Vepankulam shooting, gross misuse of power- Judge

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 November 2004, 08:53 GMT]
Vavuniya district Judge M Ilancheliyan issued orders on Monday to Sri Lanka Army Commander of Vanni region and to the 211st Division Commander to assist the Police investigations relating to the shooting at the Tamil Marty’s Day celebrations in Verpankulam , legal sources said. Use of T-56 type weapons to disperse crowds when the Emergency Regulations is not in force will be seen as ''gross misuse of power,'' the Judge said.
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Navy, Army chiefs meet Trincomalee civil, religious leaders

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 November 2004, 08:45 GMT]
Rear Admiral Daya Sandagiri, Chief of Defence Staff and the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy Tuesday morning met a group of religious dignitaries of all faiths and civil leaders representing all communities in Trincomalee town. Chief of Defence Staff said he and the SLA Commander had come to Trincomalee to review the current security situation in the east port town, which witnessed several violent incidents on Monday and to make necessary steps to bring normalcy. Religious and civil leaders expressed their opinions on how to bring normalcy in the troubled town.
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Tamil Media Alliance holds award ceremony

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 November 2004, 16:59 GMT]
Former news editor of Virakesari and Sudaroli newspaper Mr. S. Edward won the Senior Journalist award during the annual award ceremony held by Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA) at the Wellwatte Ramakrishna Mission Hall Sunday, sources in Colombo said.
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SLN, SLA chiefs arrive in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 November 2004, 15:34 GMT]
Rear Admiral Daya Sandagiri, Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy and the Chief of Armed Forces and Major General Shantha Kottegoda, Commander of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) are reported to have arrived in Trincomalee Monday evening to assess the security situation in the east port town on the instruction of the Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge following violent incidents that have taken place Monday, Colombo security sources said.


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Sinhala mob attempts to destroy Eelam cut-out during hartal

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 November 2004, 08:37 GMT]
Trincomalee Police Monday morning dispersed a group of Sinhalese that was attempting to pull down the large Tamil Eelam cutout erected in front of the Paththirakali Ambal Temple, during the general shut down in the eastern port town Monday. The cutout was erected in the heart of Trincomalee to mark the Heroes Day celebrations week. The cut-out is still standing, police said.
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Trincomalee town under 18-hour curfew

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 November 2004, 06:42 GMT]
Sri Lanka Police clamped a curfew for eighteen-hours in Trincomalee town and its suburbs from Monday noon till Tuesday morning 6 a.m. following sporadic violent incidents reported from various parts of the town during the general shut down called by the Tamil Peoples Forum of the Trincomalee district in protest to the killings and assault on Tamil civilians in the Tamil districts of the northeast by members of the State armed forces.
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Court delays Mirusuvil massacre inquiry

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 November 2004, 01:20 GMT]
The Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar inquiry into the Mirusuvil massacre case which was to resume Monday, 22 November, is to be delayed further with the murder of the High Court Judge Mr.Sarath Ambepitiya, legal sources said.


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NY Tamils celebrate Heroes Day

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 November 2004, 17:13 GMT]
Residents of New York and surrounding counties celebrated Heroes Day at Queens High School in Queens, New York, Saturday evening, event organizers said. Flag of the United States and of Tamil Eelam were jointly hoisted at the beginning of the event. Cultural events were held following floral tributes by the attendees to the memorial to 'Maaveerar' setup on stage.
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Colombo's new proposal aims to hurt NorthEast education- paper

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 November 2004, 13:58 GMT]
"Educational planning is Sri Lanka is not oriented towards the benefit of all its citizens, but is used as an instrument to suppress the progress of Tamils," said Uthayan in an editorial Thursday criticizing Sri Lanka Government's attempt to reintroduce merit system when the Northeast education is suffering from devastation of war. "When Tamils captured more places under the merit system, the SriLankan Government introduced the district quota system, and now when the Tamils are highly dependent on the district quota system the Government is out to topple this avenue," the editorial added.
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Children's Home gets Computer Training Center

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 November 2004, 12:42 GMT]
A computer-training centre was opened in "Anbu Illam," a leading children's home in the heart of Trincomalee town to provide computer education to resident children, administrators of the home, the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) officials said.
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TNA MP demands return of occupied houses in Vankalai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 November 2004, 12:14 GMT]
Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan, Vanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, Sunday wrote to the acting Defence Minister Mr.Ratnasiri Wickremanayake to take immediate steps to hand over houses in Vankalai in Mannar district now being occupied by the Sri Lanka Police to the displaced owners who have returned to their village for resettlement since the signing of the ceasefire agreement.
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Trincomalee to observe general shut down

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 November 2004, 12:13 GMT]
Tamil Peoples Forum of Trincomalee District Sunday issued an appeal to the Tamils in the east port town to observe a one-day general shut down Monday condemning violent attacks on innocent Tamil civilians during the Maveerar Week celebrations in the Tamil districts of northeast province by members of State armed forces and chauvinist elements, sources said.
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TECH donates solar systems to educational institutions

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 November 2004, 01:01 GMT]
As the first phase of a plan to donate 50 solar lighting systems, The Economic Consultancy House (TECH), a Non-Governmental Non-Profit Sharing Organization registered with the Government of Sri Lanka, at its Oddusuddan offices Friday, gave away nine complete systems to community educational establishments that conduct classes at night, sources from Vanni said.
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UPFA's maiden budget passes

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 November 2004, 17:42 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament Saturday evening adopted the maiden budget of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) with a majority of 34 votes, 126 parliamentarians voting for and 92 against it. Only 218 members of 225 were present in parliament at the time of voting, parliamentary sources said.


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Sampanthan's son, aide injured in attack by Sinhala group

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 November 2004, 17:31 GMT]
Ramesh Senthooran, youngest son of Mr.R.Sampanthan, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group leader and his aide Mr.Gopal were injured in an attack by a group of Sinhalese believed to be members of a Sinhala political party, at Srimavopura, a Sinhala settlement located about 2 km off north of east port town in Uppuveli area on Saturday night around 7 p.m. The injured were warded in the Trincomalee general hospital, police said.
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TNA faults SLA for violence in Tamil districts

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 November 2004, 15:53 GMT]
"Unwarranted interference by the armed forces in the lives of the Tamil civilian population in the North-East must be brought to an end," said Mr.R.Sampanthan, leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group in a statement of national public importance tabled in Parliament Saturday in regard to several violent incidents that had taken place in the districts of Jaffna, Mannar, Vavuniya and in Trincomalee during Heroes Day week.
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TNA MPs bring Heroes' Day event to Lanka's parliament

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 November 2004, 15:06 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Saturday around 6.35 evening (Wanni time) created history in the Sri Lanka's parliament by lighting the flame of sacrifice to mark the conclusion of the Heroes Day (Maveerar Week), parliamentary sources said.
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Tamil Tigers will launch freedom struggle if peace talks are further delayed - LTTE leader

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 November 2004, 12:39 GMT]
The leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Mr Velupillai Pirapaharan, in his annual statement marking Heroes’ Day, cautioned the Sri Lanka government that his organisation would be compelled to launch the freedom struggle of the Tamil nation if peace talks were further delayed and the suffering of his people continued. In an urgent appeal the LTTE leader called upon the Government of Sri Lanka to resume the peace talks, without conditions, on the basis of the Interim Self-Governing Authority as proposed by his organisation.
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North East celebrates Martyrs Day

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 November 2004, 10:57 GMT]
Towns, villages, remotest hamlets in the NorthEast are gaily decorated with yellow and red flags and cut outs depicting the Tamil liberation struggle observing the final day of the 'Maaveerar Naal' (Heroes Day) celebrations Saturday. The much avaited annual speech by LTTE leader Mr. V. Pirapaharan is to take place 5.40 P.M. Tamil Eelam time. The speech is also to be broadcast live by Tamil Television Network (TTN) worldwide live at 01.20 P.M (CET).
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Sri Lanka Cease Fire becoming irrelevant – Tamil MP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 November 2004, 10:30 GMT]
The Cease Fire Agreement would become increasingly irrelevant if there is not going to be any progress on the peace process, warned Tamil Parliamentarian Mr. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam speaking on the on the second reading of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Government’s first (2005) Budget on Saturday. “The Tamil people’s overwhelming desire for peace should not be allowed to be taken for granted. Our repeated recommitment to the ceasefire is being misinterpreted by this government to be a sign of weakness”, the MP said.
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