Thousands attend Jaffna Pongu Thamil rally, seek Army withdrawal

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 September 2005, 14:51 GMT]
An estimated two hundred thousand people attended the Tamil Resurgence celebrations in Jaffna Friday at Jaffna University Grounds, calling for the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to vacate the Tamil homeland and declaring that the Tamils right to self-determination is non-negotiable. Speakers at the rally said the event recognizes the Vavuniya proclamation and condemned the one-sided punitive measures taken by the European Union against the Liberation Tigers.
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Bring anti-conversion bill before poll, demands JHU

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 September 2005, 00:04 GMT]
More than one thousand Buddhist monks representing Jathika Sanga Sammelaneya (National Buddhist Convention), an umbrella Buddhis organization, including monks from Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), an extreme Sinhala nationlist party of Buddhist monks, attended a meeting held Tuesday evening to urge the Sri Lanka Government to bring to parliament the anti-conversion bill before the Sri Lanka Presidential elections scheduled for 17 November, sources in Colomb said.
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Peace process faces difficult future - paper

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 September 2005, 10:13 GMT]
Reflecting growing anxieties amongst Sri Lanka’s Tamils in the wake of the Sinhala nationalist forces gathering behind Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse, the Tamil Guardian newspaper warned this week that the peace process “will face an ever more uncompromising Sinhala bloc.” The island’s political developments, moreover, reflect the polarised sentiments amongst the island’s communities, the English-language paper’s editorial column argued.
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JHU condemns US stand on anti-conversion bill

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 August 2005, 17:10 GMT]
The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), all Buddhist monks' party in a letter to the United States Ambassador Mr.Jeffry Lunstead stated that "ultra fundamentalists group offer money and other financial benefits to our people and even the established Catholic and Christian Churches are against and have condemned these acts committed by these groups," and said that they are concerned by the statements of Deputy Secretary of State Christina Rocca. The letter also condemned the threats by the US Government to stop US aid funds to Sri Lanka.


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Tamil Conference begins in Batticaloa amidst bomb explosion

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 August 2005, 10:35 GMT]
A district level conference supporting the Tamil National Resurgence convention held in Vavuniya on July 27, ceremonially began at 4:15 p.m. at the grounds of Batticaloa Hindu College in Batticaloa town Tuesday. More than 1500 participants from various parts of the districts, comprising Tamil national activists including academics, writers, religious dignitaries, representatives of civil organisations and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MPs are participating in the conference amidst threats from paramilitary cadres operating in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) held Batticaloa town. A powerful time-bomb exploded 50 meters from the grounds at 2:30 p.m., according to the Batticaloa Police.
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Education of Jaffna's tsunami affected children suffers

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 August 2005, 22:29 GMT]
Jaffna district education authority Monday complained to the Sri Lankan Government Agent (GA) in the district that the education of children in some coastal areas is disrupted as authorities have taken no action to provide temporary structures to conduct classes till the relocation of tsunami destroyed schools in government controlled area is completed, sources said.
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State of Maryland declares Thirukkural Week

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 July 2005, 10:53 GMT]
A three day international conference on Thirukkural, a 2000 year old literary and ethical treatise of Tamils starts on 8 July Friday at Smith Auditorium, Howard Community College, Columbia Maryland in USA. Professor George Hart, a well known Tamil scholar who holds the position of The Tamil Chair at the University of California Berkeley, will be one of the keynote speakers, organizers said. State of Maryland has issued a proclamation declaring 8-10 July as a "Thirukkural Conference Week."
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Mannar schools receive Photovoltaic systems

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 July 2005, 01:26 GMT]
Mannar branch of the The Economic Consultancy House (TECH), an NGO working to promote economic development in the NorthEast, gave Solar lighting systems to fifteen schools in Mannar which do not have electric supply at an event Monday held at Mannar Karungandal Roman Catholic Mixed School, presided by LTTE's Mannar district Political Head, Mr Iniyavan, sources said.
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SLA escorted convoy with LTTE officials ambushed

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 June 2005, 09:18 GMT]
A convoy carrying Amparai Political Head of the Liberation Tigers, Mr. Kuyilinpan and other LTTE political staff, with Sri Lanka Army (SLA) escort facilitated by Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), was attacked at Welikanda at 2.55 PM Sunday, Welikanda Police said. The bus carrying around 40 eastern LTTE officials from Kilinochchi to Batticaloa was ambushed with a land mine, but none were killed as the vehicle narrowly escaped the impact of the bomb. One LTTE official was injured in the attack. The ambush took place between two Sri Lankan military camps, at Boaththe, around 1 km from Welikanda SLA base. The convoy resumed its journey towards Batticaloa with high security, Police said.
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Civil group fights against Upper Kotmale Hydro Project

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 June 2005, 05:10 GMT]
Mr E Thambiah, an opponent of the Upper Kotmale hydropower scheme and organizer of People's Campaign Against Upper Kotmale Project (PCAUKP), a countrywide grassroots organization with members from all communities, recently spoke to TamilNet on the reasons for their campaign to stop the project. The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), however, believes that the project is necessary to fuel economic growth of Sri Lanka.
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Thenmaradchchi displaced hold sit-in-protest

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 June 2005, 15:35 GMT]
Large number of displaced persons in Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district Saturday morning held a one-hour sit-in-protest in front of the 55 Brigade Sri Lanka Army camp located in Mirusuvil Asaipillaiyettam demanding to vacate their houses and agricultural lands. SLA has been occupying many houses in areas demarcated as high security zones. The sit-in protest blocked the traffic on A 9 Jaffna Kandy for about an hour, sources said.
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New group to agitate for return of Thenmaradchi HSZ lands

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 May 2005, 10:46 GMT]
Jaffna district residents formed a Special Action Committee (SAC) to work for the release of agricultural lands and houses now being occupied by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and located inside the high security zone from Eluthumaduval to Kilali in Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district, sources said.
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New Buddha statue evokes protest in Trinco

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 May 2005, 11:14 GMT]
Normal life in Trincomalee town was disrupted Tuesday when Tamil residents, responding to call made by the Trincomalee District Tamil Peoples Forum (TDTPF), observed a general shut down Tuesday to protest the unauthorized erection of a Buddha statue close to the Trincomalee bus stand. TDTPF has been demanding the removal of the Buddha statue, sources said
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Norway funds Mannar Educational Resource Center

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 May 2005, 03:00 GMT]
An Educational Resource Center built under Operation Day's Work (ODW) project supported by Develpment funds from the Norwegian Government, was opened in Aandankulam Roman Catholic School in Mannar Friday, sources in Mannar said. ODW project is administered by the Rural Economic, Education Research and Development Organization (REERDO) branch of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization, an NGO registered with the Government of Sri Lanka.
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Prayers mourning death of Pope John Paul II held in NorthEast

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 April 2005, 10:53 GMT]
Thousands of people wept, prayed and said goodbye Sunday packing chapels and towns across NorthEast and the rest of Sri Lanka to remember the life of Pope John Paul II, the priest from Krakow who lead the resurgence of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland and the world.
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Greek floating hospital concludes its mission in Trinco

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 March 2005, 17:26 GMT]
The Greek floating hospital OCEAN MONARCH that arrived in the east port and berthed in Ashraff Jetty since February 05, has completed its humanitarian mission in Trincomalee. About two thousand patients from Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Jaffna and Matale obtained treatment from the floating hospital. The vessel is to leave Trincomalee port on Monday morning, health sources said.
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Sinhala nationalists vow to oppose west, 'neo colonialism'

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 March 2005, 16:59 GMT]
Sinhala nationalists Wednesday declared 2 March as national ‘Anti-neo-colonialism Day’ at a rally to mark to commemorate Ven. Wariyapola Sumangala, the Buddhist monk who pulled down the Union Jack and hoisted the Sinhala lion flag 190 years ago. A widely publicized rally to mark the day was organized in Colombo by Patriotic National Movement (PNM), an alliance of Sinhala nationalists formed and backed by President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s main coalition ally, Janatha Vimukthi Permamuna (JVP).
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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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Greek floating hospital to help Trinco tsunami victims

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 February 2005, 19:44 GMT]
A Greek passenger ship converted into a floating hospital arrived in Trincomalee harbour around 9 a.m., Saturday morning with a 70 member medical team. The ship will remain in the eastern port town till 31 March, said Mr.Efstathios Lozos, Ambassador of Greece to Sri Lanka, addressing journalists on board.
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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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