Thamilchelvan to meet Norway's Ambassador, TNA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 March 2006, 02:06 GMT]
Head of Liberation Tigers Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan is to meet Norway's Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr Hans Brattskar, and a representative of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) at the LTTE Peace Secretariat Building Thursday, sources in Kilinochchi said. Thamilchelvan is also expected to meet the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians also in Kilinochchi on the 20th March, sources added.
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TNA to boycott Devananda meeting

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 March 2006, 22:54 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians said Wednesday that they will boycott the District Integration Meeting schedueld for Thursday 16th at the Jaffna Secretariat to be chaired by Sri Lanka Cabinet Minister Douglas Devananda, the leader of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party, with the newly appointed Governor for NorthEast, Rear Admiral (Retd) Mohan Wijeyawickrema, and Mavai Senathirajah, TNA parliamentarian as co-chairmen, TNA sources said. The EPDP is a paramilitary group working with Sri Lanka Government and a political party aligned with the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA).
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Valaichenai protests against student abductions

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 March 2006, 11:19 GMT]
Valaichenai-wide hartal was observed and Valaichenai Hindu College in Batticaloa was closed Wednesday as protesters demanded the release of students, Jeyaraj Kirisanth and Suthaharan Kulosan, who were abducted by paramilitary cadres two days ago, sources in Batticaloa said. All public institutions, shops, banks, and hospitals were closed and the streets were deserted. Security was strengthened with increased police patrols and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers deployed at several key junctions, sources added.
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Canadian Tamils protest against HRW charges

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 March 2006, 11:00 GMT]
Expatriate Tamils in Canada reacted Wednesday against a report by Human Rights Watch alleging extortion by the Tamil Tigers, saying the report had characterized their entire community as one moribund by fear and questioned its integration into Canadian society. Pointing out there has not been a single prosecution for extortion in Canada amongst the Tamil community, they said anecdotal evidence and assumptions, not sound social science research, formed the basis for HRW’s allegations.
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UNICEF "shocked" over SLA misreport

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 March 2006, 09:55 GMT]
Junko Mitani, UNICEF Spokesperson in Sri Lanka said "UNICEF is shocked" on learning the figures of child recruitment cases quoted by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) were incorrect, reported Morning Leader, a Sri Lanka English daily Wednesday. It further adds that UNICEF has opted to take action against State media for indicating UNICEF reported figures to be false.
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Tamil language seminar begins in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 March 2006, 09:06 GMT]
Two-day Tamil Language seminar for students taking 2006- GCE Advanced Level Examination began Tuesday in Trincomalee Vivekananda College. The seminar is being organized under the guidance of Trincomalee Zonal Education Office and sponsored by the Organization For Refugees Rehabilitation (OFERR) to raise the declining standard of Tamil language skill among students in the Trincomalee district, organizers said.
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"Accusations, not negotiations" in Geneva - Nadesan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 March 2006, 22:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s delegation to the Geneva talks had no understanding of negotiation and set about hurling accusations at the Liberation Tigers rather than contributing to a constructive discussion that could lead to a resolution of the prevailing problems, Thamileelam Police Chief B. Nadesan said Tuesday in an extensive interview with TamilNet. He also discussed the multi-functionary expansion of the Thamileelam Police, including the use of DNA forensics. The Tamil Eelam Police Chief also said that the detention of three Sri Lankan police had been deliberately portrayed as arbitrary arrests by the LTTE but was based on specific intelligence on the individuals.
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Three youths abducted in Vavuniya, family dispute suspected

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 March 2006, 12:15 GMT]
Unidentified armed men has abducted three youths, two Muslims and one Tamil, Tuesday early morning at 1 a.m. in Pattanisoor area in Vavuniya, Officer in Charge of Vavuniya Police, Mr Tennekoon, said. Residents speculated that the abductions are linked to the relationship one of the abductees' brother had with a Tamil girl which the families were opposed to.
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Seven more youths abducted in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 March 2006, 11:20 GMT]
Five Tamil youths, aged between 15 and 20 were arrested by Sinhala speaking persons and paramilitary cadres in military fatigue Monday around 3:00 p.m. inside the LTTE controlled Murithanai in Vaharai, residents said. All five youths were laborers, villagers said. Murithanai is 5 km west of Valaichenai where two youths were abducted by paramilitary cadres on Monday. Further 2 youths were kidnapped in Urani in Batticaloa around 6:00 p.m. Monday. Nine youths were reported missing in Batticaloa on Monday.
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Trinco Inner Wheel Club assists widows

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 March 2006, 09:43 GMT]
Trincomalee Inner Wheel Club has provided livelihood assistance to nine widows in the suburbs of Trincomalee town. Of them four lost their husbands in violence and others due to natural causes. Last year a group of widows in Muttur and Mallikaitivu received the assistance under this project, sources said. The Medical Institute of Tamils located in South Thames Region in London funded this project for the third year.
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Teacher shortage in Vanni schools spotlighted

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 March 2006, 09:41 GMT]
Tamil medium schools in the Vanni electorate are in urgent need of trained teachers to teach various subjects, but no action has been taken by the education authorities to post enough teachers to these schools, said Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan, Wanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in a letter to the Minister of Education.
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Geneva peace talks in grave danger – Balasingham

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 March 2006, 11:16 GMT]
"The Geneva peace talks will face grave danger if the Sri Lanka government refuses to disarm Tamil paramilitary organisations and continues allowing them to launch offensive military operations against our military positions in Batticaloa district," warned Mr Anton Balasingham, the chief negotiator and political strategist of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Commenting on the current situation Mr Balasingham told TamilNet that the LTTE leadership would be compelled to review its decision to participate in the next round of talks, to be held in Geneva on 19 April, if Colombo fails to fulfil the pledges agreed in the joint statement issued after the first session of talks in Geneva.
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Local elections in NorthEast likely to be postponed

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 March 2006, 10:40 GMT]
A final decision to conduct elections to local government authorities in the North East is to be announced by the Commissioner of Elections this week after consultations with NorthEast district returning officers, political sources in Colombo said. Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse last week agreed in policy to postpone the local elections in the NorthEast local authorities at meeting with a delegation of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) led by its parliamentary group leader Mr.R.Sampanthan, sources added.
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Free medical clinics held in Batticaloa villages

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 March 2006, 04:59 GMT]
Members of Tamileelam Health service conducted free medical clinics to school children and families from deprived villages of Veeranagar and Vadamunai in Batticaloa district Monday, civil society sources from Batticaloa said.
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Muttur youths, students receive assistance

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 March 2006, 01:35 GMT]
Three months' masonry training for tsunami affected youths of Muttur east conducted by the Pattalipuram Poonchcholai People's Development (PPDO) Organization with financial assistance from UK-based Christian Aid organization concluded recently. At an event held in the Pattalipuram Training Center, Mr.M.A.M.Niyas, Muttur Divisional Secretary, handed over the certificates and a package of masonry implements to twenty-three youths who completed their training.
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EPDP, Karuna Group and PLOTE amongst paramilitaries - US State Dept

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 March 2006, 01:32 GMT]
Commenting, amongst other abuses, on the numerous killings in Sri Lanka’s northeast last year, the US State Department’s 2006 annual human rights report blamed “paramilitary forces” as well as the Liberation Tigers for “politically motivated killings” and singled out three paramilitary groups – the Karuna Group, EPDP and PLOTE – for criticism. The State Department said many of those killed by the LTTE were members of the anti-LTTE paramilitary groups and informants for the security forces.
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TNA rejects JVP's claimed right to nominate CC member

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 March 2006, 00:07 GMT]
As the dispute among the 'minority parties,' Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in selecting the sixth member of the Constitutional Council continue to stymie CC from functioning, the Speaker Mr.W.M.J.Lokkubandara has asked the Leader of the House, Mr Sripala de Silva, to speak to the leaders of the three parties to resolve the matter urgently, parliamentary sources said.


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Sea Tigers launch Deep-Sea Ops training to Auxiliary Flotilla

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 March 2006, 12:33 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Special Commander of Sea Tigers, Col. Soosai, on Friday launched Deep-Sea Operations training for selected naval auxiliarists from the recently trained flotillas of Thamileelam Naval Auxiliary Force, Sea Tiger sources in Mullaithivu said. The auxiliary naval flotilla, named after Lt. Col. Oscar of the Sea Tigers, is the first auxiliary flotilla to be trained in assisting the Tigers in offensive operations in the sea, sources added.
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SLN relaxes fishing ban in Thondamannar-VVT seas

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 March 2006, 12:07 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) announced relaxation of restrictions on fishing to the east of Kankesanthurai harbor from Thondamannar to Valvettiturai shores, during a meeting between Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Jaffna representatives, SLN officers and Jaffna Fisheries Union representatives at Chithampara College, Valvettiturai, held around noon Sunday, sources from Jaffna said.
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Defunct committees cause hardships to fishermen, farmers

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 March 2006, 11:51 GMT]
Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan, Wanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, expressed serious concern over the lethargic attitude of the Mannar District Secretariat for not holding monthly meetings of the District Fisheries Committee (DFC) and the District Agricultural Committee (DAC) regularly to address problems faced by Mannar farmers and fishermen when they are undergoing severe difficulties due fishing ban and violence, sources in Mannar said.


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