Peace snag said rooted in Sri Lanka's constitution

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 May 2003, 00:02 GMT]
Norwegian Foreign Minister Mr. Jan Peterson accompanied by his deputy Mr. Vidar Helgessen Wednesday morning arrived in Colombo to hold crucial talks with the leaders of the government and LTTE to in a bid to restart Sri Lanka’s stalled peace talks. Japan and Norway are keen that the LTTE take part in crucial aid conference next month in Tokyo. The Tigers, however, say Colombo should first establish legally operable bodies and procedures to ensure a direct say for Tamils over the utilization of funds pledged by donors for reconstructing the war torn northeast.
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HDU sounds alarm on removal of ‘safety fences’

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 May 2003, 10:01 GMT]
Humanitarian De-mining Unit (HDU) officials in Kilinochchi said Wednesday that an NGO operating in the Vanni had created a dangerous precedent when it recently removed fences demarcating areas infested with mines and unexploded ordnance in Sannaar, on the northern coastal sector of the Mannar district. “The NGO had apparently removed the demarcating fences to show that the Sannar area is safe for rehabilitation work”, the HDU officials said. The HDU is an arm of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO).
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EPDP's security strengthened

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 May 2003, 00:49 GMT]
The security at the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) office in Batticaloa district has been strengthened with effect from Tuesday, said Batticaloa district EPDP leader, Paraneetharan Pratheepan. Number of Police officers in permanent security duty has been increased from 6 to 8, he added.
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US diplomat cancels Trincomalee visit

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 May 2003, 14:27 GMT]
The Assistant Secretary of State in the US government Ms Christina Rocca cancelled her visit to Trincomalee due to inclement weather, diplomatic sources said. On her two-day visit to Sri Lanka, Ms. Rocca was scheduled to visit Trincomalee Tuesday to hold talks with Sri Lanka navy officials in the east port town in addition to a luncheon discussion with selected leading citizens of the area at a tourist resort in Nilaveli, sources said.


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DLB controversy sparks constitutional crisis in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 May 2003, 10:52 GMT]
The constitutional crisis between the legislature and the executive branches of the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) regarding the take over of the administration of the Development Lottery Board (DLB) took a new turn Monday when Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge issued a directive to the GoSL Printer Mr. Neville Nanayakkara to print the extra ordinary gazette notification sent by her on Thursday, political sources in Colombo said.


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Pirapaharan felicitates Kumar's family

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 May 2003, 00:28 GMT]
Velupillai Pirapaharan, leader of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) , awarded the 'Maamanithar' medal to Yogaluxmi Ponnambalam, wife of late Kumar Ponnambalam, in honor of her husband in a special function held in Kilinochchi, Sunday, sources said. Late Kumar's children, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, a lawyer and Tamil National Alliance (TNA)Parliamentarian, and Mirnalini Ponnambalam, a physician, accompanied their mother to the function.
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Colombo's response will determine Talks' future - Pathuman

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 May 2003, 00:17 GMT]
"We will regain hope for peace if the response from the Sri Lanka government to our letter is positive and constructive," said the Trincomalee district commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Colonel Pathuman, Saturday evening at a passing out event held at LTTE controlled Ralkuli village in Muttur division where certificates were awarded to a group of LTTE cadres who qualified as junior officers after arms training, sources said.


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LTTE should enhance its military power – MP

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 May 2003, 00:09 GMT]
“The Liberation Tigers should enhance their military power. This is the only way to ensure our rights in this country. If war is thrust on us again, every Tamil, regardless of any differences, should join the ranks of the LTTE’s armed forces. That is the only way for us to survive as a people," said Mr. Ariyanayaham Chandra Nehru, Tamil National Alliance MP for Amparai, speaking at a seminar on the future of the peace process, organised by the East Lanka Journalists’ Association in Batticaloa town Saturday.


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Chandrika strips lottery board admin responsibility from Morogoda

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 May 2003, 00:49 GMT]
President Chandrika Kumaratunge Friday took over responsibility for the administration of the National Development Lottery Board that functioned under the Minister of Economic Reforms, Science and Technology Mr.Milinda Morogoda, a senior Minister in the United National Front (UNF) government using the executive power vested on her by the presidency, sources said.


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Forcible occupation of land no basis for harmony - BBC Sinhala service head

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 May 2003, 00:02 GMT]
Speaking at the South Asia Discussion Group of the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London Wednesday, Mr. Priyath Liyanage, head of Sandesiya, the BBC’s Sinhala service, said the “effort to avoid the involvement of the Tamil Tigers” in rehabilitation and development in the north raises the question of the other ulterior agendas by Colombo.
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AI slams US State Department rights report on Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 May 2003, 19:04 GMT]
The Amnesty International Thursday criticised the US state department for putting out a biased human rights report on Sri Lanka for 2002. Mr. Jim McDonald, Sri Lanka Country Specialist, Amnesty International, U.S.A said Thursday that the US state department’s human rights report on Sri Lanka for 2002 made serious omissions relating to human rights violations committed by Sri Lankan armed forces.
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Colombo to take positive steps to resume talks with LTTE-Peiris

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 May 2003, 16:37 GMT]
Sri Lanka's cabinet spokesman, Minister G.L.Peiris, said Thursday that the Sri Lanka government is in the process of taking positive steps to accelerate the resettlement of internally displaced and to strengthen the function of the Subcommittee on Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs(SIHRN) in an attempt to bring the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam back to the negotiating table.


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PA-JVP in final round of talks on agreement

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 May 2003, 12:19 GMT]
The final round of talks between the People’s Alliance (PA) and the Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) are progressing satisfactorily and the parties expect to sign a memorandum of understanding end of the week, Mr. Wimal Weerawanse, the Propaganda Secretary and spokesman of the JVP said Thursday. The JVP says that Cease Fire Agreement and the basis of the peace talks between the Liberation Tigers and Colombo should be radically altered to nullify what it describes as “US new imperialist designs to destabilise India”.
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Akashi meets Pirapaharan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 May 2003, 00:02 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Wednesday told the Japanese peace special envoy Mr Yasushi Akashi that they would consider his request to participate at the Aid Donor conference in Japan seriously if the Government of Sri Lanka took positive steps towards implementing decisions taken at six previous rounds of talks, sources in Vanni said.


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SLA camp relocation in NE premature-Chandrika

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 May 2003, 17:14 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge through her media spokesman Wednesday said she is opposed to the relocation of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camps from the present sites without reaching agreements with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on core issues, sources in Colombo said.
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Japanese peace envoy in Killinochchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 May 2003, 10:59 GMT]
The Japanese special peace envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi arrived Killinochchi Wednesday morning by a special helicopter of the Sri Lanka Air Force to meet leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and was received by deputy political secretary of the LTTE Mr.S.Thangan, sources in Vanni said.
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General Satish Nambiar arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 May 2003, 17:02 GMT]
Retired Indian army general Satish Nambiar arrived in Colombo Tuesday afternoon from Madurai in South India by Indian Airlines, sources in Colombo said.


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Peace facilitators strive to restart peace talks

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 May 2003, 02:57 GMT]
The political advisor of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Mr.Anton Balasingham arrived Killinochchi Monday via Katunayake international airport after having discussions with Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgessen in Colombo Monday morning, diplomatic sources said.
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Norwegian, Japanese peace facilitators arrive in Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 May 2003, 11:50 GMT]
Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgessen with his special emissary Mr. Erik Solheim and Japanese special peace envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi arrived Colombo Sunday early morning separately to initiate talks with the leadership of the United National Front (UNF) government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the resumption of temporarily stalled peace process, political sources said.
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Large peace demo in Mannar town

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 May 2003, 09:40 GMT]
More than 3000 people demonstrated in support of peace in Mannar Saturday, demanding full implementation of the ceasefire agreement between Colombo and the Liberation Tigers. At the conclusion of the meeting, a memorandum was submitted to the additional government agent of Mannar. The memorandum states, among other things, that the Tamils and the LTTE have bitter experiences of being “deceived and hoodwinked in many previous peace talks” and that “in the circumstances it is not unreasonable on their part to adopt a policy of caution."
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