SIHRN identifies 11 projects for immediate implementation in NE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 January 2003, 10:31 GMT]
Mr.Yasushi Akashi, special peace envoy of the Government of Japan and Ms Mieko Nishimizu, World Bank Vice President for South Asia participated at the second day meeting of the Sub Committee on Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs in the North and East (SIHRN) held Thursday at Killinochchi. Eleven projects have been identified for immediate implementation in the north and east at the SIHRN meeting after eleven hour discussion, said a press release issued at the conclusion of the meeting.
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Vahaneri villagers, children lack basic facilities

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 January 2003, 03:51 GMT]
In a ceremony held Tuesday, Shoah Foundation donated chairs and desks for one hundred students of Vahaneri Kokulum Vidyalam in Kalkudah education district, Batticaloa, who for the past several years had to learn their lessons in school seated on the ground, education officials in Batticaloa said. The gift also included a teacher's chair and a desk, and other school supplies.
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SIHRN discusses resettlement, rehabilitation

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 January 2003, 16:18 GMT]
In the meeting of the Sub Committee on Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs (SIHRN) held Wednesday at Killinochchi, a decision was taken to appoint a twenty-one member committee to take steps regarding the resettlement of displaced in Jaffna peninsula, sources said.
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UN, GOSL, LTTE discuss refugee return from India

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 January 2003, 18:53 GMT]
Representatives of the UNHCR, Liberation Tigers (LTTE) and the government of Sri Lankan (GOSL) who took part in a workshop on 'Preparations for Voluntary Repatriation of Sri Lankan Refugees from India' held in Kilinochchi Tuesday stressed that further investments in the northeast remains necessary to create conditions conducive to the "safe and dignified organised voluntary repatriation of refugees from India to Sri Lanka."


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Sri Lanka Buddhist monks oppose peace deal

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 January 2003, 18:45 GMT]
Hundreds of Buddhist monks Tuesday vowed to remove Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government if it did not listen to their exhortations against a peace deal with the Liberation Tigers. More than two thousand protestors, led by the ‘Federation of Bikkhus to Rescue the Motherland’, a large umbrella organisation of Buddhist monks, gathered at the Nugegoda Junction, a busy intersection in one of Colombo’s crowded suburbs, Tuesday afternoon to condemn Colombo’s peace negotiations with the LTTE.


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Forced to do Party work, Govt. employees complain

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 January 2003, 18:08 GMT]
Field officers of the para military Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) controlled local bodies in the Jaffna district Tuesday complained to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that they are being forced to distribute EPDP political pamphlets house to house in their areas, sources said.
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SLA cannot deny the rights of IDPs to resettle in HSZ - TNA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 January 2003, 12:50 GMT]
The United National Front (UNF) government Tuesday gave assurances to the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) that it would take steps to resettle displaced inside the high security zone (HSZ) in Jaffna once the Indian defence expert submits a report on that issue, sources said. TNA stressed that although SLA is empowered by the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to prevent Liberation Tigers (LTTE) from entering the HSZ, SLA cannot deny the rights of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from resettling in their own homes in their own land, sources said.
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SLA occupies 3500 civilian homes outside HSZ -Jaffna GA

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 January 2003, 16:45 GMT]
Three thousand and five hundred houses outside the high security zone (HSZ) in the Jaffna district are still occupied by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) preventing thousands of displaced people to return to their homes, said the Government Agent in his report to Colombo authorities, district secretariat sources said.
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Tokyo to host talks, Akashi to meet Pirapaharan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 January 2003, 12:57 GMT]
Mr. Yasushi Akashi, Japan's special envoy for peace building and rehabilitation and reconstruction in Sri Lanka and Mr.Anton Balasingham, the Liberation Tigers’ Chief negotiator and political advisor, met Sunday in Bangkok to discuss the ongoing Norwegian peace initiative in Sri Lanka and Japan’s aid plans for the country.
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Regional events planned for 2nd Hindu Conference

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 January 2003, 03:07 GMT]
In a meeting held at the Management Centre of the North East Provincial Ministry of Education, Trincomalee, Saturday it was decided and plans discussed to have regional events in the northeast simultaneously when the second World Hindu Conference-2003 is held in Colombo from May 2nd to 5th under the auspices of the Ministry of Hindu Cultural Affairs, sources in Trincomalee said.
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Sri Lanka police collect details of Jaffna LTTE offices

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 January 2003, 17:51 GMT]
The Jaffna District People's Forum and the Consortium of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs )Saturday condemned the action of the Sri Lanka Police collecting details of persons working in the offices of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) and the buildings where the organisation's offices are located in the peninsula, sources said.
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Jaffna observes Major Sothia death anniversary

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 January 2003, 17:50 GMT]
The thirteen-death anniversary of Major Sothia, a senior commander of the women wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who died in 1990 after an illness, was observed in Vadamarachchi area in Jaffna district. Saturday. She was the first commander of the LTTE women wing, sources said.
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LTTE hands over fourteen students to their parents

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 January 2003, 17:49 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Saturday handed over fourteen students who voluntarily came to join the LTTE to their parents in the presence of several representatives of the international humanitarian agencies in the peninsula. The handing over event took place Saturday at the district head office of the LTTE located at Potpathi Road, Kokuvil in Jaffna, a non-governmental agency source said.
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Agreement on resettlement as talks conclude

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 January 2003, 07:49 GMT]
The fourth round of peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ended Thursday in Bangkok, Thailand with parties reaching agreement on accelerated action on resettlement of displaced people and making progress on human rights, the Norwegian government said.
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Court extends remand for SLA soldier

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 January 2003, 03:18 GMT]
The Killinochchi Thamileelam court Friday rejected the bail application made on behalf of a soldier of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) arrested by Tiger cadres for straying into the LTTE territory at Manalaru on December 24 last year and ordered remand for another fourteen days, court sources said.


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Victims of Tamil Conference '74 remembered

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 January 2003, 16:28 GMT]
Speaking at the 29th year ceremony commemorating the victims of massacre at the International Tamil Research Conference in Jaffna, Rev. Fr. T. Jeyakumar said that some Sinhalese extremists planned the killing when Tamil people showed their love of their language by participating at the conference celebrating Tamil language.


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Picketing campaign in Tellipalai called off

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 January 2003, 15:33 GMT]
As a result of the understanding reached between the Government of Sri LAnka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the fourth round of peace talk in Thailand related to the settling of displaced in Jaffna, the one week old picketing and fasting campaign of the displaced people in Jaffna district in front of the office of the Tellipalai Additional Government Agent was called off Friday afternoon, sources said.
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Sri Lanka chief negotiator’s stand absurd- PA

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 January 2003, 10:48 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s main opposition party Friday said the stand taken by Colombo’s chief negotiator Prof. G. L Peiris on the question of high security zones in Jaffna was “absurd” and claimed that it is not endorsed by the Sri Lankan armed forces.
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Equitable distribution of funds for NE schools urged

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 January 2003, 20:51 GMT]
Addressing the concluding session of the three-day education workshop held in Trincomalee on Wednesday, Mr. Arun Master, the deputy head of the Tamil Eelam Educational Development Division (TEEDD), called for equitable distribution of funds for basic facilities to all schools in the North-East.
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LTTE's commitment to Sinhala rights lauded

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 January 2003, 18:37 GMT]
The zonal director of education for Dehiattakandiya, Mr.W.Kodituwakku, on Wednesday lauded the assurance by the head of the LTTE's Educational Development Division, Mr. V. Ilankumaran, that the rights of the Sinhalese living in the Northeastern province would be safeguarded.
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