Tamil Media Alliance condemns Sivaram's murder

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 April 2005, 14:12 GMT]
Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTA) Friday condemned the murder of journalist Dharmeratnam Sivaram and said that the death threatens media freedom in Sri Lanka. "Especially the discovery of the body in a high security zone closer to the symbol of democracy, the Sri Lanka parliament, sends a chilling message to the journalists who are already working in an atmosphere of fear," the statement added.
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NESOHR: Yet another blow to press freedom in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 April 2005, 12:49 GMT]
Pointing out that none of the cases of journalist murders in Sri Lanka for the past two decades have been solved, North East Secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR) said: "Abduction and murder of well known journalist Dhramaratnam Sivaram in the capital city Colombo on Thursday April 29th 2005 is yet another blow to the non-existing press freedom in Sri Lanka and yet another nail on the coffin of the dying democracy in Sri Lanka. It is a telling symbolism that he was abducted in front of a police station in Colombo and his body was found only 500 meters behind the parliamentary complex."
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Batticaloa burial planned for slain journalist

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 April 2005, 12:48 GMT]
Sivaram's body will be buried according to Sivaram's wishes in Batticaloa, at the family burial grounds where his parents' bodies lie in rest, a relative organizing the funeral arrangements said. Viewing is to be held in Colombo at Sivaram's residence in Ratmalana and the body is to be taken to Batticaloa Sunday for Monday's funeral,
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RSF ‘revolted’ at Sivaram’s murder

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 April 2005, 12:19 GMT]
Reporters Sans Frontières (Reporters Without Borders) Friday said it was revolted at the brutal killing of well known journalist and military analyst Dharmeratnam Sivaram who was abducted in front of a Colombo police stations Thursday night. Describing Mr. Sivaram as a “brilliant journalist”, RSF said he was targeted because of his “uncompromising coverage of the political and military situation” in Sri Lanka.
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Journalist Sivaram murdered

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 April 2005, 02:37 GMT]
The body of abducted journalist Mr Dharmeratnam Sivaram was found with severe head injuries in Himbulala, a Sinhala suburb between Jayawardhenapura hospital and the Parliament building in Colombo Friday morning. The location is about 500 meters behind the parliamentary complex and lies inside a high security zone. Mr Sivaram, a senior editorial board member of TamilNet, was abducted Thursday evening around 10.30 PM by unidentified persons in front of the Bambalapitya Police Station in Colombo.
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Journalist Sivaram abducted

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 April 2005, 18:31 GMT]
Mr. Sivaram Dharmeratnam, 46, a senior editorial board member of TamilNet was abducted at around 10.30 PM by a group of unidentified men in front of a restaurant in Bambalapitiya, Colombo, according to reliable media persons in Colombo. A Sinhala journalist who has been in touch with the HIRU newspaper said that four unidentified persons, who were standing in front of the Bambalapitya Police Station, got into an ash coloured Toyota SUV type of vehicle and pulled Mr. Sivaram into the vehicle and drove off. 9.30pm was the last time Mr. Sivaram was in touch with TamilNet.
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Muttur residents protest against cement ban

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 April 2005, 13:45 GMT]
A large number of Tamil civilians including men, women and children Thursday morning held a protest march from Ganeshapuram junction in the LTTE held Muttur east villages to the Sri Lanka Army held Kaddaiparichchan area in the Trincomalee district demanding that the ban imposed on the transportation of cement and other related building materials should be withdrawn immediately enabling the non-governmental organizations to continue the rebuilding of houses destroyed in tsunami disaster. The Muttur East Peoples' Union (MEPU) organized the protest, sources said.
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SLA ban on cement spotlighted at Trinco tsunami event

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 April 2005, 01:18 GMT]
Speaking at a cultural event Wednesday organized by the Provincial Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs to mark the fourth month after tsunami disaster, Mr.Puratchi, Head of the Trincomalee District Students Front of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), said that Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has imposed ban on transporting cement, sand and other building materials to the LTTE controlled areas to rebuild houses destroyed in tsunami. NorthEast Province Governor, Mr.Tyronne Fernando, attended the event held in Trincomalee St.Joseph's College auditorium.
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Joint mechanism will give new life to ISGA- JVP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 April 2005, 15:14 GMT]
Mr.Somawanse Amerasinghe, leader of the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a major constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government said Tuesday at a press briefing in Colombo that the proposed Joint Mechanism (JM) with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) will be a stepping-stone for the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) for NorthEast, sources said.
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"Thanthai" Chelva death anniversary observed in NorthEast

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 April 2005, 13:24 GMT]
Twenty eighth-death anniversary of late Mr.S.J.V. Chelvanayakam (1898-1977), prominent leader of the Tamil people for more than three decades of his life and fondly called as "Thanthai (Father)" was observed in Trincomalee, Jaffna and several parts of the northeast province Tuesday, sources said.
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Governor suspends WPC to avert UPFA crisis

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 April 2005, 10:23 GMT]
Mr.Alavi Mowlana, Governor of Western Province Tuesday by extra ordinary gazette notification suspended the functions of the Western Provincial Council (WPC) till May 17th to avert a major political crisis between the constituent political parties, Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, political sources said.
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Paramilitary cadre killed, associate abducted

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 April 2005, 18:33 GMT]
A cadre of the paramilitary ‘Karuna Group’ was killed and his Singhalese colleague was abducted by gunmen in Karapola, an interior Tamil village in Polannaruwa district close to Batticaloa border, around 4.30 p.m. Monday. Police sources in the area said that the gunmen had fired on the victims who were in a house in Karapola. The Karuna Group cadre, who was seriously injured, died on admission to the Polannaruwa Base Hospital, according to Police.
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Minister says no administrative power to LTTE in joint mechanism

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 April 2005, 14:36 GMT]
Mr.Nimal Sripala de Silva, a senior Minister in the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, said that the proposed joint mechanism would not confer any administrative powers to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). "Sinhala people need not get perturbed over the propaganda that such mechanism would undermine the sovereignty and integrity of Sri Lanka," he said addressing a meeting in Galle Sunday evening sources said.


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‘SLFP campaign a time buying tactic’ – Gajendrakumar

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 April 2005, 13:09 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Monday dismissed the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) campaign to explain the Joint Mechanism for distributing Tsunami aid in the northeast as “a time buying tactic to gloss over the fact that it cannot overcome JVP’s strident opposition”. SLFP General Secretary Mr. Maithripala Sirisena said this weekend his party will hold a series of seminars to educate its membership about the proposed joint mechanism. “These seminars are the way out for the SLFP leadership which wants to show donor countries that it is committed to a joint mechanism with the Tamils while saving its alliance with the JVP”, Mr. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam TNA MP for Jaffna told TamilNet.
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ORCHARD aims to bring children's homes under one administration

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 April 2005, 10:20 GMT]
Organization for Restructuring Children Homes And (their) Rehabilitation and Development (ORCHARD), an arm of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) in the northeast province held its second annual general meeting in Trincomalee Anbu Illam hall Saturday with Rev.Fr.Francis Xavier, President of the ORCHARD in the chair, sources said. Mr.R.Sampanthan, Trincomalee district parliamentarian and the leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) was the chief guest.


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GTZ assists psychosocial counselling in NE schools

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 April 2005, 02:40 GMT]
The German Agency for Technical Co-operation (GTZ) of the German Ministry of Economic Co-operation and Development has donated about 3.1 million rupees worth of playing tools, building blocks, musical toys, puzzles, chess boards and sport equipments to support psycho social counselling in schools in five education zones, Akkaraipattu, Batticaloa, Kalmunai, Mullaitivu and Vadamaradchchi in the northeast province, sources said.
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SLFP launches campaign to promote Joint Mechanism

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 April 2005, 14:26 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, Sunday launched a two day-awareness campaign in Sri Lanka's South explaining the positive aspects of the proposed joint mechanism expected to be signed with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to disburse funds provided by several international aid agencies and foreign governments to reconstruct tsunami affected areas in the northeast, sources said.
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NGOs fund new boat yard and pre-school in Muttur East

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 April 2005, 03:06 GMT]
Cooperazione Internazionale Sud-Sud (CISS), an Italian Non-Governmental Organization, is providing financial support for the construction of a new boat building yard in Eachchilampathu division to supply fibre glass boats to tsunami affected fishermen. The project was initiated by the Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) Saturday with Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Trincomalee district parliamentarian, laying the foundation stone, sources said.
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Discussion on making documentary on Vali North IDPs

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 April 2005, 15:38 GMT]
A discussion was held at the Tellipalai Divisional Secretary’s office in Jaffna Saturday to prepare a documentary on the plight of the thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Valigamam North division of the northern peninsula. The IDPs homes, villages and entire towns in the division were garrisoned by the Sri Lankan armed forces fifteen years ago. “The documentary will be aimed at drawing the world’s attention to the long suffering of IDPs who lost their homes to the Sri Lankan military”, Mr. T. Ganesh, President of Valigamam North public organizations told TamilNet.
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Book on ethnic conflict released in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 April 2005, 11:53 GMT]
A Tamil book written by well-known political analyst, Mr. C.A.Jothilingam, titled "Ethnic Conflict and Proposals for Political Solution" was released and introduced to the Trincomalee audience at an event held Friday evening in Trincomalee Town Hall. Mr.K.Sivapalan, Human Rights activist, presided the event.


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