GTZ to rebuild six schools in Vadamaradchchi east

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 January 2005, 15:54 GMT]
GTZ, a German non-governmental organization has agreed to rebuild six schools destroyed by Tsunami in the LTTE controlled Vadamaradchchi east division in the Jaffna district. This decision was taken at a conference held in the Ministry of Education in Colombo, Jaffna education sources said.
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Tigers walk out in protest against JVP

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 January 2005, 10:04 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Monday walked out of a meeting for setting up a committee for assisting Tsunami victims at the Thirukkovil Divisional Secretary’s (DS) office in protest against a JVP Parliamentarian who had come uninvited for the conference. “We welcome everyone who comes to help our people. But this JVP politician used Tsunami assistance as a pretext to sow political hatred and Sinhala chauvinism. We walked out, objecting to his cheap political tactics”, said Mr. E. Kousalyan, head of the LTTE’s political division for the Batticaloa-Amparai district.
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Navy harassment adds to fishermen's woes

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 January 2005, 11:44 GMT]
"NorthEast fishermen, already struggling to make a living after the decimation of the fishing industry by the tsunami disaster, also have to endure harassment by the Sri Lanka Navy soldiers who have imposed a pass system to restrict fishermen's freedom of movement in seas," complained representatives from Jaffna fisheries societies to the visiting fishery officials from Colombo Sunday during a conference organised in Jaffna by the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DFAR).
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TCF assists Eachchilampathu tsunami victims

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 January 2005, 14:01 GMT]
Trincomalee Children Fund (TCF) funded by a group of Trincomalee Tamils domiciled in Canada Friday distributed a consignment of cooking utensils, mats and other relief items to hundreds of tsunami victims in the LTTE held Eeachilampathu division, down south of the Trincomalee district. Mr.S.Umamaheswaran, Eeachilampathu Divisional Secretary inaugurated the distribution at his office, sources said.
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US to complete withdrawal of Marines from Sri Lanka by Feb.15

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 January 2005, 10:05 GMT]
The Bush Administration has decided to complete the withdrawal of US Marines, arrived in Sri Lanka aftermath of the tsunami disaster, by February 15, with the US assistance program to Sri Lanka shifting from a combined military-civil relief effort to rehabilitation and reconstruction work to be carried out by civil organisations. Brigadier General Frank A. Panter Jr, said at a press conference at Taj Sumudra hotel in Colombo on Saturday that the CSG-SL has served over 1.5 million tsunami-affected Sri Lankans in nine districts, including Jaffna, Hambantota, Galle and Amparai.
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Tigers meet Muslim refugees in Ullai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 January 2005, 06:22 GMT]
A group of Liberation Tigers led by head of the LTTE’s political division for the Batticaloa-Ampara District, Mr. E. Kousalyan, Friday visited Tsunami affected Muslim refugees in the marooned Ullai-Panama region, to discuss their rehabilitation needs. The LTTE team traveled through the jungle and muddy rivers to the area, which is accessible only by boat after the Tsunami knocked down the ramp and approach road to the Arugambay Bridge last month. The refugees at the Aathimunai Welfare Centre, a mound amidst marshland and paddyfields behind Ullai told Mr. Kouslayan that their main concern is about getting a new settlement.
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"Colombo bent on blocking aid reaching NorthEast"- Balasingham

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 January 2005, 10:43 GMT]
"The Sinhala government is bent on diverting foreign aid, meant for the tsunami affected people, to strengthen its military apparatus and also to stabilize its political power. Our leadership is taking all possible efforts at international level and with the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure an equitable distribution of funds to the affected people in all areas. The funds for NorthEast will be immmediately used for rehabilitation and and to improve the living standard of our people," said Mr. Balasingham speaking to a group of tsunami victims in Mullaithivu Thursday.
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Eastern LTTE Commanders in Kilinochchi to consult with Pirapaharan

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 January 2005, 08:34 GMT]
LTTE's Special Commanders from Trincomalee and Batticaloa, Col. Sornam and Col. Banu arrived in Kilinochchi Friday morning for consultations with the LTTE leader Mr. V. Pirapaharan, sources in Kilinochchi told TamilNet. Commander Nagesh also accompanied Col Banu for the Kilinochchi discussions, sources added.
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LTTE opens Children's home in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 January 2005, 08:27 GMT]
A branch of the Kantharoopan children's home was opened by LTTE in Palukamam, 20 km south-west of Batticaloa on Wednesday. Ten children, 8 girls and 2 boys, aged 7 to 16 are the first to be cared for in the new home, LTTE sources said.
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Pirapaharan's top priority is reconstruction, not politics, says Anton Balasingham

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 January 2005, 07:45 GMT]
"This is not the time to engage in political haggling and our National Leader has prioritised rehabilitation and reconstruction of the devastated Tamil Homeland and thereby give you all a better life, creating the right conditions that would redeem you from the state of dependency attached to a displaced life" quoted LTTE Peace Secretariat website Mr. Anton Balasingham, LTTE Political Advisor, as saying while addressing a group of Tsunami displaced people in the welfare centre at Mulliyawalai, Mullaithivu Friday.
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Tsunami relief to northeast inadequate- Chandrasekaran

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 January 2005, 03:46 GMT]
"The distribution of relief to Vanni region by the Sri Lanka government is not satisfactory and urgent needs of the Tsunami affected people are not being met adequately. No responsible government official has visited Jaffna, Vanni and other affected districts in the NorthEast after Tsunami disaster to see the ground situation there," said Mr.P.Chandrasekaran, leader of the Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF) and Nuwara Eliya district parliamentarian addressing the National Mourning Day meeting in Trincomalee esplanade held Wednesday evening.
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Rebuilding Trinco fishing industry discussed

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 January 2005, 03:09 GMT]
"International community has understood the need for an administrative authority to channel foreign aid to the Tsunami devastated northeast province. Foreign funds are likely to be available for the reconstruction of northeast through an authority or for the implementation of identified specific projects. Hence we can expect an equitable proportion of foreign aid to Tsunami destroyed northeast province," said Mr.R.Sampanthan, Trincomalee district parliamentarian and the parliamentary group leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) addressing a conference on rebuilding Tsunami destroyed fishing industry in Trincomalee district, sources said.
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Trinco remembers tsunami victims

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 January 2005, 22:48 GMT]
Religious dignitaries of all faiths and communities participated in the national mourning day held in Trincomalee playgrounds Wednesday evening and paid respect to the dead in the December 26 Tsunami which devastated the coastal villages in the Trincomalee district. The Trincomalee Tamil Peoples' Forum and Federation of Trincomalee Tamil Fisheries Societies organized the event, sources said.
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All foreign assistance should be directed through state, says Harim Peiris

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 January 2005, 17:26 GMT]
''The government has a policy that all foreign assistance should be directed through the state and not through any non-state actor'', said Mr.Harim Peiris, Presidential media spokesman and an advisor to Ministry of Refugees Resettlement and Rehabilitation responding to a question at a press briefing held at the Center for National Operations (CNO) in Colombo Wednesday. ''As far as the government is concerned, the policy still remains the same'', he said. ''This [the negotiation process] is totally different from the political peace process, this is not about political peace but about humanitarian peace,'' he said claiming that the talks with the LTTE is ''progressing and advancing''.
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National Day of Mourning observed in NorthEast

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 January 2005, 12:54 GMT]
Amid cries among those attending the various ceremonies, a highly emotional day of mourning was observed throughout the Northeast Wednesday on the 31st annivesary day of the Tsunami that devastated the Northeast on 26th of December. A wall-clock, which stopped at 8.50 a.m. on December 26 at Mullaitivu Kallapaddu Maha Vidiyalayam following Tsunami disaster was again made to tick into operation on Wednesday at 8.50 a.m. symbolizing the return of life. Tamils observe 31st day of death with special ceremonies.
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STF incites trouble in Mandaanai welfare camp

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 January 2005, 04:04 GMT]
Special Task Force (STF) soldiers had assembled the tsunami refugees in the Mandaanai camp in Amparai district Tuesday morning and had told them that relief supplies the STF was planning to deliver to the camp will not be given as the LTTE had intimated that shelter residents do not like to receive hand outs from the STF. LTTE sources said STF personnel's calculated efforts to undermine the relief efforts by the LTTE is escalating tension in welfare centers in Amparai district.
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"Opportunities exist to strengthen peace process"- Donor co-chairs

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 January 2005, 21:36 GMT]
In a joint press statement issued by the co-chairs after the Brussels meeting Tuesday, the Sri Lanka Donors ''welcomed the ongoing effective response by the GoSL and the LTTE in distributing humanitarian aid'' and urged the donors to ''ensure [that] the implementation of Tsunami assistance is sensitive to and strengthens the Peace Process.''
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STF harassment increases in Amparai, says Kuyilinpan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 January 2005, 13:08 GMT]
Political Head of the LTTE in Amparai, Mr. Kuyilinpan, told TamilNet Tuesday that the Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) soldiers have stepped up their harassment against the LTTE workers who are assisting the Tsunami victims in Thirukkovil and Kalmuni areas. Civilians also have been harassed by the STF, Kuyilipan added.
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UPFA Government dishonest to NorthEast citizens, says UNP Parliamentarian

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 January 2005, 11:56 GMT]
Charging that the Sri Lanka Government has failed to send adequate relief supplies to people in NorthEast affected by the tsunami, Dr. Rajitha Seneratne, United National Party (UNP) parliamentarian told Sinhala media at the Opposition Leaders office Monday that "people living in LTTE-controlled areas are also our brothers and sisters and they too are citizens of this country, and so, we should share our responsibility to look after them. If we let them down at this critical period when they are facing a monumental tragedy, it will reinforce their conviction to part ways."
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Amparai undergrads receive financial support

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 January 2005, 12:30 GMT]
Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) provided financial aid to fifty nine undergraduate students from Amparai district attending Peradeniya, Jaffna and Eastern Universities who were affected by the tsunami disasater in an event held at TRO officies in Thirukovil Monday 10 am, sources from the eastern district said.
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