Kalmunai Tamils prepare to welcome Amparai TNA MP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 April 2004, 03:05 GMT]
The Tamil residents of Kalmunai are making arrangements to honor and welcome the newly elected Tamil National Alliance MP from Amparai (Digamadulla), Mr. Kanagasabai Pathmanathan, on May 5, according to Mr. E. Sivanandanayagam, a retired teacher who is the organizer for the event, sources said.
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UNCHR’s help sought for resettling Kevuliyamadu IDPs

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 April 2004, 03:56 GMT]
The people who were rendered refugees and were displaced during the war in 1985 from Kevuliyamadu in the Batticaloa district have demanded that they be allowed to resettle in their village, sources said.
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Amparai Tamils praised for rejecting regionalism

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 April 2004, 09:30 GMT]
Kanagasabai Pathmanathan, the Tamil National Alliance MP for Digamadulla (Amparai) district, in a memorandum released to the Tamil people of his district, praised the Amparai Tamil people for rejecting regionalism and showing the international community that Liberation Tigers are the undisputed leaders of the Tamil people, local daily Thamil Alai reported.
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Araiyampathy mourns native son Lt. Col. Neelan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 April 2004, 04:17 GMT]
The body of the deputy head of intelligence of the Liberation Tigers for the Batticaloa district, Lt. Col. Neelan, who was killed by the fleeing renegade Vinayagamoorthy Muraleetharan (‘Karuna’), was brought to his home village, Araiyampathy, Wednesday, and kept at the Ramakrishna Mission school hall where the public paid its respects in large numbers, sources said.
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Jaffna reports high turnout, Erlalai booths close early

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 April 2004, 11:14 GMT]
Civil society sources in Jaffna said that there was high voter turnout in Chunnakam and Mallakam area. However, reports from Erlalai said that the booths at Erlalai Saiva Shanmarga Vidiyalayam were suddenly closed around 3.55pm and the gates were locked preventing further voting. Further details are not known.
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Jaffna University confers degrees on Tamil artistes

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 March 2004, 00:46 GMT]
The Jaffna University created history last weekend by conferring Honorary Doctorates of Philosophy posthumously on two world-renowned artistes, Nathaswaram Vidwan Mr. N.K.Pathmanathan of Alaveddy and Dramatist Nadikamani V. V.Vairamuthu of Kankesanthurai. The Chancellor Professor M.Sivasooriya conferred the titles on them at the twenty-third convocation of the university held Saturday at the Kailasapathy Auditorium.


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TNA supporters injured in Digamadulla

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 March 2004, 12:45 GMT]
Four supporters of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) candidates, A. ChandraNehru and K.Pathmanathan who are competing in Digamadulla (Amparai) district, were injured in an altercation Saturday night around 11pm near Thambilulvil Kalaimahal Vidiyalayam, sources said.
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Sri Lanka Elections: News in Brief

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 March 2004, 01:14 GMT]
Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), a party fielding Buddhist monks in parliamentary elections, begins its campaign in Kandy, candidates withdraw nominations in Digamadulla and Batticaloa, and a Tamil candidate dies of heart-attack in Nuwara Eliya, media reports said.
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Glowing tribute paid to retiring principal Sister Madutheen

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 February 2004, 13:11 GMT]
Parents, students, leading citizens, educationists, politicians and peoples of all walks of life Saturday assembled at the Vavuniya-Irambaikulam Girls Maha Vidiyalayam to bid farewell to Sister M.M.Jude Madutheen who retired after serving fifteen years as Principal of the institution, sources in Vavuniya said.


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Vanni franchise issue awaits resolution

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 February 2004, 02:20 GMT]
91,864 Tamil voters residing in Vavuniya, Mannar and Mullaitivu adminstrative divisions comprising the Vanni electoral district live in areas controlled by Liberation Tigers (LTTE) and face the prospect of being denied their franchise if the Election Commisioner fails to provide a suitable arrangement to locate the polling booths in accessible areas, political sources said.
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UNICEF assists Vavuniya health sector development

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 February 2004, 11:33 GMT]
UNICEF Resident Representative in Sri Lanka Mr. Ted Chaiban Thursday handed over 1,288,000 rupees worth fourteen motorbikes to the Deputy Provincial Director of Health Services (DPDHS) in the Vavuniya district to increase the mobility of health staff in the Vavuniya north division. These motorbikes would be given to fourteen public health inspectors to provide better health services to the war-affected people in the divisions, sources said.
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SLMC Athaullah faction joins SLFP-JVP alliance

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 February 2004, 13:08 GMT]
A key breakaway faction of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, the main partner of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's government said Friday that it is joining the SLFP-JVP alliance to contest the April elections to Sri Lanka's Parliament in Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Digamadulla and Vanni. The announcement by this powerful faction of the SLMC, led by former minister of highways Mr. A.L.M Athaullah is seen as a setback for Mr. Wickremesinghe's coalition.
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SLMC against postponement of Amparai local elections

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 February 2004, 13:42 GMT]
Leader of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), and Minister in the UNF Government, Rauf Hakim, told a party meeting that under no circumstances the Amparai local council elections scheduled to be held on 22 February should be postponed. "We may be forced to take extreme measures against the Sri Lanka Government if it accedes to request by a few for postponement," Minister Hakim added, political sources said.
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Torrential rain brings transportation to halt in Batticaloa villages

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 January 2004, 11:32 GMT]
Continuous heavy rain in parts of Batticaloa district has brought travel in recently resettled villages of Vadamunai and Oothuchenai to a halt, civil society sources in Batticaloa said. Non-Governmental Organization, ZOA Foundation, is assisting transportation using small boats, according to residents.
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Two youths shot dead in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 December 2003, 14:03 GMT]
Justin Fernando, 24, and Theivendran Thushyanthan, 18, of Nellukulam in Vavuniya were shot dead and their partially burnt bodies recovered from Pampaimadu area 31 December Wednesday morning, security sources in Vavuniya said. The youths have been missing from Monday after they went to Pampaimadu to collect sand in their two-wheeler, sources said.


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ADB funds Jaffna Water, Sanitation study

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 December 2003, 11:45 GMT]
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded Conflict Affected Area Rehabilitation Project (CAARP) will undertake a feasibility study for Jaffna peninsula water supply and sanitation at an estimated cost US $ 1.2 million, Jaffna Secretariat officials said. Of this amount ADB will provide one million US dollars and the remainder will be contributed by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL). The study will be implemented over nine months commencing from 1st April 2004, a project official told Tamilnet.


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Organized self-help lifts Vanni villages

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 December 2003, 00:11 GMT]
"Under 'Village Upliftment Project' economically worst hit villages in Vanni are identified and efforts are channelled to improve social and economic well-being of the residents through self-help. Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), local NGOs and Tamil expatriates are also financially helping us to carryout this project," Administrative Head, Anbarasan, told TamilNet during a recent visit to the interior villages of the Vanni.
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Tamil diaspora celebrates Heroes' day

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 November 2003, 03:51 GMT]
Tamil expatriate community in countries of Europe and North America are celebrating heroes' day, with several prominent members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) addressing the Heroes' day events in these countries, a popular Tamil Television Newscast in London said Tuesday.


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Clashes in Vattamadu discussed at LTTE-Muslim meeting

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 October 2003, 18:56 GMT]
A meeting was held Monday at the Thirukkovil divisional secretariat between the Tamil and Muslim representatives, attended by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Sri Lanka Army, to discuss the clashes that occurred in Vattamadu in the Amparai district between Muslim farmers and cattle ranchers, sources said.
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Tamil workers warned against visiting Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 October 2003, 12:34 GMT]
Following yesterdays confrontation between Muslim farmers and owners of livestock in Vattamadu, Muslim youths have attacked Tamil masons and warned them from coming to work in Akkaraipattu area, civil sources in Akkaraipattu, Amparai district said.
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