Expect a new war – newspaper

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 September 2005, 02:06 GMT]
Political events in Sri Lanka are overtaking the international efforts to create a lasting peace and it is only a matter of time before the island’s ascending Sinhala nationalist forces trigger a new war, the Tamil Guardian newspaper argued in its editorial this week. “If Sri Lanka is so preoccupied by dubious questions of [LTTE gaining] legitimacy that it is prepared to allow the disintegration of the ceasefire, what hope is there for negotiations on a political solution?” the English language Diaspora publication asked.


Full story >>

Colombo lacks will, ability to address Tamil National question- TNA

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 September 2005, 01:42 GMT]
Tamil people will be forced to urge the International community to "explicitely endorse the Tamil people's struggle for self-determination," if the Sri Lankan State continues to be intransigent in resolving the Tamil National question, warned Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in a press release issued in Colombo Thursday.
Full story >>

"Emergency Laws: Death-knell to co-existence" – Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 September 2005, 17:23 GMT]
"The government must end the emergency rule, if it wishes peace to prevail in the country," insisted Mr. R. Sampanthan, leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group Wednesday, during the debate in parliament on extending the Emergency Regulations. Sri Lanka Parliament approved the extension of State emergency for another month. It won the approval of 118 members, while 24 voted against.
Full story >>

Co-Chairs reiterate commitment, demand action

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 September 2005, 05:39 GMT]
As Sinhala nationalist forces opposed to a negotiated federal solution, Norwegian facilitation and the western influence, were gaining momentum in the South and a shadow war was being waged in the NorthEast, the Co-Chairs of the Tokyo Donor Conference, who met in New York Monday reaffirmed their strong support to Norway as facilitator and a federal solution as a framework. The Co-Chairs called on the Liberation Tigers to end political assassinations, recruitment of under age youth and underlined the responsibility of the Sri Lankan government to "disarm or relocate" paramilitary groups from the NorthEast. They expressed fear that the Cease Fire is facing its "most serious challenge".
Full story >>

Trinco Civil society calls for general shut down Wednesday

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 September 2005, 05:03 GMT]
Tamil civil groups in Trincomalee have called for a general shut down ('Hartal') on Wednesday, 21 September, putting forward 8 demands, including the removal of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) sentries and mini-camps which are located in the vicinity of schools and places of worship in the eastern port town.
Full story >>

"An embodiment of antinomy," – Thamilchelvan on Kumaratunga's speeches in New York

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 September 2005, 14:39 GMT]
"The LTTE is still ready for immediate talks on the implementation of the CFA, outside the island," reiterated Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, Political Head of the LTTE, in an exclusive interview to the TamilNet on Friday. "We see a lot of contradictions in the speeches of Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga, made abroad and in the south. The fact is the Tamil people have lost faith in Kumaratunga's statements, speeches and promises. It is high time the international community takes this into consideration," said LTTE's political head.
Full story >>

Peace approach should transcend party politics- paper

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 September 2005, 16:59 GMT]
"The peace process requires an approach that transcends narrow and warped ambitions of party politics. The two Presidential candiates, Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa and Opposition leader Ranil Wickramesinghe, must refrain from making the peace process an issue at the forthcoming Presidential elections," said an editorial of Thinakkural, a popular Tamil daily in its Thursday edition.


Full story >>

Rajapakse, JHU exchange agreement

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 September 2005, 10:51 GMT]
Prime Minister Rajapakse of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and Ellawela Methantha Thera of Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) exchanged agreement for the forthcoming Presidential election at Dalada Maligawa, Kandy Tuesday morning at 1130am. The parties agreed in principle to terminate talks on the Post Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS) and to find a solution to the ethnic crisis on the basis of a unitary state.


Full story >>

Peace process faces difficult future - paper

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 September 2005, 10:13 GMT]
Reflecting growing anxieties amongst Sri Lanka’s Tamils in the wake of the Sinhala nationalist forces gathering behind Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse, the Tamil Guardian newspaper warned this week that the peace process “will face an ever more uncompromising Sinhala bloc.” The island’s political developments, moreover, reflect the polarised sentiments amongst the island’s communities, the English-language paper’s editorial column argued.
Full story >>

Election campaign should not jeopardize peace prospects- Schaffer

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 September 2005, 01:37 GMT]
Asserting that "a major political change is needed if all communities are to live together in Sri Lanka," Teresita Schaffer, former U.S Ambassador to Sri Lanka, said at a US Congressional briefing of the Sri Lanka Caucus on Thursday that she hoped "Sri Lanka won’t throw away chances for this in the election campaign." Congressmen Jerry Weller (R-Il.) and Danny Davis (D-Il) participated briefly at the briefing held at the Cannon House Building, Washington, DC.
Full story >>

Jaffna IDP families seek SLMM intervention for resettlement

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 September 2005, 16:55 GMT]
Displaced families in Jaffna district have begun submitting individual memoranda to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) seeking its intervention to resettle them in their lands and houses now being occupied by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), civil society sources said. The SLA has declared areas where these houses and agricultural lands of the IDPs are located high security zones. IDP families demand that the SLMM should take steps to vacate the army occupation according to the terms defined in the Ceasefire Agreement signed by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) about three years ago.
Full story >>

Norway to send Furuhovde as special representative to Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 September 2005, 09:35 GMT]
While the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are yet to agree on the venue acceptable for both parties for direct talks, the Norwegian Government is to send Major General (ret’d) Trond Furuhovde, former Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), as special representative of the Royal Norwegian Government. Furuhovde will consult with both parties on the security situation and on the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA), a press release issued by the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Friday said.
Full story >>

Norway wants to hold talks in Colombo Airport

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 September 2005, 13:22 GMT]
A press release issued from the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wednesday said that Norway has determined that the only possible venue to hold talks on improving the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is Colombo International Airport. The Sri Lankan Government has maintained that it wants the meeting to be held in Sri Lanka, while the LTTE has repeated its preference for Kilinochchi or a venue outside Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, the Norwegian FM has called an extraordinary meeting of the Sri Lanka co-chairs in New York on 19 September, the press release added.
Full story >>

Myliddy IDP families demand resettlement

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 September 2005, 17:22 GMT]
Twenty-six displaced families from Myliddy area in Valigamam North division in Jaffna district Tuesday handed over memoranda to the head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Jaffna demanding that they should be allowed to resettle in their lands and houses now being occupied by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA). Each IDP family submitted a separate memorandum to the SLMM, civil sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

JVP announces conditional support to Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 September 2005, 07:20 GMT]
The Sinhala extreme nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna on Monday announced its conditional support to Sri Lankan PM and the presidential candidate Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse with twelve demands. The main demands put forward by the JVP were: nullify P-TOMS, commitment to unitary state, revise the February 2002 Cease Fire Agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and review the Norwegian role in the peace process. The JVP announced its conditional support to Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse Monday morning in a press conference held at National Library in Colombo. According to JVP, a "policy agreement" was already reached between Mr. Rajapakse and the JVP.
Full story >>

UN special envoy arrives in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 September 2005, 16:37 GMT]
United Nations special envoy Mr.Lakhdar Brahimi arrived in Colombo Friday night on a five-day visit. During his stay he is scheduled to meet Sri Lanka's President, Prime Minister, opposition leader and leaders of political parties, sources said.
Full story >>

LTTE launches village level civil force in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 August 2005, 14:21 GMT]
Hundred-and-twenty persons passed out in the first batch of special trained village level civil force in Ganeshapuram Central Grounds on Tuesday in LTTE controlled Muttur East in the Trincomalee district. LTTE's Special Commander of Trincomalee, Col. Sornam, particiapted as the chief guest in the passing out ceremony of the first batch that completed a forty-five days' training. Deputy Head of the Tamileelam Police for the Trincomalee district, Mr. Semmanan, who presided the event said that training is being given to five thousand villagers in the district.
Full story >>

Trinco students to protest against SLA presence around schools

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 August 2005, 16:04 GMT]
Trincomalee District Tamil Students Forum (TDTSF) has called Tamil speaking students for a token boycott of classes on Monday in protest to the presence of Sri Lanka Army troops in large number surrounding schools in the Trincomalee town thus violating the ceasefire agreement. Trincomalee has become a garrisoned city following the unlawful erection of Buddha statue, sources said.
Full story >>

Manatkadu protestors lay siege to SLA camp

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 August 2005, 15:50 GMT]
Protestors at Manatkadu in Vadamaradchi East threw stones and burning-tires on Sri Lanka Army (SLA) vehicles Wednesday night. Violent protests erupted in the area following reports that the two fishermen, who went missing on Sunday in the northern seas, and later said to be in the custody of the Sri Lanka Navy, were not handed over to their families Wednesday evening as promised by the Sri Lankan military officials. The protestors have laid siege to the 52-4 Brigade camp of the SLA at Manatkadu, villagers said. Tension prevails in the area.
Full story >>

TNA delegation meets UK envoy

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 August 2005, 15:48 GMT]
A Tamil National Alliance parliamentary delegation Wednesday morning met with Mr. Stephen Evans, British High Commissioner in Colombo and exchanged views on the proposed talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) regarding the implementation of the ceasefire agreement to its word, current position of the P-TOMS following the Supreme Court's interim order, the urgency of establishing the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) and the future political scenario in the south which is expected to be followed with the order of the Supreme Court on the presidential election date controversy on Friday, TNA sources said.
Full story >>