'Disappeared' Sinhala youths return home

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 April 2003, 16:13 GMT]
Two Sinhalese youths alleged to have been abducted by some unidentified persons few weeks ago have returned home, according to police sources. Sinhalese activists had accused Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for the disappearance of these youths.
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Mosques step in to keep peace in Batti-Amparai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 April 2003, 12:50 GMT]
Mosque trustee board officials Sunday foiled attempts to spread unrest in several Muslim towns in the Batticaloa and Amparai districts. Anonymous Islamic groups issued inflammatory leaflets Saturday in the two districts urging Muslims to protest against recent incidents in Mutur. “It caused concern that attempts were afoot to instigate violence in these parts too”, a Mosque official said.
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LTTE condemns Kattaiparichchan attack on Tamils

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 April 2003, 17:27 GMT]
The Trincomalee district political secretariat of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Saturday issued a statement condemning the grenade attack and firing by a Muslim group and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) that killed two Tamil civilians on Friday close to Kattaiparichchan army camp. The camp separates army controlled area and LTTE controlled area in the Muttur east.


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Northeast celebrates Annai Poopathy anniversary

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 April 2003, 15:45 GMT]
Fifteenth year anniversary of Annai Poopathy memorial day was celebrated across the Northeast. Special events are being organized in Navalady, Batticaloa, on district basis in Trincomalee, Vavuniya, Mannar, Vanni and Jaffna, sources said. In Nallur, Jaffna the commemoration events started with a symbolic fast.


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SLA demands clarification on LTTE event held in school

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 April 2003, 00:02 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Army’s (SLA) regional headquarters in Vavuniya has sought clarification from the Director of the Vavuniya South Zonal Education Division and the principal of the Vavuniya Nelukulam Kalaimahal Maha Vidyalayam, as to how permission was granted to hold a commemoration ceremony of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam at the school on March 21, sources in Vavuniya said.
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Curfew reimposed after grenade attack kills civilian

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 April 2003, 16:06 GMT]
A Tamil civilian was killed and seven others were injured in a grenade attack on Friday afternoon near Kattaiparichchan bridge which separates army controlled and Liberation Tigers controlled area in Muttur east, police sources said. The curfew lifted Friday has been reimposed Friday afternoon immediately after the grenade attack.


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Curfew imposed in Muttur town, suburbs

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 April 2003, 17:11 GMT]
Dusk to dawn curfew has been imposed in Muttur town and its suburbs following sporadic clashes between sections of Muslims and Tamils Thursday evening. Several incidences of violence have been reported from Palathoppur and Thoppur, police sources said
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Accidents on the rise on A-9 highway

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 April 2003, 14:02 GMT]
Following the re-opening of the Jaffna-Kandy road (A-9) for traffic in 2002, there have been seventy-two vehicle accidents that resulted in eight deaths within the Kilinochchi division of the Tamil Eelam Police Service (TEPS), and accidents have increased in the first quarter of this year, LTTE officials said.
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TNA appeals to strengthen Tamil-Muslim unity

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 April 2003, 10:26 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Trincomalee district parliamentarians Mr.R.Sampanthan and Mr.K.Thurairetnasingham Wednesday appealed to Tamils of Muttur area, south of Trincomalee, to work hard to safeguard and strengthen the support of Muslims in their areas.


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Two Muslim youths disappear, LTTE denies involvement

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 April 2003, 01:24 GMT]
The Trincomalee political secretariat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Tuesday in a statement denied any involvement in the alleged abduction of two Muslim youths in the Mutur sea a few days ago, sources said.
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SLA relocates Sarasalai camp

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 April 2003, 15:35 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army on Monday relocated its camp from Sarasalai area in Thenmaradchchi to another site in a coconut grove near Kanagan Puliady junction, sources said.


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Preliminary aid conference held in Washington D.C

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 April 2003, 11:05 GMT]
A preliminary conference to the forth coming international aid conference in Japan was held in Washington D.C on 14 Monday at Loy Auditorium. The seminar, hosted by the State Department, was attended by representatives from 26 countries and 16 international organizations. Japan's special envoy to Sri Lanka Yashushi Akashi, Norway's Deputy Secretary of State, Vidar Helgessen and India's ambassador to U.S, Lalith Mansingh, were also present.
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Returnees face uphill task in rebuilding Illupaikulam

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 April 2003, 11:16 GMT]
Displaced people from Illupaikulum, a village located six kilometers north of the east port town along the Trincomalee Kuchchaveli main road, are returning to resettle in their lands with the signing of the ceasefire agreement. After fifteen years of neglect with the village overgrown with jungles and its basic infrastructure facilities destroyed in war, the returning residents face an uphill task in rebuilding their village, sources said.
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Five day cultural festival concludes in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 April 2003, 17:34 GMT]
The five day Festival of Music, Dance and Drama concluded Saturday attended by large crowd at Trincomalee Orr's Hill Vivekandanda College auditorium. Trincomalee district parliamentarian Mr.R.Sampanthan and national list parliamentarian Mr.K.Thurairetnasingham declared open the final day festival by lighting the traditional oil lamp. The festival was organized by the Arts and Cultural Department of the LTTE.


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Trains to Batticaloa back on track

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 April 2003, 13:20 GMT]
Minister of Transportation of Government of Sri Lanka, Minister Upali Piyasoma ceremonially inaugurated the Polannaruwa to Batticaloa train service Saturday morning easing transportation to and from Batticaloa town, sources in Batticaloa said. Recent completion to repairs of the final stretch of the track from Valaichenai to Batticaloa paved the way for the opening of the Polannaruwa to Batticaloa service.


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Trincomalee veteran artists honoured

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 April 2003, 11:25 GMT]
Six most senior outstanding artists in the Trincomalee district were honoured with special awards at the fourth day Festival of Music, Dance and Drama held Friday at the Trincomalee Orr's Hill Vivekandanda College auditorium. The festival was organized by the Arts and Cultural Society of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
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LTTE to boycott Japan aid conference

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 April 2003, 09:58 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said Saturday it would review its decision to participate in the international conference in Tokyo in June in protest at its exclusion from the preliminary conference to be held in Washington on Monday. "The authentic representatives of the Tamil people should have been invited to this major international conference to articulate the interests and aspirations of our people," the LTTE said in a statement issued in the Vanni Saturday.
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Workshop on welfare of war affected children held

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 April 2003, 00:30 GMT]
A workshop on the welfare of war-affected children, organized with the assistance of the UNICEF, is being held Thursday and Friday at the Tamil Eelam Economic Development Organization's (TEEDOR's) Conference Hall in Kilinochchi. Representatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Peace Secretariat of the Sri Lankan government, Government agents, Education Officials and Medical Officers of the North-East, representatives of NGOs are participating at the conference, sources said.
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TELO holds annual conference

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 April 2003, 12:00 GMT]
Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), a constituent of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), held its 3-day sixth annual national conference in its Mannar office starting from Saturday, sources said.


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SLA-TNA garrison talks fail to reach consensus

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 April 2003, 19:00 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance’s talks with the defense ministry officials at the Jaffna district secretariat Wednesday afternoon failed to arrive at a consensus on the question of finding an alternative site for the SLA’s Jaffna town brigade headquarters, and the TNA is to hold further discussions with the Prime Minister Thursday morning in Colombo, TNA parliamentary group leader, Mr.R.Sampanthan, told TamilNet on his return to Colombo Wednesday.
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