decided to call Mr.V.Ananadasangaree to step down from the post of presidentship or face expulsion, TULF sources said.


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Civilian injured in SLA vehicle collision in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 November 2003, 04:03 GMT]
S.Vijayaratnam of Nachchimar Kovilady in Jaffna, was seriously injured in an accident in which a truck of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and a motor bicycle collided Saturday morning at the Kankesanthurai road junction in Jaffna town. The injured civilian was riding the motorcycle at that time, and was admitted to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital by a group of residents of the area, police said.
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Sampanthan warns against falling prey to saboteurs

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 October 2003, 17:35 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance parliamentary group leader and Trincomalee district parliamentarian, Mr.R.Sampanthan, at a special press briefing held Thursday evening at his Trincomalee residence, cautioned the Tamil people, especially Tamil youths, against falling prey into the hands of persons who are plotting to sabotage the peaceful environment in the Trincomalee district at a time when historically important events are to take place with the handing over of interim administrative structure proposals by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
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SLN woman soldier dies

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 October 2003, 14:35 GMT]
A twenty-three year old woman soldier of the Sri Lanka Navy, Ms. Ratnayake Mudiansalagae Nanithakumari, was found dead Wednesday with gunshot injuries in her room at the Karainagar navy detachment in the Jaffna district, police said.
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More Indian fishermen released by Jaffna courts

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 October 2003, 16:03 GMT]
The Kayts Magistrate, Mr. A.Premshankar, Tuesday released fifteen Indian fishermen who had been captured by local fishermen and Sri Lanka Navy when poaching in northern sea and were kept in remand, on the instructions of the Attorney General, legal sources said.
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TULF Ex-MP resigns

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 October 2003, 12:33 GMT]
E. Thurairatnasingam, former Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) Member of Parliament (MP) for Batticaloa submitted his resignation from the party and from all positions he held in the party, political sources in Batticaloa said.
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Salinity endangers Northwest Vanni farmland

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 October 2003, 00:10 GMT]
Vast tracks of farmlands in impoverished villages close to the northern and western coast of Vanni face imminent danger from ocean waters penetrating inland making the arable land unsuitable for cultivation. Civil Engineering staff in Kilinochchi involved in development planning say that although plans are available to convert the areas in northwest coast including Jaffna peninsula resistant to creeping salinity, they are awaiting financial resources to be earmarked for such activity as part of Northeast rehabilitation.
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LTTE to meet hill country leaders on IA proposals

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 October 2003, 18:15 GMT]
The Political Head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan, is to continue his dialogue on the northeast interim administration proposals with the hill country Tamil leaders this Sunday. Last week he held discussions with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leaders, sources said.


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LTTE leader honors Karate Grand Master

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 October 2003, 14:46 GMT]
The leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Mr. V. Pirapaharan, Thursday conferred national honor on the father of Karate in Tamil Eelam, Grand Master Shihan Bonnie Roberts,74, who holds eight black belts and contributed yeoman service to the growth of the art of Karate, sources in the Vanni said.
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Thamilchelvan meets TNA over IA proposals

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 October 2003, 16:04 GMT]
Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, the political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, met with parliamentarians of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on Wednesday at the Kilinochchi peace secretariat, LTTE peace secretariat sources said.
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SLA assaults Jaffna fishermen, 20 injured

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 October 2003, 14:41 GMT]
Sri Lanka army soldiers assaulted and injured twenty civilians, eight seriously, including two students, in Munai, a coastal village on the outskirts of Pt. Pedro town in Jaffna Wednesday afternoon. Troops were poured into the area following tension between army sentries on the beach and crowds of fisher folk over SLA sentries assaulting a young fishermen who sought permission to return home before the time stipulated by the SLA for beaching boats in Munai.
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Girls' sports champion hailed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 October 2003, 20:42 GMT]
The women’s wing of the Liberation Tigers has commended Miss.Tharani Seevaratnam, a student at the Akkarayankulam Maha Vidiyalayam in Kilinochchi, who was placed second in Discus Throw and third in Shot Putt in the under-15 category, in an island-wide competition held at the Sugathadasa stadium in Colombo in September, sources said.
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Jaffna medical staff massacred by IPKF remembered

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 October 2003, 16:48 GMT]
The staff of the Jaffna Teaching Hospital Tuesday observed the 16th annual commemoration day of twenty one employees of the hospital who were massacred while on duty by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) on 21st October 1987, sources said.
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Maj. Gen. Fonseka reproves Jaffna media

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 October 2003, 11:36 GMT]
Commander of Sri Lankan armed forces in Jaffna, Maj. Gen. Sarath Foneseka told a group of northern journalists Tuesday that newspapers in the peninsula publish “half information’ and distorted reports intended to make people angry at the military. Speaking to representatives of the North Ceylon Journalists’ Association about recent attacks on media persons in Jaffna by Sri Lankan armed forces soldiers, he said: “We are not hundred percent happy about the way media people in Jaffna are carrying out their jobs”.
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Tamil Literary festival begins in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 October 2003, 11:40 GMT]
"While cherishing the ancient nature of Tamil literature we need to march courageously towards accommodating newly emanating concepts in our culture. Debates and research should probe deeply into our culture and contribute to healthy development of our literature," said R Thiyagalingam, secretary to the Northeast ministry of education and culture, during the opening ceremony of the 3-day literary festival which opened at Irambaikulam Girls School Thursday.


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NE provincial level science-math competition held

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 October 2003, 00:01 GMT]
The North East Provincial Department of Education held the first provincial level Science-Mathematics Quiz Competition for Grade 11 year students who have excelled in zonal level competitions. The winners of twenty-four zonal level competitions participated at the provincial level competition held Wednesday in Trincomalee Sri Shanmuga Hindu Ladies College hall, sources said.
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Wickremesinghe said to agree in principle to IDPs' resettlement in HSZ

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 October 2003, 16:51 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, in a meeting with a delegation of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Thursday, accepted 'in principle' that all internally displaced families are entitled to resettlement in their own lands and houses in the northeast province, regardless of whether those lands or houses come under areas declared as high security zones (HSZ) by the Sri Lanka Army, TNA sources said.
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