High Court takes up Mylanthanai massacre case

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 September 2002, 14:09 GMT]
Thirty Tamil witnesses including thirteen women from Batticaloa were present in the Colombo High Court Monday to give evidence when the Mylanthanai massacre case was taken up for inquiry before a Sinhala speaking Jury. The HC Judge Mr.S.Sriskandarajah fixed October 2, Wednesday, the date to start the inquiry.
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UK envoy holds discussion with Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 September 2002, 15:14 GMT]
The British High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, Mr. Stephen Evans, Friday met the political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Mr.S.P.Thamilselvan at Killinochchi and discussed issues related to development of northeast. A team of officials including Mr. Nicholas Brewer, Director General of Programme, Department of International Development, accompanied the UK envoy.


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Westborg meets Thamilchelvan in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 September 2002, 20:37 GMT]
Norwegian Ambassador to Colombo, Mr. Jon Westborg held discussions with the Political Wing leader of the Liberation Tigers, Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan in Kilinochchi Wednesday. Sources said the discussions centred around setting up of LTTE Peace Secretariat in the Northeastern Province.
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SLA soldiers in LTTE security zone arrested

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 September 2002, 11:47 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Wednesday morning took seven soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army into custody when they entered a security zone between two LTTE camps at Kumburupiddy, 22 km north of Trincomalee town, Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission sources said. “All steps are being taken to release the soldiers in view of the prevailing goodwill between both sides,” an LTTE official in Kilinochchi said.
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New SL Navy base violates ceasefire - LTTE

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 September 2002, 11:42 GMT]
The political wing leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Mr.S.P.Thamilselvan said Tuesday that the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) is building a new camp on the island of Delft off Jaffna in violation of the LTTE's Ceasefire Agreement with the Government of Sri Lanka. He urged the head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission to take immediate action on the matter.
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Peace pulls thousands to Kokkaddicholai festival

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 September 2002, 14:33 GMT]
The Chariot Festival of the Kokkaddicholai Thaanthonreeswarar Siva Temple in Batticaloa’s LTTE controlled western hinterland was celebrated Sunday. The prevailing peace between the Liberation Tigers and Colombo drew more than 25,000 devotees to the festival. According to local traditions, the temple’s original structure was built by provincial governors of the Chola Empire in the eleventh century. The island was a province of the powerful medieval Tamil empire for three centuries.
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Repeal PTA, release political prisoners -CHRD

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 September 2002, 06:49 GMT]
The Centre for Human Rights and Development (CHRD) Sunday held a one-day seminar in Trincomalee Town Hall to mobilize the support of the people for an agitation campaign demanding the repeal of the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and the release of all Tamil political prisoners now being held in various prisons in the south.
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Premier returns after US visit

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 September 2002, 18:00 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister, Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe, returned to Colombo Sunday after a ten-day high profile visit to United States of America. The Prime Minister undertook the tour while the historic peace talks between his government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam commenced in Sattahip, a port town in Thailand last week.
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Socioeconomic development will aid ethnic reconciliation - NECORD Director

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 September 2002, 12:39 GMT]
"Trincomalee is one of the worst affected districts in the island due to the ethnic war. It is estimated that a minimum sum of ten billion rupees is required to resettle and rehabilitate the displaced population and to rebuild damaged and destroyed infrastructure," said the Project Director of the North East Community Restoration Development (NECORD), Mr.T.Lankaneson. He was addressing a seminar in Trincomalee Saturday, Organised by the Rotary Clubs of Colombo Mid-City and Trincomalee.
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SLMC leader returns from Thailand

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 September 2002, 22:53 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Mr.Rauff Hakeem expressed optimism Friday that talks between the government and the LTTE would progress step by step. "In the first round of talks held at Thailand between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE I was able to know the stand of the LTTE on the Muslim issue," said Minister Mr.Rauff Hakeem when he return to Colombo Friday night.
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China pledges to assist rebuilding north

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 September 2002, 16:40 GMT]
The Chinese government Friday promised that it would offer financial assistance to rebuild houses destroyed by war in the Jaffna district. "My government is developing a rehabilitation programme for implementation in the north," said Chinese ambassador in Colombo, Mr.Jiang Quizheng, addressing a conference at the Jaffna district secretariat Friday. The Ambassador during his visit to Jaffna inspected the Point Pedro jetty, which is in the high security zone of the Sri Lanka Army.
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Indian fishermen, trawlers released following talks

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 September 2002, 14:56 GMT]
One hundred and three Indian fishermen and their twenty five trawlers were released Friday morning and handed over to the Indian Navy following lengthy talks held Thursday night at Mannar, police sources said. The fishermen of Pesalai in Mannar district had detained them Wednesday night when they were caught illegally fishing in Sri Lanka territorial waters.


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US, UK hail successful talks

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 September 2002, 15:25 GMT]
(News Feature) The United States and Britain Thursday welcomed the successful conclusion of the first round of talks between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers in Thailand this week. Comments by both governments are the latest in a series of supporting statements by several countries including China, South Africa and Iran. The negotiations which took place with Norwegian facilitation at a Thai naval base in Sittahip lasted Monday through Wednesday.
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Preliminary steps towards interim administration agreed

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 September 2002, 17:53 GMT]
Preliminary steps towards an interim administration for the Tamil areas of the island were agreed as part of the first direct Norwegian facilitated talks between the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lankan government, the chief negotiators of both sides told a press conference in Sittahip, Thailand Wednesday.
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SLA restores Anagarika’s propaganda vehicle

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 September 2002, 15:02 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army said Tuesday that soldiers of its Electrical and Mechanical Engineer Regiment (SLEME) restored the propaganda vehicle used by the Sinhala Buddhist revivalist and nationalist, Anagarika Dharmapala, to “its pristine glory” upon a request by Buddhist clergy. Many Sri Lankan social historians say that Anagarika Dharmapala was the main architect of militant Sinhala Buddhism in Sri Lanka, of the idea that the Singhalese are the only rightful owners of the whole island.
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UN, US, EU hail Thailand talks

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 September 2002, 09:57 GMT]
On the eve of the first peace talks between the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lankan government, the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan welcomed the negotiations, saying the United Nations might play a bigger part in the peace process. Meanwhile, the US, welcoming the negotiations, said it would review its ban on the LTTE depending on the progress of the talks.
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People's predicament first says LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 September 2002, 22:19 GMT]
(Feature) The first round of formal peace talks between the Liberation Tigers of Thamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) began Monday in the Sattahip Thai Naval base on a positive note though the head of Colombo’s negotiating team laid down in his opening speech non-negotiable elements which, according to him, should be constant in “determining the parameters of the negotiations." The Liberation Tigers, however, desisted from any reference to ‘irreducible principles.’
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Government peace delegation leaves Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 September 2002, 16:49 GMT]
The four-member Sri Lankan government peace delegation left Colombo Saturday morning. The delegation comprises Ministers Messrs G.L.Peiris, Milinda Morogoda and Rauff Hakeem and Peace Secretariat Secretary General Mr.Bernard Gunatilake.
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Anti War Rally to be held in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 September 2002, 10:37 GMT]
The National Anti-War Front (NAWF) Saturday announced that it would hold a mass rally and prayer meeting in Colombo on September 16 to invoke blessings for the historic peace talks at Thailand. "The people of Sri Lanka has been offered a new opportunity to end the twenty year old brutal war through negotiation," said the NAWF in a special message issued Saturday.
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SL Navy restricts fishing in Manalkaadu

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 September 2002, 21:12 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Navy has re-imposed draconian restrictions on fishing in the Manalkaadu area on Jaffna's southeastern coast from Thursday, fishermen from the region said. They were also ordered by the SLN to obtain special identity cards and permits for setting out to sea. "The SLN has no legal grounds for imposing restrictions on fishing in this manner," said Mr. M. K Sivajilingam, Tamil National Alliance MP for Jaffna.
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