Norwegian official meets TULF

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 January 2000, 14:16 GMT]
Norway's secretary of state for foreign affairs, Leiv Lunde, held talks with the Secretary General of the Tamil United Liberation Front, Mr R. Sampanthan, at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Colombo on Monday and Tuesday, political sources in the capital said.
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MP urges inquiry into shootings

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 January 2000, 19:17 GMT]
The Leader of the Parliamentary Group of the Tamil United Liberation Front, Mr.Joseph Pararajasinghan has appealed to the President to order an impartial inquiry into the killing of a 10-year-old girl, Sellathamby Pushpalatha, and a 14-year-old boy, Vijeyan, by the SLA at Morakoddanchenai, a village 20 km north of Batticaloa.
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Senior Norwegian official arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 January 2000, 19:11 GMT]
(Correction) Norway's state secretary for foreign affairs, Leiv Lunde arrived in Colombo on Sunday evening on a three-day visit, political sources said.
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LTTE urges Vehicle Association against SLA transit

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 January 2000, 19:06 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers have asked the Vehicle Owners Association in the Vadamaradchi East region of the Jaffna peninsula not to allow Sri Lanka Army soldiers to travel in public transport busses. The Tigers say the SLA use "human shields" for troops relocation and reinforcing their positions in the region.
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Discrimination against northeast doctors: Pararajasingham

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 January 2000, 13:30 GMT]
The Parliamentary Group Leader of the Tamil United Liberation Front Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham has brought to the notice of the Minister of Health the discrimination in paying special incentive allowance to medical officials and specialists working in the war torn northeast province.
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Security forces swoop on Wellawatte

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 January 2000, 18:07 GMT]
Thirty young men and women were arrested in Wellawatte, a large Tamil suburb of Colombo during a combined search operation by Special Task Force and CID personnel this morning, sources said.
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CTTU protests poor standard Tamil Texts

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 January 2000, 16:49 GMT]
The All Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU) has demanded the resignations of the Chairman of the National Institute of Education and the Director General of the Department of Educational Publications for having failed to prepare and print high standard Tamil medium school textbooks without grammatical, spelling and factual errors.
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2000 arrested in Colombo search

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 January 2000, 11:39 GMT]
More than 2000 Tamils were arrested in a massive cordon and search operation in Kolonnawa, a suburb of Colombo, and in Gampaha district, today. The combined operation by the Sri Lanka Army and Police began in the early hours of the morning after enforcing a ten-hour curfew.
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Peace package by April - radio

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 January 2000, 13:09 GMT]
Sri Lanka's state radio said Thursday that the government has announced a program to find a political solution to the island's ethnic problem. According to the radio the government is planning to table a new draft constitution in the parliament before April this year.
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Mortar hits police passing out parade

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 January 2000, 11:53 GMT]
Four civilians and a policeman were killed and 29 others wounded when a mortar shell exploded soon after the conclusion of a passing out parade, around 10 a.m. at Morawewa Police Training School, 30 km. north of Trincomalee, security sources said.
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Teachers urge action on Tamil text books

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 January 2000, 13:00 GMT]
The Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU) has requested the Minister of Education and Higher Education to take stern disciplinary action against the Department of Educational Publications for failing to print and distribute text books to Tamil medium schools in the northern province in time.
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Kalutara detainees refused transfer

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 January 2000, 11:58 GMT]
Tamil prisoners detained in Kalutara prison won't be transferred to jails in the Northeast Province despite the reported killing of three Tamils inmates by prison wardens, sources said.
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EPDP replaces MPs

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 January 2000, 17:00 GMT]
The Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) has appointed Mr. Sinnathurai Thavarajah and Mr. Velummylum Kuhendran as Members of Parliament, to fill the vacancies created by the resignations of Ms S. Thangavel and M.Chandrakumar.
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Ponnambalam aide identifies 'Shantha'

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 January 2000, 10:45 GMT]
All Ceylon Tamil Congress leader Kumar Ponnambalam's aide, G.Thomas has identified the person who met the late M.Ponnambalam. at his home on the day of his assassination as Shantha.
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HRC asked to initiate legal action

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 January 2000, 14:31 GMT]
Ten political detainees held at the Kalutara prison have said in a letter to Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Jaffna that they're living in fear in the prison.
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More UNP MPs to support PA

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 January 2000, 19:18 GMT]
Six more parliamentarians from the United National Party (UNP) are expected to support the ruling People's Alliance (PA), political sources in Colombo said. Yesterday, the Central Committee of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), decided to present a bill that allows an MP to cross over to another party.
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Trial-at-bar urged for Sarathambal rape case

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 January 2000, 18:59 GMT]
Sarathambal rape and murder case should be tried before a trial-at-bar court, Leader of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization, Attorney-at-Law N. Srikantha said.
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Kalutara chief jailer's evidence

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 January 2000, 16:59 GMT]
Chief Jailer S. K Udaya Shanth Fenando referring to the clashes at the Kalutara Prison said that the situation was so precarious that it became necessary to use arms.
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Presidential condolence note 'predates assassination'

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 January 2000, 22:22 GMT]
The assassination January 5 of Kumar Ponnambalam, President of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress, might have been planned by the Sri Lankan government eight months ago, a Paris based Tamil publication alleged this week. The Eelamurasu cited a condolence letter by President Chandrika Kumaratunge to Ponnambalam's widow which bore the date 6 May 1999.
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Pt.Pedro UC chairman killed

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 January 2000, 15:38 GMT]
Mr.Vadivelu Vijeyaratnam, Chairman of the Point Pedro Urban Council in the Jaffna District was shot dead by unidentified gunmen around 7.30 p.m. this evening.
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