Abducted Akkaraipattu Muslim youth returns home, police interrogate

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 October 2002, 06:11 GMT]
Akkaraipattu police Friday morning arrested S.M.Abdul Wajeed (24), the Muslim youth who was reported abducted, at his home. He was immediately taken to the Akkaraipattu police station for interrogation.
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Muslim leaders call to abandon 'hartal', curfew re-imposed

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 October 2002, 21:38 GMT]
The Federation of Mosques in Akkaraipattu Thursday evening issued an appeal to Muslims of the area to abandon their 'hartal' (general shut down) from today. Meanwhile the Police re-imposed a fifteen-hour curfew in Akkaraipattu, a Muslim dominated town in the eastern province Thursday afternoon from three p.m. to diffuse tension between the Tamil and Muslim communities following the abduction of a Muslim youth.
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TNA writes to PM on Trinco violence

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 October 2002, 21:11 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance MP, Mr.R.Sampanthan Tuesday said that the lives of three Tamil civilians who died in the grenade attack last week in Trincomalee, might have been saved had the attackers not prevented two ambulances, one bringing medical officers and the other dispatched from Muttur, from reaching the injured. In a fax sent to the Prime Minister the MP said, "the deliberate inaction of the Police contributed to this tragedy."
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Medical evidence continues in Mylanthanai massacre case

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 October 2002, 17:40 GMT]
“ When I was holding postmortem on a body of a male person at Mylanthanai I saw an axe near the scene. The Police then took that axe as a production in this case,” said Dr.Sinnathurai Thadchchanamoorthy, presently District Medical Officer of Valaichchenai government hospital continuing his evidence in the Mylanthanai massacre case before the High Court Judge Mr.S.Sriskandarajah Wednesday.
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Medical officers give evidence in Mylanthanai massacre

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 October 2002, 09:37 GMT]
"One year old Latha, a girl who was rushed to the Colombo general hospital in critical condition the day after the Mylanthanai massacre succumbed to cut and chop wounds caused by pointed weapons such as axe and knives on admission," said Dr.K.Niranjan, Assistant Judicial Medical Officer before the Colombo High Court Judge Mr.S.Sriskandarajah Tuesday.
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British MPs tour Jaffna, Vanni

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 October 2002, 04:52 GMT]
Progress in peace talks will largely determine if Britain will lift the ban on the LTTE or not, said Mr.Gareth Thomas, British Member of Parliament, Tuesday after visiting Jaffna and Vanni areas accompanied by Mr.Robert Evans, Member of European Parliament.
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Sinhala nationalists step up campaign against talks

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 October 2002, 20:21 GMT]
The Sinhala Nationalist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP, People’s Liberation Front) vowed Tuesday to bring down Prime Minister Ranil Wicremesinghe’s government and defeat its peace negotiations with the Liberation Tigers. The JVP launched a campaign last week to convince Sinhalese that the peace process is a ruse to divide the island.
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TNA calls for Tamil home guard

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 October 2002, 03:12 GMT]
The security of the Tamil people can no longer be left in the hands of Sinhala dominated Army and Police, the Trincomalee district parliamentarian of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Mr. R. Sampanthan, told Sri Lanka’s Interior Minister, Mr. John Amaratunge Sunday afternoon. Arguing “the security of Tamils should be entrusted to Tamil youths,” the TNA leader urged the Minister to take immediate steps to form home guards units comprising Tamils.
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Thousands attend funerals in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 October 2002, 14:15 GMT]
Thousands attended the funerals in Trincomalee of three civilians killed in Friday's grenade attack blamed on Sri Lanka Police and Sinhala paramilitaries. The funerals were held Sunday at the Hindu cemetery in Trincomalee, following last respects at the Trincomalee Hindu Cultural Hall from 1 p.m. till around 3 p.m.
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Civilians’ funerals to be held Sunday

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 October 2002, 20:33 GMT]
The bodies of the three Tamil civilians killed in Friday’s gun and grenade attacks in Abeypura will be kept at the Trincomalee Hindu Cultural Hall in front of Trincomalee harbour from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. to allow people to pay their respects, sources said Saturday. Parliamentarians from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) are expected to deliver eulogies. The funeral procession will commence at 3 p.m. to the Hindu cemetery.
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Research Farm charts region's agricultural future

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 October 2002, 04:07 GMT]
A few miles east of Kilinochchi town lies Vattakkatchi which is the site of a sprawling Agricultural Research Farm covering hundreds of acres. Here, bright minds are at work charting the future of small scale industries and agricultural development of the North East region.
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Service Chiefs, SLMM visit Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 October 2002, 19:15 GMT]
The heads of three State armed forces and the Inspector General of Police are scheduled to visit Trincomalee Saturday to review the security situation in the wake of Friday violence in which three Tamil civilians were killed and thirty-eight others were wounded, defence ministry sources said. The Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Major General (retd) Trond Furuhovde also is expected to visit the east port town Saturday, SLMM sources said.
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TNA: Sri Lankan forces unwilling to protect Tamils

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 October 2002, 15:18 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance Friday blamed the gun and grenade attacks on Tamil civilians in Trincomalee which left three people dead and over thirty wounded on "lawless elements" from the Sinhala community. In a statement, the TNA said the Sri Lankan armed forces, which are predominately Sinhala, "lack the will and capacity to provide security to the Tamil people."
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TNA condemns Kanchirankuda killings, demands STF withdrawal

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 October 2002, 14:02 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Thursday strongly condemned the attack by the Special Task Force (STF) on unarmed Tamil civilians at Kanchirankuda in Thirukovil area of the Amparai district . “We suspect that this was a deliberate attempt to disrupt the peace process,” said Mr.R.Sampanthan, leader of the Tamil National Alliance parliamentary group in a statement issued to the press Thursday.
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NE protests in support of fasting PTA suspects

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 October 2002, 17:26 GMT]
Token hunger strikes, boycott of classes and rallies were held in Northeast province Tuesday in support of the fast unto death campaign by the Tamil political prisoners now under detention at Kalutara, Welikada and other prisons in the country.
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TNA presses PM for immediate action on prisoner release

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 October 2002, 17:24 GMT]
The adjournment motion moved by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in parliament regarding the hunger strike of Tamil political prisoners that has entered eighth day would be taken up for debate pending on the outcome of the top-level talks the TNA parliamentarians are scheduled to have Wednesday with the Prime Minister (PM) and the Attorney General, sources said. Tamil political prisoners detained at Welikada, Kalutara and other prisons are on hunger strike since October 1 demanding their immediate release.
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CA enlarges LTTE members on bail

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 October 2002, 13:22 GMT]
The Court of Appeal (CA) Tuesday ordered bail for two members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who were arrested by the Kantalai Police and remanded by the Trincomalee Magistrate.
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TNA calls for Hartal in NE

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 October 2002, 20:11 GMT]
Human rights lawyers, NGO activists and leaders of the Tamil National Alliance resolved in Colombo Monday evening to step up action on several fronts to persuade the Sri Lankan government to release Tamil political prisoners who have been languishing in the island’s jails for many years. Mr. N. Sri Kantha, speaking on behalf of the TNA after an urgent meeting convened Monday to discuss the fast deteriorating condition of the fasting prisoners, told Tamilnet that a general shut down all over the northeast would be called for on Friday 11 October.
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JVP denounces US action against Iraq

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 October 2002, 14:25 GMT]
The Janata Vimukthi Peramuna, the main Sinhala nationalist party in Sri Lanka’s Parliament, demonstrated Monday near the American Embassy in Colombo against US plans to attack Iraq. Police prevented the demonstrators from getting too close to the US Embassy premises. Sinhala and Muslim members of the JVP led by its MPs Mr. Bimal Ratnayaka, Ms. Anjaan Umma and Mr. Vijitha Herath carried placards and shouted slogans denouncing US actions against Iraq. The JVP has been closely linked to President Saddam Hussein’s Baath Socialist Party.
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Minister Morogoda visits Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 October 2002, 11:31 GMT]
The Minister of Economic Reforms, Mr.Milinda Morogoda accompanied by the Commander of Sri Lanka Army Lt.General Lionel Balagalle and Peace Secretariat Secretary General Mr.Bernard Gunatilake visited Trincomalee Sunday morning and attended a top-level conference at the Police Headquarters. Later in the afternoon the party led by Minister Morogoda held talks with the Tamil National Alliance leader Mr.R.Sampanthan at latter's residence regarding the two LTTE members in remand and six SLA soldiers of the SLA in the custody of the LTTE.
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