IDPs urge re-opening of Vadamarachchi-Nagarkovil road

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 May 2004, 17:09 GMT]
The Association of Nagarkovil Internally Displaced Families (ANIDF) in Jaffna district Saturday appealed to Sri Lanka's President Ms.Chandrika Kumaratunge to take steps to re-open the Vadamarachchi-Nagarkovil main road for civilian movement, sources said.


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Trinco Tamil youth shot dead in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 May 2004, 13:11 GMT]
Mr.Arulananthan Arulparath, a 32-year-old Tamil youth was shot dead Saturday morning around 10 a.m. in Kurumankadu area in Vavuniya town. The deceased was a native of Orr's Hill area in Trincomalee, Vavuniya Police said.


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Six provincial councils go for poll, JHU stays out

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 May 2004, 12:14 GMT]
Elections to six Sinhalese dominated provincial councils, Southern, Western, Sabragamuwa, Uva, Central and North Central will be held on July 10th Saturday. About 3200 candidates are in the fray, Elections Commissioner Mr.Dayananda Dissanayake said.


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Kandapola affected to get compensation

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 May 2004, 10:50 GMT]
Sixty five persons from Kandapola who were injured or whose properties suffered damages during the ethnic violence in Kandapola, Nuwara Eliya district on the 28 August 2004, when Sri Lanka police opened fire, are to be compensated by the Sri Lanka Government, local media reported.
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Poaching by Indian fishermen discussed at conference

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 May 2004, 17:48 GMT]
Fishermen from the North-East met with their counterparts from South India at a two-day conference in Colombo on Thursday and Friday to discuss the poaching by Indian fishermen and other problems faced by them. The National Fishermen’s Cooperative Council of Sri Lanka organized the conference.
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Solheim meets Rajapakse, Hakeem

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 May 2004, 16:42 GMT]
Norwegian special peace envoy, Mr.Erik Solheim, Friday met with the Prime Minister, Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse, and the leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Mr.Rauff Hakeem, and discussed the latest developments that have arisen in finding a consensus in resuming the stalled peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, political sources said.
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Kalutara Tamil prisoners put off fasting campaign

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 May 2004, 22:04 GMT]
Mr. Sivanathan Kishore, the Tamil National Alliance Member of Parliament from the Vanni, who visited the Kalutara prison Thursday, said that the Tamil youths at the prison have put off their planned fasting campaign, following assurances that the TNA would take up their plight with Sri Lanka’s Attorney General and the Minister of Justice. Arrested under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), many youths have been languishing in jails for several years without their cases being brought to court.
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Harim Peiris holds discussions with TRO officials

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 May 2004, 16:40 GMT]
Mr.Harim Peiris, the spokesman for Sri Lanka's President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, Thursday visited Liberation Tigers-held Kilinochchi and held discussions with the Government Agent, heads of Sri Lanka government departments and representatives of the Tamils' Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), sources said.
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German Non-profit sponsors CTTU seminar

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 May 2004, 16:09 GMT]
Ms. Astrid Becker, Sri Lanka's Resident Representative of the Frederick Ebert Stiftung (FES), a German non-profit organization, Thursday morning inaugurated a two-day seminar on "Vision and Mission of a Trade Union" in the conference hall of the Jaffna Zonal Education Office. The seminar is being organized by the Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU) in collaboration with Education International (EI) and FES.
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Thambaiah's funeral held in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 May 2004, 10:42 GMT]
The body of Mr. Kumaravel Thambaiah, a senior lecturer in the Eastern University who was shot dead by unidentified gunmen at his home in Batticaloa town around 4.30 p.m. Monday was brought to his home village of Aasikulam in Vavuniya on Tuesday and was cremated on Wednesday, sources in Vavuniya said. Vavuniya North Education Commissioner, S.Pathmanathan, presided over the memorial meeting after the funeral ceremony.


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Trinco Tamil School holds prize giving day

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 May 2004, 19:50 GMT]
Trincomalee Vigneswara Maha Vidiyalayan, founded by the Methodist Church in 1823, held its annual prize giving Wednesday evening day with the Trincomalee district parliamentarians, Mr.R.Sampanthan and Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham as the chief guest and special guest respectively.
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SL President's media spokesman visits Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 May 2004, 17:48 GMT]
Sri Lanka President's media spokesman and the Director General of the Northern Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Reconciliation Ministry, Mr.Harim Peiris, Wednesday arrived in Jaffna and held discussions with government officials and the Sri Lanka Army Commander in Jaffna, Major General Susil Chandrapala, at the Jaffna district secretariat.
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"Institutionalize ISGA, core issues can be discussed later " - LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 May 2004, 08:28 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Wednesday categorically told the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government through Norwegian facilitators that the institutionalization of the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) in the northeast province should take place first and that the core issues can be discussed later.
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Solheim's meeting with SL President rescheduled

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 May 2004, 18:49 GMT]
The Norwegian special peace envoy, Mr. Erik Solheim, is to meet Sri Lanka's President, Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge, after holding talks with the leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Kilinochchi Wednesday, State controlled Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) reported in its night news broadcast Tuesday.
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India ready to assist NE if welcomed - Sen

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 May 2004, 13:05 GMT]
"Our rehabilitation and assistance is for the people of Sri Lanka irrespective of where they live, whether in the South, Upcountry areas or in the cleared or uncleared areas of the North East. There is no question of Government of India engaging the LTTE, but our public and private sector companies would be happy to work wherever they are welcome," said Mr. Nirupam Sen, Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, at an event held at the Indian Cultural Centre Tuesday, sources said.
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LTTE demands SLMM inquiry into academic's murder

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 May 2004, 04:26 GMT]
Mr. E. Kausalyan, the political head of the Liberation Tigers in Batticaloa, Tuesday condemned the murder of the Eastern University academic, Mr. Kumaravel Thambaiah, and demanded a full and independent inquiry by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, sources in the Eastern town said.
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Supreme Court asks MOD to submit report on Jaffna HSZ

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 May 2004, 03:18 GMT]
The Supreme Court (SC) Monday directed the Secretary of the Ministry of Defense (MoD) to submit a report on the question of maintaining high security zones (HSZs) in the Jaffna district. A three-member bench of the Court made the order on Fundamental Rights violation applications filed by five Tamil farmers and Mr. Mavai Senathirajah, Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian, in the Jaffna district, legal sources said.


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Solheim arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 May 2004, 03:11 GMT]
Norwegian special peace envoy Mr. Erik Solheim arrived in Colombo Monday night on a five-day visit. He is scheduled to meet Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge and Prime Minister Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse Tuesday before leaving to Kilinochchi Wednesday to meet the leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), political sources said.
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Normal life returning to Oddusuddan

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 May 2004, 21:41 GMT]
Normal life is gradually returning in the Oddusuddan region in the Mullaithivu district, an area devastated during the war that is currently under the control of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, according to Tamil press reports from the North.
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Solheim to visit Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 May 2004, 17:01 GMT]
The Norwegian special peace envoy to Sri Lanka, Mr. Erik Solheim, is scheduled to arrive in Colombo on May 24. He is expected to hold talks with the President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, and Prime Minister, Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse, the same day regarding peace process, Colombo media sources said.
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