Paramilitary issue raised in Congressional Hearing

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 March 2006, 02:19 GMT]
Congressman James A Leach, Chairman, Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, and Donald Camp, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, during a House Committee on International Relations, Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific Hearing on Recent Developments in Nepal held on 15 March 2006, mentioned the presence of armed paramilitary groups as one of the impediments to peace.
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Grenade attack, extortion threats unsettle Vavuniya businessmen

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 March 2006, 12:34 GMT]
Unknown attackers on Wednesday lobbed a grenade at the residence of a businessman in Vavuniya, sources in Vavuniya said. No one was injured in the attack. Five traders have registered complaints with Vavuniya police that persons claiming to be belonging to Karuna group have threatened over the phone demanding large sums of money, Vavuniya Police said.


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Thamichelvan meets Brattskar in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 March 2006, 11:31 GMT]
Head of LTTE's Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan, met with Norway's Ambassador Mr Hans Brattskar at the LTTE Peace Secretariat building in Kilinochchi at 9.30 a.m. Thursday, LTTE sources in Kilinochchi said. Acting Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Brigadier Hagrup Haukland, also accompanied Mr Brattskar on his Kilinochchi visit, sources added.
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Special Envoy to assist Solheim in Sri Lanka peace process

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 March 2006, 10:58 GMT]
The Norwegian International Development Minister Erik Solheim has appointed Jon Hanssen-Bauer, Director, Fafo Institute for Applied International Studies, University of Oslo, as new Special Envoy to Sri Lanka Peace Process, according to a press statement issued by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Oslo Friday. "Mr Hanssen-Bauer will report to International Development Minister Erik Solheim, who will lead the work, visit Sri Lanka regularly and be responsible for Norway’s role as facilitator of the peace process. Norway’s ambassador to Sri Lanka, Hans Brattskar, will continue to be the parties’ day-to-day point of contact in Sri Lanka", the press statement added.
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Thamilchelvan to meet Norway's Ambassador, TNA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 March 2006, 02:06 GMT]
Head of Liberation Tigers Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan is to meet Norway's Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr Hans Brattskar, and a representative of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) at the LTTE Peace Secretariat Building Thursday, sources in Kilinochchi said. Thamilchelvan is also expected to meet the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians also in Kilinochchi on the 20th March, sources added.
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Valaichenai protests against student abductions

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 March 2006, 11:19 GMT]
Valaichenai-wide hartal was observed and Valaichenai Hindu College in Batticaloa was closed Wednesday as protesters demanded the release of students, Jeyaraj Kirisanth and Suthaharan Kulosan, who were abducted by paramilitary cadres two days ago, sources in Batticaloa said. All public institutions, shops, banks, and hospitals were closed and the streets were deserted. Security was strengthened with increased police patrols and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers deployed at several key junctions, sources added.
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UNICEF "shocked" over SLA misreport

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 March 2006, 09:55 GMT]
Junko Mitani, UNICEF Spokesperson in Sri Lanka said "UNICEF is shocked" on learning the figures of child recruitment cases quoted by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) were incorrect, reported Morning Leader, a Sri Lanka English daily Wednesday. It further adds that UNICEF has opted to take action against State media for indicating UNICEF reported figures to be false.
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SLMM repudiates SL minister's claim on paramilitaries

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 March 2006, 09:53 GMT]
Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera on being interviewed by BBC in London, told that Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) report had proved there were no armed groups operating in government controlled areas, reported Daily Mirror, a Sri Lanka English daily Tuesday. The minister's claim was rejected by the SLMM, added the daily.
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"Accusations, not negotiations" in Geneva - Nadesan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 March 2006, 22:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s delegation to the Geneva talks had no understanding of negotiation and set about hurling accusations at the Liberation Tigers rather than contributing to a constructive discussion that could lead to a resolution of the prevailing problems, Thamileelam Police Chief B. Nadesan said Tuesday in an extensive interview with TamilNet. He also discussed the multi-functionary expansion of the Thamileelam Police, including the use of DNA forensics. The Tamil Eelam Police Chief also said that the detention of three Sri Lankan police had been deliberately portrayed as arbitrary arrests by the LTTE but was based on specific intelligence on the individuals.
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NGOs meet Planning Secretariat Officials

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 March 2006, 11:54 GMT]
Representatives of Local and International Non-Governmental Organizations met with Officials of the Liberation Tigers' Development Planning Division in Kilinochchi Tuesday 10.30 a.m.,at the LTTE's Planning Secretariat Building, sources in Kilinochchi said. K. Ranjan, Director of Planning Secretariat, presided the meeting.
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Seven more youths abducted in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 March 2006, 11:20 GMT]
Five Tamil youths, aged between 15 and 20 were arrested by Sinhala speaking persons and paramilitary cadres in military fatigue Monday around 3:00 p.m. inside the LTTE controlled Murithanai in Vaharai, residents said. All five youths were laborers, villagers said. Murithanai is 5 km west of Valaichenai where two youths were abducted by paramilitary cadres on Monday. Further 2 youths were kidnapped in Urani in Batticaloa around 6:00 p.m. Monday. Nine youths were reported missing in Batticaloa on Monday.
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Geneva peace talks in grave danger – Balasingham

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 March 2006, 11:16 GMT]
"The Geneva peace talks will face grave danger if the Sri Lanka government refuses to disarm Tamil paramilitary organisations and continues allowing them to launch offensive military operations against our military positions in Batticaloa district," warned Mr Anton Balasingham, the chief negotiator and political strategist of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Commenting on the current situation Mr Balasingham told TamilNet that the LTTE leadership would be compelled to review its decision to participate in the next round of talks, to be held in Geneva on 19 April, if Colombo fails to fulfil the pledges agreed in the joint statement issued after the first session of talks in Geneva.
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Local elections in NorthEast likely to be postponed

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 March 2006, 10:40 GMT]
A final decision to conduct elections to local government authorities in the North East is to be announced by the Commissioner of Elections this week after consultations with NorthEast district returning officers, political sources in Colombo said. Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse last week agreed in policy to postpone the local elections in the NorthEast local authorities at meeting with a delegation of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) led by its parliamentary group leader Mr.R.Sampanthan, sources added.
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Muttur youths, students receive assistance

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 March 2006, 01:35 GMT]
Three months' masonry training for tsunami affected youths of Muttur east conducted by the Pattalipuram Poonchcholai People's Development (PPDO) Organization with financial assistance from UK-based Christian Aid organization concluded recently. At an event held in the Pattalipuram Training Center, Mr.M.A.M.Niyas, Muttur Divisional Secretary, handed over the certificates and a package of masonry implements to twenty-three youths who completed their training.
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EPDP, Karuna Group and PLOTE amongst paramilitaries - US State Dept

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 March 2006, 01:32 GMT]
Commenting, amongst other abuses, on the numerous killings in Sri Lanka’s northeast last year, the US State Department’s 2006 annual human rights report blamed “paramilitary forces” as well as the Liberation Tigers for “politically motivated killings” and singled out three paramilitary groups – the Karuna Group, EPDP and PLOTE – for criticism. The State Department said many of those killed by the LTTE were members of the anti-LTTE paramilitary groups and informants for the security forces.
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Sea Tigers launch Deep-Sea Ops training to Auxiliary Flotilla

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 March 2006, 12:33 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Special Commander of Sea Tigers, Col. Soosai, on Friday launched Deep-Sea Operations training for selected naval auxiliarists from the recently trained flotillas of Thamileelam Naval Auxiliary Force, Sea Tiger sources in Mullaithivu said. The auxiliary naval flotilla, named after Lt. Col. Oscar of the Sea Tigers, is the first auxiliary flotilla to be trained in assisting the Tigers in offensive operations in the sea, sources added.
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SLN relaxes fishing ban in Thondamannar-VVT seas

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 March 2006, 12:07 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) announced relaxation of restrictions on fishing to the east of Kankesanthurai harbor from Thondamannar to Valvettiturai shores, during a meeting between Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Jaffna representatives, SLN officers and Jaffna Fisheries Union representatives at Chithampara College, Valvettiturai, held around noon Sunday, sources from Jaffna said.
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Trinco private sector told to expedite development work

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 March 2006, 17:38 GMT]
Rehabilitation and development work in the Trincomalee district should be expedited under a coordinated scheme, representatives of the Trincomalee District Construction Association and private sector organizations responsible for development projects were told at a conference held Saturday at Kadatkaraichchenai, a village in the LTTE held Muttur east, sources said.
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FAO provides assistance to Muttur East families

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 March 2006, 17:35 GMT]
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) provided livelihood assistance to forty seven families affected by the two decades of war in Nallur, a village located in the Liberation Tigers held territory in the Muttur east in Trincomalee district, civil society sources said. Under a self-generating income project in collaboration with a local partner organization, families received livestock for home breeding, sources said.
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Tamileelam bus service inaugurated in Muttur east

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 March 2006, 17:28 GMT]
Tamileelam Transport Board (TTB) Saturday morning inaugurated its first bus service in the territory held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the Trincomalee district. Mr.Sithamban, LTTE Financial Head of the Trincomalee District cut the ribbon at an event held in Ganeshapuram in Muttur east and allowed the first to proceed to Verugal with passengers, sources said.
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