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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Newspaper delivery agent shot dead in Kalmunai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 June 2005, 10:20 GMT]
Mr Arasakumar Kannamuthu, 38, a newspaper delivery agent for Batticaloa Eelanatham newspaper, was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen Wednesday morning around 8.45 am. The killing took place at Matupola in Kalmunai- Akkaraipattu road, a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) held place 50 km south of Batticaloa. The victim was on his route to Oluvil in a motorbike after delivering newspaper to Ninthavoor newspaper agent, sources said.
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US Peace Corps to assist Sri Lanka tsunami victims

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 June 2005, 01:55 GMT]
Thirty "Crisis Corps" volunteers sent by the United States Peace Corps will arrive in Sri Lanka over the next two weeks to help tsunami affected Sri Lankans rebuild their lives, homes and communities, sources said
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LTTE Pottuvil office attacked

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 June 2005, 14:00 GMT]
Three unidentified armed men entered Komari, Pottuvil political office of the LTTE around 4.30 pm Sunday and caused extensive damage to the office, LTTE sources in Komari said. The office is located in Akkaraipattu-Pottuvil main road in an SLA controlled area. There were no LTTE officials at the time of the attack, Mr Nilakaran, Udumpankoddam Political Co-ordinator told TamilNet.
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Businessman shot and wounded in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 June 2005, 13:43 GMT]
Mr Thambirajah Maheswararajah (31) was shot and wounded by unidentified gunmen at Lake Road in Batticaloa town. The incident took place inside a High Security area of Sri Lanka Army (SLA), close to paramilitary Razeek Group camp around 2.00 PM Sunday, sources said.
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SLA escorted convoy with LTTE officials ambushed

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 June 2005, 09:18 GMT]
A convoy carrying Amparai Political Head of the Liberation Tigers, Mr. Kuyilinpan and other LTTE political staff, with Sri Lanka Army (SLA) escort facilitated by Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), was attacked at Welikanda at 2.55 PM Sunday, Welikanda Police said. The bus carrying around 40 eastern LTTE officials from Kilinochchi to Batticaloa was ambushed with a land mine, but none were killed as the vehicle narrowly escaped the impact of the bomb. One LTTE official was injured in the attack. The ambush took place between two Sri Lankan military camps, at Boaththe, around 1 km from Welikanda SLA base. The convoy resumed its journey towards Batticaloa with high security, Police said.
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Helgesen visits Kalmunai, stresses need for unity among Muslim leaders

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 June 2005, 14:07 GMT]
Norwegian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Vidar Helgesen who arrived in Kalmunai Wednesday afternoon 1.50 PM met Eastern Muslim community leaders and urged the Muslim leaders to present a united front to raise the concerns of the Muslim community. Talking to Muslim representatives, Mr Helgesen said that the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers, have expressed their committment to ensure a fair representation of Muslim community in the post-tsunami reconstruction process, sources in Kalmunai said.
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Muslim Clerics meet SL President, voice concerns on aid deal

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 June 2005, 11:52 GMT]
Senior Muslim clergymen from Batticaloa, Amparai and Trincomalee districts met with Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Tuesday and insisted that "the Muslim community be allowed to participate in the reconstruction of tsunami-affected areas through their representatives," according to a media release issued by the Office of the President Tuesday.
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Helgesen arrives in Sri Lanka for talks on aid deal

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 June 2005, 10:55 GMT]
Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr Vidar Helgesen arrived in Colombo at 3.45pm today at the Bandaranayake International Air port and was received by the Norwegian Ambassador Hans Braksttar at the airport, sources from Colombo said. His flight arrived two hours late.
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Paramilitary cadre killed in Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 June 2005, 07:04 GMT]
Mr Alagan Ravichandran, 38, a cadre attached to the Colombo office of the paramilitary Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP), was found dead with stab wounds to his head and leg Monday morning in Karunkodithivu, Akkaraipattu in Amparai District, Police said.
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SLAF helicopter takes LTTE commanders to Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 June 2005, 13:11 GMT]
Batticaloa-Amparai LTTE military commanders and Head of LTTE's Batticaloa-Amparai Political Wing, Mr. Ilanthirayan, returned to Batticaloa from Kilinochchi in a Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) Helicopter Friday morning, sources in Batticaloa said. LTTE's Batticaloa-Amparai Special Commander Col. Banu, Batticaloa-Amparai Commander Ram, Commander Janarathan of LTTE's armed forces in Amparai and Commander Shanthan of the Jeyanthan Regiment were held up in Kilinochchi for some weeks as Colombo earlier refused to provide transport arrangements.
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LTTE's Trincomalee commander returns

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 06:12 GMT]
Commander of the Liberation Tigers' forces in Trincomalee, Col. Sornam, arrived in Sampur in Trincomalee Wednesday at 10.30 AM in a in a SLAF Helicopter facilitated by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), LTTE officials said.
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Batticaloa TRO Official injured in grenade attack

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 June 2005, 17:00 GMT]
Mr. Packiarajah Thanapalan (22), a Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) official attached to the Batticaloa office, was injured when the TRO office located in Dias Road in Batticaloa town was attacked by unidentified persons Monday night 8.50 PM, Batticaloa-Amparai TRO Director, Mr. Sebastian Sessar told TamilNet. Office entrance was damaged from the explosion of two grenades that were hurled by the attackers, he added.
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LTTE, Muslims meet in Karadiyanaaru

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 June 2005, 13:49 GMT]
Officials of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) met with representatives from Kalkudah Muslim community at the Karadiyanaru Maha Vidyalayam, Chenkalady from 10 AM to 12 PM Thursday, sources from Batticaloa said. Discussions centered around land issues concerning muslim settlers in Oddamavady and Kalkuddah, according to officials attending the meeting.
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Two LTTE cadres killed in claymore attack in East

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 June 2005, 13:10 GMT]
Two LTTE cadres, Mr. Niveharan (22) and Mr. Sutharanjan (23), were killed in a claymore landmine attack in no-man zone at Sangamankandy, between Pottuvil and Komari at 12.35 PM Wednesday, sources said. The attack took place at Sangamankandy 2 km from Thandiyadi Sri Lanka Army (SLA) checkpoint while the cadres were walking with their punctured motorbike from Kanjirankuda LTTE base towards LTTE political office in Komari, Mr. Daya Mohan, Deputy Head of LTTE's Batticaloa-Amparai Political Division told TamilNet. Mr. Daya Mohan blamed Special Task Force (STF) soldiers and paramilitary cadres working with the STF for the attack.
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Search operation in Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 June 2005, 06:05 GMT]
Sri Lanka Police and Special Task Force (STF) soldiers conducted a cordon and search operation on Wednesday in Alaiyadivembu, a village in Akkaraipattu in Amparai district. The search operation which began at 8.00 AM went on till noon, sources said.
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Colombo's transport refusal endangers CFA- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 June 2005, 08:52 GMT]
"Serious crisis has developed over Sri Lanka Government's continuing refusal to provide travel security to our military commanders across Government controlled areas forcing us to plan our own armed escort. We have pointed out to the Norwegian facilitators to urgently seek the response from Colombo on this matter. Failure to resolve this issue will call into question the continued observation of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA)," said Thamilchelvan in a press briefing to reporters in Kilinochchi, after meeting with Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar and Mr. Wagn Winkel, acting Head of the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Kilinochchi Tuesday morning.
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LTTE official attacked by STF soldiers in Amparai

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 June 2005, 12:42 GMT]
A political division official of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eealm (LTTE) from Veeramunai Navithanveli, Mr. Sathees, was attacked by Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) soldiers Monday morning around 9.30 AM, LTTE said. STF soldiers hit Mr. Sathees with gun butts while he was standing in front of the Veeramunai LTTE political office, according to Mr. Atheeswaran Master, Political Head of the LTTE Veeramunai Koddam in Amparai.
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SLA troopers attempt to enter LTTE office in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 June 2005, 18:32 GMT]
Around hundred Sri Lankan Army (SLA) soldiers together with paramilitary cadres from Razeek Group entered the premises of the LTTE administrative office at Thamaraikerni in Batticaloa town Saturday night around 11.30 PM. However, LTTE officials did not allow the soldiers to enter the office building till the arrival of truce monitors, Deputy Head of Batticaloa-Amparai Political Wing of the LTTE, Mr. Daya Mohan, told TamilNet. The sudden siege by the SLA soldiers with the presence of paramilitary cadres, "in contradiction to the terms of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) was aimed at provoking the Tigers", he charged.
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Buddha statue attacked in Kalmunai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 June 2005, 03:48 GMT]
A one meter tall statue of Buddha located in Kalmunai Sinhala Maha Vidyalaya School at Pansala Road was damaged by unidentified persons who entered the school premises Saturday early morning between 2.00 AM and 4.00 AM, Kalmunai Police said.
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