LTTE invites poets to compose Thamileelam national anthem

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 October 2005, 15:40 GMT]
An invitation has been extended to "Tamil bards and minstrels with patriotic fervor" to compose a Thamileelam national anthem. The invitation to the poets in the Northeast and among the Tamil diaspora came in an announcement by the Media Unit of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), from its base in Kilinochchi, Thursday. Poets are given time till November 27th, the Tamil Eelam Martyrs Remembrance Day, to give final touches to their composition.
Full story >>

"Ignore Sri Lankan elections," says Students Association in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 October 2005, 14:33 GMT]
In an appeal to the Tamil people, the Students’ Association of Higher Educational Institutions, Jaffna District, has warned Tamil voters not to be "hoodwinked" by promises of the Sri Lankan Presidential candidates. The organisation has argued that a Tamil vote would imply that the Tamils still trust the Sinhala leaders to resolve the Tamil conflict. In an appeal issued Thursday evening from Jaffna, the Students Association asked Tamils to be wary of the election promises the candidates are making from their election propaganda platforms.
Full story >>

Vavuniya prepares for concluding resurgence event, grenade explodes

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 October 2005, 11:26 GMT]
Unidentified men lobbed a hand grenade inside compound of the Tamil National Resurgence committee Wednesday afternoon around 4:30 p.m. No one was injured in the explosion. Witnesses said that two men who lobbed the grenade escaped in a motorbike. The incident happened while Vavuniya residents are making preparations for the third month anniversary celebrations of the 27 July 2005 Vavuniya Proclamation.
Full story >>

Tamil Consortium complains to SLMM

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 October 2005, 08:37 GMT]
Trincomalee District Tamil Peoples' Consortium (TDTPC) made a complaint to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Commission against "high-handed action" of the Sri Lanka armed forces in down-town, Trincomalee on 24 October around 3.00 p.m. TDTPC has stated that a group of unidentified persons had assaulted and humiliated two foreigners in the presence of Sri Lankan armed forces for taking photographs of the controversial Buddha-Statue in Trincomalee. The provocative action took place in the vicinity of the Trincomalee bus stand, where the controversial statue, much to the protest of the local people, was erected a few months earlier.
Full story >>

ACHR exposes Bindunuweva massacre report

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 October 2005, 16:17 GMT]
The New Delhi based Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) released details in a confidential report of Sri Lankan Presidential Commission on the Inquiry into the Bindunuwewa massacre. The organisation released details Tuesday on the fifth anniversary of the massacre of Tamil inmates in the Sri Lankan jail in Bindunuwewa. The ACHR said it had obtained a copy of the confidential report that has not been made public although SL President Kumaratunga's term as President comes to an end. Twenty-eight Tamil youth between the ages of 14-23 years were massacred while 14 other Tamil youths were seriously injured by Sinhala mobs and Sri Lanka police on 25 October 2000.
Full story >>

Tamileelam court extends remand for Sri Lanka Policemen

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 October 2005, 12:56 GMT]
Tamileelam courts in Kilinochchi Monday rejected bail offer for three Sri Lanka policemen who are being held in custody for entering LTTE controlled areas without prior permission and ordered further investigations into their activities. The case was heard before Ms Sadhana, District Judge, Monday morning in Kilinochchi, under Act 94 of the Criminal Code of Tamileelam Courts.
Full story >>

Mother, child nutritional center opened in Pattalipuram

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 October 2005, 11:39 GMT]
The first Day Care Centre for Mother-Child built at a cost of about 1.5 million rupees was declared open Monday in Iththikulam- Pattalipuram in the Muttur east area in Trincomalee district. The Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) through its Trincomalee district secretariat has implemented this project with the funding of Tamil expatriates. The center provides nutritious food and health care for malnourished pregnant mothers and children, TRO officials said.
Full story >>

Fostering political transformation, key to peace - Norwegian Don

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 October 2005, 08:48 GMT]
Transformation of the Sri Lankan democracy into one that is capable of handling conflicts is essential in addition to the political transformation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for Sri Lanka to resolve its pressing ethnic struggle, notes Kristian Stokke, a Professor of Human Geography at the Department of Sociology and Human Geography at the University of Oslo, Norway. Pointing to the post-tsunami period which has witnessed divisive politicization of both peace and development due to the intra-elite fragmentation and rivalry in Sri Lankan polity, Prof Stokke argues that international community can only act as an enabler to stimulate the needed transformation.
Full story >>

Tamil representatives, Legal experts meet EU officials

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 October 2005, 11:16 GMT]
Francis Boyle, professor of international law at the University of Illinois and a leading practitioner and advocate of international law, Mr. V. Rudrakumaran, an attorney of law based in New York, U.S, and a legal advisor to the Tamil delegation at the peace negotiations, met a high level delegation of European Commission External Relations officials on Monday at 2:00 p.m. in Brussels following the Tamil diaspora rally, sources in Brussels told TamilNet.


Full story >>

TNA, SLMM meet in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 October 2005, 10:40 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Sivanathan Kishor , Sivasakthi Ananthan and Vino Noharathalingam met with Vavuniya Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) at the Vavuniya SLMM offices Monday morning, sources in Vavuniya said. The discussion centered on the National Resurgence Event scheduled to take place on the 27th of this month.
Full story >>

CitiHope, first recipient of TRO-USA's Katrina fund

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 October 2005, 02:27 GMT]
CitiHope International, an Andes, New York, based humanitarian relief and development service agency is the first recipient of Katrina relief donation from the Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO-USA), President Dr Ranjithan told TamilNet. "We chose CitiHope, as members of TRO's Board of Directors have noted its impressive work in Sri Lanka's tsunami effort and also the organization has a low, less than 1%, operational overhead," Dr Ranjithan said.
Full story >>

Media speculation on cause of UAV crash rebuffed

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 October 2005, 00:05 GMT]
Media reports that the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) belonging to Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) that came down in Vanni on 19 October was downed either by radar-guided gun or by an air-borne attack by the Liberation Tigers were mere speculations not backed up by concrete evidence, experts contacted by TamilNet said. A Virginia (US) based science journalist who covers UAV developments, rebuffed a report that quoted a Sri Lanka Air Force official as saying: "engine failure, generator failure and communications failure warning messages appearing simultaneously at Ground control indicated sudden destruction of the UAV caused by enemy action."
Full story >>

Thousands to attend rally near EU Secretariat in Brussels

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 October 2005, 20:59 GMT]
Thousands of diaspora Tamils in Europe are expected to participate in Eluthamil (Tamil uprising) rally near the European Union (EU) Secretariat Monday noon "to express solidarity with the Tamil people in NorthEast homeland in their search for peace with justice, and to urge EU to recognize Tamils right to self-determination and not to impose unilateral punitive measures on Tamils' only politico-military force, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam," according to organizers. More than 150 coaches will transport around 10,000 participants from European countries, mainly from Germany, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands, to Brussels, Belgium on Monday for the rally, organizers added.
Full story >>

Swiss Tamils organize Heroes Day Elocution Contest

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 October 2005, 13:25 GMT]
Students of Tamil schools in Switzerland will compete in a country wide elecution contest organized by Education Service Unit of Tamils to commemorate the Heroes Day. Organizers have selected the topics related to Tamil History and Culture for students competing in eight different age groups. Regional winners will compete in the finals to held in Zurich on 20 November, organizers said.
Full story >>

Lt.Col.Sekhar's fifth anniversary commemorated in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 October 2005, 11:58 GMT]
The fifth death anniversary of Lt Col Sekhar, a special commander attached to the Charles Antony Special Brigade, was commemorated on Sunday with a Memorial Volley Ball tournament followed by a cultural event held at the premises of the Charles Antony Memorial builidng located near the Kovinthan Junction Kilinochchchi, sources in Kilinochchi said. Lt Col Sekhar succumbed to the wounds received during the Unceasing Waves-4 (Oyatha Alaigal) battle on the 23 October 2000.
Full story >>

Electricity outages irk Mannar residents

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 October 2005, 11:22 GMT]
Frequent outages of electricity supply in Mannar and its suburbs are hurting residents and economic activity in Mannar, and industrialists are complaining that frequent breakdown and fluctuation in the supply are damaging industrial machinery, Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan, Wanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian said in a memorandum sent to the Minister of Power and Energy, Mr Susil Premajayantha.


Full story >>

CTTU to meet Education Secretary, postpones strike

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 October 2005, 11:08 GMT]
The Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU) Sunday announced that it has postponed the strike scheduled to commence on Monday 24 October as Dr. Tara de Mel, Secretary of Education, has agreed to meet a four member CTTU delegation at the Colombo Education Ministry on Wednesday 26th October, CTTU General Secretary Mr.T.Mahasivam said.
Full story >>

Foundation laid for Chavakachcheri children medical unit

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 October 2005, 07:56 GMT]
Mr.Kyagama, Director of the Foundation for International Development Relief (FIDR) and Mr.K.Ganesh, Jaffna's Government Agent Saturday laid the foundation stone for children medical unit in the Chavakachcheri hospital. The unit is to be constructed at a cost 2 million rupees funded by the FIDR based in Japan, health department sources said.
Full story >>

Trincomalee Declaration demands SL troops to vacate NorthEast

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 October 2005, 08:28 GMT]
Tamil speaking people in large numbers from north, west and south of the Trincomalee district attended the Tamil National Resurgence Convention held Saturday morning in the Playground located along the Inner Harbour Road in the east port city which is controlled by the Sri Lanka Army. Co-ordinating Committee of the Tamil national Resurgence in Trincomalee District, in the declaration, demanded the Sri Lanka troops to vacate the NorthEast land and seas and declared that the rally "demonstrates to the international community the thirst for freedom of the Tamil nation."
Full story >>

Civilians given military training in Vadamaradchchi east

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 October 2005, 04:49 GMT]
The passing out parade of 6th batch of civilians from Vaththirayan village in the Vadamaradchchi east belonging to the Lt.Colonel Maravan Training Camp of the Tamileelam Navy was held Thursday night in the presence of Colonel Soosai, Special Commander of the Thamileelam Navy, LTTE sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>