Paramilitary ambushed in Polannaruwa, one killed

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 February 2005, 13:25 GMT]
A paramilitary cadre was killed and another wounded when gunmen ambushed them near the Batticaloa-Polannaruwa district border Sunday around 11.45 a.m. Sri Lanka Police in Welikanda said. The two men, both cadres of the Karuna Group, were traveling on a motorbike from Karapola to Muththukkal, villages in the interior of Polannaruwa District, about 65 kilometres northwest of Batticaloa, when they were ambushed. The injured cadre identified as Mr. Vinayagamoorthy Jeganathan (Suthaharan) was admitted to Polannaruwa Base Hospital.


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Mannar Bishop writes to LTTE over shooting at sea

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 February 2005, 13:24 GMT]
Mannar Bishop, Rt. Rev. Rayappu Joseph, wrote to the Liberation Tigers Saturday regarding the incident at sea near Vidathaltheevu in which armed persons believed to be Sea Tigers fired on the boats of fishermen from Pallimunai, a coastal suburb of Mannar town, damaging the boats. Angered by the incident, a group fishermen from Pallimunai attacked and damaged the LTTE's political office in Mannar town Friday.
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Physical fitness center opened in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 February 2005, 12:13 GMT]
NorthEast's first physical fitness center for public, built as part of the Kilinochchi Central Sports Ground facilities and named after Vaithiyalingam Sornalingam (nom de guerre Colonel Sankar), was ceremonially opened Saturday 3 pm, sources from Kilinochchi said. Tamil Eelam Sports Wing of the Liberation Tigers built the facility after pledges from the Ministry of Sports of Government of Sri Lanka to build such facility failed to materialize, LTTE sources said.
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Sri Lanka blasts Annan’s statement

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 February 2005, 13:37 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar has officially registered his government’s strong objections with the United Nations over Secretary General Kofi Annan’s condemnation of the assassinations on February 7 of E. Kousalyan, head of LTTE's Political Wing in Batticaloa-Amparai district, and his team in a Sri Lanka government-controlled area of the Eastern province, political sources said Friday.
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LTTE political office attacked

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 February 2005, 05:43 GMT]
The political office of the Liberation Tigers in Mannar was attacked by group of persons Friday around 11 a.m. A unit of riot Police that was training in the vicinity arrested some of the attackers but released them soon after, according to neighbours. The group had come from Pallimunai, a coastal suburb of Mannar.
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Protest march against Government discrimination continues in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 February 2005, 14:30 GMT]
Jaffna district Thursday witnessed another protest march in a series of such agitations held against the discrimination shown by the government in providing relief to tsunami victims and condemning the killing of LTTE senior political leader Mr.Koushalyan on February between two Sri Lanka Army camps in the Pollonnorawa district in the north central province. The Federation of District Fisheries Co-operative Societies, Displaced Persons Welfare Societies, and several other civil groups jointly organized Thursday agitation, sources said.
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Thamilchelvan visits tsunami affected Vaakarai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 February 2005, 12:03 GMT]
Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, Head of Political Division of the LTTE, on Thursday visited Tsunami affected coastal areas in Vaakarai, the main village south of the Verugal River, 65 km to the north of Batticaloa town, and discussed post-tsunami relief and resettlement efforts with the affected people and relief workers, sources said.
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Vocational Training Center opened in Muttur

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 February 2005, 02:42 GMT]
The Social Development Centre (SDC) headquartered in Killinochchi, opened the first vocational training centre (VTC) at Navaratnapuram, Sampoor in the Liberation Tigers controlled Muttur east, south of the Trincomalee district with the assistance of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) Wednesday morning. Colonel Sornam, Trincomalee district military commander ceremonially declared open the main building of VTC, sources in Muttur said.
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Bhikku Front protests against Annan's statement on Kousalyan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 February 2005, 19:21 GMT]
Hundreds of saffron-robed Buddhist Monks belonging to the National Bhikku Front (NBF) on Wednesday launched a protest rally opposite the United Nations office in Colombo to condemn the recent statement by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan over the slaying of Head of LTTE's Political Wing in Batticaloa-Amparai district, E.Kousalyan and his team in the Sri Lanka government-controlled areas in the Eastern province.
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Thamilchelvan arrives in Sampoor on three-day visit

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 February 2005, 16:02 GMT]
Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan, Political Head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Wednesday evening around 4 p.m. arrived from Batticaloa to Sampoor Maha Vidiyalayam grounds in the LTTE controlled Muttur east, south of Trincomalee district by a Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) special helicopter, sources in Trincomalee said. Colonel Sornam, Trincomalee district military commander and Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head received him on his arrival, sources said.


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Jaffna civil groups hold protest march

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 February 2005, 16:58 GMT]
Jaffna district co-operative sector, Jaffna District Confederation of Women Organizations, Jaffna Women Cultural Centres, Federation of Community Centres and social groups Tuesday held a protest march from Muththiraisanthi in Nallur to the office of the Jaffna office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) condemning Sri Lanka Government's discriminatory practices in the delivery of relief to tsunami victims in the coastal areas, and the killings of LTTE senior political leader Mr.Kousalyan, former TNA parliamentarian Mr.Chandra Nehru and four others during last week, sources said.


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LTTE denies murdered man was member

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 February 2005, 13:28 GMT]
A man identified as Mr.Sambunathan Sasikaran, 22, was shot dead Monday night around 8.45 in Kommathurai, 17 kilometres north of Baaticaloa. Sri Lanka army spokesman claimed the man was a member of Liberation Tigers. Mr. Sasikaran was riding a motorbike with a friend in Railway Colony in Kommathurai when he was gunned down by two men who came on a motorbike. However, a senior official of the Liberation Tigers said Mr. Sasikaran had nothing to with the LTTE.
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"Tiger flag is Tamil nation’s flag" – Mannar Bishop

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 February 2005, 11:39 GMT]
"There is nothing wrong in the Tamil nation raising its national flag. The Tamil national flag is not the Tigers’ flag but it is the Tamil people’s flag. Hoisting it is not against peace. Many who shout against it are silent over the recent killings. It is very deplorable that such murders are committed even amidst the great human tragedy caused by the Tsunami. These killings are provocations to war", said Mannar Bishop Rt. Rev. Rayappu Joseph, addressing a rally in Mannar town Tuesday to condemn the killing of LTTE political leader, Mr. Kousalyan, the bombing of LTTE’s political office and sexual assault of a student by Police.
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Paramilitaries, lack of aid agreement blocking talks - Balasingham

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 February 2005, 20:50 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers’ political strategist and chief negotiator, Mr. Anton Balasingham, told Norwegian facilitators Monday that the Sri Lankan government had to take steps to restore confidence in the peace process, in particular by disarming paramilitaries working alongside its armed forces and establish a joint mechanism with the LTTE for post-tsunami aid, sources said.
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Tigers meet Muslim leaders in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 February 2005, 14:24 GMT]
“First they divided us. Then they divided you. Sinhala leaders will always deny our rights. Tamil Muslim unity should be the foundation of your liberation struggle”, said Mr. I.M Ibrahim, secretary of the Mosque Federations of Amparai District, addressing senior Liberation Tiger leaders at a meeting between LTTE Muslim community leaders of Batticaloa and Amparai districts Monday in Kokkaddicholai, 15 kilometres southwest of Batticaloa town. “There are still problems, fears and doubts between us. We cannot gloss over them. We should grapple with them and build our unity at the grass roots level”, Mr. Thamilchelvan told the Muslims in his address.
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Jaffna transport sector holds protest march

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 February 2005, 11:18 GMT]
Convoy of vehicles joined the Jaffna district transport sector protest march Monday condemning the discrimination shown by the government in providing relief to tsunami victims in coastal areas and the recent killings of LTTE Batticaloa Amparai district political head Mr.Kousalyan and former TNA parliamentarians Mr.A. Chandra Nehru, sources in Jaffna said.
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Workshop on conflict sensitive relief work held for INGOs

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 February 2005, 02:09 GMT]
One-day workshop for representatives of international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) currently engaged in post tsunami relief and rehabilitation programmes in the Trincomalee district on how to conduct relief work without disturbing the currently prevailing ground situation was held in Trincomalee Sunday under the auspices of Performance Improvement Project (PIP) of the German Technical Co-operation (GTZ) in the North East Provincial Council (NEPC) guest house which is located in Uppuveli, a suburb of the east port town.
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Jaffna to protest discrimination in relief delivery

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 February 2005, 14:31 GMT]
Several civil groups in the Jaffna district Sunday decided to launch a series of agitation campaigns condemning discrimination shown in providing relief and other assistance to tsunami hit coastal areas in the Jaffna district, the killing of LTTE senior leader Mr.Koushalyan and others, and Sri Lanka government's lethargic attitude towards the formation of a joint mechanism to take forward the reconstruction and rehabilitation projects in the northeast, civil sources said.
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Grenade attack on Mannar LTTE political office, one dead

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 February 2005, 14:54 GMT]
Two civilians and an LTTE political worker were wounded when unidentified persons lobbed a grenade at the Liberation Tigers' political office in Mannar town Saturday night around 7.45 PM. Mannar hospital sources said one civilian identified as M. Callister (32) who was admitted at the Mannar Hospital succumbed to wounds.
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Pirapaharan honours slain TNA MP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 February 2005, 12:39 GMT]
Leader of the Liberation Tigers, Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan Saturday posthumously honoured Mr. Ariyanayagam Chandra Nehru as Maamanithar, the highest honour granted by the LTTE. The citation signed by the LTTE leader was given to Mr. Nehru's widow and son at a special ceremony in Pavattah, in the interior of Sri Lanka's southeast coast. Nehru's body, draped in the LTTE flag was taken from Thirukkovil to the LTTE conference centre in Pavattah, in the Kannjikudichcha Aaru region which is controlled by the Tigers.
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