India, Sri Lanka defense officials meet

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 October 2004, 17:36 GMT]
A delegation from the Government of India met with Sri Lank's Ministry of Defense officials and discussed matters related to bilateral defense cooperation, said a press release issued by Sri Lanka Defense Ministry in Colombo Tuesday.
Full story >>

Journalist Nimalarajan remembered in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 October 2004, 13:46 GMT]
Journalists of Jaffna regional newspapers and Colombo based print and electronic media Tuesday around noon gathered in the Jaffna bus stand and held demonstration demanding the government not to hush up the inquiry into the murder of journalist Mr.Mylwaganam Nimalarajan who was shot dead allegedly by members of a Tamil para-military group four years ago on October 19, 2000. The Jaffna Nimalarajan Foundation (NMJ) organized this event in connection with the fourth death anniversary of late Nimalarajan, which fell on Tuesday, media sources said.
Full story >>

UNP activists demonstrate in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 October 2004, 09:21 GMT]
United National Party (UNP) parliamentarians including hundreds of party cadres and activists joined in what is dubbed as “Kitchen Revolution," Tuesday in Kollupitiya junction, Slave Island junction, Hyde Park Corner, Maradana overhead bridge junction, Technical College junction and Kochchikade St Anthony’s Church junction, sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>

Col. Soosai travels abroad for medical treatment

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 October 2004, 09:17 GMT]
Sea Tigers Special Commander Colonel Soosai traveled abroad for emergency medical treatment. Assistance of the Government of Sri Lanka was sought by the Royal Norwegian Embassy to facilitate his departure from Sri Lanka Tuesday, according to a Press Release issued by the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP).
Full story >>

Journalist Nimalarajan to be remembered

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 October 2004, 16:27 GMT]
Jaffna Nimalarajan Foundation (JNF) is to hold a one- hour demonstration in Jaffna bus stand Tuesday in connection with the fourth death anniversary of Jaffna journalist Mylvaganam Nimalarajan who was shot dead on October 19th, 2000 in his house allegedly by members of a Tamil para military group which had close connection with the Sri Lanka government then in power. The demonstration is to commence from noon, media sources said.
Full story >>

No split in LTTE command - Balasingham

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 October 2004, 11:22 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers’ Political Strategist and Chief Negotiator, Mr. Anton Balasingham, Friday dismissed Colombo-based press reports of a split in the senior leadership of the Liberation Tigers as "malicious speculation." Mr. Balasingham told TamilNet that Indian and Sri Lankan press reports that Sea Tiger Special Commander, Col. Soosai, had split from the LTTE were "baseless rumours intended to alarm and demoralise the Tamil people."
Full story >>

"SL Govt ready with alternate peace proposals"- Samaraweera

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 October 2004, 00:20 GMT]
The United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government Thursday announced that it is ready with its alternative proposals to the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). "However, we do not know whether the LTTE would accept the government alternate proposals," said Media Minister Mr.Mangala Samaraweera at a press briefing held Thursday in Colombo, sources said.
Full story >>

Peace trapped in political chess game- paper

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 October 2004, 10:50 GMT]
"Leader of Opposition, Ranil Wickremasinghe, has told the Indian leaders that that United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA). should start talks with the LTTE. In earlier times, it was left to the Tamil leaders to undertake missions to bring pressure to bear on the Sri Lanka Governments. Tables have now turned, giving way to the scenario of one main southern Sri Lanka political camp persuading NewDelhi to pressure the other southern camp to start peace negotiations immediately," said Thinakkural, a popular Tamil daily in its editorial Thursday.
Full story >>

Explosives recovered from fishermen sent to Govt Analyst

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 October 2004, 13:43 GMT]
Mallakam Magistrate Ms Sarojini Ilankovan Wednesday allowed an application made by the Kankesanthurai Police to send samples of explosives recovered from 10 Indian fishermen by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) to Sri Lanka Government Analysts and ordered further remand for 10 Indians till October 22, legal sources said.
Full story >>

SLA provides security to fuel, flour transport from Trinco

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 October 2004, 10:40 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Wednesday commenced providing security to lorries transporting fuel from Ceylon Petroleum Corporation refinery and flour from Prima Flour Mill, both are located in Chinabay, about nine km off Trincomalee town to other provinces. This follows the threat by North East Sinhala Association (NESA) that it would set up road blockades from Wednesday, demanding the release to Sinhala home guards arrested by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and remanded on the orders of Thamileelam court, sources said.
Full story >>

Trinco in high alert following fuel blockade threat

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 October 2004, 00:31 GMT]
Trincomalee town has been put on security alert from Tuesday evening following the announcement by the North East Sinhala Association (NESA) to launch 24 hour-road blockades from Trincomalee to other parts of the country transporting fuel and flour until the two Sinhala home guards arrested and remanded by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are released, security sources said. NESA is a front of the Sinhala nationalist Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a major constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA).
Full story >>

LTTE delegation meets Dutch Foreign Affairs Ministry Official

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 October 2004, 15:51 GMT]
Liberation Tigers’ delegation led by Head of Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan met with Mr. Robert Milders, Director Asia and Oceania Department of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Dutch Ministry building Tuesday, LTTE sources said. The Dutch official stressed the urgent need for resumption of talks between the Sri Lanka Government and the LTTE so that the humanitarian needs of the people can be addressed without delay.
Full story >>

Identification parade ordered in Jaffna HR official assault incident

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 October 2004, 13:36 GMT]
The Jaffna Magistrate Mr.R.T.Viknarajah Tuesday ordered for an identification parade on Wednesday in connection with the alleged assault on Mr.Ruwan Chandrasekara and his associate Mr.S.Feroz of the Jaffna regional office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) by a group of Jaffna policemen, legal sources said.
Full story >>

'Lack of confidence can endanger cease fire' - Swiss FM

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 October 2004, 10:57 GMT]
"There is lack of confidence which could be an obstacle to return to peace talks. This lack of confidence could endanger the cease fire in Sri Lanka. The Liberation Tigers are ready to reconsider the basis for restarting talks. They told our officials their Interim Self Governing Authority proposal is not non-negotiable. This is the special message I conveyed to the Sri Lankan government", said Ms. Micheline Calmy-Rey, Switzerland's Foreign Minister, speaking to the press in Colombo Tuesday.
Full story >>

Britain can assist in creating consensus- British MP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 October 2004, 10:29 GMT]
"The ceasefire agreement should be maintained, and it is essential to establish peace. Britain will extend its support," said Graham Allen, leader of the 4-member British Commonwealth Parliamentary delegation that came on an official visit to Sri Lanka last Sunday, political sources in Colombo said. The delegation met with Speaker Loku Bandara at the Parliamentary complex Monday morning. Later the delegation met with Britain-Sri Lanka Friendship Association in the Committee Room, presided over by the President of the association, Mr.Ratnayake, MP.
Full story >>

Drugs causing Mannar woes, Hakeem told

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 October 2004, 18:36 GMT]
President of the Mannar Mohideen Jummah Mosque, Mr. M. A Cader, Monday accused Police of having a hand in exacerbating friction between religious communities in the region. He was addressing a meeting at the Mannar District Secretariat between Mr. Rauf Hakeem, leader of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and the Government Agent, officials, Mr. Selvam Adaikalanathan, Tamil National Alliance MP and local community leaders. Mr. Hakeem visited Mannar Monday to find out and discuss problems faced by Muslims in the district.
Full story >>

Education Ministry invites CTTU for talks to avert strike

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 October 2004, 14:31 GMT]
Ms Tara de Mel, Secretary to the Ministry Education in the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government has invited the Ceylon Tamil Teachers’ Union (CTTU) for talks on 13 October at her office in Colombo to resolve problems confronting the Tamil medium education and Tamil medium teachers and students in the northeast and in other provinces. President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge is also holding the portfolio of Minister of Education. Her deputy Minister for Education is Mr.Mangala Samaraweera who is also the Minister for Media.
Full story >>

Tigers kill two Karuna associates, wound six

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 October 2004, 08:09 GMT]
Two associates of renegade Liberation Tigers' commander, 'Karuna', were killed and six wounded when an LTTE special forces group attacked the house in which they were staying in a village near the Batticaloa-Polannaruwa district border in the early hours of Monday morning around 2 a.m. Police said. LTTE troopers left behind the 'Karuna Group' cadres who were killed and wounded in the pre-dawn attack in Nagastenne, an interior Sinhala village about 68 kilometres northwest of Batticaloa.
Full story >>

Peace talk delays, diversionary tactic of SL Govt.- Wickremesinghe

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 October 2004, 00:33 GMT]
Charging that Sri Lanka Government's deliberate delaying of peace talks as a diversionary tactic, Leader of Sri Lanka Opposition and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, addressing a group of political and business leaders on the eve of an official trip to India Friday, warned that if the Sri Lanka Government does not genuinely make efforts to advance the peace process it will lose a valuable opportunity for resolving the ethnic conflict. He said further that unless negotiations are undertaken immediately the economy will be adversely affected.
Full story >>

TNA, People's Peace Front to hold joint seminars

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 October 2004, 00:19 GMT]
The Tamil Natinal Alliance (TNA) and the People's Peace Front (PPF) have reached an agreement to conduct common seminars in Sinhala areas in the South to explain the legitimacy of the demands of the Tamil people and the need to take forward the peace negotiations, political sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>