‘Remove SLA camps from schools’ –CTTU

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 February 2003, 15:37 GMT]
The continued presence of Sri Lankan armed forces’ camps in many schools in the North-East, despite the passing of one year since the signing of the ceasefire agreement, has disrupted the education of students, and the camps should be removed immediately, said Mr. T. Mahasivam, the General Secretary of the Ceylon Tamil Teachers’ Union (CTTU), speaking at a gathering of teachers from the CTTU’s Manmunai North (Batticaloa) branch at the Mahajana college in Batticaloa today.
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General Nambiar to visit Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 February 2003, 12:05 GMT]
Lieutenant General Satish Nambiar, retired Deputy Chief of Staff of the Indian Army is to visit Jaffna Wednesday February 05 and will hold discussions with security officials including Jaffna area commander Major General Sarath Fonseka, sources said. The Indian defence expert will also participate at a conference scheduled to be held on the same day afternoon at the Jaffna district secretariat, Government Agent Mr.S. Pathmanathan told media persons.
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Women Tigers refused entry to Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 February 2003, 17:41 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers manning the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) Omanthai check point refused to allow twenty three cadres belonging to Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) women's wing to cross over to Vavuniya, objecting to the attire of the women tigers, sources in Vanni said.
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SLN constructs new camp in Gopalapuram

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 February 2003, 15:00 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) has started construction of a new camp at Gopalapuram in Nilaveli village, sixteen km north of Trincomalee town, residents said. The Gopalapuram Rural Development Society Sunday handed a memorandum signed by more than hundred Tamils to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) with copies to the Head Office of the Liberation Tigers and Tamil parliamentarians of the district protesting against the constructing a new navy camp, sources said.
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Koneswara Hindu College celebrates national school day

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 February 2003, 21:15 GMT]
More than a century old leading Trincomalee Sri Koneswara Hindu College celebrated its national school day Saturday holding a road race where more than seven hundred students in three groups participated, east port town sources said.
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Trincomalee senior citizens honoured by Rotary Club

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 February 2003, 21:12 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Rotary District Governor Mr.S.Pathmanathan Saturday evening honoured four senior citizens of Trincomalee at an event held at the Rotary House in Trincomalee. The Trincomalee Rotary Club organized this event for the first time in its history, its President Mr.R.Thirukumaranathan said.
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Police arrest eight Tamil youths in Point Pedro

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 February 2003, 20:09 GMT]
The Point Pedro Police Saturday arrested eight Tamil youths in the Kudathanai village in Vadamarachchi division following a dispute between the soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA)and the members of the vigilant committee of the area. The arrest followed an incident Saturday morning when the vigilant committee detained two SLA soldiers who had forcibly entered a house and harassed the family living there, sources said.
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TRO collects details of released PTA detainees

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 February 2003, 13:56 GMT]
The Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) is planning to collect names and other details of Tamil youths and others arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and released after languishing several years in prisons in the south of the country without trial, for want of evidence and for other reasons, sources said.
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NorthEast Province receives 9 ambulances from WHO

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 February 2003, 13:55 GMT]
The World Health Organization (WHO) Friday donated eight ambulances worth fifteen million rupees to the Tamil dominated northeast province to provide better medical services to the people in the remote villages who have suffered years with lack of medical attention, provincial health ministry sources said.
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'Peace talks enter crucial stage'- Ranil

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 January 2003, 17:52 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe Friday said in parliament that the peace talks between his government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has entered a crucial stage. Concluding the debate in parliament on his presentation during the aid conference in Oslo, he said his government would not allow the peace talks to be derailed at any cost.


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UNICEF-LTTE agree to work to uplift war affected children

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 January 2003, 17:33 GMT]
The UNICEF and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Friday agreed to work together for the welfare of the war affected children in the northeast after a meeting in Kilinochichi lasting nearly two hours between the UNICEF Executive Director, Ms Carol Bellamy, and LTTE political head Mr.S.P.Thamilselvan, sources said.
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SLA presence is ethnic cleansing in another form - MP

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 January 2003, 14:52 GMT]
“Deploying a Sinhala army in large areas after evicting Tamils from their towns and villages is another form of ethnic cleansing. An army occupying the homes and lands of our people cannot call itself their guardian. Only a foreign army will drive out people and occupy their towns and villages. I therefore consider the army occupying our lands as a foreign army," said Mr. Selvam Adaikalanathan Tamil National Alliance MP for Vanni, sources said.
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Rotarians to honour Trincomalee senior citizens

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 January 2003, 12:03 GMT]
The Rotary Club of Trincomalee is to honour four leading senior citizens in the east port town Saturday for their valued services in their field and to the community. The Rotary Governor Rotarian Mr. N.Pathmanathan who is also Deputy Secretary to the Treasury will honour the senior citizens at an event scheduled to be held Saturday evening at the Rotary House in Trincomalee, sources said.
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GA seeks permission to transport rice from Vanni to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 January 2003, 11:54 GMT]
The Jaffna Government Agent Mr.S.Pathmanathan said at the rehabilitation conference held Friday at Jaffna district secretariat that he has sought permission from the Prime Minister to bring rice from Liberation Tigers (LTTE) held Vanni region to be distributed in the peninsula easing shortage, sources in Jaffna said.


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Protests force Minister to cancel Jaffna visit

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 January 2003, 11:25 GMT]
Minister of Rehabilitation Reconstruction and Resettlement, Dr. Jayalath Jayawardene, cancelled his visit to Jaffna as residents and members of peoples organizations announced in advance to hold black band demonstration in protest to his visit.
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'UNF govt is helping LTTE to achieve Eelam'-JVP

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 January 2003, 01:27 GMT]
During a debate in the Sri Lanka parliament Thursday on the presentation made by Prime Minister at the Oslo aid summit, the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) parliamentarian Mr.Wimal Weerawanse said that the LTTE is adroitlyusing the present peace process to show the world that it has already established a region under their control in the island, parliamentary sources said.


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Jaffna residents to protest against visits by ministers, diplomats

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 January 2003, 01:18 GMT]
The Vadamarachchi Peoples Forum (VPF) Thursday said in a statement that it would show its opposition to the visit of ministers, opposition leaders and foreign diplomats to Vadamarachchi as the authorities have failed to provide basic facilities and haven't addressed problems confronting the resettled the people in the area although one year has passed after the signing of a ceasefire agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), sources said.
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GOSL, LTTE hold high-level conference in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 January 2003, 16:35 GMT]
A high level conference between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the LTTE, observed by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, was held from 10:15 am to 3:30 pm Thursday at the Vavunatheevu divisional secretariat, located in no-man’s land in the Batticaloa district, sources said.
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Mirusuvil massacre accused remanded, warrant on witnesses

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 January 2003, 01:00 GMT]
The trial-at-bar comprising three judges of the Colombo High Court in the Mirusuvil massacre case Wednesday ordered remand for the five accused soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and issued warrant on four vital witnesses who had intimated through the State Counsel from Jaffna their inability to attend the trial due to fear, legal sources in Colombo said.
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GOSL, LTTE and WB to meet again in Colombo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 January 2003, 23:38 GMT]
The delegations of the Government of Sri Lanka, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and World Bank are scheduled to meet Thursday (30.1.2003) in Colombo to hold discussions related to the funds pledged at the donor conference in Oslo, Norway last year. Minister and Cabinet spokesman Professor G.L.Peiris informed this at a press briefing held Wednesday.
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