Monks' protest leads to suspension of Temple reconstruction

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 May 2002, 07:10 GMT]
Reconstruction work of the centuries old Kanniya Pillaiyar temple has been suspended by the Trincomalee Government Agent on representations made by some Buddhist priests, who claim that the bricks found at the site belonged to the Anuradhapura period.
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Ashraff slammed for opposing truce

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 May 2002, 19:27 GMT]
(News Feature) Reflecting increasing irritation amongst Sri Lanka’s Muslim community over ongoing opposition by some Muslim politicians to the permanent ceasefire between the government and the Liberation Tigers, another Muslim organisation this week hailed the truce and condemned those supporting Sinhala nationalist forces opposed to peace.
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Vanni MP alleges conspiracy to derail peace talks

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 May 2002, 17:48 GMT]
A leading MP of the Tamil National Alliance, Mr. 'Selvam' Adaikalanathan, alleged Friday that there is a conspiracy by anti-peace Sinhala nationalist elements in the opposition and in the Sri Lankan armed forces to destabilize the United Front Government and its peace efforts. He said that there are patently systematic moves in sections of the Sinhala media and in the armed forces to discredit the UNF's peace initiative among the Sinhala masses.
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PA 'to oppose country's division'

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 May 2002, 01:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka's main opposition People's Alliance Thursday vowed to step up its campaign against the Norwegian peace initiative, saying it was decided to oppose "the division of the country and suppression of fundamental rights of opposition political activists." Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse, leader of the Opposition told a press conference held at his office Thursday that the cease-fire agreement currently in force is one sided and favoured the Liberation Tigers.
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Thamilchelvan says A9 should be open 24 hours, slams SLN

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 May 2002, 06:57 GMT]
"The Liberation Tigers want the A9 road to be open 24 hours, on all days of the week, to ensure the free flow of goods between Jaffna and the other parts of the island," Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, the head of the LTTE's political division, told TamilNet Thursday.
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Parliament to debate cease-fire agreement

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 May 2002, 22:50 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s government Wednesday agreed to hold a full day debate in Parliament with the main opposition People’s Alliance (PA) on the ceasefire agreement with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), officials said. The debate will be held Thursday from 10 a.m. till 4.30 p.m.
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Children returning to Trinco suffer malnutrition

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 May 2002, 20:44 GMT]
Sixty eight percent of the children returning from Vanni with their parents to be resettled in Trincomalee have been found underweight, their growth stunted by malnutrition, according to a medical survey done by the Sri Lanka Red Cross (SLRC) in the eastern district.
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Pilots picked Balasingham’s flight path

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 May 2002, 12:20 GMT]
Mr. Anton Balasingham, the LTTE’s chief negotiator and political advisor, Sunday denied reports in sections of the Colombo press that he had violated the terms of the ceasefire agreement between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government by directing his seaplane over the Trincomalee seas on April 24 during a tense standoff between Sri Lanka Navy gunboats and Sea Tiger craft.
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'Hartal' in Mutur condemning Navy atrocities

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 May 2002, 21:06 GMT]
More than fifteen thousand people took part in demonstrations and public rallies held Saturday in Mutur east, south and west protesting against the shooting incident by the Sri Lanka Navy in Nilaveli, about 14 km north of Trincomalee town, wounding two Tamil women on April 29th night. A 'hartal' (general shut down of shops and other institutions) was also observed Saturday in the Mutur and Eechilampattai divisions covering LTTE held areas and army controlled areas, sources said.
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Navy fire sinks fishing boats

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 May 2002, 12:49 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Navy Wednesday fired on fishing boats of the coast of Vaakarai, destroying at least two vessels and killing several fishermen, residents in the coastal village said. The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission has been sent a strongly worded protest by the Liberation Tigers, sources in Kilinochchi said Thursday. Reporting the incident Wednesday the Sri Lanka military claimed the boats were LTTE craft and that one had blown itself up.
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"Settlement sans traditional homeland concept" - PM

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 May 2002, 20:04 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe said that a system of devolution of power must be found at the negotiating table without dividing the country and without accepting the concept of a traditional Tamil homeland. He was addressing the first May Day rally of the United National Front (UNF) government held Wednesday at Colombo Municipal Council grounds.
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NDF urges govt to lift LTTE ban

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 May 2002, 19:50 GMT]
The New Democratic Front Wednesday appealed to the United National Front government to lift the ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and hand over the administration of the interim administration of the northeast province to a council headed by the LTTE.
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Tamil journalists still face danger - RSF

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 May 2002, 19:02 GMT]
The Reporters Sans Frontiers, the French media watchdog, said in its annual report on press freedom released Wednesday that working conditions for Tamil journalists remain very dangerous in Sri Lanka, especially when they report on human rights violations. "They are easily accused of supporting the Tamil Tigers guerrilla movement. The 1998 Emergency Law allows security forces to arrest anyone suspected of maintaining relations with this banned separatist organisation. But how can anyone work in the north and east of the country without having contacts with the Tamil Tigers, who are everywhere?" the RSF report said.
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Tigers object to COMNORTH declaration

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 April 2002, 05:45 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers have objected to the Northern Navy Commander declaring the islands off the Jaffna peninsula as military zones. The LTTE has sent its objection in writing to the Sri Lanka Peace Monitoring Mission's (SLMM) office in Kilinochchi, sources in the Vanni said Tuesday.
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Tigers open political office in VVT

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 April 2002, 18:40 GMT]
"The interim administration is a necessary condition for restoring normal life in our homeland that has been destroyed by more than eighteen years of war waged on us by the Sri Lankan state. Therefore it is also an absolutely necessary condition for sustaining our people's faith in this peace process, said Mr. M. K Sivajilingam, Tamil National Alliance MP for Jaffna, addressing the function at the opening of the political office of the Liberation Tigers for the Vadamaradchi division of the northern peninsula Monday morning.
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PM meets prelates

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 April 2002, 16:02 GMT]
The Prime Minister Saturday told the prelates of the Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters in Kandy that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam cannot open political offices outside the North-east province. "It will be a violation of the cease-fire agreement signed by the government and the LTTE if the latter decided to open its offices in other parts of the country," Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe said in reply to Mahanayake Theras when they questioned him about the news reports that LTTE is to open its office in Wellawatte, Colombo on Monday.
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SLMC condemns Ashraff over ‘collaboration’

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 April 2002, 02:19 GMT]
A section of Sri Lanka’s largest Muslim party Friday condemned the leader of a breakaway faction for siding with Sinhala chauvinists by speaking at an anti-peace rally organised to condemn the indefinite ceasefire between the government and the Liberation Tigers, press reports said. The Eravur sections of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) criticised Mrs Farial Ashraff, the widow of its former leader, for siding with Sinhala chauvinists and addressing the event in Colombo in her capacity as leader of the National United Alliance.
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'Thanthai Chelva' remembered

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 April 2002, 18:56 GMT]
The twenty fifth-death anniversary of the late Tamil leader 'Thanthai' Chelvanayakam was observed throughout the Northeast province Friday with religious observances and memorial meetings. In Trincomalee, a the statue of 'Thanthai Chelva' at Sivankoviladi veethi was garlanded Friday morning by a leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Mr.K.Thurairetnasingham. Sivankoviladi Development Association organised the event.
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Sinhala nationalists plan more protests

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 April 2002, 14:21 GMT]
(News Feature) Efforts by Sinhala nationalists to mobilise public opposition to the Norwegian peace initiative are continuing with three opposition parties planning a joint protest campaign against Oslo's efforts and the division of the country, press reports said Thursday.
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JVP anti-peace protests kick off

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 April 2002, 19:18 GMT]
The Marxist Janata Vimukti Peramuna (JVP) held a demonstration at Lipton Square in down town Colombo Tuesday afternoon against the government's peace move. An estimated five-thousand JVP members and activists participated in the protest, led by the Sinhala nationalist party's general secretary, Mr.Tilvin Silva, which later travelled in a procession and ended with a protest meeting at Hyde Park.
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