Prime Minister leaves to US

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 September 2002, 20:50 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe Friday left for United States of America on an official visit. "The main purpose of his visit is to brief world leaders on the ongoing peace process and seek more foreign investment," said Cabinet spokesman Minister Mr. G.L.Peiris at press briefing Friday.
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SLA meets LTTE’s Northern Forces Commander

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 September 2002, 17:08 GMT]
(Adds: Photo) The commander of the Northern Front Forces of the Liberation Tigers, Col. Theepan, had discussions with the commander of the Sri Lankan security forces in Jaffna, Major. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, Thursday evening to discuss the opening of the Pt. Pedro – Maruthankerni Road on Jaffna’s east coast and the positioning of Forward Defence Localities in the Nagar Kovil sector.
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Police harass journalist for reporting torture

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 September 2002, 16:59 GMT]
Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontières) called on the Sri Lankan government Thursday to swiftly investigate and punish those responsible for the harassment of a journalist who reported the alleged torture in custody of a woman by police officers in the north-western town of Wariyapola.
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Protest against privatisation in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 September 2002, 19:44 GMT]
Hundreds of workers of state runs banks and the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation demonstrated Tuesday in downtown Colombo against the United National Front government's plans to privatise the institutions. The demonstration was organised by Ceylon Bank Workers'Union and Sri Lanka insurance Corporation workers Union.
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Confrontational politics bane of Sri Lanka – Ranil

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 September 2002, 19:17 GMT]
"The main reason for the present crisis in Sri Lanka is due to the confrontational politics between the two major political groups in the south," said Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe addressing a mammoth rally held Monday evening at Colombo Town Hall. "Both parties to the conflict should participate in the peace talks scheduled to begin in Thailand next week between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam with full confidence," said the Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe.
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Colombo gets ready for 'People's Power' rally

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 September 2002, 20:22 GMT]
Colombo city has been put on security alert from Sunday night, with more than ten thousand police personnel manning various strategic points, as thousands of supporters the United National Front (UNF) government started arriving to attend a mammoth rally scheduled to be held Monday evening. The UNF government organised this campaign to show its strength and support of the masses for its peace efforts, ruling party sources said.
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Point Pedro high security zone to remain

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 September 2002, 22:58 GMT]
The Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary said Saturday that Point Pedro Hartley College and Methodist Girls High School in Jaffna district are within in the high security zone, which encompasses the harbour, courthouse, rest house and some other public offices. The roads leading to these schools will not be opened to the public, he said.
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Sixth Amendment threat looms over peace talks

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 September 2002, 19:08 GMT]
(Newsfeature) President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s People’s Alliance and the Sinhala nationalist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) vowed Friday to fight the United National Front government for lifting of the ban on the Liberation Tigers. The spokesman for the People’s Alliance Dr. Sarath Amunugama said the party will take legal action and start mass protests against the de-proscription. He was addressing a press conference at the opposition leader’s office in Colombo Friday.
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Black September remembrance in Batticaloa university

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 September 2002, 21:53 GMT]
Batticaloa marked the beginning of Black September Thursday with a largely attended function at the Eastern University in Vantharumoolai on the 12th anniversary of the massacre of 174 refugees who had sought asylum on the campus during Sri Lanka army operations in the area in 1990.
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General shut down as military closes Point Pedro schools

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 September 2002, 15:18 GMT]
(Adds: Photos) A complete 'hartal' (general shut down) was observed in Point Pedro and Manthikai areas in the Jaffna peninsula Tuesday in response to a call by the Jaffna Journalists' Association condemning the assault of two journalists and students during the picketing campaign held Monday. All shops and schools were closed down and black flags were hoisted. The military ordered the indefinite closure of Hartley College and Vadamarachchi Methodist Girls High School whose students were involved in Monday’s protests.
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Sinhala nationalists protest in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 September 2002, 14:27 GMT]
Thousands of Sinhla nationalists, including hundreds of Buddhist monks took to streets in Capital Colombo, Tuesday, protesting against the government's decision to lift the ban on Liberation Tigers. The protestors were blocked by police as they attempted to march towards the Prime Minister's office.
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Court to hear Mylanthanai massacre case

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 September 2002, 14:15 GMT]
The Colombo High Court Tuesday fixed September 30 as the date for inquiry into the Mylanthanai massacre case before a panel of Jury. In this case the Attorney General had indicted twenty-one soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army for killing thirty-five Tamil civilians and causing injuries to twenty-four others, court sources said.
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UNF said to have power to de-proscribe

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 September 2002, 09:52 GMT]
A leading legal luminary has said that the Defence Minister in the United National Front (UNF) government has the authority to issue gazette notification announcing the de-proscription of the ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. "Once the ban on LTTE is lifted the President absolutely has no right to change that decision," said President Counsel Mr. Desmond Fernando referring to the constitutional conflict that has arisen following the President's remarks that she would oppose de-proscription.
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PA parliamentarian for ban removal before talks

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 September 2002, 18:11 GMT]
A leading People’s Alliance parliamentarian Monday openly said that the ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam should be lifted before the commencement of Thailand peace talks on September 16. " All peace efforts taken by the United National Front government will be ruined if the ban on the LTTE is not removed before the commencement of Thailand talks," said Mr.A.H.M.Fowzie, a senior minister in the then PA government and a leading member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.
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General Ratwatte investigation moves to Kandy

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 September 2002, 18:05 GMT]
The Criminal Investigation Department Monday began investigations against former deputy defence minister General Ratwatte's financial transaction in Kandy following fresh leads. The Kandy Magistrate Mr.N.Seneviratne Monday allowed an application submitted by the CID to examine some safety vaults rented by General Ratwatte and his wife in a private bank located at Katugastota in the hill capital, legal sources said.
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Chandrika slams UNF government 'without vision'

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 September 2002, 18:32 GMT]
"The United National Front government has no vision nor ability to rule the country," said President Chandrika Kumaratunge Sunday evening at Bogambara grounds, Kandy in the Central province. The President was addressing a large gathering at the fifty first convention of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) which was founded by her father, late Premier S.W.R.D.Bandaranaike in 1951.
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US defence experts to arrive Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 August 2002, 18:49 GMT]
A team of United States defence experts is to arrive Colombo Sunday to assess urgent needs to boost training Sri Lankan security forces, State run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) reported Saturday quoting government sources. "The arrival of US defence experts to Sri Lanka at a time when direct peace talks are scheduled to commence between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam will not hinder the progress of such talks," stressed Constitutional Affairs Minister Professor G.L.Peiris Saturday in clarification.
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Prisoners swap postponed by ten days

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 August 2002, 21:55 GMT]
The exchange of prisoners between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has been postponed by about ten days and it will not take place as scheduled for Saturday at Omanthai in Vavuniya, the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) sources said.
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Vanni artistes highlight detainees' plight

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 August 2002, 05:46 GMT]
A Tamil parliamentarian Thursday called for the repeal of Sri Lanka’s notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) under which hundreds of people continue to be detained. Mr. K. Thurairatnesingham, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) was addressing people assembled at Trincomalee St. Joseph's College auditorium Thursday evening to view the play enacted by the Vanni Teachers' Aesthetic Society, a group of teacher-artistes of Vanni region.
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Gen. Ratwatte's bank lockers searched

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 August 2002, 14:45 GMT]
The Criminal Investigation Department officials Wednesday night searched several safety deposit boxes in a leading private bank in Colombo and found cash around five million rupees and several secret documents. CID officials said Thursday that the said safety deposit boxes belong to the former Deputy Defence Minister General Anurudhha Ratwatte and his wife.
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