No final decision on JM proposal without Mahanayakas' consensus- SL President

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 June 2005, 05:05 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunge Friday early morning sent a special message to the Mahanayake Theras of three Chapters regarding the controversy over the signing of the joint mechanism structure with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). "Final decision to sign the proposed Joint Mechanism will not be taken without the consensus of the three Mahanayakas," the president assured in her letter, the State controlled Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) announced in its Friday morning news bulletin.
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LTTE, Muslims meet in Karadiyanaaru

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 June 2005, 13:49 GMT]
Officials of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) met with representatives from Kalkudah Muslim community at the Karadiyanaru Maha Vidyalayam, Chenkalady from 10 AM to 12 PM Thursday, sources from Batticaloa said. Discussions centered around land issues concerning muslim settlers in Oddamavady and Kalkuddah, according to officials attending the meeting.
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Danish Group funds Vavuniya preschool building

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 June 2005, 11:11 GMT]
Opening ceremony for a new preschool building in Kilavikulam in Vavuniya district, funded by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) was ceremonially opened at 1pm Wednesday. The 'Thamilenthi Preschool' was built at a cost of nearly Rs. 850,000 and will be administered by the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO).
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Civilian killed in gunfire at Chenkalady market

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 June 2005, 08:08 GMT]
A 40 year old civilian, Mr. Thadchanamoorthy Karunamoorthy, was killed on the spot as Sri Lankan Army soldiers returned fire on gunmen who shot at an EPDP cadre Thursday morning around 10.30 AM, according to eyewitnesses in Chenkalady market. The EPDP cadre, Mr. Tharmaratnam Elamaran Ravi, 30, who was in-charge of the Chenkalady EPDP office, and an SLA corporal Mr. Piremathilake, 35, were wounded in the attack by the gunmen.
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Two LTTE cadres killed in claymore attack in East

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 June 2005, 13:10 GMT]
Two LTTE cadres, Mr. Niveharan (22) and Mr. Sutharanjan (23), were killed in a claymore landmine attack in no-man zone at Sangamankandy, between Pottuvil and Komari at 12.35 PM Wednesday, sources said. The attack took place at Sangamankandy 2 km from Thandiyadi Sri Lanka Army (SLA) checkpoint while the cadres were walking with their punctured motorbike from Kanjirankuda LTTE base towards LTTE political office in Komari, Mr. Daya Mohan, Deputy Head of LTTE's Batticaloa-Amparai Political Division told TamilNet. Mr. Daya Mohan blamed Special Task Force (STF) soldiers and paramilitary cadres working with the STF for the attack.
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Bikkhu Front begins fast in Colombo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 June 2005, 09:53 GMT]
National Bhikku Front (NBF) Wednesday morning started a fast unto death campaign in front of Fort Railway Station, Colombo, protesting against the signing of Joint Mechanism proposal between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The proposal spells out administrative and funds disbursement arrangement for rehabilitation and reconstruction of tsunami destroyed coastal areas in the Northeast province.


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JVP warns Kumaratunga not to be the last of Bandaranaikes

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 June 2005, 07:46 GMT]
Mounting a scathing attack on President Chandrika Kumaratunga and her family, Mr.Somawanse Amarasinghe, leader of the marxist extreme Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the main political ally of ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Government, warned on Tuesday that if Kumarathunga went ahead and signed the proposed joint-mechanism with the LTTE, she would be the "last of the Bandaranaikes".
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Archaeologists enter Omanthai statue dispute

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 June 2005, 18:08 GMT]
The controversy over the Buddha statue installed by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in the historic Pillaiyar Temple premises in Omanthai, a strategic point located at the southern border of LTTE held Vanni region, took a perplexing turn when a group of three archaeologists visited the site on the direction of Sri Lanka government authorities in Colombo to investigate "archaeological findings" in the area. The group was given police protection, sources said.


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Japanese diplomacy boosts JVP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 June 2005, 14:27 GMT]
Leaders of Sri Lanka’s ultra-nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Perumana (JVP) wound up a ten day visit to Japan last week, having had a strong of meetings with top officials, former prime ministers and no less than four conferences with Yasushi Akashi, Japan’s Peace Envoy to Sri Lanka, sources said. JVP leader Somawanse Amarasinghe and his delegation were invited to Japan with a view to persuading them to cease their resistance to the internationally-backed peace process in Sri Lanka, but, the diplomatic initiative failed, as the party remains adamantly opposed to the joint mechanism, the sources said.
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JHU threatens to boycott parliament

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 June 2005, 13:27 GMT]
Venerable Athuraliya Ratana Thera, parliamentary group leader of the all monks' Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) party Tuesday announced in parliament that his party has decided to boycott the House temporarily in protest of the Sri Lanka government's move to sign the joint mechanism proposal with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), parliamentary sources said.


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Colombo's transport refusal endangers CFA- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 June 2005, 08:52 GMT]
"Serious crisis has developed over Sri Lanka Government's continuing refusal to provide travel security to our military commanders across Government controlled areas forcing us to plan our own armed escort. We have pointed out to the Norwegian facilitators to urgently seek the response from Colombo on this matter. Failure to resolve this issue will call into question the continued observation of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA)," said Thamilchelvan in a press briefing to reporters in Kilinochchi, after meeting with Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar and Mr. Wagn Winkel, acting Head of the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Kilinochchi Tuesday morning.
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Trinco airstrip, a canard to justify Muttur embargo- Elilan

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 June 2005, 19:20 GMT]
Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Monday brought to the notice of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that reports published in a section of the media quoting a report from the state intelligence agency that LTTE is engaged in constructing an airstrip in Sampoor, Muttur east, is a figment of imagination, sources said.
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JHU MPs fast against Joint Mechanism

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 June 2005, 16:24 GMT]
Monks belonging to Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), ultra-Sinhala nationalist party of Buddhist monks, began fast unto death in front of the historic Dalada Maligawa in the hill town of Kandy, demanding the government of Sri Lanka to reject signing the Joint Mechanism, the proposed agreement with the Liberation Tigers regarding the rehabilitation and reconstruction of tsunami destroyed coastal areas in the Northeast province, sources in Kandy said.
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LTTE official attacked by STF soldiers in Amparai

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 June 2005, 12:42 GMT]
A political division official of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eealm (LTTE) from Veeramunai Navithanveli, Mr. Sathees, was attacked by Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) soldiers Monday morning around 9.30 AM, LTTE said. STF soldiers hit Mr. Sathees with gun butts while he was standing in front of the Veeramunai LTTE political office, according to Mr. Atheeswaran Master, Political Head of the LTTE Veeramunai Koddam in Amparai.
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SLA troopers attempt to enter LTTE office in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 June 2005, 18:32 GMT]
Around hundred Sri Lankan Army (SLA) soldiers together with paramilitary cadres from Razeek Group entered the premises of the LTTE administrative office at Thamaraikerni in Batticaloa town Saturday night around 11.30 PM. However, LTTE officials did not allow the soldiers to enter the office building till the arrival of truce monitors, Deputy Head of Batticaloa-Amparai Political Wing of the LTTE, Mr. Daya Mohan, told TamilNet. The sudden siege by the SLA soldiers with the presence of paramilitary cadres, "in contradiction to the terms of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) was aimed at provoking the Tigers", he charged.
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Respect the decision of the judiciary in Trinco dispute - NPC

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 June 2005, 04:04 GMT]
Urging the Sri Lankan Government to implement the decisions of the judiciary regarding the dispute in Trincomalee in an impartial manner and deploring any threats to use violence to resolve the issue, the National Peace Council (NPC), a Colombo based Sri Lankan peace group, in a media release issued on Friday, said that the focus of public attention has been shifting to very negative issues due to the lack of progress in achieving agreement on Joint Mechanism on tsunami recovery. The organiation warned that the widespread protest which brought ordinary life in the Northeast to a halt on Friday points to the danger of escalation.
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Saving accounts opened for Vadamaradchi tsunami orphans

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 June 2005, 15:01 GMT]
Saving accounts were opened Friday in the Thamileelam Bank with initial deposit of five thousand per child in the names of twenty-six children who lost their parents in the tsunami in Maruthankerni area in Vadamaradchchi east division in Jaffna district, sources said. The financial assistance was provided by well-wishers in the area.
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STF lays siege to LTTE's Thirukovil political office

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 June 2005, 13:27 GMT]
Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) soldiers were stopped from forcibly entering the Political office of the Liberation Tigers in Thirukkovil, Amparai at 12.00 PM Friday, by Political Head of LTTE Veeramunai Koddam Mr. Atheeswaran Master who demanded the presence of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) officials, LTTE officials said. STF soldiers kept the LTTE office under siege till 18.20 PM till SLMM officials arrived at the scene. Mr. Aleeswaran Master told TamilNet that harrassment by Security Forces to provoke the LTTE cadres is escalating in Batticaloa, Amparai districts and the situation is rapidly deteriorating.
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Two Tamil youths shot by Sri Lankan Air Force in Trinco

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 June 2005, 12:46 GMT]
Two Tamil youths, identified as Mr.Ravi and Mr.Sathyaseelan, have been admitted to Trincomalee General Hospital with serious gunshot injuries after being fired on by Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) personnel at Mitsubishi Cement Factory in Chinabay, 10 km off Trincomalee town, sources said.
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Profile of a shadow war veteran

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 June 2005, 01:02 GMT]
The veteran intelligence officer, Lieutenant Colonel Nizam Muthaliff, was a central figure in the atrocity-punctuated paramilitary aspects of the counter-insurgency campaign against the LTTE in the early nineties then had a critical role in the deep penetration attacks on LTTE commanders and officials, the Tamil Guardian reported Wednesday.
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