India turns back TNA MP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 July 2004, 15:41 GMT]
Mr. Eelaventhan, a nominated Tamil National Alliance MP was turned back by Indian immigration authorities Saturday. Indian government officials confirmed that the TNA MP was refused entry to India at the Chennai International Airport Saturday.
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Indian fishermen rescue refugees, get jailed

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 July 2004, 13:09 GMT]
Mannar judge Saturday remanded until 30 July two Indian fishermen who had rescued a group of refugees stranded at midsea in an overloaded boat. The judge released the thirty four refugees after reprimanding them for giving contradictory statements to hide the identities of the 'refugee smugglers' who had brought them in the overloded boat from the South Indian coast for a fee.
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Missing fishermen return safe

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 July 2004, 23:20 GMT]
Three fishermen Mr.S.Ruban and Mr.T.Sriskandarajah of Inbaruty and Mr.T.Subramaniam of Viyaparimoolai in Vadamarachchi division who were reported missing since Sunday returned safely Tuesday around midnight, fisheries sources said.
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BBC launches Tamil online news service

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 July 2004, 00:57 GMT]
Popularity of the BBC's Tamil service, "Thamil Osai," broadcasting to listeners in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, North America, Western Europe and Australia, has prompted the BBC to start an online news service www.bbctamil.com.


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Sampanthan to address U.S. Tamil meet

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 June 2004, 02:25 GMT]
Secretary General of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Parliamentary Group leader, R.Sampanthan, is scheduled to address the Annual Convention of the Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America (FeTNA) at the Carl J. Murphy Fine Arts Center, Morgan State University, in Baltimore during the 4th July weekend, sources said.
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Parents naming children in Tamil honoured

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 June 2004, 13:41 GMT]
"Silampam" an organization run by Tamil expatriates in Canada through its northeast branch Sunday evening honoured selected sixty five Tamil parents at a function held in Trincomalee St Joseph's' College for having named their children with 'pure' Tamil names. "Silampam" has been engaged in a campaign to create awareness among Tamils worldwide to safeguard Tamil language.
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Headless body found in Mannar coast

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 June 2004, 04:30 GMT]
Headless body of an unidentified young woman washed ashore in the Mannar coast near Nadukuda village close Pesalai area. Residents of the area found the body lying on the beach Wednesday early morning, police said.
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150th birthday of Mother Saratha Devi celebrated in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 June 2004, 18:42 GMT]
The Hindu Society of Trincomalee Sri Shanmuga Hindu Girls College Friday morning celebrated 150th birthday of Mother Saratha Devi of Ramakrishna Mission in Trincomalee town. The photograph of Mother Saratha Devi was taken in a procession along several roads in the town with large number of students joining the procession along with teachers and members of public.
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Pakistan-based Islamic group eyes eastern Sri Lanka - analyst

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 June 2004, 12:17 GMT]
Pakistan’s plans to appoint a former Director of its Intelligence Bureau (IB) as Ambassador to Sri Lanka "could have serious implications for the national security of India" a senior Indian analyst said this week, citing Colombo's importance as a base for Pakistani agents and a Pakistan backed militant group's increasing activities in Sri Lanka's eastern districts.
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Colombo conference to decide on poaching in northern sea

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 May 2004, 07:43 GMT]
A top level conference is scheduled to be held in Colombo in the office of Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources on May 27th and 28th to explore the possibilities of stopping poaching in Sri Lankan northern territorial waters. Earlier this conference was to be held in Jaffna but later it has been shifted to Colombo, fisheries sources said.
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Tamil Nadu leaders urged to raise Sri Lanka Tamil issue

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 May 2004, 20:08 GMT]
"Tamil Nadu political leaders should pressure Delhi to take active interest in Sri Lanka Tamil problem and also to deproscribe the Liberation Tigers," said Leader of the Upcountry People’s Front (UPF) and Member of Parliament, Mr. Periyannan Chandrasekaran, speaking to Canadian Tamil radio after his recent visit to Tamil Nadu to meet with political leaders.
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Mannar GA declines to send back jailed Indians by sea

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 May 2004, 17:39 GMT]
The Mannar government agent Thursday declined a directive by the district magistrate to send back by sea three Indian fishermen jailed for illegally ferrying Tamil refugees and for smuggling explosives to the island's northwestern coast last year.
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Balasingham's book 'Viduthalai' released in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 May 2004, 17:25 GMT]
The launch of 'Viduthalai' (Liberation), collection of articles written by Liberation Tigers' theoretician and political strategist Mr.Anton Balasingham was held in Jaffna University Kailasapathy Auditorium Sunday evening. The book was first released in London six months ago and this was the first time the book was released in the Northeast, sources said.
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Countdown begins for election of Sri Lanka’s Speaker

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 April 2004, 18:19 GMT]
The first meeting of the Sri Lanka’s thirteenth parliament is to be held on Thursday morning with the election of a new Speaker as the first item in the agenda The two major political parties, the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and the United National Party (UNP), are actively engaged in garnering the support of small parties to prove their majority in the election of new Speaker, parliamentary sources said.
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"Thanthai” Chelva remembered on 106th birthday

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 March 2004, 04:15 GMT]
The 106th birthday of the late Tamil leader and the founder of the Federal Party (Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi -ITAK), Mr.S.J.V.Chelvanayakam, falls on Wednesday. Tamils in the country, who still fondly remember Mr. Chelvanayakam as “Thanthai (father) Chelva,” will celebrate the late leader's birthday Wednesday at a time when the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is contesting the forthcoming general elections on the ITAK ticket, with its HOUSE symbol revived after 37 years, political sources said.
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Eastern poet decries regionalism

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 March 2004, 16:20 GMT]
In a statement to Tamil media on the recent raising of regionalism in the East by renegade commander Mr. Vinayagamoorthy Muraleetharan (Karuna), Mr. Kasi Anandan, a well-known poet from the East, said that the more than 17,700 fighters from Tamil Eelam who sacrificed their lives in the liberation struggle did not do so for Jaffna or Batticaloa, but for Tamil Eelam. “I will never accept the division of Tamil Eelam as Jaffna and Batticaloa. The people of Tamil Eelam will live until their last breath for Tamil Eelam,” he said.


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Refugee women seek asylum in LTTE office

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 March 2004, 14:40 GMT]
Twelve women from refugee camps India sought asylum at the political office of the Liberation Tigers in Vavuniya Saturday. The women said they had forcibly been kept in safe houses in Colombo by men who had promised to get them jobs abroad. People chased away a gang that tried to abduct the women when they arrived in Vavuniya by train on Saturday morning. The women alleged the gang had sexually harassed and intimidated them.
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Protest's against Indian govt. say fasting fishermen

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 February 2004, 12:30 GMT]
"Our protest is against the Government of India because it is not doing anything about our plight. The chief minister of Tamil Nadu Ms. Jeyalalitha should pay attention to our problem. We will not return to India without our boats", said an Indian fisherman who was admitted to the Jaffna teaching Hospital after he fainted while fasting to death in the Sri Lankan government prison in the northern town Thursday.
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TNA readies to face poll with ‘house’ or 'lighthouse'

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 February 2004, 09:42 GMT]
General secretary of the Federal Party (FP), Mr. Mavai Senathirajah and general secretary of the TELO, Mr. Indrakumar Prasanna, informed Sri Lanka's Commissioner of Elections their party’s intent to contest following uncertainty over the TULF's legal wrangle, a spokesman for the Tamil National Alliance said Wednesday. If the stand off between the TULF's President and executive central committee is not resolved next week the TNA will have to contest either under the TELO's 'lighthouse' symbol or the FP's 'house' symbol, he said.


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Workshop on creative writing held in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 February 2004, 00:48 GMT]
Three-day workshop for Tamil medium students in Trincomalee town on "developing the creative writing" organized by the North East Provincial Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs concluded Sunday at the Trincomalee Orr's Hill Vivekananda College, education officials in Trincomalee said. Senior Lecturer at the Eastern University Dr.S.Yogarajah conducted the workshop.
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