CTTU threatens strike over teacher appointments

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 March 2003, 16:18 GMT]
The Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU) warned the United National Front (UNF) government that if one thousand Tamil medium volunteer teachers now working in the northeast schools are not made permanent within one week the union will launch a continuous strike till the demand is met, in a statement issued Sunday by the General Secretary of the CTTU Mr. T. Mahasivam, said sources.
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Tamil leader Kumar Ponnambalam remembered

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 March 2003, 18:07 GMT]
Tamils should join hands irrespective of party politics to defeat the forces that are now rallying round in the south against the peace process, said a political activist of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Mr.Vennilavan addressing the third death anniversary of late All Ceylon Tamil Congress leader Mr. Kumar Ponnambalam at Nelliyady Rajaledchumi Theatre Sunday.
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Foundation stone laid for Kilinochchi hospital building

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 March 2003, 05:39 GMT]
Mr. Tadoa Chino, the president of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), laid the foundation stone for a new hospital building in Kilinochchi Friday during a ceremony organized by the Government Agent (GA) of Kilinochchi, T. Rasanayagam and the Sub-Committee on Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs in the North and East (SIHRN), sources said.
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Film on Women's sacrifice to Tamil struggle released

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 March 2003, 18:02 GMT]
In commemoration of the International Women Day, the Nitharsanam women film unit of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) released a film named “Uppil Uraintha Uthirangal” (Blood stained sea) in all the districts of northeast province Saturday evening . Ms Kuyili who produced the film released the first copy at the event held at Trincomalee Koneswara Hindu College Saturday evening, sources said.
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LTTE-TNA agree to take forward peace process

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 March 2003, 18:22 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Tamil National Alliance Friday agreed to work jointly to take forward the present peace process strengthening the relationship between Tamils and Muslims, TNA sources said.
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Judge returns homicide verdict in Trinco hartal killing

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 March 2003, 01:11 GMT]
The Trincomalee Magistrate and Additional District Judge Mr.S.Thiagendran Thursday returned a verdict of homicide at the conclusion of the inquest held into the deaths of three Tamil civilians who were killed in a grenade attack on October 11 hartal (general shutdown), legal sources said. The Judge ordered police personnel who were on duty at the scene on the day of the incident to appear in an identification parade.


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UNICEF, LTTE agree on action plan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 March 2003, 20:35 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the UNICEF Tuesday agreed on the development of an action plan on children affected by war in the North-East, including children involved in child labor, civilian or military, sources said.
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Busy schedule awaits Balasingham in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 March 2003, 19:34 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) theoretician and leader of the LTTE negotiating team in the current peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the LTTE, Mr. Anton Balasingham, arrived in Kilinochchi 4 pm Sunday with his wife and Secretary to LTTE peace delegation Adele Balasingham, sources in Vanni said.


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Army occupation still prevails after a year of peace - Ramesh

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 March 2003, 14:02 GMT]
"Twelve months have passed after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), but vast numbers of Tamil people are still living under Sri Lanka Army (SLA) occupation. Army camps are still being maintained in Tamils' homes and public buildings creating a sense of mistrust and skepticism on the strength of the MoU in Tamil peoples' mind. Only by the SLA fully complying with the provisions of the MoU can the faith on MoU be restored," said Ramesh, Batticaloa-Ampara special commander of the LTTE, addressing a meeting in Batticaloa Sunday, sources said.
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Peace dividend delay eroding Tamils' faith in talks – Col. Karuna

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 February 2003, 16:10 GMT]
“There has been no development work in the northeast so far despite one year of peace. Our people find this disappointing; and it has eroded their confidence in the peace process,” said Col. Karuna, senior commander of the Liberation Tigers, speaking to presspersons Friday at the conclusion of the second round of discussions on ceasefire violations, human rights and Muslim affairs between the Government of Sri Lanka and LTTE in Vavunathivu, five kilometres northwest of Batticaloa town.
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Commonwealth Union delegation visits Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 February 2003, 17:07 GMT]
A four-member delegation of the Commonwealth Union, led by its Secretary General, Mr. Don McKinnon, arrived in Jaffna Thursday and held a meeting with the Government Agent and representatives of people's organizations, sources said.
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Religious leaders meet in Nallur Kandaswamy Temple

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 February 2003, 17:08 GMT]
"It is the duty of the southern religious leaders to organize the masses in the south to thwart all attempts by the Sinhala hard-line Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and other forces from derailing the peace process," said Mr.C.V.K.Sivagnanam, former commissioner of the Jaffna Municipal Council and the President of the Confederation of Jaffna People's Organizations. He was speaking at a prayer meeting in Jaffna in which many inter-religious leaders from South of the island and from the peninsula participated.
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TNA members meet LTTE in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 February 2003, 16:31 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) today discussed modalities to be effective in raising their voices together on issues related to bringing normalcy to lives of the war affected people of North East and to promote the urgent need for rehabilitation and development activities, during a meeting between the TNA parliamentarians and officials of the LTTE that took place in Kilinochichi, sources close to the TNA said.


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Hunger strike in Jaffna against inadequate CFA implementation

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 February 2003, 12:27 GMT]
A five-hour token hunger campaign was conducted in front of the historic Nallur Kandasamy Temple in Jaffna Sunday to express dissatisfaction of Tamils to the government's failure to implement the ceasefire agreement fully, sources in Nallur, Jaffna, said.


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Four-hour general shutdown cripples Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 February 2003, 15:50 GMT]
A four-hour hartal (general shutdown) was observed in the Jaffna peninsula Saturday from six to ten in the morning disrupting the normal life. The hartal was organized by the Consortium of NGOs in Jaffna district as a protest to government's failure to implement the ceasefire agreement effectively to ease the sufferings of thousands of displaced Tamils in the northeast, sources said.
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'Letter from the east gave Pirapaharan confidence' – author

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 February 2003, 00:03 GMT]
"On August 4, 1987 our leader asked the large gathering on the Suthumalai grounds in Jaffna whether the Liberation Tigers should hand over their weapons to the Indian army. He was deeply distressed when many cheered him to do so. But it was a letter from this soil that convinced him not to surrender the arms," said Manalaaru Vijayan, the author of a book on massacres of Tamils in the Batticaloa-Amparai Districts by the Sri Lankan armed forces, released Friday.
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Implementation of Cease-fire Agreement not adequate- Sivajilingam

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 February 2003, 23:52 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian (TNA) Mr.M.K.Sivajilingam said Friday addressing a conference held at the Jaffna district secretariat that the Cease-fire Agreement (CFA) has not been implemented in a way to alleviate the sufferings of the displaced people who are still languishing in refugee camps and welfare centres.
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Protest against GOSL failure to implement ceasefire agreement

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 February 2003, 21:12 GMT]
The Jaffna District People's Forum (JPDF) Friday called for a token hunger campaign in front of the Nallur Kandasamy Temple on Sunday to highlight that cease-fire agreement (CFA) signed by the United National Front (UNF) government and the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) has not benefited Tamils in the northeast province. The Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) has failed to implement the agreement fully, the campaign organizers said. The Consortium of NGOs in Jaffna district Friday called for a 'hartal' (general shut down) Saturday for the same reason till 10 in the morning, sources said.
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Police ban protest march in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 February 2003, 19:48 GMT]
The Trincomalee Police Thursday banned the black band protest march of the Tamils Women's Front in the eastern port town from St.Joseph's College to the office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), which is located at the Inner Harbour Road.
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Protest march in Jaffna against Kantharodai Buddhist Vihare construction

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 February 2003, 15:03 GMT]
The Confederation of Valikamam South Public Organizations Wednesday conducted a protest march condemning the construction of a Buddhist Vihare at Kantharodai in Jaffna district by the Sri Lanka Army. The protest march, which commenced Wednesday morning from Kantharodai, arrived at Uduvil Divisional Secretariat around afternoon, sources said.
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