Thamilchelvan deplores Sri Lanka President's 'arbitrary action'

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 January 2004, 10:40 GMT]
The Sri Lankan "governing apparatus that should take forward the peace process with commitment and sufficient strength is in shambles. This no doubt is an imminent threat to the maintenance of the ceasefire with due integrity," said Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, head of the LTTE’s political division addressing the conference of northeast donors Monday in Kilinochchi. He said that "the arbitrary action" of Sri Lanka’s President "has created problems of vast magnitude vis-à-vis the integrity of the CFA and the progress of the political negotiations."
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‘Sinhala leaders not interested in peace proposals’ - Ilamparuthy

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 January 2004, 18:00 GMT]
“Events which followed the submission of our proposal for an Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA)- take over of ministries, the campaign to whip up Sinhala extremism- showed that Sinhala leaders are not interested in negotiations,” said Mr. C. Ilamparuthi, head of the LTTE’s political division in Jaffna, addressing a meeting in Oslo Saturday to mark the eleventh death anniversary of Col. Kittu, a senior Tiger commander. He urged India to come forward to develop a positive relationship with the LTTE.
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Separate body a must to reconstruct NorthEast - TNA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 January 2004, 15:24 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group leader Mr.R.Sampanthan Saturday appealed to the international community to take steps to create a separate structure to the Tamil speaking people to rehabilitate themselves and reconstruct their war ravaged province if the current political power struggle between the executive presidency and head of the parliamentary legislature in the south continues without settlement to take forward the stalled peace process.


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Colombo urged to repeal PTA

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 January 2004, 18:02 GMT]
A meeting to urge the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and to release detainees arrested under the PTA and held in prison for several years without a court hearing was organized by the Center of Human Rights and Development (CHRD) held at the Conference hall of Batticaloa Public Library Saturday, civil sources said.


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SLA Commander to assist tracing Jaffna disappeared

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 January 2004, 13:39 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army's Jaffna area commander Major General Susil Chandrapala Friday at a discussion assured a delegation of the Jaffna District Missing Person Guardians' Association (MPGA) and the Jaffna District Women's Front (JDWF) that he would provide the necessary support and assistance in tracing the more than persons disappeared in Jaffna district following military operations between1995 and 1997, sources said.
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JVP leader expected on pact signing day

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 January 2004, 18:57 GMT]
Mr. Somawansa Amarasinghe, the secretive leader of the Sinhala nationalist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) who lives in London, will return to Sri Lanka on 20 January, the Political Bureau of the party said Friday. The JVP and President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party are scheduled to sign an agreement cementing a political alliance on 20 January.
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Couple, infant murdered in Jaffna high security area

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 January 2004, 16:29 GMT]
A couple and their eight month old infant were found murdered near the Kanakampuliyadi Junction in Jaffna Friday, Police in Chavakachcheri said. The couple’s home is in an isolated spot surrounded by a large number of Sri Lankan military positions and camps. Police said that the family may have been murdered three days ago. Their throats were slit.


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Akashi to visit Colombo, Kilinochchi next week

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 January 2004, 06:34 GMT]
Japan's special envoy for Sri Lanka, Mr. Yashushi Akashi will visit Colombo and Kilinochchi next week for talks with Sri Lankan leaders and the Liberation Tigers. During his visit Mr. Akashi will chair the second follow up meeting of the Tokyo donors' conference on reconstruction and development of Sri Lanka on 23 January in Colombo.
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Tigers await Colombo outcome, vow to observe truce

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 January 2004, 00:07 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers have given a solemn pledge to the Norwegian facilitators of the peace process in Sri Lanka that their organization would abide by the terms and conditions of the two year old cease-fire agreement and maintain peace, irrespective of the continuing turmoil in Colombo.
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Norwegian Ambassador meets Thamilchelvan in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 January 2004, 15:01 GMT]
Norway's ambassodor to Sri Lanka, Mr.Hans Brattskar met Head of Liberation Tigers' Political Wing, Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan Wednesday morning at the LTTE Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi. Mr. Brattskar told local presspersons after the meeting that he discussed aid issues for the northeast and Mr. Thamilchelvan's upcoming visit to Norway.
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SLA says can open A9 longer if ICRC consents

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 January 2004, 08:34 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army told a delegation of religious and civil society leaders in Jaffna Wednesday that the A9 can be opened for more hours for the convenience of the public if the International Committee of the Red Cross consents. The delegation of the People’s Council for Peace and Goodwill (PCPG) comprised the Catholic Bishop of Jaffna, Rt. Rev. Thomas Saundranayagam, the chief incumbent of the Nallai Aatheenam, Ven. Somasundara Paramaachchariya Swamigal, the President of the PCPG, Mr. D. R Arumainayagam and several civil society leaders.
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Sri Lanka President sets hurdle for stateless Tamils

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 January 2004, 15:07 GMT]
The Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga Tuesday ordered that the granting of citizenship to stateless Tamils in the island “should not be done in a manner that would provide political advantage to one party." The order refers to the Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC), the Tamil trade union and political party that lobbied for and succeeded in passing legislation to grant citizenship to thousands of stateless Tamils in Sri Lanka last year. The CWC was recently involved in a program by the UNHCR to help stateless Tamils apply for citizenship.
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New Maternity ward opens at Nedunkerni Hospital

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 January 2004, 14:24 GMT]
Medical and Maternity wards of the Nedunkerni Hospital, renovated at a cost of Rs.2m, was ceremonially opened Monday by Secretary of Ministry of Health for NorthEast, Mr.R.M.S.Ratnayake, Health Commissioner for NorthEast, S.Kumaravetpillai and Secretary of Nedunkerni Pradeshya Sabha, K.Iyampillai, sources in Kilinochchi said.
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Fishermen appeal for elimination of SLA Pass system

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 January 2004, 04:51 GMT]
Vadamarachchi North fisheries societies in Jaffna district appealed to the Sri Lanka Army to replace the existing army pass system by recognizing the fisheries identity cards issued by the Department of Fisheries. The appeal was made at a conference held last week at the 52-4 brigade headquarters of the SLA in Point Pedro, security sources said.
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SLA opens new access road to Point Pedro seas

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 January 2004, 04:18 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has opened a new access road to seashore enabling the fisher folk of Point Pedro-Thumpalai east area to get to the beach fronts easily. SLA soldiers Monday started removing a portion of the security bund using heavy equipments to open the new access road to sea, fisheries sources said.


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SLA driver remanded in Vadamaradchy fatal accident

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 January 2004, 13:31 GMT]
Point Pedro Magistrate Mr.K.Ariyanayagam Monday ordered remand till 26 January for a Lance Corporal of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) who was involved in the incident in which a carpenter of Karaveddy Sinnathurai Sivaneswaran was killed on Saturday in a collision with an army vehicle, legal sources said.


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Batticaloa villagers live under SLA death threats

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 January 2004, 12:51 GMT]
Residents of Vembu, Kiran, Palaiyavettai and other villages that lie close to the Kumburumoolai Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp live in constant fear amidst death threats by the soldiers of the SLA camp, residents told TamilNet. Kumburumoolai SLA camp is located about 29kilometers North of Batticaloa town.
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SLA truck collision kills Karaveddy carpenter

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 January 2004, 14:56 GMT]
Mr. Sinnathurai Manoharan, a carpenter by profession of Karaveddy, a town located 5km south of Point Pedro in Vadamaradchy, died on the spot when a Sri Lanka Army truck ran over him close to a damaged bridge at the Kaputhoo-Anthanathidal area, along Point Pedro-Sarasalai road in Thenmaradchchi in Jaffna district, Saturday night, police said.


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Pirapaharan felicitates Women artists

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 January 2004, 14:30 GMT]
In a cultural event organized by the Fine Arts and Cultural Division of Women's Wing of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Saturday in Kilinochchi, Leader of LTTE, Pirapaharan praised the contributions of Tamil women artists to Theatre, Drama, Tamil struggle and commended the artists for stimulating cultural awareness among the public, sources from Vanni said.
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Will fast to death says Jaffna refugee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 January 2004, 11:28 GMT]
Mr.Sellakili Anandaraja, a refugee in Jaffna whose home and fields are occupied by the Sri Lanka amy said Sunday he would fast to death if he and more than 600 diplaced families in the Thenmaradchi divison of Jaffna are not permitted resettle in their villages before the end of January 2004.
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