People should fight for peace -Balakumaran

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 April 2003, 15:59 GMT]
A senior leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Mr.V.Balakumaran addressing a press conference Tuesday at the LTTE Jaffna district political office said the time has come for the people to get out on the road to fight for peace.
Full story >>

Persisting pass control spoils Jaffna fisheries growth

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 April 2003, 14:45 GMT]
Sri Lanka army sentries on Jaffna’s Vadamaradchi coast are still insisting that fishermen in the region should possess the special identification passes it has issued them despite agreeing last February to accept identity cards issued by the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (MFAR) in Colombo, a spokesman for the region’s federation of fishermen’s societies told TamilNet Monday.
Full story >>

LTTE and Muslim leaders reach peace agreement

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 April 2003, 20:04 GMT]
Representatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Majlis Al Shura of Muttur division Monday agreed to prevail upon the Tamil and Muslim peoples to end all acts of violence against each other and to work towards ensuring peace, said a press release issued by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission in Trincomalee.
Full story >>

LTTE suspends negotiations with Sri Lanka pending implementation of agreements reached

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 April 2003, 12:51 GMT]
Expressing deep displeasure over certain critical issues relating to the ongoing peace process, the LTTE leadership Monday informed the Sri Lankan government that it has decided to suspend its participation in the negotiations for the time being.
Full story >>

East MPs, LTTE and SLMM to meet in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 April 2003, 11:15 GMT]
Parliamentarians from the east including Minister Rauf Hakim of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and representatives from the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) are to meet in Trincomalee today to discuss matters related to actions necessary to diffuse tension in the east and to increase understanding between Tamils and Muslims, local news reports said.
Full story >>

Medical practitioner felicitated by Pirapaharan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 April 2003, 21:24 GMT]
V. Pirapaharan, Leader of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), applauded the services of Dr. Gengadharan on the golden anniversary (50 years) of his medical services to the Tamil community and presented him with a service award, sources in Vanni said.
Full story >>

Entire Trincomalee district under curfew

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 April 2003, 16:21 GMT]
The entire Trincomalee district has been brought under twelve-hour police curfew with effect from Sunday at 7 p.m. The curfew will be lifted Monday at 7 a.m. police announced through public address system in the Trincomalee town, sources in Trincomalee said.
Full story >>

'Disappeared' Sinhala youths return home

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 April 2003, 16:13 GMT]
Two Sinhalese youths alleged to have been abducted by some unidentified persons few weeks ago have returned home, according to police sources. Sinhalese activists had accused Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for the disappearance of these youths.
Full story >>

Mosques step in to keep peace in Batti-Amparai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 April 2003, 12:50 GMT]
Mosque trustee board officials Sunday foiled attempts to spread unrest in several Muslim towns in the Batticaloa and Amparai districts. Anonymous Islamic groups issued inflammatory leaflets Saturday in the two districts urging Muslims to protest against recent incidents in Mutur. “It caused concern that attempts were afoot to instigate violence in these parts too”, a Mosque official said.
Full story >>

Church farm helps dispossessed, poor

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 April 2003, 03:30 GMT]
The Methodist Church’s Jeevothayam Farm in Pariyaarikkandal, 28 kilometres southeast of Mannar town, has been a refuge for the dispossessed and the meek for more than quarter of a century. Tamils driven out of their homes in the island’s tea producing hills by Sinhala Buddhist nationalists in 1977, 81 and 83 found succour here before they went forth to settle and multiply in the inhospitable jungles of the Vanni.
Full story >>

Eravur court idles as buildings await renovation

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 April 2003, 20:33 GMT]
The village courts in Eravur, 10 km northwest of Batticaloa town, which stopped functioning during the communal riots in 1990 has been inactive for the last thirteen years initially due to continued military activities and later due to its war-damaged building in a state of disrepair, residents of Tamil dominated division-5 of Eravur district said.


Full story >>

Curfew imposed in Trincomalee town, suburbs

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 April 2003, 18:20 GMT]
Curfew has been imposed in Trincomalee and its suburbs from Saturday night till Sunday morning 9 a.m. following sporadic incidents that took place Saturday evening at Muslim dominated Jamaliya area, police said.


Full story >>

LTTE condemns Kattaiparichchan attack on Tamils

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 April 2003, 17:27 GMT]
The Trincomalee district political secretariat of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Saturday issued a statement condemning the grenade attack and firing by a Muslim group and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) that killed two Tamil civilians on Friday close to Kattaiparichchan army camp. The camp separates army controlled area and LTTE controlled area in the Muttur east.


Full story >>

Northeast celebrates Annai Poopathy anniversary

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 April 2003, 15:45 GMT]
Fifteenth year anniversary of Annai Poopathy memorial day was celebrated across the Northeast. Special events are being organized in Navalady, Batticaloa, on district basis in Trincomalee, Vavuniya, Mannar, Vanni and Jaffna, sources said. In Nallur, Jaffna the commemoration events started with a symbolic fast.


Full story >>

Poverty, oblivion dog rape victim

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 April 2003, 00:30 GMT]
Two years since she was brutally raped and tortured in custody, Ms. Sivamani Weerakoon, lives in abject poverty and uncertainty. The mother of three said that she was never offered counselling to help her cope with the trauma of her ordeal. Sri Lankan law is yet to bring the perpetrators of the violence committed on her to book. Ms. Sivamani said that no women’s rights group has ever contacted her in connection with her rape and torture by Sri Lankan armed forces personnel.
Full story >>

SLA demands clarification on LTTE event held in school

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 April 2003, 00:02 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Army’s (SLA) regional headquarters in Vavuniya has sought clarification from the Director of the Vavuniya South Zonal Education Division and the principal of the Vavuniya Nelukulam Kalaimahal Maha Vidyalayam, as to how permission was granted to hold a commemoration ceremony of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam at the school on March 21, sources in Vavuniya said.
Full story >>

Tamil civilian killed in SLA fire

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 April 2003, 18:38 GMT]
A Tamil civilian identified as Maheswaran Ravishankar (32) of Chenaiyoor was killed in firing from the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) detachment based at Kattaiparichchan Friday afternoon increasing the death toll on Friday incidents in Muttur area to two. The firing incident took place soon the after the Defence Minister Mr.Tilak Marapone left Muttur after attending a conference at Kattaiparichchan SLA camp, police said.
Full story >>

Curfew reimposed after grenade attack kills civilian

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 April 2003, 16:06 GMT]
A Tamil civilian was killed and seven others were injured in a grenade attack on Friday afternoon near Kattaiparichchan bridge which separates army controlled and Liberation Tigers controlled area in Muttur east, police sources said. The curfew lifted Friday has been reimposed Friday afternoon immediately after the grenade attack.


Full story >>

52 Jaffna schools still occupied by SLA

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 April 2003, 01:36 GMT]
Continued occupation of fifty-two government schools in Jaffna district by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and delay by the officials of the Education Ministry to fill the more than six thousand Tamil medium teacher vacancies in northeast schools, are causing irreparable damage to Tamil children’s education in Jaffna, said General Secretary of the Ceylon Tamil Teacher’s Union (CTTU) , Mr.T.Mahasivam, addressing a press briefing Thursday held at Navalar Government School in Jaffna.


Full story >>

Curfew imposed in Muttur town, suburbs

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 April 2003, 17:11 GMT]
Dusk to dawn curfew has been imposed in Muttur town and its suburbs following sporadic clashes between sections of Muslims and Tamils Thursday evening. Several incidences of violence have been reported from Palathoppur and Thoppur, police sources said
Full story >>