India should not assist expansion of Palaly Airbase- Minister

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 January 2004, 16:39 GMT]
"India should desist from providing financial assistance to expand the runways of Palay airbase as it will help the Sri Lanka Government to annex additional fertile lands and residences of Jaffna people into the High Security Zone (HSZ)," said Minister of Hindu Affairs, Mr.Maheswaran, popular Tamil daily Uthayan reported in its Wednesday edition.


Full story >>

TULF central working committee to meet Sunday

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 January 2004, 16:36 GMT]
The central working committee of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), major constituent of the Tamil National Alliance, will meet on 1st February Sunday on a compromise formula arrived at the hearing of the case instituted by its leader Mr.V.Ananandasangaree before Colombo District Judge Tuesday, legal sources said.


Full story >>

Trinco students excel at national level exam

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 January 2004, 13:08 GMT]
Trincomalee students took the first, second and fourth places at the national level in Tamil medium in the Year-5 scholarship examination conducted by the Sri Lanka's Department of Examination. In addition Trincomalee district secured the first place for the second consecutive year, Commissioner General of Examinations Mr. Mahinda Wijesiri said.
Full story >>

Norwegian Ambassador meets Col.Karuna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 January 2004, 19:59 GMT]
The Norwegian ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr. Hans Brattskar, Tuesday morning met with the Senior Commander of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Col.Karuna at the Thenaham Guest House in Karadiyanaaru, Batticaloa. The meeting lasted more than an hour. Discussions centered on the political situation prevailing in the South and the Muslim, Tamil relationship in the east, according to sources.
Full story >>

Signature campaign to restart peace process planned in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 January 2004, 16:38 GMT]
Representatives of civil groups in the Jaffna peninsula are to meet Wednesday at Nallur Navalar Cultural Hall to launch a campaign to collect signatures for a memorandum stressing the urgency to restart the stalled peace process by bringing the current political crisis in the south to an end early and to take action to hand over the interim administrative structure to the Liberation Tigers as proposed in the ISGA, sources said.


Full story >>

Sri Lanka minister urges Britain to lift ban on Tigers

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 January 2004, 13:23 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s minister for Hindu Affairs, Mr. T. Maheswaran Tuesday urged the British government to lift the ban on the Liberation Tigers. The minister gave a memorandum to the British High Commissioner and the Sri Lanka desk officer of the British Foreign Office who met him at his office in Colombo Tuesday. Minister Maheswaran said it is no longer fair or justifiable on the part of the British government to continue its ban on the LTTE.
Full story >>

U.S Court declares Patriot Act provision Unconstitutional

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 January 2004, 11:53 GMT]
In a landmark decision declaring Patriot Act's addition of "expert advice and assistance" to the definition of material support is unconstitutionally vague, Judge Audrey Collins in Los Angeles enjoined the U.S.Government from enforcing the USA PATRIOT Act's prohibition on providing 'expert advice or assistance' to foreign terrorist organizations against the plaintiffs Ralph Fertig, Dr. Jeyalingam, the Humanitarian Law Project, the Ilankai Thamil Sangam and its members, and the Tamil Welfare and Human Rights Committee and its members.
Full story >>

‘Donors can assist through local organisations’- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 January 2004, 10:39 GMT]
“During our visit, we will explain to European governments that the immediate humanitarian needs of our people require urgent attention. We will explain to them that the political impasse in Colombo should not delay this anymore. Therefore donor nations can disburse funds for urgent humanitarian needs through organisations here and through our own mechanisms”, said Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, the head of the LTTE’s political division, speaking to the press in Kilinochchi before flying to Colombo on Tuesday for a visit to Europe.
Full story >>

CPA honours talented Trincomalee youths

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 January 2004, 01:27 GMT]
Centre for Performing Arts (CPA) presented awards to talented youths in Trincomalee during its annual cultural event held at Trincomalee Sri Koneswara Hindu College Sunday evening, sources in Trincomalee said. Trincomalee Divisional Secretary Mr. Sundaram Arumainayagam was the chief guest at the event.
Full story >>

LTTE expresses 'serious concern' over Indo-Lanka defence pact

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 January 2004, 14:31 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has expressed serious concern over the envisaged Indo-Sri Lankan Defence Agreement (DCA) arguing that it could have far-reaching negative consequences for the current peace process, sources told TamilNet Monday.
Full story >>

Mother's Front demands candidacy in next election

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 January 2004, 04:06 GMT]
Subbu Satkunam, Secretary of the Jaffna Missing Persons Guardian Association (MPGA), tabled a motion during a meeting of the representatives of MPGA and Jaffna Mothers Front (JMF), Sunday, demanding the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to include candidates from JMF as part of the alliance to compete in the next elections, local media in Jaffna reported.
Full story >>

NECORD funded school buildings opened in Eachilampathu

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 January 2004, 17:56 GMT]
The Trincomalee district military commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Colonel Pathuman, Saturday declared open two new buildings in two schools in the Eachchilampathu division, in the LTTE held Muttur east, constructed by the Asian Development Bank funded North East Community Restoration Development (NECORD) project at a cost of about 3.8 million rupees at the invitation of NECORD Project Director Mr.T.Lankaneson.
Full story >>

JVP-SLFP alliance seriously jeopardizes Peace Process - American Academics

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 January 2004, 17:42 GMT]
North American academics expressed pessimism about the future of the peace process after the JVP-SLFP alliance. Prof.Oberst of Nebraska Weslyan University said, "it has complicated the peace process...LTTE leadership [will be] hesitant to agree to anything until after the next general election." Prof Mia Bloom from McGill University said the alliance "seriously jeopardizes the peace process since it provides legitimization of the SLFP shifting even further to the right."
Full story >>

Rule of Law, values said basis of Tamil society

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 January 2004, 10:02 GMT]
“Foreigners who visit the Vanni assume that two decades of war would have torn apart the fabric of our society. They expect a total break down of law and order; that crime and corruption would be rife as in societies ravaged by war in other parts of the world. They tell us they are surprised that, instead, they see a society where the Rule of Law prevails, where high social, moral and cultural values are still earnestly upheld. ”, said Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, addressing the fourth convocation of the Tamil Eelam Law College in Kilinochchi in Sunday.
Full story >>

"Foreign nations understand LTTE’s central role to Sri Lanka's progress" –TNA MP

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 January 2004, 00:47 GMT]
“Currently, diplomats of foreign countries, ambassadors and representatives of donor nations who visit Sri Lanka and meet those in power in Colombo, are also visiting the Vanni to meet with the Liberation Tigers. This shows a clear understanding by the international community that without the participation of the LTTE, no progress can be made in the country,” said Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, the Tamil National Alliance MP from the Batticaloa district, speaking at the opening of the maternity home in Mandur Saturday.
Full story >>

UNICEF underage list under review - LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 January 2004, 20:12 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), responding to a report released by UNICEF which expressed concern in the use of "children as soldiers," said that only about 10% of the individuals listed by the UNICEF as below 18 years have birth certificates and that a 3-person committee is reviewing UNICEF's list, taking steps to ascertain the ages of the rest of the individuals.


Full story >>

TNA refuses to sign electoral reforms interim report

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 January 2004, 00:10 GMT]
Parliamentary group leader of Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Mr.R.Sampanthan, representing the TNA refused to sign the interim report of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on Electoral Reforms tabled in parliament on Friday, saying that electoral reforms within the existing constitution is meaningless for Tamil people as the constitution cannot accomodate a just and fair political solution to the Tamil national question, parliamentary sources said.


Full story >>

Workshop for NE cultural officers begin in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 January 2004, 00:03 GMT]
A three-day residential workshop for North East Cultural Officers began Friday at the provincial guesthouse auditorium in Trincomalee under the guidance of Provincial Management Develpoment and Training Department (MDTD). About fifty Tamil and Muslim cultural officers working under the provincial education and cultural affairs ministry attended the inaugural event.


Full story >>

British Embassy officials meet Pararajasingham

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 January 2004, 20:06 GMT]
Deputy Secretary for Political Affairs at the British Embassy in Colombo, Ms.Margaret Tongue, and Official in-charge of SouthAsian affairs, Ms.Catherine Ceeve, met Batticaloa Parliamentarian Joseph Pararajasingham Thursday evening and had discussions on the current political situation in Colombo, sources said.


Full story >>

NorthEast to get 1000 more Tamil medium teachers

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 January 2004, 18:59 GMT]
The Ministry of Human Resources Development, Education and Cultural Affairs has decided to recruit another batch of one thousand Tamil medium teachers from advanced leveled qualified persons to fill the vacancies exist in the northeast Tamil medium schools, Provincial Education Ministry Secretary Mr.R.Thiagalingam said Friday.


Full story >>