Japanese peace envoy Akashi to visit Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 May 2004, 07:58 GMT]
Mr.Yasushi Akashi, special envoy of the Government of Japan is to pay a five-day visit to Sri Lanka commencing from Saturday 15th May to follow up his continued peace mission, said the Japanese Embassy in a press release Thursday.
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Kadirgamar: "ISGA, blue print for a future separate state"

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 May 2004, 01:25 GMT]
Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) proposal is a blue print for a future separate State and it will be difficult for a sovereign government to accept the proposal, said Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar, during a talk he gave at the Brookings Institute in Washington D.C Wednesday afternoon. Mr.Kadirgamar is on an official visit to the United States where he met with U.S Secretary of State, Colin Powell and other U.S Government officials.
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Action demanded on shortage of teachers in North-East

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 May 2004, 18:05 GMT]
The Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU) Wednesday urged the North East Provincial Governor, Major General Asoka Jayawardene, to take immediate steps to appoint three thousand Tamil medium teachers to northeast schools which have been affected by acute teacher shortage. Currently about 6000 vacancies for Tamil medium teachers in the northeast schools are not filled. Mr.T.Mahasivam, General Secretary of the CTTU, told the Governor at a discussion held Wednesday at the latter's office Wednesday, sources said.
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US diplomat Rocca to visit Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 May 2004, 17:27 GMT]
Ms. Christina Rocca, US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, is scheduled to arrive in Colombo on a four-day visit Thursday. A visit to Trincomalee is also included in her itinerary, sources at the US Embassy in Colombo said Wednesday.
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SLMC to offer conditional support to minority UPFA government

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 May 2004, 10:09 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) politburo has decided to extend its support to the ruling minority United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government on two conditions-one is to accommodate a Muslim delegation as a separate entity at the upcoming peace talks with the Liberation Tigers and the other is not to abolish the executive presidency as proposed, SLMC general sectary Mr.M.T.Hassan Ali said.


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Consultation with GOSL, LTTE to continue - Norway

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 May 2004, 14:32 GMT]
“The Government of Norway will continue to consult with the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the coming weeks as some issues need to be discussed further before negotiations can start,” said the Norwegian Embassy in Sri Lanka in a press release issued Tuesday evening.


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Mullaitivu fishermen struggle without a lighthouse

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 May 2004, 11:05 GMT]
Selvam Adaikalanathan, Tamil National Alliance MP for Vanni, has written a letter to Sri Lanka's President Ms.Kumaratunge, explaining the plight of Mullaitivu fishermen and the urgent need for a lighthouse to facilitate fishermen returning to shore during times of bad weather and bad visibility, said sources.
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Petersen to meet Pirapaharan in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 May 2004, 02:47 GMT]
The Norwegian Foreign Minister, Mr.Jan Petersen, and his deputy, Mr. Vidar Helgesen, are scheduled to leave Colombo for Kilinochchi Tuesday morning to meet the LTTE leadership for discussions on issues related to resuming the suspended peace talks, Presidential secretariat sources said.


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JVP opposed to UPFA’s decision to talk only with LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 May 2004, 16:58 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s United People’s Freedom Alliance, led by President Chandrika Kumaratunge, in a statement Sunday said that the UPFA government would hold peace talks only with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, thus conceding the LTTE’s demand to be recognized as the ‘sole representatives’ of the Tamil people, according to wire reports. The Marxist and ultra-nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, one of the main constituents of the UPFA, has however announced it is opposed to the decision, Tamil press reports said.
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Norwegian Foreign Minister arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 May 2004, 14:51 GMT]
Norwegian Foreign Minister Mr.Jan Peterson with his deputy Mr. Vidar Helgessen arrived in Colombo Monday afternoon to hold discussions with Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge and the leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to work out modalities to resume the stalled peace talks, political sources said.
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CWC said mulling support to UPFA

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 May 2004, 16:40 GMT]
The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), one of the constituents of the main opposition United National Front (UNF), is expected to make a final decision on the question of extending its support to the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government on or before Sri Lanka's parliament meets on May 18, reliable CWC sources said Friday.
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Solheim briefs Wickremasinghe

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 May 2004, 14:13 GMT]
Mr. Erik Solheim, the Norwegian peace envoy, Wednesday met with the Leader of the Opposition in Sri Lanka's parliament, Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, and briefed him on the outcome of the talks he has had with the President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, political leadership of the Liberation Tigers, leaders of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and the Tamil National Alliance since he arrived in Colombo Saturday, political sources said.
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Norwegian peace envoy meets TNA delegation

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 May 2004, 20:05 GMT]
"Peace talks between the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) should be held on the basis of the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) proposal. The UPFA government should not use the opportunity of holding peace talks as a device to strengthen its position in the parliament and to obtain foreign aid," the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) delegation told the visiting Norwegian special peace envoy Mr. Erik Solheim during a discussion held Tuesday evening at the Norwegian embassy in Colombo, TNA sources said.


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Plantation workers on strike over police shootings

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 May 2004, 14:00 GMT]
Hundreds of thousands of plantation workers in the central province Monday went on a token strike, protesting against the killing of two Tamil youths, Mr.Weerasamy Jeyarajan and Alagan Wimalanathan, last Wednesday in Kandapola, when police opened fire following a traffic accident, sources said.
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Sri Lanka's bona fides critical to peace talks- TNA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 May 2004, 19:21 GMT]
“We are militarily and politically strong that no Sri Lanka Government will be able to deceive the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) or the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) with cosmetic gestures or by engaging us in disingenous peace talks. Our future attitude towards having a constructive dialogue with the Sri Lanka Government depends on its next move towards the peace process," said the TNA parliamentary group leader Mr.R.Sampanthan addressing a large gathering of TNA activists and local leaders held at Trincomalee Hindu Cultural Hall Sunday morning.


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Norwegian facilitators meet Sri Lanka's President

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 May 2004, 17:13 GMT]
Norwegian peace delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgessen Sunday morning met with Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge at the President House in Nuwara Eliya in the Central Province on the latter's invitation. Special peace envoy Mr. Erik Solheim and Norwegian Ambassador in Colombo Mr. Hans Brattskar also participated in the talks, Sri Lanka government sources said.


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Norwegian peace delegation arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 May 2004, 10:38 GMT]
A high level Norwegian peace delegation led by Norways's Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. Vidar Helgessen, arrived in Colombo Saturday early morning in a bid to resume the peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on an invitation extended by Sri Lanka’s President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge, sources said.


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UPFA will not accept JHU as an ally - Anura Bandaranaike

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 April 2004, 18:23 GMT]
Mr.Anura Bandaranaike, Minister of Investment Promotion and Tourism in the United People's Freedom Alliance government of Sri Lanka, said Thursday that the UPFA would not form a coalition with the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), saying that his party could not accept the JHU's policies, according to media sources.
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JVP ministers sworn in, attend first cabinet meeting

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 April 2004, 10:46 GMT]
Eight parliamentarians of the Sinhala nationalist, Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), one of the two major constituents of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) were sworn in before Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge as cabinet rank ministers and deputy ministers Wednesday morning around 9.30. Later they attended their first cabinet meeting at about 10 .30 a.m, political sources said.


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JVP ministers, deputies to take oaths Wednesday

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 April 2004, 18:06 GMT]
Four cabinet rank ministers and four deputy ministers of the Sinhala nationalist cum Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), one of the two major constituents of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), are to be sworn-in by Sri Lanka's President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, Wednesday morning at the President's House, government sources said.
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