Anti-War Front to organize national conference in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 December 2004, 14:12 GMT]
National Anti War Front (NAWF), an umbrella organization of thirteen trade unions is to hold a regional conference on January 22 at Anuradhapura in the north central province and a national conference in Colombo Sugathathasa Stadium on February 26 to exert pressure on the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) to take forward the stalled peace process, said Mr.Bertie Ranaweerage, one of the convenors of the project.
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Thirteen Tamil refugees surrender in Mannar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 December 2004, 11:18 GMT]
Mannar Magistrate Mr.M.N.M.Abdulla Tuesday ordered the civil authorities to send all thirteen Tamil refugees who returned from India after fourteen years in refugee camps to their respective villages in the districts of Jaffna, Mannar and Vavuniya, legal sources said.
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Seized heroin, ganja destroyed in Mannar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 December 2004, 11:17 GMT]
A consignment of three and a half kilo of heroin and three and a half kilo of ganja seized by the vigilant group of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) when being smuggled into the island during the weekend was destroyed in the presence of public in the heart of Pesalai police division in Mannar district Tuesday around noon, civil sources said.
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HRCSL lacks teeth, says Human Rights activist

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 December 2004, 03:18 GMT]
"Lawmakers of the country should give teeth to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka to implement its determination on violation of human rights. Presently the HRCSL is only empowered to submit its recommendation on human right violation complaints. That's why the violation of human rights are on the increase", said Mr.K.Sivapalan, leading human rights activist and Attorney-at-Law when addressing the Universal Human Rights day event in Trincomalee Hindu Cultural Hall Sunday.
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RSF says concerned over attacks on Tamil media

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 December 2004, 21:12 GMT]
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Monday voiced concern over threats to the news media in the war-torn north and east of Sri Lanka after a Tamil-language daily newspaper and the premises of a radio and TV group were the targets of violent attacks two days apart. RSF said in a statement that the attacks not only posed a threat to journalists but also denied the public reasonable access to news and information. It called for thorough investigations to identify and punish those responsible.
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Norwegian peace envoy arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 December 2004, 14:31 GMT]
Mr.Erik Solheim, special envoy to the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, arrived in Colombo Monday evening. Mr. Solheim will have meetings with President Chandrika Kumarathunghe, the opposition leader Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe, representatives of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), according to the Norwegian Embassy sources in Colombo. Mr. Solheim is scheduled to meet with the LTTE Political Head, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, on Wednesday.
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Funeral held for Tamil scholar Sokkan

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 December 2004, 13:48 GMT]
The cremation of late veteran Tamil scholar Mr.K.Sokkalingam, fondly called "Sokkan" took place amid torrential rain in Chemmani Hindu cemetery Monday evening. Large number of people of all walks of life bade farewell to the departed Tamil educationist who rendered invaluable service to the development of Tamil language and its literature for more than four decades.
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‘No Karuna group, only SLA psy ops’ –Kausalyan

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 December 2004, 04:47 GMT]
“Sri Lanka military intelligence has from time to time unleashed brutal state terror in the East, using individuals and paramilitary groups such as PLOTE Mohan and Razeek group. There is no Karuna group operating in the East now. The recent violence in the East in the name of ‘Karuna group’ is a continuation of this state terror by the SLA,” said Mr. E. Kausalyan, the political wing leader of the Liberation Tigers in the East, speaking to journalists at the LTTE secretariat in Kokkadicholai Saturday.
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Sokkan demise irreparable loss to Tamil nation - LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 December 2004, 22:57 GMT]
The Political wing of the LTTE in its condolence message Saturday said that it honourd Vidwan Sokkan by declaring him Patriot (Natup Patralar). He worked hard in his old age too to mould a new generation that should dedicate for the development of Tamil language and literature, the condolence message added.
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Ensuring Language Rights a must to resolve conflict- Collure

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 December 2004, 14:46 GMT]
"Until the language rights of Tamil people enshrined in the Statute are implemented in true spirit, no satisfactory solution to the conflict between the two communities can be found," said Mr.Raja Collure, Chairman of the Official Languages Department inaugurating a special Tamil language-training course for police personnel in Colombo Friday.
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UPFA budget passed by 105-vote majority

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 December 2004, 18:57 GMT]
Sri Lanka parliament Friday evening adopted the maiden budget for 2005 of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government with a majority of 105 votes at the third reading following the conclusion of committee stage debate, parliamentary sources said.
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Veteran Tamil educationist "Sokkan" dies

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 December 2004, 16:41 GMT]
Mr. Kanthapachettiyar Sokkalingam fondly called as "Sokkan" passed away peacefully at the age of seventy-seven Friday afternoon in Jaffna. Jaffna University recently conferred Honorary Doctorate of Literature on him for his invaluable services he rendered to the development of Tamil literature and Tamil language for more than four decades.
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Human rights of Tamils denied in "No war, No peace situation" - JDCHA

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 December 2004, 14:38 GMT]
The Jaffna District Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies (JDCHA) Friday accused the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) that it has failed to address the needs of aggrieved persons in the NorthEast. JDCHA reminded that the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) is a signatory to the UN optional protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The need of the hour is a pragmatic approach by the HRCSL to arrest the deteriorating law and order, it noted.
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Colombo continues to violate Tamils’ rights- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 December 2004, 13:09 GMT]
“We have established a system of government that upholds and protects the fundamental rights of our people in regions under our control in the northeast. Our judiciary and Police are committed a society based on the Rule of Law in which our people can enjoy their freedoms and pursue their interests with self respect. But in areas held by the Sri Lankan government its armed forces continue to violate the rights of the Tamil people," said Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, head of the political wing of the Liberation Tigers addressing a meeting to mark International Human Rights Day in Kilinochchi Friday.
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Give urgent priority to ISGA, IFT tells Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 December 2004, 11:23 GMT]
Noting that the the proposal to resume Talks based on ISGA was accepted by the previous Government of Sri Lanka at the end of six rounds of talks and much deliberations between parties, the International Federation of Tamils (IFT), a consortium of expatriate Tamil organizations based in Geneva, in a press statement issued Friday warned that the present government’s suggestions to include ISGA proposals "as part of the final conclusion of the broad-based Talks" may provide for "misleading, prevaricating and ultimately sabotaging the Tamil people’s struggle for equality and justice."
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Mothers of disappeared hold prayer on HR day in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 December 2004, 11:17 GMT]
Members of Jaffna Mothers' Front (JMF) and Jaffna District Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies (JDCHA) Friday morning till afternoon held a prayer in front of the regional office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) after lighting the flame in remembrance of their sons and daughters who disappeared after being arrested by the government security forces in Jaffna and its suburbs during 1996-1997 period, civil sources said.
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Grenade thrown again at Batticaloa Thinakural office

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 December 2004, 07:19 GMT]
Two unidentified persons who came in a motorbike threw a grenade into the Eastern Regional office of the popular Tamil daily Thinakkural at 12.10 p.m Friday. The grenade didn't explode, but two senior staff suffered minor injuries caused by fragments of window glass that were broken by the grenade.


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Women protest against new army sentry points in Trinco

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 December 2004, 04:42 GMT]
Hundreds of Tamil women in Trincomalee Thursday protested in front of the Trincomalee office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) demanding the removal of new sentry points established by the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) following the violent incidents on 2 December in the east port town, sources said.
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Sri Lanka army permits hinder Kalmadu resettlement

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 December 2004, 15:41 GMT]
Refugee families that resettled in Kalmadu, 15 kilometres northwest of Vavuniya, said Thursday that rebuilding their lives is difficult because they have to obtain special permits from the Sri Lanka army for access to their fields. The village was destroyed in a Sri Lanka army operation in 1999. The villagers of Kalmadu lost all their belongings when they fled the war. They returned in late 2002, many months after Colombo signed a cease fire agreement (CFA) with the Liberation Tigers.
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HIV/AIDS awareness seminar held in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 December 2004, 14:25 GMT]
"Students of the east port town should exercise constraint in their sexual behaviours and should not fall to prey to the deadly disease. Six persons have already been affected by HIV/AIDS affected in Trincomalee district," warned Dr.E.G.Gnanagunalan, President of the Trincomalee district branch of the Sri Lanka Red Cross (SLRC) and a senior medical officer of the provincial ministry of health addressing a seminar for students held Wednesday in the Trincomalee Town Hall to mark the International HIV/ AIDS Day.
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