Veritas listeners' club formed

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 June 1999, 13:00 GMT]
(CORRECTION) On May 23, 1999 TamilNet reported that the Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio was to co-ordinate with Radio Veritas of the Philippines. This report was incorrect and resulted from an error in translation. The VoT report actually stated that a Radio Veritas Listeners club had been formed in the Vanni. A corrected version follows.
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Catholics denied burial rights

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 June 1999, 07:40 GMT]
Burial in the cemetery adjoining the Catholic church in Vakarai, Batticaloa district has been banned by the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) which has its camp in the central section of the village, said sources. This has forced the Catholic population to use the cemetery traditionally used by the Hindus.
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News in Brief:

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 April 1999, 14:54 GMT]
Prayer protest at Madhu church and tension in eastern port town of Trincomalee as war anniversary approaches.
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Good friday plea for Madhu church

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 April 1999, 12:46 GMT]
The Bishop of Mannar, Rt.Rev.Raayappu Joseph, told Mr.Jeyaraj Fernandopillai, Sri Lanka's Minister for Plan Implementation and Parliamentary Affairs, who was on a visit to Madhu today that the SLA should immediately stop moving about the holy precincts of the church.
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Bishop concerned at troops proximity to church

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 March 1999, 22:22 GMT]
The Bishop of Mannar Rt.Rev.Rayappu Joseph has strongly objected to the presence of Sri Lankan Army (SLA) troops in the precincts of the Madhu church. Although the army had initially given an undertaking that it would only be encamped in the environs of the Madhu church for two weeks, arrangements being made now indicate that troops intend staying permanently in the precincts, said the Bishop.
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Man killed in pre election violence

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 March 1999, 15:57 GMT]
A Governing party supporter, Wimalasuriya, was killed and 20 others were wounded when a grenade was thrown at a People's Alliance (PA) meeting in Gampola district today. A PA candidate for the forthcoming Provincial Council (PC) election and the SLFP organiser in Navalapitty, Mahinda Aluthgama, was also injured in the incident. PA sources have blamed the UNP for the grenade attack.
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News In Brief:

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 March 1999, 13:59 GMT]
Christians protest against timing of prvincial council elections and Batticaloa youth shot dead by Army.
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Attorney General seeks to postpone polls

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 March 1999, 14:16 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Attorney General filed a motion on behalf of the Elections Commissioner in the supreme court this afternoon seeking its permission to postpone the polls to five provincial councils that are scheduled to be held on April 1.
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Attorney General co ordinates Chemmani investigation

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 February 1999, 11:00 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Attorney General's office said today that it expected the Jaffna magistrate to fix a date for the exhumation of the alleged mass graves of Tamil civilians at Chemmani.
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Paramilitaries told to disarm

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 February 1999, 22:15 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) said today that it has ordered the PLOTE and the TELO, Tamil paramlitiaries operating with the army, to close down their offices and camps in Vavuniya.
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Religious leaders describe Vanni visit

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 February 1999, 17:54 GMT]
The delegation of Buddhist monks and Christian clergy who visited the LTTE controlled areas of the Vanni said at a press conference held today that the LTTE had expressed a readiness to pursue a peaceful solution to the ethnic conflict in the island.
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Religious leaders meet Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 February 1999, 22:01 GMT]
S.P.Thamilchelvan, the leader of the Liberation Tigers' political wing told a team of religious leaders visiting the Vanni today, that the importance of seeking peace should be impressed on the Sri Lankan government and its security forces, sources in the Vanni said.
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Drivers' strike disrupts traffic

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 February 1999, 13:58 GMT]
Public transport was disrupted in the Mannar district this morning following a strike called by bus drivers who were protesting against assault by the Sri Lankan Army (SLA).
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South African journalists visit Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 February 1999, 12:29 GMT]
The team of journalists from South Africa who are currently in Sri Lanka on a fact finding mission visited various parts of Jaffna today, accompanied by Col. 'War' Gunawardana from the Sri Lankan security forces headquarters for Jaffna at Palaly.
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SLMC calls for urgent electoral reforms

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 January 1999, 11:01 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), a partner in the ruling coalition, has called upon the leaders of all political parties to give the highest priority to the implementation of electoral reforms within a system of proportional representation.
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Catholic church condemns rigged elections

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 January 1999, 19:05 GMT]
The head of Sri Lanka's Catholic Church, Arch Bishop Nicholas Markus Fernando, lashed out at the PA regime this evening for cheating at the Northwestern provincial council elections which were concluded on Monday January 25. Political observers in Colombo said that the arch bishop's attack is unprecedented and exceptionally harsh.
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Rigging said underway in PC elections

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 January 1999, 08:45 GMT]
Supporters and thugs of the ruling People's Alliance (PA) rigged polls and intimidated Tamil voters in many parts of the northwestern province this morning said election officials in Kurunagala.
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SLA fire kills two children

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 December 1998, 09:06 GMT]
A three month old infant and his fifteen year old brother were killed allegedly when the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) opened fire in a house at Kilaly, southeast of Jaffna last night said hospital sources in the north.
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Prayers for soldiers planned

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 November 1998, 23:32 GMT]
The Presidential secretariat in Colombo said today that special prayers will be offered in Buddhist and Hindu temples and churches tomorrow at 7 p.m. simultaneously in the evening to invoke blessings upon soldiers of the Sri Lankan army who are fighting the Liberation Tigers in the north and east of the island.
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Indian official visits east

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 November 1998, 11:47 GMT]
"The ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka cannot be resolved without talking to the Liberation Tigers; they are the key players and main actors in the Tamil issue" said Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham MP of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) during discussions with Mr. C.V Thripathi, the first senior Indian official to visit the war torn Batticaloa district in ten years, this morning. Mr.Thripathi is India's new Deputy High Commissioner in Sri Lanka.
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