Thousands form human chain protest in Chavakachcheri

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 December 2004, 11:13 GMT]
Thousands of Tamil civilians in Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district held a human chain agitation campaign on either side of A-9 highway Monday morning demanding the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) to resume peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the basis of Interim Self Governing Authority proposals (ISGA) by the latter. Protestors carried placards and shouted slogans holding hands along the A 9 Jaffna-Kandy road from Kodikamam to Kaithady, sources said. The campaign has been organized by the civil groups federation in Thenmaradchchi.
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Drama spotlights problems of war-widows in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 December 2004, 03:06 GMT]
A drama program held at the Kailasapathy Auditorium of the University of Jaffna on Sunday at 10:30 am for the plan by the Tamil Refugees Rehabilitation Organization (TRRO) to benefit the women widowed by war, sources in Jaffna said.
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TNA appeals to India not to harm peace efforts

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 December 2004, 14:33 GMT]
''The prime need in Sri Lanka, today, is the peaceful resolution of the Tamil question. The Tamil people are confident that India will not act in a manner harmful to Tamil interests. The Tamil people appeal to Indian government that the conclusion of the Indo-Sri Lanka defence co-operation agreement, and the commencement of development activities in the North-East with the military dimension be not proceeded with, '' said a press release issued by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Wednesday.
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Sri Lanka Parliament adjourned after Tamil MPs protest

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 November 2004, 12:10 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Parliament was adjourned Thursday after Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MPs sat in the well of the house in protest against military attacks on civilians in Mannar. The protesting TNA Parliamentarians refused to allow sittings to proceed until their demand that the Sri Lanka army should be withdrawn to barracks in the affected areas was met. The Tamil MPs rejected an explanation by Minister for Trade and Commerce, Mr. Jeyaraj Fernandopillai that the military had no hand in the Mannar troubles.
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SLA, Police tear gas assault protestors in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 November 2004, 06:13 GMT]
Tension prevailed near Kodikamam town in Jaffna Sunday morning as military and Police fired tear gas and assaulted civilians protesting against an accident on the A9 highway in which a Sri Lanka army vehicle knocked down and killed a young Hindu priest. Hundreds of protesting civilians in the area blocked the highway and set fire to the Sri Lanka army vehicle and two military motorbikes. Two journalists who were covering the incident were also assaulted by Police and SLA troopers.
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Marine Technology teacher shortage in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 September 2004, 03:49 GMT]
The Association of Marine Technology Teachers in Jaffna district Friday requested Jaffna district parliamentarians to take immediate steps to appoint more teachers in the North-East schools to teach subjects related to marine technology, Jaffna district secretariat sources said.


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Kantalai Sivan Temple "Kumbabishekam" held

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 September 2004, 14:06 GMT]
The consecration (Kumbabishekam) ceremony of the historic Kantalai Sivan Temple in Trincomalee district, which was built by the Chola King Rajendra Cholan around A.D.1010 was held Friday with Bramasiri S.Ravichandrakurukal, Chief Priest of the historic Trincomalee Paththirakali Amman Temple, conducting the ceremony officiating as the chief of a group of Hindu priests.
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Calamity in Sri Lanka Parliament following assault attempt on Tamil MP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 August 2004, 10:56 GMT]
Proceedings of Sri Lanka's Parliament were suspended Thursday after a ruling party MP triggered pandemonium in the house by attempting to assault Tamil National Alliance MP Mr. M. K Sivajilingam. Ruling party MP Mr. Mervyn de Silva rushed to assault the TNA parliamentarian who had walked up to the speaker's chair urging him to expunge from Hansard a statement by tourism minister Mr. Anura Bandaranaike that Mr. Sivajilingam was elected "by fluke and by accident".
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"LTTE will emerge victorious if SL Government launches war"- Ilamparithi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 July 2004, 16:59 GMT]
"We are certain of victory if the Sri Lanka Government launches a war to occupy our traditional homeland," said Mr.C.Ilamparithi, Jaffna district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) addressing "Confluence (Sangamam)" event of the Jaffna District Tamil Resurgence Forum (JDTRF) held in Nelliyady, a residential town 25km northwest of Jaffna, Saturday.
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PTA was big blunder by Tamil politicians - TNA MP

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 July 2004, 16:46 GMT]
“Tamil Parliamentarians committed a great blunder by not opposing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). It was wrong on our part for not objecting or raising our voices against the draconian bill”, said Mr. Nadarajah Raviraj, Tamil National Alliance MP for Jaffna, speaking Monday at a public meeting in Colombo to mark the 25th anniversary of the PTA and to launch a campaign for its repeal. The meeting was organised at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute in Colombo jointly by the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) and the Centre for Human Rights and Development (CHRD).
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US military assistance weakening peace process -TNA

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 July 2004, 15:52 GMT]
Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians told Ms Cody Taylor, political officer of the United States (US) embassy, that the progress made during the peace talks in affording equal status to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) with the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) has been weakened by the military training and assistance given by the U.S. Government to the Sri Lanka armed forces. Ms Taylor arrived in Jaffna Friday afternoon and met with the TNA parliamentarians at the office of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) in Jaffna town, sources in Jaffna said.
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Speaker urged to safeguard democracy in Parliament

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 June 2004, 13:25 GMT]
The members of opposition political parties in the Sri Lanka's parliament numbering about 114 Thursday submitted a petition to the Speaker to take steps to safeguard democracy in the parliament. Leaders of the common opposition took this step in a major reaction to the battle in parliament Tuesday and to show that they are in a majority and to assert their authority, political sources said.
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Nadesan funeral put off to Thursday

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 June 2004, 17:06 GMT]
The cremation of the body of assassinated Tamil journalist, Mr. Aiyathurai Nadesan, is to be held Thursday evening at the Alankattai cemetery in Vathiri, in the Vadamarachchi division in Jaffna district. The body will be kept in his home in Vathiri from Thursday morning and will be removed later in the day to Nelliayadi Madhya Maha Vidiyalayam where funeral orations will be delivered by leading media personnel, academics, politicians and LTTE leaders.
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India should lift ban on LTTE-TNA

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 May 2004, 13:39 GMT]
"The Indian government should lift the ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as a first step to win the hearts of Tamils in northeast province and to facilitate the peace process brokered by Norway," the Tamil National Alliance Jaffna district parliamentarian, Mr.N.Raviraj, told TamilNet Friday
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Suspects in Analaitivu EPDP camp fire allowed bail

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 April 2004, 14:42 GMT]
The Kayts Magistrate, Mr.A.Premashankar, Thursday released 22 residents of Analaitivu in the Jaffna district, arrested by the police in connection with the torching of a camp of the paramilitary Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) in the village on April 11th, on cash bail with two sureties, legal sources said.
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TNA MPs to meet Thamilchelvan Tuesday

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 April 2004, 12:58 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians will meet Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan, political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, in Kilinochchi on Tuesday, April 20th, at 10 a.m., TNA sources said. A decision to this effect was taken at the TNA parliamentary group meeting held Friday at the parliamentary complex.
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All 20 TNA Parliamentarians issue joint statement

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 April 2004, 04:42 GMT]
"In view of the speculative reports in the media, all Members of Parliament elected from the North-Eastern region in the name of Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi emphatically state that we are unequivocally and irrevocably committed to the political aspirations of the Tamil people for over the past fifty years for self rule in a unified north-eastern region, which has been the acknowledged as the area of historical habitation of the Tamil speaking people," said 20 Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians in a joint statement issued Wednesday night after two days of discussions held in Colombo.
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Jaffna student leader gets most preferential votes

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 April 2004, 14:07 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) candidate, Selvarajah Gajendran, who is also the president of International Student Organization, obtained the most preferential votes, 112,077, in Jaffna, according to unofficial counts revealed by the election counting offices in Jaffna.
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"Historic obligation to show force of Unity" - Raviraj

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 March 2004, 00:12 GMT]
"Several public civil society organizations have joined us in carrying out door-to-door campaigns. We are telling Jaffna voters that a historical burden is placed on the Tamil society to demonstrate a force of unity in the forthcoming elections," said Mr.Nadarajah Raviraj, former Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, speaking to the Canadian Tamil Radio (CTR) Saturday.
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TNA submits nomination lists for NE electoral districts

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 February 2004, 08:42 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Monday noon submitted its nominations for the five electoral districts, Jaffna, Vanni, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Amparai, in the Tamil dominated northeast province. TNA fielded its candidates in the name of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK) and its election symbol "HOUSE". The ITAK last contested in the 1970 elections under the leadership of late Tamil leader Mr.S.J.V.Chelvanayakam ("Thanthai Chelva"), political sources said.
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