LTTE calls for negotiations on interim administration

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 June 2003, 05:59 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said Wednesday it was prepared to resume negotiations with the Sri Lankan government on the establishment of an Interim Administrative structure empowered to undertake the tasks of rebuilding the war damaged economy and restoring normalcy in the Tamil speaking homeland.
Full story >>

World Bank teams begin field survey tour in NE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 June 2003, 00:50 GMT]
Two teams of World Bank officials began their four day field survey tour in the districts of Northeast province Monday to assess agricultural development and restoration works on minor irrigation tanks now being carried out by the World Bank funded North East Irrigated Agricultural Project (NEIAP), government officials in Trincomalee said.
Full story >>

Colombo urged to drop ‘double standard on interim mechanism’

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 June 2003, 18:07 GMT]
“The cease fire agreement (CFA) between Colombo and the Liberation Tigers has no basis in the laws of Sri Lanka. It is an extra constitutional instrument on which the island’s peace has stood for more than 15 months. Therefore, why can’t the Sri Lankan government look beyond the constricting parameters of its constitution to formulate an interim mechanism for rebuilding and rehabilitating the war ravaged northeast? We are urging the Sinhala polity to drop its double standard on this matter for the sake of peace," Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, a senior Tamil National Alliance MP, said Tuesday.
Full story >>

Permanent appointments for Tamil volunteer teachers

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 June 2003, 17:08 GMT]
One thousand Tamil medium volunteer teachers now serving in the Northeast province are to be made permanent in their posts on the instruction of the Public Service Commission (PSC) of the central government, NE Education Ministry Secretary Mr.R.Thiagalingam said Tuesday.
Full story >>

Jaffna to hold peace sports festival in September

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 June 2003, 10:43 GMT]
At a conference held Monday at the Jaffna district secretariat it was agreed to hold the second North-South peace sports festival in Jaffna peninsula on September 4, 5 and 6, provincial sports ministry sources said.


Full story >>

UXOs hamper reforesting, forest inspection in Vanni

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 June 2003, 00:10 GMT]
The Tamil Eelam Forestry Division (TEFD) sources said that unexploded ordnances (UXOs) pose danger to the inspection of the destruction caused to forests in the Vanni during Operation JayaSikuru in 1997, when Sri Lankan military officers felled large trees, destroyed forests and profited by exporting them to the South.


Full story >>

Educational institution for school drop-outs opens

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 June 2003, 09:20 GMT]
"In addition to teachers, parents involvement is also paramount in nuturing and providing the right environment for education of children," said S. Mohanasundaram, president of Educational Development Organization, participating as the chief guest at the opening ceremony of the school for reintroducing school drop-outs back into the Government school system, in the LTTE controlled area of Vakarai-Periyathattumunai village in Batticaloa district sponsored by the UNICEF, education sources said.
Full story >>

VVT residents picket against new army camp

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 June 2003, 09:06 GMT]
Hundreds of students and residents of Valvettithurai in the north of Jaffna district Monday held a picketing campaign for about an hour opposing the establishment of a new camp of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in the Chithamabara College grounds. All vehicular movement on Valvettithurai-Keerimalai main road came to a standstill due to picketing, sources said.


Full story >>

Tamileelam police issues speed advisory to motorists

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 June 2003, 00:23 GMT]
Following two deaths Saturday due to traffic accidents on A9, the Traffic section of Kilinochchi branch Tamileelam police issued an advisory to motorists to strictly adhere to speed limits instituted as safety precaution to allow A9 redevelopment work to proceed without delay, sources in Vanni said.


Full story >>

Former TELO member shot dead

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 June 2003, 00:01 GMT]
Kalirajah Ramanan (35), a former member of Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) and a former member of the Batticaloa Municipal Council was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Punochchimunai 7km north of Batticaloa town at 8.30pm Sunday, security sources said.
Full story >>

SLA builds camp in Chithampara College Grounds

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 June 2003, 12:01 GMT]
Residents in Valvettiturai (VVT) in the northern shores of Jaffna said that the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has begun construction of a camp in the sports grounds belonging to Chithampara College Saturday, according to local press reports.
Full story >>

Committee to investigate into attack on Batticaloa journalist

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 June 2003, 02:08 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has directed a committee headed by retired Judge Oliver Weerasinghe to investigate into the grenade attack on Batticaloa district journalist S. Jeyananthamoorthy who escaped injury in January when unknown assailants hurled a grenade into the journalist’s home, sources in Batticaloa said.


Full story >>

Higher education scholarships for ninety-three Trinco students

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 June 2003, 00:47 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian (TNA) Mr.R.Sampanthan participating as the chief guest at the Mahapola higher education scholarship-awarding event held in Trincomalee Saturday appealed to the Sri Lankan government to formulate a scheme immediately to admit all qualified students for higher education to universities the same year, sources said.


Full story >>

Trinco Vipulananda holds first prize giving in 56 years

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 May 2003, 19:33 GMT]
Trincomalee Vipulananda College located in the outskirts of east port town held its fifty sixth anniversary and first annual prize giving celebrations Thursday. The school was founded on 7th May 1947 in an abandoned military building left by the Britishers to provide education to the poor children living outside the Trincomalee town, sources said.
Full story >>

Batticaloa News in brief

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 May 2003, 18:15 GMT]
Batticaloa district Government Agent E. Mounaguruswamy presides the ceremony to award Mahapola scholarships to Batticaloa students and leads a committee looking into the current situation regarding the occupation of public buildings by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Batticaloa district.


Full story >>

LTTE releases two Sri Lankan police constables

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 May 2003, 13:48 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Saturday handed over two Sri Lankan police constables who were in its custody to the Muttur Assistant Superintendent of Police D.Samarakone and Serunuwara Assistant Superintendent of Police Mr.Ajith Rohana near Kattaiparichchan Bridge in the presence of members of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), security sources said.


Full story >>

Trinco Ladies College celebrates 80th anniversary

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 May 2003, 00:16 GMT]
The Founder’s day and the Eightieth anniversary of the Trincomalee Sri Shanmuga Hindu Ladies College were celebrated Wednesday with the Northeast Provincial Education Ministry Secretary Mr.R.Thiagalingam unveiling the statue of the founder Mrs. Thangamma Shanmugampillai, sources said.


Full story >>

SLMM searches Vadamarachchi LTTE political office

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 May 2003, 16:37 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Jaffna Friday morning searched the Vadamarachchi political office of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on a complaint by the security forces that they had seen members of the LTTE carrying powerful transmitter equipments in Manalkadu area in the peninsula. However no such items were found in the office after a thorough search, SLMM sources said.


Full story >>

Sri Lanka's main opposition lays condition for IA

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 May 2003, 16:29 GMT]
The main opposition Peoples Alliance (PA) Friday said that Tokyo donors' conference should be held as scheduled next month with the participation or non-participation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). It further said that the interim administration should be established to facilitate the implementation of the political solution reached at the peace talks now being held between the GOSL and LTTE and with certain conditions, sources in Colombo said.


Full story >>

Muslim, LTTE delegations meet in Vavunathivu

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 May 2003, 11:04 GMT]
A Muslim delegation and representatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) met Thursday morning in Vavunathivu in Batticaloa district, political sources in Batticaloa said.


Full story >>