Akashi to meet JVP leaders

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 October 2004, 10:37 GMT]
Mr.Yasushi Akashi, Japanese special peace envoy who is scheduled to arrive in Colombo evening has agreed to meet the political leadership of the Sinhala nationalist-Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), major constituent of the United Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, during his seven day stay in Sri Lanka, State run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) reported in its news bulletin Wednesday.
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Seminar for Karate instructors begins in Trinco

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 October 2004, 02:20 GMT]
Ministry of Sports in collaboration with the North East Ministry of Sports Tuesday inaugurated a three-day seminar for Karate instructors in the eight districts of the province at the Mc Heyzer Stadium in Trincomalee. Mr.K.Ramachandran, Referee Counsellor of the Sri Lanka Karate Federation, is responsible for conducting the seminar, sport sources said.
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UNP against extension of Presidential term- Prof.Peiris

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 October 2004, 14:41 GMT]
UNP would take every possible step to stop Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumarathunge's move to extend her Presidency through a referendum by extra-constitutional means for another term, said UNP's media spokesman and former Constitutional Affairs Minister Professor G.L. Peiris addressing a press briefing in Colombo Tuesday.
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SLA asked to consider allowing cultivation in Jaffna HSZ

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 October 2004, 12:41 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court Tuesday directed the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to submit a report by 3rd December on the possibility of allowing cultivation in the agricultural lands in the high security zones (HSZ) occupied by the SLA soldiers in the Jaffna district, legal sources said.


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Balasingham questions ‘Oslo Declaration’ in new book

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 October 2004, 09:31 GMT]
In a critical analysis of the Norwegian facilitated peace process in his new book ‘War and Peace,’ the LTTE’s theoretician, Mr. Anton Balasingham, calls into question the concept of the ‘Oslo Declaration.’ Mr. Balasingham points out that there was no specific proclamation titled the ‘Oslo Declaration’ on which many claims of the Tigers unconditional abandonment of the right to secession – i.e. external self-determination – are based.
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One killed, two injured in Colombo attack

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 October 2004, 17:28 GMT]
A youth was shot dead and two were injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a group of Tamils suspected to be members of the paramilitary led by renegade Liberation Tigers commander 'Karuna' (Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan) in a predominantly Tamil suburb in Colombo Monday night around 8.30.
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IOM assists returnees from India

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 October 2004, 15:37 GMT]
International Organisation for Migration (IOM) officials recently held a discussion with forty Tamil refugee families who returned from India about their rehabilitation in their villages in Trincomalee district. IOM has been implementing a scheme with the financial assistance of the Government of Australia to rehabilitate the returnees from India.
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Posters, gunmen threaten journalists in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 October 2004, 09:55 GMT]
Posters appeared in several parts of Batticaloa town Monday attacking the Liberation Tigers and warning local journalists against reporting on the LTTE. The posters are in the name of the paramilitary led by renegade LTTE commander Mr. Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan (Karuna). Meanwhile, the correspondent of a Tamil paper said that he was threatened by two gunmen Sunday evening around 6.30 in Batticaloa town. The paramilitary, 'Karuna Group' has been accused of murdering senior Tamil journalist Mr. Aiyathurai Nadesan in Batticaloa in May this year.
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Protect stone scriptures related to Tamil history- Don

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 October 2004, 05:01 GMT]
"Majority of the centuries old stone scriptures that unearthed in the northeast province in Sri Lanka that defines Tamil History have been located in Trincomalee district. Most of the scriptures are connected with the history of Koneswaram Temple," said Professor C.Pathmanathan, Head of the Department of History in the University of Peradeniya. He conducted a research study tour in the east port district recently.
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CTTU wants kerosene at subsidized price to rural teachers

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 October 2004, 15:32 GMT]
The Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU) Sunday wrote to the Minister of Education and Minister of Power and Energy to make immediate arrangement to sell kerosene at subsidized price to teachers who are serving in schools in villages without electricity, CTTU sources said.


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Sinhala pre-school teachers join TRO's scheme

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 October 2004, 03:23 GMT]
Twenty two pre-school teachers from eleven schools in the Gomarankadawela division of the Trincomalee district Sunday arrived at the office of Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) to join the scheme of the Pre School Educational Development Council (PSEDC), which has its headquarters in Killinochchi, TRO sources said. Gomarankadawela is a traditional Sinhalese village in the east port district.
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Civil leaders want polling stations in LTTE held areas

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 October 2004, 15:52 GMT]
Parliamentarians and representatives of civil groups Saturday at a discussion held at the YMCA Hall in Jaffna, on the proposed electoral reforms, requested that polling stations be located in the Liberation Tigers held areas in the northeast province in any future parliamentary and other elections, civil sources said. The discussion was organized by PAFFREL, an election-monitoring organizationwhich has its headquarters in Colombo.
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TRO takes over Trinco Children's Shelter

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 October 2004, 15:30 GMT]
The Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) headquartered in Killinochchi in Vanni region Saturday took over the administration of "Anbu Illam," a leading children home located along Central Road in the east port town on the orders of Trincomalee Magistrate Mr.M.Ganesharajah, Trinco sources said. Provincial Commissioner of Probation and Child Care earlier recommended to the Judge that Members of the Board of Directors appointed by the TRO to run the institution.
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Army occupation of houses must cease, MP tells SLA commander

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 October 2004, 15:12 GMT]
Mr.Suresh Premachchandran, Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Saturday met with Major General Sunil Tennekoon, Jaffna area commander of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and discussed issues confronting the people of the district since the ceasefire came into operation. This was the first time Major general Sunil Tennekoon met a TNA parliamentarian at his military headquarters in Palaly military airbase, sources said.
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Vavuniya hosts all island netball tournament

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 October 2004, 13:13 GMT]
Inauguration of the all ceylon women's netball championship in Vavuniya was delayed by more than an hour Saturday morning after some local groups objected to hoisting Sri Lanka's national flag and singing its national anthem at the two day sports event, Police said. Ms. Shiranthi Rajapaksha, wife of Sri Lanka's Prime Minister, was the chief guest at the inauguration of the tournament. The function, scheduled to start at 9.30 a.m. began late sans the Sri Lankan national flag and anthem.
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LTTE delegation meets German Foreign Ministry Officials

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 October 2004, 03:45 GMT]
Liberation Tigers delegation led by Head of Political Wing, S. P. Thamilchelvan met with State Secretary, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Mr. Erich Stather, and Minister of State, Federal Foreign Office Ms. Kerstin Muller in meetings Thursday and Friday in Berlin, LTTE sources in Germany said. The delegation flew from Stockholm, Sweden, in a special airacraft that took them to German capital Berlin, Thursday morning.
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Maruthankerni villagers lack medical facilities

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 October 2004, 00:05 GMT]
About five thousand families undergo hardships without medical facilities in their village Maruthankerni in Vadaramadarachchi east division in Jaffna district as the opening of the rural dispensary constructed with the funds allocated by the North East Community Restoration Development (NECORD) Project is being delayed due to the lethargy of provincial health ministry officials, civil sources complained.
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Court orders TRO to take over Children's Shelter

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 October 2004, 10:51 GMT]
Mr. M Ganesharajah, Trincomalee Magistrate Friday ordered that the administration of a leading Children's Home "Anbu Illam" which is located along the Central Road in the east port town to the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) taking into consideration the application made on behalf by the North East Provincial Commissioner of Probation and Child Care following criminal action filed against the former director of the institution for alleged sexual abuse of children, legal sources said.


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Sinhala Buddhists want Norway out

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 October 2004, 01:45 GMT]
Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), the powerful Sinhala Buddhist nationalist party in Sri Lanka's Parliament, Thursday launched an islandwide campaign to get ten million signatures to persuade President Chandrika Kumaratunga to reject peace talks with the Liberation Tigers. The Sinhala nationalist campaign also exhorts Colombo to unequivocally reject the LTTE's proposal for an Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) for the northeast.
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IPKF Jaffna Hospital massacre remembered

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 October 2004, 00:07 GMT]
Seventeenth death anniversary of twenty-one persons including medical specialists, nurses, attendants, patients and members of public who were massacred inside Jaffna Teaching Hospital (JTH) by Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) troops stationed in Jaffna Fort on 21st October, 1987 was observed Thursday in the hospital premises, civil sources said.
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