JVP wants police promotions probed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 July 2004, 16:00 GMT]
The Sinhala Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government Tuesday requested Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge to order a full scale probe into the alleged irregularities in the recent promotion of police officers made by the National Police Commission (NPC), sources said.
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Petersen says ‘too early’ to predict talks

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 July 2004, 12:09 GMT]
It is "too early" to say when the peace talks between the Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers would start again, Norway's Foreign Minister, Jan Petersen, said last week in an interview to The Hindu newspaper. Mr. Petersen expressed confidence that the two year old cease-fire would continue to hold but said “it would probably be unrealistic to think that we will not have any more incidents.”


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"Stop constructing Buddhist shrines in Tamil villages"-TNA MP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 July 2004, 17:06 GMT]
"The construction of Buddhist Vihares on lands in traditional Tamil villages in the Trincomalee district would cause serious impact on the current peace process and would disturb the mutual understanding and co-existence that prevails among various communities in the district," said Trincomalee District Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Mr.K.Thurairetnasingham in a letter to the Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge.
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Talks prospect dim, sustaining CFA uncertain - Elilan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 July 2004, 15:54 GMT]
Mr.C. Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said Saturday that recent talks between Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Norwegian facilitator Mr. Erik Solheim gave no indication that the stalled peace process would resume in the near future. "Instead sustaining the current envioronment of peace is becoming uncertain," said Mr.Elilan addressing the 'Sangamam' event organized by the Thamileelam Resurgence Forum in Nilaveli, about 8 km off north of eastern port town Saturday.
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Trinco readies to celebrate Black Tigers Day

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 July 2004, 02:24 GMT]
Arrangements are being made to celebrate Black Tigers Day in the Trincomalee district on July 05. Main event will be held on Monday morning at Chenaiyoor Central College in Liberation Tigers controlled Muttur east and in the evening at Sivan Kovil grounds in Trincomalee town, organizers said.
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Kumaratunga ally rejects LTTE proposal for restarting talks

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 July 2004, 13:35 GMT]
A senior leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, the main coalition partner of President Chandrika Kumaratunga's minority government Saturday declared that his party would not allow Colombo to restart Sri Lanka's long stalled peace talks on the basis of interim proposals submitted by the Liberation Tigers.
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CTTU charges Director of Pension chauvinistic

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 July 2004, 16:17 GMT]
Twenty thousand member strong Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU) complained to Sri Lanka’s President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge that the Director of Pensions has been showing racial discrimination towards Tamil teachers in attending their pension related problems, sources said.
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Kumaratunga says talks should restart without delay

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 July 2004, 12:29 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President Chandrika Kumaratunga Thursday told Norwegian facilitators of the the island’s peace process that peace talks between her government and the Liberation Tigers should be resumed without further delay. She denied accusations by the Liberation Tigers that the SLA was engaged in activities in support of renegade commander Karuna in the eastern province.
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The cease-fire’s weakest link: Tamil paramilitaries

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 June 2004, 17:50 GMT]
When Norwegian Special Envoy Erik Solheim flew into Sri Lanka this week, he was well aware that the problems that have bedeviled his government’s peace process thus far have now been eclipsed by new and far more severe one: a weak link in the formal ceasefire between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers has finally snapped.
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Solheim to meet President Kumaratunge

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 June 2004, 05:32 GMT]
Norwegian special envoy Mr.Erik Solheim is scheduled to meet Sri Lanka President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge on his return from Killinochchi Wednesday evening after holding discussions with the LTTE political leadership in the morning, Presidential secretariat sources said.
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UPFA renews attempt to woo CWC support

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 June 2004, 05:30 GMT]
Leaders of the minority United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government Tuesday held talks with Mr.Arumugam Thondaman, leader of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) in a fresh bid to secure majority in parliament when it is scheduled to meet on July 20, political sources said.
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Special envoy Solheim to meet Thamilchelvan Wednesday

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 June 2004, 15:07 GMT]
Norwegian special envoy Mr. Erik Solheim is to visit Killinochchi Wednesday to hold discussions with Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan, political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in a bid to break the deadlock in resuming the stalled peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE, embassy statement said.
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SLA role in renegade affair said scuttling peace effort

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 June 2004, 18:24 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers will take up the question of the Sri Lanka army backing renegade commander ‘Karuna’ with the Norwegian facilitators when they meet them next, LTTE sources in Kilinochchi said Saturday. “The Sri Lankan government should come clean on this matter if it wants to preserve the bona fide on which the peace talks are based," they said.
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Maj. Gen. Kottegoda SLA's new commander

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 June 2004, 18:17 GMT]
Major General Shantha Kottegoda will be appointed as the Sri Lanka army’s 17th commander from 1 July 2004. President Chandrika Kumaratunga, the commander in chief of the Sri Lankan armed forces, has approved his appointment despite speculation that she might extend the present SLA commander’s term for six months. Maj. Gen. Kottegoda, like his predecessor, is a senior intelligence officer. He was appointed to a special post as Overall Operations Commander (OOC) for the east after the LTTE crushed a renegade’s short-lived rebellion in the region.
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Major fire at Sri Lanka govt. press

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 June 2004, 13:27 GMT]
A major fire broke out at the Sri Lanka Government Printers in Colombo Saturday evening. Fire fighters were struggling to put out the fire and bring the situation under control, Police said. "We are not sure whether it is sabotage or an accident," a Police source in Colombo said.
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SLMC reiterates conditional support to UPFA government

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 June 2004, 17:05 GMT]
Mr.Rauff Hakim, Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) told media persons in Kandy Monday that his party is prepared to consider supporting the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government if it decided to abandon its attempt to revert the parliament into a constituent assembly and accommodate a separate Muslim delegation in the future peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
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Southern intellectuals, artists participate in book release

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 June 2004, 12:54 GMT]
"A letter from Vanni (Vanniye sita liyuma)" and "Voice from the heart of the Silent (Handak Nathiyunge Hathawatha Sakshiye Handa)," two books describing the political and social liberation feelings of the tamil community were launched ceremonially today in Vavuniya with T.Gnanavel, Vavuniya district political head of the LTTE presiding the function at Muthiah Hall, sources in the Northern town said.
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"LTTE losing confidence in peace process"- UNF

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 June 2004, 02:35 GMT]
"The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) appears to be losing confidence on the peace process because of the contradictory stands taken by President Chandrika Kumaratunge," said the media spokesman of the main opposition, Professor G.L.Peiris, at a press briefing held Friday in Colombo, according to media sources.
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No ISGA outside parliamentary procedure - UPFA govt.

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 June 2004, 16:08 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Media Minister and United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government's new cabinet spokesman Mr. Mangala Samaraweera, Friday rejected reports in a section of the media that the President was exploring the possibility of establishing Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) in the northeast province outside parliamentary procedure as baseless. '' There is absolutely no truth in such reports,'' Mr. Mangala Samaraweera said at the cabinet press briefing.
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Protest rally in Jaffna draws large crowd

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 June 2004, 11:57 GMT]
Around sixty thousand people participated in the protest march and rally held in Jaffna town Thursday putting forward five demands including the restoration of normal life and the establishment of the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) put forward by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the northeast province. Jaffna District Peoples' Forum organized this demonstration and rally.
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