LTTE agrees to Mannar sea evacuation

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 July 1999, 07:38 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers have welcomed a proposal by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) that seriously ill patients stranded in the Vanni due to the closure of the access point at Uyilankulam could be evacuated by sea, said sources close to the LTTE in Europe.
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Talks to end teachers dispute fail

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 July 1999, 14:50 GMT]
A conference convened to resolve the Northeast province teachers' protest against what they see as a discriminatory pay dispute failed when the Northeast Provincial Council Governor, Major General Asoka Jayawardene, said that he had no authority to change the Education Minister's decision regarding the settlement of arrears pay.
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Teachers strike blocks off official buildings

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 July 1999, 07:50 GMT]
Hundreds of Tamil, Muslim and Sinhala teachers and principals started picketing the offices of the Provincial Ministry of Education, the Department of Education and the Treasury Department in Trincomalee this morning.
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Teaching unions protest against discriminatory decision

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 July 1999, 20:35 GMT]
Seven Tamil and Muslim teaching trade unions unanimously decided today to picket the offices of the North east Provincial Ministry of Education and the Department of Education in Trincomalee on the Morning of July 26 to protest against what they see as a discriminatory pay award.
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Governor releases discriminatory pay awards

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 July 1999, 15:33 GMT]
The Governor of the North East Province (NEPC), Major General Asoka Jayawardene, has instructed his provincial education officials to carry out the central ministry's order and pay risk allowance and salary arrears to teachers and principals in Ampara Sinhala zone first, in full, from the allocation of 150 million rupees released by the treasury last week.
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Passenger ferry sunk by powerful blast

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 July 1999, 09:18 GMT]
A passenger vessel the "Newco Endurance" which plied between Trincomalee and Muttur was sunk in the eastern harbour when a powerful bomb exploded around 3.30 a.m. this morning.
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News in Brief:

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 July 1999, 19:09 GMT]
Trincomalee residents alarmed by illegal settlements, SLA casualty in Vavuniya road accident, Teachers demand payment of risk allowance; Confusion over alternative exam arrangements.
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Two arrested in Ampara

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 July 1999, 23:03 GMT]
Two Tamil youths were arrested by Karaitivu Special Task Force (STF) during a cordon and search operation in Kalmunai about 22 km. north-east of Ampara, on Thursday, residents said.
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Teachers fury over discrimination

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 July 1999, 19:27 GMT]
The Governor of the North East Province (NEPC), Major General (retd) Asoka Jayawardana, today prevented provincial officials from banking a treasury cheque for 150 million rupees, when several teacher-trade unions protested to decision of Education Ministry to first pay risk allowance and arrears in full to Sinhala teachers in the Amparai area and then share the remainder amongst Tamil and Muslim teachers in other districts, NEPC sources said.
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Students mark 'Black July 83'

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 July 1999, 13:12 GMT]
Students of the Eastern University boycotted the lectured and carried black flags to mark 'Black July-83'. A press release from the students said the picketing was arranged to mark the July 83 communal riots and the massacre of Tamil political detainees in Welikkade prison.
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New Mankulam DMZ proposed

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 July 1999, 13:10 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army officials said yesterday that they have suggested a new demilitarised zone, 5 km long and 1 km wide along the Mankulam- Thunukkai road, through which relief supplies may be taken into the Vanni.
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Peace before development -World Bank told

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 July 1999, 12:06 GMT]
Leaders of Tamil groups in Colombo told a World Bank team that the war in the Northeast should be brought to and end before any development projects are initiated in the province.
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Body of Ida Hamilitta exhumed

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 July 1999, 18:21 GMT]
The body of Ida Hamilitta, a Tamil woman who was allegedly raped and killed by Sri Lankan Army soldiers, on July 11 at Pallimunai, was taken to Colombo this afternoon by a CID team for further investigation.
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TELO sulks over lost contract

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 July 1999, 17:57 GMT]
Unidentified men believed to be members of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) smashed up the office of the Divisional Secretary's (DS) at Aariyampathi in Batticaloa last night, sources said.
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Two youths shot dead

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 July 1999, 02:13 GMT]
The Special Task Force (STF) troops shot and killed two youths near the Murugan Temple in Pesaalai in the north-western Mannar around 11 a.m yesterday, sources said.
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Two detained in Ida Hamilitta case

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 July 1999, 21:10 GMT]
The Mannar Court today ordered the detention of U.Dayananda Upul Gurusinghe and N.K.H.D.Rjah Somaratne, two soldiers from Pallimunai army detachment, in connection with the rape and murder of Ida Hamilitta, a Tamil woman who was killed on July 11.
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Strike total success - CTTU

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 July 1999, 17:54 GMT]
The General Secretary of the Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU), Mr.T.Mahasivam, said today that the one-day strike by the teachers, principals and non-academic staff in schools in the north east province was a one hundred percent success.
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UNP plans public opinion study

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 July 1999, 16:14 GMT]
Sri Lanka's main opposition party, the UNP, said today that it will formulate a national plan for the millennium in consultation with a wide cross section of island's population and political parties. While addressing a press conference in Colombo to explain the national plan, the leader of the UNP, Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe said that the views of the Liberation Tigers would also be obtained for preparing the national plan.
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ICRC security guard released

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 July 1999, 12:23 GMT]
The Batticaloa ICRC security guard who was arrested by the Sri Lanka Army last night was released this afternoon. The SLA arrested him at the Batticaloa delegation of the ICRC on suspicion that he was working for the Liberation Tigers.
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Vavuniya teachers on strike

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 July 1999, 11:19 GMT]
Over 1500 teachers and principals in the Vavuniya district boycotted schools today in support of the 9 demands put forward by the Ceylon Tamil Teacher's Union (CTTU), said sources at the Education Department.
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