Indian Air Force Chief arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 January 2006, 14:04 GMT]
The Indian Air Force (IAF) chief, Air Chief Marshal S.P.Tyagi arrived Monday in Sri Lanka on a five-day official visit, Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) officials in Colombo said. During his stay in Sri Lanka, he is scheduled to meet SL President Mahinda Rajapakse, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Defence Secretary Gothabaya Rajapakse, Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Daya Sandagiri and the commanders of the three forces.
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ILO funds computer center in Mannar

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 January 2006, 19:19 GMT]
International Labor Organization (ILO) funded computer training center for Vellankulam area in Mannar district which will be adminstered by the NGO the Economic Consultancy House (TECH) was declared open on 25 January at 10 a.m.
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CTTU to raise troop presence near schools with Minister

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 January 2006, 15:47 GMT]
Mr.Susil Premajayanth, Minister of Education has invited the Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU) for a meeting on February 7 afternoon to discuss its several demands including the demand that soldiers of the State armed forces should be withdrawn fifty meters away from schools in the northeast province, and also to vacate schools now occupied in the high security zones in Jaffna district. The meeting is to be held at the Education Ministry in Colombo, sources said.
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Passing out parades held for Sea Tiger auxilliary force

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 January 2006, 15:07 GMT]
Cadres of the ninth group of Sea Tigers' auxilliary force who trained at the Lt.Col.Maravan training camp in Vadamaradchy east, participated in a passing out ceremony held at 5 p.m. Sunday, LTTE sources said. Vadamardchy East Head of LTTE Political Wing, Isaiyooran, presided the ceremony. In another ceremony held at 10 a.m. Sunday, 125 cadres graduated from the Lt Col Thiruvadi training camp in Manalaru in Mullaitivu district.
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SLA troop presence at school entrances irks parents

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 January 2006, 13:20 GMT]
Increasing presence of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops near the entrances to several schools in Jaffna district has irked parents and have increased absenteeism in schools, civil society sources in Jaffna say. Educational institutions along the Jaffna-Kankesanthurai Road, from Jaffna town to Tellipallai entrance to the High Security Zone (HSZ) are the most affected, sources added.
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Tamil farmer shot dead in Lingapuram

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 January 2006, 12:34 GMT]
Unidentified persons shot dead Mr.Thambiah Jeyarajah (50), father of six children Saturday night around 9.30 p.m.while guarding his paddy crop in Lingapuram, a Tamil village in Seruvila division, down south of Trincomalee district. He was the second Tamil farmer killed in Lingapuram within two weeks' period, Police sources said.


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Two attacks against troops Saturday night, says SLA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 January 2006, 01:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops on foot patrol in Irupalai area along Jaffna Point-Pedro came under fire from unknown gunmen Saturday evening, and in another incident in Chulipuram one SLA trooper was injured when unknown gunmen hurled a grenade at a SLA foot patrol, military sources in Jaffna said, without blaming any party for the attacks.
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Tamil students allege discrimination in University Admissions

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 January 2006, 15:19 GMT]
Two Tamil female candidates who sat for the Sri Lanka Law College entrance examination have filed a Fundamental Rights (FR) application in the Supreme Court alleging discrimination against Tamil medium candidates. Both have begged the court to order for re-correction of their answer scripts, legal sources said. Meanwhile, fifteen Jaffna students filed another FR application challenging admission procedures to the Faculties of Engineering and Medicine, legal sources added.


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LTTE, Muslim leaders meet in Muttur

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 January 2006, 15:03 GMT]
A discussion between the leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Trincomalee and a twenty-member delegation of Muslim religious and civil leaders in Muttur division was held Saturday afternoon in the LTTE district political secretariat in Sampoor in Muttur east in the presence of the members of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), sources said. The discussion centered on exploring ways to resolve differences and to promote mutual understanding between the two communities. The meeting follows in the wake of the formation of an armed Muslim group in Muttur division.
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Sewing training to tsunami-affected Kaddaikadu women

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 January 2006, 13:23 GMT]
Sewing training course conducted by the Rural Rehabilitation and Development Organization (RRDH) under an income generation project for about fifty women affected by tsunami at Kaddaikadu village in Vadamarachchi East division in Jaffna district concluded Friday, sources said.


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Children Nutrition Park opens in Yogapuram

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 January 2006, 12:01 GMT]
Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) Wednesday declared open a Children Nutrition Park with a Day-Care Centre for children and a pre-school in Yogapuram in Mallavi area in Mullaitivu district. The project funded by TRO(USA) was implemented by the Mallavi Zonal Office of the TRO Mullaitivu district. The park is named Vaiharai Children Nutrition Park.
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Balasingham leaves for UK

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 January 2006, 11:32 GMT]
LTTE's Chief Negotiator and Political Strategist Mr. Anton Balasingham, left Kilinochchi Saturday at 9:30 a.m. to Katunayake in a Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) helicopter, facilitated by Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) officials.
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Foundation stone laid for Muttaiyankattu preschool

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 January 2006, 12:07 GMT]
Project Co-ordinator at The Economic Consultancy House (TECH), Mr Pulendran, presided over the foundation stone laying ceremony for a new preschool for children of the war-affected community in Jeevanagar, Muttaiyankattu in Mullaitivu district Wednesday at 10 a.m., sources in Kilinochichi said. TECH is a Sri Lanka Government registered NGO working exclusively in the NorthEast on employment generation projects.
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UK welcomes LTTE, GoSL agreement

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 January 2006, 11:35 GMT]
The British Foreign and Commonwealth office in a press release issued Thursday welcomed the agreement between Liberation Tigers and the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) to talks and said the British Government "strongly appreciates and supports the efforts of Erik Solheim and his Norwegian colleagues in their important facilitation work.”
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STF arrests mother, daughter in Kalmunai

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 January 2006, 11:22 GMT]
Soldiers of Sri Lanka Special Task Force (STF) arrested a mother and daughter in Batticaloa for helping a suspected gunman responsible for the grenade attack on Veenamunai Police sentry at 10 a.m. Friday, police sources in Batticaloa said.
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Hartal against civilian killings brings Vavuniya to standstill

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 January 2006, 10:40 GMT]
Normal life and business in Vavuniya town and suburbs came to a standstill Friday by a hartal (shut down) organised by Tamil Student's Union in protest against the killings of civilians in NorthEast by the Sri Lankan Armed forces, Intelligence operatives and paramilitaries. Very few vehicles plied the streets, shops remained closed, schools were closed, businesses and private institutions remained closed and the town was deserted. The hartal was peaceful, Vavuniya Police said.
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Mannar fishermen's sufferings spotlighted

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 January 2006, 17:33 GMT]
About twenty thousand fishermen in Mannar district have been directed by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) to submit their application forms before January 31, with two photographs of each applicant authorized by their respective village level officers (Grama Sevaka Officers), fisheries inspectors and secretaries of fisheries societies, to obtain special permit for fishing in Mannar sea. Starting from February every fisherman should possess a permit before he goes out to sea to fish, SLN said.
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SLA gunfire injures elderly man

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 January 2006, 14:47 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers on foot patrol shot and injured Velupillai Nagarajah, 70, along A9 road in Madathady area in Chavakacheri Thursday morning, sources from Thenmaradchy said. SLA spokesperson said that an SLA trooper's gun had fired accidentally wounding the elderly Tamil man.
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Japan welcomes talks agreement

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 January 2006, 13:12 GMT]
The Government of Japan in a press release issued Thursday welcomed the agreement between the Liberation Tigers and the Government of Sri Lanka to have talks in Geneva, and said it hopes that the escalation of violence in the NorthEast will stop.
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LTTE official killed in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 January 2006, 12:12 GMT]
An LTTE official, Major Kapilan, was killed and at least one cadre was wounded when Sri Lankan Intelligence operatives and paramilitary cadres ambushed a LTTE tractor in LTTE held area in Vadamunai near Welikande in Batticaloa-Polannaruwa border, Thursday around 9 a.m., LTTE sources in Batticaloa said. Sri Lanka Army's 23-1 Brigade camp in Welikande backed up the withdrawing ambush group with 5" mortar fire from their base, the sources added. Meanwhile, S.Puleedevan, the Director of LTTE's Peace Secretaraiat, speaking from Kilinochchi, condemned the attack on their cadres in the east and accused Colombo for playing "double game, betraying its pledge to cease the violent campaign."
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