SLN takes Indian poachers to Point Pedro military base

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 March 2006, 09:13 GMT]
Five South Indian fishermen from Puthuchcheri district in TamilNadu who entered Munai area in the northern waters around 11:00 a.m. Sunday, were taken to the shore by Vadamaradchi fishermen. Tense situation ensued between the Sri Lanka Navy troopers and the local fishermen as they refused to hand over the Indian fishermen to the SLN. However, the SLN soldiers threatened the local fishermen and have forcibly taken the Tamil Nadu fishermen to the 52-4 Brigade quarters for investigations, fisheries officials said.
Full story >>

Mullaitivu fishermen receive fishing nets, accessories

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 March 2006, 17:39 GMT]
The Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) under its accelerated rehabilitation project after tsunami with the funding of the Church of South India handed over a consignment of fishing nets to affected fishermen in Mullaitivu district at an event held Friday. Mr.Maraiyarasa, President of the Fisheries Co-operative Federation presided over the event, sources said.
Full story >>

Tamileelam bus service inaugurated in Muttur east

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 March 2006, 17:28 GMT]
Tamileelam Transport Board (TTB) Saturday morning inaugurated its first bus service in the territory held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the Trincomalee district. Mr.Sithamban, LTTE Financial Head of the Trincomalee District cut the ribbon at an event held in Ganeshapuram in Muttur east and allowed the first to proceed to Verugal with passengers, sources said.
Full story >>

New prison to help Vavuniya residents, law enforcement officials

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 March 2006, 16:14 GMT]
The Commissioner of Prisons has agreed to build a new prison complex in Vavuniya after repeated requests by Tamil parliamentarians, local police and officials of Vavunia judiciary, Sivanathan Kishokumar, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian said Saturday. Until now crime suspects who are directed to be kept in remand by Vavuniya courts have to be taken to Anuradhapura prison causing logistical nightmare for law enforcement officials and severe hardships to relatives of suspects.
Full story >>

Verugal FDL attack by paramilitaries repulsed- LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 March 2006, 15:06 GMT]
Liberation Tigers repulsed an attack on its Forward Defence Lines in Kattumurippu in Verugal area Batticaloa district by paramilitaries and members of Sri Lanka Army Friday night at 9.30 p.m., LTTE's media co-ordinator Thaymaster told TamilNet.
Full story >>

Amnesty fears for safety of disappeared TRO staffers

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 March 2006, 12:28 GMT]
Amnesty International in an Urgent Action release issued Friday expressed "grave concern" for the safety of the seven Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) staffers who were abducted on 29-30 January and are still missing. Amnesty urged all concerned to write to the Sri Lanka Ministry of Defence, Inspector General of Police and Sri Lanka's President Mr Mahinda Rajapakse to "undertake and complete as a matter of urgency thorough investigations into the fate and whereabouts of the seven," and to ensure safety of all TRO workers and the families of the missing.
Full story >>

Abducted Erlalai youth found with serious cut injuries

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 March 2006, 00:46 GMT]
A Tamil youth who was abducted by three armed men from his home in Erlalai East, Jaffna Thursday at 11 p.m. was found near a cemetary in Chunnakam with serious cut wounds to his body inflicted by a sharp instrument, sources in Jaffna said. Kottiyal Hindu cemetary where the injured youth was found is located in Chunnakam Road, Punnalaikattuvan nearly 3 k.m. south of Erlalai where he was abducted.


Full story >>

Tamil Women's Reawakening Day held in Eachchilampathu

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 March 2006, 00:39 GMT]
Tamileelam Women's Reawakening Day was celebrated in the LTTE controlled Eachchilampathu division, south of Trincomalee district. Hundreds of women in the villages in the division participated. One week long sports competition also came to a conclusion on Wednesday evening at Sri Sembaga Maha Vidiyalayam grounds, coinciding with the International Women's Day, sources said.
Full story >>

Trinco remembers Tamil scholar Akilesapillai

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 March 2006, 17:39 GMT]
The 153rd birthday of Tamil scholar Poet and writer V.Akilesapillai was observed in Trincomalee town where he was born on 7th March 1853. He wrote a book in the year 1889 on the history of historic Koneswaram temple in Trincomalee under the title 'Thirukonasala Vaipavam' which is still considered a valuable document among intellectuals and historians who research on the Koneswaram history and history of Tamils in the east port district, sources said.
Full story >>

Creation of new Trincomalee DS divisions causes concern

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 March 2006, 12:26 GMT]
Mr.R.Sampanthan, Trincomalee district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian raised concern over an attempt to create two more new divisional secretariat divisions, one in the north and the other in the south, in the Trincomalee district. "It is my view that consensus of people within the existing divisions should be sought on such matters. There should not be any attempt to impose a decision on any people," Mr.Sampanthan said in a letter to the Government Agent of Trincomalee district.


Full story >>

Tamil youth shot, injured in Kanniya

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 March 2006, 09:45 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen shot and injured a Tamil youth Friday noon in the village Kanniya located above seven km northwest of Trincomalee. The wounded youth, Suthakar, was admitted to the Trincomalee general hospital with gunshot injuries in his shoulder, Police said. Kanniya village comes under the Uppuveli Police division in the Trincomalee district.
Full story >>

EU report calls for international body to administer future elections in NorthEast

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 March 2006, 06:44 GMT]
Chief Observer of EU Election Observation Mission (EU-EOM) to Sri Lanka, John Cushnahan, commenting on the report of the EU-EOM for the 2005 Sri Lankan Presidential elections, has called for an International Organisation to "administer" and "supervise", on the invitation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) the parties to the peace process, if future elections in LTTE controlled and influenced areas are to be held in accordance with internationally recognised principles. The EU report also stated that the SL Supreme Court Interim order of 9th November introduced "de facto" discriminatory measures against voters in LTTE controlled areas.
Full story >>

Nuwara Eliya has no Tamil administrative officers- UPF

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 March 2006, 03:09 GMT]
Nuwara Eliya, a district with 80% percent Tamil population, and a district which has the largest concentration of Tamils outside NorthEast, does not have a single Tamil Administrative Officer, said Leader of Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF), Periyasamy Chandrasekaran, in an urgent letter sent to Sri Lanka President, Mahinda Rajapakse, UPF's media co-ordinator said Thursday.
Full story >>

Kanniya resettled families celebrate Women's Day

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 March 2006, 00:29 GMT]
Traditional Tamil village of Kanniya in Trincomalee town celebrated the International Women's Day Thursday evening with the support of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), sources in Trincomalee said. Several hundred families from Peeliaydi, Managaiootu and Kanniya, resettled since the signing of the Ceasefire Agreement in the year 2002, participated in the celebrations.
Full story >>

Reduce admission requirements to nursing school, appeals TNA MP

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 March 2006, 00:02 GMT]
Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan, Wanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian has written to the President to take steps to implement the assurance given Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva that in future youths who obtained pass in science subject in the (GCE O/L) examination will be allowed to apply for admission to Nurse Training School. Current admission policy requires students to pass in Science subjects in GCE A/L examination, sources said.
Full story >>

International Women's Day observed across NorthEast

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 March 2006, 00:00 GMT]
International Women's Day was observed in several parts of NorthEast on Wednesday, sources said. Local women's organizations and Non-governmental organization participated in events held in Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Jaffna and Mannar.
Full story >>

Positive contribution by International players, key to Peace in Sri Lanka - Senewiratne

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 March 2006, 02:45 GMT]
"Marginalising and excluding the Liberation Tigers, a key player to the peace process in the island, will mean the end of the failed state Sri Lanka," a Sinhala expatriate physician supportive of Tamils right to self-determination told a gathering of EU officials at a symposium organised in the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday. "The EU has essentially opted out of making a meaningful contribution to rescue Sri Lanka," he noted. Tamil, Sinhala and European panelists presented their views in the symposium titled "The EU Contribution to the Peace Process in Sri Lanka."
Full story >>

Sri Lankan State lacks consent of Tamil people - TNA MP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 March 2006, 00:45 GMT]
Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, the Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian, speaking at a symposium in Brussels, Belgium,Tuesday, explained how the Sri Lanka state failed to win the consent of the Tamil people, whom it claimed to govern. "The Tamil Nation is being consistently denied meaningful access to Governance to pursue political, economic, social and cultural development. All three Sri Lanka constitutions entrenched the unitary character of the Sri Lanka State in the face of demand for power sharing arrangement by Tamils asserting their right to self-determination," said Mr Ponnambalam.


Full story >>

Early Childhood Centre opened in Sambaltivu

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 March 2006, 17:11 GMT]
Mr. Richard Mawer, Country Programme Director of the Save the Children-Sri Lanka Tuesday declared open an Early Childhood Development Centre (ECDC) at Sambaltivu, about 7 km. north of Trincomalee town. This center, second in the 15 such centers in the Trincomalee district was constructed at a cost of about 1.18 million rupees by the Namagal Community Center and funded by the Save the Children-Sri Lanka.
Full story >>

SLA cordon, search Erlalai, beat bakery owner

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 March 2006, 12:02 GMT]
More than five hundred Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops with a few paramilitary cadres arrived in several heavy military vehicles and eight Buffel armored vehicles, cordoned off, and searched residences in Erlalai South, Kalavodai Amman Temple areas at 3.30 a.m. Wednesday morning, sources in Jaffna said. The SLA soldiers, at 6 a.m., entered the house of a 30 year old civilian who owns a bakery, beat him and left after ransacking his business premises, sources added.
Full story >>