NE rural development officers' workshop concluded

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 September 2005, 18:13 GMT]
Four-day residential training programme for district and divisional level Tamil medium rural development officers (RDO) in the Northeast province, held under the auspices of the Provincial Department of Rural Development in the Provincial Guest House in Trincomalee, concluded Monday. RDOs from all the districts in the province participated in the workshop.
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TRO-USA appeals for funds to help Katrina victims

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 September 2005, 12:37 GMT]
Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO-USA), head quartered in Cumberland, Maryland, posted an appeal in its website, soliciting funds to help the victims of hurricane Katrina which hit New Orleans, Louisiana displacing 220,000 people and killing several thousands. "TRO is very grateful of the tremendous help provided by American people during Tsunami and wishes to express its sympathy for the victims of Katrina and encourages all to help with Katrina relief efforts," the posting on the website said.
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Pirapaharan felicitates Nitharsanam cinema artists

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 September 2005, 11:37 GMT]
Leader of Liberation Tigers, V Pirapaharan, felicitated the directors and artists at the "Eerath thee (Wet conflagration)" film release ceremony held at the Nitharsanam conference hall in Kilinochchi Sunday, sources from Kilinochchi said. The film was produced by LTTE Women's wing under the direction of Ms Nimala, and depicts the historical growth of Black Tigers.
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JVP announces conditional support to Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 September 2005, 07:20 GMT]
The Sinhala extreme nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna on Monday announced its conditional support to Sri Lankan PM and the presidential candidate Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse with twelve demands. The main demands put forward by the JVP were: nullify P-TOMS, commitment to unitary state, revise the February 2002 Cease Fire Agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and review the Norwegian role in the peace process. The JVP announced its conditional support to Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse Monday morning in a press conference held at National Library in Colombo. According to JVP, a "policy agreement" was already reached between Mr. Rajapakse and the JVP.
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Direct talks with Pirapaharan, a Day Dream- TNA MP

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 September 2005, 18:58 GMT]
"Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse is `day dreaming' when he says he will speak directly to the LTTE supremo to settle the ethnic issue," said Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian Joseph Pararajasingham criticizing the nonchalant attitude of Mr Rajapakse at the beginning of his campaign for Sri Lanka's Presidency.


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SLMC leader meets UN special envoy

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 September 2005, 17:56 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) said Sunday that the discussion it held with UN special envoy Mr.Lakhdar Brahimi for about an hour has given confidence that the Muslim community would also be made a party in the future peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
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UN special envoy arrives in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 September 2005, 16:37 GMT]
United Nations special envoy Mr.Lakhdar Brahimi arrived in Colombo Friday night on a five-day visit. During his stay he is scheduled to meet Sri Lanka's President, Prime Minister, opposition leader and leaders of political parties, sources said.
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Devotees throng Nallur Chariot festival

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 September 2005, 10:11 GMT]
Devotees from across Sri Lanka and visiting expatriate Tamils Friday filled the temple premises at the Annual Chariot festival of Kandaswamy (Lord Murugan) Temple located in Nallur Jaffna turning Jaffna into a spiritual town. Hundreds of devotees performed ‘Angapirathshanam’ behind the big chariot carrying the chief deity, and women devotees carried pots with burning camphor, to fulfil vows made during the year.
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Tamil businessman shot and killed in Wennapuwa

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 September 2005, 07:19 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen shot and killed Mr.Naguleswaran, 37, a tile factory owner at his residence in Wennapuwa, a town in Chilaw district in the North Western Province, around 8:30 a.m., Friday, police said.
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Tactical imperatives drive LTTE's responses - Balakumaran

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 September 2005, 02:22 GMT]
"Liberation Tigers' recent responses to emerging political issues are tactical, reflecting the organization's political maturity and the need to further expose to the international community, Government of Sri Lanka's inability to effectively address the Tamil National question," said Mr. K. V. Balakumaran, a senior LTTE member and former EROS leader, when TamilNet asked for his comment on the recent characterization by the Colombo press of LTTE "climbing down" on previously stated positions on issues.
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Jaffna journalists hold demonstration against attack on Tamil media

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 September 2005, 14:17 GMT]
Large number of journalists based in Jaffna district Thursday morning held a one-hour demonstration in the Jaffna central bus stand condemning the assault on journalists of Sudar Oli, Colombo Tamil daily and its offices at Wellawatte and Grandpass. The shouted slogans, carrying placards protesting against the government for not taking prompt action to safeguard the Tamil media in Colombo, sources said.
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Tens of thousands attend Tamil resurgence event in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 September 2005, 12:11 GMT]
Around one hundred thousand people from various parts of Vanni mainland took part in the Tamil national resurgence event held in Kilinochchi on Thursday. The event was held in support of the July 27 Vavuniya Convention and was organised by the Tamil Resurgence Task Force. The entire township was decorated with felicitation arches and yellow and red bi-colour flags with a festive appearance. "This event would inform the world that time is ripe for us to decide our own destiny," Mr. M. Sivabalan, president of the Task Force told TamilNet. The event ceremonially began at 4:00 p.m. in Kilinochchi common playground.
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US hands over sniffer dogs to SLA de-mining unit in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 August 2005, 18:21 GMT]
The USA government Tuesday handed 7 trained sniffer dogs to the De-Mining Unit of the Sri Lanka Army, which is stationed in the Palaly military base in Jaffna district. SLA troops Wednesday morning deployed these sniffer dogs to detect mines in the Avarankal east area.
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LTTE launches village level civil force in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 August 2005, 14:21 GMT]
Hundred-and-twenty persons passed out in the first batch of special trained village level civil force in Ganeshapuram Central Grounds on Tuesday in LTTE controlled Muttur East in the Trincomalee district. LTTE's Special Commander of Trincomalee, Col. Sornam, particiapted as the chief guest in the passing out ceremony of the first batch that completed a forty-five days' training. Deputy Head of the Tamileelam Police for the Trincomalee district, Mr. Semmanan, who presided the event said that training is being given to five thousand villagers in the district.
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Tamil refugees rescued from Mannar Sea sandbank

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 August 2005, 04:59 GMT]
Mannar Magistrate Mr.N.M.M.Abdullah Tuesday ordered the release of thirteen Tamil refugees returned from Tamilnadu in India and rescued by the Sri Lanka Navy from sandbank in the midsea.
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LTTE cadres, civilians attacked in Vaharai, one dead, three injured

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 August 2005, 09:03 GMT]
An LTTE cadre, Mr. Reagon, was killed and three persons including two civilians were injured when a group of Sri Lanka Army soldiers and paramilitary cadres, who had moved into the LTTE held area Kirimichchai in Vaharai from the SLA held Panichchankerni, shot at LTTE cadres and civilians, LTTE's Political Head in Batticaloa Mr. Ilanthirayan told TamilNet. The attack took place around 10:00 a.m. Tuesday morning. Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) officials in Batticaloa refused to provide any detail of their knowlegde of the incident. In the meantime, civilians close to Panichankerni SLA base witnessed a group of attackers with military fatigues enter the SLA base following the attack.
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Colombo Tamil daily bombed, one dead, three injured

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 August 2005, 13:22 GMT]
Unidentified attackers lobbed two grenades into the printing office of the Colombo Tamil daily Sudar Oli around 6:15 p.m. Monday. A security guard, Mr. David Selvaratnam,50, who was injured in the attack, succumbed to his woundsd at Colombo Hospital. A proof reader, a computer operator and a visitor from Deepam TV were also injured in the attack. The attackers sped away soon after they lobbed the grenades into the Sudaroli printing office located on Madampitiya Road at. Grandpass in Colombo.
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Trinco Tamil students boycott schools protesting army presence

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 August 2005, 10:12 GMT]
Tamil medium schools in the Trincomalee town did not function Monday when students boycotted their classes in a token protest to the presence of soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and the Sri Lanka Police surrounding their institutions in large number, TamilNet sources said.
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RDS members complain army harassment in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 August 2005, 20:26 GMT]
Officials of the Rural Development Societies (RDS) in the Trincomalee Town and Gravets Division Sunday complained that the presence of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers in large number is disrupting normal lives in their areas. Soldiers are conducting cordon and search operations during nights and walk into the Hindu temples with shoes, they said.
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Tools of trade supplied to tsunami victims in Nilaveli

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 August 2005, 16:20 GMT]
World University Service of Canada (WUSC) and Mercy Corps (MC), which has its headquarters in USA jointly, donated about 1.1 million rupees worth tools of trade (TOT) for 142 tsunami affected persons in six Grama Niladhari (village level) divisions in Nilaveli which is located about 16 km off north of Trincomalee town at an event held in Nilaveli Tamil Maha Vidiyalayam on Wednesday.
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