SLN takes into custody six LTTE cadres

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 November 2002, 14:50 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Navy Friday evening intercepted a boat between Trincomalee and Sampoor in the east coast and took six members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam into custody. Later they were handed over to the Trincomalee Police.
Full story >>

Abandoned villages in Trinco to be revived

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 November 2002, 02:34 GMT]
The Trincomalee District Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Committee (DRRC) met Friday and decided to take immediate steps to provide drinking water, electricity supply, education and other basic facilities to villages abandoned due to displacement following war. "We cannot allow our people to stay in refugee camps and welfare centres indefinitely after the ceasefire agreement came into force. We must see that they are resettled in their villages," said Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Mr. R. Sampanthan speaking at the meeting.
Full story >>

Thenmaradchi displaced sit-in-protest continues

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 November 2002, 02:17 GMT]
Hundreds of displaced people Friday continued their sit-in-protest for the second day in front of the Chavakachcheri Divisional Secretariat demanding the immediate removal of the Sri Lanka Army located in more than fifty houses in Meesalai and Manthuvil in Thenmaradchchi area, sources said. The protest launched by the consortium of welfare organization forced closure of DS office on Friday.
Full story >>

Protest against rape, murder of Tamil woman

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 November 2002, 01:12 GMT]
Hundreds of people Friday held a protest march in Vavuniya town demanding immediate inquiry into the mysterious killing of Lucia Aurampillai, 42, after sexual assault by unidentified persons. The protest march commenced Friday morning from Sivan temple at Kovilkulam and arrived at the Vavuniya district secretariat. Women organizations, non-governmental institutions and the people of the area organized the protest campaign.
Full story >>

MOH certifies 'WFP rice unfit for consumption'

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 November 2002, 22:45 GMT]
Trincomalee Medical Officer of Health (MOH) Friday informed the Multi Purpose Co-operative Society (MPCS) in the east port town to stop the distribution of rice supplied under the World Food Programme (WFP) project as it was found unfit for human consumption. WFP earlier this week denied a TamilNet report of October 8 that rice the UN agency had supplied was spoilt and not fit for distribution to the internally displaced in the district.
Full story >>

Karuna and Hakeem to work closely

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 November 2002, 15:27 GMT]
Improving the security situation in the East was a key topic of discussion in the second round of peace talks between the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) and the Government of SriLanka which began on the 31 October in Thailand. "Mr. Hakeem and Mr. Karuna agreed to work together in the east to meet with local communities and address their specific concerns and aspirations, including matters relating to the occupation and cultivation of land," a release from the Norwegian Embassy in Thailand said.
Full story >>

Alleged abductors in Akkaraipattu allowed bail

[TamilNet, Thursday, 31 October 2002, 20:35 GMT]
Akkaraipattu magistrate M.I.M. Issadeen, released on bail, two suspects arrested for abducting a Muslim youth, S.M.Abdul Wajeed (24), from his home on 15 October. The youth was later found at his home three days after he disappeared. The alleged abduction, initially blamed on Liberation Tigers, provoked widespread protests and hartal in Trincomalee town and nearly precipitated Tamil Muslim clashes in the eastern province.
Full story >>

Protesters demand removal of SLA camps

[TamilNet, Thursday, 31 October 2002, 16:32 GMT]
Hundreds of displaced Tamil civilians Thursday morning around 7.30 launched a sit-in-protest in front of the Chavakacheri Divisional Secretary (DS) office, demanding the immediate removal of the Sri Lanka Army camp located between Puttur junction and Kanaganpuliyadi junction in Thenmaradchi area in Jaffna district.
Full story >>

Tamil shops close to STF camp burnt down

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 October 2002, 18:47 GMT]
Two shops owned by Tamils at Pottuvil, about five hundred meters from Kanchirankuda Special Task Force camp in Ampara district, were burnt down by unidentified persons, around 12.30 a.m. Wednesday morning, sources in Ampara said.
Full story >>

LTTE, government delegations in Thailand

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 October 2002, 10:35 GMT]
The delegations of the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Wednesday flew in the same plane from Colombo to Thailand to attend the second round of four day peace talks scheduled to commence on October 31, airport sources said.
Full story >>

Trinco 'hartal' killing inquest continues

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 October 2002, 21:17 GMT]
The inquest into the killing of three Tamil civilians in a grenade attack and gun fire on October 11 in Trincomalee town resumed Tuesday afternoon before the Trincomalee Magistrate Mr.S.Thiagendran.
Full story >>

SLN, SLA reject requests to fish, resettle

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 October 2002, 17:41 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army and Navy Tuesday refused to open the main road along the peninsula’s southeastern coast, refused to allow free access to the lagoon within the limits of the Jaffna town and rejected a request by an MP to relocate defence positions at the Tellipalai Junction to facilitate refugee resettlement.
Full story >>

Negotiators depart for Thailand Peace Talks

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 October 2002, 11:12 GMT]
Representatives of the Sri Lankan Government, Director of Peace Secretariat Bernard Gunatillake, Major General Shantha Kotegoda, John Gunaratne and Janaka Jeyasekara of the Peace Secrtariat, departed Katunayake airport today, 29 October morning to participate in the second round of peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to be held on the 31st in the city of Nakhon Pathom, 35 miles west of Bangkok, sources said.
Full story >>

Trinco DCC reviews resettling displaced

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 October 2002, 20:54 GMT]
Each displaced family is to be given one hundred thousand rupees as resettlement package under the rehabilitation programme which is to be implemented shortly, it was announced at the meeting of the Trincomalee District Co-ordinating Committee (DCC) held Monday.
Full story >>

WFP denies report as more spoilt rice arrives

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 October 2002, 14:55 GMT]
As the World Food Program (WFP) this week denied a TamilNet report of October 8 that rice the UN agency had supplied and the Trincomalee Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society (MPCS) says it is being forced to distribute is unfit for consumption, reports from the eastern port town said further supplies of spoilt rice, infected with insects and weevils, had arrived this week.
Full story >>

Left PA government because Kumaratunga was bent on war - Minister

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 October 2002, 17:10 GMT]
“Prof. G.L Pieris, Mr. S. B Dissanayaka and I left People’s Alliance government last year because President Chandrika Kumaratunga was bent on war and detested peace. We could have been ministers in the PA government until 2005. But had we remained in the PA regime for the full term of the Parliament elected in 2000, war would have continued in this country. It is in this context that we left the PA and helped form a new government. The war came to an end because of this government,” said Sri Lanka’s Minister for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Mr. Mahinda Wijesekera.
Full story >>

SLA requested to vacate Hospital, Cultural Center

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 October 2002, 15:31 GMT]
The Head of Vavuniya branch political section of Liberation Tigers (LTTE),C. Elilan, andthe District Secretary of Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Moorthy, have requested the Head of Security forces that the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Police vacate the Cultural Center in Vavuniya settlement and the Neriyakulam-Mankulum hospital for use of these facilities by the area residents.


Full story >>

75 PTA Detainees to be released

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 October 2002, 17:02 GMT]
Tamil detainees arrested under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) languishing in jails, some for several years, are to be released gradually said Attorney General (AG), K.C. Kanagasabeyson. The Government will soon drop the charges on seventy five of the detainees and release them, the Attorney General added.
Full story >>

'Second round peace talks on firm foundation'- Peiris

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 October 2002, 14:33 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government Friday said a firm foundation has been laid for the second round of peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. A Sri Lanka Army Major General will be among the three advisors to the government delegation for the talks scheduled to commence on October 31 at Thailand.
Full story >>

TNA objects to CEB Office relocation

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 October 2002, 08:22 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has protested to the government proposal of shifting the eastern regional office of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) from Trincomalee in the northeast province to Anuradhapura in the North-western province.
Full story >>