Victims of Tamil Conference '74 remembered

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 January 2003, 16:28 GMT]
Speaking at the 29th year ceremony commemorating the victims of massacre at the International Tamil Research Conference in Jaffna, Rev. Fr. T. Jeyakumar said that some Sinhalese extremists planned the killing when Tamil people showed their love of their language by participating at the conference celebrating Tamil language.


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PTA to stay - Defence Minister

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 January 2003, 15:35 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Defence Minister, Mr. Tilak Marapone, said in parliament Friday that a decision on abolishing the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary provisions) Act would be made only after considering all future repercussions of such a removal. The present situation is "not conducive to doing away with the PTA," said Mr. Marapone.


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Picketing campaign in Tellipalai called off

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 January 2003, 15:33 GMT]
As a result of the understanding reached between the Government of Sri LAnka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the fourth round of peace talk in Thailand related to the settling of displaced in Jaffna, the one week old picketing and fasting campaign of the displaced people in Jaffna district in front of the office of the Tellipalai Additional Government Agent was called off Friday afternoon, sources said.
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Sri Lanka chief negotiator’s stand absurd- PA

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 January 2003, 10:48 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s main opposition party Friday said the stand taken by Colombo’s chief negotiator Prof. G. L Peiris on the question of high security zones in Jaffna was “absurd” and claimed that it is not endorsed by the Sri Lankan armed forces.
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UNICEF program for children in NE inaugurated

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 January 2003, 18:13 GMT]
The UNICEF on Thursday marked the start of a program specially formulated for the children of the war-torn North-East province, the ‘Every Child in School Programme,’ with an inaugural speech by the Sri Lankan government’s minister for human resources development, education and cultural affairs, Mr. Karunasena Kodithuwakku, at the St. Mary’s college in Trincomalee.
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Jaffna missing persons inquiry to begin

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 January 2003, 16:37 GMT]
The one member committee of inquiry appointed by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka to probe into several hundreds of Tamil youths who went missing in Jaffna peninsula during 1996 and 1997 is scheduled to begin its sitting from January 24 in Jaffna. A former Jaffna government agent Mr. Devanesan Nesiah heads the committee.
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Equitable distribution of funds for NE schools urged

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 January 2003, 20:51 GMT]
Addressing the concluding session of the three-day education workshop held in Trincomalee on Wednesday, Mr. Arun Master, the deputy head of the Tamil Eelam Educational Development Division (TEEDD), called for equitable distribution of funds for basic facilities to all schools in the North-East.
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LTTE's commitment to Sinhala rights lauded

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 January 2003, 18:37 GMT]
The zonal director of education for Dehiattakandiya, Mr.W.Kodituwakku, on Wednesday lauded the assurance by the head of the LTTE's Educational Development Division, Mr. V. Ilankumaran, that the rights of the Sinhalese living in the Northeastern province would be safeguarded.
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‘Every child in school programme’ to be inaugurated in NE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 January 2003, 13:22 GMT]
‘Every child in school programme’ sponsored by the UNICEF in the northeast province will be inaugurated in Trincomalee Thursday, 9 January, morning by the Minister of Human Resource Development, Education and Cultural Affairs Dr.Karunasena Kodituwakku.
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Parliament approves two more labour bills

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 January 2003, 13:15 GMT]
Two more labour bills, the Termination of Employment of Workmen (Special Provisions (Amendment) Bill and Industrial Disputes (Hearing and determination of Proceedings Special Provisions Bill were adopted in parliament Wednesday with a majority for 47 votes and 53 respectively.
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Parliament adopts Industrial Disputes Amendment Law

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 January 2003, 06:54 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament Tuesday night adopted the Industrial Disputes (Amendment) Bill, one of the four draft labour bills with a majority of thirty-four votes.
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Batticaloa journalist's home attacked

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 January 2003, 03:32 GMT]
The home of senior Batticaloa journalist, Mr. Senathirajah Jeyanandamoorthy, was attacked with grenades around midnight Tuesday. The attackers poured petrol and set fire to the house located in the Sri Lanka army high security zone in Valaichenai, 32 kilometres north of Batticaloa. The fire did not spread due to rains and the efforts of neighbours, his colleagues said. Mr. Jeyanandamoorthy had received several death threats in the past from a suspected Islamic extremist group in the area.


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Peace talks are going well, say Chief Negotiators

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 January 2003, 18:19 GMT]
(News Feature) The Sri Lankan government conceded this week that the resettlement of Tamil refugees and internally displaced people in areas occupied by its military forces could not be made conditional on the disarming of the Liberation Tigers, as demanded by the Army. Following two days of discussion, hailed by both sides as “constructive,” the government also said it would begin to reallocate its troops based amongst civilians in the Jaffna peninsula.
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400 more schools to be under BOBLEP project in NE

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 January 2003, 17:52 GMT]
Four hundred ninety three more schools are to be brought under the Book Based Language Enrichment Project (BOBLEP) in the New Year 2003 by the ministry of education in the northeast province. The main objective of the BOBLEP is to help pupils improve their reading and language ability in Tamil, English and Sinhala, sources said.
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Picketing in Tellipallai continues

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 January 2003, 12:11 GMT]
Several hundred people displaced from high security zone (HSZ) in Jaffna peninsula continued their fast and picketing third day Tuesday in front of the office of the additional government agent in Tellipalai. They launched this campaign Friday demanding that they should be allowed to resettle in their villages, which have been declared high security zone by the State armed forces, Valigamam Peoples Forum (VPF) sources said.
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NE education development action plan underway

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 January 2003, 00:16 GMT]
Three-day workshop to finalize an action plan to implement several educational development projects in the war torn northeast province commenced Monday at Trincomalee. The head of the Educational Development Unit of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Mr.V.Ilankumaran made the keynote address at the first workshop held in Trincomalee Monday for twelve zonal directors, their deputies and In-Service Advisors in the eastern province.
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Political solution in Sri Lanka said constitutionally impossible

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 January 2003, 23:09 GMT]
“The nationhood of Tamils and their right to self-determination are non-negotiable. Any political solution that might emerge out of the ongoing peace process cannot go below these. The territory of Northeast is part of the identity of the Tamils of this country. We don't need historical proof for this. We don't need anyone's recognition or consent to exercise our right of self-determination. It is the birthright of each and every nation,” said Mr.V.T.Thamilmaran, senior lecturer in law in the University of Colombo, delivering the third Kumar Ponnambalam Memorial Speech in Jaffna Sunday.
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Fourth round of talks begin

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 January 2003, 10:31 GMT]
The fourth round of direct talks between the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lankan government began Monday at the Rose Garden hotel, 32km west of Bangkok, Thailand. The LTTE and Sri Lankan delegations were led by Chief Negotiators, Mr. Anton Balasingham and Prof. G. L Peiris respectively. The Norwegian facilitators were led by Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. Vidar Helegesen.
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LTTE leaflets alert residents, invite ex-militants

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 January 2003, 18:56 GMT]
The Batticaloa-Ampara political section of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) distributed two leaflets, one alerting residents of Batticaloa to be aware of nefarious elements who are trying to sabotage the peace process, and the other appealing to ex-militants collaborating with the Sri Lanka security forces and working with anti-LTTE groups to join the LTTE and participate in building peace, sources in Batticaloa said.
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Health issues spur Jaffna officials to act

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 January 2003, 18:50 GMT]
Alarmed by the spread of dengue, typhoid and a virus fever, Jaffna District Secretariat, in an emergency meeting convened yesterday, took decision to institute procedures to keep the peninsula clean and take all measures possible to prevent environment pollution, said sources in Jaffna.
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