LTTE's polythene ban in Vanni earns plaudits

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 September 2003, 16:07 GMT]
The ban on Polythene use in the Vanni by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has heartened the Environmental movement in Sri Lanka, said Dr. (Ms.) Ajantha Perera, the head of the project for solid waste recycling in Sri Lanka, in a press statement, the Jaffna-based Tamil language daily, Uthayan, reported Monday.
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Thileepan's 16th death anniversary to be commemorated

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 September 2003, 17:31 GMT]
Northeast province is preparing to observe the sixteenth death anniversary of late senior leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Lt Colonel Thileepan Monday, September 15, the day he began his fast unto death when the Indian Government refused to meet the demands he made on behalf of Tamils. He passed away on 26th September 1987, on the twelvth day after he began his fast, sources said.


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Akashi holds talks with Thamilselvan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 September 2003, 12:05 GMT]
The Japanese special peace envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi Sunday morning arrived at Killinochchi grounds by a special helicopter of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) accompanied by HE.Mr. Soiiehiro Otsuka, Japanese ambassador in Colombo, and met the Head of the Political Wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) S.P. Thamilselvan at the LTTE's Peace Secretariat building, Vanni sources said.
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Tamils' history to be taught to Jaffna students

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 September 2003, 20:09 GMT]
The Thamileelam Education Development Board (TEDB) is to introduce a new textbook to teach the history of Tamils in Sri Lanka to students in the Jaffna district from January next year, and in preparation to the implementation of the project, the TEDB is now engaged in holding a workshop on "Thamileelam social education and history" for teachers who teach Grade 6 and Grade 7 students in the peninsula, Jaffna education sources said.
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Danish Ambassador concludes tour of Vanni

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 September 2003, 17:15 GMT]
The Danish Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr. Michael Sternberg, met with officials of the Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) in Kilinochchi Wednesday and the commander of the Naval wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Col. Soosai, in Mullaitivu, Thursday, and concluded his tour of the Vanni, sources in the Vanni said.
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Plans for Pongu Thamil in Vavuniya moving ahead

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 September 2003, 00:04 GMT]
The organizers of the The Pongu Thamil (Tamil upsurge) event in Vavuniya are moving ahead with plans to hold the event on September 24, and have earned widespread support from the Tamil and Muslim people of the area, including strong support from the merchants in Vavuniya and the Vanni district Tamil National Allaince parliamentarians, sources in Vavuniya said.
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Danish Ambassador meets Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 September 2003, 10:45 GMT]
Ambassador for Denmark in Colombo, Mr. Michael Sternberg, met with the Political Wing Leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Mr. S.P. Tamilchelvan, at the Peace Secretariat Building of the LTTE in Kilinochchi Wednesday, sources in the Vanni said.
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Restoration work begins at Kanniya Nadesar temple

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 September 2003, 02:34 GMT]
Restoration work of the Kanniya-Sivayogapuram Nadesar Temple, destroyed by the Sri Lanka security forces and Sinhala mobs 20 years ago during the 1983 July pogrom, commenced Friday. The only temple for Lord Nadesar in the island is located along the Trincomalee-Anuradhapura road, about 5 km northwest of the Trincomalee town, sources said.
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Batticaloa remembers Tamils massacred in 1990

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 September 2003, 11:13 GMT]
The people of Batticaloa district Friday observed the Black September Day, remembering the Tamil civilians, men, women, and children killed by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers and Muslim guards thirteen years ago on September 9 when 158 Tamil civilians who sought refuge in the East University Refugee camp and 184 Tamil villagers from Sathurukondan village disappeared after their arrest by the SLA soldiers, sources in Batticaloa said.


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Elephant Pass: From battlefield to salt capital

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 September 2003, 01:19 GMT]
Before 1990, Elephant Pass and Kurunchativu located 10km apart had the largest salterns in the northeast with a combined area of 100 acres, and produced more than 85,000 metric tons of salt a year. This output met all the salt needs of SriLanka and left enough surplus for export. These salterns, destroyed during the war, are being reconstructed and rehabilitated, and are currently producing close to 15% of the total capacity.
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LTTE delegation returns home

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 September 2003, 11:01 GMT]
The delegation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam led by its political wing leader, Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan, and comprising Batticaloa-Amparai district special commander Col Karuna and Director of the LTTE Peace Secretariat Mr.Puleedevan returned to Colombo Thursday early morning after about two weeks' stay abroad, where the delegation held extensive discussion with their constitutional and legal experts in the French capital, Paris, sources said.
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NE part time English teachers begin fasting protest

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 September 2003, 18:28 GMT]
Hundreds of part time English teachers working in the Northeast provincial schools began a fasting campaign on a rotation basis Monday in front of the provincial education ministry office in Trincomalee, demanding the authorities to make their appointments permanent immediately, North East Part time English Teachers' Association (NEPETA) officials said.
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SLMM, SLA escort LTTE women cadres from Batticaloa to Vanni

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 September 2003, 12:23 GMT]
One hundred fifty women cadres of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) led by the Special Commander of the LTTE Batticaloa-Amparai district Ms Nilavini left Batticaloa Monday morning to Vanni region in two buses escorted by members of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and officials of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), security sources in Batticaloa said.


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NECORD supported Irrigation project to begin in Amparai

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 September 2003, 03:36 GMT]
Rehabilitation efforts of the Kanchikudichaaru Irrigation development project under the North East Community Restoration Development (NECORD) plan are expected to start Monday, according to NECORD officials. The Asia Development Bank (ADB) has allocated Rs.30m and World Food Program (WFP) has given Rs.8m for this project.
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GA urged to relocate displaced fisher families

[TamilNet, Sunday, 31 August 2003, 19:33 GMT]
Palaly Fisheries Society Sunday asked the Jaffna District Government Agent (GA) to take immediate steps to relocate the displaced fisher families from the Palaly high security zone in the coastal areas between Thondamanaru and Valalai who now live in private lands of others in several other villages. The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has barred them from resettling in their own lands and houses, fisheries officials said.


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Atchuvely residents demand opening of Sannithi Temple Road

[TamilNet, Sunday, 31 August 2003, 11:17 GMT]
Residents of Atchuvely town in Jaffna has asked the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officials through the Asistant Government Agent of the district to open the Thondamanaru-Selvachannithi road for public use, civil sources from Jaffna said. SLA has closed this road segment from Idaikkadu to Thondamanaru for the past several years as this segment lies within the SLA's demarcated High Security Zone (HSZ).
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Paris meeting 'Positive and Innovative'

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 August 2003, 19:54 GMT]
Delegates to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Constitutional Affairs Committee meeting in Paris to prepare a response to the Government of Sri Lanka's (GoSL's) proposal for an Interim Administration to the Northeast described the meeting as "positive and innovative," in a press release issued at the conclusion of the discussions that lasted from 23rd to 26th of August in Paris.


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Karainagar IDPs complain of harassment by SLN soldiers

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 August 2003, 14:13 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) has tightened check on internally displaced people who return to resettle in Karainagar village in Jaffna district. The Sri Lanka Navy soldiers manning the entry point of Karainagar subject the the newly returning IDPs to body checks and extensive questioning, civil group sources said.


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SLA bans NGOs from using Kinnaiyady lagoon access path

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 August 2003, 01:49 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has imposed ban on travel by officers of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to areas controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the Batticaloa district through Kinnaiyady lagoon, security sources in the Eastern province said. Kinnaiyady is located 32 km off northwest of Batticaloa town.


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Solheim, Canadians join as LTTE's Paris meet concludes

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 August 2003, 01:47 GMT]
Eric Solheim, Norwegian special peace envoy, Lisa Gold of the Royal Norwegian Government, Hon. Bob Rae, former premier Ontario Canada and Prof. David Cameron of Canadian Forum of Federations joined the final day yesterday morning session of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam discussions in Paris, sources close to the LTTE delegation said. The LTTE's Constitutional Affairs Committee is currently meeting in Paris to prepare LTTE's response to the Government of Sri Lanka's (GOSL's) proposal for an Interim Administration for the Northeast.


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