Police interrogates Thiraikerni community leader

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 October 2003, 10:31 GMT]
Following the news stories from Thiraikerni related to the finding of human remains near the Periyathambiran Temple, Sri Lanka Police summoned Sinnathambi Karthigesu, 46, President of the Village Development Council, for inquiries, sources said.


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STF commandos stay on in hospital

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 October 2003, 13:57 GMT]
Special Task Force (STF), the elite counter insurgency arm of the Sri Lankan armed forces, said Wednesday it would further delay moving out of the Thirukkovil District Hospital, 76 kilometres south of Batticaloa. The hospital, which is in the midst of a large Tamil village, has been garrisoned by the STF for 17 years despite protests by local rights activists and politicians.
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Massive crowds pack Mannar Pongu Thamil

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 October 2003, 13:55 GMT]
More than thirty thousand people packed the Mannar town grounds Wednesday for Pongu Thamil Wednesday. Large processions led by political and religious leaders started from three corners of the Mannar town at 3. 30 p.m. and converged on the ground one hour later. "We want our land", "soldiers! Go back to your homes", the marchers shouted.
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SLA expels resettled Kanchirankudah families

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 October 2003, 07:23 GMT]
Ten Tamil families who resettled in Kanchirankudah in the Amparai district have been forced out of their homes again by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), which is saying the families could not live in their homes as these are close to the SLAâs camps, sources in Amparai said.
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LTTE-Muslim representatives meet in Amparai

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 October 2003, 17:14 GMT]
A meeting to discuss land issues of Muslim people in the Amparai district was held Sunday at the Amaparai district political secretariat, sources in Amparai said.
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Muslim farmers allowed to cultivate Vakaneri fields

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 October 2003, 19:36 GMT]
In a meeting with muslim farmers from Ottamavadi, Valaichenai and Meeravodai held at the Gokulam Maha Vidyalayam Saturday morning, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) representatives agreed to allow cultivation of lands within the Vakaneri irrigation scheme except the lands that lie close to the LTTE camps, sources in Batticaloa said.


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Trade exhibition opens in Kiran

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 October 2003, 12:06 GMT]
"Samurdhi sponsored development projects play a vital role in the economic progress of our district and for creation of self-employment opportunities," said E. Kausalyan, Batticaloa-Amparai Head of the Political Wing of the Liberation Tigers, when speaking Saturday morning at the opening ceremony of the Trade exhibition organized by the Kiran Pradeshya Sabha in Batticaloa district.
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LTTE, Muslims meet in Valaichenai and Vavunathivu

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 October 2003, 11:42 GMT]
The subcommittee on Tamil-Muslim issues met Wednesday at 3pm at the Valaichenai Hindu College Hall and also on Thursday morning at the Vavunathivu Secretariat building to discuss issues confronting the muslims in different areas of the east, sources said.


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LTTE, SLA meet in Vavunathivu

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 October 2003, 11:31 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and military officers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) met at the Vavunathivu district secretariat building at 10am Monday morning for two hours, security sources in Batticaloa said. Batticalo district head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Antii Juntunen presided the meeting.
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Failure to devolve power will lead to war, secession - Minister

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 September 2003, 15:08 GMT]
"In a multi-ethnic society devolution of powers is an essential pre-requisite to strengthen local administrations. Secession is inevitable if ruling polities fail to recognize this fact. Sri Lanka has to urgently address this issue if its people are to live in peace and to prevent war breaking out," said Mr. S.B.Dissanayake, Samudri and Agriculure and Livestock Minister in the United National Front (UNF) Government when speaking at the Agricultural Conference held at the Devanayagam Co-opertive theater in Batticaloa, Saturday morning.


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British HC officials meet LTTE in Amparai

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 September 2003, 22:05 GMT]
A team of officials from the British High Commission (HC) in Sri Lanka, led by Ms. Margaret Tongue, the head of the Press and Public Affairs division at the HC, met with the Amparai district political leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at the LTTE’s Akkaparipattu political secretariat Thursday, sources in Amparai said.
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SLMM, LTTE meet in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 September 2003, 11:00 GMT]
Members of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and officers of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) met at the LTTE Batticaloa office at 6pm Thursday to discuss matters related to improving relationship between communities, sources in Batticaloa said.
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British Embassy officials meet TNA's Amparai MP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 September 2003, 21:33 GMT]
A team headed by the head of the Press and Public Affairs division at the British Embassy (High Commission) in Sri Lanka, Ms.Margaret Tongue, Wednesday met with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian from Amparai, Mr. Ariyanayagam Chandraneru, at his office in Amparai, sources in Batticaloa said.
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Daily edition of Tamil paper launched in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 September 2003, 13:28 GMT]
Thamil Alai, the weekly newspaper published in Batticaloa, was launched as a daily from Monday. “We have started small but hope to soon become the main daily newspaper in the Batticaloa-Amparai region. One of our main aims is to strengthen and promote Tamil-Muslim amity. We also intend to focus on development issues,” said Mr. Pakkiaselvam Ariyanethiran who publishes the paper from Kokkoaddicholai, 15 kilometres southwest of Batticaloa.
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LTTE Eastern commanders visit Vanni to discuss IA proposals

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 September 2003, 11:15 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) military officers led by Senior Commander of the East, Col. Karuna departed by a special helicopter from Iluppaiyadichenai Sports Grounds to Vanni at 9am today to participate in discussions towards finalizing the LTTE's Interim Administration (IA) proposals to the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL).
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Muslim delegation meets Col. Karuna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 September 2003, 12:18 GMT]
LTTE’s senior commander for the Batticaloa–Amparai District, Col. V. Karuna, Saturday had discussions with a delegation of Muslim community leaders and civil society activists at ‘Thenaham’ conference center in Karadiyanaaru, 24 kilometres northwest of Batticaloa. “The discussion was a further step in cementing and deepening the traditional bond between Tamils and Muslims in the east,” an LTTE official in Batticaloa said.
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Conference on Eastern rural development held

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 September 2003, 04:13 GMT]
A conference on rural development and progress for the Batticaloa district was held Thursday at 9:30 am at the Kannankuda Maha Vidyalayam, sources in Batticaloa said.
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SLMC, NUA remember late leader Ashraff

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 September 2003, 14:26 GMT]
The third death anniversary of the founder leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and National Unity Alliance, Mr.M.H.M.Ashraff, was observed Tuesday in the country by the rank and file of his party and its breakaway groups, sources said.
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Akashi holds talks with Thamilselvan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 September 2003, 12:05 GMT]
The Japanese special peace envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi Sunday morning arrived at Killinochchi grounds by a special helicopter of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) accompanied by HE.Mr. Soiiehiro Otsuka, Japanese ambassador in Colombo, and met the Head of the Political Wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) S.P. Thamilselvan at the LTTE's Peace Secretariat building, Vanni sources said.
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Akashi confers with Amparai Muslim, Tamil leaders

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 September 2003, 14:10 GMT]
The Japanese special peace envoy, Mr.Yasushi Akashi, Saturday held talks with Muslim and Tamil delegations separately and jointly at Kalmunai in the eastern province. Mr. Akashi arrived at Kalmunai Saturday morning by a special helicopter of the Sri Lanka Air Force, accompanied by Minister and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Mr.Rauff Hakeem and SLMC parliamentarians Mr. H.M.M.Harris and Mr.Anwer Ismail, sources said.


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