War not over until normalcy returns - JCC

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 April 2002, 19:03 GMT]
In the view of the people on the peninsula, the war is not over, the Jaffna Chamber of Commerce (JCC) told a group of Colombo businessmen Tuesday. The JCC stressed that until life returned to normal for Jaffna civilians, entrepreneurs from other parts of the island should not rush to exploit the lack of facilities on the peninsula.
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Monks protest against peace deal

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 April 2002, 19:29 GMT]
Hundreds of Buddhist monks protested against peace talks between Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's government and the Liberation Tigers in downtown Colombo Monday. "The interim administration is a ploy to hand over the northeast to the Tigers. The United National Front government is betraying the Sinhalese", said a spokes person for the protesting monks.
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Peace march to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 April 2002, 23:17 GMT]
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe inaugurated a peace march from Kataragama to Jaffna, which set off Sunday afternoon. The 20-day, 560 km peace march began after religious ceremonies at a Buddhist temple in Kataragama, a pilgrim town in the deep south, about 160 km south-east of Colombo. The twenty-day peace march is taking the pinnacle to the newly built Chaithiya at a Buddhist temple in Jaffna.
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Peace efforts “moving faster than expected” - Helgessen

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 April 2002, 18:49 GMT]
Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgessen said Saturday that efforts to end the conflict in Sri Lanka are moving more quickly than expected. The state run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) Saturday quoted Mr. Helgessen as saying that he was upbeat about his meetings with the Prime Minister, President and the LTTE leader aimed at setting an agenda for the peace talks expected to take place in mid-June in Thailand.
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Norwegians discuss LTTE ban with Kumaratunga

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 April 2002, 23:43 GMT]
(News Feature) The Norwegian peace delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. Vidar Helgessen, Friday met Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga and discussed at length matters related to Oslo's peace initiative, including the ban on the Liberation Tigers. President Kumaratunga, an opponent of lifting the proscription of the LTTE appeared to soften her stance earlier this week, but insisted on a time frame for talks in exchange, which the Tigers have in the past refused to accept.
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Occupation of schools and temples violates cease-fire agreement -TNA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 April 2002, 22:37 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Thursday brought to the notice of the Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. Vidar Helgessen, that the Sri Lanka Army has not vacated temples and schools they occupy in the eastern province and has not completely removed ban on transport of items allowed to LTTE held areas in the eastern province as stipulated in the cease-fire agreement signed between the United National Front Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on February 23.
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Koneswaram boat festival held after twenty years

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 April 2002, 14:20 GMT]
After a period of twenty years, the annual festival of historic Trincomalee Koneswaram Temple concluded Tuesday night with a 'Theppathiruvilzah' (boat festival). The ceremonies were witnessed by more than twenty thousand devotees from all over the eastern district. The 'Theppathiruvilzah' has not been held since the anti-Tamil riots in Colombo and other parts of the island in 1983 July.
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A-9 barred for PTA suspects' transport

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 April 2002, 22:01 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army and the Police have refused permission for the Prison officials to transport suspects who are detained under the Prevention of terrorism Act (PTA) to Vavuniya High Court through A-9 highway from Jaffna.
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Tamil political prisoners on hunger strike

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 April 2002, 17:49 GMT]
More detainees held under the Prevention of terrorism Act (PTA) in the Kalutara prison, south of Colombo Monday joined in a hunger strike launched by one hundred forty seven Tamil suspects this weekend. The Tamil detainees begun this hunger strike Sunday demanding that the cases against them should be expedited or they be transferred to prisons closer to their home villages, prison sources said.
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Norway-Sri Lanka exchange views on Thailand talks

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 April 2002, 17:41 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe and Norway's Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgessen Monday afternoon exchanged views on the agenda for peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which is scheduled to take place in Thailand in May or June, sources said.
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More road accidents during festive season

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 April 2002, 14:00 GMT]
During the Sinhala and Tamil New year festival season more than one thousand people, injured in road accidents and other violent incidents, have been admitted to the hospitals in the south of the island, medical sources said. The Police have set up several roadblocks in the Colombo town to minimise road accidents during festive season.
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SLMC, LTTE sign agreement, plan more meetings

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 April 2002, 19:26 GMT]
(News Feature) Muslim leaders and the Liberation Tigers have signed an agreement to cooperate on affairs related to Sri Lanka's Muslim community, the head of the largest Muslim party told a press conference Saturday. Mr. Rauf Hakeem, leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and a delegation from his party flew to the LTTE-held town of Kilinochchi on Saturday morning for discussions with an LTTE delegation headed by the movement's leader, Mr. Vellupillai Pirapaharan.
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"LTTE-TNA decide to work united"-Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 April 2002, 18:47 GMT]
"The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) have accepted the need to work unitedly,"said Mr.R.Sampanthan, leader of the TNA parliamentary group Saturday evening in a statement on his return to Colombo from Vanni. Mr.Sampanthan told Tamilnet that the three and a half hour meeting with the LTTE leader was a historic event.
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Norwegian Deputy FM arrives Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 April 2002, 09:47 GMT]
Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr.Vidar Helgesen arrived Colombo Saturday to hold crucial talks with the Sri Lanka government and LTTE's leadership. Mr.Helgessen is expected to meet the Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe on 15th April Monday to take forward the peace process, ruling party sources said. Mr.Helgesen will meet the LTTE leader Mr.V.Pirapaharan on April 17 in the northern Vanni.
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US welcomes Pirapaharan's comments

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 April 2002, 22:36 GMT]
In a statement issued by its embassy in Colombo Friday, the United States welcomed comments by the Liberation Tigers' leader Mr. Vellupillai Pirapaharan expressing his support for the Norwegian peace initiative. Mr. Pirapaharan made his comments at a press conference held Wednesday in Kilinochchi.
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Best hope for permanent peace ever -Ranil

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 April 2002, 18:19 GMT]
The chances for peace are better than ever, said Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Friday. "The hope for permanent peace has been built which is not witnessed before in this country," said the Prime Minister, addressing a conference at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall designed to educate the newly elected heads of local government institutions in the south.
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LTTE invites CWC, UPF leaders for talks

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 April 2002, 19:03 GMT]
The hill country Tamil political leaders have been invited by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for talks on the peace process. The talks will be held on April 14 in the northern Vanni region, political sources said.
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LTTE ban to be lifted on May 1 - minister

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 April 2002, 22:17 GMT]
The proscription of the Liberation Tigers, imposed in 1998 by the former People’s Alliance regime, will be lifted on May 1, according to a minister of Sri Lanka’s United National Front government. Mr. T. Maheswaran, Minister for Hindu Religious Affairs, declared the government’s intent whilst speaking at a conference for Divisional Secretaries at the Jaffna District Secretariat Sunday afternoon.
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INGOs' concern for Vanni children said hypocrisy laced

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 April 2002, 00:07 GMT]
(News Feature) A flag week to promote awareness about malnutrition among children in the Vanni is currently being observed in the northern region, sources said. Awareness seminars for the public on mother-child nutrition will be held in all parts of the Vanni region during the week, a spokesperson for the largest NGO in the north, the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO), said.
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SLA opens road to Trinco's southern interior

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 April 2002, 19:34 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army reopened the main road linking the LTTE held southeastern interior of the Trincomalee district Friday following protests by the public. The main road, which runs close to Mahindapura army camp, was closed down for several years by the Sri Lanka Army. The reopening of this main road now enables thousands of Tamils living in more than ten villages in Eachilampathu area, southeast of Mutur to travel without getting down at Mahindapura army checkpoint from buses and other vehicles and walk through along a muddy track, Mutur sources said.
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