LTTE urges Tamil-Muslim harmony in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 December 2003, 18:12 GMT]
“Tamils and Muslims live peacefully in this region. But some evil forces are bent on disrupting the peace between the two communities. Our commander, Col. Karuna, is firm that nothing should be allowed to harm the amity that prevails between the Tamils and Muslims here” said Mr. S. Senathirajah, the head of the LTTE’s political office in Batticaloa town, addressing a meeting of Tamil and Muslim civil society leaders convened Friday to resolve friction over the stoning of passenger buses in the Muslim town of Kattaankudy on Thursday.
Full story >>

ADB project to study northern coastal resources

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 December 2003, 16:37 GMT]
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded Eastern Coastal Community Development Project (ECCDEP) has now been renamed, as the North East Coastal Community Development Project (NECCDEP) and the project will undertake a study on the coastal resource management issues in the northern province during the early part of next year, said its Project Director Mr.S.M.Croos.
Full story >>

Islamic group shuts down Muslim towns in Batti-Amparai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 December 2003, 15:41 GMT]
Shops and businesses were closed and few people were on the roads in several Muslim towns in the Batticaloa and Amparai districts Thursday in response to a call by a shadowy Islamic militant body in the east calling itself ‘Muslim Resurgence Group’. The Islamic militants called the shut down in protest against the inaction of Muslim politicians whom they described as “venal opportunists”. Unidentified members of the group stoned and damaged four long distance buses that were passing Kattaankudy, a large Muslim town 5 kilometres south of Batticaloa.
Full story >>

USAID opens new office in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 December 2003, 16:09 GMT]
"We do not want a naval base in Trincomalee. We have come to Trincomalee to respond to the needs of all three communities in the Trincomalee district and to assist them in support of the current peace process," said the U.S. Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Mr. Jeffrey J.Lunstead, addressing the opening event of the Trincomalee office of the USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) held Wednesday morning.
Full story >>

TNA votes against Sri Lanka's defense budget

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 December 2003, 09:20 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance voted against the Sri Lankan government’s 2004 budget allocation for defense and interior when it came up for voting at the committee stage in Parliament Wednesday afternoon. Mr. Selvam Adaikalanathan, TNA MP for the Vanni, told TamilNet the alliance opposed the 80 billion-rupee allocation “to register a strong protest against the increase in defense spending in peace time and against President Kumaratunga for jeopardizing the peace process by her precipitate actions”.
Full story >>

ADB funds new project for North-East rehabilitation

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 December 2003, 18:18 GMT]
A new four-year development project called Conflict Affected Area Rehabilitation Project (CAARP), funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL), is to be launched in the North and East with effect from January 1st 2004. The objective of the project is to support rehabilitatation of essential infrastructure and restoration of community livelihoods in the most severely conflict-affected areas of the North and East, predominantly in the districts of Jaffna, Mannar, Killinochchi, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Amparai, CAARP sources said.
Full story >>

U.S. Ambassador declares open USAID office in Kalmunai

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 December 2003, 17:09 GMT]
The Ambassador of the United States for Sri Lanka, Mr. Jeffrey Lunstead, declared open the Kalmunai office of the USAID (United States Agency for International Development) Tuesday, sources said.
Full story >>

Medical equipment donated to Batticaloa hospital

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 December 2003, 00:10 GMT]
Terre Des Hommes (TDH), the International Volunteer Organization, donated medical equipment to the Baby care unit of the Maternity Section at the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital Monday, sources said.
Full story >>

LTTE, STF meet in Amparai

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 December 2003, 16:51 GMT]
Members of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam led by Batticaloa-Amparai district Head of Political section, E.Kausalyan, met with a delegation from Sri Lanka's Special Task Force (STF) led by Senior Police Officer Upul Seneviratne in Akkaraipattu, in Amparai district Monday between 10am and 12noon, security sources in Amparai said.


Full story >>

US Ambassador to open USAID Trinco Office

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 December 2003, 14:47 GMT]
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Sri Lanka is to open its Trincomalee Regional Field Office on December 17th morning. The US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr.Jeffrey Lunstead, will declare open the office, which is located at Kings Garden in Trincomalee town, USAID sources said.
Full story >>

Land grab by Muslims alleged in Amparai Tamil village

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 December 2003, 04:08 GMT]
Some Muslim families are settling by force in the Tamil area of Koddukal village in the Pottuvil division of the Amparai district, the Tamil people of the village have complained to the Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian from the district, Mr. Ariyanayagam Chandraneru, sources said.
Full story >>

NE pre-school education development program inaugurated

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 December 2003, 17:58 GMT]
A seven-day residential training camp for pre-school education coordinators of the education zones of Trincomalee and Vavuniya south began Wednesday in Trincomalee. The training program has been organized by the North East Pre School Education Development Council (PSEDC) and funded by the Norwegian-Swedish agency, FORUT, and the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization in the northeast province, TRO sources said.
Full story >>

Displaced Kinniya Tamils want permanent solution

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 December 2003, 15:12 GMT]
Hundreds of displaced Tamil families from Kadaloor and Upparu in Kinniya division in Trincomalee district, who have been staying as refugees at the Eechantivu Vipulananda Tamil Vidiyalayam, Sunday complained to the Trincomalee district parliamentarians, Messrs R.Sampanthan and K.Thurairetnasingham, that they should find a permanent solution to their problems as they had been displaced due to threat and violence thrice since 1990.
Full story >>

Sangaree objects to TULF Central Committee Meeting

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 December 2003, 11:50 GMT]
The Central Committee meeting of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) scheduled to be held in Amparai on the 14 December is against the Party's constitution, said Anandasangaree the 'past' president of TULF who was the subject of a no-confidence motion that passed successfully on 30 November in a TULF meeting held in Colombo, media reports said. Anandasangaree, however, has rejected the validity of the voting procedure that dislodged him from his post.


Full story >>

Lt.Col.Jeevan's second anniversary commemorated

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 December 2003, 13:05 GMT]
The second anniversary of the death of Lt.Col.Jeevan and seven Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fighters who were killed during a battle with Sri Lanka Army (SLA) near Batticaloa-Colombo road in Vakneri on 6 December 2001 was celebrated in three locations in LTTE controlled areas in Batticaloa district Saturday.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka Police officer kills own children, commits suicide

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 December 2003, 16:04 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Police officer in charge of the police sentry at Thamana in the Amparai district on Monday shot dead his two children and committed suicide by shooting himself, sources said.
Full story >>

Row erupts at TULF meeting

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 November 2003, 11:42 GMT]
The central working committee of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) Sunday evening voted on a no confidence motion on the President Mr.V.Anandasangaree. The meeting ended in uproar. Jaffna TULF organiser Mr. T. Kulasingham, Vavuniya TULF organiser and TNA parliamentarian Mr. N. Raviraj were assaulted.
Full story >>

Jaffna Great Heroes day celebrations draw large crowd

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 November 2003, 11:03 GMT]
Despite heavy down pour and interference by Sri Lanka Government security forces in the Jaffna district people in large numbers attended the events at the Heroes' cemetaries (Maveerar Thuyilum Illam) Thursday evening on the Great Heroes Day and paid their homage to the martyrs of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam who sacrificed their lives in the armed Tamil freedom struggle, sources in Jaffna said.


Full story >>

Heroes day celebrations begin in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 November 2003, 12:51 GMT]
Batticaloa-Amparai district began its main celebrations for the Heroes day at the Tharavai Heroes cemetary on Tuesday morning. Col. Karuna, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Senior Commander for the East, participated as the chief guest hoisting the Tamileelam flag, sources said.


Full story >>

Heroes day memorial exhibition opened in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 November 2003, 18:30 GMT]
A memorial exhibition displaying framed pictures of more than 3500 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) martyrs in a well lit memorial hall of Batticaloa Mahajana College was opened for public Saturday, sources in Batticaloa said.
Full story >>