‘No time frame for restarting talks’ – Helgesen

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 September 2003, 08:46 GMT]
“We will not give any time frame for the possibility of restarting the talks. But as of mid October we expect to start planning resumption of talks”, said Mr. Vidar Helgesen, Norway’s Deputy Foreign Minister after discussions with the head of the Liberation Tigers’ political division, Mr. S.P Thamilchelvan, Thursday in Kilinochchi on the LTTE’s counter proposals for an Interim Administration for the northeast and the status of Sri Lanka’s eighteen month long ceasefire agreement.
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SL Defense Ministry to hold conference on Jaffna HSZ

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 September 2003, 19:45 GMT]
The controversy over the resettlement of internally displaced people (IDP) in their lands and houses located in the high security zones in the Jaffna district is to be discussed at a high level conference scheduled to be held in Colombo at the Sri Lankan defence ministry office Thursday, security sources said.
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Bhikku Front protests against IA for Northeast

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 September 2003, 17:03 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s National Bhikku Front (NBF), an organization of Sinhalese Buddhist monks, Wednesday held a Satyagraha (non-violent demonstration) campaign in thirty major towns, protesting against the establishment of an interim administrative structure for the northeast province, which the NBF said would pave way for the division of the country, sources said.
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Norwegian peace team arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 September 2003, 15:34 GMT]
Norwegian deputy foreign minister Mr. Vidar Helgessen and special peace envoy Mr. Erik Solheim arrived in Colombo Wednesday around 9.30 a.m. The visiting Norwegian envoys are scheduled to meet the Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, Wednesday night and will proceed to Kilinochchi to meet the leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Thursday, media sources said.
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UNICEF's training on mine risk concludes

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 September 2003, 13:47 GMT]
The integrated Training of Trainers under the UNICEF sponsored Mine Risk Education (MRE) programme, which commenced in April this year, concluded Tuesday at the Hotel Club Oceanic in Trincomalee, with the awarding of certificates to participants who are field officers of non-government organizations, the White Pigeon, Sarvodaya and Tamil Refugees Rehabilitation Organization in the northeast province, UNICEF sources said.
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Sri Lankan hospital workers strike

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 September 2003, 11:29 GMT]
Thousands of workers excluding medical officers, nurses and pharmacists in the government hospitals in Sri Lanka began their strike Wednesday morning as talks held between the health ministry officials and leaders of the Health Sector Trade Unions' Alliance (HSTUA) Tuesday night failed to a reach a consensus on a demand for the removal of salary anomalies, government sources said.
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SLMC, NUA remember late leader Ashraff

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 September 2003, 14:26 GMT]
The third death anniversary of the founder leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and National Unity Alliance, Mr.M.H.M.Ashraff, was observed Tuesday in the country by the rank and file of his party and its breakaway groups, sources said.
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Helgesen, Solheim to hold discussions on peace talks

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 September 2003, 11:28 GMT]
Deputy Minister Vidar Helgesen and Special Adviser Erik Solheim are to visit Sri Lanka during 17-19 September 2003, to have discussions with different parties on the current state of the peace process, said the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Colombo in a press released issued Tuesday.
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Akashi concludes Lanka visit, leaves to India

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 September 2003, 11:22 GMT]
Japanese special peace envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi said that the donor countries are not prepared to spend the funds pledged at the Tokyo aid conference for the reconstruction and development of the northeast province until stalled peace talks resume, media sources said.


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Court hears petition against Interim Administration

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 September 2003, 00:31 GMT]
Sri Lanka Court of Appeal directed the Attorney General (AG) to submit written submission for the petition filed by a group of persons including the Chief Incumbent of the Seruvila Raja Maha Vihare, Venerable Saranakeerthi Thera, against the establishment of an interim administrative council for the northeast province without holding a referendum, legal sources in Colombo said.


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Akashi holds talks with Thamilselvan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 September 2003, 12:05 GMT]
The Japanese special peace envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi Sunday morning arrived at Killinochchi grounds by a special helicopter of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) accompanied by HE.Mr. Soiiehiro Otsuka, Japanese ambassador in Colombo, and met the Head of the Political Wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) S.P. Thamilselvan at the LTTE's Peace Secretariat building, Vanni sources said.
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'Funds to NE only after resumption of peace talks'-Akashi

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 September 2003, 18:05 GMT]
The Japanese special peace envoy, Mr.Yasushi Akashi, said Friday that the funds pledged at the Tokyo donor conference will be channeled for the reconstruction of the northeast only after the resumption of stalled peace talks. The international aid community and the World Bank are also of the same view, he said at the end of the discussion held at Colombo Hilton Hotel Friday to find ways and means to release the funds pledged to the national development of Sri Lanka, sources said.
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TNA briefs Akashi on urgent need for IA in NE

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 September 2003, 16:45 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), led by its parliamentary group leader, Mr.R.Sampanthan, Friday told the Japanese special peace envoy, Mr.Yasushi Akashi, that an interim administrative structure with adequate powers is urgently needed to rebuild the war ravaged northeastern province as the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) has no political power to implement a permanent political solution to the ethnic conflict immediately, sources said.
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PA, UNF trade charges over claims of new Trinco LTTE camps

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 September 2003, 14:37 GMT]
The main opposition in Sri Lanka's parliament, the People's Alliance, Friday rejected the claim by the ruling United National Front government that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has not constructed any new camp in the government controlled areas in the northeast except the Kurankupanchchan LTTE camp now in dispute, and reiterated its original claim of many new LTTE camps in Trincomalee in areas controlled by the Government of Sri Lanka.
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Akashi to be briefed about Amparai Tamils' plight

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 September 2003, 14:18 GMT]
The Japanese special peace envoy, Mr.Yasushi Akashi, is scheduled to visit Amparai Saturday and would hold a discussion with Tamil and Muslim leaders of the district to assess the present political situation in the eastern district, sources said.


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JVP’s second anti-peace march to commence in Kandy

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 September 2003, 16:58 GMT]
The Sinhala nationalist cum Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) announced Thursday that its second five-day march from Kandy to Colombo, protesting against the present peace talks between the government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers, would commence on September 27.
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'NE conflict cannot be solved through talks' -Sihala Urumaya

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 September 2003, 14:53 GMT]
At a press briefing held Thursday in Colombo, Mr.Tilak Karunaratne, the General Secretary of the Sinhala extremist political party, Sihala Urumaya (SU), said that in the SU's view, the northeast conflict could not be solved through negotiations, media sources said.
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Akashi to commence Sri Lanka visit Thursday

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 September 2003, 19:09 GMT]
The Japanese special peace envoy to Sri Lanka, Mr.Yasushi Akashi, will arrive in Colombo on a six-day visit Thursday. He will stay in Sri Lanka until September 16 and hold discussions with several political leaders regarding the present stalled peace process between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, political sources said.
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Danish Ambassador meets Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 September 2003, 10:45 GMT]
Ambassador for Denmark in Colombo, Mr. Michael Sternberg, met with the Political Wing Leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Mr. S.P. Tamilchelvan, at the Peace Secretariat Building of the LTTE in Kilinochchi Wednesday, sources in the Vanni said.
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Norwegian Ambassador meets LTTE in Karadiyanaaru

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 September 2003, 01:58 GMT]
Norwegian ambassador in Colombo Mr Hans Brattskar met with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Senior Commander Col.Karuna and other LTTE officers at the Thenaham Guest House in Karadiyanaaru, Batticaloa Monday 7.00 pm, security sources said.
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