Fourth SIHRN meeting in Kilinochichi

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 February 2003, 17:41 GMT]
Fourth meeting of the SIHRN took place in Kilinochchi at the premises of SIHRN secretariat. Mr. Bernard Gunatillake headed the Government delegation and S.P Thamilchelvan lead the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) delegation. Ambassador Jon Westborg facilitated the meeting on behalf of the Norwegian Government. Ambassador Seichro Otsuka of Japan participated on behalf of Mr. Yasushi Akashi, principal advisor to the Sub-Committee.
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TNA MP gets computers to Trinco schools

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 February 2003, 22:08 GMT]
Twelve rural schools from Pulmoddai in the north to Verugal in the south of the Trincomalee district have been supplied with computers purchased under the decentralized budget allocation for the year 2002 given to Trincomalee district parliamentarian, Mr.R.Sampanthan. The total cost of the computers and band equipment is about four million rupees, education sources said.
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TNA members meet LTTE in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 February 2003, 16:31 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) today discussed modalities to be effective in raising their voices together on issues related to bringing normalcy to lives of the war affected people of North East and to promote the urgent need for rehabilitation and development activities, during a meeting between the TNA parliamentarians and officials of the LTTE that took place in Kilinochichi, sources close to the TNA said.


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Centers for Employment, Technology Training open in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 February 2003, 01:46 GMT]
Opening ceremonies for an Information and Technology Training Center and Womens Employment Training Center, established by the Vanni Center for Community Advancement, were held Wednesday 10am, sources in Vanni said.
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Jaffna Journalists stage sit-in protest over Manipay attack

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 February 2003, 15:25 GMT]
The Jaffna Journalist Association (JJA) Monday held a protest demonstration outside the office of the District Information Office in the Jaffna district secretariat condemning the attack on two journalists at Manipay by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers last Wednesday. Members of the JJA with black bands and covered their mouths with black clothes participated in the demonstration which commenced Monday morning and concluded in the afternoon, sources said.
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SLTMA Condemns SLA attacks on Tamil journalists

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 February 2003, 16:30 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance has condemned the attack on two Tamil journalists while on duty by the security forces today at Manipay in Jaffna. It has pointed out to the government that the Tamil journalists being attacked by the security forces is on the increase.
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Jaffna remembers late Tamil leader G.G.Ponnambalam

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 February 2003, 16:30 GMT]
The twenty sixth-death anniversary of the late Tamil leader Mr.G.G.Ponnamabalam, the founder president of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) and a popular leader of Tamils in the 50s was observed in Jaffna today, according to sources in Jaffna.
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'Independence celebrations not for Tamils' -JSU

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 February 2003, 23:04 GMT]
In a statement issued Monday on the eve of the country's fifty-fifth independence day, the Jaffna Students' Union (JSU) questioned the reluctance of the United National Front government in removing high security zones and rehabilitating the displaced people at a time when there is a peaceful environment in the country, and said that the Tamil people have been denied the benefits of independence the country gained 55 years ago.
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UNICEF-LTTE agree to work to uplift war affected children

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 January 2003, 17:33 GMT]
The UNICEF and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Friday agreed to work together for the welfare of the war affected children in the northeast after a meeting in Kilinochichi lasting nearly two hours between the UNICEF Executive Director, Ms Carol Bellamy, and LTTE political head Mr.S.P.Thamilselvan, sources said.
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Victims of Mahiladi village massacre remembered

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 January 2003, 15:50 GMT]
A memorial commemorating the 86 Tamil people killed in a massacre by the Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) on January 28, 1987, in Mahiladitheevu, 25 km southwest of Batticaloa town in the Kokkadicholai area, was declared open yesterday in a ceremony organized by the Mahiladi village development council, sources in Batticaloa said.
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SLN assaults Tamil fishermen in Vadamarachchi Sea

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 January 2003, 17:26 GMT]
Four Tamil fishermen identified as Venkatasalam Arumaichelvan, Gunam Chandrakumar, Joseph Premadas and Sinnathurai Rajendran were severely assaulted by the Sri Lanka navy (SLN) personnel in Vadamarachchi Sea Monday. They were later admitted to Valvettithurai hospital in Jaffna district, human rights sources said.
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DRC discusses participation in NE relief efforts

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 January 2003, 02:42 GMT]
Representatives of Danish Refugee Council (DRC), led by Nelson Benderson from the Asia-Africa Head Office, met with Thamilchelvan, Head of the political section of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in Kilinochchi Tuesday, sources in Vanni said.
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Humanitarian issues stressed in Swiss Ambassador meeting

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 January 2003, 01:23 GMT]
In a meeting with a Swiss delegation headed by the ambassador for Switzerland in Sri Lanka, Hon. Bernardino Regazzoni today, S.P.Thamilchelvan, the political leader of the LTTE, has stressed that the immediate focus of the peace process should be on the humanitarian needs of the people of the North-East, according to the ambassador.
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SIHRN meets to discuss project implementation strategies

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 January 2003, 04:37 GMT]
Discussions involving several Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) functioning in the North East on defining strategies to implement projects to be supported by funds from the Sub Committee on Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs (SIHRN), led by the Director of SIHRN secretariat, Selvin Iranius, took place in Kilinochchi, Monday, sources in Vanni said.


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French artist visits Vakarai

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 January 2003, 03:24 GMT]
Didier Bayle, a noted French artist, on his first visit to Vakarai, met with local students and taught them the intricacies of the subject of art. He, through art, encouraged the children to express their inner feelings to discover the psychological impact of war on children, sources said.


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'Federalism will unite divided Sri Lanka' – Jaffna don

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 January 2003, 12:48 GMT]
“This country is already divided. This is the ground reality. The Sinhalese people have to be told this. There is no point in talking about history now. The Indo-Lanka Accord, the Banda-Chelva Pact and the Dudley Chelva Pact have recognized the separate distinct identity of the Tamils in the past. The Sinhalese have to be told that the divided country can be united by granting a federal solution," said Prof. S. K Sittampalam, a senior historian, speaking at a seminar on ‘Federalizing the Sri Lankan State’ in the University of Jaffna Sunday.


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Pirapaharan welcomes Japanese envoy, President cancels meeting

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 January 2003, 12:07 GMT]
Leader of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Velupillai Pirapaharan, sent his greetings through LTTE's political head, ThamilChelvan, to the visiting World bank Vice president, Ms Meiko Nishimizu, Special peace envoy of the Government of Japan, Mr.Yasushi Akashi, World Bank Country Director Mr. Peter Harold and other delegates to the meeting of the Sub Committee on Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation (SIHRN) which met in Kilinochchi, Voice of Tigers (VoT), reported in its late night broadcast yesterday.


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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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VoT expands broadcast to mark Kittu memorial day

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 January 2003, 20:07 GMT]
Voice of Tigers (VoT) announced in its daily nightly broadcast today that it will increase its broadcast time and distance from 16 January marking the tenth memorial anniversary of Colonel Kittu, said sources in Vanni.
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Staff shortage cripples NE universities - Tamil Don

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 December 2002, 17:33 GMT]
"Shortage of academic and non-academic staff in Universities in the northeast province has a crippling effect on the academic growth of students and the general progress of the campuses. Quite often the lecturers and other academic staff are forced to carry out clerical tasks," said Mr.S. Yogarajah, senior lecturer in the Tamil department of the East University of Sri Lanka (EUSL) Sunday.
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