Colombo lacks will, ability to address Tamil National question- TNA

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 September 2005, 01:42 GMT]
Tamil people will be forced to urge the International community to "explicitely endorse the Tamil people's struggle for self-determination," if the Sri Lankan State continues to be intransigent in resolving the Tamil National question, warned Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in a press release issued in Colombo Thursday.
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Freedom of Expression at stake in Sri Lanka - FMM

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 September 2005, 17:06 GMT]
Free Media Movement in Sri Lanka has expressed its concern at the feeling of insecurity and intimidation some famous film-makers in Sri Lanka are subjected to in recent weeks. The FMM points out to reports of pressure on film-makers advocating conflict resolution in the country.
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Operation USA funds Kallady fishermen livelihood project

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 September 2005, 02:22 GMT]
Operation USA, an international non-governmental organization, supplied 70 fishing boats with seventy outboard engines and seventy set of fishing nets and related materials valued at about 21 million rupees to 140 beneficiaries in Kallady located in the Verugal-Eachchilampathu division south of Trincomalee district at an event held Tuesday. The implement partner of this project is Trincomalee District Tamil Rehabilitation Organization, sources said.
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Co-Chairs reiterate commitment, demand action

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 September 2005, 05:39 GMT]
As Sinhala nationalist forces opposed to a negotiated federal solution, Norwegian facilitation and the western influence, were gaining momentum in the South and a shadow war was being waged in the NorthEast, the Co-Chairs of the Tokyo Donor Conference, who met in New York Monday reaffirmed their strong support to Norway as facilitator and a federal solution as a framework. The Co-Chairs called on the Liberation Tigers to end political assassinations, recruitment of under age youth and underlined the responsibility of the Sri Lankan government to "disarm or relocate" paramilitary groups from the NorthEast. They expressed fear that the Cease Fire is facing its "most serious challenge".
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Trinco Civil society calls for general shut down Wednesday

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 September 2005, 05:03 GMT]
Tamil civil groups in Trincomalee have called for a general shut down ('Hartal') on Wednesday, 21 September, putting forward 8 demands, including the removal of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) sentries and mini-camps which are located in the vicinity of schools and places of worship in the eastern port town.
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'There is no place for moderates'

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 September 2005, 05:40 GMT]
Even as his party leader and incumbent President Chandrika Kumaratunga wrapped herself in the tenets of liberalism whilst addressing the United Nations last week, her party's candidate for her succession, Mahinda Rajapakse, continued to tread an unabashedly Sinhala ultra-nationalist platform at home.
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"An embodiment of antinomy," – Thamilchelvan on Kumaratunga's speeches in New York

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 September 2005, 14:39 GMT]
"The LTTE is still ready for immediate talks on the implementation of the CFA, outside the island," reiterated Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, Political Head of the LTTE, in an exclusive interview to the TamilNet on Friday. "We see a lot of contradictions in the speeches of Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga, made abroad and in the south. The fact is the Tamil people have lost faith in Kumaratunga's statements, speeches and promises. It is high time the international community takes this into consideration," said LTTE's political head.
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Col. Sornam briefs INGOs, NGOs in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 September 2005, 18:03 GMT]
Colonel Sornam, Trincomalee district military commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Tuesday addressed the delegates of the international and national level non-governmental organizations (INGOs and NGOs) in the Trincomalee district about the urgency to expedite rehabilitation of war and tsunami affected people and the reconstruction of devastated areas, sources said.


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Peace approach should transcend party politics- paper

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 September 2005, 16:59 GMT]
"The peace process requires an approach that transcends narrow and warped ambitions of party politics. The two Presidential candiates, Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa and Opposition leader Ranil Wickramesinghe, must refrain from making the peace process an issue at the forthcoming Presidential elections," said an editorial of Thinakkural, a popular Tamil daily in its Thursday edition.


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Thileepan's 18th anniversary commemorations begin

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 September 2005, 11:18 GMT]
Preparations to commemorate eighteenth death anniversary of Lt.Col.Thileepan (Rasaiah Parthipan), who fast to death during the occupation of Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Jaffna, have begun in several parts of NorthEast with red and yellow flags symbolizing the Liberation Tigers being flown at main roads, key junctions, business premises and Government buildings, sources said. Thileepan passed away two weeks into his fast after placing five demands to the Indian Government.
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IOM inaugurates de-worming campaign in Mannar district

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 September 2005, 05:08 GMT]
About 30000 children in government and LTTE controlled areas in Mannar district Wednesday received a single dose of medication, which will protect them from worms for up to a year. The inaugural event of the campaign launched by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in this regard was held Wednesday at Mannar Al-Askar Maha Vidiyalayam with Mr.V.Visvalingam, Mannar Government Agent in the chair.
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Police ordered to produce LTTE suspect in Mallakam courts

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 September 2005, 00:32 GMT]
Mallakam Magistrate Ms Sarojini Ilankovan Wednesday ordered the Kankesanthurai Police to produce Mr.Velautham (25), a LTTE Sea Tiger who is being held at the KKS police station, in court on September 20, legal sources said. She made this order after visiting the suspect in the KKS police station.
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Rajapakse, JHU exchange agreement

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 September 2005, 10:51 GMT]
Prime Minister Rajapakse of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and Ellawela Methantha Thera of Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) exchanged agreement for the forthcoming Presidential election at Dalada Maligawa, Kandy Tuesday morning at 1130am. The parties agreed in principle to terminate talks on the Post Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS) and to find a solution to the ethnic crisis on the basis of a unitary state.


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Gunmen fire at SL police post in Valaichenai

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 September 2005, 07:45 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen on Monday midnight fired at a sentry post manned by Sri Lankan police at Mancholai in Valaichenai. The sentry post is located 2 km away from Valaichenai police station. No one was injured in the gunfire, police said.
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Election Commissioner holds talks with heads of armed forces, Police

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 September 2005, 16:58 GMT]
Mr.Dayananda Dissanayake, Commissioner General of Elections Monday morning held discussions with the heads of three armed forces, Sri Lanka Army (SLA), Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) regarding the security to be provided during the forthcoming presidential election which is expected to be held during the second week of November this year, Deputy Commissioner of Elections Mr.W.Siriwardene said.
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SLA behind group fights in Jaffna, charges Ilamparithi

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 September 2005, 16:53 GMT]
Mr.C.Ilamparithi, Jaffna district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Monday charged that the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and its intelligence operatives are behind the group clashes, which are on the increase in recent weeks in the Jaffna district. He said this in an interview with Tamilnet from the new district political office of LTTE now located in the LTTE controlled Pallai division.


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Court extends interim injunction on P-TOMS

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 September 2005, 16:48 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court Monday extended its interim injunction on the implementation of certain clauses of the Pre-Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS) till November 22 and fixed the inquiry into the petition filed by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) seeking the cancellation of the P-TOMS on the same date, legal sources said.
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LTTE official journal launched on Internet

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 September 2005, 15:47 GMT]
"Viduthalaipulikal" - the LTTE journal has been made available on the Internet as from Sunday. A complete set of the Tamil journal dating back from 1984 is now accessible on the Internet for readers, according to LTTE sources in Kilinochchi.
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SLA opens access routes, blocks transport of Tamil paper

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 September 2005, 13:28 GMT]
After complaints from Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) opened the six access routes to LTTE controlled areas in Batticaloa district Saturday, but blocked transport of the Tamil daily "Batticaloa Eelanatham" into Sri Lanka Government controlled areas at the Pattiruppu bridge, Manmunai and Iranguthurai checkpoints, sources in Batticaloa said.
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Election campaign should not jeopardize peace prospects- Schaffer

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 September 2005, 01:37 GMT]
Asserting that "a major political change is needed if all communities are to live together in Sri Lanka," Teresita Schaffer, former U.S Ambassador to Sri Lanka, said at a US Congressional briefing of the Sri Lanka Caucus on Thursday that she hoped "Sri Lanka won’t throw away chances for this in the election campaign." Congressmen Jerry Weller (R-Il.) and Danny Davis (D-Il) participated briefly at the briefing held at the Cannon House Building, Washington, DC.
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