SLMM action sought on stopping new SLA camps in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 June 2003, 19:13 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Tuesday asked the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission to take immediate steps to stop the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) from establishing new camps in the peninsula and disrupting the normal life of the people in the name of strengthening security, sources said.
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Land issues discussed in Tamil, Muslim subcommittee meet

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 June 2003, 16:35 GMT]
A meeting of the subcommittee on Tamil-Muslim land issues in the Koralaipattu East (Valaichenai), Koralaipattu North (Vakarai), Koralaipattu South (Kiran), Koralaipattu West (Ottamavady) divisions of the Batticaloa district was held Tuesday morning at the Valaichenai divisional secretariat, sources said.
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Pongu Thamil organisers receive death threats

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 June 2003, 13:13 GMT]
Organisers of a mass protest in Jaffna next week calling for the withdrawal of Sri Lankan troops from homes, schools and public places are facing death threats, student leaders said this week. There have also been attempts on the lives of some organisers of the ‘Pongu Thamil’ event scheduled for June 27, they said.


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SLA, LTTE meet to discuss Batti-Amparai security

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 June 2003, 11:54 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) commanders and Commanders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) met in Vavunathivu, Batticaloa secretariat 2pm Monday to discuss security issues in Batticaloa-Amparai district, security sources said. Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) organized the meeting.


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Batti-Amparai Education Officials meet in Karadiyanaru

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 June 2003, 11:28 GMT]
Principals and Education Officials from Batticaloa-Amparai district met in the Thenakam Rest House meeting Hall in Karadiyanaru at 7.30 pm Sunday to discuss steps to be taken to monitor progress and to improve the general level education in the district. Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) head of the political wing of Batti-Amparai, E. Kausalyan presided the event, according to sources.
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Jaffna Children's Media Group demands action

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 June 2003, 10:07 GMT]
In a mini-parliament involving the Children's Media Group (CMG) facilitated by the Save the Children in Sri Lanka, Jaffna district was held in Veerasingham Hall earlier this month. In the event, the children of Jaffna called on the decision makers to take action on issues of health and nutrition, child abuse and Education that affect the children. This report contains corrections to an earlier report published in TamilNet.
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CJDPO condemns SLA violence against LTTE in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 June 2003, 05:51 GMT]
The Confederation of Jaffna District Public Organization (CJDPO) Sunday condemned several violent acts of the Sri Lanka government troops committed on Saturday and Sunday against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) political activists and their offices in the Valigamam division, sources said.


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SLA's increased checking of Jaffna civilians violates MoU - LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 June 2003, 18:42 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Saturday complained to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) is violating the ceasefire agreement by checking civilians who pass through main checkpoints at Vallai on Jaffna-Point Pedro road, Ayam on Point Pedro-Chavakachcheri road and Mulli on Point Pedro Kodikamam road, sources said.


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LTTE registers protest with SLMM on SLN's sinking of vessel

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 June 2003, 15:38 GMT]
Thamilselvan, head of the political wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in a letter addressed to General Tryggve Tellefsen, head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, pointed out that Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) is playing a delaying game with the SLMM to allow the oil spills in the actual position in international waters where the vessel was sunk and requested the SLMM to "take immediate steps to ensure the safety of our cadres and inform us their whereabouts at the quickest time possible."
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Grenade explosion injures four in Valaichenai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 June 2003, 11:52 GMT]
Four people were injured when a grenade thrown by unknown assailants exploded near a butcher store in the Muslim market in Valaichenai, 32km north of Batticaloa town, at 10.15 am Sunday, according to Batticaloa police sources.


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Colombo has failed to bring normalcy to Northeast - FJDMA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 June 2003, 11:08 GMT]
The Federation of the Jaffna District Minibus Association (FJDMA) Sunday told the United National Front (UNF) government that it has failed to create a conducive situation in the northeast province enabling the internally displaced families to return to their villages. "Instead the government is insisting on maintaining the high security zones in residential areas according to the agenda of its military," the Federation said in a statement, Jaffna sources said.


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EPDP cadre shot dead in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 June 2003, 10:52 GMT]
Ponniah Ramachandran (42), a member of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) and a father of three children, was shot dead by unknown gunmen around 11am Sunday along the Batticaloa-Kallady Thiruchenthoor Road, security sources in Batticaloa said.


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LTTE blames SLN for sinking of merchant vessel

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 June 2003, 16:19 GMT]
In a press release issued Saturday by the Political Head Quarters of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Kilinochchi, LTTE said that it had informed the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission that SLN's sinking of LTTE's merchant vessel today is "a gross violation of the ceasefire agreement and if any harm were to befall the crew of the LTTE vessel then the sole responsibility for the events lay with the Sri Lanka Navy and that this incident would have very grave consequences."
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Road closure by SLA halts temple festival in Kalkudah

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 June 2003, 11:37 GMT]
Trustees of Munai Murugan temple in Kalkudah, 35km North of Batticaloa town, said Saturday that devotees have no access to the temple and that the popular annual temple festivals cannot be held due to the closure of the main road leading to the temple by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA).


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SLN harrassment may lead to confrontation at sea- Thamilselvan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 June 2003, 03:48 GMT]
Thamilselvan, leader of the political wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) told head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) General Tryggve Tellefsen who led a delegation of SLMM members to Kilinochchi Friday that increasing intereference with LTTE vessels in LTTE areas, investigation of these vessels, and continued harrasment of sea-tigers will inevitably lead to confrontation if these SLN activities are not checked, local papers reported.
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Measles immunization programme inaugurated in northeast

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 June 2003, 00:31 GMT]
Sri Lanka's health ministry Friday launched its first national level measles immunization programme in the country. The inaugural event was held for the time in the northeast province and the programme would be extended to other provinces in the country in September, October 2003, health ministry sources said.
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PA urges UNF not to give into LTTE's demands

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 June 2003, 00:05 GMT]
The main opposition Peoples Alliance (PA) which governed Sri Lanka from 1994 to 2001 demanded the United National Front (UNF) government to place the armed forces on red alert as the PA believed that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has reverted its position to Tamil homeland policy and its demand for an institution with more administrative and political powers is a step towards LTTE's goal for a separate state, Tamil Eelam, polical sources in Colombo said.


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LTTE demands release of cadre arrested one year ago

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 June 2003, 11:25 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Friday said it would release the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) soldier, Mr.S.T.Ruwankumara, who is in its custody in Trincomalee district in exchange of its cadre Kururathan now in remand for more than a year, sources said.


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Mandoor STF attacks Temple devotees

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 June 2003, 03:57 GMT]
Devotees of Kannakai amman temple in 15th Colony in Mandoor, who were on their way to obtain provisions from Vellavelly, Kambiyirakkam village for the final festival were beaten by the Special Task Force (STF) soldiers stationed in Mandoor, security sources said.


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Leprosy Control programme to be inaugurated in Northeast

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 June 2003, 00:20 GMT]
A workshop was held Thursday in Trincomalee on the implementation of an Integrated Leprosy Control Services Project in the Northeast province at the auditorium of the provincial ministry of health.
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