Jaffna university students protest against attack

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 March 2004, 17:18 GMT]
A group of Jaffna university students Thursday evening held a token protest against the attack on them, allegedly by a group of Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) activists, which resulted in injuries to two students including the President of the Students Union Mr.P.Paheerathan. Because of the protest traffic through Jaffna-Palaly main road came to halt for few hours, sources said.
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TRO gives financial assistance to Trinco pre-school teachers

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 March 2004, 01:11 GMT]
Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) Tuesday inaugurated a scheme to provide monthly financial assistance to fifty-two pre-school teachers serving in the Trincomalee district, TRO officials said. Pre-schools in the northeast have been administered by the Pre-School Education Development Centre (PSEDC), which has its headquarters in Killinochchi.
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Sampanthan concludes Jaffna election campaign

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 March 2004, 00:46 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader Mr.R.Sampanthan appealed to Jaffna district Tamil voters to return TNA candidates in all nine Jaffna parliamentary seats in the forthcoming general election while addressed several election meetings in the Jaffna district Tuesday. He left Jaffna by road Wednesday morning to Pulmoddai, a Muslim village in the Trincomalee district for election campaign, sources said


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Navy prevents TNA candidate from entering Mandaitivu

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 March 2004, 23:37 GMT]
The General Secretary of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK) and the lead candidate of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in the Jaffna electoral district, Mr. Mavai Senathirajah, has requested the Commissioner of Elections to make necessary arrangements for TNA candidates to visit areas close to the high security zones in the Jaffna peninsula.
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Permit Tamil people to exercise their franchise - Australian MP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 March 2004, 12:14 GMT]
"Unfortunately, due to a conflict between the President, who holds executive power, and the Prime Minister, the President dismissed parliament in February of this year and Sri Lanka will face general elections on 2 April 2004. It is vital that these elections are free and fair. It is particularly important that the Tamil people of the north-east, who have been deprived of their franchise during the last two decades, are permitted to cast their votes at the forthcoming elections," said John Murphy, Australian MP in a speech in the Australian Parliament Tuesday.
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US Tamils call for show of unity

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 March 2004, 02:46 GMT]
"It is the duty of every Tamil speaking person in Sri Lanka, regardless of his/her political alignment, religious affiliation, region of residence, or even personal biases, to set aside all such considerations and support this hard earned Tamil unity...[We] wish to humbly and earnestly request ALL Eelam Tamils to exercise their franchise on April 2nd, 2004, conscientiously," said United States-based expatriate Tamil organizations in an appeal issued Tuesday.
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Batticaloa to have clustered polling stations

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 March 2004, 00:45 GMT]
The Elections Department of Sri Lanka has allocated two million rupees for providing transport facilities to the voters in areas of Batticaloa district not under Sri Lanka Army’s control, the Deputy Elections Commissioner, Mr. S. Krishnananthalingam, said Tuesday.
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Danish organization spends Rs.260m on Rehabilitation

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 March 2004, 00:12 GMT]
A four year rehabilitation plan at a cost of nearly Rs.260m is being successfully carried out by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) in Vavuniya, Mannar, Trincomalee and Anuradhapura districts, said Ms.Birgitte Ebbesen, Sri Lanka country representative of DRC, in a press briefing Tuesday in Vavuniya.
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Kaluwanchikudy residents condemn Karuna group

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 March 2004, 14:24 GMT]
The people of Kaluthavalai-Kaluwanchikudy in the Batticaloa district have shredded the leaflets issued by the Karuna group, and the Tamil Alai newspaper controlled by the group in Kokkadicholai, condemning the group for warning the people of Batticaloa-Amparai against having any contacts with the Tamil national leadership based in the Vanni, sources in Battticaloa said.
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Sampanthan meets EU envoys

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 March 2004, 12:45 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader Mr.R.Sampanthan Tuesday told the envoys of member countries of the European Union (EU) based in Colombo that Tamils of northeast would lose faith in the Sri Lanka's election process and its democracy if tens of thousands of voters residing in the Liberation Tigers controlled areas are not allowed to exercise their franchise, political sources in Colombo said.


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Brattskar, Harrold meet Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 March 2004, 11:10 GMT]
Mr. Peter Harrold, Country Director for World Bank in Sri Lanka and the Ambassador for Norway Mr. Hans Brattskar met with Mr. S. P. Tamilselvan, Head of the LTTE Political Wing in its Head Quarters in Kilinochchi Tuesday. The meeting focussed on issues related to NorthEast development, current political situation and forthcoming general elections, sources said.
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TNA holds record election meetings in Muttur

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 March 2004, 10:35 GMT]
"The current ceasefire has been signed and peace talks commenced with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) when the successive governments in Colombo failed to destroy the LTTE militarily. This should be clearly borne in every one's mind," said Mr.R.Sampanthan, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader and the lead candidate of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK) contesting the forthcoming general election in the Trincomalee district when addressing a series of election meetings held in Muttur division from morning till late in the night of Sunday.
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Women, key to nation building - Ms.Sithamparanathan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 March 2004, 00:26 GMT]
"I feel our freedom is near our door-step. Tamil men and women have a duty to welcome this freedom and fully engage themselves in nation building activities. Particularly our women have a significant role to play in building our nation," said Pathmini Sithamparanathan, first woman candidate standing for elections in Tamil National Alliance (TNA) ticket in Jaffna, talking to the Canadian Tamil Radio, Monday.
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Sampanthan to address TNA election rallies in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 March 2004, 18:31 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader Mr.R.Sampanthan is scheduled to attend several election rallies in Jaffna electoral district Tuesday. He will fly to Palaly from Colombo Tuesday afternoon after meeting the ambassadors of the member countries of the European Union (EU), TNA sources said.


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TNA leader to meet EU ambassadors in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 March 2004, 18:29 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader and the Secretary General of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) Mr.R.Sampanthan is scheduled to meet the ambassadors of European countries in Colombo Tuesday around noon, TNA sources said.
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Court orders inquiry into thirteen missing youths

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 March 2004, 15:41 GMT]
Jaffna High Court Mr.K.P.S.Varatharajah Monday instructed the Chavakachcheri Magistrate to conduct inquiries into the thirteen Habeas Corpus applications filed by relatives of thirteen Tamil youths who were reported missing after the arrest by the Sri Lanka Army during 1996 in Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district and to submit reports, legal sources said.


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TNA election propaganda vehicle in police custody

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 March 2004, 15:12 GMT]
Chavakachcheri Police Saturday took a three-wheeler and the loudspeaker system belonging to Tamil National Alliance (TNA) activists into custody for operating without permissions, sources in Chavakachcheri said. The Chavakachcheri Magistrate Mr.B.Balasubramaniam Monday ordered the Police to hand over the vehicle together with the sound attachments to the court immediately. legal sources said.
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TNA supporters injured in Digamadulla

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 March 2004, 12:45 GMT]
Four supporters of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) candidates, A. ChandraNehru and K.Pathmanathan who are competing in Digamadulla (Amparai) district, were injured in an altercation Saturday night around 11pm near Thambilulvil Kalaimahal Vidiyalayam, sources said.
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Amparai woman candidate uses Bus as campaign vehicle

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 March 2004, 12:20 GMT]
Ms.Sabapathy Yogambikai who is standing for elections in Batticaloa-Amparai district in Tamil National Alliance (TNA) ticket is using public transport as her campaign vehicle to minize cost and to identify with the working layers of the district residents, media reports from Amparai said.
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"Historic obligation to show force of Unity" - Raviraj

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 March 2004, 00:12 GMT]
"Several public civil society organizations have joined us in carrying out door-to-door campaigns. We are telling Jaffna voters that a historical burden is placed on the Tamil society to demonstrate a force of unity in the forthcoming elections," said Mr.Nadarajah Raviraj, former Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, speaking to the Canadian Tamil Radio (CTR) Saturday.
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