Move polling booths closer to checkpoint - Senathirajah

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 March 2004, 11:23 GMT]
General Secretary of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK) Mr. Mavai Senathirajah urged Vavuniya Government Agent K.Ganesh to make arrangements to locate the polling booths near the Sri Lanka Army checkpoint in Omanthai, sources said. Placing polling booths in Omanthai Maha Vidiyalayam would require voters to travel a few kilometers further from the checkpoint and will incur additional delays and logistic, transportation nightmare, Mr.Senathirajah told the GA.
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Trinco TNA Muslim candidate appeals for unity

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 March 2004, 15:32 GMT]
Mr.Abdul Hassan Sahul Hameed, sole Muslim candidate contesting in the Trincomalee district on the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) ticket Thursday appealed to Muslim voters to exercise their franchise to promote unity and harmony between the two communities in the district, political sources in Trincomalee said.


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TNA leaders address election rally in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 March 2004, 14:36 GMT]
General Secretary of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK) Mr. Mavai Senathirajah addressing an election rally in Trincomalee Tuesday evening said, "Tamils have got a historic opportunity in their freedom struggle to show their unity. Tamils must support the joint effort of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to find a lasting political solution to the Tamil national question based on the interim self governing authority (ISGA) proposals."
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TNA concludes election campaign in LTTE held Trinco villages

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 March 2004, 16:55 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) concluded its four-day first phase of campaign in the Liberation Tigers held Muttur east and Eachilampathu villages in Trincomalee district Monday. TNA candidates contesting the Trincomalee electoral district in the forthcoming general election led by their lead candidate and TULF Secretary General Mr.R.Sampanthan began their campaign Friday visiting several remote villages and addressed pocket meetings, sources said.


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Karikalan addresses Jaffna university meeting

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 March 2004, 12:54 GMT]
“Karuna could not have acted traitorously without external backing. He has been bought over by an external power that is intent on destroying our liberation struggle and our leadership. People in the Batticaloa Amparai district know this now. He was instigated by the external power to betray his own people”, said Mr. Sivagnanam Karikalan, a senior leader of the Liberation Tigers from the east, addressing a packed meeting at the University of Jaffna Monday. Mr. E. Kousalyan, the head of the LTTE’s political division for the Batticaloa Amparai district also spoke at the meeting.
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Pocket meetings, seminars dominate TNA Trinco campaign

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 March 2004, 15:26 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) candidates led by the lead candidate Mr.R.Sampanthan began addressing election seminars and pocket meetings in the areas held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam since Friday, as TNA's campaign efforts swung into full gear, political sources in Trincomalee said.
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Vavuniya protests against Eastern campus disruptive elements

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 March 2004, 15:04 GMT]
Academic staff, students and non-academic staff of the Vavuniya campus of the Jaffna University Friday conducted a black band campaign opposing the elements responsible for the disruption academic session East University and the disunity of Tamils in the east, sources said.


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Batticaloa fast urges unity of Tamil military power

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 March 2004, 14:00 GMT]
A group of cadres working with Mr. Vinayagamoorthy Muraleetharan (Karuna) organised a token fast Friday urging the LTTE to let the renegade commander work under the leadership of Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan. A memorandum on the objective of the token fast, which was handed out in Tamil and English, urges the LTTE leadership to withdraw the charge that Mr. Muraleetharan is a traitor and emphasises that the armed forces of the Liberation Tigers should work in unity towards achieving the independent state of Thamil Eelam.


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LTTE ready to help facilitate voting - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 March 2004, 00:10 GMT]
"We told the [Norwegian] delegation that we are agreeable to locating the voting booths in the no-man zone, inside our checkpoint area or in the checkpoint area of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), and that we will provide our full support and required assistance to implement voting procedures, and supervise voting," said S.P.Thamilchelvan, leader of the LTTE's political wing, answering questions from the press following his meeting with the Norwegian delegation in Kilinochchi Thursday morning.
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Norway will not interfere in LTTE's internal matters

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 March 2004, 08:23 GMT]
Norway will not interfere in the internal matters of the Liberation Tigers said Mr. Erik Soheim speaking to the press at the conclusion of his meeting with Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan Thursday in Kilinochchi. “We did not involve ourselves in the discussion between the President and the Prime Minister and exactly in the same manner we will not take any part in the discussion between the LTTE leadership and Mr. Karuna. The first is an internal matter for the south and the second is an internal matter for the northeast”, Mr. Solheim said.
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German ambassador meets Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 March 2004, 06:14 GMT]
German ambassador for Sri Lanka, Mr. Jueger Elias met Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, the head of the Liberation Tigers' political divison Thursday in Kilinochchi for discussions on the April general elections, the status of the ceasefire agreement and the possibility of resuming the peace talks between Colombo and LTTE. German funded development programs in the northeast were also reviewed during the discussions, LTTE officials said.
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Solheim urged to help ensure fair polls in north

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 March 2004, 14:33 GMT]
Norway’s special peace envoy for Sri Lanka Mr. Erik Solheim met the Bishop of Jaffna, Government Agent, Consortium of NGOs and the head of the LTTE’s political division for Jaffna Wednesday in the northern town for discussions on the current situation and the status of the ceasefire agreement between the Liberation Tigers. The free and fair conduct of the forthcoming general elections in the north and the need to enable people in the LTTE controlled areas to vote without restrictions were the main issues that were discussed at the all the meetings, sources said.
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British envoy meets Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 March 2004, 11:09 GMT]
The British High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, Mr. Steven Evans and other British officials met with LTTE's Head of Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan in Kilinochchi today and discussed matters related to the current situation in Batticaloa, delivery of humanitarian assistance and voting issues in the forthcoming general elections, the LTTE peace secretariat website said.
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Jaffna celebrates International Women's day

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 March 2004, 21:15 GMT]
The International Women's Day was celebrated in the Jaffna district Monday on the theme "We want our land." The Jaffna District Forum against Sexual and other Violence on Women organized awareness processions and other cultural events related to women liberation programme in the district, sources said.


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Col.Pathuman dismisses Karuna's speculation

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 March 2004, 15:49 GMT]
In an interview with the Associated Press (AP), Col.Pathuman, Liberation Tiger's Trincomalee commander, dismissed speculation by renegade former LTTE commander from Batticaloa-Ampara Karuna that the LTTE leadership is holding Pathuman under house arrest in Vanni.
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Batticaloa Bishop and his team meet LTTE Leaders

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 March 2004, 15:35 GMT]
Bishop Rt. Rev. Kingsley Swampillai and his team from Batticaloa consisting of the eastern university representatives, NGOs and members of the business community, met with LTTE Political Head Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, Batticaloa-Amparai Special Commander Ramesh, Commander Ram, Mr. Karikalan and the Political Head of Batticaloa-Amparai Mr. Kausalyan today 8th March 2004 in Kilinochchi, sources in Vanni said.
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Karuna’s accusations are cover up for guilt and betrayal - Karikalan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 March 2004, 19:58 GMT]
In a wide ranging interview from Vanni to the London, UK-based International Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) Radio, Mr. Karikalan, a senior leader of the Liberation Tigers and former head of the political division in Batticaloa-Ampara, said that Karuna, the renegade former LTTE commander from Batticaloa-Ampara, was spreading false stories to the international media to justify his betrayal and to prevent the international Tamil community from calling Mr. Karuna a “traitor.”
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Karikalan condemns Karuna as Pol Pot

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 March 2004, 06:45 GMT]
"Karuna will be seen as a Pol Pot if he continues to act irresponsibly towards our people", said Mr. Sivagnanam Karikalan, one of the senior leaders in the East to arrive in Kilinochchi Sunday morning for discussions with his leadership about the situation in Batticaloa. Mr. Karikalan is a close confidante of Mr. Karuna, the eastern LTTE leader who was sacked from the Liberation Tigers Saturday on charges of treason.
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LTTE urges support for TNA in Pt.Pedro election rally

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 March 2004, 01:16 GMT]
"The national leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Mr.V.Pirapaharan fully supports the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in the forthcoming general elections. We appeal to Tamil voters to vote for the TNA for its policy. We will not ask voters to cast their votes for particular individual candidates in the TNA lists," said the LTTE senior activist Mr.Arasanna addressing the first TNA election rally held in Point Pedro.


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Peace Talks, CFA will not be affected - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 March 2004, 11:19 GMT]
Talking to journalists during the press conference at the Peace Secretariat Saturday, LTTE Head of Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan said that LTTE will maintain its firm committment to the peace talks and the Ceasefire Agreement and that LTTE leader Pirapaharan is always ready to provide amnesty to those who realize their mistakes.
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