Consultation with GOSL, LTTE to continue - Norway

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 May 2004, 14:32 GMT]
“The Government of Norway will continue to consult with the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the coming weeks as some issues need to be discussed further before negotiations can start,” said the Norwegian Embassy in Sri Lanka in a press release issued Tuesday evening.


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Petersen to meet Pirapaharan in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 May 2004, 02:47 GMT]
The Norwegian Foreign Minister, Mr.Jan Petersen, and his deputy, Mr. Vidar Helgesen, are scheduled to leave Colombo for Kilinochchi Tuesday morning to meet the LTTE leadership for discussions on issues related to resuming the suspended peace talks, Presidential secretariat sources said.


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JVP opposed to UPFA’s decision to talk only with LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 May 2004, 16:58 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s United People’s Freedom Alliance, led by President Chandrika Kumaratunge, in a statement Sunday said that the UPFA government would hold peace talks only with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, thus conceding the LTTE’s demand to be recognized as the ‘sole representatives’ of the Tamil people, according to wire reports. The Marxist and ultra-nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, one of the main constituents of the UPFA, has however announced it is opposed to the decision, Tamil press reports said.
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Norwegian Foreign Minister arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 May 2004, 14:51 GMT]
Norwegian Foreign Minister Mr.Jan Peterson with his deputy Mr. Vidar Helgessen arrived in Colombo Monday afternoon to hold discussions with Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge and the leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to work out modalities to resume the stalled peace talks, political sources said.
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CWC said mulling support to UPFA

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 May 2004, 16:40 GMT]
The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), one of the constituents of the main opposition United National Front (UNF), is expected to make a final decision on the question of extending its support to the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government on or before Sri Lanka's parliament meets on May 18, reliable CWC sources said Friday.
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Solheim briefs Wickremasinghe

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 May 2004, 14:13 GMT]
Mr. Erik Solheim, the Norwegian peace envoy, Wednesday met with the Leader of the Opposition in Sri Lanka's parliament, Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, and briefed him on the outcome of the talks he has had with the President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, political leadership of the Liberation Tigers, leaders of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and the Tamil National Alliance since he arrived in Colombo Saturday, political sources said.
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Norwegian FM to visit Sri Lanka next week

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 May 2004, 09:02 GMT]
Norway’s Foreign Minister, Mr. Jan Petersen, will visit Sri Lanka on 10 and 11 May 2004 to explore ways of bringing the peace process forward, said the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press statement issued on Tuesday. Mr. Petersen will be accompanied by Deputy Minister Vidar Helgesen. The Norwegian Foreign Minister will have meetings with President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan, leader of the LTTE, according to the press release.
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Plantation workers on strike over police shootings

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 May 2004, 14:00 GMT]
Hundreds of thousands of plantation workers in the central province Monday went on a token strike, protesting against the killing of two Tamil youths, Mr.Weerasamy Jeyarajan and Alagan Wimalanathan, last Wednesday in Kandapola, when police opened fire following a traffic accident, sources said.
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Norwegian facilitators meet Sri Lanka's President

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 May 2004, 17:13 GMT]
Norwegian peace delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgessen Sunday morning met with Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge at the President House in Nuwara Eliya in the Central Province on the latter's invitation. Special peace envoy Mr. Erik Solheim and Norwegian Ambassador in Colombo Mr. Hans Brattskar also participated in the talks, Sri Lanka government sources said.


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Norwegian peace delegation arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 May 2004, 10:38 GMT]
A high level Norwegian peace delegation led by Norways's Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. Vidar Helgessen, arrived in Colombo Saturday early morning in a bid to resume the peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on an invitation extended by Sri Lanka’s President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge, sources said.


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CWC observes May Day as day of mourning

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 May 2004, 08:41 GMT]
The Ceylon Workers' Congress, the largest Tamil trade union in Sri Lanka's tea and rubber plantatons said Saturday it was observing May Day as a day of mourning and as a black day in protest against the Police shooting in Kandapola. More than ten thousand estate workers took part in the CWC rally in Bandarawela Saturday. Mr. Arumugam Thondaman MP, the leader of the CWC said that workers would go on strike on 3 May in protest against the Police shooting and the attack in Tamils in Kandapola.
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UPFA will not accept JHU as an ally - Anura Bandaranaike

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 April 2004, 18:23 GMT]
Mr.Anura Bandaranaike, Minister of Investment Promotion and Tourism in the United People's Freedom Alliance government of Sri Lanka, said Thursday that the UPFA would not form a coalition with the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), saying that his party could not accept the JHU's policies, according to media sources.
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Suspects in Analaitivu EPDP camp fire allowed bail

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 April 2004, 14:42 GMT]
The Kayts Magistrate, Mr.A.Premashankar, Thursday released 22 residents of Analaitivu in the Jaffna district, arrested by the police in connection with the torching of a camp of the paramilitary Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) in the village on April 11th, on cash bail with two sureties, legal sources said.
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JVP ministers sworn in, attend first cabinet meeting

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 April 2004, 10:46 GMT]
Eight parliamentarians of the Sinhala nationalist, Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), one of the two major constituents of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) were sworn in before Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge as cabinet rank ministers and deputy ministers Wednesday morning around 9.30. Later they attended their first cabinet meeting at about 10 .30 a.m, political sources said.


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JVP ministers, deputies to take oaths Wednesday

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 April 2004, 18:06 GMT]
Four cabinet rank ministers and four deputy ministers of the Sinhala nationalist cum Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), one of the two major constituents of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), are to be sworn-in by Sri Lanka's President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, Wednesday morning at the President's House, government sources said.
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SLFP-JVP ministerial dispute resolved

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 April 2004, 03:28 GMT]
The politburo of the Sinhala nationalist cum Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), one of the major constituents of the ruling United Peoples' Freedom Alliance (UPFA), Monday night decided to accept one of the two proposals submitted by Sri Lanka's President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, and to bring the three week old dispute over ministerial and deputy ministerial posts to an end, political sources said.
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JVP politburo meets to decide on ministerial dispute

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 April 2004, 16:26 GMT]
The politburo of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) began its crucial discussion Monday evening on the alternative suggestions submitted by Sri Lanka's President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, in regard to the allocation of Mahaveli Development Ministry to JVP, political sources said.
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Sri Lanka Buddhist monks’ party slams Marxists

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 April 2004, 16:22 GMT]
Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), the party of ultra Sinhala nationalist Buddhist monks, Monday charged that the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s chief coalition partner, is planning to eliminate its leaders. Ven. Uduwe Dhammaloka Thero, General Secretary of the JHU, told a press conference at the party’s headquarters in a plush Colombo suburb that leading monks of his party had received death threats again on Sunday night. Meanwhile thousands of posters lambasting the JHU monks appeared in Colombo during the weekend.
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LTTE to await official word from Norway on peace process

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 April 2004, 03:37 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers will inform their stand on resuming the peace process if the Norwegian government officially informs the LTTE about the Sri Lankan government's stand, Mr. Daya Master, the media coordinator of the LTTE, told the Tamil media on Saturday. Meanwhile, sources quoting the Norwegian Embassy in Colombo say a high level delegation of the Norwegian government will visit Colombo in the first week of May to hold discussions with the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE.
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SLFP, JVP to meet Sunday over ministerial dispute

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 April 2004, 17:10 GMT]
Senior leaders of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), two major constituents of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) are scheduled to meet Sunday in the President's House to take a final decision on the dispute over the allocation of ministries to the JVP, government sources said. The dispute marked a tumultous beginning to UPFA government and has raised questions on the ability of the Alliance to focus on governance.
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