LTTE delegation meets John Hume

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 October 2004, 14:46 GMT]
“Learning to live with diversity and respect for each other is the cornerstone of a meaningful democracy," said Social Democratic and Labor Party (SDLP) Leader, former Member of EU Parliament and Nobel Laureate, Mr. John Hume, in a meeting with the LTTE delegation led by its Head of Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan, Friday, said LTTE sources in Ireland.


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Ranil warns against altering Sri Lanka's constitution

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 October 2004, 16:30 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s opposition leader Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe said Friday that any attempt by President Chandrika Kumaratunga to alter the country’s constitution might encourage the Liberation Tigers to exercise the mandate obtained by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) at the last general elections to summon their own constituent assembly in the northeast. Addressing a seminar by the International Democratic Union-Asia Pacific Democratic Union at the Taj Samudra Hotel in downtown Colombo, he said: “it can really throw a spanner in the peace process."
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Trinco hospital gets eye surgeon after 20 years

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 October 2004, 13:33 GMT]
Sri Lanka Health Ministry, after nearly twenty years, has appointed a permanent eye surgeon to the Trincomalee general hospital, hospital sources said. Eye patients in the Trincomalee district have had to travel to Kandy, Kurunagala and Colombo for eye treatment, until this appointment, residents said.
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TNA delegation meets Akashi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 October 2004, 09:25 GMT]
The release of 4.5 billion dollars aid pledged at the Tokyo conference to Sri Lanka should not take place until the stalled peace talk with the Liberation Tigers resumes on the basis of Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) proposals, delegation of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians told Japanese special peace envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi during a discussion in Colombo Thursday, TNA sources said.
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Mirusuvil massacre case inquiry to resume

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 October 2004, 02:09 GMT]
The stalled inquiry into the Mirusuvil massacre case is to resume before the Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar (TAB) on the instruction of the Supreme Court that TAB could continue its proceedings although the confession made by one of the accused soldier Mr.R.M.S.Ratnayake was declared inadmissible, legal sources said.
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LTTE delegation to meet Irish Foreign Ministry Officials

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 October 2004, 13:41 GMT]
Three members of LTTE Political Section, led by Head of Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan arrived in Dublin, Ireland Thursday for talks with Officials from the Foreign Ministry of Irish Government, LTTE sources from Dublin told TamilNet.
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Akashi to meet JVP leaders

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 October 2004, 10:37 GMT]
Mr.Yasushi Akashi, Japanese special peace envoy who is scheduled to arrive in Colombo evening has agreed to meet the political leadership of the Sinhala nationalist-Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), major constituent of the United Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, during his seven day stay in Sri Lanka, State run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) reported in its news bulletin Wednesday.
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Estate salary to increase by 12%

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 October 2004, 18:57 GMT]
The basic daily salary for estate workers is to increase by Rs.14 to Rs.135, according to a joint agreement reached between Plantation Owners Association (POA) and Upcountry Trade Unions in Colombo Tuesday, sources said.
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UNP against extension of Presidential term- Prof.Peiris

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 October 2004, 14:41 GMT]
UNP would take every possible step to stop Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumarathunge's move to extend her Presidency through a referendum by extra-constitutional means for another term, said UNP's media spokesman and former Constitutional Affairs Minister Professor G.L. Peiris addressing a press briefing in Colombo Tuesday.
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One killed, two injured in Colombo attack

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 October 2004, 17:28 GMT]
A youth was shot dead and two were injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a group of Tamils suspected to be members of the paramilitary led by renegade Liberation Tigers commander 'Karuna' (Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan) in a predominantly Tamil suburb in Colombo Monday night around 8.30.
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Controversial NACPR to meet in November

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 October 2004, 13:36 GMT]
National Advisory Committee for Peace and Reconciliation (NACPR), a group formed by Sri Lanka's President and touted as a mechanism to introduce inclusivity in the peace process, is to meet on 1st November, a press release from the Sri Lanka President's office said. Opposition United National Front (UNF) opposed it calling NACPR a tactic to delay the peace process, and TNA earlier rejected an invitation to join the NACPR.
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Akashi to visit Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 October 2004, 11:29 GMT]
Yasushi Akashi, Government of Japan's special peace envoy to Sri Lanka is to visit Sri Lanka Wednesday to meet with the leaders of Sri Lanka's main political parties and with the leaders of Liberation Tigers, said a press release from Embassy of Japan issued in Colombo Monday.
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SL Minister visits US to discuss bilateral trade

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 October 2004, 14:34 GMT]
Mr Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, Minister of Trade, Commerce and Consumer Affairs in the Government of Sri Lanka is leading a delegation to attend a trade meeting in Washington D.C to be held on the 26 October, said a press release issued by Trade ministry of Colombo Saturday.
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Civil leaders want polling stations in LTTE held areas

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 October 2004, 15:52 GMT]
Parliamentarians and representatives of civil groups Saturday at a discussion held at the YMCA Hall in Jaffna, on the proposed electoral reforms, requested that polling stations be located in the Liberation Tigers held areas in the northeast province in any future parliamentary and other elections, civil sources said. The discussion was organized by PAFFREL, an election-monitoring organizationwhich has its headquarters in Colombo.
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LTTE delegation meets German Foreign Ministry Officials

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 October 2004, 03:45 GMT]
Liberation Tigers delegation led by Head of Political Wing, S. P. Thamilchelvan met with State Secretary, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Mr. Erich Stather, and Minister of State, Federal Foreign Office Ms. Kerstin Muller in meetings Thursday and Friday in Berlin, LTTE sources in Germany said. The delegation flew from Stockholm, Sweden, in a special airacraft that took them to German capital Berlin, Thursday morning.
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SLA gets new spokesman

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 October 2004, 17:55 GMT]
Brigadier R.M Daya Ratnayake Friday assumed duties as the new spokesman and Director, Directorate of Media of the Sri Lanka army at a brief ceremony held at the SLA Headquarters in Colombo. Former Army spokesman Colonel A.K Sumedha Perera was removed from the post after his name was implicated in a land fraud case. The case is pending in Colombo High Court.
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Sinhala Buddhists want Norway out

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 October 2004, 01:45 GMT]
Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), the powerful Sinhala Buddhist nationalist party in Sri Lanka's Parliament, Thursday launched an islandwide campaign to get ten million signatures to persuade President Chandrika Kumaratunga to reject peace talks with the Liberation Tigers. The Sinhala nationalist campaign also exhorts Colombo to unequivocally reject the LTTE's proposal for an Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) for the northeast.
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Pressing UPFA to start talks, our priority- UNP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 October 2004, 10:51 GMT]
"We are not pressuring the Sri Lanka Government or its President that the ISGA must be granted to the North-East, nor do we impose our stand. Our party's stance is that the ISGA proposals should be used as the basis to start talks and that it is vital that talks start soon", stated Ranil Wickramasinghe at meeting of the UNP Parliamentary group last Tuesday held at the Parliamentary complex, political sources in Colombo said.
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US Presidential candidate in Colombo, slams Iraq war

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 October 2004, 12:52 GMT]
''The US is the most disruptive force on the planet. The US invasion and occupation of Iraq is a war crime carried out in direct violation of the Geneva Conventions. American media did not bother to independently investigate claims made by the Bush administration for invading Iraq. Instead, they behaved like ministry of propaganda. This is because US media is controlled by big corporations like General Electric, one of the biggest arms producers in America'', said Mr. Bill Van Auken, a US presidential candidate, addressing a press conference in Colombo Wednesday.
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Ex-military intelligence officer shot dead in Colombo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 October 2004, 05:06 GMT]
An ex-military intellgence officer of the Sri Lanka army was shot dead in Colombo by unidentified gunmen Tuesday night, Police said. The ex-intelligence officer, Mr.Mohammed Suresh Casim, was found dead in his car in Dehiwela, a southern suburb of Colombo.
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