Pirapaharan extols Jeyanthan Brigade on 12th anniversary

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 May 2005, 00:02 GMT]
In April last year, the world witnessed the prowess, fighting spirit and the commitment of the Jeyanthan Brigade which, by executing in Batticaloa soil “the right operation at the right time and the right place, triumphed against betrayal and reclaimed our soil, our people and our cadre," said LTTE leader, Mr. Vellupillai Pirapaharan in a congratulatory message sent to the fighting unit which celebrated the 12th anniversary of its formation on Wednesday.
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SL President says will establish JM despite opposition

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 May 2005, 10:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Tuesday said an excellent opportunity has arisen to achieve peace in the island by establishing a Joint Mechanism (JM) with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to reconstruct the tsunami destroyed coastal areas in the northeast. Despite opposition and risk to her presidency, she is prepared to implement the JM proposal to bring peace to Sri Lanka, she said addressing a meeting of the National Council for Peace and Reconciliation attended by leaders of all faiths held Tuesday, the State run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation reported in its evening news bulletin.
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Australian Tamils condemn journalist's murder

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 May 2005, 10:52 GMT]
The Australian Federation of Tamil Associations, in a press release issued Tuesday condemned the murder of Dharmeratnam Sivaram and said, "This murder is the latest in a series of brutal slayings of Tamil journalists which includeBBC journalist, Mr Mylvaganam Nimalarajan and Mr Nadesan...We call upon the Australian Government and the Australian Media in particular to condemn this brutal and premeditated murder. AFTA is outraged that the Sri Lankan politicalestablishment should continue silencing the voice of Tamils despite the cease-fire."
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Sivaram an inspiration to Tamil journalists - Uthayan

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 May 2005, 20:33 GMT]
Saluting the work of Dharmaretnam Sivaram, the Tamil columnist abducted and murdered in Sri Lanka’s capital on Friday, the popular Jaffna Tamil daily, Uthayan, said in its editorial Monday that he would remain an “inspiration to Tamil journalists with love for the nation and their people.”
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Sivaram: ‘Don’t raise false hopes amongst our people’

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 May 2005, 18:35 GMT]
The last article published by Mr. Dharmeratnam Sivaram, the political columnist and military analyst abducted and murdered on Friday, was an appeal to his colleagues in the Tamil media. Urging them not to hype up the chances of a positive outcome with regards to the joint mechanism until it actually happens, Mr. Sivaram argued that the media has a duty to not to raise false hopes amongst the Tamil people and to keep the Sri Lankan state’s determination not to meet Tamil expectations in sight.The article, written in Tamil for the Colombo-based Virakesari newspaper appeared in its edition of Sunday April 24.
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Norway Tamils celebrate May Day

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 May 2005, 16:07 GMT]
Several hundred Tamils in Norway, carrying Tamil Eelam national flags and banners urging the international community to recognize the Tamil people's right to self-determination, participated in May Day rallies held in capital Oslo and other major cities, organised by Confederation of Trade Unions, sources in Norway said. The participants also carried large photographs of murdered journalist Mr.D.Sivaram and banners condemning the killing.
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Funeral of Sivaram held in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 May 2005, 10:13 GMT]
Murdered Tamil journalist Mr D Sivaram's funeral rites began at his family home in Lady Manning Drive, Batticaloa Monday afternoon after his body was taken to LTTE controlled Karadiyan Aaru earlier in the day. The body of Mr.Sivaram is now being taken to the cemetery in Aalayadichcholai, which lies in a High Security Zone of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF). The funeral procession is escorted by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers and Police. Representatives of the SLMM are also following, TamilNet correspondent in the eastern town said.
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Sivaram funeral cortege leaves Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 May 2005, 17:19 GMT]
The body of murdered Tamil journalist Sivaram Dharmeratnam was taken from his residence in Colombo at 10pm local time to Batticaloa where his funeral will take place on Monday. The skies opened up momentarily around No.15/4 Mahindarama Road, Ratmalana from where the cortege left with Police escort. The cortege is expected to reach Batticaloa in the early hours of Monday
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LTTE accuses SLA Intelligence, para-militaries for Sivaram's murder

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 April 2005, 00:16 GMT]
Accusing Sri Lanka military intelligence, and para-militaries collaborating with security forces as responsible for murdering Taraki D Sivaram, the Political Wing of the Liberation Tigers in a press release issued from Vanni Friday said, "Forces that cannot stand up to Sivaram's resoluteness, his firm conviction on issues, and depth and brilliance in broad range of skills, have abducted and murdered him to silence his voice."
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Sivaram Dharmeratnam: A Journalist’s life

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 April 2005, 21:11 GMT]
Mark Whitaker, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of South Carolina, Aiken, U.S.A, is completing an intellectual biography of Dharmeratnam Sivaram’s life and work in a book entitled “Learning Politics from Sivaram.” Prof. Whitaker summarizes Sivaram’s life and work in this feature.


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Batticaloa burial planned for slain journalist

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 April 2005, 12:48 GMT]
Sivaram's body will be buried according to Sivaram's wishes in Batticaloa, at the family burial grounds where his parents' bodies lie in rest, a relative organizing the funeral arrangements said. Viewing is to be held in Colombo at Sivaram's residence in Ratmalana and the body is to be taken to Batticaloa Sunday for Monday's funeral,
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FCA condemns Sivaram slaying

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 April 2005, 12:37 GMT]
Foreign Correspondents' Association of Sri Lanka (FCA) condemned the abduction and killing of Mr. D. Sivaram (Taraki) and said: "to gun down an unarmed man is pure cowardice; to gun down a journalist is to attack freedom of speech."
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President Kumaratunga's top aide calls for establishment of Joint Mechanism

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 April 2005, 11:04 GMT]
President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s Senior Economic Advisor, Mano Tittawella, who is also the head of the Presidential Task Force For Rebuilding the Nation (TAFREN) said Thursday that the establishment of a Joint Mechanism was necessary to "equitably distribute the tsunami relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction" to the affected people living in the areas that are not coming under the writ of the Government.
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SLA ban on cement spotlighted at Trinco tsunami event

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 April 2005, 01:18 GMT]
Speaking at a cultural event Wednesday organized by the Provincial Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs to mark the fourth month after tsunami disaster, Mr.Puratchi, Head of the Trincomalee District Students Front of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), said that Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has imposed ban on transporting cement, sand and other building materials to the LTTE controlled areas to rebuild houses destroyed in tsunami. NorthEast Province Governor, Mr.Tyronne Fernando, attended the event held in Trincomalee St.Joseph's College auditorium.
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Marksmen compete in Elephant Pass celebrations

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 April 2005, 00:10 GMT]
100 meter sharpshooting competitions marked the fourth day of events celebrating the fifth anniversary of the fall of Sri Lanka Army's (SLA's) Elephant Pass garrison with Liberation Tigers' Northern Region Commander, Col Theepan, supervising the day's events at the LTTE Military Academy, sources from Vanni said. The fall of Elephant Pass in 22 April 2000 established the Tigers as the world's only non-state military force capable of complex manoeuvre war fighting.
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Joint mechanism will give new life to ISGA- JVP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 April 2005, 15:14 GMT]
Mr.Somawanse Amerasinghe, leader of the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a major constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government said Tuesday at a press briefing in Colombo that the proposed Joint Mechanism (JM) with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) will be a stepping-stone for the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) for NorthEast, sources said.
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"Thanthai" Chelva death anniversary observed in NorthEast

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 April 2005, 13:24 GMT]
Twenty eighth-death anniversary of late Mr.S.J.V. Chelvanayakam (1898-1977), prominent leader of the Tamil people for more than three decades of his life and fondly called as "Thanthai (Father)" was observed in Trincomalee, Jaffna and several parts of the northeast province Tuesday, sources said.
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JHU joins anti joint mechanism fray

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 April 2005, 14:11 GMT]
Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), an ultra Sinhala nationalist party in Sri Lanka's Parliament, Monday vowed to oppose the proposed joint mechanism between the Liberation Tigers and Colombo to distribute Tsunami aid in the island's northeast. Addressing a press conference in Colombo Monday, Mr. Champika Ranawaka, propaganda secretary of the JHU said that his party was ready to join hands with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to campaign against the joint mechanism proposal. He said that there are many politicians in the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the opposition United National Party who are against the joint mechanism for Tsunami aid.
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JVP says will campaign against joint tsunami aid mechanism

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 April 2005, 05:22 GMT]
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s main coalition partner, said Monday it will launch a massive campaign to oppose the proposed Joint Mechanism between the Liberation Tigers and Colombo for distributing Tsunami aid in the island’s northeast. “The campaign will start from the capital and will be held in all major provincial towns to educate the people about the dangers the Joint Mechanism poses to the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”, a party spokesman said. JVP’s opposition to the Joint Mechanism will be the central theme of the huge May Day rally the Marxist party is preparing to hold in Colombo, according to him.
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Tigers postpone crucial press meet

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 April 2005, 17:36 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said Sunday they are indefinitely postponing a crucial press conference scheduled for Tuesday in Kilinochchi. Informed sources said that the press meet was intended to explain the LTTE’s stand on the proposed Joint Mechanism for Tsunami reconstruction in the island’s northeast province. The indefinite postponement of the press conference added fuel to speculation in Colombo that a compromise on the Joint Mechanism is floundering on strident opposition by President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s main coalition partner Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna.
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