Srimavopura attacks threaten civilian travel in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 September 2005, 15:38 GMT]
Representations have been made to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Trincomalee to ensure safety to Tamil and Muslim civilians who travel to and from north of Trincomalee passing through Srimavopura, a suburb an about one km north of the east port town from being attacked by Sinhala mobs. Civil groups have complained to the SLMM that Tamil and Muslim civilians are attacked at Srimavopura junction by Sinhalese gangs in the presence of soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and policemen of the Sri Lanka Police (SLP), sources said.
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Two paramilitary cadres killed in Welikande

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 September 2005, 15:00 GMT]
Welikanda police Sunday noon located dead bodies of two paramilitary cadres belonging to Karuna group in Karapola, a Tamil village in the interior of Polannaruwa district, around 65 kilometers northwest of Batticaloa.
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Pilot irrigation project explores water conservation techniques

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 September 2005, 04:16 GMT]
A two-acre plot in Iranaimadu junction along A9 in Kilinochchi functions as a test bed to explore techniques in modern irrigation techniques that conserve water. Drip irrigation, bubbler systems, jets and micro irrigation techniques are being tested for optimum use of water. Experiments help identify suitability for practical use in the NorthEast districts where irrigation tanks and canals provide the main supply of water for agricultural use throughout the year. South Australian Tamil association is providing the financial support for this effort implemented through the NGO, The Economic Consultancy House (TECH).
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SLA opens access routes, blocks transport of Tamil paper

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 September 2005, 13:28 GMT]
After complaints from Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) opened the six access routes to LTTE controlled areas in Batticaloa district Saturday, but blocked transport of the Tamil daily "Batticaloa Eelanatham" into Sri Lanka Government controlled areas at the Pattiruppu bridge, Manmunai and Iranguthurai checkpoints, sources in Batticaloa said.
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Workshop for Tamil women teachers concluded in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 September 2005, 17:12 GMT]
Two day workshop for the Tamil women teachers in the Trincomalee district, on the role of women teachers in the trade unionism, concluded on Thursday. The workshop was organized by the Sri Lanka Women Teachers Network (SLWTN) in collaboration with the Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU) supported by the Education International (EI) and the Union of Education-Norway (UEN).
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Mannar civil groups meet SLMM

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 September 2005, 17:05 GMT]
Civil groups in Mannar district Friday appealed to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) to take immediate steps to bring back all withdrawn LTTE political cadres to the government controlled areas and provide necessary assistance enabling them to recommence their political activities.
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Jaffna IDP families seek SLMM intervention for resettlement

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 September 2005, 16:55 GMT]
Displaced families in Jaffna district have begun submitting individual memoranda to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) seeking its intervention to resettle them in their lands and houses now being occupied by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), civil society sources said. The SLA has declared areas where these houses and agricultural lands of the IDPs are located high security zones. IDP families demand that the SLMM should take steps to vacate the army occupation according to the terms defined in the Ceasefire Agreement signed by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) about three years ago.
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Norway to send Furuhovde as special representative to Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 September 2005, 09:35 GMT]
While the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are yet to agree on the venue acceptable for both parties for direct talks, the Norwegian Government is to send Major General (ret’d) Trond Furuhovde, former Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), as special representative of the Royal Norwegian Government. Furuhovde will consult with both parties on the security situation and on the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA), a press release issued by the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Friday said.
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PLOTE cadre shot dead in Vavuniya, bystander injured

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 September 2005, 09:19 GMT]
Vilvarasa Gopal (47), a member of Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) was shot dead by unidentified gunmen at 11.40 am Friday in Thirunavatkulam in Vavuniya district, police in Vavuniya said. Gopal was working inside his residence when he was killed. Selvarajah Parthipan, a teacher at a Vavuniya Private Educational Institute was seriously injured during the incident.
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Vakarai families receive sewing machines, PV systems

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 September 2005, 08:45 GMT]
Tamil expatriate groups in France and Germany donated nine sewing machines and four 40W Solar Home Systems (SHS) in late August costing US$4000 to Vakarai residents affected by tsunami through Trincomalee branch The Technical Consultancy House (TECH), an NGO operating in the NorthEast, TECH officials said.
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Paramilitary cadre dies in police gunfire - SLA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 September 2005, 14:31 GMT]
A paramilitary cadre from Karuna Group was shot and killed while he was engaged in a clash with a Liberation Tiger cadre Thursday morning around 9:45 a.m. Thursday, Sri Lanka Army sources claimed. The incident took place near a bus stand on Rosiro Road in Batticaloa. However, initial reports from the Police said that the policemen, upon hearing gunshots, reached the site and shot at unidentified armed men who were fleeing from the scene. One person died and another was rushed to Batticaloa Hospital.
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"Talks venue must be acceptable to both parties"- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 September 2005, 09:46 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Political Head, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, who met with Norwegian delegation in Kilinochchi Thursday morning told reporters that a southern venue, including the Colombo airport, does not provide the necessary conducive environment for direct talks. The venue for direct talks must be acceptable to both parties, he added. Thamilchelvan further said that while the Emergency Regulations is in force and in the prevailing unpredicatable political atmosphere with serious controversies in the South, LTTE finds the airport venue not conducive for serious talks. Colombo had declined to have talks in Kilinochchi.
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Aquaculture Division acts on post-tsunami fisheries sector recovery

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 September 2005, 08:43 GMT]
Fisheries and Aquaculture Department formed in the wake of tsunami has been co-ordinating fisheries related recovery programs in each district of the NorthEast. Headed by Mr.K.Sivarasa, Senior Advisor at Fisheries Department, Tromso, Norway, and advised by Jaffna University senior lectures specialized in fisheries sector the department employed 40 field assistants with fisheries diploma to complete a thorough survey of tsunami damages and the livelihood needs of the affected families in the NorthEast, officials said.
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Youth shot and killed, SLA soldier, policemen injured in grenade attack

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 September 2005, 14:13 GMT]
A Tamil youth was shot and killed by the Sri Lanka Army soldiers and policemen following a grenade attack at a police post located in Urani junction on Batticaloa-Valaichenai Road, 3 km north of Batticaloa town. An SLA corporal, Mr. M. D. Somasri, 32, was seriously wounded and three police constables sustained minor injuries when unidentified attackers lobbed a grenade at the police post around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. Police and SLA soldiers fired at random following the attack. Many Tamil civilians in the neighbourhood were beaten up by Sri Lanka Army soldiers, civilian sources said.
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Norway wants to hold talks in Colombo Airport

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 September 2005, 13:22 GMT]
A press release issued from the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wednesday said that Norway has determined that the only possible venue to hold talks on improving the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is Colombo International Airport. The Sri Lankan Government has maintained that it wants the meeting to be held in Sri Lanka, while the LTTE has repeated its preference for Kilinochchi or a venue outside Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, the Norwegian FM has called an extraordinary meeting of the Sri Lanka co-chairs in New York on 19 September, the press release added.
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New Police division will address Women,
Children welfare- Nadesan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 September 2005, 09:30 GMT]
"We have established a new division in our Police Force to focus on the welfare of Women and children in the NorthEast. This division will play a visible role in ensuring that the rights of women and children are protected, and will augment and operate at the same level to the existing five divisions under my leadership," said Tamileelam Chief of Police, Mr Nadesan when TamilNet talked to him on the progress of law and order enforcement in the NorthEast.
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TNA representatives meet UN envoy

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 September 2005, 04:23 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians, Mr. R. Sampanthan, Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, Mr. Gajendran Ponnambalam and Mr. M. K. Sivajilingam on Tuesday met Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, the Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General Mr. Kofi Annan, in Colombo.
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Myliddy IDP families demand resettlement

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 September 2005, 17:22 GMT]
Twenty-six displaced families from Myliddy area in Valigamam North division in Jaffna district Tuesday handed over memoranda to the head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Jaffna demanding that they should be allowed to resettle in their lands and houses now being occupied by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA). Each IDP family submitted a separate memorandum to the SLMM, civil sources in Jaffna said.
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Bullet riddled bodies of Tamil youths recovered in Ragama

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 September 2005, 17:07 GMT]
The bodies of two Tamil youths Mr. Kirupairasa Rupanraj, 23, and Mr. Muthuvel Jegatheeswaran, 19, natives of Almkerny, Kinniya division in Trincomalee district were recovered with gunshot injuries Tuesday morning by Ragama Police in Western Province. The two youths were abducted Monday night around 10 p.m. from Ragama, northeast of Colombo.
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JVP, SLFP alliance spells disaster for Sri Lanka - Wickremesinghe

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 September 2005, 11:05 GMT]
Leader of Sri Lanka's opposition and the presidential candidate of the United National Party (UNP), Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, on Tuesday warned that to prevent Sri Lanka plunging into chaos NorthEast crisis need to be addressed and solved urgently. The alliance between the SLFP and the JVP on Sri Lanka's presidency will exacerbate political and economical woes facing Sri Lanka, he said. "This alliance will isolate the country from the International community. The JVP is beating the war drums, and if there is another war it will bring disaster to Sri Lanka," Mr. Wickremesinghe warned.
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