Norwegian, Japanese peace facilitators arrive in Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 May 2003, 11:50 GMT]
Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgessen with his special emissary Mr. Erik Solheim and Japanese special peace envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi arrived Colombo Sunday early morning separately to initiate talks with the leadership of the United National Front (UNF) government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the resumption of temporarily stalled peace process, political sources said.
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Large peace demo in Mannar town

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 May 2003, 09:40 GMT]
More than 3000 people demonstrated in support of peace in Mannar Saturday, demanding full implementation of the ceasefire agreement between Colombo and the Liberation Tigers. At the conclusion of the meeting, a memorandum was submitted to the additional government agent of Mannar. The memorandum states, among other things, that the Tamils and the LTTE have bitter experiences of being “deceived and hoodwinked in many previous peace talks” and that “in the circumstances it is not unreasonable on their part to adopt a policy of caution."
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Norwegian ambassador meets Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 April 2003, 13:40 GMT]
The newly appointed Norwegian ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr. Hans Brattskar, accompanied by the outgoing ambassador, Mr. Jon Westborg, Wednesday held extensive talks with the political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan, at the LTTE's headquarters in Kilinochchi, Vanni sources said.
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PM's advisor in Jaffna to see ground situation

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 April 2003, 12:20 GMT]
Sri Lanka Prime Minister's senior advisor Mr.Bradman Weerakone at the end of his two-day visit to Jaffna Sunday said at a conference held at Jaffna District Secretariat that the reply to be sent shortly to the LTTE political advisor Mr Anton Balasingham would contain assurances that will help the resumption of the peace talks. Meanwhile Mr.Weerakone Saturday instructed the Government Agent to hand back the municipal lands to the Jaffna municipal council, sources said
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No threat of resumption of war - Minister Peiris

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 April 2003, 18:58 GMT]
The ceasefire agreement signed last year by the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is still in force and there is no threat of resumption of war following the pull out by the LTTE from peace talks, said Minister G.L. Peiris, addressing the weekly cabinet press briefing Thursday.
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Speedy relief essential for success of talks - TNA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 April 2003, 11:26 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Wednesday requested the United National Front (UNF) government to formulate and implement a new approach that could provide speedy relief to the grievances of several thousands displaced Tamils without further delay fulfilling the justifiable expectations of Tamils since the signing of the ceasefire agreement, sources said.


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PM allocates fifty million rupees for Muttur rehabilitation

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 April 2003, 10:50 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe has instructed the Treasury to allocate fifty million rupees as first installment for the rehabilitation of the thousands of displaced people in Muttur division, south of Trincomalee district. This was revealed at a conference held Monday evening at the Trincomalee district secretariat presided by Minister and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Mr.Rauff Hakim, sources said.


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LTTE to boycott Japan aid conference

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 April 2003, 09:58 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said Saturday it would review its decision to participate in the international conference in Tokyo in June in protest at its exclusion from the preliminary conference to be held in Washington on Monday. "The authentic representatives of the Tamil people should have been invited to this major international conference to articulate the interests and aspirations of our people," the LTTE said in a statement issued in the Vanni Saturday.
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Permanency to Tamil volunteer teachers with AG's approval

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 April 2003, 17:00 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe Thursday directed the Minister of Human Resources Development, Education and Cultural Affairs, Dr.Karunasena Kodituwakku, to obtain the approval of the Attorney General before granting permanent appointment to one thousand Tamil medium volunteer teachers serving in the Northeast province, Tamil National Alliance sources said.
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UPF holds peace campaign in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 April 2003, 15:29 GMT]
The Upcountry People's Front (UPF), a constituent party of the ruling United National Front (UNF) Saturday morning picketed in front of the Fort railway station, in the heart of Colombo, supporting the present peace process and condemning the activities of anti-peace elements.
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New camps will damage peace process - JDCHA

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 March 2003, 02:38 GMT]
The Jaffna District Consortium of Human Agencies (JDCHA) Thursday sought intervention of Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe to stop moves by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to establish new army camps in Jaffna Municipal grounds, said sources in Jaffna.
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CAET appeals to PM in support of volunteer teachers

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 March 2003, 01:34 GMT]
The Council for Advancement of Education of Tamils (CAET) which has its headquarters at Paravipanchan in Killinochchi Thursday appealed to the Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe to take meaningful action to give permanent appointment to the volunteer teachers who are carrying out a protest supported by teachers from many districts of Northeast. .
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PM urged to stop SLA camp in Jaffna municipal land

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 March 2003, 19:37 GMT]
An urgent appeal has been made to the Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, Tuesday on behalf of the people of Jaffna that the Sri Lanka Army should not be allowed to relocate its Jaffna brigade headquarters in the municipal council land close to the Jaffna fort, sources said.
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Norway's Deputy Foreign Minister holds talks with LTTE leaders

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 March 2003, 03:13 GMT]
Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgesen met with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Political head, S.P. Thamilchelvan, and Anton Balasingham, LTTE theoretician and leader of LTTE peace delegation, Thursday afternoon at Killinochchi, sources said.


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‘Peace talks to go on despite challenges’ – PM

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 March 2003, 13:46 GMT]
"The ethnic problem in this country can be solved only by talks, and there is no other way; hence, whatever the challenges and road blocks the peace talks will face, we cannot abandon the talks," said Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe, addressing the general meeting of the United National Party (UNP) held in Kandy Wednesday evening.
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Norway's Deputy FM holds talks with LTTE leaders

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 March 2003, 12:10 GMT]
Talks between the Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgessen and the leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam began Thursday afternoon at Killinochchi, sources said.


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Teachers protest against army occupation in Northeast

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 March 2003, 11:50 GMT]
Tamil and Muslim Teachers in Northeast organized a symbolic strike by calling in sick demanding the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) vacate the schools, places of worship, private residences and public buildings which have been converted to SLA camps, sources in Batticaloa said.


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Canadian Foreign Minister to visit Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 March 2003, 01:34 GMT]
Among several foreign envoys are to visit Sri Lanka next week to assess the progress of peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are Canadian Foreign Minister Mr. Bill Graham, Norwegian Foreign Minister Mr. Peterson, and his deputy Mr. Vidar Helgessen, said Minister and leader of GOSL negotiating team, Professor G.L.Peiris at a press conference held Thursday.


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Opposition parties plan protests against Ceasefire Agreement

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 March 2003, 16:57 GMT]
The Opposition Alliance, formed by the main opposition party in Sri Lanka’s parliament, the Sri Lanka Fredom Party (SLFP), in an alliance with the Jantha Vimukti Peramuna (JVP), the Mahajana Eaksath Peramuna (MEP), the National Unity Alliance (NUA), and the Sri Lanka Mahajana Paksaya (SLMP), said in a press conference in Colombo Thursday that it wants to “save the country” and has planned to conduct massive protests on March 10 against the UNF Government’s Ceasefire agreement with the LTTE and its economic policies of the past year.
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PM urged to solve Tamil medium teacher shortage in NE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 March 2003, 07:05 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Wednesday requested the United National Front government to grant permanent appointments to around one thousand volunteer teachers without any further delay as per the Cabinet approval already granted by the previous government “ This would only to some extent reduce the existing shortage of around 5500 Tamil medium teachers in the northeast province,” said TNA parliamentary group leader and the Trincomalee district parliament Mr.R.Sampanthan in a three page letter faxed to the Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe.
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