TNA MPs protest, pandemonium in SL Parliament

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 December 2005, 11:24 GMT]
Pandemonium reigned in Sri Lanka Parliament Tuesday morning when Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians protested and shouted slogans against the firing on the Tamil civilians in Jaffna Monday injuring several undergrads and university teachers when they were proceeding in a peaceful march to the office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), sources said.
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Withdraw armed forces from civilian inhabited areas in NE- TNA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 December 2005, 09:50 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in a statement tabled in parliament Tuesday demanded the Sri Lanka government to withdraw all armed forces from all civilian inhabited areas in the North East. TNA further called the government to take disciplinary and legal action against all members of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces who are responsible for the attack on Tamil civilians in Jaffna district in the last several days.
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GoSL handling of paramilitaries, LTTE violence, key issues for Sri Lanka peace, say Co-Chairs

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 December 2005, 21:39 GMT]
The Co-Chairs of the Tokyo Donor Conference in the final statement after the conclusion of their meeting in Brussels Monday said they recognized that activities of the paramilitary groups are among the causes for the deteriorating situation and urged “the Government to ensure that such groups cease their paramilitary activities, as a demonstration of its commitment to a peaceful way forward.” They also called on the LTTE “to put an immediate end to their on-going campaign of violence and again urge the LTTE to demonstrate their commitment to the Ceasefire Agreement and the peace process,” and warned, “Failure to demonstrate a willingness to change would not be without serious consequences.”
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No peace talks until SLA atrocities on Tamil civilians cease-TNA MP

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 December 2005, 11:54 GMT]
Mr.Mavai Senathirajah, Jaffna District Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian speaking during the budget debate in parliament Monday warned the Government not to think of peace negotiations until the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) stops attacks on Tamil civilians in Jaffna district. SLA soldiers are seen in front of every house in Jaffna district and people are living under fear. Under these circumstances no meaningful peace negotiations could be held, said Mr. Senathirajah.
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Factional rivalry behind trawler fire in Mannar

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 December 2005, 04:37 GMT]
Two trawlers belonging to Tamil fishermen and anchored in Erukalampiddi sea in Mannar district were destroyed by fire set by unidentified persons Sunday early morning, sources from Mannar said. Destroyed trawlers were estimated to cost about two million rupees each. Pesalai fishermen have been anchoring their fishing vessels in Erukalampiddy Sea during rough weather for safety, fisher society sources said
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International political advocacy indispensable to maturing Tamil struggle- Sithamparanathan

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 December 2005, 00:03 GMT]
“Congressional meetings gave me hope that a conducive atmosphere is emerging in the supreme legislative body of the US with regards to the Tamil struggle. It is critical that we maintain sustained efforts to reinforce relationships with congresspersons interested in our struggle, and address human rights issues raised by UN agencies and watchdogs. With the maturing phase of our struggle, focussed political action in major world capitals has become an urgent priority,” said Pathmini Sithamparanathan of Tamil National Alliance (TNA), and the first woman Member of Parliament (MP) for Jaffna, when she talked to TamilNet in Washington D.C concluding her two-week speaking tour in US Saturday.
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LTTE confers National Patriot title to sportsman Gunaratnam

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 December 2005, 17:01 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Sunday conferred "Nattupattalar" (National Patriot) title on the departed veteran sportsman Mr.A.S.Gunaratnam. Attorney-at-Law Mr.K.Sivapalan read out the statement issued by the LTTE Trincomalee district political secretariat conferring the title at an event held Sunday morning at Trincomalee Hindu Cultural Hall where the body of late Mr.Gunaratnam was kept for paying last respects by the people of the east port city, sources said.
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SLTMA condemns arrest of Tamil journalist

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 December 2005, 16:54 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA) Sunday condemned the arrest and detention of a Tamil senior journalist working in a leading Colombo based Tamil daily newspaper "Thinakkural"along with two other employees in the computer unit of the same newspaper in the Kirulapone Police Station Saturday night. The SLTMA, in a letter sent to Mr.Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Media Minister, to take immediate steps to ensure the safety of Tamil journalists from the harassment of government law enforcement authorities.


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Jaffna Campus area tense, SLA attack injures worker

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 December 2005, 14:14 GMT]
Rasaratnam Puhalasri (33) from Navaly South, an employee at an ice cream parlor at the Parameswara juntion was severly injured when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops attacked civilians around the Jaffna campus areas following altercation between Jaffna campus students at the International Tamileelam Student Union offices near Parameswara junction at 5.30 p.m. Sunday. Residents said that troopers forced entry into Student Union offices to prevent a group of campus students from travelling to Punguduthivu, triggering confrontation.
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Veteran NorthEast sportsman dies

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 December 2005, 00:00 GMT]
Mr.A.S.Gunaratnam, retired Assistant Director of Sports in the North East Provincial Education, Cultural, Sports and Youth Affairs Ministry and currently Assistant Director of the North East Youth Affairs Ministry passed away Friday in Colombo after a brief illness. He had been a colorful personality in the field of sports not only in the North East but also at the national level. He had been fluent in all three languages, Tamil, Sinhala and English. He was 68 at the time of his death, family sources said.
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Norway best venue for truce talks - LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 December 2005, 09:57 GMT]
Reiterating that they wished to engage in talks on the effective implementation of the February 2002 Cease Fire Agreement with Sri Lanka, the Liberation Tigers suggested Saturday that Norway would be the ideal venue to host such talks as Oslo was not only the facilitator of the peace process, but leading the monitoring mission supervising the truce. “Based on a mutual consent, a suitable venue for peace negotiations could be selected following the successful conclusion of the CFA talks,” he said pointing out that Norway has earlier extended invitation to the parties to hold talks on the implementation of the CFA.
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Formation of united Tamil front, a strategic need- Thondaman

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 December 2005, 07:37 GMT]
The leader of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), Mr. Arumugam Thondaman, Saturday held discussions with the LTTE's Political Head Mr. S.P. Thamilchelvan at the LTTE Peace Secretariat on his plans to form a united effort among the Upcountry and Western Province Tamil political parties. The Upcountry politician said that his party, CWC and the LTTE discussed the strategic need to form a broad Tamil front to meet the challenges from the Southern polity and to further the common aspirations of both the Tamil communities in the Northeast and the Upcountry.
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Maintaining symmetry of power, key to meaningful peace talks- Adaikalanathan

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 December 2005, 20:34 GMT]
“Instead of choosing a constructive political path setting incremental milestones to monitor progress in addressing the national crisis, various Sri Lanka governments in power, were preoccupied with an "oppressive mindset" and have attempted to weaken the Tamil struggle by purposely dragging out peace processes,” said TNA parliamentarian Selvam Adaikalanathan, speaking to TamilNet Friday. He said that a meaningful peace process is possible only if the prevailing strategic symmetry of power is maintained between the two parties.
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FMM concerned over search on Jaffna press

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 December 2005, 11:48 GMT]
Expressing concern over the search carried out by the Sri Lanka military at the editorial, administrative and press sections of the Tamil daily Namathu Eelanaadu in Jaffna Thursday, the Free Media Movement (FMM), in a press release issued Thursday, urged "both sides of the conflict to respect the right to freedom of expression and information and not to target media under any situation that may arise out of developing military confrontations."
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Ground rules for peace engangement to be clarified during Solheim visit

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 December 2005, 16:34 GMT]
Norwegian Development Minister Erik Solheim is expected to visit Sri Lanka to meet officials of Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam soon. An NTB report filed from Hong Kong on Thursday said that the "ground rules" for the process forward would be decided during this visit.
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Jaffna Group warns of attacks if SLA harassment is not stopped

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 December 2005, 14:24 GMT]
If the increasing incidents of rounding up of civilians, and cordon and search of Tamil areas by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers continue, campaign of attacks against SLA will intensify in Jaffna, warned an organization of Tamil youths called "Roaring Tamil Force," in a memorandum submitted to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) offices in Jaffna Thursday. Twenty-five youths identifying themselves as belonging to the Group delivered the memorandum at the Temple Road offices of the SLMM, sources said.
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SLA soldiers search Jaffna press, threaten workers

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 December 2005, 05:52 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army cordoned off the offices of the popular Tamil daily Namathu Eelanaadu located in Navalar road Jaffna Thursday 6.30 a.m. and searched the editorial, administrative and press sections of the paper's offices thoroughly for nearly half an hour, workers at the premises said. SLA soldiers questioned several workers at the daily and demanded to see workers' national identity cards. Civil groups expressed alarm at this ominous development to suppress press freedom in Jaffna district.
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Adampan hospital reopens after fifteen years

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 December 2005, 03:52 GMT]
The newly constructed government hospital at a cost of about twenty million rupees at Adampan in Mannar district was declared open for the use of civilians residing in the villages of Aandankulam, Palaiyady, Puthukulam, Parapukadanthan, Vaddakandal, and Karukkaikulam held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) with religious observances. Adampan is located in the LTTE held area. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded North East Community Restoration Development (NECORD) project carried out the project, sources said.
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Jaffna tense as SLA cordon, searches continue

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 December 2005, 12:14 GMT]
Tension prevailed in Jaffna as Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers cordoned off and searched several villages in Jaffna district including Kachchai area in Thenmaradchy, Ariyalai in Jaffna, Myilankadu in Valikamam North, Erlalai North and Mandan in Vadamaradchy area, Wednesday morning as the troops continued their security operations for a second day, sources in Jaffna said. Early reports said seven youths have been detained for futher questioning by the SLA in Mandan area. However, the SLA has not officially released any information on the detention.
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SL Police arrests two Tamils in Mannar

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 December 2005, 11:25 GMT]
Sri Lanka Police took two Tamil youths into custody in a three-hour cordon and search operation conducted in the bazaar area of the Mannar town Wednesday morning by combined armed forces. These youths are now detained in the Mannar Police Station and are being interrogated, civilian sources said.
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