SLA hands back part of Jaffna suburb

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 December 2003, 12:22 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army Monday handed back part of a densely populated coastal suburb of Jaffna it had been occupying since 1996. “We are vacating this area on the instructions of Maj. Gen. Sarath Fonseka”, Sri Lankan military sources in the northern town said. More than four hundred homes that were inside the garrisoned part of Navaanthurai are all damaged, according to residents.
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ANC-LTTE meet in South Africa

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 December 2003, 10:42 GMT]
The African National Congress (ANC) in a statement issued on Monday said that the ANC is meeting with members of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) delegation currently on a study tour to South Africa. The ANC would also meeting Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Tyronne Fernando on Tuesday, the statement said.
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Organized self-help lifts Vanni villages

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 December 2003, 00:11 GMT]
"Under 'Village Upliftment Project' economically worst hit villages in Vanni are identified and efforts are channelled to improve social and economic well-being of the residents through self-help. Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), local NGOs and Tamil expatriates are also financially helping us to carryout this project," Administrative Head, Anbarasan, told TamilNet during a recent visit to the interior villages of the Vanni.
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Kinniya displaced face food shortage

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 November 2003, 18:02 GMT]
Hundreds of Tamil families displaced from villages Alankerni, Eechantivu and Upparu in Kinniya division are still languishing in refugee centres without enough essential food items as they are unable to go to Kinniya town to buy their provisions. The co-operative outlet in Alankerni has been closed down due to threat by Muslim groups in the Kinniya area, non-governmental sources said.


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Inquiry into Vadamarachchy SLA assaults begins

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 November 2003, 16:52 GMT]
A team from the 52 Brigade Head quarters of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) located at Varani in Vadamarachchi division in Jaffna district Sunday afternoon went to the Point Pedro base hospital and questioned the two injured Tamil civilians warded there in critical condition following the media reports that a group of soldiers had attacked them Saturday afternoon, medical sources said.


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Curfew imposed in Trincomalee town

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 November 2003, 15:47 GMT]
A dusk to dawn police curfew has been imposed in the Trincomalee police division with effect from Sunday evening from 6 . The curfew will be lifted at 5 a.m. on Monday, police announced through loudhailers in town Sunday evening.


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Parents of Jaffna missing plan another protest

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 November 2003, 13:20 GMT]
“The Sri Lankan government has duped us for long by giving false promises and not investigating the fate of our missing children. We intend to stage a sit in protest in front of the National Human Rights Commission offices in Jaffna and Colombo on 10 December”, said the President of the Missing Persons Guardian Association of Jaffna, Mr. E. Selvarajah, addressing a press meet in the northern town Sunday.


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LTTE leader is our leader - ACTC

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 November 2003, 12:14 GMT]
“The leader of the Liberation Tigers is our leader. The policy of the LTTE is our policy. Our party upholds the ideals of the Tigers. There is criticism that the Liberation Tigers are not permitting some armed Tamils groups to function in the northeast. I say that these groups should not engage in politics as long as they continue to work as mercenaries for the Sri Lankan armed forces”, said Mr. Appathurai Vinayagamoorthy, the leader of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), addressing a party meeting in Batticaloa Sunday.
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Row erupts at TULF meeting

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 November 2003, 11:42 GMT]
The central working committee of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) Sunday evening voted on a no confidence motion on the President Mr.V.Anandasangaree. The meeting ended in uproar. Jaffna TULF organiser Mr. T. Kulasingham, Vavuniya TULF organiser and TNA parliamentarian Mr. N. Raviraj were assaulted.
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TULF committee discusses No-confidence motion on Sangaree

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 November 2003, 11:20 GMT]
The central working committee of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), a major constituent of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) began its crucial session Sunday morning around 10.30 a.m. at the office of the TULF at Colpetty in Colombo with the Mr.V.Ananadasangaree in the chair. Around thirty-six members of the committee attended the meeting, party sources said.


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Provincial Councils in south to fight for devolved powers

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 November 2003, 10:48 GMT]
Seven Chief Ministers of the Provincial Councils in the country Saturday decided to set up an organization to fight for devolved powers under the 13th Amendment to the constitution, from being taken away by the central government, sources said.
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"Minorities have right to administer their areas" - Vasudeva

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 November 2003, 00:03 GMT]
"Tamils and Muslims in the northeast have a right to set up their administration in their traditional areas under the devolution of power. No one can deny this right," said veteran trade unionist and the national organizer of the Democratic Left Front(DLF), Mr.Vasudeva Nanayakkara, at the second annual general meeting of the DLF held Saturday evening at the auditorium of the Colombo library, media sources said.


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Kinniya Tamil families seek refuge at welfare center

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 November 2003, 00:01 GMT]
More than one hundred Tamil families in the Kinniya division in the Trincomalee district have sought refuge in the Eechantivu welfare center when a group of Muslim youths blocked the Kinniya co-operative society from distributing relief as ordered by the Trincomalee district Government Agent, civil group sources said.
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"Prepare to face election instead of losing identity"- Peiris

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 November 2003, 23:21 GMT]
"The United National Front government is willing to meet a snap general election instead of losing its identity in the proposed national reconciliation government," said Sri Lanka's Constitutional Affairs Minister, Professor G.L.Peiris, addressing a UNF party meeting held Saturday evening at Borella in Colombo, media sources said.
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'Sangaree issue' to be decided Sunday

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 November 2003, 21:05 GMT]
Thirty-six member central working committee of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), a major constituent of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) will be meeting Sunday at 10 a.m. at the Colombo headquarters of the TULF to discuss the prevailing political situation and to decide on its leadership issue, party sources said.
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“Not all Sinhalese are racists "- Wickremasinghe

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 November 2003, 17:05 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister, Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, said Saturday evening that all the Sinhalese living in the south are not racists and only a handful of them are opposing the current peace efforts. His comments came when he was addressing a meeting in Mawanella as part of a campaign to create awareness among the masses in the south about the urgent need to recommence the stalled peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, media sources said.
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LTTE delegation departs to South Africa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 November 2003, 16:35 GMT]
A delegation consisting of seven members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), led by Head of the LTTE Peace Secretariat, Mr. Pulithevan, began a study tour to South Africa on Wednesday to look at aspects of federalism, constitutional frameworks and administrative structures employed in that country, local media reported.
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SLA soldiers assault Tamil civilians in Vadamarachchi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 November 2003, 16:33 GMT]
A group of soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army, located in the historic Vallipuram Alvar Temple area in Vadamarachchi division in Jaffna district, is alleged to have mercilessly assaulted and fired at a group of Tamil civilians who had gone for hare hunting Saturday evening, injuring several of them. Later the SLA soldiers arrested seven of the Tamil group and released them after questioning, civil sources said.
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SL President presents proposals for cohabitation

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 November 2003, 17:38 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President, Ms Chandrika Kumaratunga, Friday submitted a set of proposals to the committee that has been attempting to formulate a programme for cohabitation government comprising the two main Sinhala political parties Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP), sources said.
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Great Heroes Day celebrations conclude in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 November 2003, 15:56 GMT]
Liberation Tigers' Trincomalee regional military commander Colonel Pathuman lit the flame of sacrifice at the main event of the Great Heroes Day celebrations at the Alankulam Heroes' cemetary in the Muttur east in the Trincomalee district amid heavy shower and large gathering of people soon after the address to the Tamil people by LTTE leader Mr.V.Pirapaharan Thursday evening.


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