Trinco Ladies College celebrates 80th anniversary

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 May 2003, 00:16 GMT]
The Founder’s day and the Eightieth anniversary of the Trincomalee Sri Shanmuga Hindu Ladies College were celebrated Wednesday with the Northeast Provincial Education Ministry Secretary Mr.R.Thiagalingam unveiling the statue of the founder Mrs. Thangamma Shanmugampillai, sources said.


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Commander Vinothan's eigth anniversary commemorated

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 May 2003, 11:54 GMT]
A memorial ceremony for Commander of Vinothan brigade of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Lt.Col. Vinothan, and eighteen LTTE fighters who died in the attack on Tharavai Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp was held in the 'Meenaham' military grounds in Amparai district 27 May, sources said.


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LTTE team tours Talawakelle, Hatton, Matara

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 May 2003, 11:14 GMT]
"Ruling parties in Sri Lanka have consistently described us as terrorists to the people of the South. We are only fighting to regain our rights, secession is not our main objective," said Anbarasan, head of political section of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) when addressing a meeting held at the Matara district secretariat while handing over the relief supplies brought from Vanni to Minister Mahinda Wijesekera, press reports from Jaffna said.
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Economic progress in Northeast lacking - EU's Wilton

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 May 2003, 12:38 GMT]
European Union (EU) resident representative in Sri Lanka Mr.Wouter Wilton concluding his two-day fact finding tour in the Jaffna district announced at a press conference held Saturday that "although in overall the security situation of the country is improved considerably no visible progress is seen in the economic situation of the northeast as in the south."


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TRO office opened at Thampalakamam

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 May 2003, 18:59 GMT]
The Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) Trincomalee district secretariat Friday opened its second divisional branch at Thampalakamam, 16 km. west of Trincomalee town. The first branch of the TRO was opened at Chenaiyoor in the LTTE held Mutur east. A pre-school also was opened on the same day at Thampalakamam.
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‘Border pioneers’ face uphill task

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 May 2003, 12:44 GMT]
“We settled here in 1954 to safeguard our homeland. Today there is nobody to save us”, says Mr. Kanapathipillai Poopalapillai, 79, former President of the Rural Development Society of Sinnawaththai, a destroyed border Tamil village in the east coast’s interior. The Special Task Force and Sri Lanka Police built their camps in the Sinhala sector of this border zone with bricks and wood from the Tamil homes they dismantled or demolished in Sinnawaththai.
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LTTE seeks premier's response on interim administration proposal

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 May 2003, 06:53 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) today called upon the Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, to formally respond to proposals by its leader, Mr. Vellupillai Pirapaharan, for an interim administrative set-up in the Northeast. The LTTE’s comments were made in a letter by its chief negotiator, Mr. Anton Balasingham, to the Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. Vidar Helgesen.
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TNA delegation meets LTTE leadership in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 May 2003, 14:30 GMT]
A Tamil National Alliance delegation led by its parliamentary group leader, Mr.R.Sampanthan, Tuesday held discussion with the LTTE’s political head, Mr.S.P.Thamilselvan, regarding the possibility of the resumption of peace talks with the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE.
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Sri Lanka's Canadian High Commissioner begins Eastern tour

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 May 2003, 16:06 GMT]
In Commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of diplomatic relationships between Sri Lanka and Canada, the Canadian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, Ms. Valerie Raymond, arrived in Trincomalee Monday, beginning a six-day tour of the Eastern province, sources said.
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Protest against closure of schools in HSZ

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 May 2003, 03:23 GMT]
Students and parents of six schools located in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) demarcated High Security Zone (HSZ) in the Thenmaradchy in Jaffna peninsula are planning to protest against the closure of their schools, press reports in Jaffna said.


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Helgessen on shuttle diplomacy to end talks impasse

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 May 2003, 12:46 GMT]
Norwegian delegation led by deputy foreign minister Mr. Vidar Helgessen held about two hour talks with the leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Saturday afternoon at Killinochchi peace secretariat. He briefed the LTTE leaders on the outcome of the talks he had with the government peace negotiators about the requests by the LTTE leader Mr.V.Pirapaharan made during the discussion with the Norwegian foreign minister Mr.Jan Petersen, Vanni sources said.
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Tamil Education Board opens branch in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 May 2003, 14:03 GMT]
The Jaffna district branch of the Thamileelam Educational Development Board (TEDB) was opened Friday morning at the Jaffna district zonal education office at an event presided over by Professor Shanmugathas of the University of Jaffna, who said that the opening of the TEDB branch was a timely step taken and it would give a boost to the educational development of the peninsula, sources said.
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Peace mission brings Gujarati cyclist to Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 May 2003, 01:52 GMT]
S. Kumar Soni (30), an Indian citizen from Gujarat, currently on a world cycle tour promoting peace, arrived in Batticaloa today, sources in Batticaloa said.


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HDU sounds alarm on removal of ‘safety fences’

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 May 2003, 10:01 GMT]
Humanitarian De-mining Unit (HDU) officials in Kilinochchi said Wednesday that an NGO operating in the Vanni had created a dangerous precedent when it recently removed fences demarcating areas infested with mines and unexploded ordnance in Sannaar, on the northern coastal sector of the Mannar district. “The NGO had apparently removed the demarcating fences to show that the Sannar area is safe for rehabilitation work”, the HDU officials said. The HDU is an arm of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO).
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SLA's night trawler ban provokes protests in Pt.Pedro

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 May 2003, 17:02 GMT]
Unloading of cargo from merchant vessels in Point Pedro harbour came to a standstill on Tuesday due to the boycott by the owners of trawlers. The owners have launched the boycott protesting against the order by the 524 Brigade commander of the Sri Lanka Army that trawlers will not be allowed to anchor in the jetty during nights, sources said.


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US diplomat cancels Trincomalee visit

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 May 2003, 14:27 GMT]
The Assistant Secretary of State in the US government Ms Christina Rocca cancelled her visit to Trincomalee due to inclement weather, diplomatic sources said. On her two-day visit to Sri Lanka, Ms. Rocca was scheduled to visit Trincomalee Tuesday to hold talks with Sri Lanka navy officials in the east port town in addition to a luncheon discussion with selected leading citizens of the area at a tourist resort in Nilaveli, sources said.


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Pirapaharan felicitates Kumar's family

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 May 2003, 00:28 GMT]
Velupillai Pirapaharan, leader of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) , awarded the 'Maamanithar' medal to Yogaluxmi Ponnambalam, wife of late Kumar Ponnambalam, in honor of her husband in a special function held in Kilinochchi, Sunday, sources said. Late Kumar's children, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, a lawyer and Tamil National Alliance (TNA)Parliamentarian, and Mirnalini Ponnambalam, a physician, accompanied their mother to the function.
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TNA, LTTE leadership to meet Tuesday

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 May 2003, 14:40 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has invited the parliamentarians of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) for a meeting at the LTTE's political head quarters in Kilinochchi Tuesday 10am, political sources in Vanni said.
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Families of Vanni disappeared strapped in poverty

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 May 2003, 10:43 GMT]
Families and relatives of 184 Tamils who disappeared after being arrested by Sri Lanka security forces between 1996 and 1998 while the forces occupied Kilinochchi, have not been given assistance by any Government authorities or any Humanitarian organizations and are living in abject poverty, sources in Kilinochchi said.


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UNHCR assists Trincomalee needy through SLRC

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 May 2003, 01:57 GMT]
United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) through the Sri Lanka Red Cross (SLRC) in the Trincomalee district is providing free spectacles and other medical assistance to help the poor, said the officer in charge of the UNHCR in Trincomalee, Ms Rocelle Brown, when addressing an event in connection the World Red Cross Day.
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