Plans for Batti-Amparai Pongu Thamil said complete

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 January 2004, 04:23 GMT]
The organizing committee of the Pongu Thamil (Tamil upsurge) event to be held at the Sports grounds of the Eastern University in Vantharumoolai on January 21 has completed its arrangements for the event and sent invitations to Sri Lanka’s President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, and Prime Minister, Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, committee sources said.
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LTTE promotes Advanced Level education in Amparai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 January 2004, 03:47 GMT]
Based on the directive of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam’s senior commander for Batticaloa-Amparai, Col. V. Karuna, an education center to teach Tamil students at the Advanced level and improve their chances of admission to Universities has been opened at the Karaithivu central college in Amparai, sources said.
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Police assures co-operation for Batticaloa Pongu Thamil event

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 January 2004, 15:29 GMT]
Batticaloa district Senior Superintendent of Police, Mahes Samradiwagara assured the President of Batticaloa Pongu Thamil Committee, Rajan Sathiyamoorthy and Batticaloa district Parliamentarian G.Krishnapillai (Vellimalai) that the Police would cooperate with them when they met him Wednesday to discuss the arrangements being made towards the 21 January Pongu Thamil event to be held in the Vantharumoolai University Campus grounds, civil sources said.
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NECORD conducts capacity building workshop for NE contractors

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 January 2004, 15:16 GMT]
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded North East Community Restoration Development project (NECORD) in collaboration with German Technical Co-operation (GTZ) is to hold seven capacity building workshops in the districts of NorthEast province for small and medium size contractors working in the northeast development projects. Workshops are aimed to enhance the knowledge of the local contractors about the construction industry, sources said.


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LTTE, Muslims, SL Police meet in Amparai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 January 2004, 13:25 GMT]
A delegation from Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), representatives from Muslim community and officers from Sri Lanka Police met at the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Akkaraipattu Wednesday from 9am to 12 am to discuss ways to resolve disputes that arise between communities, security sources said. Ms. Daria, Head of the Amparai branch of SLMM presided the meeting.
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Amparai missing youth still not found

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 January 2004, 15:59 GMT]
Muslim youth, Niaz, from Sorikalmunai in Amparai, who disppeared on Friday 9 January is still missing. Nallaratnam Sivakumar who was arrested by Muslim youths and handed over to Kalmunai police has been transferred to the Batticaloa Police for further investigations, security sources said. Mr.Sivakumar was allegedly seen with the missing youth when he was last seen.
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Civil group appeals for Muslim, Tamil unity

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 January 2004, 14:32 GMT]
In a leaflet addressed to "Dear Muslim Brothers and Sisters," distributed in Batticaloa-Amparai district, the Batticaloa Development Committee appealed for co-operation between Tamils and Muslims in the two districts and called on the community leaders to work jointly to combat forces trying to divide the two communities.


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Muslim vigilante group arrests Amparai Tamil youth

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 January 2004, 12:33 GMT]
Accusing Nallaratnam Sivakumar, a Tamil youth from Sorikalmunai in Amparai district, for the disappearance of a Muslim youth seen with him, a vigilante Muslim group arrested Mr. Sivakumar Saturday morning, security sources said. Mr.Sivakumar was later handed over to the Kalmunai Police.
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Dengue fever spreads in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 January 2004, 00:07 GMT]
Dengue fever is spreading throughout the Batticaloa district, with about 10 people in the district dead from the disease within the last two months, and in the first five days of the new year, already 5 people have developed the fever, the director of the Batticaloa teaching hospital, Dr. S. Thevarajan, told TamilNet.
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Armed Muslim youths attack Amparai factory workers

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 January 2004, 12:44 GMT]
Wednesday at 1.30pm, about 10 Muslim youths in Nainakadu, Sammanthurai in Amparai district attacked Tamil workers and Muslim owners in a brick factory and forced them to flee the workplace, security sources in Amparai said.


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Pongu Thamil to be held at Eastern University

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 January 2004, 20:02 GMT]
A Pongu Thamil (Tamil upsurge) event jointly organized by the Batticaloa and Amparai districts will be held at the Eastern University on January 21, according to a decision made at a preparatory meeting held at the Batticaloa Government Teachers’ College Monday, sources said.
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Worker strike halts bus services in Paduvankarai

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 January 2004, 14:25 GMT]
Strike by employees of New Eastern Bus company which runs bus services between Paduvankarai and other areas West of Kaluvanchikudi has brought severe hardship to passengers who regularly use the service. Workers complain that they have not been paid wages for the past two months and until their get their pay check they will continue to strike, striking workers said.
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2003: The year in review

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 December 2003, 18:58 GMT]
The widespread optimism on peace that greeted the dawn of 2003 has evaporated and the power struggle between Sri Lanka's Prime Minister and President that threatens the peace process now occupies the center stage of politics in Colombo. High Security Zones (HSZ) in Jaffna continue to deny displaced Tamils their fundamental rights. Colombo's unwillingness and inability to disburse funds stalls development and rehabilitation in NorthEast, as international aid remains blocked, awaiting concrete signs of progress in peace.
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World Bank funds pharmacist-training programme in NE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 December 2003, 20:00 GMT]
North East Provincial Ministry of Health launched a project called "External Pharmacist Training Programme (EPTP) 2003-2004" to train eligible persons from the NorthEast to qualify as pharmacists to prevent unqualified persons in running the private pharmacies. The project is being implemented under the North East Emergency Rehabilitation Programme (NEERP), funded by the World Bank.


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Colombo court calls for objection in “Sangaree case”

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 December 2003, 14:39 GMT]
The Colombo District Court Saturday called for objection through press advertisement published in three daily newspapers, Daily News, Thinakaran and Dinamina to the plaint filed by Mr. V.Anandasangaree against the Secretary General and Senior Vice President of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) Mr.R.Sampanthan and Mr.Joseph Pararajasingham respectively for summoning the party central committee meeting without his written approval, legal sources said.
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LTTE says Pullumalai bunker in area under its control

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 December 2003, 16:08 GMT]
The bunker of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Pullumalai in the Batticaloa district, about which the Sri Lanka Army has complained to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, lies within the LTTE-controlled area, the LTTE has told the SLMM, according to a spokesman at the SLMM’s Batticaloa office.
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NorthEast sports coaches training programme concludes

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 December 2003, 12:49 GMT]
A Three day residential training camp for the newly recruited sports coaches and sports officers for the northeast province concluded Sunday evening at the Trincomalee Mc Heyzer Stadium auditorium with the awarding of certificates to the participants. Provincial Education, Cultural Affairs and Sports Ministry Secretary Mr.R.Thiagalingam was the Chief Guest at the event.


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SLA charges LTTE of building bunker in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 December 2003, 14:18 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) charged the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) of building a new bunker in Pullumalai in Batticaloa district in violation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), and registered a complaint with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), security sources in Batticaloa said.
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Colombo crisis danger to peace - Hakeem

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 December 2003, 16:09 GMT]
"The crisis gripping Government of Sri Lanka portends danger to future of peace. Uncertainty on the trajectory this crisis may take in the coming months is causing concern and fear in the minds of public. International community which took a keen interest in Sri Lanka's progress towards peace stands perturbed by the political chaos that shows little sign of subsiding," said Rauf Hakeem, Leader of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, and Minister in the United National Front government, in a meeting in Amparai held Saturday, 20 December.


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Training program for NE sports coaches begins

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 December 2003, 03:57 GMT]
A Three-day residential training programme for ten newly recruited sports coaches in the North East province began Friday at the Trincomalee McHeyzer stadium auditorium. North East Provincial Assistant Director of Sports, Mr. K.W.Wimalarajah, inaugurated the programme, sports department sources said.
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