'Govt. to take final decision on HSZ soon'-Peiris

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 January 2003, 17:38 GMT]
Prof. G.L.Peiris, a senior minister in the United National Front government (UNF) and the leader of Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) peace delegation, Friday said that he expected the report of the Indian defence expert Sathish Nambiar within next few days on the question of resettling displaced in the high security zones (HSZ) in the Jaffna peninsula. Minister Mr.Peiris told diplomats that the government would take a final decision on the resettlement of displaced in HSZ once it received Nambiar report, sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>

SLA cannot deny the rights of IDPs to resettle in HSZ - TNA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 January 2003, 12:50 GMT]
The United National Front (UNF) government Tuesday gave assurances to the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) that it would take steps to resettle displaced inside the high security zone (HSZ) in Jaffna once the Indian defence expert submits a report on that issue, sources said. TNA stressed that although SLA is empowered by the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to prevent Liberation Tigers (LTTE) from entering the HSZ, SLA cannot deny the rights of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from resettling in their own homes in their own land, sources said.
Full story >>

SLA occupies 3500 civilian homes outside HSZ -Jaffna GA

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 January 2003, 16:45 GMT]
Three thousand and five hundred houses outside the high security zone (HSZ) in the Jaffna district are still occupied by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) preventing thousands of displaced people to return to their homes, said the Government Agent in his report to Colombo authorities, district secretariat sources said.
Full story >>

'Archaeological finds should be safeguarded' -Ilankumaran

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 January 2003, 19:47 GMT]
Faculty of Archaeology should be established in universities in the northeast to ensure better security to the archaeological finds of our land, said Mr.V.Ilankumaran, head of the Thamileelam Educational Development Division addressing a meeting of Trincomalee writers and critics Saturday evening at Trincomalee Sri Koneswara Hindu College.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka chief negotiator’s stand absurd- PA

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 January 2003, 10:48 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s main opposition party Friday said the stand taken by Colombo’s chief negotiator Prof. G. L Peiris on the question of high security zones in Jaffna was “absurd” and claimed that it is not endorsed by the Sri Lankan armed forces.
Full story >>

Lorry owners picket Point Pedro harbour

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 January 2003, 18:40 GMT]
Unloading of cargo from vessels in the Point Pedro Harbour in Jaffna district came to a standstill Wednesday following picketing by port workers and members of the Jaffna District Private Vehicles Owners' Co-operative Society (JDPVOCS)against allowing non-members to remove unloaded cargo from the jetty, sources said.
Full story >>

Peace talks are going well, say Chief Negotiators

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 January 2003, 18:19 GMT]
(News Feature) The Sri Lankan government conceded this week that the resettlement of Tamil refugees and internally displaced people in areas occupied by its military forces could not be made conditional on the disarming of the Liberation Tigers, as demanded by the Army. Following two days of discussion, hailed by both sides as “constructive,” the government also said it would begin to reallocate its troops based amongst civilians in the Jaffna peninsula.
Full story >>

Picketing in Tellipallai continues

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 January 2003, 12:11 GMT]
Several hundred people displaced from high security zone (HSZ) in Jaffna peninsula continued their fast and picketing third day Tuesday in front of the office of the additional government agent in Tellipalai. They launched this campaign Friday demanding that they should be allowed to resettle in their villages, which have been declared high security zone by the State armed forces, Valigamam Peoples Forum (VPF) sources said.
Full story >>

JVP praises army, wows to overthrow Ranil govt.

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 January 2003, 23:14 GMT]
The Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Sri Lanka’s powerful leftist Sinhala party, Monday praised the stand taken by the Sri Lanka army’s northern command on the question of high security zones in Jaffna and accused Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of conspiring with the Liberation Tigers to divide the island according to a secret pact. The JVP is the second largest opposition party in Sri Lanka’s Parliament.
Full story >>

PA parliamentary group meets after Ranil-Chandrika talks

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 January 2003, 19:39 GMT]
President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge convened an urgent meeting of the parliamentary group of the main opposition Peoples Alliance (PA) Saturday afternoon following a discussion between her and the Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe held Friday at the Presidential Secretariat. "The President will consult the United National Front (UNF) government before making any public statement on the peace process," said a statement issued by the Presidential media unit Sunday.
Full story >>

LTTE slams SLA Commander, says "decommissioning is non-negotiable"

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 January 2003, 14:28 GMT]
Responding to the Sri Lanka Army's reiterated demand that the Liberation Tigers must decommission their heavy weapons before Tamil civilians would be permitted to resettle in their villages now within High Security Zones, the LTTE Friday said the issue was non-negotiable and expressed "deep disappointment" over the Army's "confrontational" position.
Full story >>

HSZ seriously affects displaced Tamils - Bishop

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 January 2003, 00:05 GMT]
The Bishop of Jaffna Tuesday told a government delegation led by a senior minister that the continuance of the high security zones (HSZ) in Jaffna peninsula will not affect the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) but would seriously affect the large number of displaced families living elsewhere under difficult conditions, sources said.
Full story >>

HSZ issue draws Sri Lanka government team to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 December 2002, 13:37 GMT]
A high level team of Sri Lanka government officials led by Minister Mr.Milinda Morogoda Tuesday flew to Jaffna to hold crucial discussions regarding the dispute that has arisen between the hierarchy of the Sri Lanka Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the question of resettling displaced families in villages of the high security zone (HSZ), sources said.


Full story >>

Ponnalai IDPs picket demanding resettlement

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 December 2002, 17:04 GMT]
Several hundred internally displaced people from Ponnalai in Jaffna district Monday launched a protest campaign picketing in front of the office of the Chankanai Divisional Secretariat (DS), demanding that they should be allowed to resettle in their lands, sources said.
Full story >>

'Terrorist intentions will totally terminate resettlement' – Maj. Gen. Fonseka

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 December 2002, 08:53 GMT]
The furore over the Sri Lanka Army's High Security Zones (HSZs) in Jaffna orginated this week with a letter sent by its Jaffna commander to the Liberation Tigers, demanding the 'total disarmament' of the movement before Tamil civilians would be allowed back into occupied villages. In his hostile and belligerent letter, littered with grammatical and spelling errors, Maj. Gen. Fonseka addressed the Tigers as 'terrorists' and protested that easing the difficulties of the people of Jaffna would enhance the LTTE's image.
Full story >>

SLMM support for Army over HSZs is 'unacceptable' - LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 December 2002, 15:17 GMT]
The LTTE Friday rejected the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission's justification of the Sri Lanka Army's High Security Zones on the grounds of security as "unacceptable," saying "this adjudication simply reinforces the SLA's position on the illegal military occupation of public property." Responding to a letter sent Thursday by SLMM head, Maj. Gen. Tronde Furuhovde, the LTTE's Chief Negotiator, Mr. Anton Balasingham, said: "This purely militaristic argument to support your thesis on balance of forces, has completely ignored and trivialised the grave humanitarian issue of the displaced population."
Full story >>

SLMM hands over SLA proposals on HSZ to LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 December 2002, 19:15 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Monday handed over a document containing proposals by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) regarding the normalization of High Security Zones (HSZs) in Jaffna peninsula to the representatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), sources in Jaffna said


Full story >>

Phased approach agreed to address Jaffna HSZ resettlement

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 December 2002, 13:54 GMT]
At the second meeting of the Sub Committee on De-escalation and Normalization (SDN) held Saturday at Muhamalai it was agreed that a solution to the resettlement of internally displaced people in High Security Zones (HSZ) and other areas presently perceived as inaccessible to the public could be only solved through integrated plans of action agreed upon by the two parties, said a press release issued by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Sri Lanka.
Full story >>

Jaffna high security zones to continue - SLA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 December 2002, 13:46 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Wednesday said the High Security Zones (HSZ) in Jaffna peninsula would not be removed. Major General Sarath Fonseka, Jaffna area commander, told a delegation of the Movement for Goodwill, Peace and Justice (MGPJ) at a discussion held at the Jaffna Bishop’s House Wednesday that the army has taken steps to re-open the Clock Tower Road, Power House Road in Jaffna town for the public and also will vacate Gnanams Hotel.


Full story >>

Fishermen picket Point Pedro District Secretariat

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 November 2002, 21:13 GMT]
Fisherment from Point Pedro and surrounding areas picketed the Point Pedro distric secretariat offices this morning demanding that they be allowed to return and resettle in their own homes located inside the High Security Zone (HSZ), sources in Point Pedro said.
Full story >>