TRO donates computer to Muslim council

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 May 2005, 00:41 GMT]
Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) Saturday donated a computer and printer to the Kinniya Jamiethul Ulama (Muslim Theologian) Council to strengthen its administrative capacity in supporting tsunami rehabilitation and reconstruction activities, sources said. The Muslim dominated Kinniya divisional secretariat division is the worst affected in tsunami disaster in the Trincomalee district.
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Clinton meets TRO Director in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 May 2005, 15:24 GMT]
Mr. K.P. Regi, Executive Director of the Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), met with former US President Bill Clinton at a meeting of the UN agencies and Civil Society organisations working in Sri Lanka Saturday, sources in Colombo said. The meeting took place at Trans Asia Hotel at 4.30 PM in Colombo.
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Clinton expresses support for Joint Mechanism

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 May 2005, 11:05 GMT]
Expressing shock at the scale of damage caused by tsunami devastation, visiting UN's Special Envoy on tsunami relief, former US President Bill Clinton expressed support for the urgent need for a Joint Mechanism on Saturday when he met with North East Provincial Governor Mr.Tyronne Fernando, Ministers, Government officials and the representatives from local and foreign NGOs at Carmel Fatima College in Kalmunai. Security measures were tightened in Kalmunai. Dialog Cellphone links were cut off in Kalmunai from 19.00 PM Friday till 2 PM Saturday in Kalmunai, Police sources told TamilNet.
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SLMM acting head meets with paramilitary officials in East

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 May 2005, 15:45 GMT]
Mr. Hagrup Haukland, the acting head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) met on Friday with officials from the paramilitary EPDP, PLOTE and EPRLF (V) groups in the East. The meeting took place in SLMM District office located at Lake Road, Batticaloa between 13.10 PM and 14.10 PM.
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Village Development discussions held in Sinnadampan

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 May 2005, 11:11 GMT]
Village development discussion organized by Vavuniya North Pre-School Development Organization and Nedunkerni Development and Rehabilitation Organization was held Thursday at 2 pm at the Sinnadampan Common Hall, sources said. Pre School teachers, Director of Social Welfare and other officials visited several households in Sinnadampan to discuss issues specific to the households between 8.30 am and noon before the general meeting.
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All accused in Bindunuwewa massacre case discharged

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 May 2005, 10:25 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court (SC) Friday acquitted all the remaining four accused who had been sentenced to death in the Bindunuwewa rehabilitation massacre case, stating that there was no direct evidence to implicate them with the crime. Five- member bench of the SC comprised Justices T.B.Weerasuriya, Nihal Jayasinghe, N.K.Udalagama, N.E.Dissanayake and Raja Fernando delivered the order acquitting the accused-appellants, Sepala Dissanayake, M.A.Sammy, R.M.Premananda and Senaka Jayampathy Karunaratne, former officer-in-charge of the Bindunuwewa Police, legal sources said.
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Memorial service for Sivaram to be held in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 May 2005, 09:48 GMT]
A thanksgiving service for late Dharmeratnam Sivaram (11 August 1959 - 28 April 2005), popular military analyst and senior member of TamilNet editorial board, who was abducted and killed on 28 April, is to be held on Saturday at St.Andrews Scots Kirk (church) located in Colpetty, Colombo, family members said.
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Elilan appeals to Trinco residents to remain calm

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 May 2005, 17:15 GMT]
Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Thursday appealed to all Tamil civil groups in the district and elsewhere in the northeast province to be calm and to maintain patience. He further urged them not to stage general shut down till June 2 as the government authorities have given positive assurance in regard to the controversial Buddha statue issue, sources said.


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Muttur residents protest against SLA's embargo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 May 2005, 05:53 GMT]
A large number of Tamil civilians participated in protest marches held Wednesday in areas of LTTE controlled Muttur east and Eachchilampathu division in the sourthern Trincomalee district, demanding the immediate removal of ban on transporting cement, building materials and fuel through Sri Lanka Army (SLA) checkpoints at Kaddaiparichchan and Mahindapura, sources said.
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Attorney General to join Trinco fray

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 May 2005, 20:57 GMT]
The support of the Attorney General should be sought by the Special Commissioner of the Trincomalee Urban Council (UC) to implement a court order to temporarily remove a controversial Buddha statue and other unlawful religious structures in the eastern port town, officials decided Wednesday. The reason for the AG’s involvement was not clear, sources said.
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Sri Lanka blames ‘outside forces, extremists’ for Trinco tension

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 May 2005, 20:46 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government Wednesday expressed its concern over the tense situation in Trincomalee due to the controversial Buddha statue and stated that it is “committed to arriving at a solution that would be just and fair by all concerned and in conformity of the law.” The government blamed “outside forces” and “extremist elements” for the tension.
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‘Joint mechanism, trust fund part of peace process’

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 May 2005, 20:37 GMT]
The proposed Joint Mechanism and the Trust Fund for post-tsunami management are part of efforts to resume the Sri Lankan peace process, the European Union’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr. Wouter Wilton, said Wednesday when he met with the Liberation Tigers in Kilinochi.
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LTTE urges UNHCR over refugees in India

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 May 2005, 20:31 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Wednesday urged the UN's Refugee Agency to take steps to ensure the safe passage of Tamil refugees in India seeking repatriation to their homes in Sri Lanka. The matter was discussed when the Head of the LTTE Political Wing, Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan, met with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative in Sri Lanka, Mr. Rajiv Kapur, in Kilinochchi on Wednesday.
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Court reaffirms order on Buddha statue case

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 May 2005, 18:10 GMT]
Mr.M.Ganesharajah Trincomalee Magistrate and Additional District Judge Wednesday reaffirmed his earlier judgement on the controversial Buddha statue in Trincomalee bus stand and directed that the Police should continue its effort with the co-operation of the Urban Council administration in regard to the temporary removal of the statue and against unlawful structures of other faiths, legal sources said.


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HRW laments Tamil killings

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 May 2005, 04:57 GMT]
Saying that ongoing killings and abductions throughout Sri Lanka have created “a climate of fear among Tamils across the country,” Human Rights Watch (HRW) Tuesday called for “the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry into the killings and abductions in order to identify those responsible and recommend measures to end the abuses.”
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Trinco former UC Chairman Suriyamoorthy dies

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 May 2005, 04:47 GMT]
Mr.Periyapodi Suriyamoorthy, former Chairman of the Trincomalee Urban Council Wednesday early morning around 5.30 a.m. succumbed to gunshot injuries in the Colombo national hospital exactly after a week he was shot at on May 18 Wednesday night by unidentified gunmen in his Trincomalee residence, family sources said.
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Karuna Group cadres remanded in Puttalam

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 May 2005, 04:42 GMT]
Four armed members of the Karuna Group and their driver who were arrested by Sri Lanka police last Sunday in Saliyaveva region of Amparai district were remanded in custody until 8 June by Acting Magistrate for Puttalam, Tamil press reports said.


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Army intelligence not to be questioned in Sivaram killing

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 May 2005, 23:03 GMT]
The senior police officer tasked with investigating the abduction and murder last month of Tamil political columnist and military analyst, Dharmeratnam Sivaram, said Tuesday that he would not interview military officials simply on the basis of allegations. Senior Superintendent of Police, Crime Division, Sarath Lugoda, was apathetic over the high profile murder, listeners to his interview by the BBC (Sinhala) service said.
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Fears for safety of Veerakesari associate editor

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 May 2005, 18:24 GMT]
Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF) said Tuesday it is “extremely concerned” about the safety of Vediwel Thevaraj, associate editor of the Tamil daily Veerakesari, who has received death threats.
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Trinco LTTE political activists threatened by soldiers- Elilan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 May 2005, 17:20 GMT]
Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Tuesday lodged a complaint with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission in the Trincomalee district that a group of soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) had threatened two cadres of the LTTE when they were engaged in political activities in Orr's Hill area, a suburb in the east port town Tuesday afternoon, sources said.
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