Abandoned villages in Trinco to be revived

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 November 2002, 02:34 GMT]
The Trincomalee District Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Committee (DRRC) met Friday and decided to take immediate steps to provide drinking water, electricity supply, education and other basic facilities to villages abandoned due to displacement following war. "We cannot allow our people to stay in refugee camps and welfare centres indefinitely after the ceasefire agreement came into force. We must see that they are resettled in their villages," said Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Mr. R. Sampanthan speaking at the meeting.
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Thenmaradchi displaced sit-in-protest continues

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 November 2002, 02:17 GMT]
Hundreds of displaced people Friday continued their sit-in-protest for the second day in front of the Chavakachcheri Divisional Secretariat demanding the immediate removal of the Sri Lanka Army located in more than fifty houses in Meesalai and Manthuvil in Thenmaradchchi area, sources said. The protest launched by the consortium of welfare organization forced closure of DS office on Friday.
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MOH certifies 'WFP rice unfit for consumption'

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 November 2002, 22:45 GMT]
Trincomalee Medical Officer of Health (MOH) Friday informed the Multi Purpose Co-operative Society (MPCS) in the east port town to stop the distribution of rice supplied under the World Food Programme (WFP) project as it was found unfit for human consumption. WFP earlier this week denied a TamilNet report of October 8 that rice the UN agency had supplied was spoilt and not fit for distribution to the internally displaced in the district.
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Trinco 'hartal' killing inquest continues

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 October 2002, 21:17 GMT]
The inquest into the killing of three Tamil civilians in a grenade attack and gun fire on October 11 in Trincomalee town resumed Tuesday afternoon before the Trincomalee Magistrate Mr.S.Thiagendran.
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SLN, SLA reject requests to fish, resettle

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 October 2002, 17:41 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army and Navy Tuesday refused to open the main road along the peninsula’s southeastern coast, refused to allow free access to the lagoon within the limits of the Jaffna town and rejected a request by an MP to relocate defence positions at the Tellipalai Junction to facilitate refugee resettlement.
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Trinco DCC reviews resettling displaced

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 October 2002, 20:54 GMT]
Each displaced family is to be given one hundred thousand rupees as resettlement package under the rehabilitation programme which is to be implemented shortly, it was announced at the meeting of the Trincomalee District Co-ordinating Committee (DCC) held Monday.
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Trincomalee displaced youngsters in child labour

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 October 2002, 22:14 GMT]
Over half the children staying at welfare centres and refugee camps in Trincomalee do not attend schools and instead work as child labour, according to a government official who has been involved in rehabilitation of displaced people in the district.
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Left PA government because Kumaratunga was bent on war - Minister

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 October 2002, 17:10 GMT]
“Prof. G.L Pieris, Mr. S. B Dissanayaka and I left People’s Alliance government last year because President Chandrika Kumaratunga was bent on war and detested peace. We could have been ministers in the PA government until 2005. But had we remained in the PA regime for the full term of the Parliament elected in 2000, war would have continued in this country. It is in this context that we left the PA and helped form a new government. The war came to an end because of this government,” said Sri Lanka’s Minister for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Mr. Mahinda Wijesekera.
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SLA requested to vacate Hospital, Cultural Center

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 October 2002, 15:31 GMT]
The Head of Vavuniya branch political section of Liberation Tigers (LTTE),C. Elilan, andthe District Secretary of Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Moorthy, have requested the Head of Security forces that the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Police vacate the Cultural Center in Vavuniya settlement and the Neriyakulam-Mankulum hospital for use of these facilities by the area residents.


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'Second round peace talks on firm foundation'- Peiris

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 October 2002, 14:33 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government Friday said a firm foundation has been laid for the second round of peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. A Sri Lanka Army Major General will be among the three advisors to the government delegation for the talks scheduled to commence on October 31 at Thailand.
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TNA objects to CEB Office relocation

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 October 2002, 08:22 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has protested to the government proposal of shifting the eastern regional office of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) from Trincomalee in the northeast province to Anuradhapura in the North-western province.
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Kanjirankuda inquiry in Tirukovil completed

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 October 2002, 19:13 GMT]
The three-member committee appointed to investigate the October 9 killings of eight Tamil civilians at Kanjirankuda completed its sittings at Thirukovil divisional secretariat auditorium today. The committee will have further two days of hearings at the Bandaranaike Memorial Hall in Colombo.


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JVP debates NE security, TNA stages walkout

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 October 2002, 14:53 GMT]
Members of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) staged a walk out in parliament Wednesday evening protesting at not being allocated time to speak on the adjournment motion moved by the Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) censuring the United National Front (UNF) government for failing to provide security to the people of eastern province.


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Special police team to investigate Trincomalee attack

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 October 2002, 10:35 GMT]
A special team comprising senior police officers will be sent to Trincomalee to conduct full scale investigation into the gun and grenade attack on Tamil civilians on October 11 that killed three Tamil civilians and injuring about fifty. Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe took this decision after meeting with Mr. Sampanthan, Tamil National Alliance (TNA)parliamentarian for the Trincomalee district, Tuesday, said sources. Interior Minister Mr. John Amaratunge also participated in the talks.
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Committee begins Kanchirankuda probe

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 October 2002, 20:15 GMT]
The three-member committee of inquiry into the killings of eight Tamil civilians at Kanchirankuda began its sittings at Thirukovil divisional secretariat auditorium in southeast Ampara district Monday morning. Eight civilians were killed and at least 20 others were wounded when the Special Task Force (STF) opened fire on protestors.
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STF refuses to vacate homes

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 October 2002, 18:06 GMT]
Five Tamil refugee families of Kittanki at Kalmunai in the southeastern Amparai district have appealed to the authorities to return their houses now being occupied by the Commandos of the Special Task Force. The STF earlier promised to leave these houses on 16 October. The STA now has gone back on its promise, said refugees in a complaint to the district parliamentarian.
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Morogoda visits Akkaraipattu, confers with local leaders

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 October 2002, 16:19 GMT]
Minister of Science, Technology and Economic Reforms Mr.Milinda Morogoda Saturday visited Akkaraipattu in the southeast and conferred with local community leaders the future course of action to be taken to maintain peace in the area. It was decided at a conference held at Akkaraipattu cultural hall Saturday to form a peace committee, which would facilitate reconciliation between communities whenever problems arise.
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Arts, literature conference opens in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 October 2002, 14:30 GMT]
“The Tamil language is now in the process of renewing itself for the 21st century. What we need today is Tamil for the Internet age. We need rational Tamil, not emotive Tamil,” said Mr. Nilanthan, a well known writer and poet from the Vanni in a special speech on the opening of the four day conference organized by the Arts and Culture Division of the Liberation Tigers in Jaffna Saturday. Hundreds of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim writers, poets, artists and journalists from all parts of the island and from south India are taking part in the event.
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Evidence of dead witness read out in Mylanthanai massacre

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 October 2002, 19:08 GMT]
The Colombo High Court Judge Mr.S.Sriskandarajah Friday allowed an application in the Mylanthanai massacre case by the prosecution to read out the evidence of two witnesses given in the lower court to the Jury, as these witnesses could not attend court. One of the two witnesses Thavarajah Rajmohan is dead and the other witness Nallammah Nallasekaram has gone abroad and working in Kuwait.
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AG indicts five SLA soldiers in Mirusuvil massacre case

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 October 2002, 17:30 GMT]
The Attorney General Friday filed indictments in the Colombo High Court against five Sri Lanka Army soldiers for murdering eight Tamil civilians, including a five year old child, in Mirusuvil in Jaffna district two years ago.
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