SL parliament to hold one-day debate on peace process

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 May 2005, 15:59 GMT]
Leaders of political parties represented in Sri Lanka's parliament, during a meetging held Monday in the Speaker's Chamber,decided to hold a full day debate on the stalled peace process on Friday on a request made by Mr.R.Sampanthan, leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), parliamentary sources in Colombo said. Mr.Sampanthan will open the debate.


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Donors pledge $3bn, push peace process

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 May 2005, 16:19 GMT]
International donors wrapped up a key conference for Sri Lanka pledging $3bn in aid, but stressing the importance of progress in resolving the island’s protracted ethnic conflict to pave the way for its disbursement, press reports and officials said. The onus is on Sri Lanka’s President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who has promised donors she would overcome Sinhala nationalist opposition to negotiate and sign a joint mechanism with the LTTE, to deliver. But amid escalating Sinhala right wing pressure, Tamil optimism is tempered by deep sceptism
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Commitment to shed political divisions, prerequisite for peace- NPC

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 May 2005, 16:52 GMT]
Commenting on the forthcoming donor forum meeting in Kandy, National Peace Council (NPC), in a press release issued in Colombo Sunday said, "...there is little the donor community could do for us in ensuring recovery from the tsunami, long term sustainable economic growth and a political solution to the ethnic conflict in the absence of internal commitment to shedding political divisions in rebuilding the country for the common good."
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Buddhist Congress protests against aid deal

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 May 2005, 13:58 GMT]
Hundreds of Buddhist monks belonging to Jathika Sangha Sammelanaya (JSS National Buddhist Congress) held a protest march Sunday against any deal with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for a Joint Mechanism to facilitate post-tsunami reconstruction in the NorthEast, sources in Colombo said. The protesters marched to the office of Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr Mahinda Rajapakshe and handed over a memorandum.
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Foundation laid for Thamileelam National hospital

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 May 2005, 10:13 GMT]
Foundation stone for the Tamil Eelam National Hospital was laid at Iranaimadu in Kilinochchi, Sunday morning. Dr.Gangatharan laid the first foundation stone followed by Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan, the Head of the Political Wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
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Norway funds Mannar Educational Resource Center

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 May 2005, 03:00 GMT]
An Educational Resource Center built under Operation Day's Work (ODW) project supported by Develpment funds from the Norwegian Government, was opened in Aandankulam Roman Catholic School in Mannar Friday, sources in Mannar said. ODW project is administered by the Rural Economic, Education Research and Development Organization (REERDO) branch of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization, an NGO registered with the Government of Sri Lanka.
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Breakdown in JM negotiations will be a major blow- Akashi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 May 2005, 21:15 GMT]
Expressing Japan's frustration in the delay in forging permanent peace in Sri Lanka, Japanese peace envoy Yakushi Akashi, turning his attention the aid deal for post-tsunami development said, "The breakdown of negotiations on the Joint Mechanism will be a major blow to all concerned specially to Sri Lankan people who have every right to expect...assistance from abroad...but we must find alternative means for aid delivery." Mr Akashi talked to the reporter in Colombo after meeting S P Thamilchelvan, Head of LTTE political wing Saturday morning.
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Akashi meets Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 May 2005, 10:01 GMT]
The Japanese special peace envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi met with the Head of the Political Wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) S.P. Thamilchelvan at LTTE's Peace Secretariat building in Kilinochchi, Saturday.
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CPJ alarmed at death threats to Sri Lanka journalists

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 May 2005, 18:03 GMT]
"We are alarmed by the rising threats against our colleagues, and call on authorities to find those responsible for these crimes. All sides of this conflict must respect the rights of journalists and help safeguard the free flow of information in Sri Lanka," Executive Director of Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Ann Cooper said in a news alert issued at CPJ's website Thursday.
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Lack of normalcy eclipsed by joint mechanism debate - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 May 2005, 13:26 GMT]
The serious lack of normalcy in the Tamil areas due to continuing military occupation and restrictions on civilians’ livelihoods, even three years after the mutual ceasefire agreement was signed, is leading to severe frustrations amongst the people, the head of the Liberation Tiger’s political wing, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan told Norwegian diplomats Friday. The extraordinary focus on a post-tsunami aid management mechanism is masking the severity of the obstructions to rehabilitation work and the day-to-day difficulties faced by ordinary people, Mr. Thamilchelvan told Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr. Hans Brattskar, when they met in Kilinochchi.
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Body found in Eastern University grounds

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 May 2005, 08:46 GMT]
The body of a man shot in the head was found dumped in grounds of the Eastern University at Vanthaarumoolai, 18 kilometres north of Batticaloa town around 7 a.m. Friday morning, Police said. A note left behind by the assassins stated that he was a LTTE member from Uppuveli in the Trincomalee district, they said.
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CARE funds JVP projects

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 May 2005, 14:32 GMT]
The ultra-nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Perumana’s (JVP), inspite of its hostility towards foreign NGOs, has accepted financial donations from them. According to the JVP, CARE International is one of the institutional and private donors from whom the ultra-nationalist party has received well over Rs100 million for its own post-tsunami reconstruction activities.
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Pro-peace groups receive death threats

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 May 2005, 13:46 GMT]
Leaders of civil society organisations calling for a peaceful solution to Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict have received death threats from an extreme Sinhala nationalist group calling itself ‘Theraputtabhaya force.’ The letter, which claimed responsibility for the murder of journalist Sivaram Dharmeratnam, says that all traitors should be ready to become "fertiliser for the motherland" if they continue to betray it.
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Brattskar visits Norwegian projects in Jaffna, Mullaitivu

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 May 2005, 12:39 GMT]
Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar is visiting Tsunami affected areas in Jaffna and Mullaitivu districts Thursday to see some of the Norwegian supported boat and engine repair stations in Point Pedro, Munai and Aaliawalay, an embassy press release said. During his visit, Mr. Brattskar will also have discussions with LTTE in Killinochchi, it said.
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Joint Mechanism concerns linger as Donor Group readies for Kandy meet

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 May 2005, 17:51 GMT]
Sri Lanka Development Forum (SLDF), the aid review meeting where multilateral lenders and officials Sri Lanka Government meet to firm up on aid pledges, "will focus on the post-tsunami recovery and reconstruction process and the overall method and development strategies of Sri Lanka," said Dr.Sarath Amunugama, Minister of Finance and Planning in the invitation to participants to the Forum. Leaders of political parties represented in parliament have also been invited for the inaugural session, which is to be held on May 16 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
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Muttur Tamils protest against SLA embargo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 May 2005, 16:58 GMT]
About five thousand Tamil civilians Wednesday held a protest march from Poonagar in the LTTE controlled Eachchilampathu division in the Muttur area to the Mahindapura Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp demanding the removal of ban on the transportation of cement, building materials, petrol and diesel urgently needed for tsunami reconstruction work and agricultural purposes, sources said.
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Civil Group advocates changes to US Terrorism Laws

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 May 2005, 14:48 GMT]
Drawing from the experience gained in watching victims of tsunami suffer without adequate help in the east of Sri Lanka, Staff Attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, Mr Ahilan Arulanantham, during a testimony 10 May 2005 before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime Terrorism and Homeland Security, argued for amending material support laws in USA PATRIOT Act and Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act to allow vital humanitarian work to go unimpeded without undermining US's safety.
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Convincing donors, Kumaratunge's goal- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 May 2005, 00:45 GMT]
Accusing Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunge for not taking constructive steps to establish the Joint Mechanism for post-tsunami reconstruction of NorthEast, Head of the Political Wing of Liberation Tigers (LTTE), S.P Thamilchelvan, in a recent interview with TamilNet, dismissed Ms Kumaratunge's positive statements on the Joint Mechanism as a mere tactic to influence the donors in the forthcoming aid conference to take decisions in her favor, and to attract international assistance.
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SL President to visit India

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 May 2005, 17:49 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge is expected to pay a two-day official visit to India from Saturday May 14th. She will hold talks with leaders of the Indian government on the proposed joint mechanism with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), government sources said.


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JVP vows to scuttle aid deal

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 May 2005, 17:14 GMT]
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s main coalition partner, held a massive rally at the Colombo Municipal Council Ground Tuesday, against the Government entering into any agreement with the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) to handle post-tsunami reconstruction in the east, sources in Colombo said.
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