Tigers respond to Rajapakse's statement

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 February 2006, 09:47 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, on Wednesday, responded to SL President Mahinda Rajapakse's recent interview where he rejected the Tamil call for self-rule. "Homeland, nationhood and self-rule are the three basic and cardinal principles," that have been guiding the LTTE in its struggle to find a peacefully negotiated political arrangement, a statement from the LTTE reiterated. If Colombo adopts a political stand ruling out the Tamil homeland concept and insists on a resolution to conflict within the "Sinhala" constitution, the LTTE would be left with "no alternative other than to endeavour hard to respond effectively to the Tamil call for self rule," the statement said.
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Peace delegation Muslim representative still to be appointed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 February 2006, 15:57 GMT]
Muslim parliamentarians at a meeting held Tuesday in parliamentary complex decided to submit two proposals to President Mahinda Rajapakse on the question of including a Muslim representative in the government delegation, which is to participate in the Geneva talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on February 22 and 23 on strengthening the ceasefire agreement, sources said.
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State of Emergency extended till March 7

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 February 2006, 15:53 GMT]
Sri Lankan parliament Tuesday extended the State of Emergency for another month till March 7. Mr.Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Prime Minister and the Deputy Defense Minister moved the extension motion when the parliament resumed its sitting Tuesday. The State of Emergency was declared last year on August 13, the day after Mr.Lakshman Kadirgamar, Foreign Minister was assassinated at his residence in Colombo. Since then the State of Emergency has been extended every month with the approval of the parliament, sources said.
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No Tamil Eelam, only devolution within Unitary State- Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 February 2006, 12:57 GMT]
Ruling out demands by the Liberation Tigers for a separate homeland in the NorthEast, Sri Lanka's President Rajapakse in an interview with Reuters ahead of Geneva talks said, "This is a small country, where you can't have two states. I won't allow the country to be divided," he added. "You have to give up the concept of having two nations, or two countries … There is no Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka. There cannot be an Eelam."
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Sri Lanka Muslims demand separate delegation in peace talks

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 February 2006, 17:41 GMT]
The Muslim Peace Secretariat (MPS) Tuesday made an appeal that a separate Muslim delegation should be allowed not only to participate in the Geneva peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) scheduled to be held in February 22 and 23 but also in the future talks on resolving the national conflict, media sources said.
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UNICEF welcomes sharp decline in under-age youths joining LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 February 2006, 00:46 GMT]
UNICEF representatives expressed satisfaction in the sharp decline of the number of under-age youths joining the ranks of the Liberation Tigers after the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE, during a meeting held with the LTTE's Child Protection Unit at the LTTE Peace Secretariat building Sunday, LTTE officials said.
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Harvard experts too pro-Tiger, too liberal, says Govt. paper

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 February 2006, 20:19 GMT]
"It [Sri Lanka Government Peace Team] learnt that two Harvard specialists who were coaching the peace team on some aspects of conflict resolution, for instance, were thought of as being too liberal and possibly too pro Tiger in their views," said Sri Lanka's state-run paper Sunday Observer in its latest edition. The paper also quoted a source close to the consultation process as saying, "Harvard and other institutions of repute, may wittingly or otherwise place Sri Lankan strategy in channels that could be available to the Tigers."
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Five parties to contest in Jaffna Local Council elections

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 February 2006, 11:26 GMT]
Five political parties have expressed interest to contest in local elections in Jaffna district, Jaffna election officials said. Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP), Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), and Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK- Federal party), are expected to contest in all regions in Jaffna district whereas All Ceylon Muslim Congress and Muslim Congress will compete only in Jaffna Municipal Council, sources said.
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Local elections will highlight Upcountry Tamils' unity- Chandrasekaran

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 February 2006, 01:40 GMT]
"In the forthcoming local elections, Hillcountry Tamils should unite to initiate a joint action program to increase their representation, and create the foundation for strengthening the political power and unity of Sri Lanka's Tamil people." said Thamilchelvan, leader of LTTE political wing, during the discussions he had with the Leader of Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF), Periyasamy Chandrasekaran, at the LTTE Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi Wednesday morning, a media release from the UPF said.
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SLMM head meets Elilan in Sampoor

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 February 2006, 16:42 GMT]
Mr.Hagrup Haukland, Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission Thursday morning held a wide ranging discussion with Mr.S.Elilan, LTTE Trincomalee district political head at LTTE district political secretariat which is located at Sampoor in the LTTE held Muttur east territory in Trincomalee district, LTTE sources said.
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238,755 persons qualified to vote in Trinco local election

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 February 2006, 16:37 GMT]
Trincomalee Election Office has made arrangement to accept nominations lists from registered political parties and independent groups to contest thirteen local authorities including two Urban Councils (UC) and eleven Pradesiya Sabah (PS) from Thursday February 9 till 16th February. Till Thursday deposits were made on behalf of two Muslim independent groups, one for Kinniya UC and other for Kuchchaveli PS. Altogether 118 councilors will be elected for the thirteen local authorities, sources said.
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GoSL delegation announced for Geneva talks

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 February 2006, 11:14 GMT]
The Sri Lankan delegation to the talks in Geneva would comprise of SL Ministers Nimal Sripala De Silva, Jeyaraj Fernandopulle and Rohitha Bogollagama, said Sri Lanka's cabinet spokesman, Anura Priyadharshana Yapa, on Thursday, sources in Colombo said. Talks in Geneva between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are scheduled for 22-23rd February.
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Preparations ahead of Geneva talks should focus on people's plight - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 February 2006, 07:58 GMT]
"One of the key issues in the February 2002 Cease Fire Agrement was ensuring a safe life to the civilians in Sri Lanka military controlled areas of the Tamil homeland," Liberation Tigers Political Head Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan told media, following a preparatory meeting with the Ambassadors of Norway and Swtizerland, at the LTTE Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi Thursday. "It is therefore vital that the team participating in the talks, study the ground situation prevailing in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled areas," he added.
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Switzerland welcomes talks, Swiss Ambassador to visit Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 February 2006, 11:16 GMT]
Government of Switzerland in a press release issued from Berne Monday welcomed the decision by the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers to hold talks on February 22-23 and called on "the parties to the conflict to do all within their powers to ensure that the talks can start in a constructive atmosphere." Mr. Hans Brattskar, Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Mr. Bernadino Regazzoni, Switzerland Ambassador to Sri Lanka, will travel to Kilinochchi on Thursday to discuss preparatory arrangements for talks in Geneva with the LTTE Political Head Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, LTTE Peace Secretariat sources in Kilinochchi said.


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NCP Chief Minister appointed to lead Trincomalee development

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 February 2006, 16:43 GMT]
The President Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse has appointed Mr.Bertilal Dissanayake, Chief Minister of the North Central Province in charge of the development activities in the Trincomalee district. Mr.Dissanayake Monday presided over the conference held in Trincomalee district secretariat pertaining to the development of the district, district secretariat sources said.
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Truce talks in Geneva on February 22

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 February 2006, 15:34 GMT]
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Monday evening informed the press that the parties to the conflict in Sri Lanka, the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, have asked Norway to facilitate talks in Geneva from 22 to 23 February. The announcement comes following the meeting between the Norwegian International Development Minister Mr. Erik Solheim and the Liberation Tigers Chief Negotiator and Political Strategist Mr. Anton Balasingham in London, and Mr. Solheim's consultations with the Government of Sri Lanka following his meeting with Mr. Balasingham.
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Colombo's bona fides on creating normalcy ahead of talks, questionable - paper

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 February 2006, 13:25 GMT]
Uthayan, the Jaffna based daily, in its Monday editorial warned of the potentially dangerous consequences of the attitude being displayed by the Sri Lankan Government insisting on its innocense and not taking urgent action to secure the release of the seven humanitarian workers of the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) in the east. Referring to the "strict adherence" by the Tamil side in living up to its pledge on the cessation of hostilities the last two weeks, since the meeting between Norwegian Peace Envoy and the LTTE leader commenced on January 25, the paper questioned whether Colombo has demonstrated its will to create a conducive environment in the run-up to the truce talks.
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Solheim to meet Balasingham Monday

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 February 2006, 16:36 GMT]
Norway's Minister of International Development, peace envoy, Erik Solheim, is scheduled to meet LTTE's Chief Negotiator and Political Strategist Mr. Anton Balasingham at Balasingham's London residence Monday, sources in London said. Norwegian Minister is expected to announce the date of the talks in Geneva between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers after the meeting, diplomatic sources in Colombo said.


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LTTE urges NGOs to expedite tsunami rehab in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 February 2006, 15:50 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) appealed to non-governmental organizations working in the Batticaloa district to expedite their tsunami rehabilitation and reconstruction work as large number of affected families are living temporary structures fourteen months after the disaster. Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the LTTE made this appeal at a conference held Friday in the office of the Vakarai Divisional Secretary attended by NGOs' representatives, sources said


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WorldBank, ADB to brief media on tsunami reconstruction

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 February 2006, 15:44 GMT]
The representatives of the World Bank (WB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) are scheduled to meet the media Monday, February 6, in Colombo to discuss the current state of tsunami and post conflict reconstruction and rehabilitation work. The press conference is to be held in the World Bank office, media sources in Colombo said.
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