Suicide jacket recovered in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 June 2004, 12:28 GMT]
A foot-patrol party of the Sri Lanka Police Friday early morning recovered a suicide jacket and some explosives concealed in a bag near Grandpass area in the heart of Colombo city. The army bomb disposal squad rushed to the site and deactivitated the explosives, which included claymore mines, police sources said.
Full story >>

Tigers slam Sri Lankan state media for vicious propaganda

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 June 2004, 10:01 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Wednesday expressed serious concern about ‘malicious and false propaganda’ in Sri Lanka’s state controlled media regarding the situation in the Batticaloa district, during discussions with the Norwegian Ambassador in Colombo. “If the Sri Lankan Government is honest in taking the LTTE as a sincere partner in the peace process, this type of clandestine media activity should stop forthwith”, Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan told the ambassador. There is yet no agreement on restarting the talks the ambassador told the press at the conclusion of the meeting.
Full story >>

Pakistan-based Islamic group eyes eastern Sri Lanka - analyst

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 June 2004, 12:17 GMT]
Pakistan’s plans to appoint a former Director of its Intelligence Bureau (IB) as Ambassador to Sri Lanka "could have serious implications for the national security of India" a senior Indian analyst said this week, citing Colombo's importance as a base for Pakistani agents and a Pakistan backed militant group's increasing activities in Sri Lanka's eastern districts.
Full story >>

Thamilchelvan meets INGO delegates

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 June 2004, 11:11 GMT]
Head of Liberation Tigers Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan met with United Nations and International Non-Governmental Organization (INGO) delegates at the Planning and Development Secretariat of the LTTE in Kilinochchi Tuesday, LTTE's Peace Secretariat website said. Thamilchelvan told the delegates the critical importance of making the "people real stake holders in development."
Full story >>

Kumaratunga hints at "an effective compromise" with the LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 June 2004, 15:00 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President Chandrika Kumaratunga, in a prime-time TV address, has indicated that she is "seeking an effective compromise" to overcome the dragging differences with the LTTE that delay peace talks. The LTTE has been insisting on negotiating its interim administration proposals first, while the government wanted to have parallel talks on the final solution to the conflict. In her nation-wide telecast Saturday night Kumaratunga hinted at her readiness to "prioritise" the LTTE demand while not openly abandoning the government's position to have parallel talks on the final settlement.
Full story >>

US Pacific Commander arrives in Jaffna on two-day visit

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 June 2004, 10:34 GMT]
United States Commander for Pacific Region, Lieutenant General James L. Campbell, currently on a visit to strengthen relationship between Sri Lanka and the U.S., Friday morning arrived in Palaly Sri Lanka Army (SLA) military base and held discussions with the Commander of Sri Lanka Northern region Major General Susil Chandrapala and other senior SLA officers, security sources said.
Full story >>

Legal wrangle over dissident JHU MP

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 June 2004, 09:59 GMT]
The Colombo District Court Friday ordered the newly sworn in Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) parliamentarian Venerable Akmeemana Dayaratna Thera to appear in court on July 25 and issued a stay order on him prohibiting him from performing the functions of an elected representative till the legal suit filed against him is finalized, legal sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>

Violence in Parliament is setback to peace - NPC

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 June 2004, 13:11 GMT]
"The recent violent incidents in the Sri Lanka Parliament can have devastating consequences on the confidence of the minority communities on the capacity of the country's political leadership to resolve the ethnic conflict through a negotiated solution", said the National Peace Council (NPC), a Colombo based Sri Lankan peace group, in a media release issued in Colombo Thursday calling upon the party leaders to ensure that further breakdowns do not take place within Parliament in the future.
Full story >>

Salvage operation of Mig-27 underway

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 June 2004, 11:13 GMT]
The salvage crew recovered the blackbox, or flight data recorder, of the ill-fated Mig-27 that plunged into the Negombo lagoon after taking off from Bandaranaike International Airport yesterday, according to media reports in Colombo.
Full story >>

TNA MPs to boycott NE Province Governor's meet

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 June 2004, 02:20 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians decided to abstain from a meeting called by the Governor of NorthEast Province to discuss development activities for the Province, media sources reported. The decision to boycott the meeting was taken in Colombo Wednesday, according to reports.
Full story >>

Protest demo held in Colombo condemning Nadesan killing

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 June 2004, 10:25 GMT]
The Free Media Movement (FMM) and the Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA) Wednesday held one hour demonstration in front of the Colombo Fort Railway Station commencing from 12.30 p.m. to 1.30 p.m. against the killing a senior Tamil journalist Mr. Aiyathurai Nadesan. Several senior journalists based in Colombo and outstations, Tamil parliamentarians of Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Upcountry Peoples Front and Western Province Peoples Front participated in the demonstration, sources said.
Full story >>

SLAF Mig 27 crashes

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 June 2004, 09:28 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Mig 27 aircraft crashed near the Colombo international airport, around 9 a.m., Wednesday, military sources said.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka's parliament adjourned for July 20 after disruption

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 June 2004, 10:22 GMT]
Speaker Mr.W.J.M.Lokkubandara Tuesday adjourned the Sri Lanka's parliament for July 20 after failing in his attempt to resolve the issue of administering oath to newly nominated parliamentarian JHU parliamentarian Venerable Akmeemana Dayaratna Thera. The Speaker announced his decision to postpone the parliament when it resumed its sitting Tuesday afternoon at about 2.30 p.m, parliamentary sources said.
Full story >>

Pandemonium in parliament, two monk MPs injured

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 June 2004, 07:46 GMT]
Pandemonium reigned in Sri Lanka's parliament Tuesday morning for about an hour when Venerable Akmeemana Thera, the newly nominated parliamentarian of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) was invited by the Speaker Mr.W.J.M.Lokkubandara to take oaths, parliamentary sources said.
Full story >>

Parliament meets amid confusion over majority to ruling UPFA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 June 2004, 04:42 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament is meeting Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. to appoint standing committees and ministerial parliamentary consultative committees. Battle lines are drawn by the minority ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and the main opposition United National Front (UNF) to capture control of these committees, parliamentary sources in Colombo said.


Full story >>

Foreign envoys to be briefed on JVP's stand on ISGA

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 June 2004, 21:00 GMT]
The Jathika Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Monday said that it would brief Colombo based foreign envoys the reasons for opposing the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) proposal submitted by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for the northeast province, media sources in Colombo said.


Full story >>

Protest planned against Nadesan killing

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 June 2004, 12:38 GMT]
Sri Lankan journalists’ associations are planning to picket outside the main railway station in Colombo, Wednesday, protesting against the killing of leading Tamil journalist Mr. Iyathurai Nadesan. The Free Media Movement (FMM) and the Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA) are organising the protest, media sources said.
Full story >>

Court to hear appeals of Bindunuwewa massacre accused

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 June 2004, 01:44 GMT]
Chief Justice of Colombo Supreme Court, Sarath N.Silva has appointed five High Court justices to hear the appeals of the five accused, including Sri Lanka police officers, Senaka Karunasena and Roger Ratnayake, and three civilians from Bandarawela who were convicted of the massacre of 27 inmates of rehabilitation camp for young Tamil persons in Bindunuwewa on October 2000 and were sentenced to death, legal sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>

SLA soldier kills superior, commits suicide in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 June 2004, 13:06 GMT]
Mr. Ratnayake Mudiansalagae Seneviratne, a twenty-year-old soldier of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Friday shot dead his 37-year-old superior Sergeant Mr. Gunaratne Vasantha Liyanage and then committed suicide by shooting himself. He left a letter stating that he had killed his superior, as he was unable to tolerate his punishment, police said.


Full story >>

UNICEF strengthens district child protection committee

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 June 2004, 03:59 GMT]
With the support of UNICEF, the Trincomalee District Child Protection Committee (DCPC) held a one-day workshop to further strengthen its activities in the district. Ms Gabriela Elroy, Head of Office, UNICEF Trincomalee, inaugurated the workshop in the Trincomalee district secretariat together with Additional Government Agent, Mr.N. Singarayer, and Provincial Commissioner Probation and Childcare, Mrs. N.R. Ranjini, sources said.
Full story >>