Army, Police clash with residents in Jaffna suburbs

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 October 2003, 08:22 GMT]
Widespread clashes erupted between Sri Lanka army and large crowds of angry residents in the Jaffna town suburbs of Gurunagar and Paashaiyoor Saturday morning. Three civilians were injured in the clashes that rapidly spread to all the neighbourhoods of these densely populated coastal suburbs, Police said. Four people and a Policeman were wounded when Police tried to break up a protest at Kondavil junction in the northern environs of the Jaffna town.
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UNICEF book on mine risk education launched

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 October 2003, 03:53 GMT]
The UNICEF launched a book on Mine Risk Education (MRE) at the Puthukulam Maha Vidiyalayam in Vavuniya with the support of the Department of Education, and the book will be included in the curriculum of Vavuniya schools to create an awareness among children of the dangers posed by land Mines, booby traps and unexploded ordnances, sources in Vavuniya said.
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Women's issues discussed in Jaffna gathering

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 October 2003, 17:55 GMT]
More than 1500 representatives of women’s organizations in Jaffna gathered at the Veerasingham hall in Jaffna town Thursday at 9 a.m., and critically discussed the problems confronting women, in particular, the lack of awareness of social issues among women in villages and barriers to women's development in the spheres of education and economics, sources said.
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SLA bars devotees from temple in Thenmaradchi

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 October 2003, 15:36 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army has refused permission for devotees to hold the Navarathiri festival in Ketpali Tharavai Nachchimar Temple, which is located outside the high security zone of Kilali naval detachment in the Thenmaradchchi east division in the Jaffna district, temple sources said.
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TNA briefs Australian parliamentarians on peace process

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 October 2003, 13:25 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Friday told the visiting Australian parliamentary delegation that the establishment of an interim administration with adequate powers has become a sine qua non for rebuilding the war ravaged northeast province and to ensure the survival of the present peace environment, sources said. "There is no immediate opportunity to find a permanent political solution to the ethnic conflict under the current constitutional set up," the TNA's parliamentarians told the Australian delegation.
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US says LTTE continues to engage in terrorist activities

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 October 2003, 11:06 GMT]
The United States yesterday re-designated the Liberation Tigers as a foreign terrorist organization, saying that the LTTE continues to engage in terrorist activities, and noted that the designation can be revoked at any time the U.S. is satisfied that the organization no longer meets the statutory criteria for designation, the US embassy in Sri Lanka said in a press release Thursday.
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More skeletons found in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 October 2003, 00:04 GMT]
Human skeletons were found Monday under the debris of the Kilinochchi provincial health services building during its reconstruction, sources said.
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Spanish Red Cross assists Trinco returnees

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 October 2003, 18:48 GMT]
The Spanish Red Cross (SRC), with the assistance of Sri Lanka Red Cross (SLRC) and funded by the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), Wednesday began distributing agricultural inputs and implements to the returnees and war affected communities in the Trincomalee district, sources said.
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Soldier deserts SLA, wants to join LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 October 2003, 17:22 GMT]
A soldier of the Sri Lanka Army, who deserted the SLA and surrendered to the political division of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, was handed over to the Human Rights Commission (HRC) at the HRC’s office in Vavuniya Tuesday night, sources said.
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'Opposition instigating masses against peace process' - Peiris

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 October 2003, 16:22 GMT]
“A conducive environment would be created to resume peace talks once the LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] submitted its response to the Sri Lanka government's proposal on the establishment of the interim administration for the northeast province,” said Mr. G.L.Peiris, Constitutional Affairs Minister in the United National Front government of Sri Lanka and Cabinet spokesman, addressing the weekly press conference held Thursday.
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SLA intelligence officer killed in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 October 2003, 14:18 GMT]
Mr T.Vigneswaran, an intelligence officer of the Sri Lanka Army working at the 221 Brigade headquarters located in Plantain Point in Trincomalee died Thursday evening due to severe assault with pointed weapons and iron rods by unidentified persons, Trincomalee police said.
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Killinochchi children transit center opens on Friday

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 October 2003, 10:36 GMT]
The first of three transit centers under the Action Plan for Children Affected by War (APCAW) established in Killinochchi in Vanni region will be declared open Friday. Regional Director of UNICEF South Asia Mr.Sadig Rasheed and UNICEF Sri Lanka representative Mr. Ted Chaiban are scheduled to attend the opening event of the Killinochchi center, UNICEF sources said.


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“We will benefit from Ireland's experience” - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 October 2003, 08:56 GMT]
“We would be having discussions with Irish experts who were associated with the peace process in Ireland. The Irish have also struggled for their rights like us. Their experience and knowledge will help us better understand the intricacies of negotiating peace”, Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, the head of the Liberation Tigers’ political division told TamilNet while waiting at the Kilinochchi town grounds to board the Sri Lankan Air Force helicopter to Colombo Thursday morning.
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Tenth anniversary of Charles Anthony brigade observed in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 October 2003, 20:28 GMT]
The tenth anniversary celebration of the formation of Charles Anthony special brigade of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was held at the Jaffna university auditorium Wednesday evening with the release of a book named “ Nerupatru Neechalil,” which is a documentation of achievements made by the special brigade in the war front, sources said.
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Book on LTTE’s first conventional formation launched

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 October 2003, 19:47 GMT]
“The successful interdiction of the A9 highway, which we held for thirty-three days until the fall of Elephant Pass despite massive onslaughts by the Sri Lanka Army to dislodge our troops, is the greatest achievement of the Charles Anthony Brigade. He who owns Elephant Pass owns Jaffna,” said Col. Balraj, senior commander of the Liberation Tigers, speaking at the launch of a special volume on the first conventional military formation of the Liberation Tigers Wednesday in Kilinochchi.
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SLA agrees Vadamaradchi NECORD work can go ahead

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 October 2003, 19:43 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army Wednesday said it would allow the deepening of fisheries landing points in the Vadamaradchi north coastal areas, from Kerudavil to Katkovalam east, after fisheries societies representatives and Divisional Secretariat (DS) officials brought to the notice of the army officials present at the conference held Wednesday that they had already sought permission from the SLA in this regard, sources said.
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Habeas Corpus filed for Jaffna disappearances

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 October 2003, 17:23 GMT]
The Jaffna High Court Judge, Mr.K.P.S.Varatharajah, Wednesday entertained Habeas Corpus (HC) applications filed on behalf of seven Tamil youths who have been reported disappeared after their arrest by the Sri Lanka Army during the 1996-1997 period, and fixed the inquiry into these applications on October 29, legal sources said.
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Sports meet in Vanni marks Tamil Eelam women’s day

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 October 2003, 00:02 GMT]
The final rounds of the sports competitions among the women’s brigades of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were held Tuesday afternoon by the Tamil Eelam Sports division, and the LTTE’s leader, Mr. V. Pirapaharan, senior commanders, special commanders, commanders and political leaders, cadres and supporters, attended the meet, sources in the Vanni said.
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Anti-peace march reaches final stage

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 September 2003, 15:34 GMT]
The final leg of the five day protest march organized by the Patriotic National Movement (PNM), an umbrella group of Sinhala nationalist parties, against what it called the "division of the country" and the proposed establishment of an interim administration in the northeast province, is to start Wednesday morning from Kudawatte towards Lipton's Park in Colombo, organizers said.
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UNICEF survey on Muttur zone children begins

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 September 2003, 13:56 GMT]
The third and final phase of the house-to- house survey conducted by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to identify non school going children and drop-outs for various reasons in the Trincomalee district was inaugurated Sunday at the Poonagar village in the Muttur education zone by the UNICEF Child Protection Officer, Ms. Christina Torsein, who is based in Trincomalee town, sources said.
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