GOSL, LTTE gender issues meeting said constructive

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 March 2003, 12:00 GMT]
The Sub-Committee on Gender Issues (SGI), established by agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE during the third round of negotiations in December 2002, held its first stage of meetings on Wednesday and Thursday in Kilinochchi, and in positive and constructive talks between delegates from both parties, agreed to secure“ active participation of women and the effective inclusion of gender issues in the peace process,” said a press release by the Sub-Committee.
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LTTE-TNA agree to take forward peace process

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 March 2003, 18:22 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Tamil National Alliance Friday agreed to work jointly to take forward the present peace process strengthening the relationship between Tamils and Muslims, TNA sources said.
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ADB President visits Killinochchi, holds talks with LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 March 2003, 18:21 GMT]
The President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Mr.Tadao Chino, Friday reaffirmed ADB's commitment to supporting the peace process with rehabilitation and reconstruction assistance, during a meeting with representatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Killinochchi, northern Sri Lanka, a press release issued by the Sri Lanka Resident Mission of the ADB said.
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Canadian Foreign Minister to visit Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 March 2003, 01:34 GMT]
Among several foreign envoys are to visit Sri Lanka next week to assess the progress of peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are Canadian Foreign Minister Mr. Bill Graham, Norwegian Foreign Minister Mr. Peterson, and his deputy Mr. Vidar Helgessen, said Minister and leader of GOSL negotiating team, Professor G.L.Peiris at a press conference held Thursday.


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Opposition parties plan protests against Ceasefire Agreement

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 March 2003, 16:57 GMT]
The Opposition Alliance, formed by the main opposition party in Sri Lanka’s parliament, the Sri Lanka Fredom Party (SLFP), in an alliance with the Jantha Vimukti Peramuna (JVP), the Mahajana Eaksath Peramuna (MEP), the National Unity Alliance (NUA), and the Sri Lanka Mahajana Paksaya (SLMP), said in a press conference in Colombo Thursday that it wants to “save the country” and has planned to conduct massive protests on March 10 against the UNF Government’s Ceasefire agreement with the LTTE and its economic policies of the past year.
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NE Music, Dance, Drama festival to be held in Trinco

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 March 2003, 16:56 GMT]
A five day North East Tamil Music, Dance and Drama festival is to commence on March 20 in Trincomalee. Around four hundred artists are expected to participate in the festival.
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Sub committee for women, children's welfare meet in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 March 2003, 12:00 GMT]
First meeting of the Subcommittee for the welfare and rehabilitation of war affected women and children took place in Kilinochchi on Wednesday, and Thursday at the Peace Secretariat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), sources said.
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SLA soldier, Constable, in LTTE custody released

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 March 2003, 11:54 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier, Lance Corporal Nimal Kumara and Reserve Police Constable Philip Anandasekara who were in Liberation Tigers' (LTTE's) custody were released today in Kilinochchi to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission(SLMM) following a meeting with the LTTE leaders and the members of the SLMM, sources in Kilinochchi said.
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17 Indian fishermen injured

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 March 2003, 11:51 GMT]
Seventeen Indian fishermen who tresspassed into Sri Lankan waters 7 pm Monday were injured during clashes with fishermen from Pesalai, Mannar district when the local fisherfolks rounded up Indian fishermen and brought them to Pesalai shores, sources in Mannar said.


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Volunteer teachers picket demanding permanent appointment

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 March 2003, 19:02 GMT]
More than two hundred volunteer teachers from Batticaloa and Amparai districts Monday launched a picketing campaign in front of the office of the North East Provincial Ministry of Education in Trincomalee demanding that they should be made permanent immediately as given assurance earlier, sources said.


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Army occupation still prevails after a year of peace - Ramesh

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 March 2003, 14:02 GMT]
"Twelve months have passed after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), but vast numbers of Tamil people are still living under Sri Lanka Army (SLA) occupation. Army camps are still being maintained in Tamils' homes and public buildings creating a sense of mistrust and skepticism on the strength of the MoU in Tamil peoples' mind. Only by the SLA fully complying with the provisions of the MoU can the faith on MoU be restored," said Ramesh, Batticaloa-Ampara special commander of the LTTE, addressing a meeting in Batticaloa Sunday, sources said.
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Japanese IDI team to assess urgent needs of the North-East

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 February 2003, 16:26 GMT]
A nine-member delegation of the Infrastructure Development Institute (IDI) of Japan will visit Sri Lanka on a fact-finding mission to assess the conditions of roads, water supply and sanitation, and flood control in the North-East province from February 28 to March 6. The delegation will comprise Messrs. M.Yabe, T.Matsunaga, H.Sadamura, K.Hasegawa, T.Sakai, Yamana, R.Lizuka, I.I.Seto and A.Morikawa, sources said.
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NorthEast teacher-librarians to be trained under World Bank aid

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 February 2003, 17:52 GMT]
The School Library Development Unit of the North East Provincial Department of Education is to conduct a training program for teacher-librarians in schools under a project funded by the World Bank, Provincial Director of Education Mr.S.Mahalingam said.
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Eastern high court gets new judge

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 February 2003, 01:20 GMT]
A senior lawyer from Jaffna unofficial bar Mr.S.Paramarajah Monday assumed duties as the Eastern High Court Judge. He took oaths as a High Court Judge before the Chief Justice Mr.Sarath N.Silva last week in Colombo, legal sources said.
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Trinco beach human skeletal remains sent to JMO

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 February 2003, 17:44 GMT]
The Trincomalee Magistrate and Additional District Judge Mr.S.Thiagendran Monday ordered the human skeletal remains recovered from the sea beach of the east port town last Wednesday and Thursday and soil samples of the site to be sent to Colombo Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) for full report. The Judge further returned an open verdict as no evidence was produced in court regarding the identity of human skeletal remains, legal sources said.


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Sweden to help business, industrial development in NE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 February 2003, 19:40 GMT]
The Charge d'Affairs of the Swedish Embassy in Sri Lanka Ms Ann Marie Fallenius Sunday said in Trincomalee that the Chambers of Commerce in districts of Jaffna, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara in the northeast province would be given a boost to expand their institutional capacity and professional competence building program under an agreement the Federation Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FCCISL) signed recently in Colombo with the Swedish International Co-operation Agency (SIDA) and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Southern Sweden (CCISS), sources said.


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Harnessing solar energy to power NorthEast

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 February 2003, 01:01 GMT]
Lives of thousands of poor households in the remote villages of NorthEast can be considerably enhanced if one can provide them with low-cost electricity to meet their modest lighting needs. The abundance of solar energy present in NorthEast and the availability of affordable photo-voltaic (PV) technology makes this possible. An examination of the feasibility of establishing a PV industry and its sustainability, its economic viability and the possible growth of the PV industry to branch into more challenging business endeavours, follows.
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'Peoples' commitment needed to achieve peace'- Westborg

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 February 2003, 18:04 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Norwegian ambassador Mr.Jon Westborg Saturday appealed to all citizens to continue their commitment to overcome the obstacles in the path of achieving permanent peace, while addressing a meeting Saturday held at the Colombo Town Hall to mark the one-year completion of the ceasefire agreement signed by the United National Front (UNF)government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).


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Protest shutdown in Batticaloa, Amparai on CFA anniversary

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 February 2003, 08:53 GMT]
Shops and businesses were closed and roads were deserted in the Batticaloa district Saturday in protest against Colombo's failure to -'satisfactorily honour' the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) with the Liberation Tigers. The LTTE and the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) signed the CFA on one year ago, on 22 Feb. 2002.
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FMM condemns attack on journalists

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 February 2003, 21:20 GMT]
The Free Media Movement (FMM) Friday strongly condemned the attack on the journalists who were covering the protest march of the Janata Vimukthi Peramuna, Thursday, in Colombo said.
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