Colombo cancels Muhamalai meet

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 December 2005, 14:25 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officials informed the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) representatives who were present at Muhamalai Monday evening that the Sri Lanka's Peace Secretariat in Colombo had declined permission to the SLA Jaffna Commander, Maj. Gen. Sunil Tennakoon, to attend the proposed meeting with the LTTE, sources at the LTTE Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi told TamilNet.
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LTTE, SLA to discuss Jaffna situation

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 December 2005, 04:50 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Commander of Jaffna area Major General Sunil Tennakon, and the Jaffna District Political Head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Mr. C. Ilamparuthi will meet Monday evening in the presence of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) to discuss the deteriorating situation in the Jaffna district, informed sources in Colombo said. The meeting is expected to take place in the no man zone at Muhamalai Monday evening at 4:00 p.m., sources added.
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HRCSL to formulate Rights education policy for Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 December 2005, 16:52 GMT]
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has been conducting a series of seminars with the aim of formulating a national level human rights education policy. The first seminar was held in Vavuniya Thursday, the second in Trincomalee Friday and the third in Batticaloa Saturday, HRCSL sources said.
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Firefight near Neervely SLA camp, one soldier killed

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 December 2005, 14:29 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier seriously wounded when unknown gunmen attacked Neervely Jaffna SLA camp at 6.10 p.m. Sunday succumbed to his wounds, military sources in Colombo said. SLA soldiers returned fire and the firefight lasted more than five minutes, sources in Neerveli said. The SLA camp is located near the Kopay junction on Point-Pedro Jaffna A9 highway. Sri Lanka Army deployed soldiers along the coastal suburbs of Jaffna town, Ariyalai and Navanthurai, Jaffna police said adding that a curfew might be imposed in Jaffna.
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SLMM calls for immediate end to violence

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 December 2005, 12:54 GMT]
Pointing to the "countless attacks" in Jaffna peninsula, Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) warned that "there is a real danger that these disturbances and hostilities can spread and result in irreparable deterioration of security and prevent any real restoration of normalcy in the affected communities," and said that SLMM "stands ready to assist all the Parties and affected communities in bringing an end to these attacks," in a press release issued in Colombo Sunday,
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EPDP vehicle hits civilian auto-rickshaw in Jaffna, five wounded

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 December 2005, 15:28 GMT]
Five civilians including women were severely wounded when a speeding pickup-vehicle belonging to the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) collided with an auto-trishaw at 5:20 p.m. Friday at Pannai bridge which links Jaffna mainland with islets. Tension escalated when villagers shouting against the EPDP cadres were attacked by the Sri Lanka Army soldiers and policemen escorting the EPDP vehicle, civilian sources in Navanthurai said.
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SL Foreign Minister to meet Indian leaders

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 November 2005, 11:31 GMT]
The Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister, Mr. Mangala Samaraweera, will meet the Indian leaders, including Indian Premier Dr.Manmohan Singh and other key figures, in New Delhi Wednesday to discuss bilateral issues, sources at Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry said.


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Clinton visits tsunami destroyed Kinniya

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 November 2005, 18:13 GMT]
United Nations Special Envoy, President Bill Clinton, Tuesday visited Kinniya division, which had registered highest number of deaths and displacement due to tsunami disaster in the Trincomalee district last year. During his two hour-stay in Kinniya President Clinton visited tsunami destroyed areas and consoled the victims, sources said.
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Recovery efforts should not exacerbate existing inequities - Clinton

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 November 2005, 15:40 GMT]
UN Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery and former US President, Bill Clinton, who is currently in Sri Lanka on the eve of tsunami anniversary to assess rebuilding and recovery progress, said in Colombo Tuesday that post-tsunami recovery effort should not exacerbate existing inequities. "Building better roads and schools is essential, but it is not enough. We need to ensure that all people in Sri Lanka are on their way to a better and safer development path than they were prior to this tragedy," Mr. Clinton said during his third visit to Sri Lanka.
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Clinton meets TRO Executive Director

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 November 2005, 13:20 GMT]
TRO Executive Director Mr. K P Regi told the United Nations Special Envoy President Bill Clinton the problems that have led to the disappointing progress made thus far in Phase III of the Tsunami recovery programme in the NorthEast when he talked to Mr Clinton during the Sri Lankan Civil Society organization meeting in Colombo Tuesday. President Clinton had mentioned to Mr. Regi that he is aware of the problems facing the NorthEast and that he will endeavour to address these issues.
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Clinton meets SL President

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 November 2005, 11:43 GMT]
The former President of the US and UN special envoy on tsunami relief, Bill Clinton, currently in Sri Lanka as part of his his tour to South Asian countries, met with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa Tuesday at 11.20 a.m. at Sri Lanka Presidential residence, Temple trees, Colombo, sources said.


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Colombo to continue to maintain CFA with LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 November 2005, 16:24 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse Monday explained his future peace plans with the Colombo-based diplomatic community where he said that his new government will continue to observe the ceasefire agreement with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. In his address, the Sri Lankan President told the diplomatic community that he welcomed the remarks made by the LTTE leader Mr. V. Pirapaharan in his annual Maveerar Day speech and reiterated his invitation to the Tigers for fresh talks, a statement from the SL President's office said. The statement said Mr. Rajapaske wanted to "review" the "operation" of the ceasefire.
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Clinton arrives in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 November 2005, 14:12 GMT]
The former President of the US and the UN special envoy on tsunami relief, Bill Clinton, arrived in Colombo at 2.30 pm today. He was received at the newly refurbished Bandaranaike International Airport by Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera and UN officials in Colombo.
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Eye of the storm?

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 November 2005, 08:31 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse’s first address to his Parliament had been keenly, albeit warily, anticipated by those concerned about the peace process. Elected on a hardline nationalist platform (and having easily drawn the majority of Sinhala votes), Rajapakse’s speech curiously received the press coverage of a pro-peace candidate: that he wanted to hold "direct" talks with the Liberation Tigers. But peace advocates paying close attention to his policy statement would have been thoroughly alarmed.
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Sovereignty fears

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 November 2005, 01:33 GMT]
The definition "supreme authority within a territory," captures the essential notion of sovereignty used to describe political authority of modern nation states. The origins of Sri Lanka’s long festering conflict lie in its unitary constitution which vests the exercise of sovereignty solely in the hands of Sinhala Buddhists. But Colombo wields no sovereign authority over nearly seventy percent of the island’s NorthEast. Radical Sinhala groups view the denial of their state’s sovereignty in areas controlled by the Liberation Tigers with extreme chagrin. Over the years, other events too have challenged Sri Lanka’s sovereignty.
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Rajapakse rejects Tamil Homeland, Right to Self determination

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 November 2005, 11:44 GMT]
Rejecting the Tamil demand of right to self determination and the concept of traditional Tamil homeland, Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse in his first address to the Parliament in Colombo Friday avoided reference to Norwegian facilitation and reiterated his hardline stand outlined in the "Mahinda Thinking" election manifesto prepared following his agreement with extreme Sinhala nationalist JVP and JHU. Nullifying the P-TOMS agreement, he said he would replace it with "Jaya Lanka" (Victory to Lanka) tsunami reconstruction programme. His "new peace process" would aim to have direct talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), he said.
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Tigers two pronged strategy- Taraki, 1989

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 November 2005, 01:02 GMT]
On the 3 December 1989 issue of Sri Lanka's English daily, Island International, late Dharmeratnam Sivaram, popular journalist and Senior editor at TamilNet, writes on LTTE's ascendency after the collapse of the Indo-Lanka accord. Beginning of withdrawal of Indian troops, JVP insurrection in the South that made Sri Lanka a killing field, and the start of Premadasa-LTTE talks provide the political context to the article.
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Rajapakse to deliver vital policy speech Friday

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 November 2005, 17:03 GMT]
Newly elected Sri Lankan President Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse is set to deliver his first speech at the Lankan Parliament Friday where he is also expected to express his stand on the ethnic crisis, the Norwegian facilitation, economic policy and his foreign policy. A motion on re-imposing Emergency Regulations is also expected to be tabled in the Parliament Friday.
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Don't seek Norwegian assistance, JVP tells Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 November 2005, 16:22 GMT]
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the Sinhala extreme nationalist party, Thursday said it would firmly oppose Sri Lankan President Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse seeking assistance from the Norwegian Government to facilitate in the peace process between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL). Mr. Somawanse Amarasinghe, the leader of the JVP reiterated his party's position at a press briefing held at the National Library auditorium in Colombo.
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IOM, AAR to help Galle tsunami survivors

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 November 2005, 11:15 GMT]
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Association for Aid and Relief (AAR) of Japan to build infrastructure and provide psychosocial support to a tsunami-affected community in Galle district. The funding for the project is being provided by the Government of Japan and Lanka Market Research Bureau, a press release from IOM said Thursday.
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