JVP praises army, wows to overthrow Ranil govt.

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 January 2003, 23:14 GMT]
The Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Sri Lanka’s powerful leftist Sinhala party, Monday praised the stand taken by the Sri Lanka army’s northern command on the question of high security zones in Jaffna and accused Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of conspiring with the Liberation Tigers to divide the island according to a secret pact. The JVP is the second largest opposition party in Sri Lanka’s Parliament.
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Labour bills provoke general strike threat

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 January 2003, 23:14 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s opposition trade unions and several powerful independent unions said Monday they will start general agitations and strikes to compel the United National Front government to abandon the tough labour laws it intends to introduce soon. Trade union leaders speaking at a press conference Monday in Colombo, said there will be a one day token strike in all parts of the island except the northeast and if it does not change the government’s mind on the new laws then they would call for a general strike.
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Political solution in Sri Lanka said constitutionally impossible

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 January 2003, 23:09 GMT]
“The nationhood of Tamils and their right to self-determination are non-negotiable. Any political solution that might emerge out of the ongoing peace process cannot go below these. The territory of Northeast is part of the identity of the Tamils of this country. We don't need historical proof for this. We don't need anyone's recognition or consent to exercise our right of self-determination. It is the birthright of each and every nation,” said Mr.V.T.Thamilmaran, senior lecturer in law in the University of Colombo, delivering the third Kumar Ponnambalam Memorial Speech in Jaffna Sunday.
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No official talks to form alliance with JVP - PA

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 January 2003, 17:12 GMT]
The People’s Alliance (PA) General Secretary and a former minister, Mr.D.M.Jayaretna, Monday said no discussion took place between the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the main constituent of the PA and the JVP, regarding the formation of a coalition. "There were no official level talks between the leadership of the two political parties regarding forming a political alliance. However, both parties would work against the present government jointly whenever need arises," said M.Jayaratna.
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Japanese Foreign Minister visits Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 January 2003, 14:01 GMT]
The Japanese Foreign Minister Ms Yoriko Kawguchi Monday flew to Jaffna by special aircraft and surveyed the progress of resettlement and humanitarian projects in the northern peninsula implemented with Japanese aid. This was the first visit of a Japanese Foreign Minister to the war torn Jaffna district. She also toured Chavakachcheri and Sarasalai areas in Thenmaradchchi areas, worst affected by the war in the district, sources said.
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Health issues spur Jaffna officials to act

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 January 2003, 18:50 GMT]
Alarmed by the spread of dengue, typhoid and a virus fever, Jaffna District Secretariat, in an emergency meeting convened yesterday, took decision to institute procedures to keep the peninsula clean and take all measures possible to prevent environment pollution, said sources in Jaffna.
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Court prevents Athaullah group functioning as SLMC officials

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 January 2003, 16:29 GMT]
The Colombo District Court Friday issued injunction on five rebel leaders of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) preventing them from functioning as executive officials of the party. The District Judge Ms Malini Gunaretna made the order after inquiring into the petition by the leader of the SLMC and Minister Mr.Rauff Hakim, legal sources said.
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Hakeem slammed for 'political grandstanding at its worst'

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 January 2003, 08:36 GMT]
(News Feature) As the crisis gripping Sri Lanka's largest Muslim party deepened this week, its leader came under heavy criticism for seeking to enhance his domestic political standing through the Norwegian peace process. Fending off a challenge to his leadership of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) from two factions within the party, Mr. Rauf Hakeem, was lambasted by the Tamil press for undermining efforts to resolve the island's protracted ethnic conflict by claiming the peace process was inimical to Muslim interests.
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Sinhala National Front seeks cancellation of LTTE radio license

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 January 2003, 16:51 GMT]
The Sinhala Jathika Sangamaya (Sinhala National Front) Tuesday filed a writ application in the Colombo Court of Appeal seeking the nullification of the license granted to the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) to operate a radio station in Killinochchi, which is under the control of the LTTE, legal sources said.
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Staff shortage cripples NE universities - Tamil Don

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 December 2002, 17:33 GMT]
"Shortage of academic and non-academic staff in Universities in the northeast province has a crippling effect on the academic growth of students and the general progress of the campuses. Quite often the lecturers and other academic staff are forced to carry out clerical tasks," said Mr.S. Yogarajah, senior lecturer in the Tamil department of the East University of Sri Lanka (EUSL) Sunday.
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Resettlement and normalisation ‘main issues’ for Thailand talks - Balasingham

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 December 2002, 12:26 GMT]
The resettlement of displaced Tamil people and the normalisation of conditions in their areas of residence will be the main issues to be taken up at the negotiations in Thailand next month between the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lankan government, the LTTE’s chief negotiator, Mr. Anton Balasingham, said Sunday.
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LTTE's help sought to trace Jaffna missing

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 December 2002, 16:24 GMT]
The Jaffna Missing Persons Guardian Association (MPGA) Saturday appealed to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) seeking its assistance to trace their loved ones disappeared during 1996 and 1997 after arrest by Sri Lanka's State armed forces, sources said.
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Hakim to represent Muslims at peace talks

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 December 2002, 19:07 GMT]
Minister and the leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Mr.Rauff Hakim said Wednesday that he has been given permission by the party's supreme council and politburo to attend peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and Liberation Tigers (LTTE) as the sole representative of the Muslims.


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“Intelligentsia must represent Muslims at peace talks”- Athaullah faction

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 December 2002, 13:06 GMT]
Athaullah faction of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) held its eighteenth annual convention Wednesday at Akkaraipattu where delegates unanimously adopted a resolution that expressed the need for sending a group of independent Muslim intelligentsia to represent Muslims in the peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), said sources.
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SLA ragging kills soldier, 16 remanded

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 December 2002, 15:07 GMT]
The Chavakachcheri acting Magistrate Tuesday ordered sixteen soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to be held in remand in connection with the ragging death of a fellow soldier, S.Ratnayake (25) of Balangoda, legal sources in Jaffna said.
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Buddhist monks burn Norwegian flag

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 December 2002, 00:22 GMT]
National Bhikkhu Front (Jathika Sanga Sammelanaya- JSS), a Sinhala nationalist organisation of monks with branches in all the Sinhala majority districts of the island and a close ally of the marxist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) held a demonstration opposite Royal Norwegian Embassy in Colombo demanding the expulsion of Oslo's envoy to Sri Lanka, Mr. Jon Westborg, sources in Colombo said.


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SLMM hands over SLA proposals on HSZ to LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 December 2002, 19:15 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Monday handed over a document containing proposals by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) regarding the normalization of High Security Zones (HSZs) in Jaffna peninsula to the representatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), sources in Jaffna said


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Report soon on LTTE's broadcast equipment - G.L. Pieris

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 December 2002, 17:03 GMT]
The United National Front Government will soon release a report giving details of the broadcasting equipment given to the LTTE and this will clarify the misleading information spread to the public by some interested parties, said G. L. Pieris, minister of Constitutional Affairs and the leader of Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) negotiating team, speaking to journalists at a press conference in Colombo today.
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Agreement to rebuild A9 signed

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 December 2002, 15:06 GMT]
Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed an agreement Monday morning at the Kilinochchi political head quarters to provide a Rs.600m loan to rebuild 103km segment of Jaffna-Kandy road (A9) beginning from Vilakuvaithakulam in Omanthai to Jaffna Town, sources in Kilinochchi said.


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PA allies support UNF government's peace efforts

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 December 2002, 04:18 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Communist party, one of the constituents of the main opposition Peoples Alliance (PA) Friday pledged its full support to the peace efforts now being taken forward by the United National Front (UNF), sources in Colombo said.


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