Solheim in Sri Lanka, 3rd anniversary of CFA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 February 2005, 06:25 GMT]
Norwegian Special Peace Envoy Mr. Erik Solheim and Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Mr. Hans Brattskar arrived in Kilinochchi Tuesday morning to meet with the LTTE's Head of Political Division, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan. The LTTE and the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) signed the Oslo-facilitated Cease-Fire Agreement (CFA) 3 years ago, on 22 Feb. 2002.
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TNA meets with German Minister

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 February 2005, 17:34 GMT]
A delegation of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) compring TNA Parliamentary Group Leader, Mr. R.Sampathan, and parliamentarians Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, Mr. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, and Mrs. Padmini Sithambaranathan, met with German Economic Cooperation and Development Minister Ms. Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul at the German Embassy in Colombo, Monday, political sources in Colombo said.
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Mannar Court orders release of Indian trawlers

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 February 2005, 15:06 GMT]
Mannar Magistrate Mr.N.M.M.Abdullah Monday ordered the release of seven Indian trawlers seized by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) last year when poaching in the territorial waters of Sri Lanka on an application made by the South Indian Fisheries Federation (SIFF). Talaimannar Police did not object to the application, legal sources said.
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Clinton expresses hope on joint mechanism for Tsunami reconstruction

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 February 2005, 10:37 GMT]
Expressing hope on a joint mechanism for reconstruction of Sri Lanka's tsunami-shattered coastal areas, US ex-president Bill Clinton Monday said that he was informed Sunday night that the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) and the Sri Lanka Government were working together to create such a mechanism for tsunami relief. "My experience is, whether it is Middle East or Northern Ireland, whenever people work together on specific issues, it helps to resolve the differences," media sources said Clinton as saying. The ex-US presidents met with Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga Sunday night.
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Former US Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W.Bush arrive in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 February 2005, 10:35 GMT]
Former US Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W.Bush arrived in Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake, Sunday evening at 4.12 PM as part of their tour of tsunami-hit countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia. Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar, Media Minister Mr. Mangala Samaraweera, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Vishva Warnapala and Interior Ministry Secretary Mr.Tilak Ranaviraja were present at the Airport to receive the two former US presidents. US President George W Bush appointed the ex-presidents to lead private fundraising efforts in the wake of the tsunami.
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US Seventh Fleet flagship Blue Ridge on a visit to Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 February 2005, 08:06 GMT]
Barely a few hours before the grand and maiden arrival of the US former Presidents, Bill Clinton and H.W. Bush to Sri Lanka, the flagship of the US Seventh Fleet, USS Blue Ridge, arrived in Colombo harbour this morning on what is described as "a brief goodwill visit". According to a press release from the US embassy, USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19), which was commissioned on November 14, 1970, at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard as the most sophisticated command and control platform in the Navy, has been forward deployed from Yokosuka, Japan as the flagship of Commander Seventh Fleet since October 1979.
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Sri Lanka blasts Annan’s statement

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 February 2005, 13:37 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar has officially registered his government’s strong objections with the United Nations over Secretary General Kofi Annan’s condemnation of the assassinations on February 7 of E. Kousalyan, head of LTTE's Political Wing in Batticaloa-Amparai district, and his team in a Sri Lanka government-controlled area of the Eastern province, political sources said Friday.
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NEHRP increases housing grant to conflict affected in NorthEast

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 February 2005, 03:00 GMT]
Under the North East Housing Reconstruction Program (NEHRP) funded by the World Bank 46,000 houses will be built for poor conflict-affected families in the NorthEast, said a press release issued by the Worldbank in Colombo Wednesday. Cash grant was increased to Rs.250,000 to "meet the needs equitably" between the conflict and tsunami affected people, the release referred to Peter Harrold, World Bank's Country Director for Sri Lanka, as saying.
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Bhikku Front protests against Annan's statement on Kousalyan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 February 2005, 19:21 GMT]
Hundreds of saffron-robed Buddhist Monks belonging to the National Bhikku Front (NBF) on Wednesday launched a protest rally opposite the United Nations office in Colombo to condemn the recent statement by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan over the slaying of Head of LTTE's Political Wing in Batticaloa-Amparai district, E.Kousalyan and his team in the Sri Lanka government-controlled areas in the Eastern province.
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US Ex-Presidents Clinton, Bush to visit Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 February 2005, 18:14 GMT]
Former Presidents of the United States, Bill Clinton (1993-2001) and George H.W.Bush(1989-1993) are expected to arrive in Sri Lanka during the weekend as part of their tour of South Asian nations hit by Tsunami, diplomatic sources in Colombo said.
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CEB workers strike against privatization

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 February 2005, 11:18 GMT]
Employees of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) held a one-day strike and a protest demonstration from 8 a.m. from 4.30 p.m Wednesday opposite the CEB Headquarters condemning moves by the Government of Sri Lanka to privatize the CEB, sources in Colombo said.
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Haukland to head SLMM till Gen. Furuhovde recovers

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 February 2005, 09:48 GMT]
Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jan Petersen, on Wednesday has appointed former Chief of Staff, of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Hagrup Haukland, as temporary Head of Mission. The appointment is coming to an immediate effect with Mr. Haukland assuming his new duties Wednesday.
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Paramilitaries, lack of aid agreement blocking talks - Balasingham

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 February 2005, 20:50 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers’ political strategist and chief negotiator, Mr. Anton Balasingham, told Norwegian facilitators Monday that the Sri Lankan government had to take steps to restore confidence in the peace process, in particular by disarming paramilitaries working alongside its armed forces and establish a joint mechanism with the LTTE for post-tsunami aid, sources said.
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Tigers meet Muslim leaders in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 February 2005, 14:24 GMT]
“First they divided us. Then they divided you. Sinhala leaders will always deny our rights. Tamil Muslim unity should be the foundation of your liberation struggle”, said Mr. I.M Ibrahim, secretary of the Mosque Federations of Amparai District, addressing senior Liberation Tiger leaders at a meeting between LTTE Muslim community leaders of Batticaloa and Amparai districts Monday in Kokkaddicholai, 15 kilometres southwest of Batticaloa town. “There are still problems, fears and doubts between us. We cannot gloss over them. We should grapple with them and build our unity at the grass roots level”, Mr. Thamilchelvan told the Muslims in his address.
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German agency delivers relief supplies to Muslim villages

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 February 2005, 13:03 GMT]
The Director of Asian German Sports Exchange Programme (AGSEP) Dr. Dietmar Doering Recently handed over 10 container loads of emergency medical relief supplies, which included school books, toys for mentally traumatized children, blankets, clothing and cooking utensils to be distributed to tsunami affected families in Ninthavur, Kalmunai, Maruthamunai, Katthankudi, Mutur and Kinniya areas in the eastern province, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) said Sunday.
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Workshop on conflict sensitive relief work held for INGOs

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 February 2005, 02:09 GMT]
One-day workshop for representatives of international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) currently engaged in post tsunami relief and rehabilitation programmes in the Trincomalee district on how to conduct relief work without disturbing the currently prevailing ground situation was held in Trincomalee Sunday under the auspices of Performance Improvement Project (PIP) of the German Technical Co-operation (GTZ) in the North East Provincial Council (NEPC) guest house which is located in Uppuveli, a suburb of the east port town.
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Pirapaharan honours slain TNA MP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 February 2005, 12:39 GMT]
Leader of the Liberation Tigers, Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan Saturday posthumously honoured Mr. Ariyanayagam Chandra Nehru as Maamanithar, the highest honour granted by the LTTE. The citation signed by the LTTE leader was given to Mr. Nehru's widow and son at a special ceremony in Pavattah, in the interior of Sri Lanka's southeast coast. Nehru's body, draped in the LTTE flag was taken from Thirukkovil to the LTTE conference centre in Pavattah, in the Kannjikudichcha Aaru region which is controlled by the Tigers.
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Sri Lanka imposes Duty on Tsunami relief supplies

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 February 2005, 02:30 GMT]
Government of Sri Lanka has imposed taxes at current commercial rates on donated relief supplies including water purification tablets arriving in Colombo addressed to Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) including Tamil Rehabilitiation Organization (TRO), civil sources in Colombo said. Only medicine and infant milk formula are exempt from taxes, according to TRO office in Colombo.
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Colombo should disarm all unauthorized armed groups- NPC

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 February 2005, 17:55 GMT]
The National Peace Council in a media release issued Friday in Colombo said that "there needs to be confidence building and positive action at this time is imperative in view of consistent accusations by the LTTE of alleged military connivance in the activities of the Karuna group. We call on the government to ensure that all unauthorised armed groups are disarmed as required by the Ceasefire Agreement."
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Violence endangering CFA stability, TNA tells Akashi

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 February 2005, 15:10 GMT]
"The violence unleashed against senior LTTE cadres and others on Monday the 7th in government controlled territory situated between two Army Camps, and in an area which has a strong armed forces presence, has raised grave questions in regard to the continued stability of the ceasefire," the Tamil National Alliance delegation led by its parliamentary group leader Mr Sampanthan told Mr Yasushi Akashi, the special envoy of the Japanese Government, when they met him Friday, a press release issued by the TNA in Colombo said.
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