Jaffna residents to protest against visits by ministers, diplomats

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 January 2003, 01:18 GMT]
The Vadamarachchi Peoples Forum (VPF) Thursday said in a statement that it would show its opposition to the visit of ministers, opposition leaders and foreign diplomats to Vadamarachchi as the authorities have failed to provide basic facilities and haven't addressed problems confronting the resettled the people in the area although one year has passed after the signing of a ceasefire agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), sources said.
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GOSL, LTTE hold high-level conference in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 January 2003, 16:35 GMT]
A high level conference between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the LTTE, observed by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, was held from 10:15 am to 3:30 pm Thursday at the Vavunatheevu divisional secretariat, located in no-man’s land in the Batticaloa district, sources said.
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ICRC to focus on missing persons this year

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 January 2003, 05:31 GMT]
As there is a currently a ceasefire in the North-East, the ICRC has stopped many of its war-time humanitarian services, but it will fully involve itself in the search for missing persons this year, according to the resident representative of the ICRC in Batticaloa, Mr. Daniel Scheiwiller.
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ADB provides agricultural machinery to NE agencies

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 January 2003, 02:02 GMT]
The North East Community Restoration and Development (NECORD) project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Wednesday distributed agricultural machinery, implements and lorries worth around 117 million rupees among the implementing agencies in the districts of Mannar, Vavuniya, Killinochchi and Batticaloa, sources said.
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GOSL, LTTE and WB to meet again in Colombo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 January 2003, 23:38 GMT]
The delegations of the Government of Sri Lanka, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and World Bank are scheduled to meet Thursday (30.1.2003) in Colombo to hold discussions related to the funds pledged at the donor conference in Oslo, Norway last year. Minister and Cabinet spokesman Professor G.L.Peiris informed this at a press briefing held Wednesday.
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De-mining in Jaffna said big business, as mines claim more

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 January 2003, 22:04 GMT]
A woodcutter, Sinnathambi Sinnathurai, 50, was seriously injured Tuesday while chopping fire wood with a relative in Mayilankoodal, Erlalai South, Jaffna, when his axe struck a landmine. He was admitted to the Jaffna hospital. Landmines continue to claim lives and limbs of civilians in Jaffna despite much publicised de-mining programs by international NGOs in the war torn northern peninsula.
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No evidence that ragging took place - LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 January 2003, 17:13 GMT]
In a statement released to the public today, the LTTE political division in Jaffna said that they found no evidence of the ragging incident mentioned in a letter published in the Uthayan on January 16. The statement added that the publication of the letter has given rise to serious differences between the newspaper and the student community, and cautioned that everyone should be alert to identify elements that attempt to create disharmony among our people, sources in Jaffna said.
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Victims of Mahiladi village massacre remembered

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 January 2003, 15:50 GMT]
A memorial commemorating the 86 Tamil people killed in a massacre by the Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) on January 28, 1987, in Mahiladitheevu, 25 km southwest of Batticaloa town in the Kokkadicholai area, was declared open yesterday in a ceremony organized by the Mahiladi village development council, sources in Batticaloa said.
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'LTTE, IRA have political goals' - British Minister

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 January 2003, 15:39 GMT]
British Foreign Office Minister Mike O'Brien said Wednesday that the global war against terrorism may be long drawn out because the Al Qaeda has an agenda with which there cannot be negotiations, unlike the LTTE and the IRA who have political goals. He was speaking on 'New Threats to International Security' at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo Wednesday.
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"Sri Lankan peace process holds lessons for the world" - British Minister

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 January 2003, 12:50 GMT]
The Sri Lanka peace process holds a lesson for the world, that long-lasting conflicts can be resolved if both sides have the courage to put bitterness and mistrust behind them, and find the flexibility and generosity of spirit to reach a compromise which can satisfy all sides, writes British Foreign Office Minister Mike O'Brien who arrived in Colombo today for a two-day visit.
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ICRC ready to support 24-hour A9 opening

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 January 2003, 12:34 GMT]
If requested by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) is willing to support the opening of the A9 highway for 24 hours a day, Danique Lugi, ICRC Director of Communications, said today.
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SLA collects details of resettled families in Thenmaradchchi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 January 2003, 18:01 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Monday called for details of displaced persons returned from LTTE controlled Vanni region and have resettled in their own villages in Thenmaradchchi area in the Jaffna district after the opening of A 9 highway since the ceasefire came into force, civil sources said.


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SLMM chief holds talks with LTTE political head

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 January 2003, 18:00 GMT]
The Norwegian head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission Major General (retd) Trond Furuhovde Monday held discussions with the political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Mr.S.P.Thamilselvan, and said that the LTTE has fully co-operated with the mission in its tasks.
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LTTE rejects Indian General's terms on HSZs

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 January 2003, 08:33 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) will not accept recommendations from international military experts that link the "critical humanitarian issue" of resettling internally displaced persons and refugees in Jaffna to disarming of its cadres and de-commissioning of its weapons, the movement's chief negotiator and political strategist, Mr Anton Balasingham, told the Tamil Guardian newspaper Monday. The Tigers "will fiercely oppose and reject any proposal that makes resettlement of refugees conditional upon de-commissioning of LTTE weapons," he said further.


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LTTE hands over underage youths to parents through UNICEF

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 January 2003, 17:32 GMT]
The UNICEF Monday played a facilitator role accepting three underage youths from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and handing them back to their parents. Three boys who came on their own to join Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were handed over to the UNICEF in Trincomalee by the LTTE Monday evening, sources said
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Indian trawlers damage Jaffna fishermen's gear

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 January 2003, 17:28 GMT]
Incidents of Indian fishing trawlers entering Sri Lankan water in northern sea and damaging fishing gear belongs to Jaffna fishermen are once again on the increase, said Jaffna Fisheries Co-operative Sources said Monday.
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SLN assaults Tamil fishermen in Vadamarachchi Sea

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 January 2003, 17:26 GMT]
Four Tamil fishermen identified as Venkatasalam Arumaichelvan, Gunam Chandrakumar, Joseph Premadas and Sinnathurai Rajendran were severely assaulted by the Sri Lanka navy (SLN) personnel in Vadamarachchi Sea Monday. They were later admitted to Valvettithurai hospital in Jaffna district, human rights sources said.
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'Peace process will continue uninterrupted'- Minister

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 January 2003, 19:14 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Interior Minister Mr.John Amaratunge, while addressing a seminar held in Trincomalee Town Hall Sunday morning, said that it is very difficult to find solutions to all contradictions created during the twenty year old war within a year. The seminar was held to mobilize the support of the people for the peace process now being taken forward by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), sources said.
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'Decommissioning of arms after finding political solution'- PM

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 January 2003, 17:09 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe said this is not opportune time, before finding a lasting political solution, to demand decommissing of arms from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), when addressing the annual convention of the pro-government Sri Lanka Estate Workers Union at Sri Kotha, United National Party headquarters, in Colombo Saturday.
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ICRC assumes new role in peaceful Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 January 2003, 01:21 GMT]
Although the country has entered a transitional period towards normality as a result of the peace process, the ICRC will remain in Sri Lanka to implement long term projects in helping to solve 'missing cases' and dissemination of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), said the Head of the ICRC, Trincomalee sub delegation, Ms Lina Milner at the first press conference of the ICRC in 2003 in Trincomalee Friday.


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