Move to make SLA camp permanent sparks protest

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 July 2003, 11:25 GMT]
“The effort to establish the Sri Lanka army’s Kallady camp on a permanent basis goes against the grain of the Cease Fire Agreement”, Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, Tamil National Alliance MP, told TamilNet, Wednesday, referring to recent moves by the military to acquire property and land in a suburb on the southern outskirts of the Batticaloa town.
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Committee to address illegal cultivation by muslim farmers

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 July 2003, 02:06 GMT]
Following complaints by cattle owners that muslim farmers are cultivating land that was set aside for cattle grazing in Vattamadu, Thirukovil pradeshya sabha region, Amparai district, the members of Muslim-Tamil subcommittee which was formed to resolve land issues, surveyed the disputed site Tuesday morning, said sources in Amparai.
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Grenade explosion damages Trincomalee PLOTE office building

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 July 2003, 18:08 GMT]
Unidentified men Tuesday night around eight lobbed a grenade in the premises of the office of the Peoples Liberation Of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) located along the Power House Road in the heart of Trincomalee town, police said


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SLA-LTTE in standoff over control of area in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 July 2003, 15:37 GMT]
In the wake of the ruling by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission Monday that the controversial Kurankupanchan area in the Trincomalee district comes under Sri Lankan government control, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Tuesday warned of grave consequences if the Sri Lanka Army advanced into Kurankupanchan, sources said
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Bindunuwewa massacre accused receive death sentences

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 July 2003, 14:51 GMT]
Two Sri Lankan Police officers and three Sinhala civilians, accused of involvement in the gruesome massacre of 27 inmates of rehabilitation camp for young Tamil persons on October 2000, were sentenced to death Tuesday by a three member bench Trial at Bar, legal sources in Colombo said.
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ER case accused in remand for twelve years

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 June 2003, 15:53 GMT]
The Eastern High Court Judge, Mr.S.Paramarajah, Monday fixed the inquiry into the bail application of two Tamil men who have been in remand for the last twelve years since their arrest under the Emergency Regulations (ER), on Friday, July 4, legal sources said.
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Japanese Ambassador meets Thamilselvan

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 June 2003, 14:02 GMT]
Tamil people have complained that the declarations made at the Sri Lankan donors’ Conference held in Tokyo did not provide any solutions to the immediate humanitarian needs of the Tamil people, Mr. S.P. Thamilselvan, the leader of the LTTE’s political division, told the Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr. Seiichiro Otsuka, when the Ambassador visited the Vanni on Monday, sources said
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Fear of re-introduction of Police registration unfounded - Amaratunge

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 June 2003, 10:17 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Government is not contemplating re-introducing legislation requiring Tamils residing in Colombo to register the details of households with the Police. Tamil people therefore need not worry about such procedures coming into force again, said John Amaratunge, Minister of Interior.


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Security concerns force Buddhist prelate to cancel Jaffna visit

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 June 2003, 19:48 GMT]
The Mahanayake Thera of Asgiriya Chapter Venerable Udugama Sri Rathnapala Buddharakita cancelled his participation at the second day proceedings of the workshop of the World Solidarity Forum held Sunday at the Veerasingham Hal. "I have been adviced by the security forces against coming to Jaffna. I regret very much for this," said Asgiriya Mahanayake Thera in his message to workshop which was read out, sources said.
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Tamils in Colombo fear return of mass arrests

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 June 2003, 18:36 GMT]
Three hundred and six persons were arrested in Colombo and its suburbs during the past twenty-four hours said Police in Sri Lanka’s capital Sunday. Reports in the Tamil press Sunday said that six hundred and fifty Tamils were arrested during a joint cordon and search operation by the army and Police in the city’s suburbs Saturday night. Meanwhile, a union for Police officers called on Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister and President to re-impose the draconian Emergency Regulations to facilitate their work in ensuring the capital’s security.
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Teachers have vital role to play in changing war culture - FES

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 June 2003, 10:12 GMT]
"A change of mindset and a new positive vision for the future of Sri Lanka is required to overcome the existing culture of mistrust, prejudice, fear, suspicion, intolerance and violence," said Sri Lanka's resident representative of a German organization the Frederick Ebert Stiftung (FES), Mr.Dietmar Kneitschel, said Saturday while speaking at the inauguration of a two-day seminar on the "Rights of members in a trade union," in Vigneswara Maha Vidyalayam, Trincomalee, Saturday, sources said.


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World Solidarity Forum workshop begins in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 June 2003, 01:34 GMT]
A Two-day workshop on the theme 'Coming to a Common Mind and raising a Common Voice' organized by the multi-religious World Solidarity Forum of Sri Lanka began Saturday at the Jaffna Veerasingham Hall, sources said. The clergy of all faiths in North and South attended the inaugural event, organizers said.


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'Armed challenge to imposed national territory inevitable'

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 June 2003, 00:33 GMT]
"Sri Lanka's colonial rulers left military power solely in the hands of a single community within an artificially created national territory on this island, created without the consent of the Tamils who, nevertheless, were included in it. Therefore the majority community had to increasingly depend on its monopoly on military force to hold on to this artificial national territory it acquired from the British. Under the circumstance, a military challenge to this was inevitable among the Tamils," said Mr. V. T. Thamilmaran, senior lecturer in law in the University of Colombo, Saturday.
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LTTE hands over seven underage youths to their parents

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 June 2003, 15:32 GMT]
Seven underage youths who approached the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) expressing desire to join the movement were handed over to their parents in the presence of members of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) by the Vavuniya district LTTE officials at the LTTE political office in Vavuniaya Saturday morning, sources in Vavuniya said.
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SLMM releases report on SLN's sinking of LTTE vessel

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 June 2003, 10:28 GMT]
Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in its report on the sea incident where LTTE's vessel MT Shoshin was sunk by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) on 14 June, concluded, "Since neither Party informed the SLMM in due time about the incident...the possibility to prevent the escalation was missed," that SLMM "does not consider that SLN violated the CFA by intercepting the LTTE tanker," and that "LTTE violated the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10th Dec 1982 by not flying an appropriate flag and official, visible identification."
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Artifical Insemination Unit opened in Karadiyanaru

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 June 2003, 10:03 GMT]
Livestock Breeding Unit of the Health Commission, with the support of the Tamil Eelam Economic Development Organization, has established an Artificial Insemination Unit in Karadiyanaru, Batticaloa district. LTTE's Special Commander for Batticaloa-Amparai district, Ramesh ceremoniously opened the unit Friday morning 11 am, sources said.
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129 families resettled in Omanthai area

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 June 2003, 05:57 GMT]
Vavuniya Government Agent K. Ganesh said Friday at a meeting held in Vavuniya Secreatariat that in three villages adjoining the High Security Zone in Omanthai area 129 families have been resettled, according to Secretariat officials.


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Police-SLA arrest thirteen Tamils in Wellawatte

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 June 2003, 19:39 GMT]
Police and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) conducted cordon and search operation in Wellawatte, a predominantly Tamil suburb in Colombo Friday and arrested thirteen Tamil youths, security sources said. This joint operation took place as part of the new security measures now being carried out in the capital of the country since the gunning down of a police intelligence unit head in Dehiwala, police said.


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Pongu Thamil urges steps to permanent peace

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 June 2003, 13:42 GMT]
"The clouds of war have once again appeared on the horizon, for no fault of ours. We wish to change this situation" states the Pongu Thamil declaration read out by the President of the Jaffna University Students' Union Mr.Suppaiah Baheerathan. Tens of thousands gathered on the grounds held up their hands in support of the declaration.


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Record crowds throng Jaffna Pongu Thamil rally

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 June 2003, 12:33 GMT]
Around hundred and fifty thousand people crammed the Jaffna Medical College grounds and its environs for the Pongu Thamil rally Friday said the organisors of the event. Pongu Thamil calls for the immediate return of thousands of homes and lands occupied by the Sri Lankan armed forces in the northern peninsula. The Pongu Thamil flame was lit by the Vice Chancellor of the Jaffna University Prof. S. Mohanadas. Buddhist nuns, monks and two officials from the Sri Lankan Prime Minister’s office were among the special guests.
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