NE Human Rights Secretariat calls for withdrawal of ER and PTA

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 August 2005, 11:03 GMT]
North East Secretariat on Human Rights, in a press release issued on Monday called upon the international community to excercise pressure on Colombo to withdraw the Emergency Regulation (ER) which was recently reimposed in Sri Lanka. Also noting that the existing Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) itself is a serious human rights violation, the secretariat said that the two pieces of legislation in force together will lead to a repeat of the large scale human rights violations. Since July 1st, more than 3000 arrests have been reported in the South, according to the press release. It also noted that the increased military presence in Trincomalee is continuing in spite of protest by the Tamils.
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Emergency raises spectre of past disappearances - Adaikalanathan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 August 2005, 23:36 GMT]
"The reimposition of Emergency Regulations has raised the spectre of past disappearances, indiscriminate arrests, torture under custody and the impunity enjoyed by the Sri Lanka security forces for human rights violations against the Tamil people," said Selvam Adaikalanathan, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian for Vanni district, when TamilNet asked for his reaction to the adoption by Sri Lanka's parliament Thursday of the motion to extend the State of Emergency.
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SLMM urged to stop SL Army intimidation in Trinco

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 August 2005, 13:34 GMT]
Trincomalee District Tamil Peoples Forum (TDTPF) Saturday complained to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) to take immediate steps to stop the Sri Lanka Army from intimidating Tamil civilians in the east port town. The TDTPF in a compliant lodged with the Trincomalee head of the SLMM cited an instance that took place on Friday evening in the town where army soldiers covered their faces with black clothes riding in about 20 field motorbikes at high speed intimidating Tamil civilians by brandishing their weapons, sources said.
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LTTE agrees to participate in talks on Ceasefire Agreement

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 August 2005, 07:39 GMT]
The LTTE leadership has informed the Norwegian Government of its decision to participate in talks with the Sri Lanka government on issues relating to the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement. Mr. Anton Balasingham, the political advisor and the chief peace negotiator of the Liberation Tigers, told TamilNet that the LTTE leadership has accepted the Norwegian invitation to "participate in a review of the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement in order to find practical ways of ensuring full compliance by both parties."
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JVP wants to instigate another war - retired SL General

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 August 2005, 23:22 GMT]
Airing his views on the current political trends in Sri Lanka, retired Sri Lankan Military Commander for Jaffna, Major General Sarath Munasinghe, said Wednesday that the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) was behaving in a highly "irresponsible manner to instigate another war."
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LTTE complains to SLMM against the abduction of Gopi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 August 2005, 16:53 GMT]
Jaffna District Political Secretariat of the LTTE Monday lodged a complaint with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that the abduction of Mr.Gopi, an LTTE cadre by a group of Sri Lanka Army soldiers and policemen from his house is a blatant violation of the Ceasefire Agreement. "LTTE has informed to the SLMM that Mr.Gopi should be released immediately," said a statement issued by Mr. Imayavan of the LTTE Jaffna district political secretariat Wednesday.
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"War is not an option" - LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 August 2005, 09:42 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said Wednesday they are committed to ceasefire and would return to the Norwegian peace process if the February 2002 truce agreement was implemented in full. In an interview to Reuters, LTTE’s Political Head, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, said the Tigers are ready to defend the Tamils from attack. "War is not an option," he told Reuters. "But if war is thrust upon the Tamil people, we will have no option but to face it... So it's in the hands of the Sri Lanka government", he said.
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Implement ceasefire in full - UN Security Council

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 August 2005, 19:48 GMT]
The United Nations Security Council has called on the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers to "fully implement the provisions of the [February 2002] ceasefire agreement." The Security Council members' endorsement of the truce accompanied their condemnation Monday of the assassination of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar on Friday.
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SLA conducts cordon and search operation in Mannar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 August 2005, 16:36 GMT]
Hundreds of soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Tuesday morning conducted a cordon and search operation in Mannar town and suburbs covering Uppukulam, Sinnakadai and hospital area. This was the first major search operation conducted by the SLA in Mannar since the signing of the ceasefire agreement, civilian sources said.


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TNA statement on Kadirgamar killing

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 August 2005, 06:49 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Sunday expressed shock and consternation on the killing of Mr.Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister. "We urge that the peace process be recommenced in a meaningful way. That would be the only way to sustain the Ceasefire Agreement and discourage all forms of violence," said the TNA in its press release.
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UNP, JVP react to Kadirgamar slaying

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 August 2005, 20:44 GMT]
In the wake of the assassination Friday of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lanka’s main opposition United National Party, whilst condemning the killing, accused the government of being lax in providing him with security, particularly amid reports he was close to the renegade LTTE commander who defected to the Army, Karuna. And in its vehement reaction, the ultra-nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Perumana (JVP) mourned Mr. Kadirgamar as one of their own and launched a bitter tirade against the LTTE.
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"A dirty War of Attrition in the East" - LTTE blames Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 August 2005, 10:29 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Thursday blamed the Government of Sri Lanka for "covertly supporting a dirty war of attrition" against the Liberation Tigers in the Eastern Province in collusion with Tamil para-militaries that is gravely endangering the ceasefire. Criticising the SL Government’s armed forces, particularly the military intelligence, for the fast deteriorating security situation in the eastern province, Mr. Anton Balasingham, the chief negotiator and political advisor of the LTTE, warned that the increasing tension has the potential of exploding into a full-fledged armed confrontation, if the government failed in its truce obligation to disarm the para-militaries.
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P-TOMS fate confirms Tamils' grave skepticism- Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 August 2005, 02:57 GMT]
Mr. R. Sampanthan M.P. Leader Parliamentary Group TNA, speaking during the adjournment debate on the P-TOMS structure Thursday in the Sri Lanka Parliament said that JVP mounted a "high profile challenge levelled against the P-TOMS" because the "agreement was intended to substantially benefit the Tamil speaking people of the Northeast," and that the failure of P-TOMS has confirmed the "grave sense of skepticism amongst the Tamil people."


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SLA collects information on Nedunthivu resettlers

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 August 2005, 00:56 GMT]
Soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) have started collecting names of displaced persons who are resettled in Nedunthivu, one of the islets in Jaffna peninsula, after the ceasefire agreement came into operation, residents said.
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Rebuilding Kaddaiparichchan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 August 2005, 11:36 GMT]
The Social Development Centre (SDC) headquartered in Killinochchi, has drawn up plans to rebuild the war-destroyed Kaddaiparichchan village in the Muttur east in the Trincomalee district, officials said. SDC has sought the assistance of non-governmental organizations to rebuild the village currently in an abandoned state with uncleared mines, shrub jungles covering residential areas which once flourished with coconut trees and banana cultivation with villagers gainfully employed in animal husbandry and other cottage industries.
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Civil group complains of new SLA camps in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 August 2005, 11:08 GMT]
Mr. Arthur Tveiten, Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Trincomalee district held discussions with the representatives of Trincomalee District Tamil Peoples' Forum (TDTPF) and Trincomalee heads of Sri Lanka government security forces regarding the allegation by the TDTPF that Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has built new mini-camps and sentry points in the east port and its suburbs after the erection of Buddha statue near the bus stand, sources said.
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CFA, P-TOMS discussed in Helgesen, Kumaratunga meeting

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 07:54 GMT]
The Norwegian Depurty Foreign Minister and the facilitator of the peace process Mr. Vidar Helgesen met Sri Lanka's President Ms. Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga at her official residence Thursday night, Presidential Secretariat sources said. The Norwegian Deputy FM discussed the current state of the peace process with the SL President along with the issues which confront the implementation of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA). Mr. Helgesen also discussed the issues related to the scuttled P-TOMS deal, sources added. The meeting which began at 9 p.m. continued till 10.30 p.m. The Norwegian Deputy FM is visiting Kilinochchi Friday to meet the LTTE's Political Head Mr. S.P.Thamilchelvan.
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LTTE: "no need to renegotiate ceasefire"

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 July 2005, 19:06 GMT]
Rejecting a call by the Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga inviting the Liberation Tigers for top-level talks to review and restructure the February 2002 ceasefire agreement, the Tigers this week urged the Sri Lankan government to implement the clauses and obligations of the truce without delay, so as to "consolidate the conditions of peace and normalcy in the Tamil homeland."
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Tamil convention demands immediate withdrawal of SL military

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 July 2005, 14:45 GMT]
Proclaiming that an environment must be created to enable Tamils to decide their political destiny, the Tamil National Resurgence Convention held in Vavuniya, demanded that the occupying Sinhala forces must vacate the land and seas of the NorthEast with immediate effect. The proclamation concluded urging the International Community to recognise the "basic rights and life of freedom with peace on the basis of our traditional homeland, our nationhood and self rule and struggle for sovereignty."


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SL President convenes meeting of top military brass

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 July 2005, 15:59 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Ms. Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga convened a meeting of senior officers of all three armed forces in Colombo at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) Tuesday, and spoke on the current political trends, sources in Colombo said.
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