LTTE’s political advisor heads to London

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 May 2004, 07:18 GMT]
Mr. Anton Balasingham, political advisor to the Liberation Tigers, left Kilinochchi Friday morning after concluding extensive consultations with Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan and senior officials of the LTTE regarding the resumption and continuation of peace talks with the Government of Sri Lanka. He will leave for London Friday evening, LTTE officials in Kilinochchi said.


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Norwegian foreign minister meets Pirapaharan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 May 2004, 07:32 GMT]
Norway’s Foreign Minister Jan Petersen met Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan, the leader of the Liberation Tigers and his political advisor, Mr. Anton Balasingham in Kilinochchi Tuesday to discuss issues relating to the resumption of peace talks with the Government of Sri Lanka. The Norwegian foreign minister was accompanied by his deputy Mr. Vidar Helgesen and Norway’s ambassador for Sri Lanka, Mr. Hans Brattskar.


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Balasingham arrives in Kilinochchi, meets Pirapaharan

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 May 2004, 05:45 GMT]
Mr. Anton Balasingham, political advisor to the Liberation Tigers, arrived in Kilinochchi Friday morning around 8 a.m. for consultations with Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan on resuming peace talks with the Government of Sri Lanka. He was received by the head of the LTTE’s political division, Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, Mr. B. Nadesan, chief of the Tamil Eelam Police Service and head of the Thamil Eelam Judiciary, Mr. E. Pararajasingham.
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Norwegian FM to visit Sri Lanka next week

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 May 2004, 09:02 GMT]
Norway’s Foreign Minister, Mr. Jan Petersen, will visit Sri Lanka on 10 and 11 May 2004 to explore ways of bringing the peace process forward, said the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press statement issued on Tuesday. Mr. Petersen will be accompanied by Deputy Minister Vidar Helgesen. The Norwegian Foreign Minister will have meetings with President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan, leader of the LTTE, according to the press release.
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TNA MPs, Pirapaharan discuss peace talks, ISGA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 April 2004, 10:33 GMT]
“The Tamil people voted for you on the basis of the principles of Tamil nationalism. You should understand their feelings and work to realise their aspirations. Love for one’s country comes from one’s love for home, family, village and region. In this sense I encouraged love for one’s region, as it is necessary to strengthen a liberation struggle. But it is dangerous when the affection for one's region is exploited for selfish motives”, said Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan, speaking to 22 MPs of the Tamil National Alliance at the LTTE’s political division headquarters in Kilinochchi Tuesday.
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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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Thampalakamam residents march in support of TNA

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 March 2004, 01:11 GMT]
Hundreds of villagers including women and children participated in a four km procession in Thampalakamam, Sunday afternoon carrying photographs of the LTTE national leader Mr.Velupillai Pirapaharan and shouting slogans in support of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) candidates, sources said.
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Permit Tamil people to exercise their franchise - Australian MP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 March 2004, 12:14 GMT]
"Unfortunately, due to a conflict between the President, who holds executive power, and the Prime Minister, the President dismissed parliament in February of this year and Sri Lanka will face general elections on 2 April 2004. It is vital that these elections are free and fair. It is particularly important that the Tamil people of the north-east, who have been deprived of their franchise during the last two decades, are permitted to cast their votes at the forthcoming elections," said John Murphy, Australian MP in a speech in the Australian Parliament Tuesday.
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Batticaloa fast urges unity of Tamil military power

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 March 2004, 14:00 GMT]
A group of cadres working with Mr. Vinayagamoorthy Muraleetharan (Karuna) organised a token fast Friday urging the LTTE to let the renegade commander work under the leadership of Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan. A memorandum on the objective of the token fast, which was handed out in Tamil and English, urges the LTTE leadership to withdraw the charge that Mr. Muraleetharan is a traitor and emphasises that the armed forces of the Liberation Tigers should work in unity towards achieving the independent state of Thamil Eelam.


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"Let us function directly under your leadership"-Karuna

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 March 2004, 03:48 GMT]
"Please let us function independently under your direct leadership. We are not leaving you. We are not opposed to you. I do not want to commit the historical mistake of not pointing out to you the aspirations of our people, disregarding their feelings and those of our fighters here. If you love the people here and if you trust the fighters here please let us function independently and directly under your leadership," said Col. Karuna, senior commander of the Liberation Tigers in a letter addressed to the leader of the LTTE, Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan Friday.
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TNA submits nomination lists for NE electoral districts

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 February 2004, 08:42 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Monday noon submitted its nominations for the five electoral districts, Jaffna, Vanni, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Amparai, in the Tamil dominated northeast province. TNA fielded its candidates in the name of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK) and its election symbol "HOUSE". The ITAK last contested in the 1970 elections under the leadership of late Tamil leader Mr.S.J.V.Chelvanayakam ("Thanthai Chelva"), political sources said.
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Fourteenth anniversary of Major Sothia commemorated

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 January 2004, 00:05 GMT]
Celebrations commemorating the Fourteenth death anniversary of Major Sothia and the eighth anniversary of inauguration of Liberation Tigers fighting unit, Sothia Brigade, were held in Vanni Sunday, 11 January, LTTE sources said.


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‘Saw Tamils’ plight in Jaffna’ says top Buddhist priest

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 January 2004, 18:55 GMT]
“I saw today that the Tamils of Jaffna face difficulties due to the war. The Liberation Tigers and the government should start the peace talks again”, said Ven.Udugama Sri Ratanapala Buddharakkita Thera, chief incumbent of the Asgiriya Chapter of the Siam Nikaya, the highest Buddhist order in Sri Lanka, addressing a special meeting Monday at the Naga Vihara, the Buddhist temple in Jaffna town where Sri Lanka armed forces personnel in the northern peninsula worship.
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Commemoration of Major Murali held in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 December 2003, 12:14 GMT]
"The Indian government should recognize the self determination right of Tamils and come forward to assist them to reach a fair and just political solution to meet their legitimate aspirations," said the President of the Jaffna District National Resurgence Forum Mr. P.Kanagalingam Tuesday addressing the sixteenth death anniversary commemoration event of Major Murali and nine other LTTE cadres who died in a battle with the Indian Peace Keeping Force on December 23, 1987 at Urumpirai in Jaffna district.
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Pirapaharan discusses Colombo crisis, CFA with Patten

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 November 2003, 07:09 GMT]
"Our leader Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan told Mr. Patten it is not at all in the hands of the Liberation Tigers to ensure that there is no return to violence and that it is completely up to the Sinhala polity to see there is no return to war. Mr. Pirapaharan very clearly explained to Mr. Patten that we remain committed to resolving the conflict peacefully," said Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, speaking to media following the meeting between the leader of the Liberation Tigers and the European Union’s Commissioner for External Relations Wednesday in Kilinochchi.


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Heroes day memorial exhibition opened in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 November 2003, 18:30 GMT]
A memorial exhibition displaying framed pictures of more than 3500 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) martyrs in a well lit memorial hall of Batticaloa Mahajana College was opened for public Saturday, sources in Batticaloa said.
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EU external relations commissioner to meet LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 November 2003, 17:01 GMT]
The Commissioner of External Relations of the European Commission, Mr. Chris Patten, will visit Sri Lanka next week and meet the Liberation Tigers, President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, according to a press release issued by the Delegation of the European Commission to Sri Lanka Thursday.
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SLA threatens Jaffna journalist

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 November 2003, 19:02 GMT]
The military intelligence unit of the Sri Lanka army at the Muhamalai entry point in Jaffna Wednesday stopped the journalist, Mr. Velupillai Thavachelvam, for more than an hour, threatening and accusing him of casting aspersions on the SLA in the northern peninsula deliberately. According to Mr. Thavachelvam, the soldiers who threatened him had said: “People like you had a free run under (Prime Minister) Ranil’s government. But now the President is in charge. So we can do anything to you”.
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Norway temporarily withdraws from peace process

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 November 2003, 06:09 GMT]
"Peace talks could have started tomorrow, provided there were clarity about who is holding political authority and responsibility on behalf of the Government to ensure the continuation of the ceasefire agreement and the resumption of peace negotiations. Until last week there was such clarity. Today there is no such clarity. Until such clarity is re-established, there is no space for further efforts by the Norwegian government to assist the parties.", Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgesen told reporters at a press conference held at Hotel Hilton at 11 a.m today.
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Political stability necessary for talks - Pirapaharan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 November 2003, 06:33 GMT]
"Mr. Pirapaharan sought guarantees from the Norwegians that the Sri Lankan government would continue its commitment to the cease fire and for the safety of the LTTE’s political activists in areas controlled by the Sri Lanka army," Mr. Thamilchelvan said, after the meeting between the Norwegian delegation and the leaders of the Liberation Tigers concluded in Kilinochchi Thursday morning.
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