Mannar situation calamitous- Thamilchelvan tells SLMM

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 November 2004, 13:02 GMT]
Head of Liberation Tigers Political Wing, S.P Thamilchelvan, in an urgent message to Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Maj. Gen (retd) Trond Furuhovde described the situation in Mannar as "calamitous" that will lead to public unrest which is "totally undesirable" during the period of ceasefire and martyrs' day celebrations.
Full story >>

“Budget ignores collective will of Tamil Nation”-Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 November 2004, 05:27 GMT]
Mr.R.Sampanthan, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group leader speaking during the Budget debate in Sri Lanka's parliament Thursday morning, said that it is outrageous that the Finance Minister did not even consult the legitimate representatives of Tamil Nation. "The right to internal self-determination has been consistently denied to the Tamil people. This budget is yet another manifestation of that denial...Nothing can be more humiliating to the Tamil psyche than the non-recognition of their collective will. This situation if continued can have serious repercussions," he said.
Full story >>

Two civilians decorating for Maveerar Day shot dead

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 November 2004, 16:52 GMT]
Two civilians who were decorating their neighbourhood for the Great Heroes' Day observations in Vanthaarumoolai, 18 kilometres north of Batticaloa, were shot dead Wednesday night around 7:50 by gunmen riding a motorbike.
Full story >>

Batticaloa LTTE honours martyrs parents

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 November 2004, 12:03 GMT]
Parents of martyrs of Libertion Tigers were honoured at an event held at Batticaloa Mahajana College Hall Wednesday. Batticaloa Amparai district Head of the Women's Political Wing Ms Kuveni addressing the event told the parents that only because of the courage of their sons and daughters that Tamil people are close to reaching their goals.
Full story >>

UPFA budget has no relief for Tamils - TNA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 November 2004, 10:37 GMT]
''The maiden budget of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government has failed to address any remedy for the immediate humanitarian needs of the war-torn people of the northeast province who have suffered immensely for the past two decades of the war,'' said Mr.Joseph Pararajasingham, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) national list parliamentarian speaking on the budget debate in the parliament Wednesday.
Full story >>

Troubles erupt over flag in Mannar town

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 November 2004, 10:35 GMT]
Mannar town was tense Wednesday afternoon amidst a stand off between Sri Lankan security forces and hundreds of civilians over the removal of a Thamil Eelam national flag hoisted at a sports festival to mark 'Great Heroes' Week. Crowds burnt tires in the town and demanded that the flag be handed back to organisers of the sports festival on the Mannar general play ground. Trouble erupted after some Sri Lanka army soldiers removed and took away the flag, Mannar Police said. Sri Lanka army deployed more troops and armoured vehicles in Mannar town following the fracas.
Full story >>

Sinhala clubs join Trinco Heroes' day sporting events

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 November 2004, 01:31 GMT]
The inaugural event of sports tournament organized by the Tamileelam Sports Section was held at the Trincomalee McHeyzer Stadium Monday. Of the sixteen teams that have entered the Volley Ball tournament all except two are from predominantly Sinhalese sports clubs including Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and Sri Lanka Police teams, according to tournament organizers.
Full story >>

Tigers dismiss Batticaloa attack reports as SLA psy ops

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 November 2004, 04:39 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers dismissed reports in the Sri Lankan state controlled media that more than thirty LTTE fighters were killed in a landmine attack in the Batticaloa district's interior. "This is clearly another psy-ops gimmick by the Sri Lankan armed forces to disrupt the Great Heroes' Week in Batticaloa", an LTTE spokesman told journalists Monday night. Meanwhile, residents of Batticaloa town said Sri Lanka army troopers had dropped hundreds of handbills in the name of the paramilitary Karuna Group in the early hours of the morning Tuesday.
Full story >>

Heroes' parents honoured in Trinco

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 November 2004, 02:43 GMT]
"The Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) in past abrogated pacts with Tamils because they were merely written on piece of paper. The current MoU was signed with the backing of our military strength. Sri Lanka Government knows the consequences of violating this agreement," said Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the LTTE addressing an event held Monday in Trincomalee to honour parents of LTTE martyrs of Trincomalee division as a part of Heroes Day celebrations.
Full story >>

ISGA must be basis for talks- Gajendrakumar

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 November 2004, 00:31 GMT]
Speaking at a seminar on "Power Sharing for a lasting peace" held at the Social and Economic Development Center (SEDEC) in Colombo Saturday, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam said, "Tamil people believe that an interim administration is an essential prerequisite to embarking on talks for a solution to the conflict...and they will not allow the LTTE to give up the right to secession before the parties reach agreements on the outstanding core issues."
Full story >>

UNICEF distributes learning materials to Trinco students

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 November 2004, 18:17 GMT]
Educational Development Organization (EDO) of Trincomalee District, supported by UNICEF, distributed teaching and learning materials to teachers and students serving in twenty Happy Learning Centres (HLC) at an event held at Trincomalee Vivekananda College Sunday morning. EDO runs twenty HLCs that are conducting classes to rural students who are behind in their education due to war and poverty in the Trincomalee district, sources said.


Full story >>

Maveerar Day celebrations begin in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 November 2004, 15:32 GMT]
Maveerar day celebrations began Sunday morning in Jaffna district with hoisting of Thamileelam national flag and lighting the flame of sacrifice in several LTTE war cemeteries. Students, parents, relatives of martyrs and members of public participated in these events in large numbers, sources said.
Full story >>

Trincomalee town, suburbs' security strengthened

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 November 2004, 15:26 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Sri Lanka Police have deployed more soldiers in strategic points in the Trincomalee town and several parts of the district under their control following several violent incidents that had taken place during the weekend, security sources said.
Full story >>

Powerful bombs thrown at LTTE political offices in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 November 2004, 03:59 GMT]
Two powerful bombs were thrown simultaneously at the political offices of the Liberation Tigers in Batticaloa town and Kaluwanchikudy close to midnight Saturday. The bombs, made of high power plastic explosives packed with shrapnel in plastic cans, did not explode due to faulty detonating mechanism, Police said. The bombs would have demolished the LTTE offices and caused extensive damage to the neighbourhoods, killing and wounding scores of people if the packed plastic explosives had exploded fully, Police said.
Full story >>

Book on Yogaswamy released in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 November 2004, 18:02 GMT]
A book titled "Yogaswamy and Kilinochchi: A Spiritual Journey" describing the spiritual association of the popular Columbuthurai, Jaffna, sage Yogaswamy with Kilinochchi district was released Friday at the Kilinochchi Cultural Center by Srimath Aathma Ganananthaji swamy from Colombo Ramakrishna Mission, sources in Vanni said.
Full story >>

"SLA responsible for VVT killings" - LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 November 2004, 10:12 GMT]
Mr.C.Ilamparithi, LTTE Jaffna district political head in a statement issued Saturday said that the Sri Lanka Army should be held responsible for the brutal killing of two innocent Tamil youths in Valvettithurai on Friday evening as this dastardly crime had taken place in an area which is surrounded by several sentries and mini-camps of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA).
Full story >>

Jaffna prepares for Heroes' Day celebrations

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 November 2004, 17:16 GMT]
Students, public servants and members of public are giving a new look to Heroes' cemetaries in Jaffna district in preparation for the Maveerar Day which falls on November 26, sources said.


Full story >>

Give Talks priority over self-serving constitutional reforms, TNA tells SL President

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 November 2004, 11:35 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance, in a statement issued to the media Friday, said that the Sri Lanka President, by her recent statement, is attempting to "deflect focus from contradictions and inconsistencies that prevail in her own government," and instead, she "should communicate to the LTTE at the earliest, that the Government is prepared to commence talks on the basis of the ISGA proposals." The 22 TNA parliamentarians signed the statement.
Full story >>

LTTE political worker shot dead in Valaichenai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 November 2004, 03:46 GMT]
A political worker of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was shot dead Wednesday night around 9.45 by gunmen suspected to be paramilitary operatives working with the Sri Lanka military intelligence in Valaichenai, 32 kilometres north of Batticaloa. The LTTE political activist, Mr.Maheswaran Rusangan, was returning home when he was gunned down on Murugankovil Road in Valaichenai town, Police said.
Full story >>

SLMM Head meets Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 November 2004, 11:13 GMT]
Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Major Gen.(retd) Trond Furuhovde, met Head of LTTE's Political Wing, S.P Thamilchelvan, at the LTTE Peace Secretariat Building in Kilinochchi, Thursday LTTE sources said. The necessity to co-ordinate urgent matters through the Peace Secretariat, Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) and issues related to district level celebration planned by the LTTE for the Martyrs Day on 27 November were discussed at the meeting, sources said.
Full story >>