LTTE's military strength key to Tamils' future- Theepan

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 March 2006, 11:38 GMT]
Speaking at a sports event commemorating the martyrs of the Special Reconnaissance Wing of the Liberation Tigers Wednesday, in an undisclosed location in Vanni, Northern Region Military Commander, Col.Theepan said, "Tamil peoples' future and victory in the struggle for self-determination are critically dependent on our military strength. Our continued transformation to engage and beat the enemy in all types of warfare is fundamental to our security and to live as a free nation," sources in Vanni said.
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SLA provoking LTTE for another war, says Elilan

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 March 2006, 11:09 GMT]
"The attack by soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army with the connivance of paramilitary cadres on our Forward Defense Line in Poonagar in Eachchilampathu division is aimed to create another war situation by provoking LTTE," said Mr.S.Elilan, LTTE Trincomalee district political head in a complaint lodged with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Trincomalee Friday.
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LTTE Sentry Point in Trincomalee ambushed, one dead, two wounded

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 March 2006, 06:03 GMT]
A Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadre was killed and two injured in an attack on the LTTE Forward Defense Line sentry point located in Poonagar in Trincomalee district Thursday around 8 p.m., said LTTE sources in the east. The Tigers charged that the ambushmen had come from the Sri Lanka Army camp in Mahindapura.
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Body found in Batticaloa belongs to Ex-LTTE cadre

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 March 2006, 11:48 GMT]
Body of a young male recovered near the Batticaloa lagoon near Pillaiyarady on Monday has been identified by his wife as belonging to an ex-member of Liberation Tigers' Jayanthan Brigade who had left the LTTE and was working as a day laborer, sources in Batticaloa said.
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LTTE hands over home guards to Muslim leaders

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 March 2006, 09:18 GMT]
Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Thursday morning handed over the two Muslim home guards to leaders of the Mosques Councils in Muttur and Thoppur. The home guards were arrested by LTTE members when they entered into the Eachchilampathu divisional secretariat division, an area held by the LTTE, on 14 March.
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SL Court to hear petition on Pirapaharan's sentence

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 March 2006, 03:47 GMT]
Colombo Appeals Court will hear, on 25 May, a petition filed by former Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr Kotagadeniya, to direct the Security Establishment to enforce the 200 year rigorous prison sentence passed by the Courts on Leader of Liberation Tigers, Velupillai Pirapaharan, for his role in the bombing of Central bank on January 31, 1996, legal sources in Colombo said.
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SLMM Trinco head meets Elilan in Sampoor

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 March 2006, 00:02 GMT]
Mr.Ove Jansen, new head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Trincomalee district, Tuesday morning met with Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and held discussions on the latest volatile situation in the Muttur east coastal villages which were attacked by Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), LTTE sources in the eastern town said.
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Sinhala nationalist extremists obstacle to peace – Balasingham

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 March 2006, 20:21 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers will view any further attacks by military-backed paramilitaries as an act of war and may postpone next month’s talks in Geneva unless the state fulfils the Ceasefire Agreement and disarms them, the LTTE’s Political Strategist and Chief Negotiator, Mr. Anton Balasingham said Tuesday. In an interview to Reuters at his London home, Mr. Balasingham also said President Mahinda Rajapakse should dump his Sinhala nationalist allies and seek support from the main opposition UNP party which led a government that held six rounds of talks with the LTTE in 2002-3.
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Tigers reject Colombo's "pre-conditions" for re-entry of political cadres

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 March 2006, 09:29 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in a letter addressed to the Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) on Wednesday accused Colombo of imposing pre-conditions for the re-entry of their political cadres into Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled areas in the NorthEast. Rejecting the concept of "new pre-condtions," the Tigers charged Colombo of violating the understanding reached in Geneva in re-establishing the status quo that existed prior to the LTTE decision to withdraw political cadres. The letter, released to media by the LTTE Peace Secretariat, urged the monitors to ensure the conditions for the re-entry of their political cadres in "strict accordance" with the CFA agreement.
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LTTE boat detained, says SLN

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 March 2006, 06:08 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) has intercepted and taken into custody a boat belonging to the Liberation Tigers in the seas of Kodiyadi off the coast of Munai, Pt.Pedro in the north of Sri Lanka Wednesday morning, the northern command of the SLN said.
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LTTE hands over arrested home guards to Thamileelam Police

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 March 2006, 01:31 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Tuesday afternoon said at a press briefing held in Sampoor that they have handed over to the Thamileelam Police the two home guards who they arrested on March 14 caught riding in a motorcycle inside the LTTE controlled area, The Thamileelam Court in accordance with the normal procedure could release these two home guards, Mr.Sithik Reseen (23) of Valaichchenai and Mr.Haniffa Anzar (30) of Thoppur, LTTE Trincomalee leaders said at the briefing.
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SLA cordon, search area surrounding LTTE political office

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 March 2006, 00:28 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) cordoned off and searched Tuesday morning area around LTTE Political Office at Potpathi Road, Kokuvil in Jaffna, scheduled to reopen Wednesday with the arrival of the LTTE poltical group headed by C. Ilamparithi, sources in Jaffna said. Having failed to get assurances from Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Jaffna guaranteeing their safety, the LTTE political section cancelled their plans to resume political work on Wednesday, sources added.


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TNA MP condemns SLN attacks on Muttur coastal villages

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 March 2006, 17:55 GMT]
Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Trincomalee district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian in a statement issued on Tuesday condemned the continued attack by the Sri Lanka Navy on the coastal villages Soodaikuda, Koonitivu, Sampoor and Kadatkaraichchenai for the second day Tuesday from about 11 a.m. Two students of the Sampoor Maha Vidiyalayam are reported injured in the second day attack by the SLN, according to reports he received from Muttur east civilian sources, Mr.Thurairatnasingham said.
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Ilamparithi details SLA's CFA violations to SLMM

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 March 2006, 02:12 GMT]
Violations of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) by Sri Lanka Armed forces after the February Geneva talks were pointed out to the officials of the Jaffna Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) when Jaffna district Political Head of the LTTE, Mr. C. Ilamparuthi, met the SLMM officials Monday 10 a.m at the LTTE Jaffna district Political Secretariat in Pallai, sources said.
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Local elections in Trincomalee, Amparai to be held

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 March 2006, 19:27 GMT]
Elections to 12 local authorities in Trincomalee district and 17 in the Amparai district are to be held on March 30. Elections to forty-six local authorities in the other six districts of Jaffna, Killinochchi, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya, Mannar and Batticaloa in the North East are to be postponed by six months, Colombo media sources reported Monday evening quoting an official of the Department of Elections.
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SLN attacks Muttur east coastal villages -Elilan

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 March 2006, 08:32 GMT]
A Dvora and two water jets of the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) have been firing towards the coastal villages Sampoor, Soodaikuda, Koonitivu and Kadatkaraichchenai in the Liberation Tigers held Muttur east in the Trincomalee district from Monday morning around 11 a.m. "Firing is still going on with interruptions and several civilian houses have been damaged. Casualties are not known as it was early to assess the loss of lives and other damages," said Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
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TNA, LTTE discuss local elections at Kilinochchi meet

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 March 2006, 12:19 GMT]
Selvam Adaikalanathan, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian for Vanni district addressing media in Kilinochchi after a meeting between the Liberation Tigers and the TNA parliamentarians Sunday morning, accused Colombo for delaying making decision on holding local elections in the NorthEast
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Human Rights Watch backtracks on extortion charge

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 March 2006, 12:14 GMT]
Stung by criticism by expatriate Tamils of its report last week claiming the Diaspora was gripped by ‘a culture of fear’ regarding LTTE extortion, Human Rights Watch this weekend issued a statement that stepped back from its earlier sensational claims. Acknowledging that accusations of extortion were only being made about “a small number of individuals” who were “claiming to represent the LTTE or groups linked to the LTTE,” HRW said: “we do not suggest that significant numbers of Tamils are engaging in extortion or other unlawful activity. We also note that many Tamils actively and willingly support the LTTE.”
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Three hundred police trainees begin training in Vanni

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 March 2006, 00:31 GMT]
Three hundred officers newly recruited for Thamileelam Police started training on Saturday in Vanni. The recruits, under the coaching of Police Trainer S. Thamilarasan, were the second unit to be trained in 2006, said T. Kanahan, the head of administration of the Police.
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Six farm laborers abducted in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 March 2006, 13:17 GMT]
Six workers harvesting paddy in Akkuranai in Batticaloa district were abducted by paramilitary cadres belonging to Karuna group from the Welikande and Thivuchenai area 12 March, Political Section of the Batticaloa LTTE office said in a press release issued Saturday.
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